Song of Solomon 5

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

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Song of Solomon 5:11

“His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.”

Study Summary

The beloved continues that her beloved's head is as fine gold and his locks are wavy and black as a raven, establishing his hair as precious and beautiful, marked by natural curvature and lustrous darkness. The comparison of his head to fine gold establishes his intellectual and spiritual capacities as precious and valuable, while the description of his locks suggests both beauty and youth. The precision of the beloved's observation—noting the waving quality of his curls—establishes that she has studied her beloved carefully and can articulate specific details of his appearance. This verse theologically suggests that the beloved's knowledge of her lover extends to minute physical details, and that her love involves careful observation and appreciation of his particular form.

Community Reflections

Amara Diallo (test user)1d ago

Bearing fruit that lasts — Song of Solomon 5

God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. My grandmother used to quote this verse every morning. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. I notice the repetition here is deliberate —…

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