February 27, 2024
When Is the Right Time to "Stir Up or Awaken Love"?
Song of Solomon 2-3
Emma Dotter
Big Book Idea
God's design for relationships is always best.
Key Verse | Song of Solomon 3:5
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.
Song of Solomon 2-3
1
I am a rose
1
2:1
Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus
of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
He
2
As a lily among brambles,
so is my love among the young women.
She
3
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.
4
He brought me to the banqueting house,
2
2:4
Hebrew the house of wine
and his banner over me was love.
5
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am sick with love.
6
His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
7
I adjure you,
3
2:7
That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
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
8
The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9
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.
10
My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
12
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing
4
2:12
Or pruning
has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13
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.
14
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.
15
Catch the foxes
5
2:15
Or jackals
for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16
My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he grazes
6
2:16
Or he pastures his flock
among the lilies.
17
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.
7
2:17
Or mountains of Bether
The Bride's Dream
1
On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not.
2
I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3
The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
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 who conceived me.
5
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.
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
6
What is that coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7
Behold, it is the litter
8
3:7
That is, the couch on which servants carry a king
of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8
all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh,
against terror by night.
9
King Solomon made himself a carriage
9
3:9
Or sedan chair
from the wood of Lebanon.
10
He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11
Go out, O daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Footnotes
[1] 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus[2] 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
[3] 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
[4] 2:12 Or pruning
[5] 2:15 Or jackals
[6] 2:16 Or he pastures his flock
[7] 2:17 Or mountains of Bether
[8] 3:7 That is, the couch on which servants carry a king
[9] 3:9 Or sedan chair
Table of Contents
Introduction to The Song of Solomon
Timeline
Author and Date
The wording of the first verse in Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs; 1:1) does not necessarily mean that Solomon wrote the book. It may have been written by Solomon himself, or it could have been written in his honor. When he is mentioned (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), it is generally as a distant, even idealized figure. What is known about Solomon suggests that he probably was not the writer himself (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1–8). However, the book was probably composed during Solomon’s time, perhaps under his oversight, between c. 960 and 931 B.C.
Theme
The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry expressing romantic love between a young man and a young woman in ancient Israel. He is a shepherd (1:7) and she is a shepherdess (1:8). They are looking forward to their marriage and the pleasure it will bring.
Interpreting Literary Images
The Song of Solomon includes several extravagant comparisons. For example, the woman is compared to a horse in Pharaoh’s court (1:9), and her hair is compared to a flock of goats (4:1). It is helpful to remember that (1) the comparisons are figurative rather than literal, and (2) what the person has in common with what he or she is compared with is a certain quality, usually the quality of excellence, or of being the best of its kind.
Structure
The author has presented the Song of Solomon as a series of exchanges, mostly between the shepherdess and the shepherd, with the chorus-like “others” sprinkled in. These others usually pick up items from the lovers’ speeches and urge the two forward in love. There is also a refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4; variation in 5:8), spoken by the shepherdess. This is understood as her urging the other women not to push this love too fast, in order to let it reach its consummation at the right time (the marriage bed, which seems to begin in 8:5).
Key Themes
- God’s law commands sexual purity. Marriage provides the right framework within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (see Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.
- Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people.
Outline
Fact: Song of Deliverance
David’s Song of Deliverance is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Perhaps 2 Samuel 22 was meant to be read aloud for instruction and Psalm 18 was meant to be sung or prayed as part of worship.
Fact: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees
Vineyards, fields, and palm trees. The Song of Solomon takes place in a rural setting, and the lovers describe each other using images drawn from this context. The man is a shepherd, and the woman works in her family’s vineyard.
Fact: Purple cloth
Purple cloth was associated with royalty because the purple dye was very difficult to produce in large quantities. Most of the purple dye came from a shellfish called the murex. It took more than 8,000 murex shellfish to extract one gram of dye.
Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem
The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.
Song. 2:1 The rose of Sharon was probably similar to the lily (see ESV footnote).
Song. 2:2 The man responds by contrasting the woman’s beauty favorably with others, whom he refers to as brambles (prickly, thorny shrubs).
