Song of Solomon 7

1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O ¹noble daughter! Your rounded thighs are like ²jewels, the work of ³a master hand.

2 Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with ⁴lilies.

3 ⁵Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.

4 Your ⁶neck is like an ivory tower. Your ⁷eyes are pools in ⁸Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of ⁹Lebanon, which looks toward ¹⁰Damascus.

5 Your head crowns you like ¹¹Carmel, and your ¹²flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses.

6 ¹³How beautiful and ¹⁴pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights!^[a]

7 Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters.

8 I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like ¹⁵clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples,

9 and your ¹⁶mouth^[b] like the best wine.It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth.^[c]

10 ¹⁷I am my beloved's, ¹⁸and his desire is for me.

The Bride Gives Her Love

11 ¹⁹Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields and lodge in the villages;^[d]

12 let us go out early to the vineyards ²⁰and see whether the vines have budded, whether ²¹the grape blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love.

13 ²²The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and beside our doors are all choice fruits, ²³new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.

Song of Solomon 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

The graces of the church. (1-9) The delight of the church in Christ. (10-13)

Verses 1-9 The similitudes here are different from what they were before, and in the original refer to glorious and splendid clothing. Such honour have all his saints; and having put on Christ, they are distinguished by their beautiful and glorious apparel. They adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. Consistent believers honour Christ, recommend the gospel, and convince and awaken sinners. The church resembles the stately and spreading palm; while her love for Christ, and the obedience resulting therefrom, are precious fruit of the true Vine. The King is held in the galleries. Christ takes delight in the assemblies and ordinances of his people; and admires the fruit of his grace in them. When applied to the church and to each faithful Christian, all this denotes that beauty of holiness, in which they shall be presented to their heavenly Bridegroom.

Verses 10-13 The church, the believing soul, triumphs in its relation to Christ, and interest in him. She humbly desires communion with him. Let us walk together, that I may receive counsel, instruction, and comfort from thee; and may make known my wants and my grievances to thee, with freedom, and without interruption. Communion with Christ is what all that are made holy earnestly breathe after. And those who would converse with Christ, must go forth from the world. Wherever we are, we may keep up communion with God. Nor should we go where we cannot in faith ask him to go with us. Those who would go abroad with Christ, must begin early in the morning of their days; must begin every day with him, seek him early, seek him diligently. A gracious soul can reconcile itself to the poorest places, if it may have communion with God in them; but the most delightful fields will not satisfy, unless the Beloved is there. Let us not think to be satisfied with any earthly object. Our own souls are our vineyards; they should be planted with useful trees. We should often search whether we are fruitful in righteousness. Christ's presence will make the vine flourish, and the tender grapes appear, as the returning sun revives the gardens. If we can appeal to him, Thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee; if his Spirit witness with our spirit, that our souls prosper, it is enough. And we must beg of him to search and try us, to discover us to ourselves. The fruits and exercises of graces are pleasant to the Lord Jesus. These must be laid up, and always ready; that by our bringing forth much fruit, he may be glorified. It is all from him, therefore it is fit it should be all for him.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 45:13
• 2. Proverbs 25:12
• 3. [Proverbs 8:30]
• 4. Song of Songs 2:1
• 5. Song of Songs 4:5
• 6. [Song of Songs 4:4]
• 7. [Song of Songs 5:12]
• 8. Numbers 21:26
• 9. Song of Songs 4:8; See 1 Kings 4:33
• 10. 1 Kings 11:24; 2 Kings 5:12
• 11. See Joshua 19:26
• 12. [Song of Songs 4:1]
• 13. [Song of Songs 1:15, 16]
• 14. 2 Samuel 1:23, 26
• 15. [Song of Songs 1:14; Micah 7:1]
• 16. [Song of Songs 5:16]
• 17. Song of Songs 2:16; Song of Songs 6:3
• 18. [Psalms 45:11]
• 19. [Song of Songs 2:10; Song of Songs 4:8]
• 20. Song of Songs 6:11
• 21. Song of Songs 2:13, 15
• 22. Genesis 30:14; Song of Songs 4:13
• 23. [Matthew 13:52]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or among delights
• [b]. Hebrew palate
• [c]. Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew causing the lips of sleepers to speak
• [d]. Or among the henna plants

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 7

In this chapter Christ gives a fresh commendation of the beauty of his church, in a different order and method than before; beginning with her "feet", and so rising upwards to the "hair" of her head, and the roof of her mouth, So 7:1-9; And then the church asserts her interest in him, and his desire towards her, So 7:10; and invites him to go with her into the fields, villages, and vineyards, and offers various reasons, by which she urges him to comply with her invitation, So 7:11-13.