Naravist

Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Song of Solomon 8

Song of Solomon 8: love strong as death, the little sister and a last call to make haste

General context

She wishes the man were as her brother, so that finding him outside she could kiss him without being despised; she would lead him into her mother's house and give him spiced wine of her pomegranate; his left hand should be under her head and his right hand embrace her. She charges the daughters of Jerusalem not to awake her love until he please. A voice asks who this is that comes up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved, and a speaker says, I raised thee up under the apple tree, where thy mother brought thee forth. A speaker asks to be set as a seal on the other's heart and arm, for love is strong as death and jealousy cruel as the grave, its coals a most vehement flame; many waters cannot quench love nor floods drown it, and all the substance of a man's house given for love would be utterly contemned. A plural voice says, we have a little sister and she has no breasts; what shall we do for her in the day she is spoken for? If she is a wall they will build on her a palace of silver, and if a door inclose her with boards of cedar. She answers that she is a wall and her breasts like towers, and then she was in his eyes as one who found favour. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon let out to keepers for a thousand pieces of silver each; she says her own vineyard is before her, that Solomon must have his thousand and the keepers two hundred. A voice tells the one who dwells in the gardens that the companions listen, and asks to hear her voice. The book ends with her call: make haste, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of spices.

Cited passages: Song of Solomon 8:1, Song of Solomon 8:2, Song of Solomon 8:3, Song of Solomon 8:4, Song of Solomon 8:5, Song of Solomon 8:6, Song of Solomon 8:7, Song of Solomon 8:8, Song of Solomon 8:9, Song of Solomon 8:10, Song of Solomon 8:11, Song of Solomon 8:12, Song of Solomon 8:13, Song of Solomon 8:14

Song of Solomon 8 (KJV)

1O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

2I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

3His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

4I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

5Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

6Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

7Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

8We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

10I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

12My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

13Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

14Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The woman's voice is marked in verses 1 to 4 by my mother's house and by the charge to the daughters of Jerusalem, which here omits the roes and hinds of the earlier charges, and again in verse 10, I am a wall, and in verse 14, make haste, my beloved. Several lines are not marked. The question who is this in verse 5 has no named asker; the words I raised thee up under the apple tree address a thee whose gender the printing does not mark; the seal passage of verses 6 and 7 is addressed to thine heart without naming the speaker; and verse 13, addressed to the one who dwells in the gardens, asks to hear a voice without saying who asks. The we of verses 8 and 9 speaks of our sister; the text does not say who they are, though chapter 1 mentions the woman's mother's children, and the guide does not identify them. The little sister is described only as having no breasts and as awaiting the day when she shall be spoken for. Solomon is named twice: he had a vineyard at Baal-hamon let out for a thousand pieces of silver, and the speaker addresses him directly, thou, O Solomon, while claiming my vineyard, which is mine; the text does not say who this speaker is beyond that claim, which recalls the unkept vineyard of chapter 1. The wish that the man were as my brother is a wish, so the text does not present them as kin.

Cited passages: Song of Solomon 8:2, Song of Solomon 8:4, Song of Solomon 2:7, Song of Solomon 8:10, Song of Solomon 8:5, Song of Solomon 8:6, Song of Solomon 8:13, Song of Solomon 8:8, Song of Solomon 1:6, Song of Solomon 8:11, Song of Solomon 8:12, Song of Solomon 8:1

Literary context

The last chapter is made of short pieces that gather the book's refrains. The embrace of chapter 2 returns word for word as a wish, his left hand should be under my head; the charge not to awake love returns for a third time; who is this that cometh from the wilderness returns from chapter 3, now with the answer leaning upon her beloved; the mother's house returns from chapter 3; the vineyard returns from chapter 1; and the roe or young hart on the mountains returns from chapter 2 to close the book. In the middle stands the one passage that speaks of love in general rather than of this beloved: strong as death, cruel as the grave, coals of fire, unquenched by many waters, not to be bought with all the substance of his house. The riddle of the little sister, wall or door, is answered by the woman in the first person, I am a wall, and Solomon's thousand pieces of silver are answered by my vineyard, which is mine. The book does not end in a meeting or a summary but in a summons, make haste, my beloved, the same call chapter 2 made until the day break.

Cited passages: Song of Solomon 8:3, Song of Solomon 2:6, Song of Solomon 8:4, Song of Solomon 8:5, Song of Solomon 3:6, Song of Solomon 8:2, Song of Solomon 3:4, Song of Solomon 8:6, Song of Solomon 8:7, Song of Solomon 8:9, Song of Solomon 8:10, Song of Solomon 8:12, Song of Solomon 8:14, Song of Solomon 2:17

Key moments

  1. O that thou wert as my brother (Song of Solomon 8:1). She wishes the man were her brother so she could kiss him outside without reproach.
  2. The third charge (Song of Solomon 8:4). She charges the daughters of Jerusalem not to awake love until he please.
  3. Leaning upon her beloved (Song of Solomon 8:5). A voice asks who comes up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved.
  4. Love strong as death (Song of Solomon 8:6). A speaker asks to be set as a seal and says love is strong as death.
  5. Many waters cannot quench love (Song of Solomon 8:7). Love is said to survive floods and to be beyond purchase.
  6. We have a little sister (Song of Solomon 8:8). A plural voice asks what to do for a little sister on the day she is spoken for.
  7. My vineyard is before me (Song of Solomon 8:12). Against Solomon's leased vineyard, the speaker claims a vineyard that is her own.
  8. Make haste, my beloved (Song of Solomon 8:14). The book ends with her call for her beloved to hurry like a roe on the mountains of spices.

For reflection

After the statement that love is strong as death and cannot be bought, the book ends with make haste, my beloved. Why might a song about love end on a call to hurry rather than on an arrival?

People in this chapter