Song of Solomon 1
About Song of SolomonWritten by AI
The Song of Solomon, also called the Song of Songs, is a collection of love poetry. A woman and a man, often called the bride and the bridegroom, delight in each other, long for each other, and speak their love openly, with friends and the daughters of Jerusalem joining in. Its title links it to Solomon, around 950 BC. Whether he wrote it, or it was written about him or dedicated to him, is debated.
There is no clear plot. The poems move between longing and finding, separation and reunion, in rich images of gardens, vineyards, spices and springtime. Speakers change without warning, so it helps to watch who is talking.
Christians have read the Song in two main ways: as a celebration of love and desire within marriage, a good gift from God, and as a picture of God's love for His people, or Christ's love for the church. Many hold both together. Watch for the repeated refrain urging patience, and for the climax: “love is as strong as death.”
Before you read Song of Solomon 1Written by AI
The Song opens with the woman's voice, longing for her beloved's love. She tells the daughters of Jerusalem she is dark from working in the sun, yet lovely, and asks where she can find him. Then the two trade words of praise, each delighting in the other, with the friends adding a line along the way.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.
The Bride
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.
The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.
The Friends
The Bride
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
May the king bring me to his chambers.
We will rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
It is only right that they adore you.
I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me a keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have neglected.
Tell me, O one I love,
where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest them at midday?
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
The Friends
If you do not know, O fairest of women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and graze your young goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
The Bridegroom
I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
The Friends
We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with beads of silver.
The Bride
While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Bridegroom
How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
The Bride
How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how delightful!
The soft grass is our bed.
The Bridegroom
The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are fragrant firs.