Song of Solomon — Chapter 2

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1I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

2As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3As 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.

4He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

5Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

7I 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.

8The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

9My 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.

10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

12The 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;

13The 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.

14O 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.

15Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

16My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

17Until 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.

1I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

2As a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

3As 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.

4He brought me to the banqueting-house, And his banner over me was love.

5Stay ye me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am sick from love.

6His left hand [is] under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me.

7I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, Until he please.

8The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.

9My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: Behold, he standeth behind our wall; He looketh in at the windows; He glanceth through the lattice.

10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;

12The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing [of birds] is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

13The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

16My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

17Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart Upon the mountains of Bether.

1The Beloved to Her Lover: I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys.

2The Lover to His Beloved: Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens.

3The Beloved about Her Lover: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4The Beloved about Her Lover: He brought me into the banquet hall, and he looked at me lovingly.

5Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.

6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.

7The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases!

8The Beloved about Her Lover: Listen! My lover is approaching! Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills!

9My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice.

10The Lover to His Beloved: My lover spoke to me, saying: “Arise, my darling; My beautiful one, come away with me!

11Look! The winter has passed, the winter rains are over and gone.

12Blossoms have appeared in the land; the time for pruning and singing has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13The fig tree has ripened its figs; the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance. Arise, come away my darling; my beautiful one, come away with me!”

14The Lover to His Beloved: O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountain crags, let me see your face; let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

15The Beloved to Her Lover: Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards— for our vineyard is in bloom.

16The Beloved about Her Lover: My lover is mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.

17The Beloved to Her Lover: Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved— be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountain gorges.

1I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

2As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3As 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, his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love.

5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love.

6His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.

7I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.

8The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

9My beloved is like a roe or a young deer. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice.

10My beloved spoke, and said to me, “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

11For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.

12The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give out their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”

14My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding places of the mountainside, Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

15Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom.

16My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.

17Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young deer on the mountains of Bether.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Courtship and anticipation — the Bride delights in her Beloved's affection ('his banner over me was love'), hears him calling her to come away as winter ends and spring arrives; she warns the Daughters not to awaken love before its time.

Authorship & Background

Author: Solomon (1:1). Also called 'Canticles' or 'Song of Songs' (the greatest song). A love poem celebrating marital love — the only extended treatment of romantic/sexual love in Scripture. Interpreted on multiple levels: (1) literal — celebrating human love within marriage; (2) allegorical — picturing God's love for Israel or Christ's love for the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32). Key themes: the beauty and dignity of marital love, desire and fulfillment, the beloved's pursuit, and love 'strong as death' (8:6).
Historical Context: Chapter 2 is among the most beloved and quoted chapters in all of Scripture's poetry. The Bride and Bridegroom exchange descriptions of mutual delight. The imagery shifts from the court (Chapter 1) to the countryside — flowers, orchards, vineyards, mountains, and springtime. The Bride describes herself with humility ("rose of Sharon, lily of the valleys") and the Bridegroom elevates her ("as the lily among thorns"). The central images include the banqueting house with love as his banner, the intimate embrace (v.6), the springtime invitation to "come away," and the covenant declaration "My beloved is mine, and I am his." The chapter also introduces warnings: the "little foxes" that spoil the vines (threats to love), and the charge not to awaken love before its time. Allegorically, this chapter pictures the joy of communion with Christ — His invitation to leave the old life and enter new life with Him, the mutual belonging of Christ and the believer, and the need to guard the relationship from small sins that would destroy intimacy.
Speakers:
  • The Bride (Shulamite): vv.1, 3-6, 8-17
  • The Bridegroom (Solomon): v.2, 10-15 (quoted by Bride)
  • The Bride to Daughters of Jerusalem: v.7
  • The Bridegroom's invitation (quoted): vv.10-14

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.7): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the progression from longing (Ch.1) to enjoyment (Ch.2). The Bride has moved from self-doubt to confidence in her beloved's love. The "banner of love" (v.4) indicates public declaration — he is not ashamed of her. Guzik emphasizes the "little foxes" as the most practical warning in the Song: it is rarely the great crises that destroy marriages or spiritual life, but the accumulated small neglects and compromises.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Observe that it is the LITTLE foxes that spoil the vines. It is not the great, obvious sins that most endanger us — those we guard against. It is the small, creeping, seemingly harmless things: a little neglect of prayer, a little carelessness with truth, a little tolerance of worldliness. These are the little foxes. They are little — but the vines they spoil are not little. Guard the vineyard of your soul from what seems insignificant, for the grapes are tender and the foxes are cunning."

Reflection

  • 1. His banner over you is love (v.4). In a world that identifies you by achievement, failure, appearance, or status — Christ's banner over you is LOVE. That is your public identity. You are publicly claimed, publicly defended, publicly celebrated. In marriage: make your love visible — don't hide affection. Let your spouse know publicly that they are yours and you are theirs.
  • 2. "Rise up... and come away" (v.10). Christ calls you out of winter — out of the dead season, the cold season, the barren season. Winter is past. Don't stay in what's over. In marriage: don't let old wounds or old seasons keep you from entering the new thing God is doing. Respond to the invitation — rise up and follow.
  • 3. Catch the little foxes (v.15). What small things are eroding your love? In marriage: the unreturned text, the distracted dinner, the sarcastic remark, the unresolved irritation — these destroy more marriages than adultery. Spiritually: the skipped devotion, the unchecked thought, the gradual drift — these kill communion with Christ. Name your foxes. Catch them while they are little.
  • 4. "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (v.16). This is covenant language — mutual, exclusive, complete possession. In marriage: you belong to each other wholly. No divided loyalties, no reserved areas. Spiritually: you are Christ's completely, and He is yours completely. This is not partial — it is total mutual belonging. Rest in that security.
  • 5. Don't awaken love before its time (v.7). Three times the Song warns against premature awakening of desire. In relationships: sexual intimacy has a God-designed context (marriage) and a God-designed timing. To rush it is to damage it. Spiritually: God's blessings have seasons. Don't force what God is preparing. Trust His timing — what He brings in the right season will be more beautiful than what you seize prematurely.