Song of Songs 3

KJV · Chapter 3/8

1By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

2I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

3The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

4It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

5I 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.

6Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

7Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

8They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

9King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The beloved dreams of or experiences searching for her lover through the city at night until she finds him. Afterward, Solomon's royal litter is described, surrounded by sixty mighty warriors, used perhaps in a wedding procession.

Explanation

The scene of nighttime searching through the streets reflects the anxiety and deep longing for reunion between lovers, a common theme in ancient Near Eastern love poetry. The description of Solomon's litter, with its armed guard, likely depicts a royal wedding procession, highlighting the grandeur of marriage celebrations in Israelite culture, where weddings could last for days and involved public processions. Application for today: the genuine desire to be with the one you love is natural, and publicly celebrating the commitment of marriage has real value and meaning.

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