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Wednesday 4/22/26
Thru the Bible: Song of Solomon Chapter 8
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Come away My Beloved
In chapter 8 we reach the far end of the chiastic flow of the book. It presents scenes which take us back to the beginning of their romance, only now through the lens of already being married.
Song of Solomon 8:1-14,
“(1) The Beloved to Her Lover:
Oh, how I wish you were my little brother, nursing at my mother’s breasts; if I saw you outside, I could kiss you – surely no one would despise me!”
(2) I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house, the one who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.”
This seems like an odd turn but it is essentially saying, “When I first met you I wanted to kiss you and love on you. If you had only been my little brother, I could have lavished love on you and treated you with the tenderest of care in my mother’s house and no one would have thought ill of me for doing so”.
Clearly the love expressed here is that of a heart bursting with affection, not necessarily romantic or sexual love.
“Pomegranates” as you know we’re also a symbol for romantic love in the ancient Near East.
In Proverbs 9:2, “spiced wine” symbolizes the riches and wisdom offered at the table of wisdom, signifying a welcoming of others to share in understanding.
Moving from the imagery of Solomon being her brother, these elevate their relationship back to where it belongs being that of marital, romantic love they could both partake of without external scrutiny or censure.
Then in verse 3 we rubberband back into the present with the statement…
“(3) The Beloved about Her Lover:
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.”
Now I cannot tell you why, but as little as I have spent time in Song of Solomon in my life, I know this verse well and the reason is because it is often cited, particularly in Christian and Jewish literature. In both of which this was regarded as a profound expression of romantic intimacy and spiritual security.
It is widely regarded as one of the most romantic verses in the entire Bible, focusing on themes of protection, affection, and mutual love.
I have to say, I would NEVER have extracted such significance from this verse, but to say it is pretty universal would almost be an understatement.
It has been recognized by many as among the most romantic positions in which a woman can be held by her lover.
Being a man I can’t speak to this with any authority but it seems pretty well confirmed in that the Shulamite now turns once more to her maidens and encourages them not to stir up romantic love until it pleases. Meaning, don’t go looking for it and don’t force it. Let it just happen when it happens.
“(4) The Beloved to the Maidens:
I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem: “Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!”
To me, these next verses are altogether more romantic and satisfying than nearly all that precedes it.
They present a picture of the two returning from their romantic getaway, maybe their honeymoon if you will.
Both are fully satisfied for similar, yet different reasons. Their satisfaction is in each other.
- He for his desights in her.
- Her, from her satisfaction in him.
- Them both for the likelihood of their love bearing the fruit of the union in fertile conception of their first child.
For many women, especially back in that day, bearing a child was a sure ticket to her lover’s ongoing affection for her.
One needs only to remember the rivalry that existed between Rachel and Leah for ample illustrations of this reality.
Being fruitful in childbearing was seen as the ultimate expression of her giving herself to him, and his delight in her since she is the vessel through which his seed is continued.
All of this is touched on throughout the next few verses.
“(5) The Maidens about His Beloved:
Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?”
“The Beloved to Her Lover:
Under the apple tree I aroused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who bore you was in labor of childbirth.”
In one search it claimed that in ancient near Eastern love poetry, the tree often representer the lover’s total persona or body, while “eating the fruit” alone, was more a metaphor for a given specific act of intimacy or enjoyment of intimacy.
However, how it is being used here is really kind of up to interpretation but I believe the use of an “apple tree” rather than just its fruit may represent fertility & resulting offspring rather than just the enjoyment of the fruit of the tree itself.
I want to be clear that is just my opinion, though in the greater context of all we have read from chapter 7 leading into chapter 8, I think it’s probably pretty close to the truth.
“(6) The Beloved to Her Lover:
Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart, like a signet on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion is as unrelenting as the grave. Its flames burst forth, it is a blazing flame.
(7) Surging waters cannot quench love; floodwaters cannot overflow it. If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love, the offer would be utterly despised.”
