22014 Commentary on The Song of Songs
The Paraphrased Translation of The Song of Songs

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I. The Engagement Stage (1:2-3:5)

A. Love for Each Other (1:2-2:7)

1. Shulamite’s Love for Solomon (1:2-8)

2. The Language of Love (1:9-2:7)

B. The Maturity of Love (2:8-3:5)

1. The Springtime of Love (2:8-17)

2. The Anxiety in Love (3:1-5)

II. The Wedding (3:6-5:1)

A. The Procession of Fetching the Bride (3:6-11)

B. The Wedding Night (4:1-5:1)

III. Marital Life (5:2-8:14)

A. Small Faults in Love (5:2-6:3)

1. A Moment of Indecision (5:2-5:8)

2. Missing the Beloved (5:9-6:3)

B. Love Does Not Keep Record of Wrongs (6:4-7:9)

1. Solomon Recognizes the Worth of Shulamite (6:4-13)

2. The Flavor of Love (7:1-9)

C. Love Remains Deep Through Time (7:10-8:14)

1. Love Does Not Change (7:10-8:4)

2. The Two Sides of Love (8:5-14)

The Love of Shulamite for Solomon (1:1-8)

The most wonderful song among all the songs of Solomon.

I wish my beloved would kiss me passionately and fervently, so I could taste the sweet, fragrant flavor of his mouth. I wish my beloved would keep kissing me forever!

My beloved, I know that your queens and concubines love you dearly because your love for them is expressed through your passionate and intoxicating intimacy, which is more thrilling than the finest and most exquisite wine. They also admire you because your character makes you renowned, like precious oils that spread their enchanting fragrance far and wide.

My beloved, please take my hand and lead me. We will run together, hand in hand, to wherever you want to take me, with joy and excitement in our hearts, because we are close to each other.

The king has brought me into his chambers.

My beloved, you are our joy and delight. We will never forget the love you have for us. That love is shown through your passionate and intoxicating intimacy, more thrilling than the finest wine. Therefore, we love you sincerely.

O sisters, do not look at me with such scrutiny! My brothers have been strict, making me work in the vineyards, so I haven’t had time to take care of myself. My skin is tanned because I worked under the sun, but I know I am beautiful. My skin is healthy and beautiful, like the tents of Kedar and like the curtains in Solomon’s palaces.

My dearest beloved, I love you with all my soul. I long to visit you, where you shepherd flock when you rest at noon with your sheep. But I do not want to wander around searching for you in the meadows, among the flocks and shepherds, because it would make me look like a promiscuous woman.

O most beautiful among women! If you do not know where your beloved shepherds his flock, then go out and follow the tracks of the sheep! Seek him among the shepherds and their flocks. And while you’re at it, let your young goats graze near their tents.

The Language of Love (1:9-2:7)

My beloved! Do not worry about the envious and malicious words. To me, you are as beautiful and healthy as a fine, precious, and beloved mare, bold and outstanding among the warhorses that pull Pharaoh’s chariots. Your flowing locks, the adornments from your hairpins, and your earrings highlight the beauty of your cheeks. And the elegant pearl necklace accentuates the noble beauty of your neck.

O honored and beloved one of our king! We will make you golden chains with silver pendants to enhance your beauty. Please forgive us.

While the king is in front of me, behind me, and beside me, the fragrance of spikenard anointing my body releases its soothing aroma, refreshing him. My love for him wafts to him as fragrantly as the spikenard itself. My beloved smells like myrrh, just like the scent of a pouch of myrrh resting through the night between my breasts. His love embraces me in sleep, much like the scent of myrrh. My beloved is radiant and beautiful, like a cluster of crocus flowers in the vineyards of En Gedi.

My beloved! Listen to what I say! You are truly beautiful! You are beautiful from body to soul. Your eyes are lovely, like doves’ eyes, reflecting simplicity, holiness, gentleness, and peace within you and revealing your deep love for me, filling me with joy when I am near you.

My dear love! Hear me out! You are so beautiful and lovely! Just having you by my side makes me happy. Having you is enough for me! I don’t care about golden palaces or precious gems. Isn’t this fresh green grass like our bed? Aren’t those aromatic branches like our rafters? And aren’t those cedar branches like our beams?

