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| Contents: Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
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Verse By Verse Outline By G. Albert Darst This author's approach to the Scriptures is that of seeking Christ since He is the Subject of God’s Word, and the Agent of God’s work. Therefore, Christ is the divine Subject of the Song. But by whom is He represented if not by Solomon? It is by the third main character in the Song, a Shepherd, the perfect type of the Lord Jesus Christ (and Jehovah for that matter). Any concordance will guide you to the many references pertaining to Jehovah and/or Christ as the great Shepherd of the sheep. Therefore this author sees the following set of main characters in the Song: The
Lord Jesus Christ,
King Solomon, The
Shulamite, Of lesser importance are the daughters of Jerusalem, or court ladies who surround Solomon. In the Old Testament, they represent the self-righteous in the Nation of Israel. In the New Testament, these are the tares among the wheat. In general, they represent the religious “professors” of every age. (All references to Christ are underlined.)
Chapter 1, Verse 1 "The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.”
Chapter 1, Verse 2a “Let him [Solomon] kiss me [Shulamite] with the kisses of his mouth. . .” Note: How are we to understand verse two? In the first portion we have sensual kissing, while in the last a better love. Though the Shulamite is reflecting on her outward circumstances, the Holy Spirit is providing the delineation that will flow throughout the book. The key to uncovering the main speakers in the Song lies in the content and intent of their words. If the speech is sensual, material, external, then we can safely attribute it to Solomon, who is an example of the world. If the speech is pure, spiritual, internal, we know the Shepherd, who is a type of Christ, is speaking. Therefore it will not require spiritualization nor allegorical interpretation to understand and appreciate the Song. As an example, dare we attribute the phrase and ensuing mental picture presented by "the kisses of his mouth" to the Son of God? But the latter phrase, "Thy love is better," is a confirmed truth relating to Jesus Christ as the Shepherd
Chapter 1, Verse 2b
“. . .for thy [Shepherd] love is better than wine.” Chapter
1, Verse 3 “Because of the savour of thy [Shepherd] good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.”
Chapter 1, Verse 4a “Drawwn me [Shulamite], we [virgins] will run after thee [Shepherd]. . .”
Chapter 1, Verse 4b
“. . .the king [Solomon] hath brought me (Shulamite) into his chambers. . .”
Chapter 1, Verse 4c “. . .we [virgins] will be glad and rejoice in thee [Shepherd], we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee”
Chapter 1, Verse 5 “I (Shulamite) am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.”
Chapter
1, Verse 6 “Look not upon men (Shulamite), 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.” Chapter
1, Verse 7 “Tell me, O thou (Shepherd) whom my (Shulamite) soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I (Shulamite) be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy (daughters of Jerusalem) companions?”
Chapter 1, Verse 8 “If thou (Shulamite) know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd’s tents.” Chapter
1, Verse 9 “I (Solomon) have compared thee (Shulamite), O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.” Chapter
1, Verse 10 “Thy (Shulamite) cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.” Chapter
1, Verse 11 “We (Solomon & Daughters of Jerusalem) will make thee (Shulamite) borders of gold with studs of silver.” Chapter
1, Verse 12a “While the king (Solomon) sitteth at his table...” Chapter
1, Verse 12b “...my (Shulamite) spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” Chapter
1, Verse 13 “A bundle of myrrh is my (Shulamite) well beloved [Shepherd] unto me; he [it] shall lie all night betwixtn my breasts.” Chapter
1, Verse 14 “My (Shulamite) beloved [Shepherd] is unto me as a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of En-gedi.” Chapter
1, Verse 15 “Behold, thou (Shulamite) art fair, my (Solomon) love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.”
Chapter 1, Verse 16 “Behold, thou (Shepherd) art fair, my (Shulamite) love yea, pleasant: also our (Shepherd and Shulamite) bed is green.” Chapter
1, Verse 17 “The beams of our (Shepherd and Shulamite) house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” In 17 verses: 22 references to the Son. Summary: The Shulamite maiden has been brought to the court of the king, and then courted by the king. Though taunted by the court ladies, and tempted by King Solomon, her thoughts remain on the Shepherd. He alone is her Song of songs. His love is better. His name, like an ointment, is poured forth. He draws men unto himself. He is loved and He is love. He meets every need of His sheep. His presence is as the odor of rare spices. He is our propitiation. He shares His glory with His own. What a Shepherd!