Bringing the intended parallel between this song of Solomon to its reality and fulfillment between Jesus and the church there’s much that can be said about verses 6 & 7.
The nearly universally understood meaning of these two symbols is for never-ending remembrance. That Solomon or in our case Jesus, may never forget us, always keep us in mind, set us as “the apple of their eye” and the satisfaction of their every desire. In that day, it would have served much like a wedding ring would today or even as someone might choose to employ the use of a tattoo for remembering – though I believe you would have a hard time justifying that latter one from scripture.
Even as God has promised Israel, and by extension all of His children in Isaiah 49 –
“(13) Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. (14) But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” (15) “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (16) Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”
So the plea of the Shulamite was that Solomon’s love for her never fade, but that she remained the center of the affections of his heart.
And here is a small diversion in our instruction in this love song, as we view it through the intended lens of our relationship with Jesus as the body of Christ.
A major point of the passage from Isaiah 49, is that what we perceive is not always what is true.
Israel felt “abandoned” and “forsaken” by God, but His response to this misunderstanding was a promise that such was impossible for He had engraved them on the palm of His hand.
We are now chiastically back at the very beginning of our love poem where the brothers were displeased with their sister and were being typical brothers in virtually every respect.
“(8) The Beloved’s Brothers:
We have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?
(9) If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver; but if she is a door, we will barricade her with boards of cedar.”
The Shulamite now looking back on that time with the clarity which times affords, takes this all in stride and even seems to allow herself some delight that, in their own way, her brothers were looking out for her.
And so Clarke imagines in his commentary on these verse when he said,
“All these expressions, says Calmet, show that it was necessary to provide a husband for this young sister. For a woman without a husband is like a wall without towers, and without defense; is like a gate or door without bar or lock; and like a city without walls. They must therefore provide for their sister a rich, powerful, and illustrious man; qualities here figured by towers or palaces of silver, and doors of cedar. As it is customary to build towers upon a wall, and to put bolts and bars upon a door in order to secure it, so the expressions may point out the defense, protection, and guardianship which they imagined this young woman to require.”
I think the truth of these verses is a little bit more towards the middle. I believe what the brothers were saying is that on the day their sister is spoken for – if she is the mature woman she should be and if the one who was speaking for her and is asking for her hand is worthy we will support it.
But, if our little sister remains a little sister and/or if the one who asks for her hand is unworthy then we will protect her from her own heart and from the advances of the one who would court her.
In any case, she owns this by saying…
“(10) The Beloved:
I was a wall, and my breasts were like fortress towers. Then I found favor in his eyes.”
If I’m right in my assertion then this is her saying that she was immature and her naivete but at the interest of her shepherd she quickly matured and so became like a fortress tower rather than a barred door.
“(11) The Beloved to Her Lover:
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal–Hamon; he leased out the vineyard to those who maintained it.
Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
(12) My vineyard, which belongs to me, is at my disposal alone. The thousand shekels belong to you, O Solomon, and two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its fruit.”
Verse 11 is a statement about Solomon’s actual vineyard, which is then used in contrast to the Shulamite referring to herself hypothetically as a vineyard which is actually how the word is used almost exclusively throughout the book – except in Chapter 1:6 where the vineyard was the Shulamite’s family vineyard which she mentioned in contrast to herself in at the close of the same verse.
So the bride is saying, “While Solomon owns his own vineyard which he leases out to workers he pays from its proceeds, I AM a vineyard and my giving myself to another is my own freewill choice.”
The idea being that their courtship and subsequent marriage was consensual and voluntary. She freely gave herself to him.
This also has a direct connection to the brothers’ presumption in assuming they could thwart any union they did not agree with. I think the text somewhat softens the blow of this presumption because now, being more mature, she looks at their presumptions as loving protection.
