Belonging, a Night Search, and the Vineyard Charge
Song 2:16-3:11
Son.2.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דודי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בשושנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 6:3 (verbal): Almost identical phrasing: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” repeating the mutual possession motif verbatim.
- Song of Solomon 7:10 (verbal): Close verbal parallel expressing the same mutual belonging (“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine”) within the book’s refrain.
- Hosea 2:19-20 (allusion): God’s betrothal language (“I will betroth you to me in faithfulness…”) frames divine–human relationship in terms of mutual possession and covenantal love.
- Isaiah 62:4-5 (thematic): Uses bride/bridegroom imagery to describe Yahweh’s delight in Israel—paralleling the Song’s theme of mutual belonging and rejoicing.
- Ezekiel 16:8 (structural): Narrative of God’s espousal of Israel (spreading the skirt, declaring union) structurally parallels the Song’s imagery of belonging and nuptial possession.
Alternative generated candidates
- My beloved is mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
- My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
Son.2.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- שיפוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ונסו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- הצללים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- סב: VERB,qal,perf,2,pl
- דמה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- דודי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לצבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- או: CONJ
- לעפר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האילים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- על: PREP
- הרי: NOUN,m,pl,def
- בתר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 8:14 (quotation): Near-verbatim repetition of the plea and simile — “be like a roe/young hart upon the mountains” — echoing the same urgency to the beloved (var. “mountains of Bether/ spices”).
- Song of Solomon 2:11-13 (thematic): Same springtime/renewal context and lover-longing motif (winter past, flowers, call to rise) that frames the couple’s summons until “the day break.”
- Psalm 18:33-34 (18:34-35 MT) (verbal): Uses the simile of making one’s feet like a deer’s feet and setting one on high places — closely parallel imagery of agility and sure-footedness on mountains like the beloved-as-roe motif.
- Habakkuk 3:19 (allusion): “He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places” — similar theological/poetic use of the hart/roe on high places to signify swift movement, strength, and ascent, resonant with the Song’s mountain-roe image.
Alternative generated candidates
- Until the day break and the shadows flee—turn, my beloved; be like a gazelle or like a young stag upon the hills of Bether.
- Until the day breathes and the shadows flee—return, my beloved; be like a gazelle or like a young stag upon the mountains of spice.
Son.3.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- משכבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בלילות: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בקשתי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שאהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- בקשתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg,obj:3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- מצאתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg,obj:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 26:9 (verbal): Uses virtually the same nocturnal language of the soul's seeking—'by night my soul seeks/desires you'—echoing the Song's phrasing and imagery of longing at night.
- Psalm 63:1 (thematic): Expresses intense, thirst‑like longing and active seeking of the beloved (God) in a devotional, nocturnal setting—parallel emotional tone and pursuit motif.
- Psalm 42:1–2 (thematic): Portrays deep yearning of the soul for the beloved/God ('as a deer longs for water'), a poetic image of spiritual/emotional searching similar to the Song's pursuit.
- Song of Songs 5:2–6 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation within the same book: the motif of seeking the beloved recurs as the woman rises, knocks, and searches the city when she cannot find him.
- John 20:13–16 (thematic): Mary Magdalene's searching for the risen Jesus—she seeks the beloved and does not find him at first—reflects the Song's motif of a night‑time, plaintive search for a missing beloved.
Alternative generated candidates
- Upon my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but I found him not.
- On my bed at night I sought the one my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him.
Son.3.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אקומה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- נא: PART
- ואסובבה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשוקים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וברחבות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אבקשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שאהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- בקשתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- מצאתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 3:1 (structural): Immediate context: the same speaker describes a nighttime search for “him whom my soul loves,” forming a parallel scene of seeking that frames 3:2 (the book’s search motif).
- Song of Solomon 3:4 (structural): Closely connected resolution within the book: after the search (3:2) the speaker later declares she has found “him whom my soul loves,” creating a deliberate seek/find contrast with 3:2’s failure to find him.
