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Song Page for
Song of Solomon 8 |
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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
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About Song of Songs 6 |
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Easyfind |
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Music for
Cant. 8 |
 Click
image for hear a song preview of Song
of Solomon
8.
This song features on the 43 minute CD album
Song of Solomon.
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Structure of
Canticles 8 |
The church expresses her desire of familiarity with Christ,
ver. 1.
By the entertainment she would make him, ver. 2, 3.
She charges the daughters of Jerusalem not to disturb her
beloved, ver. 4.
A commendation of the church for her faith in Christ, ver.
5.
She prays for full assurance of his love, her invincible
desire, ver. 6.
Which is insatiable, ver. 7.
The calling of the Gentiles with their intent, and her
condition, ver. 8-13.
Christ's coming prayed for, ver. 14.2
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Synopsis of Canticles 8 |
This chapter begins with an ardent wish of the church for a
free and intimate converse with Christ; declaring what she
would do to him, and for him, should she have such an
interview with him, ver. 1;
what familiarity should be between them, ver. 3;
charging the daughters of Jerusalem not to give him any
disturbance, ver. 4;
Upon which they inquire who she was that was in such a
posture they saw her in, ver. 5;
when the church, instead of giving them an answer, says some
things concerning her beloved, on whom they saw her leaning;
and makes some requests to him for more nearness to him, and
manifestations of his love to her; urged from the strength
her love and affections to him, which was invincible, ver.6.
Next follows a speech of the church about her little sister;
expressing a concern for her, and what she would do to her
and with her, ver. 8;
and the answer of the little sister, declaring what she,
was, and what she enjoyed, ver. 10;
then the words of the church again, concerning her husband's
vineyard; the place, keepers, and profit of it, ver. 11.
And the chapter, and with it the Song, is concluded with a
request of Christ to the church, that he might hear her
voice, ver. 13;
and with a petition of hers to him, that he would come
quickly to her, ver. 14.3
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