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Song of Solomon 6

Song of Solomon 6

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 · 13

Song 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.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned…” By verse 4, the text has turned to “Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with…” It lands on “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.” 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 beloved, flock, gone, lilies, appear, army tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Song of Solomon 6 develops its own movement around beloved, return, army, banners, concubines,” 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 Gilead, Jerusalem, Thou, Thy, Tirzah, Turn. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 1: “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: beloved, flock, gone, lilies, appear, army

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Song of Solomon 6:1

    “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.

  2. Song of Solomon 6:2

    “My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beds, beloved, feed. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.

  3. Song of Solomon 6:3

    “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beloved, beloved’s, feedeth. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.

  4. Song of Solomon 6:4

    “Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.” Naming Jerusalem and Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Song of Solomon 6:5

    “Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.” Naming Gilead and Turn keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Song of Solomon 6:6

    “Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  7. Song of Solomon 6:7

    “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.” The line’s distinctive content terms include locks, piece, pomegranate. Its relationship to verses 6 shows what work it does in this passage.

Song of Solomon 6:1-7

King James Version

1Whither 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.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” By verse 10, the text has turned to “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and…” It lands on “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 questions, 1 stated contrast. 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 return, concubines, queens, Shulamite, Amminadib, armies tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Song of Solomon 6 develops its own movement around beloved, return, army, banners, concubines,” 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 Shulamite, Amminadib, Return. Its number language includes one, two. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 10: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: return, concubines, queens, Shulamite, Amminadib, armies

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Song of Solomon 6:8

    “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.

  2. Song of Solomon 6:9

    “My 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…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  3. Song of Solomon 6:10

    “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with…” 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.

  4. Song of Solomon 6:11

    “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the…” The line’s distinctive content terms include budded, flourished, fruits. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.

  5. Song of Solomon 6:12

    “Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.” Naming Amminadib keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Song of Solomon 6:13

    “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were…” 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 6:8-13

King James Version

8There 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.

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 6?
  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 6 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: Song of Solomon 6 develops its own movement around beloved, return, army, banners, concubines?

  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?