Song of Solomon 3-4
The Voice
3 Her: Restless night after night in my bed,
I longed and looked for my soul’s true love;
I searched for him,
but I could not find him.
2 I will get up now and search the city,
wander up and down streets and plazas;
I will look for my soul’s true love.
I searched for him, but I could not find him.
3 The watchmen found me as they kept watch on the silent city.
“Have you seen my soul’s true love?” I asked.
4 Not long after I left them,
I found him—I found my soul’s true love.
This libretto is full of imagery. Two of the most common images are that of the gazelle and the lotus blossom (translated here as “lily”), both frequently used in many ancient Near Eastern cultures. The gazelle is a species of antelope whose males have long horns. Both males and females move with grace and strength as they cross flat savannahs or climb steep cliffs. It is because of these traits that the gazelle is equated with sexuality, youth, and stamina. The Israelites used it in poetry to represent the youthful joys of love and sexual vigor, while many Near Eastern pagan religions used it in images honoring fertility goddesses. The lotus is a type of lily found in watery regions. Because of its shape, which resembles the womb, and its fragrance, which is alluring, the lotus became the flower of choice for lovers across the Near East. In Israel it was featured in poetry and even dominated the capitals of the columns supporting Solomon’s temple; in Egyptian and Phoenician cultures, it represented the gods themselves. With just one word, “gazelle” or “lotus,” this poet conveys a bevy of ideas about love, youth, strength, and passion.
I pulled him to me and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
to the very room where she conceived me.
5 (to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning:
By the gazelles and deer of the field,
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.
6 Young Women of Jerusalem: Who is this coming up from the desert,
with billowing clouds of dust and smoke,
with a sweet aroma of burning myrrh and frankincense,
with fragrant spices fresh from the merchant?
The royal litter carries the groom to the wedding, and upon the litter is the king with his crown.
7 Look, it is Solomon’s litter,
surrounded by 60 strong men,
some of the very best soldiers in Israel,
8 All armed swordsmen,
battle-hardened heroes, experts at war,
Marching with swords at their sides,
ready to guard the king from the terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon built his own royal carriage
from the trees of Lebanon.
10 He had its posts fashioned from silver,
its back made of gold,
its seat covered with royal purple,
its interior decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.
11 O go out, young women of Zion,
and see King Solomon
Wearing the crown with which his mother has crowned him on his wedding day,
on the day his heart overflows with joy.
4 Him (to her): You, my love, are beautiful.
So beautiful!
Because stimulating images come forth when the lovers describe in intimate detail each other’s bodies, Jewish men were discouraged from reading this greatest of songs until the age of 30.
Your eyes are like doves
nestled behind your veil.
Your hair moves as gracefully as a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are pearl white like a flock of sheep shorn,
fresh up from a wash.
Each perfect and paired with another;
not one of them is lost.
3 Your lips are as red as scarlet threads;
your mouth is beautiful.
Your cheeks rosy and round are beneath your veil,
like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is elegant like the tower of David,
perfectly fit stone-by-stone.
There hang a thousand shields,
the shields of mighty men.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin gazelles grazing in a meadow of lilies.
6 As the day breathes its morning breeze
and shadows turn and flee,
I will go up your myrrh mountain
and climb your frankincense hill.
7 You are so beautiful, my love,
without blemish.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Journey with me from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir even the summit of Hermon,
From the lions’ dangerous den,
from the mountain hideouts of leopards.
9 My heart is your captive, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen it with one glance,
caught it with a single strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
Your love is more pleasing than the finest wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume brings more delight than any spice!
11 Your lips taste sweet like honey off the comb, my bride;
milk and honey are beneath your tongue.
The scents of your clothes are like the fresh air of Lebanon.
12 You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride, open only to me;
a spring closed up tight, a sealed fountain.
13 Your sprouts are an orchard of pomegranates and exotic fruits—
with henna and nard,
14 With nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon—
With rows of frankincense trees
and myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15 My bride, you are a fountain in a garden,
a well of life-giving water flowing down from Lebanon.
What does he mean by “my sister, my bride”? Is this a sudden revelation of an incestuous relationship? No. He is describing how sexual expression can bring two people intimately together, as close as two people can be; the man and woman are now family. This image would have been particularly meaningful in ancient Israelite society, where life was centered on familial relationships and calling someone “brother” or “sister” was a sign of deep intimacy and care. Blood relatives lived together, worked together, traded with each other, and were buried together. By calling the woman “sister,” he is declaring they are now blood relatives. In the covenant relationship called marriage, blood is drawn during consummation, bonding the two parties together as man and wife, as brother and sister, forever.
16 Him (to the winds): Rise, you north wind;
come, you south wind.
Breathe on my garden,
and let the fragrance of its natural spices fill the air.
Her: Let my love come into his garden
and feast from its choice fruits.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
