Song of Solomon 2:7-17

7 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please.
8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Behold, he standeth behind our wall, He looketh in through the windows, Glancing through the lattice.
10 My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11 For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over, it is gone:
12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
13 The fig-tree melloweth her winter figs, And the vines in bloom give forth [their] fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15 Take us the foxes, The little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in bloom.
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his; He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies,
17 Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved: be thou like a gazelle or a young hart, Upon the mountains of Bether.

Images for Song of Solomon 2:7-17

Song of Solomon 2:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 2

Here begins a new colloquy between Christ and his church; in which they alternately set forth the excellencies of each other; and express their mutual affection for, and delight and pleasure they take in, each other's company. Christ seems to begin, in an account of himself and his own excellencies, and of the church in her present state, So 2:1,2; then she, in her turn, praises him, and commends him above all others relates some choice proofs she had had of his love to her, and of communion with him in his house and ordinances, to such a degree as to overcome her, So 2:3-6; and then either he or she gives a charge to the daughters of Jerusalem, not to disturb either the one or the other in their sweet repose, So 2:7. Next the church relates how she heard the voice of Christ, and had a sight of him on the hills and mountains, at some distance; then more nearly, behind her wall, and through the lattices, So 2:8,9; and expresses the very words in which he spake to her, and gave her a call to come away with him; making use of arguments from the season of the year, the signs of which are beautifully described, So 2:10-13; and requests that she would come out of her solitude, that he might enjoy her company, whose countenance and voice are so delightful to him; and gives a charge to her and her friends, to seize on such as were harmful and prejudicial to their mutual property, So 2:14,15. And she closes the chapter with expressing her faith of interest in Christ; and with a petition for his speedy approach to her, and continued presence with her, So 2:16,17.

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. Or 'adjure,' and so chs. 3.5; 5.8,9; 8.4.
  • [b]. Lit. 'nor awaken love till it please:' so chs. 3.5 and 8.4.
  • [c]. Or 'showing himself.'
  • [d]. Or 'Return.'
  • [e]. Meaning, cloven, or full of ravines.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.