Song of Solomon 2:8-14

TEXT 2:83:5

SHULAMMITE: NARRATION TO COURT LADIES
(perhaps later)

a. Invitation from the beloved Song of Solomon 2:8-14

8. The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall; he looketh in at the windows; he glanceth through the lattice. 10. My beloved spake, and said unto me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11. For, lo, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone; 12. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; 13. The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 14. O my dove, thou art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the steep place, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 2:8-14

58.

Are we to imagine the shepherd has truly come for a visit to Solomon's palace? Discuss.

59.

What is suggested by leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills?

60.

In what way does she compare her beloved to a gazelle or roe?

61.

Why stand outside and look in? Why not knock and come in? Discuss the figure and its meaning.

62.

Is the maid full of desire to escape her confinement and is this the reason for the invitation of verse ten? Discuss.

63.

Why describe the time of the year?

64.

What a lovely description of spring! What is the voice of the turtle-dove?

65.

What hint is found in reference to the ripened figs? Come away from what to where? Cf. Song of Solomon 2:13.

66.

The attitude and response of the maiden is found in verse fourteen. What is it?

67.

The invitation of the shepherd is to much more than physical relationship as seen in verse fourteen. What is involved?

PARAPHRASE 2:8-14

Shulammite to Court Ladies:

8.

Hark, -tis the sound of my beloved! He comes

Bounding over the mountains, skipping over the hills.

9.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young deer.

See! he stands at our wall,

He peers in at the windows,
Glancing through the lattice.

10.

My beloved said to me,

Arise, O my companion, my fair one, and come away!

11.

For, see! the winter is past;

The season of rains is over;

12.

The flowers appear in the fields;

The time of singing is come.

And the cooing of the turtledoves is heard in the land;

13.

The fig tree ripens its green figs,

The blossoming vines give forth their fragrance.
Arise, O my companion, my fair one, and come away!

14.

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the crannies of the precipice,

Let me see thy face, let me hear thy voice;
For sweet is thy voice and thy face comely.

COMMENT 2:8-14

Exegesis Song of Solomon 2:8-14

We like the expression of Moffat as found in verses eight and nine. He says:

Listen, it is my darling,
There he is, coming to me,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the window,
glancing through the lattice!

The word voice in verse eight is better understood as sound; so the thought is that the maiden hears the footsteps of her beloved. In his eagerness of love the shepherd scorns all obstacles that would keep lovers apart, yet as he nears the maiden's home he appears somewhat shy, not knowing, perhaps, what kind of reception he will get from the rest of the family (Song of Solomon 1:6, Song of Solomon 2:15) (Clarke) He is compared to a gazelle because of his beauty of formbut also because of his alertness and timidity. It would appear that the shepherd is not the only one who is unwilling to express himselfwhen he arrives at the house why isn-'t the lovely maiden there to greet him? The lattice window refers to the form of construction. Glaze or glass windows were not used. Evidently, the latticework was so built that a person on the outside could not see in but those on the inside could easily see out.

It would seem that beginning with verse ten through verse thirteen we have an eight line stanza of the beloved's entreaty to his love. Notice: he invites her to come with him into the open country, which is now a place of unsurpassing beauty. The winter is over and the spring has come. It is a time of mirth and mutual affection. (Cook)
It must be either the last week in March or the first or second week in April. Six signs of the season are given in these verses:

(1)

The winter and its heavy rain is overFor behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. (Song of Solomon 2:11) For six months in the summer the rain rarely falls.

(2)

Buds and flowers appear on the earth (Song of Solomon 2:12 a). When the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain. (2 Samuel 23:4)

(3)

The time for singing has come or the time has arrived for pruning the vines. It would seem considering the context of the first two signs that time for singing is much more parallel than pruning the vines. (Song of Solomon 2:12 b)

(4)

The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. (Song of Solomon 2:12 c) This is a migratory bird that appears in Palestine the second week in April (Cf. Jeremiah 8:7). (A. F. Harper)

(5)

The fig tree has ripened its figs. The figs remained embalmed during the winter months and come to life or ripen in the early spring.

