TRV
Translation
King James Version
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
KJV (with Strong's)
Complete Jewish Bible
Scarcely had I left them, when I found the man I love. I took hold of him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the bedroom of the woman who conceived me.
Berean Standard Bible
I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held him and would not let go until I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
American Standard Version
It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother’s house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.
World English Bible Messianic
I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.
Geneva Bible (1599)
When I had past a litle from them, then I found him whom my soule loued: I tooke holde on him and left him not, till I had brought him vnto my mothers house into the chamber of her that conceiued me.
Young's Literal Translation
But a little I passed on from them, Till I found him whom my soul hath loved! I seized him, and let him not go, Till I brought him in unto the house of my mother--And the chamber of her that conceived me.
See also
In the KJVVerse 17,576 of 31,102
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Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers . Public domain.
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Gregory of ElviraAD 392
EXPLANATION OF THE SONG OF SONGS 5:12
“In my mother’s house and in the chamber where she conceived me.” This is the voice of the church speaking. If the church is a mother to all, we must ask for the identity of the mother of the church, in whose house and in whose chamber she is said to have been conceived. I have already shown above what is the church, namely, the body of Christ that consists of his gathering members. The mother of the church, therefore, is the holy heavenly Jerusalem.
Gregory of ElviraAD 392
EXPLANATION OF THE SONG OF SONGS 5:2
To what does this bed refer, upon which the church seeks the one whom its soul loves, if not to the bed of its heart in which wisdom rests, where it seeks our Lord and Savior through continuous meditation? If the bed is the secrecy of the heart, then what is the night in which the church sought the Lord but was unable to find him? Surely it means that the God of light was not easily found in darkness.
Gregory of NyssaAD 395
HOMILIES ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
The chamber is indeed the heart that becomes an acceptable dwelling of God when it returns to that state which it had in the beginning made by “her who conceived me.” We would be correct by understanding “mother” as the first cause of our being.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
Concerning Virginity 8:45
Let us follow him by day, the present day of the church, which Abraham saw and was glad. This is why we follow Christ during the day; for he will not be found by night. “Upon my bed,” Scripture says, “by night I sought him whom my soul loves. I called him, but he gave no answer.”
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On Isaac and the Soul, 5.38, 42
"In my bed, I sought the one whom my soul loves during the nights." Whoever seeks well, let them seek in their bed, let them seek during the nights, neither on holidays nor on nights of rest. Let no time be vacant from the duty of piety; and if it does not find it at first, let it continue in seeking. ... And since we see heavenly mysteries prefigured in the Gospel on earth, let us come to that Mary, let us come also to Magdalene. Let us consider how they sought Christ in the bed of his body, in which he lay dead, on the nights when the angel said to them: You seek Jesus who was crucified; he is not here, for he has risen. Why, therefore, do you seek the living among the dead? What do you seek in the tomb of one who is already in heaven? What do you seek in the chains of universal imprisonment, who breaks the chains? This is not a tomb, but a dwelling place. Therefore, one of them said: I sought him, but did not find him.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
Concerning Virginity 13:78
What is signified by the house of your mother and her chamber except the interior, secret place of your nature? Keep this house, and cleanse its inmost parts so that, once it is an immaculate house unstained by any sordidness of an adulterous conscience, a spiritual house held together by the cornerstone may rise into a holy priesthood, and the Holy Spirit may dwell in it. One who thus seeks Christ, who entreats him, is not abandoned by him. Rather, that one is frequently visited, for he is with us until the end of the world.
JeromeAD 420
HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 26 (PSALM 98)
Happy the person in whose heart Jesus sets his feet every day! If only he would set his feet in my heart! If only his footsteps would cling to my heart forever! If only I may say with the spouse, “I took hold of him and would not let him go.”