I am beautiful and full of life. I am like a lily standing out among the lilies of the valley in Sharon. I am like a lily among the flowers in the plains. May it be that in your eyes, there is only my charming figure.

My beloved is exceedingly beautiful and lovely; no woman surpasses her. The beauty and loveliness of all the other young women are nothing compared to hers. She stands out among them like a lily among thorns.

My beloved is among the young men, as rare as an apple tree among the trees of the forest. I have longed to nestle close to him to enjoy the sweetness of his body. He has brought me into the dining room in the palace, where there is a lavish banquet. Before the queens and concubines, his love is shown through his care for me, like a banner with his emblem displayed over me, marking me as belonging to him. My heart is enraptured, intoxicated by the taste of love, making my body weak. Please let me eat some cakes of raisins and apples to regain my strength. But I know that what I truly desire is for him to lay his left hand under my head and his right hand to embrace and caress me, so that I may be close to him and delight in his love.

O, my friends! Please do not urge me to engage in sexual relations before the wedding. For the nobility and purity of love will quickly fade away when sexual satisfaction occurs outside of the proper rituals. Just as the beautiful gazelles and does of the field will quickly flee when startled before they become accustomed to human approach.

The Spring of Love and the Anxiety in Love (2:8-3:5)

Do you hear it, sisters? It’s the voice of my beloved. He’s calling my name. Look, there he is! He has leaped over the hills and crossed the mounds, swift as a gazelle and as a young stag, to find me. He has come to the outside of our dwelling and is looking through the windows, peering through the lattice, to find me.

O sisters! My beloved has responded to my greeting, and he has said to me: Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away with me! Let us go out into the fields and visit the vineyards, which are also yours. Behold, the winter has passed, and the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, and the time for singing has come. The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give off a good smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away with me! My beloved, you are hiding in your chamber like a dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the steep hill! O my dove, come to me and let me see your face! Let me hear your voice! Your face is lovely, and your voice is sweet, making me intoxicated with the flavor of love.

There are little foxes hiding in our vineyards, destroying the vines. Please help us catch them before they ruin the budding vines.

My beloved belongs to me, and I belong to him. He is like a shepherd, and I am like the lily of the valley, refreshing him. I will take part in helping him with his work.

O my beloved! The evening has come. It is time for me to return to my chamber. Tomorrow morning, as soon as dawn breaks and the early breeze blows away the darkness, please hasten to find me. Hurry to find me! Even if there are obstacles, I believe you will overcome them easily, like a gazelle or a young stag leaping over the hills.

O sisters! I had a dream: At night, in my bed, I sought my husband, whom I love with all my heart. I sought him but did not find him. Therefore, I said to myself, ‘I will rise now and go about the city, wandering through the streets and the squares, to seek the one whom I love.’ I sought him everywhere but did not find him. The watchmen who go about the city found me. I asked them if they had seen my beloved. But scarcely had I passed them before I found him. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother’s house, into the chamber of her who conceived me.

O sisters! Do not urge me to give myself to sexual relations before the wedding. The nobility and sanctity of love will quickly disappear when sexual satisfaction occurs outside of proper rituals. Just as the beautiful gazelles and does of the field quickly flee when startled before becoming accustomed to human approach.

The Procession of Fetching the Bride (3:6-11)

Look! There! From afar, in the wilderness, it seems there are columns of smoke moving along the road into the city. The air is filled with the fragrances of myrrh and frankincense, along with various other scents. It turns out that this is the smoke rising from the incense burners in King Solomon’s wedding procession. Look! There! King Solomon’s sedan chair! There are sixty valiant men from among the valiant men of Israel surrounding it to protect the king. All of them are warriors skilled in battle, each carrying a sword at his side, ready to confront any unexpected dangers in the night.

King Solomon’s sedan chair was designed by him and made from cedar wood from the mountains of Lebanon. The pillars of the chair were made of silver, while the backrest and side supports were made of gold. The seat cushion was upholstered in purple silk. Inside the chair, the decoration included curtains woven and embroidered by the queens and concubines with affection for the king.

