The Bride Confesses Her Love// Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Peter 3:1–7
1This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.
- SONG 1:1[ARCHAEOLOGY]Four Dead Sea Scrolls of the Song, copied about 30 BC to AD 70; two of them are shorter than the book we have, see The Song Scrolls from Qumran Field Notes box
- SONG 1:1[NOTE]SONG OF SONGS. In Hebrew, saying a word twice means the very best, like Holy of Holies or King of kings. So this is the best song of all. Of Solomon can mean by, for or about him. See the Big Question Who Wrote It?
- SONG 1:1[NOTE]WHO IS TALKING? The small labels like The Bride and The Friends are not in the Hebrew. Many Bibles add them to help you follow who is speaking, mostly from whether the Hebrew word is for a man or a woman.
The Bride
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.
- SONG 1:2[NOTE]A LOVE POEM. The Song is poetry about a bride and her groom. Like every love song, it talks in pictures: wine, perfume, gardens and fruit. See the Big Question How Should We Read It?
3The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.
4Take me away with you—let us hurry!
May the king bring me to his chambers.
The Friends
We will rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
The Bride
It is only right that they adore you.
5I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
- SONG 1:5[NOTE]DARK, YET LOVELY. She worked outside in the sun, 1:6. Back then, pale skin meant a rich life indoors, so she feels shy. Kedar was a desert tribe that lived in black goat hair tents.
6Do not stare because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me a keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have neglected.
- SONG 1:6[NOTE]MY OWN VINEYARD. She took care of her brothers' vineyards but not her own. Many read her own vineyard as herself, her own looks and life, 8:12.
7Tell me, O one I love,
where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest them at midday?
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
The Friends
8If you do not know, O fairest of women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and graze your young goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
The Bridegroom
9I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
- SONG 1:9[NOTE]A MARE. Pharaoh's chariots were pulled by stallions. A mare among them would turn every head, so many say this was a big compliment back then.
10Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
The Friends
11We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with beads of silver.
The Bride
12While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
- SONG 1:14[NOTE]EN GEDI. An oasis with springs and palm trees by the Dead Sea, where David once hid from Saul, 1 Samuel 24:1.
The Bridegroom
15How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
The Bride
16How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how delightful!
The soft grass is our bed.
The Bridegroom
17The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are fragrant firs.