New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Song of Solomon 5
1
The king says, "My bride, I have come into my garden. My sister, I've gathered my myrrh and my spice. I've eaten my honeycomb and my honey. I've drunk my wine and my milk." The other women say to the Shulammite woman and to Solomon, "Friends, eat and drink. Lovers, drink all you want." The woman says,
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2
"I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! The one who loves me is knocking. He says, 'My sister, I love you. Open up so I can come in. You are my dove. You are perfect in every way. My head is soaked with dew. The night air has made my hair wet.'
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3
"But I've taken my robe off. Must I put it on again? I've washed my feet. Must I get them dirty again?
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4
My love put his hand through the opening. My heart began to pound for him.
5
I got up to open the door for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh. It flowed from my fingers onto the handles of the lock.
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6
I opened the door for my love. But he had left. He was gone. My heart sank because he had left. I looked for him but didn't find him. I called out to him, but he didn't answer.
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7
Those on guard duty found me as they were walking around in the city. They beat me. They hurt me. Those on guard duty at the walls took my coat away from me.
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8
Women of Jerusalem, take an oath and make me a promise. If you find the one who loves me, tell him our love has made me weak." The other women say,
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9
"You are the most beautiful woman of all. How is the one you love better than others? How is he better than anyone else? Why do you ask us to make you a promise?" The woman says,
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12
His eyes are like doves by streams of water. They look as if they've been washed in milk. They are set like jewels in his head.
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13
His cheeks are like beds of spice that give off perfume. His lips are like lilies that drip with myrrh.
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14
His arms are like gold that are set with chrysolite. His body is like polished ivory that is decorated with sapphires.
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15
His legs are like pillars of marble that are set on bases of pure gold. He looks like the finest cedar tree in the mountains of Lebanon.
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Summary of Song of Solomon 5
Song of Solomon 5 presents a dramatic change from the peaceful intimacy of the previous chapter to a story of missed opportunity, separation, searching, and renewed appreciation.
The chapter begins with the continuation of the garden imagery from chapter 4.
The beloved enters the garden and enjoys its fragrance and fruit, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and fulfillment.
The garden that previously represented the woman's beauty and private relationship is now presented as a place where the lovers can share closeness.
But this peaceful scene quickly changes.
The woman describes herself as sleeping while her heart remains awake.
She hears the voice of her beloved outside the door, asking her to open it.
His request is simple and intimate, but she hesitates.
She has already removed her garment and washed her feet, and she does not immediately want to get up.
This hesitation becomes the turning point of the chapter.
When she finally decides to respond, her beloved has already left.
The moment that seemed available a short time earlier has disappeared.
The woman opens the door, but she finds only the fragrance of myrrh left behind on the handles.
This small detail makes the absence especially powerful because there is evidence that he was recently there.
She knows she has missed him.
Her response is immediate: she searches for him.
The woman calls for him but receives no answer, turning the emotional atmosphere from intimacy to uncertainty.
The city that had previously represented a place where she could search for her beloved now becomes threatening.
The watchmen encounter her, strike her, wound her, and take away her outer garment.
The experience emphasizes her vulnerability and shows how exposed she has become while searching for someone she loves.
She then asks the daughters of Jerusalem for help.
Her description of herself as being weak with love communicates the intensity of her emotional state.
She is not simply disappointed that she missed him.
His absence has affected her deeply.
When the daughters ask what makes her beloved so special, the chapter changes again.
Instead of continuing to complain about his absence, the woman begins describing him.
Her answer becomes one of the most extensive portraits of the beloved in the book.
She describes his head as gold, his hair as dark curls, his eyes as doves, his cheeks as fragrant gardens, his lips as lilies, his hands as gold, his body as precious ivory, his legs as marble pillars, and his overall appearance as majestic as the cedars of Lebanon.
The abundance of comparisons demonstrates how deeply she admires him.
She could simply say that he is handsome, but instead she describes him through precious materials, animals, plants, fragrances, architecture, and natural beauty.
The effect is to show that her love gives extraordinary value to the person she loves.
The descriptions also reveal something important about the relationship.
Although she is currently experiencing separation and regret, her feelings have not turned into anger or rejection.
Instead, the experience of losing him temporarily causes her to recognize even more clearly how valuable he is to her.
The final declaration that he is completely desirable and that he belongs to her brings the chapter back to the theme of mutual belonging established earlier in the book.
The chapter therefore follows a clear emotional movement:
intimacy ? hesitation ? missed opportunity ? separation ? vulnerability ? searching ? remembrance ? renewed admiration.
One of the strongest lessons in the chapter is the danger of taking closeness for granted.
The woman has an opportunity to respond to her beloved, but she hesitates.
By the time she acts, the opportunity has disappeared.