The wedding procession is truly magnificent and majestic! O daughters of Zion, come out and see King Solomon on the day of his great joy! The king, majestic and seated on the luxurious sedan chair, wears the crown reserved for the wedding day, placed upon him by his mother.

The Wedding Night (4:1-5:1)

Beloved! My dearest! You are exceedingly beautiful! Your incredible beauty leaves me at a loss for words! The veil cannot hide your large, round eyes, which sparkle with innocence and are as beautiful as the dove’s eyes. Your dark, smooth hair is as lovely as the black fleece of the healthy, fat sheep resting on the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are white and even, like a flock of sheep that has been shorn and washed. All are paired and well-matched. Your lips are rosy, like a thread of crimson. Your mouth is charming and graceful, whether smiling, speaking, or pouting. The veil cannot hide your cheeks, which are as rosy as pomegranate blossoms. Your neck is slender and tall, like the tower of David, adorned with weapons. The gold chain with silver ornaments around your neck is like a thousand shields of valiant warriors hanging on the tower. Your breasts are full and vibrant, like twin young gazelles grazing among the lilies.

My beloved! Until the morning breaks and the early breeze dispels the darkness, I will immerse myself in the fragrance of your body. Your breasts are like two fragrant peaks of myrrh. Your private parts are like two hills emitting the scent of frankincense. All are reserved just for me. My beloved! You are beautiful and pure, from your spirit to your flesh. You are chaste, complete, and without blemish!

My new wife! Come to me! Let us face all the circumstances of life together from the heights of love, like the mountains of Lebanon. Our love will grow stronger and more enduring over time. Even if difficulties arise in life, we will overcome them together, just as we would overcome lion’s dens and the mountains of leopards. You have captured my heart! My sister! My new wife! You have won my heart with a loving, earnest look from your eyes and with a necklace around your neck that highlights your noble beauty.

My sister, my new wife! Your intimacy is truly wonderful! Your affection leaves me more intoxicated than wine! And the scent of the perfume on your body is more fragrant than any aroma! My new wife! Your lips are warm, soft, and as sweet as honey. Under your tongue is the sweetness of honey and the fragrance of milk. Your clothes smell as delightful as the fragrance of the cedar forests of Lebanon. My sister, my new wife, you are like a sealed garden, a fresh spring of water locked away, a sealed fountain reserved for me. The contours of your body are like a paradise garden of pomegranates with precious fruit, enhancing vitality and pleasure in our intimacy. Your body is filled with all kinds of fragrances, attracting me, nourishing me, healing me, and satisfying my desires, like the fragrances, spices, and medicinal qualities of spikenard, camphire, saffron, calamus, myrrh, and all the frankincense, myrrh, and aloe, with all their top-quality fragrances. You are a vibrant source of the allure and effects of love, a fountain of love’s happiness.

O desire, arise within me, so that every enticing feature of my body may be awakened. The time has come for love to be aroused and for my beloved to enjoy intimacy with my body. From now on, my body belongs to my beloved.

O my sister, my new bride! I have found delight in intimacy with you. I have enjoyed to the fullest the sweet, fragrant, and intoxicating pleasures of your body.

O friends, eat and drink! Especially those who are in love, drink abundantly to celebrate with the newlyweds.

A Moment of Indecision (5:2-8)

I was asleep, but my heart was awake, and I suddenly heard a sound. It was the sound of knocking and calling at the door from the one I love.

Oh, my beloved sister, the one whom I deeply cherish! You are my joy, my simple and pure happiness! Oh, my perfect one! Please open the door for me! My head is covered with dew, and my locks are wet with the droplets of the night.

I hesitated at the thought of putting on my robe again and washing my feet if I were to get up from the bed and open the door for my beloved. I heard the sound of my beloved stretching his hand through the opening of the door. Was he trying to open the door himself? My heart was stirred by his eagerness. So, without thinking further, I hurriedly got up, went out, and opened the door for my beloved. My hand touched the latch, and the oil of myrrh was still wet on my fingers and on the latch. I opened the door for my beloved, but he had turned away and gone. Thinking of his call, I was in pain in my heart, as if I had fainted. I searched everywhere for him but could not find him. I earnestly called for him, but there was no response. The watchmen who went about the city found me wandering the streets. They beat me and wounded me. Until they removed the veil from my face and recognized me.

