Song Of Songs 1

But the friends, the daughters of Jerusalem, merely tell her to follow the tracks of the sheep (verse 8).

The Lover’s Praise (1:9–11)

9–11 Solomon reassures his beloved that she is beautiful—like a beautiful mare (verse 9). The mare represents grace, nobility and beauty. Solomon promises to give her jewelry that will add to her beauty (verse 11).

Love’s Fragrance (1:12–17)

12–14 The scene shifts to the king’s palace. Solomon’s perfume surrounds the beloved, just as if he were a sachet of myrrh hung from her neck,⁵ or a cluster of fragrant blossoms (verses 13–14). Solomon’s physical attractiveness is like a sweet aroma to which the beloved is drawn.⁶

15–17 Here the lovers express their love for each other. The beloved says: . . . our bed is verdant (verse 16)—that is, green; they are again out in a grassy woodland, where the cedars and firs serve as the beams and rafters of their “house” (verse 17).