Song of Solomon 7:9

Translation
King James Version
And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And the roof of thy mouth H2441 like the best H2896 wine H3196 for my beloved H1730, that goeth H1980 down sweetly H4339, causing the lips H8193 of those that are asleep H3463 to speak H1680.
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Complete Jewish Bible
and your mouth like the finest wine. [She] May the wine go straight to the man I love and gently move the lips of those who are asleep.
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Berean Standard Bible
and your mouth like the finest wine. May it flow smoothly to my beloved, gliding gently over lips and teeth.
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American Standard Version
And thy mouth like the best wine, That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep.
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World English Bible Messianic
Your mouth like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And the roufe of thy mouth like good wine, which goeth straight to my welbeloued, and causeth the lippes of the ancient to speake.
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Young's Literal Translation
And thy palate as the good wine--'Flowing to my beloved in uprightness, Strengthening the lips of the aged!
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See also
Song of Solomon 5:16Colossians 4:6Acts 2:11Acts 2:13Colossians 3:16Colossians 3:171 Thessalonians 4:13
In the KJVVerse 17,637 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Song of Solomon 7:9 presents a climactic and deeply intimate expression of the Beloved's profound admiration for the Shulamite woman. Her very essence—her words, her kisses, her captivating presence—is likened to the finest, most exquisite wine. This rich metaphor conveys not only supreme delight and an almost intoxicating pleasure but also an irresistible, awakening power, suggesting that her charm and affection are so potent they can stir even the most unresponsive, compelling them to speak or respond. The verse beautifully encapsulates the exhilarating joy and transformative influence found in deep, mutual love and authentic intimacy.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse serves as the powerful culmination of the Beloved's extensive and passionate praise of the Shulamite woman, which commenced at Song of Solomon 7:1. The poetic description in the preceding verses meticulously progresses upwards from her feet, celebrating her graceful dance, her noble stature, and the captivating allure of her physical form. Verse 9 transcends mere physical admiration, moving into the realm of profound relational impact. It focuses on her intimate expressions and their deeply personal effect on the Beloved, emphasizing the delightful, life-giving, and transformative nature of her presence and communication within the secure bond of their mutual love. This progression highlights the holistic appreciation of the Shulamite, from her external beauty to the intoxicating essence of her intimate being.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, wine was far more than a mere beverage; it was deeply embedded in the cultural fabric, symbolizing joy, celebration, prosperity, and often, divine blessing. The phrase "best wine" (or "new wine") denoted a vintage of superior quality, freshness, and potency, capable of eliciting profound pleasure and exhilaration. The imagery of lips speaking while "asleep" is a poetic hyperbole, drawing upon the cultural understanding of wine's intoxicating effects, which could indeed loosen tongues or induce a state of profound relaxation that might lead to uninhibited speech. The Song of Solomon itself reflects a societal context that highly valued marriage, procreation, and the unashamed celebration of human love and intimacy within the covenantal framework of a committed relationship, frequently expressed through rich agricultural and natural metaphors that would have been immediately understood by its original audience.

