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Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1

The big picture

Song of Solomon 1 opens in verse 1 with “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.”, and closes in verse 17 with “The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” Repeated or prominent terms include love, fair, beloved, black, comely. 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 · 17

Song of Solomon 1:1-6

1–6: The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

Song of Solomon 1:1–6 opens with “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” and reaches “Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency, with particular weight carried by love, black, wine.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” By verse 3, the text has turned to “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore…” It lands on “Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 stated contrasts. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as love, black, wine, angry, better, chambers tie the complete block together. The central idea, “The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Solomon, Because, Draw, Jerusalem, Kedar, Look. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 3: “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: love, black, wine, angry, better, chambers

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Song of Solomon 1:1

    “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” Naming Solomon keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  2. Song of Solomon 1:2

    “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” The line’s distinctive content terms include better, kiss, kisses. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.

  3. Song of Solomon 1:3

    “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

  4. Song of Solomon 1:4

    “Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we…” Naming Draw keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Song of Solomon 1:5

    “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” Naming Jerusalem and Kedar keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Song of Solomon 1:6

    “Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me…” Naming Look keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Song of Solomon 1:1-6

King James Version

1The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

3Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

4Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

5I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

6Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

Song of Solomon 1:7-12

7–12: Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou…

Song of Solomon 1:7–12 opens with “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at…” and reaches “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency, with particular weight carried by flock, gold, aside.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest…” By verse 9, the text has turned to “I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.” It lands on “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 question. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as flock, gold, aside, borders, chains, chariots tie the complete block together. The central idea, “The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Pharaoh, Tell, Thy, While. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 7: “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: flock, gold, aside, borders, chains, chariots

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Song of Solomon 1:7

    “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I…” 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.

  2. Song of Solomon 1:8

    “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside…” The line’s distinctive content terms include fairest, feed, flock. Its relationship to verses 7 and 9 shows what work it does in this passage.

  3. Song of Solomon 1:9

    “I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.” Naming Pharaoh keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  4. Song of Solomon 1:10

    “Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.” Naming Thy keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Song of Solomon 1:11

    “We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” The line’s distinctive content terms include borders, gold, silver. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.

  6. Song of Solomon 1:12

    “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” Naming While keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Song of Solomon 1:7-12

King James Version

7Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

8If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

9I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.

10Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

11We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

12While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

Song of Solomon 1:13-17

13–17: A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night…

Song of Solomon 1:13–17 opens with “A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.” and reaches “The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency, with particular weight carried by fair, beloved, beams.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.” By verse 15, the text has turned to “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.” It lands on “The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. Its subjects, actions, connecting terms, and consequences reveal how the thought develops before any interpretation is added.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as fair, beloved, beams, betwixt, breasts, bundle tie the complete block together. The central idea, “The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include fair, beloved, beams, betwixt, breasts. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 15: “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: fair, beloved, beams, betwixt, breasts, bundle

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Song of Solomon 1:13

    “A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  2. Song of Solomon 1:14

    “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beloved, camphire, cluster. Its relationship to verses 13 and 15 shows what work it does in this passage.

  3. Song of Solomon 1:15

    “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.” The line’s distinctive content terms include fair, doves, eyes. Its relationship to verses 14 and 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

  4. Song of Solomon 1:16

    “Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beloved, fair, green. Its relationship to verses 15 and 17 shows what work it does in this passage.

  5. Song of Solomon 1:17

    “The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beams, cedar, house. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

Song of Solomon 1:13-17

King James Version

13A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

14My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi.

15Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

16Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

17The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

Questions to keep in mind while reading

  1. Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
  2. Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
  3. Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.

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.

Questions beneath the surface

  1. What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Song of Solomon 1?
  2. Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
  3. What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
  4. Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?

Questions for serious personal contemplation

These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.

Observe without rushing

  1. What part of Song of Solomon 1 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?

  2. Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?

  3. Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: The woman expressing longing and searching among the shepherds’ tents while retaining dignity and agency?

  4. What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?

Examine your inner life honestly

  1. Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?

  2. What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?

  3. Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?

  4. If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?

Respond with wisdom and courage

  1. What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?

  2. How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?

  3. What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?

  4. What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?