Chronological
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs [C the best of songs and a song composed of many songs].
The Woman Speaks to the Man She Loves
2 Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,
because your love is better than wine [C makes one light-headed].
3 The ·smell [scent] of your ·perfume [cologne; L oil] is ·pleasant [wonderful],
and your ·name [reputation] is pleasant like ·expensive [or poured out] ·perfume [cologne; L oil].
That’s why the young women love you.
4 ·Take me with [L Draw me after] you; let’s run together.
The king takes me into his ·rooms [bedroom; inner chamber].
Friends Speak to the Man
We will rejoice and be happy with you;
we praise your love more than wine [v. 2].
With good reason, the young women love you.
The Woman Speaks
5 I’m dark ·but [or and] ·lovely [beautiful; C she was out in the sun because her brothers forced her to work the fields; v. 6],
·women [L daughters] of Jerusalem [C her friends whom she is instructing about love],
dark like the tents of Kedar [C desert nomads; Gen. 25:13; Jer. 49:28–29],
like the curtains of ·Solomon [or Salma; C south Arabian desert nomads].
6 Don’t look at how ·dark [swarthy] I am,
·at how dark the sun has made me [L because the sun scorched me].
My ·brothers [L mother’s sons] were angry with me
and made me ·tend [or guard] the vineyards,
so I haven’t ·tended [or guarded] my own ·vineyard [C referring to her body]!
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where do you ·feed your sheep [graze]?
Where do you let them ·rest [lie down] at noon?
Why should I look for you near your friend’s sheep,
like a woman who wears a veil [C like a prostitute going tent to tent; Gen. 38:14–15]?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
8 You are the most beautiful of women.
Surely you know to follow the tracks of the sheep
and feed your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.
9 My darling, you are like a mare
among the ·king’s [L Pharaoh’s] stallions [C driving them crazy with desire].
10 Your cheeks are beautiful ·with ornaments [L between earrings],
and your neck with ·jewels [a necklace].
11 We will make for you gold earrings
with silver ·hooks [studs].
The Woman Speaks
12 The smell of my ·perfume [nard] spreads out
to the king on his couch.
13 My lover is like a ·bag [sachet] of myrrh
that ·lies all night [lodges] between my breasts [C intimately].
14 My lover is like a ·bunch [cluster] of ·flowers [L henna blossoms; C pleasant smelling and used to dye hair red]
from the vineyards at En Gedi [C a romantic location with a waterfall near the Dead Sea].
The Man Speaks
15 My darling, you are beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful,
and your eyes are like doves [C perhaps fluttering or a reference to softness and beauty].
The Woman Answers the Man
16 You are so handsome, my lover,
and so ·pleasant [or lovely]!
Our bed is ·the grass [green].
17 Cedar trees form ·our roof [L the boards of our house];
our ·ceiling [rafters] is made of juniper wood [C they find intimacy outdoors].
The Woman Speaks Again
2 I am a ·rose [or flower] in the Plain of Sharon [C a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast],
a lily in the valleys [C she claims to be ordinary].
The Man Speaks Again
2 Among the ·young women [girls], my darling
is like a lily among thorns [C she is extraordinarily beautiful]!
The Woman Answers
3 Among the ·young men [boys], my lover
is like an apple tree ·in the woods [L among the trees of the forest; C he is extraordinary; the apple tree is fruitful and pleasant smelling]!
I ·enjoy sitting in [desire] his ·shadow [shade];
his fruit is sweet to my ·taste [palate].
4 He brought me to the ·banquet room [L house of wine],
and his banner over me is love [C his love for her is well known].
5 Strengthen me with ·raisins [raisin cakes],
and refresh me with apples [C considered aphrodisiacs],
because I am ·weak [faint] with love.
6 My lover’s left hand is under my head,
and his right arm ·holds me tight [embraces me; 8:3].
The Woman Speaks to the Friends
7 ·Women [L Daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5], ·promise me [I adjure you]
by the gazelles and the deer of the field [C in Hebrew sounds like “by the (Lord) of Hosts” or “by God Almighty”]
not to awaken
or ·excite [arouse] love
until it ·is ready [so desires; C likely a warning to the women to wait for love until the right person comes along; 3:5; 8:4].
