Song of Songs 2: Summary and Commentary

Verse 1

2:1-7 In this short poem, the man and the woman exchange compliments. Using metaphors of flowers and trees, they describe the nature of their loving relationship, emphasizing his role as protector and provider. • The poem ends (2:6) with the man and the woman in an intimate embrace.

2:1-2 the lily of the valley:the lily of the valleys: The Hebrew shows the woman’s modesty and humility, as she claims to be but one flower among many in Sharon and in the expansive valleys of Israel. • The man affirms her comparison to a lily, but says that her beauty is far from common; she is a lily among thistles. • my darling (literally my companion): They are in love, and they are also friends.

Verse 3

2:3 As she is the finest of small, beautiful flowers, he is like a larger and stronger apple tree. An apple tree is a sensuous image in the ancient Near East because of its delicious fruit and pleasant fragrance. In the intense heat of the Middle Eastern climate, a tree’s shade is more than refreshing; it can be life-saving (cp. Jon 4:6; Matt 13:32).

Verse 4

2:4 He escorts me to the banquet hall: Dropping the image of the apple tree, the woman now speaks of the man as her provider at a feast. • it’s obvious how much he loves me: Literally His banner over me is Love. He likes to tell others how much he loves her.

Verse 5

2:5-6 The woman’s love is intense, his love overwhelming. • If the Song is an anthology, the couple can be seen as married, and lovemaking is seen as so physically exhausting that she grows faint and calls for the sustenance of raisin cakes and apples. These foods were considered aphrodisiacs in the ancient Near East. • Strengthen me: She now depends on him to revive her with the fruit of the earlier image—he is the apple tree, so he can provide apples for her renewed strength. • His left arm is under my head: He tenderly supports her with his embrace as they lie together (see also 8:3).

Verse 7

2:7 Promise me . . . by the gazelles and wild deer: This plea is obviously important to the Song; it is repeated in 3:5 and 8:4, and a promise is requested. When a promise was made, witnesses were needed, and the wild animals were the only witnesses present. These graceful animals suggest a romantic pastoral setting. • not to awaken love until the time is right: As in 8:8-9, virginity is praised. The woman warns the women of Jerusalem to be cautious and not to hurry love.

Verse 8

2:8-17 In this poem, the woman anticipates the arrival of her lover. She describes the passing of winter and the coming of spring, a time of floral fragrance and new beginnings. She and her lover are in their country garden, a place of intimacy, though even here there is a hint of threat (2:15).

2:8-10 The man ardently desires to be in the woman’s presence. He finally arrives at his lover’s home and takes her into the romantic countryside during the new, budding spring. • The woman compares the man to a gazelle, a fast, sleek animal that easily overcomes obstacles to reach its destination.

Verse 10

2:10-13 In the Middle East, winter is the rainy season of clouds, gloom, and cold. When winter is past, and the rains are over and gone, the stimulating and invigorating sights, sounds, and smells of spring energize romantic feelings.

Verse 14

2:14 In the dramatic view, the couple is playing a game of hide-and-seek in which she is teasing him; he resorts to simply pleading for her to appear, for even playful separation from her is too frustrating for him. • The rocks are a metaphor for separation that the man wants to overcome to be with her.

Verse 15

2:15 The foxes may represent threats to the relationship. These threats are not identified; they could be the normal ups and downs of love, rival suitors, or anything else that might keep the couple from enjoying one another. • In the dramatic view, the woman’s responsibilities as a vinedresser are still in mind. She is probably instructing the vinedressers who cared for her vineyard and received two hundred pieces of silver from her in 8:12. The alarm about catching the foxes may be understood in terms of the woman’s personal interest in maintaining the value of her vineyards; eventually, she needs to pay Solomon the lease. If the foxes’ hole-digging ruins the grapevines, she will be further in debt.

Verse 16

2:16–3:5 In the dramatic view, the woman has already been separated from her lover and is horrified by the notion that she will not see him soon. One night, her worries drive her from bed to search frantically for him; she finds him and takes him to see her mother.

2:16-17 He browses . . . like a gazelle: The woman has so identified her lover with the strength and speed of a gazelle that she portrays his delay as grazing in the country. • Alternatively, the lover, in the guise of a gazelle, grazes among the lilies that possibly represent the woman, suggesting the intimate association of the couple. The woman is often likened to a garden (see also 4:12, 15-16; 5:1; 6:2). • return to me: Her longing to see him in the evening is intensifying by the hour.