Chapter 2, Verse 1 “I (Shulamite) am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Chapter
2, Verse 2 “As the lily among thorns, so is my (Solomon) love (Shulamite) among the daughters.”
Chapter
2, Verse 3 “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”
Chapter
2, Verse 4 “He (Solomon) brought me (Shulamite) to the banqueting house, and his (Solomon) banner over me was love.” Chapter
2, Verse 5 “Stay me (Shulamite) with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.” Chapter
2, Verse 6 “His (Solomon) left hand is under my (Shulamite) head, and his right hand doth embrace me.” Chapter
2, Verse 7 “I (Solomon) charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he ("it or she") please.”
Chapter 2, Verse 8 “The voice of my (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd), behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”
Chapter
2, Verse 9 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) is like a roe or a young hart: behold he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.” Chapter
2, Verse 10 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my (Shepherd) love (Shulamite), my fair one, and come away.” Chapter
2, Verse 11 “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;”
Chapter
2, Verse 12 “The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our (Shepherd & Shulamite) land;”
Chapter
2, Verse 13 “The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise , my (Shepherd) love (Shulamite), my fair one, and come away.”
Chapter
2, Verse 14 “O my (Solomon) dove (Shulamite), that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” Chapter
2, Verse 15 “Take us (Solomon and Shulamite) the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” Chapter
2, Verse 16 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.”
Chapter 2, Verse 17 “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd), and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.” Summary: In the presence of King Solomon, the Shulamite maiden acknowledges her common heritage. The king’s comparison of her to as lily among thorns causes her to mediate upon the Shepherd as an apple tree in the woods. After being taken to the king’s banqueting house with all its pageantry, she falls into a deep sleep. Here she first hears the voice of the Shepherd calling her away. While asleep, Solomon speaks to her, but she is not wakened and continues to dream about the Shepherd and His return.
Chapter 3, Verse 1 “By night on my (Shulamite) bed I sought him whom (Shepherd) my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.” Chapter
3, Verse 2 “I (Shulamite) will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him (Shepherd) whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.” Chapter
3, Verse 3 “The watchmen that go about the city found me (Shulamite): to whom I said, Saw ye him (Shepherd) whom my soul loveth?” Chapter
3, Verse 4 “It was but a little that I (Shulamite) passed from them, but I found him (Shepherd) whom my soul loveth: 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 that conceived me.” Chapter
3, Verse 5 “I (Solomon) charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he (“it, she”) please.” Chapter
3, Verse 6 “Who (Solomon) is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?”
Chapter 3, Verse 7 “Behold his (Solomon) bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.”
Chapter 3, Verse 8 “They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.”
Chapter
3, Verse 9 “King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.”
Chapter
3, Verse 10 “He (Solomon) made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.” Chapter
3, Verse 11 “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” In 11 verses: 15 references to the Son Summary: Shulamith, in a deep sleep, dreams of losing, seeking, and finding the Shepherd. In her dream she takes the Shepherd to her mother’s home. In contrast to the pastoral Person of the Shepherd, she is taken to watch Solomon’s arrival from the wilderness amid all the pomp and pageantry of a king coming to claim his bride.
Chapter 4, Verse 1 “Behold, thou (Shulamite) art fair, my (Solomon) love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.”
Chapter
4, verse 2 “Thy (Shulamite) teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.”
Chapter
4, verse 3 “Thy (Shulamite) lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.” Chapter
4, verse 4 “Thy (Shulamite) neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.”
Chapter
4, verse 5 “Thy (Shulamite) two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.”
Chapter
4, verse 6 “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I (Shulamite) will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”
Chapter
4, verse 7 “Thou (Shulamite) art all fair, my (Solomon) love; there is no spot in thee.” Chapter
4, verse 8 “Come with me (Solomon) from Lebanon, my spouse (Shulamite), with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.”
Chapter
4, verse 9 “Thou (Shulamite) hast ravished my (Solomon) heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.”
