Song of Songs

The Shepherdess Dreams. Here the woman reports her dream, which comes from her eagerly anticipating the consummation of their love. That this is a dream is suggested by 3:1 (“On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves”) and 5:2 (“I slept, but my heart was awake”). On this interpretation, the dream includes erotic longings, fears of losing her beloved, nightmarish scenes (5:7), and an imaginative transformation of the beloved into a Solomon-like figure (3:6–11).

The woman longs for her lover, searches for him persistently, eventually finds him, and takes him to an intimate place. This could simply be poetical imagination (to heighten her sense of longing for her lover), but it is more likely a dream (see note on v. 4).

Soul often refers to the whole person, encompassing the woman’s desires, thoughts, feelings, etc.

chamber of her who conceived me. Her mother’s bedroom presents a secure and intimate place for the two lovers. The woman has a similar desire to bring her lover to this place in 8:2, where she makes it clear that she will not do so until the right time; hence, it is best to read her search in 3:1–4 as not describing an actual event but rather as part of her dream. There are parallels between this passage and 5:2–8, which also seems to be placed within the context of a dream.

As in 2:7, the woman adjures the daughters not to force the progress of her love, presumably to avoid these consuming desires.

Apart from the context, it is difficult to know whether this is describing an actual event or whether it is the woman’s own imagination (highlighting the great wealth and power of her lover, and consequently her own worth). Since, however, this fits in between vv. 1–5 and 5:2–8, the latter option is preferable (see also note on 3:6). On the use of Solomon (mentioned three times in this section), see Introduction: Theme, Title, and Interpretation; and Literary Features and Structure.

What is that? Although seen from a distance, the object in question has an aroma, suggesting that the impact of the image created by the poet is more important than the historical referents. The word translated “what” is actually feminine in Hebrew (i.e., “who”), and so one expects a woman to be the subject in question. If this is so, then there could be an element of the woman desiring to be this person. The answer given in v. 7 is that it is a “litter” (a portable couch; hence the English translation “what” in v. 6), suggesting that the question is simply posed in an evocative manner. coming up from the wilderness. Probably from the plains toward Jerusalem; the city itself is elevated on a hill. frankincense. Similar to myrrh (see note on 1:13).

Solomon is mentioned three times in this chapter alone, compelling some scholars to associate the bridegroom with the king of Israel. A dramatic interpretation sees the character of Solomon as a poetic symbol of the groom, celebrated as a “king” on his wedding day. Allegorists claim that Solomon represents the Messiah or God.

litter. As the esv footnote indicates, this is “the couch on which servants carry the king”; similar to a portable bed. Sixty mighty men (well-trained soldiers, v. 8) indicates the great wealth and power of the owner of the couch. By contrast, David had only 30 such men (cf. 2 Sam. 23:13).

Carriage probably refers to the litter in v. 7. Lebanese wood was of the highest quality available, hence its use in the temple (cf. 1 Kings 5:6).

The parallelism of Hebrew poetry suggests that the “young women of Zion” and the “young women of Jerusalem” are identical groups.

Purple cloth was made using a pigment from the murex shellfish; it was even rarer than silver and gold.

Since the preceding verse mentions “the daughters of Jerusalem,” and since “Zion” is a synonym for Jerusalem, the daughters of Zion probably refers to the same group (cf. note on 1:5).