Song of Songs 7 Study Notes

7:1-5 Solomon’s tenfold praise of Shulamith from head to toe in this section is in chiastic balance with her tenfold praise of Solomon from toe to head in 5:10-16 (see outline in the Introduction). This praise also offers interesting comparisons with the lovemaking praise of the wedding night (4:1-7). It is more intimate and lavish—more lavish, in the royal imagery of a princess with hair not like a flock descending a mountain but like fine purple threads holding captive a king; more intimate, in praising not only her breasts again (more sensually), but her thighs (lit “hips”), navel, and belly (lit “abdomen”) for the first time. The praise poetically portrays the greater depth of intimacy that reconciliation and time have achieved.

7:1 Princess is literally “daughter of a prince” (Hb bath nadiv). If this is not a wordplay, it is certainly a link to “a nobleman” (6:12; Hb ‘ammi nadiv). These are the only occurrences of “prince” (Hb nadiv) in the Song, and its repetition links the reconciliation section with the lovemaking praise. Thighs refer to their upper part, inclusive of the hips, which bear the curves that Solomon praised. The handiwork of a master (or “of a master craftsman”) is another creative way of describing Shulamith as a gift.

7:2 Although some lexical evidence from Arabic suggests the possibility that navel is “vulva,” the other two occurrences of this word in the OT refer to the body in general (Pr 3:8) and to the umbilical cord (Ezk 16:4). In addition, navel is more probable here since it is more like the image of a rounded bowl (or “wine chalice”) to which it is compared. On the other hand, the image of wine and wheat, coupled with the reference to the “pomegranate” in 8:2 with its wordplay on “drink” and “kiss” (see note at 8:1-2), and the prior wordplays on “caresses” and “mandrakes,” and then on “doors” and “opened” (see note at 7:12-13), suggests that navel may be a euphemism for Shulamith’s more intimate sexuality. On surrounded by lilies, see note at 2:1. Solomon envisioned lotus flowers surrounding the wine and wheat of Shulamith’s navel and abdomen that brought delight to him.

7:3 The phrase breasts are like two fawns repeats a praise from the wedding night (4:5) but significantly omits “that feed among the lilies.” This emphasizes the “feeding” (lit “grazing”) among the lotus flowers just implied by their surrounding the wine and wheat of Shulamith’s abdomen. Solomon used the metaphor of a palm tree and its fruit to describe his delight in Shulamith’s breasts (7:7-8).

7:4 A tower of ivory is smooth to the touch, but it has a demeanor that inspires respect (see note at 4:4). Eyes like pools in Heshbon perhaps continues the theme of Solomon’s eyes like doves “perched over a pool” (see note at 5:12), implying that the pool his dovelike eyes perched over were Shulamith’s eyes. They were tranquil waters (perhaps “of understanding,” Heshbon arising from the root for “explanation”) so that they gave rest by the city gates (Bath-rabbim, lit “daughter of many,” indicating a busy thoroughfare into the city). The peace and wholeness each found in the other contrasts with the chaos of city crowds. Nose . . . like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus describes a capacity for appropriate anger. Nose is used as the word for anger, arising from its evidence in the flaring of the nostrils; tower connotes strength with a military image; Damascus was the capital of potential enemies that might violate Israel’s borders. Shulamith’s anger would flare at anyone who violated her boundaries as well.

7:5 Mount Carmel has majesty like Shulamith’s, giving the capability to bind even the king with the power of her hair like purple cloth (lit “threads” that can bind). The royal imagery of princess and king continues, albeit in irony. The king who stooped to admire the sandaled feet of the princess (v. 1) was bound by her silken hair (v. 5).

7:6-9 The fervor of this section is in chiastic balance with the apathy of 5:2-8 (see outline in the Introduction). This lovemaking following praise also invites comparison with the lovemaking following the praise of 4:1-7. If the focus of the wedding night is its beautiful consummation (4:12-5:1), the focus of this later night is the peaceful nurture their love brings. They fell asleep tasting kisses like wine (see note at 7:9). Sexual intimacy consummates marriage and nurtures it as well.

