Song of Songs 5

Song of Songs 5 is the fifth of the eight chapters of the Song of Songs. Verse 1 is the bridegroom's response to the song in chapter 4, which likens the bride to a garden. A new scene begins at verse 2: the beloved comes to the bride at night, she loses him, and she searches for him. This scene continues into the opening verses of Song of Songs 6.

Outline

• Verse 1: The bridegroom says that he has come into "my garden," gathered his myrrh, eaten his honey, and drunk his wine with his milk. He then invites his friends to eat and to drink abundantly.
• Verses 2–6: The beloved comes to the sleeping bride and asks her to open the door. She hesitates, and when she finally opens it, he has already withdrawn.
• Verse 7: As the bride searches through the city, the watchmen who go about the city strike her, and the keepers of the walls take away her outer garment (KJV: "veil").
• Verse 8: The bride appeals to the daughters of Jerusalem: if they find her beloved, they are to tell him that she is sick with love.
• Verse 9: The daughters of Jerusalem ask in return what makes her beloved better than any other.
• Verses 10–16: The bride sings of her beloved's head, eyes, cheeks, hands, and legs, comparing them to fine gold, ivory, cedars, and other things. The song ends with the words "This is my beloved, and this is my friend."

Key Verses

• Song of Songs 5:2 "I sleep, but my heart waketh": This verse opens a night scene in which it is unclear whether the bride is dreaming or awake. It is frequently quoted for its image of the beloved knocking at the door (Song of Songs 5:2).
• Song of Songs 5:10 "the chiefest among ten thousand": The opening of the song in praise of the beloved (vv. 10–16).
• Song of Songs 5:16 "he is altogether lovely": The closing line, which sums up the preceding praise in a single phrase.

Characters and Places

• The bride: The woman who speaks most of this chapter. The bridegroom calls her "my sister, my spouse" and "my dove."
• The beloved: The bride's lover. He speaks directly in verses 1–2.
• The daughters of Jerusalem: The group of women of Jerusalem whom the bride addresses; the Korean Revised Version, like the KJV, renders the phrase "daughters of Jerusalem." In verse 9 they serve as a chorus, questioning the bride in return.
• The watchmen and the keepers of the walls: Those who go about the city and guard its walls.
• Jerusalem: The city in which the women addressed by the bride live.
• Lebanon: The mountain region to which the beloved's countenance is compared in verse 15, renowned for its cedars.

Interpretive Considerations

• Interpreters differ over who speaks the words "Eat… drink" at the end of verse 1. Some take them as the bridegroom's words to his guests; others see them as a blessing pronounced on the two lovers by the poet or a chorus. Some scholars regard 4:16–5:1 as the center of the entire book.
• The scene of searching through the city for the beloved resembles 3:1–4. The difference is that in chapter 3 the bride finds her beloved, whereas in this chapter she does not find him and is beaten by the watchmen.
• The name of Solomon does not appear in this chapter. Whether the beloved should be identified with Solomon depends on one's interpretation.
• Jewish tradition has read the book as depicting the relationship between God and Israel. Christian tradition, since the patristic era, has read it as depicting the relationship between Christ and the Church, or between Christ and the believer's soul. This way of reading the persons and events of a text as figures pointing to another meaning is called allegorical interpretation, and the sermons on the Song of Songs by Bernard of Clairvaux are regarded as a leading example.
• Since the modern period, a literal reading of the book as poetry celebrating the love between husband and wife has become widespread. Many commentaries embrace both readings.
• The New Testament does not quote the Song of Songs directly. Nevertheless, a devotional reading connects the knocking at the door in verse 2 with "I stand at the door, and knock" in Revelation 3:20. Ephesians 5:31–32, which compares marriage to Christ and the Church, is often cited as a basis for allegorical reading.

In the Korean Church

• The Korean hymn "내 진정 사모하는" ("The One I Truly Long For") is a translation of the English hymn "The Lily of the Valley," whose refrain contains the phrase "fairest of ten thousand." This phrase is understood to derive from "the chiefest among ten thousand" in Song of Songs 5:10.
• Verses 2–6 are also used as a sermon text on the spiritual sloth that puts off fellowship with the Lord.