Song. 2:6 embraces. Sometimes this term refers to sexual activity (e.g., Prov. 5:20). It can also describe the embrace of affection (e.g., Gen. 29:13; 33:4). Here it is not necessarily sexual, although the context would indicate great intimacy. These lines are repeated almost exactly in Song 8:3.
Song. 2:7 It is clear that the couple is already in love. They must allow their love to proceed at its proper pace, however, which includes waiting until marriage for consummation (see 8:4).
Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem
The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.
Song. 2:10 Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away is repeated at the end of v. 13.
Song. 2:11–13 Springtime is often celebrated as a time for lovers.
Song. 2:15–16 Foxes represent difficulties that are threatening their relationship.
1:2–2:17 The Lovers Yearn for Each Other. The two main characters, apparently betrothed, are introduced as they sing of their desire for each other. On the difference between betrothal and engagement, see note on Matt. 1:18.
Song. 2:17 Presumably the woman wants her beloved to turn toward her rather than away from her.
Song. 3:1 Soul often refers to the whole person, encompassing the woman’s desires, thoughts, and feelings.
Song. 3:4 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 they are married. It is best to read her search in 3:1–4 as part of her dream rather than an actual event.
Song. 3:1–5 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, but it is more likely a dream (see note on 3:1–6:3).
Fact: Purple cloth
Purple cloth was associated with royalty because the purple dye was very difficult to produce in large quantities. Most of the purple dye came from a shellfish called the murex. It took more than 8,000 murex shellfish to extract one gram of dye.
Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem
The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.
Song. 3:6 The man sees something he cannot identify coming up from the wilderness. This probably describes something coming from the plains toward Jerusalem, which is on a hill. frankincense. An aromatic resin from various trees and shrubs, similar to myrrh.
Song. 3:7 litter. A couch on which servants carry a king (ESV footnote), 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 (see 2 Sam. 23:13).
S3:042 Song of Solomon 2-3
Listen NowDive Deeper | Song of Solomon 2-3
Because I'm single, I couldn't have selected a more awkward passage to write on . . . or at least it seemed that way at first. For example, as chapter 2 begins, it's like I'm a fly on the wall reading a very private love letter—as most scholars would agree that in Song of Solomon 2:3-7 the woman is respectfully (and passionately) expressing her sexual desire for her future husband . . . SHE-IS-IN-TO-HIM!
But don't miss this: The sexual desires shared between the two are part of God's good and holy design (Genesis 2:23-25).
Despite these desires being natural, however, there's a warning repeated three times throughout the book—two of which appear in today's reading: "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." (Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5)
So, when is the right time to "awaken love"?
At the beginning of this moderately famous verse, the key is in the foreign language: What's the deal with the gazelles and the does? As many commentators put it, they're female creatures who are robustly sexually active in season—when it's the appropriate time. With the gazelles, we know that time is springtime (cue all the spring imagery in these chapters . . . that makes a lot more sense now), but what about people?
It's interesting, as one commentator pointed out, the Hebrew words for gazelles and wild does would have looked like and sounded an awful lot like the Hebrew words for the Lord of Hosts and God Almighty. The similarities would've instantly reminded readers of the seriousness of God's design for sexual intimacy: it's to be experienced within the confines of the marriage covenant—between one man and one woman (1 Corinthians 7:1-5).
Ultimately, these two chapters are a reminder of what joyful commitment looks like! As the two headed toward their wedding, they easily became excited about their commitment to one another. This ultimately leads us to reflect on Christ's commitment to His church and our commitments in our own lives.
This month's memory verse
Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
– Exodus 34:6b
Discussion Questions
1. If you're not married, how are you doing at honoring God's design for sex? If you are married, what is your attitude toward the commitment you made—today, this week, this month, or this year?
2. How might the deep intimacy portrayed in these chapters remind us of the Garden of Eden? How do these reminders deepen our understanding of the text?
3. Spend some time searching the Scriptures for biblical principles concerning sex. What stands out, and how can these principles guide you in your current season of life?
4. Think about your commitments. Are there any commitments that you engage in begrudgingly rather than joyfully? Explain.
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