Song of Solomon 6 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes
Song of Solomon 6 Short Summary:
The anxious dream of missing her lover now over, the young bride is reunited with her husband in the poetic garden of love and intimacy. As they enjoy one another’s company, the young man launches into another description of his lover’s beauty.
Song of Solomon 6 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:
The Young Woman – A beautiful Shulamite woman who is the object of the young man’s affections.
The Young Man – A handsome young man, Solomon, who is the object of the young woman’s affections.
Daughters of Jerusalem – These women interject supplementary comments into the dialog between the young man and woman.
DEFINITIONS:
Tirzah (6:4) – An ancient Canaanite city which was absorbed into the nation of Israel after they conquered the land. It was a prominent city, at one point the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 15:33).
Shulammite (6:13) – A title for the bride of Solomon. It only appears in chapter 6. It could refer to a person from the city of Shunam, but those familiar with the original languages propose it could be the feminine from of the name “Solomon”, which would indicate her closeness and special unity with the king.
OUTLINE:
LOOKING FOR THE BELOVED (6:1):
The first verse is the conclusion to the search in chapter 5. The Daughters of Jerusalem agree to help the young woman look for her beloved.
THE LOVERS IN THE GARDEN (6:2-12):
Verse 2 appears to start a new section. The anxiety of the young woman’s dream in chapter 5 is past and she is back with her lover, enjoying the pleasures of intimacy, which is described to us in poetic language.
She says, “My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” (6:2-3a).
This enjoyment of one another prompts the young man into another description of his bride.
He complimented her by comparing her to impressive cities, like Jerusalem and Tirzah.
He said she was as impressive as an army with their banners fluttering in the wind.
He complimented her hair, her teeth, and her cheeks using similar language to chapter 4.
If there were 60 queens, 80 concubines, and innumerable maidens, Solomon said his bride would be admired by them all.
In verse 11, the young woman says she is going to the nut orchard to see the valley’s blossoms and to check if the vines and pomegranates had budded.
Whether this was a literal orchard is not clear, but the symbolism of springtime seems to be the main point (see 7:11-12). The plants were flowering, and so was her desire and love for her beloved.
Her desire was fixed on a prince in a chariot (perhaps she was watching Solomon from afar as he rode with his men in his chariot).
THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM ASK THE YOUNG WOMAN TO RETURN (6:13):
The first line in verse 13 appears to be spoken by the Daughters of Jerusalem, they say, “Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you.”
Their motivation for wanting to see her isn’t clear. Maybe it was because she was beautiful, and they wanted to admire her.
The speaker of the last line of verse 13 is debated, some think it was spoken by the young woman and others think it was spoken by Solomon.
If it was spoken by the young bride, it shows her humility, as she is perplexed by why she would be an object of their attention.
If it was spoken by Solomon, it seems to be a question about the intentions of the Daughters of Jerusalem, why did they want to stare at his bride as if she were a spectacle to be gawked at (“a dance between two armies”).
APPLICATION
It’s a unique complement to compare a woman to a great city, but it makes a lot of sense when you read the Bible’s description of the godly woman.
A great city is, of course, externally beautiful. From its architecture to its geographic setting.
But beautiful cities don’t rise from nothing. Behind them is an economy, the resourcefulness of the hard-working people who make them great.
There is an individual industriousness to the citizens of every city that gives it its identity, its charm, its culture, and its unique beauty.
Is that not true also of a great woman?
A woman may be beautiful, and that is a great gift, but an exquisite woman is a woman of great beauty AND great resourcefulness.
We know this was true about Solomon’s bride, she tells us she kept the vineyards of her relatives before she became a queen (1:6).
Solomon recognized this and enshrined the value of feminine resourcefulness in Proverbs 31, saying, “Many women have done excellently, but you [the resourceful and godly woman] surpass them all.”
