The big picture
Song of Solomon 5 opens in verse 1 with “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I…”, and closes in verse 16 with “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is…” Repeated or prominent terms include beloved, myrrh, sweet, gold, charge. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Song of Solomon · King James Version · 16Song of Solomon 5:1-8
1–8: I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh…
Song of Solomon 5:1–8 opens with “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have…” and reaches “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The missed meeting at the door and the woman’s difficult night search through the city, with particular weight carried by beloved, myrrh, drink.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with…” The line’s distinctive content terms include drink, abundantly, beloved. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Song of Solomon 5:1-8
King James Version1I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
2I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
3I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
Song of Solomon 5:9-16
9–16: What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among…
Song of Solomon 5:9–16 opens with “What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved…” and reaches “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The missed meeting at the door and the woman’s difficult night search through the city, with particular weight carried by beloved, gold, sweet.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Song of Solomon 5:9-16
King James Version9What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
10My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
11His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
12His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
13His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
14His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
15His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Song of Solomon 5:1 begins with “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with…”
Where the chapter turns
Song of Solomon 5:9 forms a natural hinge: “What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?”
The final note
Song of Solomon 5:16 leaves the reader with “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words beloved, myrrh, sweet, gold, charge, daughters help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What does the repeated ending make readers feel?
Death becomes the chapter's persistent refrain, even as generation follows generation.
What two interruptions offer hope?
Enoch's walk with God and Lamech's hope attached to Noah.
KJV words made clear
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- spake
- spoke
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.