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Song of Solomon 6

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The Search and the Assurance 1–3

1
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. ​
2
My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. ​
3
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies. ​

The Groom Praises the Bride's Beauty 4–10

4
Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. ​
5
Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. ​
6
Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
7
As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
8
There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. ​
9
My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. ​
10
Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? ​

The Bride's Sudden Return 11–13

11
I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded. ​
12
Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. ​
13
Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Song of Solomon 6

Verse 1

that we may seek him with thee — The daughters of Jerusalem, asked in 5:8 to tell him of her love, now ask where he has gone. 'Seek' is baqash, the verb of 3:1–2 and 5:6, and this time the search is offered as a shared one. 'Fairest among women' is the title the daughters gave her in 5:9, and it stands also in 1:8.

Verse 2

gone down into his garden — She answers with the garden of 5:1, 'I am come into my garden', and the 'beds of spices' (arugot habosem) of 5:13, where his cheeks are 'as a bed of spices'. 'Feed' is ra'ah, to pasture, the verb of 2:16, and he gathers the lilies (shoshan) of 2:1.

Verse 3

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine — The statement of 2:16 with its order turned round, 'My beloved is mine, and I am his'. In 7:10 only the first half remains: 'I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.' 'He feedeth among the lilies' is word for word as in 2:16.

Verse 4

as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem — Tirzah was a royal city of the Canaanites, 'The king of Tirzah, one' (Josh 12:24), where Baasha 'dwelt' (1 Kgs 15:21) and Omri reigned there, 'six years reigned he in Tirzah' (1 Kgs 16:23). Jerusalem is 'beautiful for situation' (Ps 48:2). 'Banners' is from dagal, the verb of 'chiefest' in 5:10.

Verse 5

they have overcome me — Rahav, to urge or press hard, is the verb of Ps 138:3, 'strengthenedst me with strength in my soul'; here her eyes overcome him. The comparison of her hair repeats 4:1 almost word for word, including the rare galash, 'appear', which is found only in these two verses.

Verse 8

threescore queens — 'Queens', 'concubines' and 'virgins' (alamot) are three ranks of the royal household. Almah is the word of Isa 7:14, 'Behold, a virgin shall conceive'. The figures here are smaller than the 'seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines' of Solomon's old age (1 Kgs 11:3–4).

Verse 9

my undefiled is but one — 'Undefiled' is tam, as in 5:2, 'my dove, my undefiled'. 'Choice' is bar, pure or clear, the same word as 'clear' in v.10. 'Blessed' is ashar, to call happy, the verb of Prov 31:28, 'Her children arise up, and call her blessed'; here the women of v.8 praise her.

Verse 10

looketh forth as the morning — 'Looketh forth' is shaqaph, to look down from a window, the verb of Ps 14:2, 'The LORD looked down from heaven'. 'Moon' is levanah, 'the white one', and 'sun' is chammah, 'the hot one'; the two stand together in Isa 24:23. 'Terrible as an army with banners' repeats v.4.

Verse 11

the garden of nuts — Egoz, a nut, is found only here. 'Went down' is the verb of v.2, 'gone down into his garden'. The pomegranate (rimmon) was worked on the hem of the high priest's robe (Ex 28:33) and on the temple's pillars (1 Kgs 7:18). 'Flourished' is parach, the verb of Aaron's rod that 'brought forth buds' (Num 17:8).

Verse 12

the chariots of Amminadib — The name Ammi-nadib means 'my people is willing' (ammi, my people; nadib, willing or noble), and occurs only here; the KJV leaves it untranslated. 'Soul' is nephesh, the word of 'whom my soul loveth' in 3:1–4. 'Or ever I was aware' is 'I knew not'.

Verse 13

Return, return, O Shulamite — Shulammith is found only here, and 'return' (shuv) is said four times. 'Company' is mecholah, a dance, from the same root as the 'dancing' of 'turned for me my mourning into dancing' (Ps 30:11). 'Two armies' is the dual of machaneh, a camp, the name Mahanaim that Jacob gave where he met 'God's host' (Gen 32:2).