Song Of Solomon 6
Song of Songs, Chapter 6 contains the story of how the love between the bridegroom and the bride is deeply restored, and how they renew their heartfelt declarations of each other's beauty and preciousness. This chapter, overall, shows a flow of reconciliation after their relationship has gone through conflict, and it is written as a poem that sings of deep affection and honor for one another.
1verseWhere has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
2verseMy beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3verseI am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies.
4verseYou are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
5verseTurn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
6verseYour teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing, of which every one has twins; not one is bereaved among them.
7verseYour temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8verseThere are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
9verseMy dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed. The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.
10verseWho is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
11verseI went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
12verseWithout realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
13verseReturn, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
Explanation of Structure and Flow
- 6:1-3 – The women of Jerusalem ask the bride about the whereabouts of her bridegroom, and the bride searches for him while confessing their special relationship.
- 6:4-10 – The bridegroom praises the bride's beauty and excellence. The bride is described as being like a lily, with an incomparable brilliance that shines.
- 6:11-13 – The bride walks through a garden of nature, experiencing the fullness of love and new joy. At the end, we also see the community welcoming the bride.
Within this kind of structure, Song of Songs, Chapter 6 emphasizes the maturity and respect within the relationship through the restoration and reaffirmation of love.
Overall Meaning
This chapter shows the depth and preciousness of love felt when, after conflict and misunderstanding, they find and meet one another again. Each person discovers the other’s beauty anew and reveals an attitude of regarding one another as the highest value. Poetically, it captures the tension and reconciliation experienced within love, and the joy that arrives at the end.
Points for Reflection
- In a relationship of love granted by God, how important is the attitude of respecting and cherishing one another?
- Think about how you might overcome misunderstandings and conflicts in your everyday relationships, and how you could experience the trust and love that deepen after reconciliation.
Try Applying It to Me
- In my relationship with someone I love, reflect on times when I genuinely praised and respected their strengths.
- If I am currently going through conflict or distance, could I first find the courage to reach out and try to come closer?
