✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

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.

Fun facts

  • The "daughters of Jerusalem," mentioned repeatedly throughout the book, function as a chorus that interacts with the beloved, a device common in ancient dramatic poetry.
  • The Hebrew word for Solomon's "litter" or "carriage" (appiryon) is rare and may be a loanword from another language, suggesting an imported or specially crafted luxury item.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Song of Songs 3:1The scene of the young woman going out at night through the city looking for her beloved, unable to find him right away, expresses the longing and anguish of missing someone, a theme that returns in similar form later in the book.
  2. Song of Songs 3:2Going out alone at night through the city streets to look for someone was unusual and even risky behavior for a woman in ancient society, which gives the scene a tone of urgency and courage, not just romance.
  3. Song of Songs 3:3Meeting the city’s night watchmen, whose job was to guard against dangers, makes her question even more unexpected — she is clearly out of place and out of the expected hour, driven only by the wish to find him.
  4. Song of Songs 3:4Taking him to “the chamber” of her own mother, not her father, is a specific cultural detail: in some readings, it pointed to a space of family intimacy tied to marriage preparations, under the mother’s authority.
  5. Song of Songs 3:5This refrain about not stirring up love before the right time already appeared in chapter 2 and returns here, working as a kind of formal pause between different scenes of the poem.
  6. Song of Songs 3:6The scene suddenly shifts to a procession arriving from the desert wrapped in incense smoke, likely introducing the wedding party described in the following verses, with all the pomp of a royal celebration.
  7. Song of Songs 3:7The description of Solomon’s litter surrounded by sixty armed warriors shows the standard of luxury and protection used in the royal processions of the time, contrasting with the simplicity of the couple’s meetings elsewhere in the book.
  8. Song of Songs 3:8Armed guards escorting the litter at night reflect a real concern for safety on night journeys in antiquity, when robbers or wild animals posed concrete threats along the way.
  9. Song of Songs 3:9Wood from Lebanon, probably cedar, was a luxury material also used in building the Jerusalem temple — choosing that same material for the litter reinforces the scene’s royal standard.
  10. Song of Songs 3:10Describing the inside of the litter as “paved with love” by the young women of Jerusalem themselves suggests they contributed embroidery or decorative fabrics, making the object even more personal and affectionate.
  11. Song of Songs 3:11The crown that the king’s mother places on him on his wedding day is mentioned as a symbol of that day’s joy, a scene of royal celebration that serves as a poetic backdrop for the chapter’s love verses.

Chapters

12345678

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play