Song of Solomon 6.

¹Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? Beloved ²My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. ³I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies, ⁴You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners. ⁵Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead. ⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; no one is bereaved among them. ⁷Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil. ⁸There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number. ⁹My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. ¹⁰Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners? ¹¹I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower. ¹²Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots. Friends ¹³Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?

Commentary (3)

Adam Clarke

The companions of the bride inquire after the bridegroom, Sol 6:1-3. A description of the bride, Sol 6:4-13.

John Gill

INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 6

The discourse between the church and the daughters of Jerusalem is continued in this chapter: they inquire whither her beloved was gone, in order to seek him with her, Sol 6:1; she tells them where he was gone, and for what purpose he went thither, and what he was doing there; and claims and asserts her interest in him, Sol 6:2; Then follows a commendation of the church by Christ, who admires her beauty, and describes her by her eyes, hair, &c. Sol 6:4; and prefers her to all others; being a singular and choice one to him, and the praise of others, Sol 6:8; and next he gives an account of his going into his garden, and his design in it, and of what happened to him there, Sol 6:11. And the chapter is concluded with a charge to the Shulamite, to turn herself, that she might be looked upon; which occasions a question, to which an answer is returned, Sol 6:13.

JFB

Historically, at Jesus Christ's crucifixion and burial, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, and others, joined with His professed disciples. By speaking of Jesus Christ, the bride does good not only to her own soul, but to others (see on Sol 1:4; Mal 3:16; Mat 5:14-16). Compare the hypocritical use of similar words (Mat 2:8).

Cross-references (64)

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

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Verse 6

Verse 7

Song of Solomon 4:3

Verse 8

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Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13