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Title

The Song of Songs,[a] which is for[b] Solomon.

Maiden’s Soliloquy

May[c] you kiss me[d] passionately with your lips,[e]
    for your love is better than wine.[f]
As fragrance, your perfumes[g] are delightful;[h]
    your name is poured out perfume;[i]
        therefore young women love you.
Draw me after you, let us run!
    May the king bring me into his chambers![j]
Let us be joyful and let us rejoice in you;
    let us extol your love more than wine.
        Rightly do they love you!

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 1:1 This construction conveys a superlative connotation, e.g., “The most exquisite song”
  2. Song of Solomon 1:1 Or “by Solomon” or “about/concerning Solomon”
  3. Song of Solomon 1:2 In the maiden’s soliloquy, she thinks about her beloved in her thoughts (“May he kiss me!”), then poetically speaks to him as if he were in her presence (“for your love is better than wine”). To avoid confusion, the translation uses the second-person form throughout vv. 2–4
  4. Song of Solomon 1:2 Literally “May he kiss me”
  5. Song of Solomon 1:2 Literally “with the kisses of his mouth”
  6. Song of Solomon 1:2 The shift from the third person “he … his” to the second person “you … your” in vv. 2–4 should not be interpreted as suggesting two different referents, that is, one male whom the maiden is addressing as “you,” and another to whom she refers as “he.” Rather, this shift is a poetic device (called “grammatical differentiation”) that is not uncommon in Hebrew poetry (e.g., Gen 49:4; Deut 32:15; Psa 23:2–5; Isa 1:29; 42:20; 54:1; Jer 22:24; Amos 4:1; Mic 7:19; Lam 3:1; Song 4:2; 6:6). This shift is characteristic of a soliloquy, a dramatic or literary form in which a character reveals her thoughts without addressing a listener who is actually present (e.g., 2 Sam 19:4). In this case, the maiden’s private thoughts about her beloved (v. 2a) shift to an imaginary address to her beloved (vv. 2b–4a)
  7. Song of Solomon 1:3 Literally “your oil lotions”
  8. Song of Solomon 1:3 Literally “good”
  9. Song of Solomon 1:3 Literally “oil lotion”
  10. Song of Solomon 1:4 Or “The king has brought me into his chambers”

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.