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
FRAGMENTS IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3:1
“In my chamber by night I sought him.” This refers to the women who came at the beginning of the morning on the sabbath to the tomb of Jesus and did not find him. He is in the chamber, therefore, or away from the chamber. Or perhaps they call their chamber the Lord’s tomb because we are buried together with him. But when they did not find him, they heard at once: “He is not here, for he has been raised.” And they discovered guardian angels, whom they asked, “Where have you laid the Lord?” Then, when they had left the angels whom they were questioning, the Lord met them and said, “Rejoice.” For this reason, it says, “When I had passed by them for a little while, I found him whom I will not let go.” She grasped his feet and heard, “Don’t hold me.” Finally, he called the gathering of the apostles the house of the mother, to whom he announced the resurrection of Christ.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3
She says she found him and did not let him go before bringing him into her mother’s house and the inner chamber of the one who conceived her. By “city” she refers to the house of God, which we call church, by “marketplaces” and “streets” the divine Scriptures, by the city’s “watchmen” the holy prophets and the sacred apostles, from whom the pious soul learns in its longing for the divine Word. After these she finds the bridegroom attended by guards and attendants, she lays hold of him, clings to him and is reluctant to leave him before she brings him into her mother’s house and the inner chamber of the one who conceived her. Now, we recognize the mother of the pious as the Jerusalem on high, of whom blessed Paul says, “The Jerusalem on high is free in being mother of us all.”
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3
Since the bridegroom is incomprehensible in his being even to the holy angels, and hence they did not give me an answer to my question, teaching me by their silence that he is incomprehensible even to them, the uncreated to created beings, I left them as well, still searching for my beloved.“It was not long after passing them that I found him whom my soul loved. I laid hold of him.” I had scarcely bypassed the creature to reach the angelic nature itself in an effort to find my uncreated beloved, my benefactor as he is, when by faith alone I came upon him, bypassing all beings and with the confirmation from experience itself that the one responsible for everything is above all beings and in his being is seen by no nature, of the senses or the intellect, being superior to them in substance.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 25
We seek the one we love upon our beds when we sigh with longing for our Redeemer during our short period of rest during the present life. We seek him during the night, because even though our hearts are already watchful for him, our eyes are still darkened. But it remains for the person who does not find the one he loves to rise and go about the city, that is, he must travel about the holy church of the elect with an inquiring heart. He must seek her through its streets and squares, making his way, that is, through narrow and broad places, on the watch to make inquiries if any traces of her can be found in them, because there are some, even of those leading worldly lives, who have something worth imitating of virtue in their actions. The watchmen who guard the city find us as we search, because the holy fathers who guard the church’s orthodoxy come to meet our good efforts, to teach us, by their words of their writings. Scarcely have we passed them by when we find him whom we love. Although in his humility our Redeemer was a human being in the midst of human beings, in his divinity he was above human beings. Therefore once the watchmen have been passed by, the beloved is found.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Song of Songs
I held him and will not let him go, etc. All the more fervently, she says, I held the one found, because it took longer to find the one I was seeking. I proclaim that I will never let him go, but instead strive to persevere and progress continually in his love, so that I may also endeavor to call the Synagogue, through which I received the hearing of the word and the ministry of regeneration, back to faith in his name. For it is established that at the end of the age, Judea shall receive the faith which it now opposes in unfaithfulness, which can only happen through the teaching and ministry of those who will then be found faithful among the Gentiles. For the Apostle plainly says, "Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel shall be saved" (Rom. XI). Indeed, what the Church says, "I held him and will not let him go until I bring him into my mother's house, and into my mother's chamber," should not be understood as though she will let Christ go after she has instructed the Synagogue's people in faith in his name, but rather that she loves him with such affection, seeks what is his with such zeal, that she endeavors to subject even her kindred people to him, according to the Psalmist’s words, "Our eyes are upon the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us" (Ps. XXIV). For certainly, no one who raises their eyes to God to ask for mercy lowers them again after finally receiving that mercy, since it is the greatest sign of received mercy for someone to always have their eyes intently on God and to contemplate his glory without end. It should be noted, however, that the sequence of this chapter was also fulfilled literally in Mary Magdalene, who held the type of the Church: for when the Lord, whom she loved with all her heart while alive, was taken from her sight by death and burial, she sought him in her bed, held captive by such love for him that the memory of him did not leave her heart even when her limbs were given to rest. She sought him through nights, namely those two in which he rested in the tomb; yet she did not find him, as the time for his resurrection had not yet come. She arose in the morning with spices, and anxiously searching, she came to the tomb; and even then, she did not immediately find the one she was seeking, but first the angels, certainly guardians of the Church, found her. Inquiring about the Lord from them, and hearing that he had risen, she finally came to see him. She held him, and no longer let him go, having truly recognized that he had triumphed over death. And she hastened to bring him into her mother's house, for she proclaimed his resurrection to the assembly of the disciples, who had preceded her in Christ and had encouraged her to piety by their examples.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Song of Songs
After I had slightly passed by them, etc. The one who wishes to enjoy the teaching of truth should not approach it hastily and negligently: for the one who desires to meet the beloved must necessarily pass very diligently by those who proclaim his name, and familiarly insert himself among their assemblies, so that he may thus more closely deserve to attain the knowledge of him whom they preach. For we also say that we have passed through a book when we have read it to the end. Therefore, the angel said to Daniel about the mysteries he was seeing, "Many shall pass through and knowledge shall be multiplied" (Dan. XII). Therefore, after I had slightly passed by them, he says, I found him whom my soul loved. For a seeker of truth ought to pass through the watchmen, that is, to mingle and unite himself with the assemblies of the faithful teachers, as has been said, and to run through their sayings or writings with frequent meditation. When he does this even slightly, he soon finds the beloved whom he sought, because according to the voice of Paul and Isaiah, "The Lord will accomplish his word upon the earth briefly" (Rom. IX), specifically what he said, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark XVI). And of which the Apostle says, "But what does the Scripture say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth'" (Rom. X). This is the word of faith which we preach; "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. X).
