Song of Solomon 6:3
“I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Within the Song of Solomon, this verse is a refrain of mutual belonging spoken by the bride (compare 2:16). It expresses the secure, covenantal devotion at the heart of the Song -- two who belong wholly to one another -- and has long been cherished as a picture of faithful, settled love.
What Does Song of Solomon 6:3 Mean?
Song of Solomon 6:3 is one of the Song's most beloved confessions of mutual belonging: "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." In a single balanced sentence the bride expresses the heart of devoted love -- two people who belong wholly to one another. The order is worth noticing: she names herself as belonging to him before claiming him as her own. Love that is secure does not begin by demanding but by giving; it first says "I am yours" and then rests in the joy of "and you are mine."
This is the language of covenant, of love that is settled and sure. The closing phrase, "he feedeth among the lilies," pictures the beloved at home in a place of beauty and delight, and assures the bride of where he is and where she belongs. The whole verse breathes confidence and peace. There is no anxiety here, no fear of loss, only the calm certainty of belonging to and being claimed by another. Many readers have heard in these words a picture of the bond between God and His people -- the assurance of being God's own and of God belonging, in love, to them. To be able to say "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" is to know a security that steadies the whole soul: the deep peace of belonging, and of being claimed by a faithful love.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew dod (beloved) is the bride's term of endearment for her lover, and ra'ah (to feed, shepherd, graze) pictures the beloved at home among the lilies.
Cross References
Application
True security in love comes from mutual belonging, freely given. Let this verse shape how you love -- giving yourself before demanding, and resting in faithful commitment. And take comfort in the assurance that those who belong to God can say with confidence that they are His and He is theirs, a belonging that steadies the whole soul.