- Psalm 63:1 (thematic): Both verses express deep, soul‑level longing and active seeking ("my soul thirsts/seeks"), linking erotic/spiritual desire in Song 3:2 with devotional pursuit of God in the Psalter.
- Jeremiah 29:13 (thematic): Jeremiah promises that those who seek God wholeheartedly will find him—this provides a theological counterpoint to Song 3:2’s anxious searching without finding, highlighting conditions and outcomes of seeking.
- Luke 15:4–8 (thematic): Parables of the lost sheep and lost coin portray determined searching in public/household spaces and the joy of recovery; thematically parallel the beloved’s earnest quest through streets and squares in Song 3:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but I found him not.
- I will rise now and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek the one my soul loves. I sought him, but I did not find him.
Son.3.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מצאוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,?,pl,obj:1s
- השמרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הסבבים: ADJ,qal,ptc,m,pl,def
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- שאהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- ראיתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 3:1 (structural): Same scene of nocturnal searching—'I sought him whom my soul loveth' begins the unit that culminates in the watchmen episode, framing the speaker's quest for her beloved.
- Song of Solomon 3:4 (structural): Immediate literary continuation: verse 3 asks if the watchmen have seen 'him whom my soul loveth,' and v.4 supplies the finding and reunion—directly linked in the narrative.
- Song of Solomon 1:7 (verbal): Uses the identical phrase 'whom my soul loveth' and an interrogative desire to locate the beloved ('tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you feed'), echoing the search-motif and language.
- Isaiah 21:11–12 (allusion): Employs the image of the watchman/keeper on the watchtower asking or reporting about what he sees; parallels the role of city watchmen as seers/questioners in Song 3:3.
- Psalm 42:1–2 (thematic): Expresses a deep, panting longing of the soul for the beloved/God—parallels the intense yearning and pursuit language of the Song's speaker seeking 'him whom my soul loveth.'
Alternative generated candidates
- The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me—those who keep watch over the city—‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
- The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me: 'Have you seen the one my soul loves?'
Son.3.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כמעט: ADV
- שעברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- שמצאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שאהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- אחזתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg+OBJ:3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ארפנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg+OBJ:3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- שהביאתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg+OBJ:3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמי: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- חדר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הורתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Song of Songs 8:2-3 (structural): Repetition of the same domestic/marriage imagery — bringing the beloved into the mother’s house/chamber and the intimate holding of the beloved; the verses function as a refrain/parallel scene to 3:4.
- Song of Songs 2:16 (thematic): Theme of mutual possession and personal intimacy ('my beloved is mine, and I am his') echoes the boastful discovery and claim in 3:4 ('I found him whom my soul loves').
- Genesis 24:67 (verbal): Uses the same marriage formula of bringing the bride into the man’s mother’s tent/house; a legal/social marker of marriage that parallels the consummatory/household language of 3:4.
- Hosea 3:1 (thematic): Motif of seeking and redeeming/holding the beloved — the persistent pursuit and reclaiming of a loved one in order to restore intimate relationship echoes the search-and-hold dynamic of 3:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- It was but a little while after they had passed me that I found him whom my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I brought him into my mother's house, into the chamber of her who bore me.
- I passed them by until I found the one my soul loves; I held him and would not let him go until I brought him into my mother's house, into the chamber of her who bore me.
Son.3.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- השבעתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,com,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בצבאות: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- או: CONJ
- באילות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אם: CONJ
- תעירו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ואם: CONJ
- תעוררו: VERB,hiph,impf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- האהבה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- עד: PREP
- שתחפץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 2:7 (verbal): Nearly identical adjuration: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem... that you stir not up, nor awaken love until it please," the same refrain earlier in the poem.
- Song of Solomon 8:4 (verbal): Repeats the same adjuration later in the book—again invoking the daughters of Jerusalem and forbidding the stirring or awakening of love until it desires.
- Song of Solomon 5:8 (structural): Uses the same vocative formula "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem..." (though with a different petition), showing the recurring role of the chorus as interlocutors and the adjuration motif.
