King James Version
Song of Solomon 2
17 verses with commentary
The Bride and the Bridegroom Rejoice
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride speaks: 'I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.' This verse employs botanical imagery to describe the bride's beauty and character. The 'rose of Sharon' (Hebrew 'chavatzeleth hasharon,' חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן) likely refers to a crocus or meadow saffron that bloomed abundantly in the fertile Sharon plain along Israel's Mediterranean coast. The 'lily of the valleys' (shoshan...
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II.
(1) **The rose.**—Heb., *chabatseleth. *The identification of this flower is a much vexed question. From its derivation, it should be a bulbous plant (*batsal*—a bulb), and it happens that the flower which for other reasons best satisfies the requirements is of this kind, viz., the Sweet-scented Narcissus (*Narcissus tazetta*)*. “*Others have suggested the crocus, of which there are many speci...
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**15. abomination ... Lord--**as reversing His method of acting (Pr 3:32; 12:2).
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
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The bridegroom responds to the bride's self-description (2:1): 'As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.' While the bride compared herself to a common wildflower ('lily of the valleys'), the bridegroom elevates her: among other women ('the daughters'), she stands out as a lily among thorns. The Hebrew 'shoshanah' (שׁוֹשַׁנָּה, lily) represents beauty, while 'choachim' (חוֹחִים,...
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(2) **Among the daughters**—*i.e., *among other maidens.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. Though wealth cannot buy wisdom for those who do not love it, yet wisdom procures wealth (Pr 3:16; 14:24).
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. I sat: Heb. I delighted and sat down, etc taste: Heb. palate
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride declares, 'As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.' The comparison elevates the beloved above all others—as an apple tree (bearing fruit, providing shade) stands out among forest trees (non-fruit-bearing), so the beloved surpasses all competitors. The imagery empha...
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(3) **Apple tree.**—So the LXX. and Vulg.; Heb., *tappuach. *Out of the six times that the word is used, four occur in this book, the other two being Proverbs 25:11—“apple of gold”—Joel 1:12, where it is joined with vine, fig, &c, as suffering from drought. It has been very variously identified. The quince, the citron, the apple, and the apricot have each had their advocates.
The *apple *may be se...
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17. To the second of these parallel clauses, there is an accession of meaning, that is, that a brother's love is specially seen in adversity.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. banqueting: Heb. house of wine
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride continues: 'He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.' The 'banqueting house' (Hebrew 'beth hayayin,' בֵּית הַיָּיִן, literally 'house of wine') suggests a place of celebration, abundance, and joy—perhaps a vineyard house or feast hall. The beloved actively 'brought' the bride there—initiating, providing, hosting. The second phrase employs military imagery: ...
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(4) **Banqueting house.**—Marg., *house of wine; *not the cellar of the palace, nor the banqueting hall of Solomon, nor the vineyard, but simply the place of the delights of love. The comparison of love with wine Is still in the thought. (Comp. Tennyson’s “The new strong wine of love.”)
**And his banner **. . .*—i.e., *“and there I felt the sweet sense of a tender protecting love.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. (Compare Pr 6:1-5; 11:15).
**in the presence, &c.--**that is, he either fails to consult his friend, or to follow his advice.
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. comfort: Heb. straw me with apples
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride exclaims, 'Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.' The Hebrew 'raphad' (רַפֵּד, stay/sustain) suggests supporting or strengthening, while 'samakh' (סָמַךְ, comfort) means uphold or refresh. The 'flagons' (ashishot, אֲשִׁישׁוֹת) were likely raisin cakes—sweet, nourishing food. Apples (tappuchim, תַּפּוּחִים) provide refreshment. The bride feels faint—'sick of...
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(5) **Flagons.**—Heb., *ashishôth, *apparently a dried cake, but of what substance is uncertain. From the margin of Hosea 3:1, possibly “grape cakes.” In 2Samuel 6:19 it occurs as one of the gifts distributed by David at the removal of the ark, and is rendered by the LXX., *a cake from the frying-pan. *Here the LXX. have *sweet unguents, *and the Vulg. *flowers. *The Authorised Version, *flagons, ...
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**19. strife--**contention is, and leads to, sin.
**he that exalteth his gate--**gratifies a vain love of costly building.
**seeketh--**or, "findeth," as if he sought (compare "loveth death," Pr 8:36).
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.</strong> This tender verse describes intimate physical closeness. The Hebrew 'semolo tachat leroshi vimino techabbekeni' (שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי) pictures the beloved cradling the bride's head with his left hand while his right arm embraces her. The positioning suggests reclining together—perhap...
