The Bride’s Admiration
The Bride
1I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valley.
- SONG 2:1[NOTE]ROSE OF SHARON. No one is sure what flower this is; many think a crocus or a narcissus that grows wild on the plain of Sharon. Here the bride says it about herself. Many hymns, like Charles Fry's The Lily of the Valley from 1881, use these names for Jesus.
The Bridegroom
2Like a lily among the thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
The Bride
3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4He has brought me to the house of wine,
and his banner over me is love.
- SONG 2:4[NOTABLE]Love is the flag he flies over her for everyone to see. Many Christians sing it about God's love, His banner over me is love.
- SONG 2:4[NOTE]HIS BANNER. A banner is a flag flown over an army or a crowd. His love is the flag over her, for everyone to see. Many kids sing His Banner Over Me Is Love in church.
5Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
- SONG 2:5[NOTE]FAINT WITH LOVE. Lovesick! She says it again in 5:8. Love songs from ancient Egypt say the same thing, see Egyptian Love Songs.
6His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
7O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.
- SONG 2:7[NOTABLE]Love is powerful, so do not rush it. Wait for the right time and the right person. Said three times: 2:7, 3:5 and 8:4.
- SONG 2:7[NOTE]THE REFRAIN. The bride says it three times, 2:7, 3:5 and 8:4. See the Big Question Do Not Stir Up Love.
8Listen! My beloved approaches.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10My beloved calls to me,
“Arise, my darling.
Come away with me, my beautiful one.
- SONG 2:10[NOTABLE]The famous spring song of the Bible. Winter is over and love comes alive, like new life after a hard season.
- SONG 2:10[NOTE]ARISE, MY LOVE. The spring song of the Bible, 2:10 to 13. The rains are over, the flowers are up, figs are ripening and the doves are cooing. Love comes alive like the land in spring.
11For now the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
12The flowers have appeared in the countryside;
the season of singing has come,
and the cooing of turtledoves
is heard in our land.
13The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come away, my darling;
come away with me, my beautiful one.”
The Bridegroom
14O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your countenance is lovely.
The Friends
15Catch for us the foxes—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.
- SONG 2:15[NOTABLE]Small problems left alone can ruin a big love. Deal with the little things early.
- SONG 2:15[NOTE]LITTLE FOXES. Foxes dug holes in vineyards and ate the grapes. Many read it as a picture of small problems that can ruin a relationship if no one deals with them.
The Bride
16My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
- SONG 2:16[NOTABLE]Love that belongs to each other, all the way. A favorite line for weddings and wedding rings.
- SONG 2:16[NOTE]MINE AND HIS. She says it again in 6:3 and 7:10. Each time she says a little less about herself and a little more about him.
17Before the day breaks and shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.