HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 971
SONG OF SONGS 7
page 601
12
to see whether the grapevines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
Before I realized it,
my strong desires had taken me to the
chariot of a noble man.*
Young Women of Jerusalem
return to us, O maid of Shulam.
Come back, come back, that we may
see you again.
13*Return,
Young Man
Why do you stare at this young woman of
Shulam,
as she moves so gracefully between two
lines of dancers?*
7
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1*How
beautiful are your sandaled feet,
O queenly maiden.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a skilled craftsman.
Your navel is perfectly formed
like a goblet filled with mixed wine.
Between your thighs lies a mound
of wheat
bordered with lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in
Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon
overlooking Damascus.
Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel,
and the sheen of your hair radiates
royalty.
The king is held captive by its tresses.
Oh, how beautiful you are!
How pleasing, my love, how full of
delights!
You are slender like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters
of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like grape clusters,
and the fragrance of your breath like
apples.
May your kisses be as exciting as the
best wine—
Young Woman
Yes, wine that goes down smoothly for
my lover,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.*
6:12 Or to the royal chariots of my people, or to the chariots
of Amminadab. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
6:13a Verse 6:13 is numbered 7:1 in Hebrew text. 6:13b Or
as you would at the movements of two armies? or as you would
at the dance of Mahanaim? The meaning of the Hebrew is
uncertain. 7:1 Verses 7:1-13 are numbered 7:2-14 in Hebrew
text. 7:9 As in Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate;
Hebrew reads over lips of sleepers. 7:11 Or in the villages.
10
11
12
I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.
Come, my love, let us go out to the fields
and spend the night among the
wildflowers.*
Let us get up early and go to the vineyards
to see if the grapevines have budded,
if the blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
• Sexuality
S ON G OF S ON GS 7:6-12
Because Christians hold to standards of
abstinence before marriage and purity
within marriage, they are often labeled
as prudish and sexually repressed.
Shame and repression are, in fact, distortions of sexuality. But abstinence
and purity based upon God’s purposes
for sexuality hardly indicate unhealthy
sexual development! These graphic
verses from Song of Songs are a perfect blend between spiritual love and
physical desire. Both partners initiate
lovemaking, and neither is ashamed or
hesitant to express desire. Yet it is the
commitment of marriage that cultivates
such joy and freedom. If you are married
or preparing for marriage, spend some
time in this wonderful collection of love
poetry.
• Desires
S ON G OF S ON GS 7:10-12
The young woman is expressing her
sexual desire for her beloved. Here
she takes the initiative in the romance.
Sexual desire in marriage is a reflection
of our human desire to be united with
God; both are passionate desires to fulfill
ourselves and another through a rich
and beautiful encounter. Sexual desire in
marriage is like a hunger and thirst that
is fulfilled through a special relationship
with that person. Likewise, we are filled
with delight when our spiritual hunger
and thirst is satisfied through intimacy
with God.
Our security in God’s love frees us to
express ourselves fully as people created
in God’s image. In a similar way, the
security of love in marriage should free
both partners to express their deepest
desires as they initiate acts of love.