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Song of Solomon 3:4 captures the triumphant climax of the Shulamite's fervent search for her beloved, depicting her joyous discovery and resolute embrace of him. Following a period of anxious separation and diligent seeking, she finds the one whom her soul deeply loves, holding him with unwavering determination and bringing him into the most intimate and secure space—her mother's house and the chamber of her conception—symbolizing a profound, consecrated union and ultimate belonging.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse serves as the triumphant culmination of the Shulamite's second dream sequence, which commences in Song of Solomon 3:1. In the preceding verses, specifically Song of Solomon 3:1-3, she vividly recounts her restless night, her active and anxious search for her beloved through the city streets, and her encounters with the watchmen. Significantly, the watchmen, despite their presence, do not facilitate her reunion; rather, her finding him is portrayed as a deeply personal and immediate experience, occurring just after she passes beyond their sphere. Song of Solomon 3:4 marks a pivotal transition from the tension of anxious searching to the profound relief and fulfillment of joyful discovery and secure possession, providing a sense of resolution within the unfolding narrative of the lovers' relationship. The dream motif is crucial here, allowing the author to explore the depths of human emotion—intense longing, gnawing anxiety, profound relief, and ultimate intimacy—in a way that transcends literal, waking experience, making the emotional journey palpable.
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the "mother's house" (Hebrew: bayith ʼêm) held immense cultural and symbolic importance. It was typically regarded as the most private, secure, and nurturing part of the family dwelling, often serving as a sanctuary for women. Bringing the beloved into this sacred space, and specifically into the "chamber of her that conceived me," represents an act of ultimate trust, deep acceptance, and the highest possible level of intimacy and commitment. This gesture suggests a desire for a union that is not merely physical or fleeting, but one that is deeply rooted in the very essence of her being and implicitly validated by her origins and family foundation. It implies a profound desire for the relationship to be recognized, consecrated, and integrated into her foundational identity and familial structure, signifying a progression beyond mere courtship to a truly established, enduring, and cherished bond. This act is an invitation into her most vulnerable and cherished space, symbolizing complete surrender and shared life.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes woven throughout the Song of Solomon. Foremost is the theme of Passionate Pursuit and Discovery, where the Shulamite's relentless and earnest search for her beloved underscores the intensity and singular focus of true love. Her finding him "but a little that I passed from them" (the watchmen) suggests that true connection often bypasses external structures or intermediaries, emphasizing a direct, personal, and profoundly intimate encounter. This echoes the broader biblical theme of diligently seeking the beloved, as seen in passages like Jeremiah 29:13, where seeking God wholeheartedly is promised to lead to finding Him. The phrase "whom my soul loveth" highlights the theme of Profound and All-Encompassing Love, indicating a love that originates from the deepest core of her being, encompassing emotional, spiritual, and physical dimensions. Finally, the act of holding him and bringing him into her "mother's house" speaks directly to the theme of Secure Possession and Intimacy, signifying a desire for an enduring, unwavering union and the establishment of a safe, cherished, and consecrated space for their bond. This secure intimacy is a recurring motif throughout the Song, reflecting the ideal of a complete and unshakeable marital relationship, a sanctuary of mutual belonging.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Song of Solomon 3:4 is rich in Symbolism and vivid Imagery. The "mother's house" and "chamber of her that conceived me" are potent symbols of ultimate intimacy, security, and belonging. These are not merely physical locations but represent the deepest, most private, and sacred parts of the Shulamite's being and heritage, into which she brings her beloved for complete and consecrated union. The act of "holding him, and would not let him go" employs Hyperbole to emphasize the overwhelming intensity of her resolve, the depth of her relief, and the unwavering commitment to securing her beloved after a period of anxious separation. The entire dream sequence, culminating in this verse, functions as an Allegory, often interpreted on multiple levels: the profound love between a man and a woman, the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, or the intimate bond between Christ and His Church. The stark Contrast between the fruitless search among the indifferent watchmen and the immediate, personal finding of her beloved after passing them highlights the deeply personal and internal nature of true discovery and intimate connection, which cannot be facilitated or hindered by external forces.