The Woman Speaks Again
8 I hear ·my lover’s voice [the sound of my lover].
Here he comes ·jumping [leaping] across the mountains,
·skipping [bounding] over the hills [C he moves with agile grace and speed].
9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young ·deer [stag].
Look, he stands behind our wall
·peeking [staring] through the windows,
looking through the ·blinds [lattice].
10 My lover spoke and said to me,
“·Get [Rise] up, my darling;
let’s go away, my beautiful one.
11 Look, the winter is past;
the rains are over and gone [C spring has arrived, the time of love].
12 Blossoms appear through all the land.
The time has come to sing;
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
13 There are young figs ·on [L ripening on] the fig trees,
and the blossoms on the vines ·smell sweet [L spread their fragrance].
·Get [Rise] up, my darling;
let’s go away, my beautiful one.”
The Man Speaks
14 My beloved is like a dove hiding in the ·cracks [crevices] of the rock,
in the ·secret [hiding] places of the cliff.
·Show me [Let me see] your ·face [L form],
and let me hear your voice.
Your voice is ·sweet [agreeable],
and your ·face [form] is ·lovely [pleasant].
15 ·Catch [Grab] the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards
while they are in blossom [C threats to the relationship].
The Woman Speaks
16 My lover is mine, and I am his [6:3; 7:11].
He ·feeds [grazes] among the lilies
17 until the day dawns
and the shadows ·disappear [flee].
Turn, my lover.
Be like a gazelle or a young ·deer [stag]
on the ·mountain valleys [or the mountains of Bether].
The Woman Dreams
3 ·At night [or During many nights] on my bed,
I ·looked [searched] for the one ·I love [my soul loves];
I ·looked [searched] for him, but I could not find him.
2 I ·got [rose] up and went around the city,
in the streets and ·squares [public areas],
·looking [searching] for the one ·I love [my soul loves].
I ·looked [searched] for him, but I could not find him.
3 The ·watchmen [guards; C ancient equivalent to the police] found me as they patrolled the city,
so I asked, “Have you seen the one ·I love [L my soul loves]?”
4 ·As soon as [or A little while after] I had left them,
I found the one ·I love [L my soul loves].
I ·held [seized; grabbed] him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room where ·I was born [L she conceived me; 8:2].
The Woman Speaks to the Friends
5 ·Women [L Daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5], ·promise me [I adjure you]
by the gazelles and the deer of the field [C in Hebrew sounds like “by the (Lord) of Hosts” or “by God Almighty”]
not to awaken
or ·excite [arouse] love
until it ·is ready [so desires; C likely a warning to the women to wait for love until the right person comes along; 2:7; 8:4].
6 ·Who [or What] is this coming out of the ·desert [wilderness]
like a ·cloud [pillar] of smoke?
·Who is this that smells like [L …perfumed with] myrrh, ·incense [frankincense],
and ·other spices [L from all the scented powders of the trader]?
7 Look, it’s Solomon’s ·couch [palanquin; litter; C a bed carried by servants]
with sixty soldiers around it,
the ·finest soldiers [heroes; mighty men] of Israel.
8 These soldiers all carry swords
and have been trained in war.
Every man wears a sword at his ·side [thigh]
and is ready for the dangers of the night.
9 King Solomon had a ·couch [litter; v. 7] made for himself
of wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver
and its ·braces [canopy] of gold.
The seat was covered with purple [C the color of royalty] cloth
that the ·women [L daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5] ·wove [inlaid its interior] with love.
11 ·Women [L Daughters] of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:5], go out and see King Solomon.
He is wearing the crown his mother put on his head
on his wedding day,
when his heart was happy!
The Man Speaks to the Woman
4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, you are beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil [C imparting a sense of mystery] are like doves [1:15].
Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead [C a beautiful site in central Transjordan near the Jabbok river; the image indicates lush, flowing hair].
2 Your teeth are like ·newly [L a flock of] sheared sheep
just coming from ·their bath [a washing; C white].
Each one has a twin,
and none of them is missing [C a compliment in an age before dentistry].