Oh, my sisters! I beseech you, if you find my beloved, to tell him that I am in distress in my heart because I have wronged him and that I love and miss him greatly.

Missing the Beloved (5:9-6:3)

Is your beloved more wonderful than our beloved? Isn’t he also our beloved? You are called the most beautiful, surpassing us in beauty; why couldn’t you keep him? Why do you have to search for him? Isn’t your beloved also our beloved? Why should we help you speak words of love and affection to him?

My beloved is strong and radiant, with beauty that is unmatched. His head is beautiful and noble, full of wisdom, like pure gold. His locks of hair are wavy and jet-black, like the feathers of a raven. His eyes are clear and pure, like the eyes of doves near flowing water, showing tenderness, and are proportionately set on his face. His cheeks are full and rosy, like a bed of spices, blooming with fragrant flowers. His lips are fresh and pink like lilies, soft, warm, and sweet-smelling like perfume. His hands are solid and handsome, like golden rods set with chrysolite. His belly is smooth and firm, like polished ivory, with muscles like sapphires set upon it. His legs are solid and beautiful, like pillars of white marble; his feet are steadfast and noble, like a base of pure gold. His face is noble like Mount Lebanon, admired by all like the cedars. His mouth is very sweet. His entire being is truly beloved. O sisters! My beloved is as noble and wonderful as this. He is also my only friend, someone who understands me, shares my feelings, and is willing to sacrifice for me.

O you who are more beautiful than all women, like a lily among thorns! Why has your beloved gone away from you? Why did he not tell you where he was going? Has your beloved turned his back on you, leaving you behind? If you know where he has gone, tell us, and we will go after him to help you plead with him.

O sisters! I have figured it out! My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to shepherd his flock in the garden and gather lilies. That garden is also where he and I first met. We often go there to reminisce about our beautiful memories. I am certain of this: I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. And I know that right now, he is tending his flock among the lilies. I will go there right away to find him.

Solomon Recognizes the Worth of Shulamite (6:4-13)

O my beloved! You are extremely beautiful! Your beauty surpasses that of all the beautiful young women of Tisza and Jerusalem. You are as radiant and majestic as a troop of warriors, as majestic as the mountain range, and as bright as the night sky. I beg you not to look at me with those tender, mournful eyes, for my heart cannot bear the emotions that are surging within me. Your hair is black and smooth, as beautiful as the black fleece of the strong, well-fed goats resting on Mount Gilead. Your teeth are white and even, like a flock of ewes that have been washed clean. All are paired and balanced with each other. Even the veil cannot conceal your rosy cheeks, which are as pink as the color of pomegranates.

Although there are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and countless maidens around you, my dove is my perfect one! No one can compare to you! You are the one and only love in my heart! You are the beloved daughter of your mother! You are the pride of your mother! The young women who see you call you blessed. Even the queens and concubines must sing your praises.

Who is this beautiful woman? She is bright and radiant like the dawn; she is gentle and elegant like the full moon. She is pure and majestic, like the sun. Her beauty has the power to overthrow generals and topple kings.

A year ago, my heart longed to go down to the apricot orchard to see the greenery of spring emerging in the valley. Along the way, I visited the king’s vineyard, which my brothers tended. I wanted to see if the vines had sprouted in season and if the pomegranate trees had blossomed. Little did I know that my desire to enjoy the spring scenery led me to meet the king, who loved me and granted me a high status, allowing me to sit with him on his chariot, standing out among the chariots of the nobles.

Return! Return! O Shulamite! Return! Return so that we may behold your marvelous beauty and see your noble virtues.

You have gazed upon Shulamite. Have you not seen how her form, movements, and grace are as beautiful, gentle, rhythmic, and fluid as the wonderful dance of a troupe of dancers?