The chapter does not necessarily present this as a simple moral lesson about every missed opportunity, but it clearly emphasizes how quickly circumstances can change and how painful separation can become when closeness is not recognized or valued at the right moment.
At the same time, the chapter shows that love involves vulnerability.
To love someone deeply means that their absence can hurt.
The woman is emotionally affected because the relationship matters deeply to her.
Yet that vulnerability also reveals the depth of her affection.
Her final description of the beloved shows that even after the painful experience, she continues to see him as extraordinarily valuable.
Song of Solomon 5 therefore presents love as something that can bring both joy and vulnerability.
Closeness can be deeply satisfying, but separation can be deeply painful.
A missed moment can create regret, while remembering the beloved can intensify appreciation.
The chapter ultimately shows that genuine love involves recognizing the value of the person who is loved and not treating their presence as something ordinary or guaranteed.
Its overall message is that love is precious precisely because closeness can be lost, and the experience of separation can reveal just how deeply another person has become part of one's heart.
The chapter begins with the continuation of the garden imagery from chapter 4.
The beloved enters the garden and enjoys its fragrance and fruit, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and fulfillment.
The garden that previously represented the woman's beauty and private relationship is now presented as a place where the lovers can share closeness.
But this peaceful scene quickly changes.
The woman describes herself as sleeping while her heart remains awake.
She hears the voice of her beloved outside the door, asking her to open it.
His request is simple and intimate, but she hesitates.
She has already removed her garment and washed her feet, and she does not immediately want to get up.
This hesitation becomes the turning point of the chapter.
When she finally decides to respond, her beloved has already left.
The moment that seemed available a short time earlier has disappeared.
The woman opens the door, but she finds only the fragrance of myrrh left behind on the handles.
This small detail makes the absence especially powerful because there is evidence that he was recently there.
She knows she has missed him.
Her response is immediate: she searches for him.
The woman calls for him but receives no answer, turning the emotional atmosphere from intimacy to uncertainty.
The city that had previously represented a place where she could search for her beloved now becomes threatening.
The watchmen encounter her, strike her, wound her, and take away her outer garment.
The experience emphasizes her vulnerability and shows how exposed she has become while searching for someone she loves.
She then asks the daughters of Jerusalem for help.
Her description of herself as being weak with love communicates the intensity of her emotional state.
She is not simply disappointed that she missed him.
His absence has affected her deeply.
When the daughters ask what makes her beloved so special, the chapter changes again.
Instead of continuing to complain about his absence, the woman begins describing him.
Her answer becomes one of the most extensive portraits of the beloved in the book.
She describes his head as gold, his hair as dark curls, his eyes as doves, his cheeks as fragrant gardens, his lips as lilies, his hands as gold, his body as precious ivory, his legs as marble pillars, and his overall appearance as majestic as the cedars of Lebanon.
The abundance of comparisons demonstrates how deeply she admires him.
She could simply say that he is handsome, but instead she describes him through precious materials, animals, plants, fragrances, architecture, and natural beauty.
The effect is to show that her love gives extraordinary value to the person she loves.
The descriptions also reveal something important about the relationship.
Although she is currently experiencing separation and regret, her feelings have not turned into anger or rejection.
Instead, the experience of losing him temporarily causes her to recognize even more clearly how valuable he is to her.
The final declaration that he is completely desirable and that he belongs to her brings the chapter back to the theme of mutual belonging established earlier in the book.
The chapter therefore follows a clear emotional movement:
intimacy ? hesitation ? missed opportunity ? separation ? vulnerability ? searching ? remembrance ? renewed admiration.
One of the strongest lessons in the chapter is the danger of taking closeness for granted.
The woman has an opportunity to respond to her beloved, but she hesitates.
By the time she acts, the opportunity has disappeared.
The chapter does not necessarily present this as a simple moral lesson about every missed opportunity, but it clearly emphasizes how quickly circumstances can change and how painful separation can become when closeness is not recognized or valued at the right moment.
At the same time, the chapter shows that love involves vulnerability.
To love someone deeply means that their absence can hurt.
The woman is emotionally affected because the relationship matters deeply to her.
Yet that vulnerability also reveals the depth of her affection.
Her final description of the beloved shows that even after the painful experience, she continues to see him as extraordinarily valuable.
Song of Solomon 5 therefore presents love as something that can bring both joy and vulnerability.
Closeness can be deeply satisfying, but separation can be deeply painful.
A missed moment can create regret, while remembering the beloved can intensify appreciation.
The chapter ultimately shows that genuine love involves recognizing the value of the person who is loved and not treating their presence as something ordinary or guaranteed.
Its overall message is that love is precious precisely because closeness can be lost, and the experience of separation can reveal just how deeply another person has become part of one's heart.