3 Your lips are like ·red silk [a scarlet] thread,
and your mouth is ·lovely [or desirable].
Your ·cheeks [or temple] behind your veil
are like slices of a pomegranate [C reddish orange].
4 Your neck is like David’s tower [C dignified; strong],
built ·with rows of stones [in courses].
A thousand shields hang on its walls [C a necklace that enhances her beauty];
each shield belongs to a ·strong soldier [hero].
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twins of a gazelle,
·feeding [grazing] among the lilies.
6 Until the day dawns
and the shadows ·disappear [flee],
I will go to that mountain of myrrh
and to that hill of ·incense [frankincense; C referring to the woman].
7 My darling, everything about you is beautiful,
and ·there is nothing at all wrong with you [you have no blemish].
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.
Come with me from Lebanon,
from the top of Mount Amana,
from the tops of Mount Senir and Mount Hermon.
Come from the lions’ dens
and from the leopards’ hills [C apart from him she is in a dangerous place].
9 My sister [C an ancient term of endearment], my bride,
you ·have thrilled my heart [drive me crazy];
you ·have thrilled my heart [drive me crazy]
with ·a [L one] glance of your eyes,
with one ·sparkle [L jewel] from your necklace.
10 ·Your love is so sweet [L How beautiful is your love], my sister [4:9], my bride.
Your love is better than wine [C makes one lightheaded],
and ·your perfume [L the scent of your oils] smells better than any spice.
11 My bride, your lips drip honey;
honey and milk are under your tongue [C sensuous liquids that he will explore].
Your clothes smell like the cedars of Lebanon [C the best cedars].
12 My sister [4:9], my bride, you are like a garden locked up [C she has not been entered by a man],
like a ·walled-in [sealed] spring, a ·closed-up [locked] fountain.
13 Your ·limbs [L shoots; C a botanical term either referring to the woman’s legs or her genital organs] are like an orchard
of pomegranates with all the best fruit,
filled with ·flowers [henna; 1:14] and nard,
14 nard and saffron [C spicy floral scent], calamus [C woody odor], and cinnamon,
with trees of incense, myrrh [C aromatic gum from tree bark], and aloes [C a fragrant wood]—
all the best spices.
15 You are like a garden fountain—
a well of ·fresh [L living] water
·flowing [streaming] down from the mountains of Lebanon.
The Woman Speaks
16 Awake, north wind.
Come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and let its ·sweet smells [spices] flow out.
Let my lover enter the garden
and eat its best fruits [C she desires physical intimacy].
The Man Speaks
5 I have entered my garden, my sister [4:9], my bride.
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey.
I have drunk my wine and my milk [C he enjoys physical intimacy with her].
The Friends Speak
Eat, friends, and drink;
yes, ·drink deeply [be intoxicated], lovers.
The Woman Dreams
2 I sleep, but my ·heart [mind] ·is awake [was alert].
·I hear [L The sound of] my lover knocking.
“Open to me, my sister [4:9; C he desires physical intimacy], my darling,
my dove, my ·perfect [flawless] one.
My head is ·wet with [L full of] dew,
and my hair with the ·dampness [drizzle] of the night.”
3 I have taken off my ·garment [clothes]
·and don’t want to put it on [L should I get dressed…?] again.
I have washed my feet
·and don’t want to get [L should I get…?] them dirty again.
4 My lover put his hand through the ·opening [L hole],
and I felt ·excited inside [aroused; warmed].
5 I got up to open the door for my lover.
Myrrh was dripping from my hands
and liquid myrrh [4:14] was flowing from my fingers,
onto the handles of the lock.
6 I opened the door for my lover,
but my lover had left and was gone.
When he spoke, ·he took my breath away [L my spirit went out].
I ·looked for [sought] him, but I could not find him;
I called for him, but he did not answer.
7 The ·watchmen [guards; C an ancient equivalent to police; 3:3] found me
·as they patrolled [those who make their rounds in] the city.
They hit me and ·hurt [bruised] me;
the guards ·on the wall took away my veil [L lifted my garments from me].
8 ·Promise me [I adjure you], ·women [L daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5],
if you find my lover,
·tell him [L what should you say to him? That] I am weak with love.
