Chapter 2
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
7I 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 please.
8The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
9My beloved 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.
10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
13The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
16My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
17Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
“My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.”
Overview
The beloved describes the bride as a lily among thorns, and the bride describes the beloved as an apple tree among the trees of the wood. She recounts his arrival, leaping upon the mountains and standing behind their wall, peering through the lattice. He invites her to arise and come away, for winter is past and the time of singing has come. The chapter includes the famous charge not to stir up love until it pleases.
Key Themes
The Arrival of Love
The beloved comes leaping on the mountains, and winter gives way to spring, symbolizing the joy and renewal that faithful love brings.
The Patience of Love
The charge not to stir up or awaken love until it pleases warns against forcing intimacy before its proper time.
The Beauty of Creation and Love
The imagery of flowers, vines, and singing birds interweaves the beauty of creation with the beauty of love, suggesting that both come from the same Creator.
Study Questions
What does the beloved's description of the bride as 'a lily among thorns' (v. 2) communicate about his view of her?
What does the arrival of spring (vv. 11-13) symbolize in the context of this love poem?
Why is the charge 'stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please' (v. 7) repeated throughout the book?
How does the imagery of nature enhance the portrayal of romantic love?
What principles about the timing of love and intimacy can be drawn from this chapter?
Connection to Christ
The bridegroom's invitation to 'rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away' (v. 10) echoes Christ's call to His church to leave the old behind and enter into new life. As winter passes and spring arrives, so Christ brings new life out of spiritual death.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Song of Solomon 2. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?