- Song of Solomon 3:4 (thematic): Immediate literary context: the lover declares he has found the beloved, prompting the subsequent adjuration not to awaken love—tightly linked thematically and narratively to 3:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not stir up, do not awaken love until it please.
- I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases.
Son.3.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- המדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- כתימרות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עשן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקטרת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולבונה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מכל: PREP
- אבקת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- רוכל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 30:34-38 (verbal): Lists incense ingredients (myrrh, frankincense) and prohibitions on making the sacred blend—shares the same vocabulary of myrrh and frankincense as perfuming imagery.
- Exodus 19:18 (thematic): Describes Mount Sinai enveloped in smoke like a furnace as the LORD descends—parallels the 'pillars of smoke' imagery conveying majesty and divine/awesome presence coming out of the wilderness.
- Isaiah 60:6 (thematic): Speaks of caravan-borne gifts from the desert, bringing gold and frankincense and proclaiming praise—echoes the image of one coming from the wilderness with myrrh and frankincense.
- Matthew 2:11 (allusion): Magi present frankincense and myrrh to the newborn king—later reception of the same precious aromatics associated with royal/honoring approaches, resonating with Song's regal fragrance.
- Psalm 45:8 (verbal): 'All your garments smell of myrrh, aloes and cassia'—bridal/royal perfume language parallels Song's use of myrrh and fragrant imagery to denote beauty, nobility, and sensual/ceremonial honor.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant's fragrant powders?
- Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the powders of the merchant?
Son.3.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- מטתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שלשלמה: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ששים: NUM,card
- גברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- סביב: ADV
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- מגברי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 1:5 (thematic): Adonijah musters a retinue—"fifty men to run before him"—providing a contrast to the Song’s image of Solomon surrounded by sixty valiant men (both texts evoke royal entourages and claims to power).
- 1 Kings 1:32-40 (structural): The anointing and public installation of Solomon (with Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah and the people) parallels the Song’s emphasis on Solomon’s royal status and protective escort around the king’s bed—both scenes mark royal authority and ceremonial security.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 (verbal): The phrase "mighty men" (Heb. gibborim) appears in the catalogue of David’s elite warriors; Song 3:7’s "sixty mighty men" draws on the same concept of a king’s armed elite or champions.
- 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 (thematic): The Chronicler’s list of David’s mighty men (a parallel tradition to 2 Samuel 23) reinforces the biblical motif of a royal band of valiant warriors—helpful background for understanding the Song’s depiction of Solomon’s armed entourage.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold the couch of Solomon—sixty valiant men are round about it, the valiant of Israel.
- Behold Solomon's bed—sixty mighty men around it, the valiant of Israel.
Son.3.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- אחזי: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלמדי: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss1s
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרבו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- על: PREP
- ירכו: NOUN,f,sg,poss,3,m
- מפחד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בלילות: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 45:3 (verbal): Uses the same sword-on-the-thigh imagery (’gird thy sword upon thy thigh’), a close verbal parallel to חרבו על-ירכו.
- Psalm 144:1 (verbal): Contains the phrase 'who trains my hands for war' (מלמדי מלחמה), echoing the מַלמְדֵי מִלְחָמָה language of Song 3:8.
- Judges 7:19-22 (thematic): Gideon’s nocturnal attack—armed men, surprise/night fighting and panic—parallels the context of armed warriors and fear at night in Song 3:8.
- Psalm 59:6-7 (thematic): Describes enemies prowling by night and uses sword imagery ('swords are in their lips'), thematically linking nocturnal danger and weapons to the verse’s 'fear in the nights'.
Alternative generated candidates
- All of them bearing swords, trained for war; every man has his sword at his thigh, because of dread by night.
- All of them bear the sword, trained for battle; each has his sword at his thigh, for fear at night.
Son.3.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אפריון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- מעצי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- הלבנון: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Kings 10:18 (verbal): Solomon's ostentation with luxury furniture — 1 Kings describes the king's ivory throne (כִּסֵּא שֹׁן), paralleling Song 3:9's palanquin/apiryon made for Solomon from Lebanon wood: shared material and royal-furnishing imagery.