The Friends Answer the Woman
9 How is your lover better than other lovers,
most beautiful of women?
How is your lover better than other lovers?
Why do you want us to promise this?
The Woman Answers the Friends
10 My lover is ·healthy [radiant] and ·tan [ruddy],
·the best of [distinguished among] ten thousand men.
11 His head is like ·the finest [pure] gold;
his hair is wavy and black like a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves [1:15]
by ·springs [streams] of water.
They seem to be bathed in ·cream [milk; C referring to the white of the eye]
·and are set like jewels [or sitting by pools].
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices [C his beard is perfumed];
·they smell like mounds of perfume [L growing aromatics].
His lips are like lilies
flowing with myrrh [4:14].
14 His ·hands [or arms] are like gold ·hinges [or bars],
·filled with jewels [L set with Tarshish stones; C a location in Spain; perhaps a black jet stone or golden topaz].
His ·body [or member] is like ·shiny ivory [or an ivory tusk]
·covered with sapphires [ornamented with lapis].
15 His legs are like large marble ·posts [pillars],
standing on ·bases [pedestals] of fine gold.
·He is like a cedar of [L His appearance is like] Lebanon,
·like the finest of the trees [L choice like the cedars].
16 His mouth is sweet [C to kiss],
and ·I desire him very much [he is totally desirable].
Yes, ·daughters [women] of Jerusalem [1:5],
this is my lover
and my ·friend [darling].
The Friends Speak to the Woman
6 Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your lover turn?
We will ·look [search] for him with you.
The Woman Answers the Friends
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to ·feed [graze] in the gardens
and to ·gather [pluck] lilies.
3 I belong to my lover,
and my lover belongs to me [2:16; 7:11].
He ·feeds [grazes] among the lilies.
The Man Speaks to the Woman
4 My darling, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah [C onetime capital of the northern kingdom of Israel; the name means “pleasant”; 1 Kin. 14:17; 15:21],
as lovely as the city of Jerusalem [C the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah; Ps. 122],
·like an army flying flags [L awesome like an army under banners].
5 Turn your eyes from me,
because they ·excite me too much [unsettle me].
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead [4:1].
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
just coming from ·their bath [a washing; C white];
each one has a twin,
and none of them is missing [4:2].
7 Your ·cheeks [or temple] behind your veil
are like slices of a pomegranate [reddish orange; 4:3].
8 There may be sixty queens and eighty ·slave women [concubines; C secondary wives]
and so many girls you cannot count them,
9 but there is only one like my dove, my ·perfect [flawless] one.
She is her mother’s only daughter,
the ·brightest [favored] of the one who gave her birth.
The ·young women [L daughters] saw her and called her ·happy [blessed];
the queens and the ·slave women [concubines, v. 8] also praised her.
The Young Women Praise the Woman
10 Who is that young woman
that ·shines out [L looks down] like the dawn?
She is as ·pretty [beautiful] as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
·as wonderful as an army flying flags [awesome like an army under banners; v. 4].
The Man Speaks
11 I went down into the ·orchard [grove] of nut trees
to see the ·blossoms [new growth] of the valley,
to look for buds on the vines,
to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.
12 Before I realized it, my desire ·for you made me feel
like a prince in a chariot [or placed me in the chariots of Amminadab; C perhaps a well-known lover like Romeo].
The Friends Call to the Woman
13 ·Come back [or Turn around], ·come back [or turn around], woman of Shulam [C feminine form of Solomon, both based on the Hebrew root meaning “peace”; their union brings contentment].
·Come back [or Turn around], ·come back [or turn around],
so we may look at you!
The Woman Answers the Friends
Why do you want to look at the woman of Shulam
as you would at the dance of two armies [C as at a mesmerizing sight]?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
7 Your feet are beautiful in sandals,
you ·daughter of a prince [noble daughter].
Your round ·thighs [or hips] are like ·jewels [L rings]
·shaped by an artist [L the work of the hands of a craftsman].
2 Your navel is like a round drinking cup
·always filled with [L that does not lack] wine.
Your ·stomach [belly] is like a ·pile [heap] of wheat
·surrounded [bordered] with lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twins of a gazelle [4:5].
