The Song of Solomon Explained

Why are love poems in the Bible? This section of the Song of Solomon is about a bridegroom and a bride who lost each other for a moment in time, and all seemed lost.

The Love Poem The story begins with a Shulamite woman, who is the bride.

“I was asleep but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, my locks with the dew drops of the night’” (Song of Solomon 5:2, NASB).

She is asleep, yet her heart is awake—language that indicates she is recounting a dream.

Her groom, Solomon, has traveled all night and arrives as the dew is starting to settle in the early morning. His voice serves as the knock on the door.

He calls his bride “sister.” This might seem strange to the Western mind, but to him, it is a very intimate word. He describes her as his dove, who is undefiled and perfect.

“I have taken off my dress, how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet, how can I dirty them again?” (Song of Solomon 5:3, NASB).

Caught off guard, the bride’s response is a picture of slumber. Solomon arrived at an inconvenient hour and disturbed her in the middle of restful sleep. Even though this is her cherished husband, she doesn’t want to be disturbed.

I can relate. She has a warm and comfy bed.

She says, “I have put off my coat, how can I put it on?”—describing her undergarment—and she had already washed her feet before going to bed.

She is filled with resentment. It’s just too inconvenient for her to wake up for him.

“My beloved extended his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him” (Song of Solomon 5:4, NASB).

Door locks were uncommon during this time, and there is a hole in the door to open it from the outside. She spots his hand as he reaches in to unfasten the latch. At this point, her feelings are probably a mixture of guilt and a strong desire for her husband.

“I arose to open to my beloved; and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers with drops of myrrh, on the handles of the bolt” (Song of Solomon 5:5, NASB).

Solomon, being a king, would have scented his hands with the most expensive perfume of the time. As she touches the same handle, the myrrh from the king’s hand rubs off onto her hand. The scent triggers a powerful emotion within her.

“I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and had gone! My heart went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him, but I did not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me” (Song of Solomon 5:6, NASB).

The bride swings open the door expecting to see her husband, but he has already departed. In the desperate panic of the moment, she calls out for him. So close to being reunited, and now he is gone.

“The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, they struck me and wounded me; the guards of the walls took my shawl away from me” (Song of Solomon 5:7, NASB).

She’s on the dark streets searching for him, a place where no Eastern woman would be at night. The watchmen call out to her to investigate. She doesn’t heed the warning, so they hit and wound her. They remove her face covering, a wound inflicted on her by public humiliation.

“Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, as to what you will tell him: for I am lovesick” (Song of Solomon 5:8, NASB).

Her love for Solomon is so great that even the thought of missing him sickens her. Her desires fuel her need to get this message to him.

“What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved, that you make us swear in this way?” (Song of Solomon 5:9, NASB).

The women of Jerusalem, her caregivers, want to know what is so special about Solomon. She describes him.

“My beloved is dazzling and reddish, outstanding among ten thousand” (Song of Solomon 5:10, NASB).

She says her man is white and ruddy (red). He is easy to spot among ten thousand others, so he must have had a very striking complexion with red hair.

“His head is like gold, pure gold; his locks are like clusters of dates and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, and perched in their setting” (Song of Solomon 5:11–12, NASB).

Nobility radiates from his head and face. Curly, black hair and eyes like a dove. The pupil of his eye, which is blue, is bathed in milk, describing the white of the eye. He had striking, remarkable eyes to her!

“His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, banks of herbal spices; his lips are lilies dripping with drops of myrrh. His hands are rods of gold set with topaz; his abdomen is panels of ivory covered with sapphires” (Song of Solomon 5:13–14, NASB).

His beard, a sign of strength and honor, is fragrant. His hands are strong, and he has perfect fingernails. He also wears a kingly white robe that is studded with jewels.

“His thighs are pillars of alabaster set on pedestals of pure gold; his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Song of Solomon 5:15–16, NASB).

He is a picture of strength from his legs down to his footwear! While he is noble in appearance, what comes out of his mouth is sweetness. She is saying that above all else, he is wise.

At the end of the description, she describes a husband who is altogether lovely. Everything about him is perfect—no defects, no blemish, nothing imperfect, nothing spoiled, and everything desirable. Quite a catch!

This is a word picture that describes Jesus Christ himself.

These daughters of Jerusalem are so taken by Solomon that they decide to join the search for him.

“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of balsam, to pasture his flock in the gardens and gather lilies. I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine, he who pastures his flock among the lilies” (Song of Solomon 6:1–3, NASB).

The search ends as he is found in “his garden,” signaling that he has returned to her. This is further confirmed when she says, “He is mine.” The relationship is restored.

What Happens When We Lose Our First Love? I believe there is a crimson thread woven throughout the Bible. We read a love poem from the Old Testament, but Christ is front and center in this writing. Paul himself quotes the Song of Solomon when describing the relationship between Jesus Christ and his people (Ephesians 5:22–33).

All Christians experience times of loneliness and distance from God. Christ sometimes withdraws from his people for reasons known only to Him (Psalm 51:11).

This passage, however, describes a withdrawal by Jesus because the bride lost her first love.

Let me explain. The following verses describe a church that lost its first love:

“I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first” (Revelation 2:2–5, NASB).

Christ says to this church, “You don’t love me like you used to. Make it right. If you don’t, I will take away the blessing.” When His presence leaves, it is just a matter of time before that church disappears.

Has Christ Left You? The Shulamite bride is thrilled with the prospect of being with her husband, but she became self-centered. For a brief instant, she showed reluctance toward her true love.

When Christ leaves our presence, we realize that we can’t live without Him. If this is you, repent and find Him again.

I implore you to search for Christ, long for Christ. He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. His excellence, His grace, and His beauty make everything worthwhile.

When you do this, you will suddenly be aware that He is with you once again!

Tell me your thoughts on the Song of Solomon. Is it one of your favorite books of the Bible?