The Flavor of Love (7:1-9)

O beautiful maiden of noble lineage! You are exquisitely lovely! Your sandals enhance the beauty of your feet. Your thighs are slender and beautiful, as if crafted by a skilled artisan who carves decorative objects. Your navel is round and deep, like a cup used for drinking wine, making me intoxicated as if I were drinking overflowing wine from it. Your abdomen is radiant, standing out on the tapestry, like the bright, golden-white color of a sheaf of wheat, highlighted by the red of lilies arranged around it during a festival. Your breasts are full of life, like two fawns, twins. Your neck is elegantly noble, like a tower of ivory. Your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon, beside the gate of Bath-rabbim, radiating purity, peace, and serenity from the depths of your soul. Your nose is high and straight, like a watchtower on Mount Lebanon overlooking Damascus. Your head is royally beautiful, enhancing the beauty of your entire body, like Mount Carmel beautifies the land of Israel. Your tresses are noble and elegant, capturing the heart of a king.

O my dearest beloved! You are the embodiment of love! Among all the beautiful and charming things that satisfy me, you are the most beautiful and the most charming. Your stature is tall and graceful like a date palm. Your breasts are lovely like clusters of its fruit. I will embrace you, caress your breasts, and let my mouth savor their taste. Your breasts are soft and sweet like clusters of grapes. The breath from your nose is like the fragrance of ripe apples.

O my dearest beloved! The sweetness of your palate makes me intoxicated, as if I were tasting a fine wine. A wine so superb that, when gently poured into the mouths of those who are asleep, they would smack their lips in delight.

Love Does Not Change (7:10-8:4)

I belong to my beloved. I am only for him. His desire is for me, for I am his only partner and lover.

My beloved, come to me! Let us go out to the countryside, cross the fields, and spend the night in a rural village. We will rise early and visit our vineyards. Let us see if the vines are in bloom, if the grapes have budded, and if the pomegranates are in flower! There, you and I will be intimate with each other on the green spring grass, amidst the fragrant air of love apples. And at our gates, I have had all kinds of delicious fruits prepared for you, both fresh and dried. My beloved, I have selected these fruits myself for you!

If you were my brother, nursed at my mother’s breast, I would freely kiss you in public without fear of scorn. In the evening, I will bring you to my mother’s house. She will remind me to offer you the sweet wine of love, the nectar from the pomegranate fruit. Then, your left hand will be under my head, and your right hand will embrace and caress me.

Sisters, value love. Everything has its appointed time. When the right time comes, love will lead to wonderful intimacy in married life.

The Two Sides of Love (8:5-14)

Who is this beautiful and beloved woman? She emerges from the wilderness, leaning on her lover.

My beloved! Do you remember, in this very vineyard, I met you and awakened your heart under the apple tree? It was also under that apple tree where your mother gave birth to you, bringing you into this world. My beloved! Please let me be like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm, so that I may fully possess you, inside and out. For love is as strong as death, and jealousy is as fierce as the grave. The blazing heat of jealousy is like the burning of fire. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. Even if someone were to give all the substance of their house for love, it would be utterly despised.

We have a little sister who has not yet reached puberty. What shall we do for our sister until she is of age for someone to seek her in marriage? If she is chaste and virtuous, like a fortified wall, we will praise and encourage her, as if building a watchtower of silver on the wall. But if she is open and carefree, like an open door, we will protect her as if closing the door with cedar panels.

I am a chaste and virtuous woman, like a fortified wall. When I matured, I found peace in the eyes of my beloved, because he loves me sincerely.

King Solomon had a renowned and valuable vineyard at Baal-hamon. He entrusted that vineyard to caretakers, and people had to pay a thousand pieces of silver to buy the fruit from it. But my vineyard is mine to give. Oh Solomon! I have entrusted my vineyard to you, so please pay two hundred pieces of silver to the caretakers of the vineyard.

My beloved! You are the master of the vineyard! My friends listen to your voice when you speak! Please let me hear your voice, so I may come to you!

My beloved! Come quickly to me! Be swift like a young stag or a young deer on the mountains of spices.

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
12/01/2018