Song of Solomon 8: For love is strong as death

Song Page for Song of Solomon 8

Lyrics

Beloved
1 O 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.
2 I 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.
3 His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Friends
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?

Beloved
I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
6 Set 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.
7 Many 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.

Friends
8 We 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?
9 If 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.

Beloved
10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

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

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

Bible Commentary

1. As my brother. The bride seems to reminisce of the time before the obstacles to their union were removed. Not being able yet to declare her affection to him as lover, she wished that their relationship had been that of brother and sister.
Despised. That is, her family and her friends should not reproach her.

2. Who would instruct me. As translated, the mother is the instructor. The verb may, however, also be translated, "thou wilt instruct." Either translation makes good sense. Mothers have sane counsel for daughters about to be married. The wise Solomon, too, could have thrilled the heart of his young bride by sharing with her his vast fund of knowledge. In return she would reciprocate by supplying suitable refreshments.

4. I charge you. Compare chs. 2:7; 3:5. The repetition of this refrain lends strong support to the idea of an intended unity of the song.

5. Who is this that cometh? Verse 5 appears to be a description of the arrival of the royal pair at the bride's home.
Raised thee up. Literally, "aroused thee." Solomon probably means to say that they have come back to the place where he first inspired his bride with love.
Thy mother. They have returned to the home where his bride was born.

6. Set me as a seal. The bride is speaking, as is evident in the Hebrew by the masculine form of "thee." The Hebrew word for "seal," chotham, means signet ring (see Ex. 28:11, 21; Job 38:14; 41:15; Jer. 22:24). The Hebrews sometimes wore their signet ring suspended upon their breast by a string. Solomon's bride wants her husband to view her as such a precious signet ring.
Coals. Heb. reshaphim, "flames," "fire bolts," translated "hot thunderbolts" in Ps. 78:48.
A most vehement flame. Literally, "a flame of Jehovah." Probably the lightning.

7. Cannot quench love. Pure love is such that nothing can destroy it. It cannot be bought. The highest offer would be completely scorned. This passage, telling of the invincible might and enduring constancy of true love, stands without a parallel in literature for forcefulness of expression.

8. Little sister. This statement may have been made by the Shulamite's brothers, in reminiscence of the bride's childhood days. It appears they had been debating as to how to deal with their little sister when an offer of marriage should be made to her.

11. Solomon had a vineyard. This was doubtless one of Solomon's many vine- yards.

12. My vineyard. The bride renews her vows to her husband. She speaks of herself as the keeper of her own vineyard, but she transfers these rights and privileges to her husband.

13. Cause me to hear it. As the curtain falls, Solomon requests to hear once more the voice of his beloved, perhaps in a refrain he had heard her repeat in their courtship.

14. Make haste, my beloved. Thus the poem ends with two short verses that compress into them all that has been repeated over and over under different figures: the wooing and the wedding of two happy hearts.⁴
References and notes
1. King James Authorized Version
2. John Wesley's Notes on the Bible - http://eword.gospelcom.net/comments/song/wesley/song8.htm
3. John Gill's Exposition of the Bible - http://eword.gospelcom.net/comments/song/gill/song8.htm
4. SDA Bible Commentary - Vol. 3 pg. 1121