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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
6:4-8:4 The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again. The dream is over, as the song turns from the absent beloved to the couple exchanging their praise for each other.
6:4 Tirzah (lit., "pleasing") was the capital of the northern kingdom for a short time (), while Jerusalem was the long-standing capital of the southern kingdom and an established icon of beauty (Psalms 48; 50). The hostility between the two kingdoms, represented by their capital cities, makes it unlikely that the Song of Solomon dates from the time of the divided kingdom (see Introduction: Author and Date). awesome as an army with banners. Not only is she beautiful, she inspires the most profound respect.
6:5 The woman's glances overwhelm the man (cf. 4:9, where they captivate his heart). On Gilead, see note on 4:1.
6:8-9 Queens and concubines were positions within a royal harem, the latter being secondary in status to the former. There would usually be only one queen in an ancient Near Eastern harem (although within the harems of the kings of Israel and Judah, queens are never mentioned). Virgins refers to a group of women that were present in the court, but also in society at large. Notice how the numbers increase from sixty to eighty to without number, symbolizing that the woman of the Song of Solomon is without comparison among women, even royal women--all of whom praise her.
6:10 Dawn, moon, and sun all reflect the woman's radiant beauty.
6:13 The chorus picks up on the idea of "looking" (v. 11). As she had gone down to the orchard to look, so they want her to return, that they might look upon her. In the question why should you look, "you" is masculine plural (perhaps addressed to other men, or to society at large). Shulammite may be the feminine form of "Solomon," but here it more likely refers to the woman's origin; in a poem, however, it could easily evoke the idea of a suitable partner to the young man who is at times referred to and idealized as Solomon. The nature of the dance before two armies is unknown, but the repetition of "look upon" may suggest that if the woman did such a dance it would compromise her honor--and thus the beloved intervenes.
7:1-9a This description of the woman's beauty echoes that of 4:1-7 (cf. her description of the man in 5:10-16). They take erotic delight in each other's physical appearance.
7:4 As in 4:4, the woman's neck is likened to a tower. Since it is made of precious ivory, the dignity and beauty of her neck (rather than any physical aspect of it) is once again the reason for the simile. Similarly, the man praises the grandeur of her nose by comparing it to an elevated tower of Lebanon overlooking the important Syrian city of Damascus.
7:5 Mount Carmel is west of the Sea of Galilee near the Mediterranean coast. Purple is associated with royalty, as the related dye was expensive (see note on 3:10). As in the previous verse, these images portray the woman's dignity--no wonder she can hold a king captive!
7:7 It was not uncommon for a person with elegance to be compared to a palm tree. In the Bible, women with the name Tamar (lit., palm tree) are sensually alluring (cf. Genesis 38; 2 Samuel 13).
7:10 The first line of this verse echoes that of 6:3. The word desire in the second line appears elsewhere in the Bible only in Gen. 3:16 and 4:7; the context tells the reader what kind of desire it is, and here (unlike in Genesis) it is sexual. The thought of the man desiring her gives the shepherdess pleasure.
7:12 For the significance of a rural setting (and specifically vineyards), see Introduction: Literary Features and Structure.
7:13 It is possible that mandrakes (Hb. duda’im, which sounds like my beloved, dodi) were seen as an aphrodisiac (cf. Gen. 30:14-16). They appear to seduce as they give forth fragrance (as with the nard in Song 1:12). New as well as old is probably an idiom meaning "all," or perhaps it refers to a progression in love, from the already familiar ("old") to the "new" delights that they anticipate.
8:1 This verse seems to indicate that in Israelite culture, romantic kisses were to be reserved for private contexts, while the kiss of family affection was deemed appropriate in the open--hence the wish that he were a brother. (The wayward woman of Prov. 7:13 is thus seen to be shameless; probably Jacob's kiss for Rachel was a familial kiss [cf. Gen. 29:11-12].) The Hebrew for I would kiss you sounds like "I would give you . . . to drink" (Song 8:2).
8:2 house of my mother. See 3:4. Wine is linked to love and romance in the Song of Solomon (see 1:2; 2:4).
8:4 Here at the end of the period of longing and waiting is the final instance of the refrain urging the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time (cf. 2:7; 3:5); it is now time to move on to the marriage (cf. 8:5, where the consummation is indicated by her finally "awakening" him).
