Song of Solomon 8

O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal–hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

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Song of Solomon 8:4

“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.”

Study Summary

The beloved adjures the daughters of Jerusalem a final time not to stir up or awaken love until it pleases, establishing this protective incantation as the concluding statement about the poem's passionate content and suggesting that love requires the proper conditions and timing. The final repetition of this adjuration suggests that it remains relevant throughout the poem and that love continues to require protection from premature disruption. The address to the daughters of Jerusalem as witnesses and protectors of love establishes them as having a sustained sacred function in honoring and protecting erotic love. This verse theologically suggests that the protection of love is an ongoing responsibility of community and that the proper conditions and timing for love's awakening must be maintained throughout.

Community Reflections

David Osei (test user)1d ago

Mercy and justice — Song of Solomon 8

God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. God meets us exactly where we are — broken, uncertain, yet chosen. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. God is faithful in every circumstance.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. What a reminder that God's ways…

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