Chapter 4, verse 10 “How fair is thy (Shulamite) love, my (Solomon) sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!”
Chapter 4, verse 11 “Thy (Shulamite) lips, O my (Solomon) spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.” Chapter
4, verse 12 “A garden inclosed is my (Solomon) sister (Shulamite), my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” Chapter
4, verse 13 “Thy (Shulamite) plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,” Chapter
4, verse 14 “Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:” Chapter
4, verse 15 “A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” Chapter
4, verse 16a “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my (Solomon) garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.” Chapter
4, verse 16b “Let my beloved (Shepherd) come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.” In 16 verses: 5 references to the Son Summary: King Solomon uses flattering language about the Shulamite’s outward appearance to woo her. Yet in the midst of his speech, the maiden’s thoughts return to the Shepherd. From a description of her beauty, to a more sensual description of her intoxicating effects, Solomon continues in his attempt to break down the country girl’s resistance. But she has reserved herself for the Shepherd. Chapter
5, Verse 1 “I (Solomon) am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse (Shulamite): I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunken my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.”
Chapter 5, Verse 2 “I (Shulamite) sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved (Shepherd) that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.”
Chapter
5, Verse 3 “I (Shulamite) have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?” Chapter
5, Verse 4 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.”
Chapter
5, Verse 5 “I (Shulamite) rose up to open to my beloved (Shepherd); and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.”
Chapter
5, Verse 6 “I (Shulamite) opened to my beloved (Shepherd); but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.”
Chapter 5, Verse 7 “The watchmen that went about the city found me (Shulamite), they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.” Chapter
5, Verse 8 “I (Shulamite) charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved (Shepherd), that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.”
Chapter
5, Verse 9 “What is thy (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us (Daughters of Jerusalem)?”
Chapter
5, Verse 10 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.”
Chapter
5, Verse 11 “His (Shepherd) head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.”
Chapter 5, Verse 12 “His (Shepherd) eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.”
Chapter
5, Verse 13 “His (Shepherd) cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.”
Chapter 5, Verse 14 “His (Shepherd) hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.”
Chapter
5, Verse 15 “His (Shepherd) legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.” Chapter
5, Verse 16 “His (Shepherd) mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my (Shulamite) beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” In 16 verses: 52 references to the Son Summary: Solomon has exhausted the country maiden with his courting. Once Shulamith returns to her room, she again meets the Shepherd in her dreams. She hears His voice and recognizes His presence. By the time she arises out of bed to let Him enter, He has gone. She seeks Him in the city, but does not find Him. Awakened from a troubled sleep, her dream seems so real that she enlists the aid of the court ladies in her search. (She has yet to be in His presence, except in dreams.). They ask for a description, showing that He is not known around the palace. She describes the Shepherd and with the last refrain sums up His Person, that “He is altogether lovely.” Chapter 6, Verse 1 “Whither is thy (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we (Daughters of Jerusalem) may seek him with thee.” Chapter 6, Verse 2 “My (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd) is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.”
Chapter 6, Verse 3 “I (Shulamite) am my beloved’s (Shepherd), and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.”
Chapter 6, Verse 4 “Thou (Shulamite) art beautiful, O my (Solomon) love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.”
Chapter 6, Verse 5 “Turn away thine (Shulamite) eyes from me (Solomon), for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.”
Chapter 6, Verse 6 “Thy (Shulamite) 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.”
Chapter 6, Verse 7 “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy (Shulamite) temples within thy locks.”
Chapter 6, Verse 8 “There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” Chapter 6, Verse 9 “My (Solomon) dove (Shulamite), 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.”
Chapter 6, Verse 10 “Who is she (Shulamite) that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” Chapter 6, Verse 11 “I (Shulamite) 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.”
Chapter 6, Verse 12 “Or ever I (Shulamite) was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.”
Chapter 6, Verse 13 “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we (Solomon & Daughters of Jerusalem) may look upon thee. . .”
Chapter 6, Verse 13 “. . . What will ye (Solomon & Daughters of Jerusalem) see in the Shulamite?. . .”