  • Key Themes: Song of Solomon 7:9 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes woven throughout the book. Foremost is the theme of Intoxicating Love and Delight, where the beloved's presence and intimacy are portrayed as supremely pleasurable and exhilarating, akin to the finest vintage. This highlights the profound satisfaction and joy found in a deeply committed relationship. It also underscores the Power of Intimate Communication and Affection, demonstrating how deeply loving words and expressions can profoundly affect and "awaken" the beloved, drawing forth a responsive and vibrant interaction. This, in turn, reinforces the pervasive theme of Mutuality and Reciprocity in Love, a hallmark of the Song, where both partners delight in and affirm each other's unique qualities. Furthermore, for those who interpret the Song allegorically, this verse speaks to the Life-Giving and Spiritually Awakening Power of Divine Love and Word, echoing how God's voice can stir hearts and bring forth spiritual life, much like the transformative call found in John 5:25, where the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • chêk (Hebrew, H2441', H2441): Translated as "roof of thy mouth," this term properly refers to the palate or the inside of the mouth. In broader biblical usage, it encompasses the organ of taste, speech, and kissing. In this context, it functions as a synecdoche, representing the comprehensive experience of the Shulamite's intimate expressions – her words, her kisses, and the very essence of her delightful presence and communication. It points to the source of the "wine-like" experience, emphasizing the sensory and relational aspects of her intimacy.
  • dôwd (Hebrew, H1730', H1730): Rendered "my beloved," this word stems from an unused root meaning "to boil," figuratively "to love." It denotes a lover, friend, or specifically an uncle, but most commonly in the Song of Solomon, it refers to the male lover or "beloved." Its inclusion here emphasizes the deeply personal and exclusive nature of the affection, highlighting that this "best wine" is specifically "for my beloved," indicating its intended recipient and the depth of the mutual desire and delight shared between them.
  • yayin (Hebrew, H3196', H2896): This is the common Hebrew word for "wine," derived from an unused root meaning "to effervesce," suggesting its fermenting quality. It refers to fermented grape juice and, by implication, can suggest intoxication. The addition of "best" (ṭôwb, H2896) elevates it to the highest quality, signifying supreme pleasure, richness, and an unparalleled ability to delight and exhilarate, far beyond ordinary enjoyment. It conveys a sense of luxurious, deeply satisfying experience.
  • dâbab (Hebrew, H1680', H1680): Translated as "to speak," this primitive root means "to move slowly" or "glide." In the Hiphil stem (causative), as used here, it means "to cause to speak." This implies a gentle yet irresistible prompting or stirring, suggesting that the Shulamite's intimate charm and affection are so potent that they can awaken even the most unresponsive or dormant, compelling them to express themselves, whether in awe, praise, or reciprocal affection. It signifies a profound, transformative influence.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine": The Beloved employs a powerful simile, comparing the Shulamite's intimate essence—her words, her kisses, the very taste of her presence and communication—to the finest, most exquisite wine. This comparison conveys profound pleasure, richness, and an almost intoxicating delight that transcends ordinary experience, suggesting a deeply satisfying and exhilarating encounter.
  • "for my beloved": This phrase clarifies the exclusive recipient and the deeply personal nature of this delight. The "best wine" is specifically prepared and offered for the Beloved, emphasizing the exclusivity and depth of their mutual affection and the unparalleled joy they find in one another, underscoring the reciprocal nature of their bond.
  • "that goeth [down] sweetly": This clause describes the smooth, pleasant, and highly agreeable sensation of consuming this "wine." The Hebrew word for "sweetly" (mêyshâr, H4339) implies evenness, rectitude, or pleasantness, indicating that the experience is not only delightful but also harmonious and deeply satisfying, without any harshness or bitterness, ensuring a complete and unblemished enjoyment.
  • "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak": This vivid hyperbole illustrates the overwhelming and irresistible impact of her charm and affection. Her intimate expressions are so potent and captivating that they can awaken even the most unresponsive, apathetic, or emotionally dormant individuals, prompting them to open their mouths and speak, whether in awe, praise, or a stirred, reciprocal response. It signifies a transformative power that breaks through silence or indifference.

Literary Devices

Song of Solomon 7:9 is exceptionally rich with poetic imagery and literary devices, enhancing its profound message of love and intimacy. The most prominent device is Simile, where the "roof of thy mouth" (representing intimate expressions and the essence of the Shulamite's presence) is explicitly compared to "the best wine" using the comparative "like." This comparison evokes a cascade of sensory experiences—taste, pleasure, richness, and even a sense of intoxicating delight—conveying the profound satisfaction and exhilarating effect the Shulamite has on her Beloved. The phrase "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak" powerfully employs Hyperbole, an intentional exaggeration used for dramatic emphasis. It is not meant to be taken literally as awakening physically sleeping individuals, but rather dramatically underscores the irresistible and awakening power of her charm and affection, suggesting its ability to stir even the most unresponsive or emotionally dormant into vocal expression. Additionally, there is a subtle use of Synecdoche in "roof of thy mouth" and "lips," where a part (mouth/lips) stands for the whole (the person's intimate communication and presence), emphasizing the specific organs through which this delightful and awakening experience is conveyed.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Song of Solomon 7:9, while celebrating the beauty and power of human love, resonates with profound theological truths about divine love and communication. Just as the Beloved finds supreme delight and awakening in the Shulamite's intimacy, so too does God delight in His people, and His words possess an unparalleled power to awaken and transform. The "best wine" imagery can evoke the richness and fullness of God's grace and presence, which satisfy the soul more deeply and completely than any earthly pleasure. The idea of "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak" speaks powerfully to the Holy Spirit's work in drawing forth praise, testimony, and spiritual life from those who were spiritually dormant or dead, demonstrating the irresistible, life-giving power of divine encounter and the Gospel.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

