The big picture
Song of Solomon 6 opens in verse 1 with “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.”, and closes in verse 13 with “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye…” Repeated or prominent terms include beloved, return, army, banners, concubines. 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 · 13Song of Solomon 6:1-7
1–7: Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy…
Song of Solomon 6:1–7 opens with “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside…” and reaches “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Song of Solomon 6 develops its own movement around beloved, return, army, banners, concubines, with particular weight carried by beloved, flock, gone.
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.
“Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him…” 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 6:1-7
King James Version1Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
2My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
5Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
6Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
7As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
Song of Solomon 6:8-13
8–13: There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins…
Song of Solomon 6:8–13 opens with “There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” and reaches “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Song of Solomon 6 develops its own movement around beloved, return, army, banners, concubines, with particular weight carried by return, concubines, queens.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” The line’s distinctive content terms include concubines, fourscore, number. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
Song of Solomon 6:8-13
King James Version8There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
9My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
11I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
12Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
13Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Song of Solomon 6:1 begins with “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.”
Where the chapter turns
Song of Solomon 6:10 forms a natural hinge: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”
The final note
Song of Solomon 6:13 leaves the reader with “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words beloved, return, army, banners, concubines, flock help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What repeated description explains the judgment?
The earth is corrupt and filled with violence, especially in verses 11-13.
What does obedience look like here?
Detailed preparation, gathering provisions and constructing what God commands.
KJV words made clear
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
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.