The Young Man
v1 I have come into my garden, my special young woman, my bride.
I have gathered my myrrh and spice.
I have eaten my honey.
I have eaten where the bees store honey.
I have drunk my wine and milk.
Friends
Friends, eat and drink!
Drink until you are full of love!
The Young Woman
v2 I slept but, in a dream, I awoke.
Listen! My lover is knocking.
‘Open to me, my special young woman, my dear,
my dove, my perfect young woman.
My head is wet with dew.
My hair is damp because of the night.’
v3 I have taken off my dress,
I do not want to put it on again.
I have washed my feet.
I do not want to make them dirty.
v4 My lover put his hand through the opening.
I was excited because he was near.
v5 I got up to open (the door) for my lover.
Myrrh was falling off my hands.
Liquid myrrh was falling from my fingers.
It fell onto the handles of the lock.
v6 I opened for my lover.
But my lover had left. He had gone.
I was so sad because he had gone.
I looked for him but I could not find him.
I called for him but he did not answer.
v7 The guards found me as they walked round the city.
They hit me and they bruised me.
There were guards on the wall.
They took away my coat.
v8 Make a promise to me, women of Jerusalem.
If you find my lover,
Tell him that I am weak.
I am weak because of love.
Commentary
Verse 1
In 4:12-15, Solomon said that the young woman was like a beautiful garden. He described such a garden. It had beautiful fruit. And the plants smelled wonderful.
In 4:16, the woman pretended that she had such a garden. She invited Solomon into the garden. And she told him to taste the fruit.
Probably this garden did not really exist. The couple was merely pretending. This idea of a garden seemed a wonderful description of their love. In 5:1, they continue with this description.
Solomon says that he is now in the garden. She does not disappoint him. And her garden does not disappoint him. He says that he has found myrrh and spices. These plants smell wonderful. He has found honey, wine, and milk. Solomon would be very happy in such a garden. Of course, he really means that he is very glad to be with this young woman.
And the couple’s friends encourage them. The friends can see that the couple is in love. And the friends are happy because of Solomon’s love for the young woman.
Solomon invites the young woman for the second time. When Solomon first proposed to the young woman, she refused him (Song 2:17 to Song 3:4). She soon felt sorry. She was sure that she had made a terrible mistake. So she searched for him. And the couple were engaged.
We think that perhaps Solomon now wants her to become his wife. He visits her again. But again, she is not ready for him.
The Women of Jerusalem
v9 Beautiful woman, how is your lover different from other men?
Is your lover better than other lovers?
Is that why you ask us to make this promise?
The Young Woman
v10 My lover is fair and red.
He is noticeable among ten thousand men.
v11 His head is like the purest gold.
His hair has curves.
It is black like a raven.
v12 His eyes are like doves.
The doves are by a stream.
The white part of his eyes is like milk.
It is as if someone has set his eyes like jewels.
v13 His cheeks are like spices in a garden.
Their flowers give a perfume.
His lips are like lotuses.
Liquid myrrh seems to fall from his lips.
v14 His arms have a good shape.
They are like gold.
Jewels cover his arms.
His stomach is like smooth ivory.
He has covered it with jewels.
v15 His legs are like marble columns.
Someone has set them on a gold base.
He stands tall.
He is like the finest cedar tree in Lebanon.
v16 Yes, women of Jerusalem, this is what my lover is like.
He has the sweetest mouth.
Everything about him is lovely.
Commentary
Verse 9
While the woman is still thinking about herself, she cannot find Solomon. She feels very unhappy because she sent him away. But the poet wants her to think about Solomon. When she praises Solomon, she will find him.
When we think about ourselves, our thoughts are often selfish. But selfish thoughts are not the right attitudes for a person who loves.
Sometimes we can only think about our own troubles. We may blame other people. Or we may blame ourselves. Such thoughts are, in fact, selfish, because we only want to think about our own situation. Instead, we ought to pray, or, we ought to praise God (James 5:13).
The other women seem to have doubts about Solomon. They do not love him like the young woman. They suppose that he is actually like any other man. They make her explain why he is special to her.
But their words of doubt seem to encourage her to trust Solomon again. Because of their doubts, she begins to praise him again. And she again speaks the words of a woman who is in love.
Other people are often doubtful about our love for God. Their doubts can upset us. But their doubts can make us more confident to speak about God. If we concentrate on their doubts, we shall be sad. But if we think about God, we shall be more confident.
Verses 11-16
The woman describes Solomon to her friends. Her description may seem strange to us. But she is describing things that people thought to be very beautiful. Or, things that were very special.
Some of her descriptions sound like gardens. There are trees and flowers. There are beautiful smells. There are birds. And there are streams of water.
Other descriptions sound like a building. And the building contains the most expensive materials. There are gold and jewels. There are ivory and marble. There are bases and columns.
Solomon was a very rich king. His workmen built great palaces and other buildings in Jerusalem. He used wood from Lebanon. The workmen cut flower shapes into the wood. And he used much gold (1 Kings chapters 6-7). So perhaps the woman was describing an actual building in Jerusalem. Or perhaps she was describing the gardens near the great buildings (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6).
‘Everything about him is lovely’ (verse 16). These are good words for Christians to use when they praise God. God is perfect. He deserves our honor. Nobody is like him. He is really wonderful. We should always praise him.
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