This verse offers a beautiful and profound paradigm for understanding the depth and transformative power of intimate relationships, both human and divine. In the context of marriage, it serves as a powerful call for partners to cultivate a love so rich, delightful, and affirming that it continually refreshes, inspires, and draws out the best in one another. It highlights the profound impact of affirming words, tender affection, and genuine presence, urging us to use our communication not merely to convey information, but to awaken joy, confidence, and reciprocal love in our beloved. Beyond romantic love, it reminds us of the transformative power of genuine, Christ-like love and truth in all our interactions. Our words, when seasoned with grace, truth, and genuine care, can indeed "awaken" those who are spiritually or emotionally "asleep," drawing them towards life, hope, and light. It calls us to be conduits of a love that is so compelling it breaks through apathy, stirs the heart, and inspires a vibrant, life-giving response.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the metaphor of "best wine" deepen your understanding of profound, satisfying love in any relationship, including your relationship with God?
  • In what practical ways can your words and expressions "go down sweetly" and awaken a positive, life-giving response in those around you?
  • What does it mean to have your "lips...speak" in authentic response to a profound experience of love, whether human or divine?
  • How might this verse challenge you to cultivate more intentional, affirming, and life-giving communication in your closest relationships and in your witness to others?

FAQ

Is Song of Solomon 7:9 primarily a literal description of human love or an allegory?

Answer: Song of Solomon 7:9, like the entire book, is often interpreted through both lenses, and both offer valuable insights. Literally, it is a passionate and vivid celebration of human marital love and intimacy, expressing the Beloved's profound delight in the Shulamite woman. The imagery of "best wine" and "causing lips...to speak" directly conveys the intoxicating joy and awakening power of their physical and emotional connection within a committed relationship. Allegorically, many theological traditions, both Jewish and Christian, see the Song as a depiction of the deep, intimate love between God and His people (Yahweh and Israel, or Christ and His Church). In this view, the "best wine" represents the richness and fullness of God's grace, the Holy Spirit's influence, or the life-giving power of the Gospel, which can awaken spiritually "asleep" hearts to speak praises and respond in faith, as seen in the transformative power of God's word (e.g., Hebrews 4:12). Both interpretations affirm the sanctity and beauty of love, whether human or divine.

What is the significance of "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak"?

Answer: This phrase is a powerful poetic hyperbole, emphasizing the overwhelming and irresistible impact of the Shulamite's charm and affection. It does not literally mean awakening physically sleeping people. Instead, it metaphorically suggests that her intimate expressions (her words, kisses, or presence) are so profoundly delightful and compelling that they can stir even the most unresponsive, apathetic, or emotionally dormant individuals, prompting them to open their mouths and express themselves—whether in awe, praise, or reciprocal affection. It speaks to the transformative power of genuine love to break through silence, indifference, or spiritual slumber, inspiring a vibrant, vocal response. This concept resonates deeply with the spiritual awakening found in passages like Ephesians 5:14, where Christ's light awakens those who are spiritually "asleep" to new life and purpose.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Song of Solomon 7:9 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the true "best wine," embodying the new covenant and the overflowing joy, abundant grace, and eternal life that He offers to all who believe. Just as the Shulamite's presence was intoxicatingly delightful to her Beloved, so too is Christ's presence, mediated by His Spirit, the source of incomparable joy and complete satisfaction for His Church, His beloved Bride. His words, which are "spirit and life" (John 6:63), possess the unique and divine power to "cause the lips of those that are asleep to speak." He awakens those who are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-5), calling them out of slumber into vibrant faith, worship, and active obedience. Indeed, the voice of the Son of God is so potent that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live" (John 5:25). His sacrificial love for His Church is the ultimate expression of the "best wine," freely given, cleansing, and sanctifying her, presenting her "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:25-27). In Christ, the intoxicating delight and awakening power of divine love reach their pinnacle, inspiring a spontaneous and eternal chorus of praise from redeemed lips.

