Song of Solomon 3
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 3Written by AI
At night the woman searches the city for the one she loves, asks the watchmen, and finally finds him and holds him fast. The refrain about not awakening love returns. Then the scene changes to a royal procession: Solomon's carriage arrives, guarded by warriors, on the day of his wedding.
The Bride’s Dream
On my bed at night
I sought the one I love;
I sought him,
but did not find him.
I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and squares.
I will seek the one I love.
So I sought him but did not find him.
I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city:
“Have you seen the one I love?”
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.
O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.
Solomon Arrives on His Wedding Day
Who is this coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense
from all the spices of the merchant?
Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty of the mightiest men of Israel.
All are skilled with the sword,
experienced in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side
prepared for the terror of the night.
King Solomon has made his carriage
out of the timber of Lebanon.
He has made its posts of silver,
its base of gold, its seat of purple fabric.
Its interior is inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Come out, O daughters of Zion,
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding—
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.