It seems as if she is essentially saying that at the end of the day, the decision to marry or not is also hers. Her vineyard, which is to say herself as a person, her body and her romantic love was hers to give or it withhold.
Contrary to the modern feminism kickback on their poor interpretations and understandings of the system of laws which God set up over Israel – which did in fact carry overtones of patriarchy – the examples we have set forth in scripture which admittedly are few, they still ultimately show a choice given to the daughter in matters of matrimony.
The Old Testament provides adequate examples where, despite the need for patriarchal authority, such as in arranged marriages, women were in fact consulted and possessed the right to consent to or refuse a marriage proposal.
I like the notes in the New English translation here so I will simply quote from it,
“The term כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”) is used literally in Sng. 8:11 in reference to Solomon’s physical vineyard, but in Sng. 8:12 it is used figuratively (hypocatastasis) in reference to the Beloved: כַּרְמִי (karmi, “my vineyard”). Throughout the Song, the term כֶּרֶם (“vineyard”) is used figuratively (Sng. 1:6; 2:15; 8:12).
In Sng. 8:12 it is used in reference to either (1) herself, (2) her choice of whom to give herself to in love, or (3) her physical body.
In contrast to Solomon’s physical vineyard, whose fruit can be bought and sold (Sng. 8:11), she is not for sale: She will only give herself freely to the one whom she chooses to love.”
Now different interpretations exist for these last two verses.
I lean towards verses 13 & 14 being a continuation of the words of the Shulamite… but I must admit that this is largely due to the way the words play out in the given translations I have referenced.
The God’s Word translation however, presents these words differently and in the light of those words, I can definitely see verse 13 as Solomon speaking and then 14 as ending with the Shulamite’s words to Him.
Let’s consider them together.
Now I am reading from the New English Translation first as I have almost exclusively throughout the book.
It has these words like this…
“(13) The Lover to His Beloved:
O you who stay in the gardens, my companions are listening attentively for your voice; let me be the one to hear it!”
(14) The Beloved to Her Lover:
Make haste, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”
I see verse 13 as being the Shulamite in the early stages of their affections, before any formal pronouncement of marital considerations had been made.
Like any young woman who is infatuated with a man, she involves her closest of friends in every detail of her interest.
As such, I see this verse as a call for her maidens to keep an ear open for the voice of her shepherd interest, but was hoping to be the first who hears his voice.
It is sort of a call for her friends to “let me know if you see him” all the while hoping to be the one who sees him first.
Then verse 14 is more of a cry of the heart. Something which in the infancy of their interests in one another, she would never be so bold as to say out loud, but what her heart longed for nonetheless.
Since it employs the imagery of a young stag and gazelle, it is desire for him to pursue her with a clear notion of the pursuit to be one which advances romantic love.
Now read from the God’s Word translation this takes on a different shape but largely ends on the same note and I am backing up to begin with verse 12 for clarity …
“(12) My own vineyard is in front of me. That 25 pounds is yours, Solomon, and 5 pounds go to those who take care of its fruit. (13) [Groom] Young woman living in the gardens, while your friends are listening to your voice, let me hear. . . . (14) [Bride] Come away quickly, my beloved. Run like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”– Song of Solomon 8:12-14
Either ending is wonderful in its representations since this is showcasing the love which exists between Jesus and us His bride.
On the part of the bride there is a calling to Him to come and take her away. Much like what we see in Revelation 20:17 & 20.
On the part of the Lord, the Groom, it is a joy to hear such longing, devotion and desire as well as a promise TO come and get her.
So it is that I can think of no better way to end this book than to read Revelation 22:10-21 which is the very end of Jesus‘ literal last letter to the church, His Bride and in a few words capture the entirety of the Song of Solomon…
“(10) And He said to me,
“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (11) Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
(12) “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
(14) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
(15) Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
(16) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
(17) The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
(18) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, (19) and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
(20) He who testifies to these things says,
“Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
(21) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”
Blessings!
Blessings!