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20. The second clause advances on the first. The ill-natured fail of good, and the cavilling and fault-finding incur evil.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. I charge: Heb. I adjure you
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The bride adjures the daughters of Jerusalem: 'I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.' This solemn charge appears three times in the Song (2:7; 3:5; 8:4), forming a refrain about love's proper timing. The oath formula 'I charge you' (Hebrew 'hishba'ti,' הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי) means 'I adjure' or 'I put...
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(7) **Roes.**—Heb., *tsebi, tsebiyah*; undoubtedly the *ghazal *of the Arabs; the *gazelle. *(See 1Chronicles 12:8.)
**Hinds.**—Heb., *ayyalah. *(See Genesis 49:21.) The LXX. strangely read, *by the powers and virtues of the field.*
**My love.**—Here almost certainly in the concrete, though there is no instance of such use except in this and the corresponding passages. The Authorised Version, “til...
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21. (Compare Pr 23:24). Different words are rendered by "fool," both denoting stupidity and impiety.
The Bride Hears Her Beloved
The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride exclaims with joy: <strong>The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.</strong> The phrase 'qol dodi' (קוֹל דּוֹדִי, the voice of my beloved) expresses recognition and delight—she knows his approach before seeing him. The verbs 'leaping' (medallekh, מְדַלֵּג) and 'skipping' (meqappets, מְקַפֵּץ) suggest joyful, energetic, eager movement...
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(8) **The voice of my beloved.**—So here there is no need of the clumsy device of supposing the heroine in a dream. This most exquisite morsel of the whole poem falls quite naturally into its place if we regard it as a sweet recollection of the poet’s, put into the mouth of the object of his affections. “The voice” (Heb., *kôl*)*, *used to arrest attention = Hark! (Comp. Psalms 29) The quick sense...
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22. (Compare Pr 14:30; 15:13). The effect of the mind on the body is well known.
**medicine--**or, "body," which better corresponds with "bone."
**drieth--**as if the marrow were exhausted.
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. shewing: Heb. flourishing
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The bride continues: <strong>My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.</strong> The comparison to 'a roe or a young hart' (tsevi o leopher ha'ayalim, צְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים, gazelle or young deer) emphasizes grace, swiftness, and beauty—these animals were proverbial for agility. Now ar...
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(9) **Wall.**—As an instance of the fertility of allegorical interpretation, the variety of applications of this passage may be quoted. The *wall = *(1) the wall between us and Christ, *i.e., *our mortal condition; (2) “the middle wall of partition,” the law; (3) the iniquities separating man from God, so that He does not hear or His voice cannot reach us; (4) the creatures behind whom God Himself...
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**23. a gift ... bosom--**Money and other valuables were borne in a fold of the garment, called the bosom.
**to pervert--**that is, by bribery.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride recalls her beloved's invitation: 'My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.' The dual imperatives 'rise up' (qumi, קוּמִי) and 'come away' (lekhi-lakh, לְכִי־לָךְ) summon urgent response and departure. The terms of endearment—'my love' (rayati, רַעְיָתִי) and 'my fair one' (yaphati, יָפָתִי)—express affection and admiration. The context (verses 11...
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**24. Wisdom ... him--**ever an object of regard, while a fool's affections are unsettled.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
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The beloved explains his invitation: <strong>For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.</strong> The Hebrew 'ki-hinneh hastav avar' (כִּי־הִנֵּה הַסְּתָו עָבָר, behold, the winter has passed) and 'hageshem chalaf halakh lo' (הַגֶּשֶׁם חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ, the rain has passed, it has gone away) celebrate seasonal transition from harsh confinement to liberating spring. <strong>Winter is pa...
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(11) **Winter**.—Heb., *sethav, *only used here; probably from root = *to overcast: *the season of cloud and gloom.
**The rain is over and gone.**—Wordsworth uses this line in a description of an early spring in a very different climate.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. a grief--**or cross, vexation (compare Pr 17:21; 10:1).
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
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KJV Study Commentary
The beloved continues describing spring's arrival: <strong>The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.</strong> The Hebrew 'hanitsanim nir'u va'arets' (הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, the blossoms have appeared on the earth) celebrates visible transformation—color, beauty, life bursting forth. <strong>The time of the si...