Chapter 6, Verse 13 “. . .it were the company of two armies.” In 13 verses: 8 references to the Son Summary: Claiming a desire to seek the Shulamite’s beloved, the court ladies are told He is in His garden. Then the Shulamite makes a public pronouncement of her reciprocal relationship to the Shepherd. Once again Solomon returns to wage a war of flattery, but the Shulamite reminds them of her sojourn in the garden, and the effect of the Shepherd upon her soul. Yet they continue to desire her presence, unwilling to acknowledge her love for the Shepherd.
Chapter 7, Verse 1 “How beautiful are thy (Shulamite) feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.”
Chapter 7, Verse 2 “Thy (Shulamite) navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.” Chapter 7, Verse 3 “Thy (Shulamite) two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.”
Chapter 7, Verse 4 “Thy (Shulamite) neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.”
Chapter 7, Verse 5 “Thine (Shulamite) head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king (Solomon) is held in the galleries.” Chapter 7, Verse 6 “How fair and how pleasant art thou (Shulamite), O love, for delights!”
Chapter 7, Verse 7 “This thy (Shulamite) stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.”
Chapter 7, Verse 8 “I (Solomon) said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy (Shulamite) breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;”
Chapter 7, Verse 9 “And the roof of thy (Shulamite) mouth like the best wine for my (Solomon) beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.”
Chapter 7, Verse 10 “I (Shulamite) am my beloved’s (Shepherd), and his desire is toward me.”
Chapter 7, Verse 11 ”Come, my (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd), let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.“
Chapter 7, Verse 12 ”Let us (Shulamite and Shepherd) get up early to the vineyards; let us seen if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I (Shulamite) give thee (Shepherd) my loves.“
Chapter 7, Verse 13 ”The mandrakes give a smell, and at our (Shepherd & Shulamite) gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I (Shulamite) have laid up for thee (Shepherd), O my beloved.“ In 13 verses: 11 references to the Son Summary: King Solomon has continued, and elevated, his words of flattery toward the Shulamite. But her response to the king is clear, ”I am His, and His desire is toward me.“ The chapter ends with Shulamith looking forward to being with the Shepherd she loves. Chapter 8, Verse 1 "O that thou (Shepherd) wert as my (Shulamite) brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised."
Chapter 8, Verse 2 "I (Shulamite) would lead thee (Shepherd), and bring thee into my mother's house, who (Shepherd) would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate." Chapter 8, Verse 3 "His (Shepherd) left hand should be under my ( Shulamite) head, and his right hand should embrace me."
Chapter 8, Verse 4 "I (Solomon) charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love (The Shulamite), until he (“it, she”) please."
Chapter 8, Verse 5a "Who (Shulamite) is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved (Shepherd). . ." Chapter 8, Verse 5b ". . .I (Shepherd) raised thee (Shulamite) up under the apple tree: there thy (Shulamite) mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee."
Chapter 8, Verse 6 "Set me (Shulamite) as a seal upon thine (Shepherd) heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." Chapter 8, Verse 7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."
Chapter 8, Verse 8 "We (Shulamite's brothers) have a little sister (Shulamite), and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?"
Chapter 8, Verse 9 "If she (Shulamite) be a wall, we (Shulamite's brothers) will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar." Chapter 8, Verse 10 "I (Shulamite) am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his (Solomon) eyes as one that found favour."
Chapter 8, Verse 11 "Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver."
Chapter 8, Verse 12 "My (Shulamite) vineyard, which is mine, is before me; thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred."
Chapter 8, Verse 13 "Thou (Shulamite) that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me (Solomon) to hear it." Chapter 8, Verse 14 "Make haste, my (Shulamite) beloved (Shepherd), and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices." In 14 verses: 20 references to the Son, 1 indirect reference to God Summary: The Shulamite begins the chapter thinking about the Shepherd. Once again she relives a meeting with her lover, while in the presence of Solomon, where she pledges her love. Her brothers intervene on her behalf, but she defends herself. Solomon seeks her voice again, but the Shulamite is mentally calling out to her Shepherd. And so the Song of songs ends with the same sweet refrain as the Book of Revelation, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." |
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