Song of Solomon 2

Song of Solomon 2:1

2:1 The maiden continues by protesting her own plainness and unworthiness. When she likens herself to the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys, she is not thinking of the cultivated flowers we call “roses” and “lilies” but probably of the common, wild scarlet anemones, or perhaps the crocus. 2:2 Solomon must have heard her protestations of mediocrity because he tells her that she is very special. Compared to other virgins, she is like a lily among thorns. 2:3 Switching again to rural scenes, she sees her beloved as a cultivated apple tree among the wild trees of the woods. To be with him had always been delightful, and fellowship with him was ever so sweet. 2:4-6 Just to be with him was like being in a banqueting house; always overhead was his banner of love. Overcome with thoughts of him she calls for cakes of raisins and apples to refresh and strengthen her. It is as if he were actually with her, holding and embracing her.

Song of Solomon 2:7

IV. THE MAIDEN’S CHARGE TO THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM (2:7)Turning to the daughters of Jerusalem, the Shulamite strikes the keynote of the book. There is a time for love. It should not be aroused by carnal means (as the king was trying to do). She charges them by the graceful gazelles that they should not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. In other words, “love is not a thing to be bought or forced or pretended, but a thing to come spontaneously, to be given freely and sincerely.” If Israel had followed this simple rule, it would not have been unfaithful to Jehovah.

Song of Solomon 2:8

V. THE SHULAMITE REMINISCES ABOUT A VISIT FROM HER SHEPHERD-LOVER, INTERRUPTED BY ORDERS FROM HER BROTHERS TO GET TO WORK (2:8-17)2:8-14 Now the maiden recalls a past visit of her beloved. He came leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills in his haste to reach her. He had all the grace of a gazelle or a young stag. Soon he was standing behind the wall, looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice. She heard his voice, calling to her to leave with him.

The dark night of winter was past and the rain was over. All the signs of spring were appearingthe flowers, the turtledove, the fig tree with green figs, and the vines with . . . tender grapes. He urged her to “Rise up, . . . and come away.” Perhaps there was a delay, because he then asked her to come to the window, so he could see her face and hear her voice. Up to now she was hidden from him like a dove, in the clefts of the rock, or in the covert of a cliff. 2:15 Any possibility of leaving was lost when her brothers appeared and ordered her and her companions (the command is plural in the original) to catch . . . the little foxes that were ruining the vines at the crucial time when they were bearing tender grapes. 2:16, 17 This is a great disappointment, but she is consoled by the fact that she and her shepherd-lover belong to each other. So she said to him, in effect, “Come back again sometime in the cool of the evening, when the shadows have flown away. Return with the speed of a young stag over the mountains of Bether (or Separation, i.e., the mountains that separate us).”