7:6 The Hebrew underlying my love, with such delights is difficult to translate. Linguistic data favors love (Hb ‘ahavah) not as a term of address but as an abstract word for “love,” as it is in its other nine references in the Song (v. 6; 2:4-5,7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4,6-7), one of which is in chiastic parallelism with this verse (5:8). So love is likely the subject, just as a new subject follows the only other place in the Song where the two Hebrew words rendered beautiful appear (“handsome” and “delightful” in 1:16). To paraphrase, Solomon says, “Love flows through your tender affection.” This is a beautiful lyric about the heartfelt source of Shulamith’s love.

7:7-8 The fruit of the palm tree transforms from “stalks of dates” (lit “fruit” in v. 8) to clusters of grapes, demonstrating first a view from a distance and then the object of Solomon’s caresses. “At a distance her breasts seem like clusters of dates on the palm tree. But held close, they are like supple, juicy clusters of grapes” (Craig Glickman).

7:9 The last phrase in this verse could be translated “past the lips of sleepers” (Hb yeshenim). This section begins with Shulamith sleeping alone (Hb yeshenah, 5:2) and ends with the couple sleeping together (see outline in the Introduction) just as the section in chiastic balance with this does as well (3:1-4). So their kisses—hers as fragrant as apricots and both of theirs as intoxicating as wine—lingered on as they drifted peacefully off to sleep.

7:10 This verse repeats the similar refrain where Shulamith affirmed their exclusive bond (see note at 2:16). Desire in his desire is for me is used only twice elsewhere in the OT: at Gn 3:16, in God’s words to Eve describing the consequences of disobedience (“Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you”) and in God’s words to Cain describing sin personified as a lion crouching at the door (“Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it,” Gn 4:7). So desire may connote the desire to rule. This verse has been interpreted in at least three ways: (1) Now Solomon has a desire (to love or to rule) equal to the desire of Shulamith; (2) now Solomon has a desire to love, but not to dominate; and (3) now Solomon, and not Shulamith, has a desire to “rule” in a benevolent sense, perhaps as the sun and moon “rule” (or “govern”) the day and night, providing guiding light (Gn 1:18) or as God’s “rule” provides loving care for his people (see Ps 22:28; 59:13; 66:7; 89:9). In any case, after a wonderful reconciliation and time of intimacy, Shulamith affirmed her complete security in Solomon’s love.

7:11-8:4 This section is in chiastic balance with 2:6-17 (see note there).

7:11-13 This section contains Shulamith’s invitation to enjoy spring. It balances Solomon’s earlier invitation to do the same (2:8-14). His invitation concluded with a request to hear her voice (2:14); hers concluded with a request to make love (7:12-13). The Song will conclude on precisely these themes: Solomon’s request to hear her voice (8:13) and her request to make love (8:14)—artistically portraying unending seasons of spring in their love.

7:11 The phrase let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms uses language from 1:13-14 where Shulamith compared Solomon to henna blossoms in En-gedi after comparing him to a pouch of myrrh which spent the night between her breasts. During courtship her thoughts were of him who was like henna blossoms who would “spend the night” with her; now she asked to spend the night with him “among the henna blossoms.”

7:12-13 These verses contemplate a new season of spring in their experience. Caresses (Hb doday) is a wordplay on mandrakes (Hb duda’iym), an appropriate name for these plants associated with love and fertility. Delicacy is the same word twice rendered “choicest fruits,” referring to erotic delicacies of the wedding night (4:13,16). New and old refer literally to fresh fruit from the harvest and dried fruits from the past. This refers figuratively to lovemaking “delicacies” that were in part fresh and new and in part familiar and constant. Old (Hb yeshanim) plays on “of the ones sleeping” (Hb yeshenim, v. 9). Since this is the peaceful sleep after lovemaking (see note at v. 9), the poet associates the familiar lovemaking with security and comfort.

The location of delicacies at our doors (Hb pethachenu) is a play on has opened (Hb pittach, of blossoms in v. 12), both words derived from the same root. The poet’s intention to create the wordplay is underscored by his rejection of a different word for “doors” that he could have used (Hb chomah, used in 8:9) without creating the wordplay. Our “doors” is thus a very erotic play on has opened. Her openings and openness are like the opening of flower blossoms.