(6)

And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. The fragrance of the grape vine blossom is very sweet, but very brief. The inhabitants of grape country need no proofs or descriptions to appreciate this fact. (Adapted from C. F. Cook)

We like the words of W. J. Cameron as found in the New Bible Commentary. After the wintry months devoid of fresh life and growth, the stirring vigor of the Syrian spring follows of a sudden upon early rain. The earth rapidly assumes a mantle of bright green intermingled with the varied colors of innumerable flowers. The newly clad woodland comes alive with song amid which can be discerned the persistent mournful note of the turtledove. It is then that the voice of the beloved is heard. (quoted by Clarke)

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along! (Song of Solomon 2:13 b) Verse fourteen continues in four lines an entreaty to the bride to come out of her seclusion. The modesty and shyness of the maiden are the points here. Her home must have been inaccessiblenote the description; O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your form (appearance), Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely. Some render the phrase -the secret place of the ascent,-' pointing to crevices in a cliff approachable only by a steep ascent. The wild dove chooses high and inaccessible rocks for its resting place. In poetic language the shepherd seems to intimate that the maiden is not easily accessible to him because the attitude of her brothers as shown in the next verse. (Clarke)

Marriage Song of Solomon 2:8-14

Oh that my wife would want me and love me as this maid did her shepherd. Such an expression could well be the lament of many a husband. No doubt there are some wives who think as fondly of their husbands as the Shulammite did of the shepherd. Every wife (as well as husband) have known what it is to wait for the familiar sounds of the approach of their spouse but are they persuaded he (or she) is as eager to see them as the hero of our text? Such persuasion must be planned and cultivated long before he arrives. Actions in little areas of need met time after time will convince anyone that no hill or mountain will separate us from meeting a need when it is present. The largest need is one of companionship. It would be easy for me to change places with the maiden and imagine my wife as the eager, shy, beautiful gazelle anxiously-curiously-alertly looking through the almost impenetrable windows of my heart to see if she could discover a meaningful movement. Please exchange places husbandyou are to be just that eager to know what goes on in the heart of your wifenever mind that you cannot see or know, the important thing is that you are there and that you want to know.
There are a thousand times a thousand wives who weep today for a husband who would dream a dream like the one described in verses eight through thirteen. Let's take our wife on a picnic in the countryor to a lovely secluded spot by the seashore. The important part of this is not the picnic but her person. The spring is only lovely because she is the center attraction. Have we forgotten how to be romantic? Perhaps it is because the beauty of God's creation and our willingness to give ourselves to our wife has ceased to be a reality.

Communion Song of Solomon 2:8-14

As the bride of our Lord we can soliloquize concerning His coming againbut I would rather relate this passage to His present interest in us. There is no barrier that can or will separate usnot tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword (Romans 8:35). In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Behold! He stands at the door of our heartHe is beautiful in appearancebut He will not force entrance. He is more than curiousHe wants very much to come in and share every activity of oursHe is standing behind our wall and looking in at the windowssee Him there as He glances through the lattice? He is calling me to leave the television set and meet Him for a walk together in seeking and saving some poor lost person who lives but a few houses from me. One glad day He came and called me to put aside the winter of my backsliding and join Him in the springtime of my first love. There is so much beauty in holiness! The time of singing is come. The song of heaven's dove is with me. What was once only hard words I find to be delectable fruit. What fragrance I find in His presence! I seem to hear His voice again and again Arise, O my companion, my fair one, and come away! Far too often I have been as inaccessible as the maiden in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the precipicebut no moreHe shall hear my voice and see my faceI love Him.

FACT QUESTIONS 2:8-14

101.

What does Moffat's translation add to our understanding?

102.

The word voice in verse eight is not the best translation. What is?

103.

The shepherd is eager but shy. Why?

104.

In what way is he like a gazelle?

105.

The maiden is also reticent. Why?

106.

What is the context of the eight-line stanza of verses ten through thirteen?

107.

What time of the year is indicated?

108.

List and discuss the six signs of the season.

109.

Discuss the context of verse fourteen?

110.

Just where did the bride live?

111.

What can husbands do to receive the welcome given by the Shulammite?

112.

There is something very basic in the happy relationship of husband and wife. Is there an answer in this text? Discuss.

113.

It isn-'t necessary to understand our wives or for the wives to understand all about their husbandsone thing is needfulwhat is that? Discuss.

114.

Do you think we have overstated the case of our communion with our Lord? Discuss.

115.

Offer some personal practical manner of application for the thought of returning to our first love.