Song of Solomon 5 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes
Song of Solomon 5 Short Summary:
The first half of Song of Solomon 5 is a recounting of a dream the young woman had in which she lost her lover. He came to her door, but then vanished, leaving her lovesick. In the second section, the young woman describes the physical attractiveness of her beloved to the Daughters of Jerusalem.
Song of Solomon 5 Bible Study
AUTHOR:
Solomon, the son of David, wrote the Song of Songs (1:1).
He is a fitting author, especially considering 1 Kings 4:32 tells us he wrote 1,005 songs.
Solomon is named in multiple locations within the song.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Ruddy (5:10) – A person with a red or rosy color in their face, indicating health.
Alabaster (5:15) – A soft white stone used in stone carving.
DEFINITIONS:
Tower of David (4:4) – An ancient citadel and fortress in the old city of Jerusalem.
Calamus (4:14) – A flowering plant used to make perfumes.
OUTLINE:
THE LOCKED GARDEN CONTINUED (4:12-5:1):
Verse 1 concludes Solomon’s garden analogy that he began in chapter 4.
He enjoyed the pleasures of the garden on his wedding night, which he describes figuratively as gathering spices, eating honeycomb, and drinking wine with milk.
THE YOUNG WOMAN’S SECOND DREAM (5:2-8):
The young woman appears to describe a dream she had, similar to the one recorded in chapter 3:1-5.
She was sleeping but heard someone knocking at the door. It was her beloved asking to be let in.
But she wasn’t ready to receive guests, she wasn’t dressed properly, and she had already washed her feet for bed.
She prepared with eager anticipation, excited to open the door.
When she finally got to the door and opened it, the young man was gone.
He had vanished, throwing her into a somewhat unrealistic, but no less distressing dilemma, as dreams often do.
She rushed out into the streets of the city to search for her lover, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Things went from bad to worse when the watchmen of the city beat her and took away her veil.
The dream seems to be an expression of her lovesickness, of being so close to embracing her beloved, only for the dream to sweep him away and have him vanish into thin air.
She concludes with this plea to the Daughters of Jerusalem, “I adjure you… if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love” (5:8).
THE YOUNG WOMAN DESCRIBES HER BELOVED (5:9-16):
In response to her plea, the Daughters of Jerusalem asked the young women what made her lover more special than any other man.
In response, the young woman describes her beloved to them.
She says he is radiant and ruddy. His head is carved gold with black wavy locks of hair. His eyes like doves and his cheeks like piles of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips drip liquid myrrh. His arms are rods of gold and his body like polished ivory set with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns on bases of gold. His appearance like the strong cedars of Lebanon. He is altogether desirable.
APPLICATION
You’ll notice that both the man and the woman devote sections to describing the physical attractiveness of their lovers.
I don’t think this should be overlooked.
While physical attraction isn’t everything, it also isn’t nothing.
Physical attraction is natural and we should want to be desirable to our spouse.
We can all take steps to improve our attractiveness (dressing better, eating better, getting a haircut, going to the gym, etc).
I don’t know any man who wouldn’t want to be described the way the young woman describes her lover at the end of chapter 6, and I don’t know any woman who wouldn’t love for her husband to look like that.
I don’t know any woman who wouldn’t want to be described the way Solomon describes his bride in chapter 4, and I don’t know any man who wouldn’t love for his wife to look like that.
