← Back to Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon 8

14 verses

TL;DR

The chapter is a lyrical expression of romantic longing and devotion, using vivid imagery and metaphors to portray love, fidelity, and the desire for swift union.

Summary

The speaker addresses her beloved, recalling the intimacy of shared affection and promising to lead him into her mother’s house with spiced wine and pomegranate juice. She speaks of a seal upon her heart and arm, equating love’s strength to death and jealousy’s cruelty to a grave, with fire’s coals burning fiercely. Rivers and floods are compared to love’s unquenchable nature, and the value of a house’s substance is measured against the depth of love. The text mentions a little sister lacking breasts, suggesting care for the vulnerable, and introduces architectural imagery of walls, doors, and palaces built with silver and cedar. A reference to Solomon’s vineyard at Baḥahamon, its stewardship, and the requirement of silver for its fruit highlights themes of wealth and responsibility. The speaker calls her beloved to hurry, likening him to a young hart upon the mountains of spices. Finally, she invites the beloved’s presence with an urgent, poetic plea for swift union.

Outline
  1. Yearning and symbolic gestures of affection (breasts, spiced wine, seal).
  2. Metaphorical expressions of love’s intensity and jealousy’s danger.
  3. Agricultural and architectural imagery highlighting stewardship, wealth, and urgency.
Themes
Love and devotion expressed through symbolic covenant.The intensity of jealousy and its destructive potential.Stewardship of resources and the value of generosity.
Keywords
lovesealjealousyrivervineyardsilverpomegranatecedarmountain
People
SolomonDaughters of Jerusalem
Places
JerusalemBaḥahamonMountains of spicesGardenApple tree
Things
Spiced winePomegranate juiceSealCoals of fireVineyardSilverCedar
Key Verses
  • Song of Solomon 8:6: Highlights the symbolic seal and equates love to death, illustrating covenant and intensity.
  • Song of Solomon 8:11: Introduces the vineyard imagery, showing stewardship and economic responsibility.
  • Song of Solomon 8:14: Captures the urgency of union with a vivid natural metaphor.
Questions
  • What does the seal represent in the context of this poetic exchange?
  • How does the text portray jealousy and what metaphor is used to describe its effect?
  • In what way does the vineyard imagery reflect ideas of stewardship and generosity?
  • Why does the speaker emphasize urgency and how is this urgency conveyed through nature imagery?
  • What role do the architectural metaphors (walls, doors, palaces) play in the overall portrayal of love?
Sentiment

positive
The tone is passionate, affectionate, and celebratory.