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Atomic Bible
Song of Songs

Chapter 5

The Bridegroom and more

Song of Songs 5 moves from fulfilled enjoyment to sudden separation, searching grief, and renewed admiration. The chapter begins with the beloved entering the garden, then turns into the bride's troubled delay and loss, before ending in her richly detailed praise of the one she loves.

As the fifth chapter of Song of Songs, this passage shows that covenant love includes not only delight and invitation but also vulnerability, missed timing, and persevering devotion. It deepens the book's emotional texture by presenting love that suffers absence yet answers it with clearer vision and firmer affection.

4 sections·109 words·~1 min read

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Song of Songs 5

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vv. 1

The Bridegroom

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I1 have come to my garden, my sister, my bride;

vv. 2-8

The Bride

Open section

I2 sleep, but my heart is awake. 3I have taken off my robe — 4My beloved put his hand to the latch;

5I rose up to open for my beloved. 6I opened for my beloved, 7I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city. 8O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you,

vv. 9

The Friends

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H9ow is your beloved better than others,

vv. 10-16

The Bride

Open section

M10y beloved is dazzling and ruddy, 11His head is purest gold; 12His eyes are like doves 13His cheeks are like beds of spice,

14His arms are rods of gold 15His legs are pillars of marble 16His mouth is most sweet;

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Each section keeps the passage focused, adds summaries and cross references, and gives verse-level links.

  1. 01vv. 1The BridegroomThe bridegroom announces that he has entered his garden and enjoyed its fruits, fragrances, and sweetness, while a chorus invites the lovers to eat and drink deeply of love. The opening verse gathers the prior chapter's invitation into fulfillment and shared celebration.
  2. 02vv. 2-8The BrideThe bride recounts a nighttime scene in which she hears the beloved at the door but hesitates, and when she finally rises he is gone. Her search through the city brings injury at the hands of the watchmen, and she ends by asking the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him she is faint with love.
  3. 03vv. 9The FriendsThe friends respond by asking what makes her beloved better than others, pressing her to explain the depth of her attachment. Their question creates the opening for the bride's long praise that follows.
  4. 04vv. 10-16The BrideThe bride answers with an extended portrait of the beloved's beauty, strength, fragrance, and sweetness, moving from his head to his whole person. Her praise turns absence into clearer sight, ending with the confession that he is both her beloved and her friend.
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