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Song of Solomon 3:4 beautifully illustrates the profound human longing for deep connection and unwavering security, a longing that finds its ultimate echo and fulfillment in the spiritual realm. The Shulamite's zealous pursuit and secure embrace of her beloved serve as a powerful metaphor for the believer's earnest seeking of God and the intimate, unwavering union found in Christ. Just as her "soul loveth" her beloved, so too is the human spirit designed to deeply desire and find ultimate satisfaction in a relationship with its Creator. The act of bringing him into her "mother's house" speaks to the concept of finding true spiritual home and belonging in the divine presence, a place of ultimate safety, nurture, and acceptance. This verse underscores the reciprocal nature of divine love: as we diligently seek Him, He is found, and in that transformative discovery, we are invited into a sacred, secure, and deeply personal communion, a relationship characterized by unshakeable devotion and mutual indwelling.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Song of Solomon 3:4 offers a profound invitation for personal reflection on the nature of our deepest desires and the intensity of our spiritual pursuits. The Shulamite's relentless search for her beloved and her subsequent, resolute embrace challenge us to examine the earnestness of our own spiritual longing. Do we pursue God with such singular focus and unwavering determination, or are we easily distracted by lesser affections, fleeting pleasures, or external validations? The security and profound intimacy she finds in bringing her beloved into her most sacred and private space remind us that true spiritual intimacy is found not in public display or superficial encounters, but in inviting Christ into the innermost chambers of our hearts and lives, making Him truly at home in our very being. This verse calls us to cultivate a deep, unwavering, and intensely personal relationship with God, one characterized by fervent seeking, joyful discovery, and an unshakeable commitment to hold fast to Him, finding our ultimate security, identity, and belonging in His abiding presence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does the "mother's house" and "chamber of her that conceived me" symbolize in Song of Solomon 3:4?
Answer: The "mother's house" (Hebrew: bayith ʼêm) and specifically the "chamber of her that conceived me" symbolize the most intimate, secure, and foundational space within the Shulamite's life and being. Culturally, the mother's house was a place of safety, nurture, and deep familial connection, often representing the heart of the family's private life. By bringing her beloved into this specific chamber, it signifies the highest level of acceptance, trust, and commitment imaginable. It suggests a desire for their union to be deeply integrated into her very essence, identity, and origins, consecrated within a place of ultimate privacy, safety, and ancestral blessing, much like the profound and sacred union described in Genesis 2:24. The symbolism points to a desire for a relationship that is not only physically intimate but also emotionally, spiritually, and ancestrally profound, establishing a permanent and unshakeable bond that is rooted in her very being.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Song of Solomon 3:4 finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the profound and unbreakable bond between Christ and His Church, His beloved Bride. The Shulamite's fervent search and joyful discovery of her beloved mirrors the believer's journey of seeking and finding Christ, the one "whom my soul loveth." Just as she held him fast, refusing to let him go, so too does the true believer cling to Christ, recognizing Him as the singular source of all life, truth, and true satisfaction, as powerfully articulated by Paul in Philippians 3:8. The climax of bringing the beloved into the "mother's house" and "chamber of her that conceived me" powerfully prefigures Christ's desire to dwell intimately and permanently with His people. He does not merely visit, but takes up residence within us, making our hearts His permanent home through the indwelling Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus Himself in John 14:23. This act symbolizes the profound security and belonging found in the new covenant, where believers are brought into the very family of God and are eternally united with Christ, our Bridegroom, a mystical union depicted in Ephesians 5:32 and gloriously consummated in the ultimate marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-9.