- 2 Chronicles 9:17 (verbal): Chronicles retells the same tradition as 1 Kings about Solomon's ivory throne and riches, echoing the Song's portrayal of Solomon's sumptuous conveyance made from Lebanon timber.
- 1 Kings 7:2 (thematic): Speaks of Solomon's building called the 'House of the Forest of Lebanon'—connects the Song's mention of Lebanon wood to Solomon's broader use of Lebanon timber in royal constructions.
- 1 Kings 5:6 (thematic): Relates Hiram's supply of cedar and cypress from Lebanon for Solomon's work; thematically underlines the Song's association of Lebanon wood with Solomon's royal furnishings and splendor.
Alternative generated candidates
- King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the wood of Lebanon.
- King Solomon made for himself a litter of the wood of Lebanon.
Son.3.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עמודיו: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רפידתו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- זהב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרכבו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ארגמן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תוכו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- רצוף: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מבנות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 5:15-16 (verbal): Uses similar bodily/architectural imagery (legs/pillars, sockets of gold) and precious-metal vocabulary—shares concrete motifs of pillars and gold with 3:10.
- 1 Kings 10:18-20 (thematic): Description of Solomon's throne and royal furnishings overlaid with gold and ivory parallels the regal/carriage imagery and the association of gold with kingly display in 3:10.
- Psalm 45:13-14 (thematic): A wedding/royal-bride scene where the bride is clothed and adorned in embroidered garments and gold; parallels the pavilion of purple and interior 'woven' beauty of 3:10.
- Ezekiel 16:10-13 (allusion): God's lavish adornment of Jerusalem with garments, jewelry, purple and gold echoes the motif of a purple pavilion and interior ornamentation by the daughters of Jerusalem.
- Revelation 18:12 (thematic): A catalogue of luxury goods including gold and purple; echoes the same symbolic association of purple and precious metals with wealth, status and royal surroundings found in 3:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Its pillars he made of silver, its support of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
- Its pillars he made of silver, its base of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Son.3.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- צאינה: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- וראינה: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- במלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- בעטרה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שעטרה: REL+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אמו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- חתנתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- וביום: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 1:32-40 (structural): Narrative account of Solomon's anointing and public crowning as king (with those present, including his mother Bathsheba), a historical parallel to the Song's reference to Solomon's coronation/wedding day.
- 1 Chronicles 29:22-23 (structural): Chronicle account of Solomon being installed on the throne and the people's acclamation—echoes the public, celebratory setting of the king's coronation mentioned in the verse.
- Psalm 45 (thematic): A royal wedding song celebrating the king and bridal imagery; shares motifs of a kingly bridegroom, public display, and nuptial joy found in Song 3:11.
- Isaiah 62:3-5 (thematic): Speaks of Zion as a crown and compares God's rejoicing to a bridegroom's gladness over his bride—parallels the crown and 'day of gladness' language of the verse.
- Ezekiel 16:11-14 (allusion): God's adornment of Jerusalem with jewelry and a crown uses imagery of crowning/adornment similar to the Song's picture of a mother crowning her son on his wedding day.
Alternative generated candidates
- Go forth, and behold, O daughters of Zion, King Solomon with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the gladness of his heart.
- Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion—King Solomon with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart.
My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
Until the day breaks and the shadows flee—turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.
On my bed by night I sought the one my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him.
I will rise now and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek the one my soul loves. I sought him, but I did not find him.
The watchmen who go about the city found me; to them I said, 'Have you seen the one my soul loves?'
A little while I passed them, when I found the one my soul loves; I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not stir up, do not awaken love, until it pleases.
Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense— from all the merchant's spices?
Behold Solomon's bed; sixty valiant men surround it, the mighty men of Israel.
All of them are skilled in war; each has his sword upon his thigh, for fear at night.
King Solomon made for himself a palanquin of the wood of Lebanon.
Its pillars he made of silver, its base of gold, its seat of purple; its interior inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart.