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2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
He
As a lily among brambles,so is my love among the young women.
She
As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am sick with love.
His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.
(ESV)
Song of Solomon 2 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The chapter begins as a young woman is excited by the arrival of her lover. He bounds onto the scene just as a swift deer or gazelle. He gazes at her and invites her to come near to him. The chase is on. There is an interesting detail here that struck me. The entire scene takes place from her perspective though it is most likely Solomon writing the poem. Did he have to try and view things from her perspective in order to write this? Is this a description of an actual event or a general love story?
Though we may not be able to answer these questions, the concept of placing ourselves in another’s shoes in order to gain perspective is a common theme in Scripture. It’s certainly part of the recipe for a successful marriage and relationship.
What I love about this chapter is that it is all about these two lovers just being with each other. We take so much for granted in this life. When loved ones are taken from us, we long to just hear their voice one more time. We anticipate them walking through the door. We hope for one last moment to gaze into our their eyes. The passages here describe a love that just desires to be together. It’s an experience that we can never take for granted.