The big picture
Song of Solomon 8 opens in verse 1 with “O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all…”, and closes in verse 14 with “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains…” Repeated or prominent terms include love, breasts, vineyard, beloved, cause. 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 · 14Song of Solomon 8:1-7
1–7: O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother…
Song of Solomon 8:1–7 opens with “O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee…” and reaches “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The couple coming up from the wilderness, love described as strong as death, and the woman speaking with agency about her vineyard, with particular weight carried by love, coals, hand.
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.
“O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss…” The line’s distinctive content terms include breasts, brother, despised. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced…” The line’s distinctive content terms include cause, drink, house. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Song of Solomon 8:1-7
King James Version1O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.
2I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
3His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
4I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
5Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
6Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
7Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
Song of Solomon 8:8-14
8–14: We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for…
Song of Solomon 8:8–14 opens with “We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day…” and reaches “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The couple coming up from the wilderness, love described as strong as death, and the woman speaking with agency about her vineyard, with particular weight carried by vineyard, breasts, fruit.
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.
“We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken…” 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 8:8-14
King James Version8We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
10I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
12My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
13Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
14Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Song of Solomon 8:1 begins with “O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.”
Where the chapter turns
Song of Solomon 8:8 forms a natural hinge: “We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?”
The final note
Song of Solomon 8:14 leaves the reader with “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words love, breasts, vineyard, beloved, cause, coals help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Why does the waiting matter?
Noah receives signs of progress but does not confuse partial improvement with the completed deliverance.
What remains unchanged after the flood?
Human inclination toward evil remains, according to verse 21; preservation rests on God's commitment.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
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.