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower [C grand, strong, dignified].
Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon [C a beautiful area located near the Dead Sea]
near the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the mountain of Lebanon
·that looks down on [keeping watch toward] Damascus.
5 Your head is like Mount Carmel [C a prominent, rounded, and attractive mountain],
and your hair is like purple cloth [C a royal color];
the king is ·captured [ensnared] in its folds.
6 You are beautiful and pleasant;
my love, you are full of delights.
7 You are like a palm tree [C tall and slender],
and your breasts are like its bunches of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb up the palm tree
and ·take hold of [grasp] its fruit.”
Let your breasts be like ·bunches of grapes [L clusters of the vine],
the smell of your breath like apples,
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
The Woman Speaks to the Man
Let this wine go down sweetly for my lover;
may it flow gently past the lips and teeth.
10 I belong to my lover,
and he desires only me [2:16; 6:3].
11 Come, my lover,
let’s go out ·into the country [L to the field; C a private place for intimacy]
and spend the night in the ·fields [villages].
12 Let’s go early to the vineyards
and see if the buds are on the vines.
Let’s see if the blossoms have already opened
and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes [C an aphrodisiac; Gen. 30:14–16] give their sweet smell,
and all the best ·fruits [gifts] are at our ·gates [entrance].
I have ·saved them [treasured them up] for you, my lover,
the old and the new [C everything near and dear].
8 I wish you were like my brother
who ·fed [L sucked] at my mother’s breasts [C so she could be affectionate toward him in public].
If I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would ·look down on [shame] me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
to my mother’s house;
she is the one who taught me.
I would give you a drink of spiced wine
from my pomegranates.
The Woman Speaks to the Friends
3 My lover’s left hand is under my head,
and his right arm ·holds me tight [embraces me; 2:6].
4 ·Women [L Daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5],
·promise [I adjure you] not to awaken
or ·excite [arouse] love
until it ·is ready [so desires; C likely a warning to the women to wait for love until the right person comes along; 2:7; 3:5].
The Friends Speak
5 Who is this coming out of the ·desert [wilderness; 3:6],
leaning on her lover?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
I ·woke [aroused] you under the apple tree
where ·you were born [L your mother conceived you];
there ·your mother gave birth to you [L the one who gave you birth conceived you].
6 ·Put [Set] me like a seal [C leaving an impression on clay, showing ownership] on your heart [C inside],
like a seal on your arm [C outside].
Love is as strong as death;
·jealousy [or passion] is as ·strong [tenacious] as the grave.
·Love bursts into flames [L Its flame is an intense fire]
·and burns like a hot fire [or a godlike flame].
7 Even much water cannot put out the flame of love;
floods cannot ·drown [flood] love.
If a man offered ·everything [L all the wealth] in his house for love,
·people would totally reject it [or he would be completely despised].
The Woman’s Brothers Speak
8 We have a ·little [small] sister,
and ·her breasts are not yet grown [L she has no breasts].
What should we do for our sister
on the day she ·becomes engaged [L is spoken for; C brothers were in charge of marriage negotiations]?
9 If she is a wall [C chaste],
we will put silver towers on her [C support and honor her].
If she is a door [C promiscuous],
we will ·protect [enclose] her with cedar boards [C put a stop to her sexual activity].
The Woman Speaks
10 I am a wall [C chaste],
and my breasts are like towers [C she is mature].
So I ·was to him [or will be in his eyes],
as one who brings ·happiness [peace; contentment].
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
He ·rented [entrusted] the vineyards ·for others to tend [or to guards],
and everyone who rented had to pay
·twenty-five pounds [L a thousand pieces] of silver for the fruit.
12 But my own vineyard is mine ·to give [alone].
Solomon, the ·twenty-five pounds [L thousand pieces] of silver are for you,
and ·five pounds [L two hundred] are for those who ·tend [guard] the fruit.
The Man Speaks to the Woman
13 You who live in the gardens,
my friends are listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
The Woman Speaks to the Man
14 ·Hurry [Sneak away], my lover,
be like a gazelle
or a young deer
on the mountains where spices grow.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.