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Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers . Public domain.
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Ambrose of MilanAD 397
The Six Days of Creation
The laurel and the palm are the symbols of victory. The heads of the victors are crowned with laurel, and the hand of the conqueror is adorned with a palm. Hence the Church says: "I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches." Seeing the excellence of the Word and hoping that she can ascend to His height and the summit of knowledge, she says: "I will go up to the palm tree," so that she may leave behind all lower things and strive for higher things, for the reward of Christ, so that she may enjoy and taste the sweet fruits of His love. For the fruit of virtue is sweet.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On the Mysteries 7:39
The church is beautiful in [those recently baptized]. So that God the Word says to her: “You are all fair, my love, and there is no blemish in you,” for guilt has been washed away. “Come here from Lebanon, my spouse, come here from Lebanon, from the beginning of faith you will pass through and pass on,” because, renouncing the world, she passed through things temporal and passed on to Christ. And again, God the Word says to her, “How beautiful and sweet are you made, O love, in your delights! Your stature is become like that of a palm tree, and your breasts like bunches of grapes.”
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
The Six Days of Creation
Therefore, imitate her, o man, so that it may be said of you as well: "Your stature has become like a palm tree." Preserve the greenness of your childhood and that natural innocence which you received from the beginning, so that, being planted beside the flowing waters, you may have your fruit prepared in your time, and your leaf may not wither. ... Therefore, remain planted in the house of the Lord, so that in His courts you may flourish like a palm, and let the grace of the Church ascend in you, and let the fragrance of your nostrils be like apples, and your mouth like the best wine, so that you may be intoxicated in Christ.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Song of Songs
Worthy of my beloved to drink, etc. Wine, he says, the best, which my throat has compared, is worthy of my beloved to drink, because the word of the Gospel, which He has deigned to place in my mouth, is of such sublimity that it ought to be preached to the world only through Him, my beloved spouse and Redeemer. For He, first appearing in the flesh, through the mystery of regeneration, opened the heavenly path to the human race; He first preached the sacrament of His passion, resurrection, and ascension, by which the world would be saved, and then left it to be preached by His faithful ones; He drank the cup of salvation and thus offered it to be drunk by the Church. It should not seem absurdly placed, what is said, That it should be chewed by his lips and teeth, when it is said of wine. It is clear, however, that chewing is more suitable for food than for drink. Figuratively speaking, he calls the lips and teeth of the beloved the holy teachers, as has been proven above, because they chew the best wine which He has drunk, when they are delighted to scrutinize by frequent meditation and to confer the word of grace which they teach with one another. Some understand this response of the Church to the speech of the Lord as subtly interwoven, so that when He, praising her, had said, Your throat, that is, the sweetness of your confession, is like the best wine, she immediately, agreeing with His words, would add, Worthy of my beloved to drink, and to be chewed by his lips and teeth. As if she were openly saying: I already desire greatly that my beloved may judge the affection and sincerity of the mind which I have towards Him by careful examination. For I trust that even if He examines this with as much care as He is accustomed to examine drink or food, because He has diligently endeavored to taste or chew it, He will already prove it worthy of His praises. Hence, the first pastor of the Church responded to the Lord asking him, You know that I love you; and again: You know all things, you know that I love you (John XV). To whom, indeed, the beloved, still adding from the great ardor of the same charity, says:
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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