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(12) **The time of the singing**—Heb., *zamîr·—*may mean *pruning *(so LXX. and Vulg.), but parallelism requires *singing-time *(a meaning which analogy will certainly allow us to give to the Hebrew word *zamîr*)*. *Nor can the correctness of our version in inserting *of birds *be questioned, since from the context it is plainly “the untaught harmony of spring,” and not the voices of men intended....
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**26. Also--**that is, Equally to be avoided are other sins: punishing good subjects, or resisting good rulers.
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.</strong> The Hebrew 'hate'enah chaneta pageyha' (הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ, the fig tree ripens its early figs) and 'gefarim semadar' (גְּפָנִים סְמָדַר, vines in blossom) describe specific agricultural signs of spring—edible early figs (pagim, פַּ...
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(13) **The fig tree putteth forth her green figs.**—Literally, *has ripened its unripe figs. *Heb., *phag *(preserved in Bethphage); not the early fruit that appears before the leaves (Matthew 24:31), but the green fruit that remains through the winter (Gesenius and Tristram).
**The vines with the tender grape.**—Literally, *the vines *(*are*)* blossoms, i.e., *are in blossom.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
27-28. Prudence of speech is commended as is an excellent or calm spirit, not excited to vain conversation.
The Bridegroom Speaks to His Beloved
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bridegroom calls to his beloved: 'O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.' The 'dove' (yonati, יוֹנָתִי) symbolizes purity, gentleness, and faithfulness. The phrase 'clefts of the rock' (chagvey hasela, חַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע) suggests hidden refuge—the...
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(14) **O my dove . . . in the clefts of the rock.**—The rock pigeon (*Columba livia*)*, *the origin of the domestic races, invariably selects the lofty cliffs and deep ravines (comp. Jeremiah 48:28; Ezekiel 7:16) for its roosting places, and avoids the neighbourhood of men. The modesty and shyness of his beloved are thus prettily indicated by the poet. For the expression “clefts of the rock,” see ...
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27-28. Prudence of speech is commended as is an excellent or calm spirit, not excited to vain conversation.
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
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KJV Study Commentary
The beloved speaks: 'Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.' The 'little foxes' (shualim qetanim, שֻׁעָלִים קְטַנִּים) were destructive pests damaging vineyards by eating tender grapes before harvest. The command 'take us' (echez-lanu, אֶחֱזוּ־לָנוּ) means catch or capture them. The reference to 'our vines' and 'tender grapes' suggests the coup...
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(15) **Take us the foxes.**—Possibly this is a verse of a familiar country song, introduced here from the suggestion of the “sweet voice” in the last verse; but more probably to be compared to the “avaunt” so commonly addressed by poets in Epithalamia and love songs to all mischievous and troublesome creatures. Thus in Spenser’s *Epithalamium, *owls, storks, ravens, and frogs are warned off.
**Fox...
Read full commentary →My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bride declares with confidence: 'My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.' This verse expresses mutual belonging and covenant security. The reciprocal possessive—'mine... his'—reflects the covenant formula used in marriage and God's relationship with Israel: 'I will be their God, and they shall be my people' (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 37:27). Neither partner dominates; both...
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(16) **He feedeth.**—Heb., *he that is feeding his flock—the pastor.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18
Pr 18:1-24.
**1. Through desire ... seeketh--**that is, seeks selfish gratification.
**intermeddleth ... wisdom--**or, "rushes on" (Pr 17:14) against all wisdom, or what is valuable (Pr 2:7).
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. of Bether: or, of division
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.</strong> The bride appeals for her beloved's presence until morning comes. The Hebrew <em>ad sheyafuach hayom venasu hatselalim sov demeh-lekha dodi litsebi o le-ofer ha-ayalim al-harei bater</em> (עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים סֹב דְּמֵה־לְךָ...
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(17) **Until the day break.**—Heb., *breathe, i.e., becomes cool, *as it does when the evening breeze sets in. The time indicated is therefore evening, “the breathing blushing hour” (Campbell). (Comp. Genesis 3:8, “The cool of the day”—margin, *wind. *This interpretation is also fixed by the mention of the flying, *i.e., *lengthening shadows. Comp. Virg. *Ecl. *i. 84: “Majoresque cadunt altis de m...
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**2. that his heart ... itself--**that is, takes pleasure in revealing his folly (Pr 12:23; 15:2).