Deeper Commentary
Song of Solomon 3:1 By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul
loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him-
The twice repeated theme of seeking but not finding is the language of condemnation. All the time
we get hints in the language used that this Gentile woman is not of God at
all, and is the pathway to condemnation. Just as Solomon had warned in
Prov. 7. Having slept with him the night before (Song 2;16,17), she now
has a nightmare about him having left her. And indeed this is absolutely
psychologically likely. Her dream or nightmare reflected her deepest
fears. The Hebrew means "nights" in the plural, as if this
nightmare was a regular occurrence.
Song of Solomon 3:2 I will get up now, and go about the city; in the
streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought
him, but I didn’t find him-
Her dream reflects the way she
slipped out of the harem, dodging the guards / watchmen, and
walked the streets of Jerusalem whilst
he was confined in the palace. Her mother moved to Jerusalem from Egypt,
but it wasn’t possible for Solomon and her to easily be together in that
house (Song 3:4; 8:2). Again [as noted on Song 2:14,15] we have an
allusion to spiritual things, but out of context. Jeremiah on God's behalf
ran through the streets and squares of Jerusalem to search for men who
would love God in truth (Jer. 5:1). But she runs through the same streets
and squares looking to turn a man away from God.
The language here recalls Solomon's own warning in Proverbs 7
about the Gentile prostitute who will lead the Israelite male astray: "her
feet never stay at home;
now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks". She
also says that "I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon"- the very things used by the Shulamite
(Song 4:13,14).
Song of Solomon 3:3 The watchmen who go about the city found me; I asked, Have you
seen him whom my soul loves?-
Her difficulty with "the watchmen" [also in 5:7] and their anger with her is understandable if she was in the "house of the women", guarded within the harem- and yet had escaped from it to have a tryst with the king for whom she was being prepared. No wonder she was in conflict with the "daughters of Jerusalem" within the harem. They were being prepared as Esther was to sleep with the king and for him to decide whether they would become one of his queens, or be sent to the house of the concubines. But during the preparation period, she was sneaking out and sleeping with the king.
Constantly she fears the opposition of the people of Jerusalem. Later in this chapter she has another nightmare of Solomon's kingly bed prepared not for her but for the daughters of Jerusalem, and protected by Israelite soldiers. The implication would be that Solomon's marriages to Gentile women were not popular with Israel, and this contributed to the resentment against Solomon at the end of his life (1 Kings 12:11). We note that although she comes over as forward and manipulative, she seems to love Solomon from her "soul" (also in :4), although that love was based upon being in love with an image of a man rather than reality, and was totally based upon externalities.
Song of Solomon 3:4 I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul
loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into
my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me-
She repeats this in Song 8:2 "I would have lead you into my
mother's house". She expresses here her fantasy of getting Solomon to come
to Egypt with her. Even in the time of David, when the Edomites were subdued, Pharaoh
was very open to supporting the enemies of Israel: "Hadad found great
favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of
his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen" (1 Kings 11:18,19). This is why Solomon's
marriage to his daughter at the start of his reign, not so long after
Hadad's establishment in Egypt, was foolhardy. At best it put his wife in
an impossibly compromised position of conflicting loyalties, which we
sense beginning even during their romance as recorded in the Song of
Solomon. For there she so wishes that she and Solomon could live together
in Egypt, and decide wholeheartedly for the sake of their romance to be
Egyptians and live there in her homeland. Solomon had married Pharaoh's
daughter, and so Hadad may have ended up related to Solomon by marriage.
This would have put Solomon's wife in an impossible position of conflicted
loyalties. That may be one reason Solomon moved her out of the palace area
and built her a separate house. See further on 1 Kings 11:21 for Solomon's
unwisdom in marrying into Pharaoh's family at this time.
Again we have to note that this is her fantasy, her dream: "I would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house". And dreams do speak of our inner deepest psychological longings. She would only be happy if she caught him and brought him to her mother's house in Egypt. This was her dream. We recall how Isaac brings his wife Rebekah into his mother's tent to consummate the marriage (Gen. 24:67). She did indeed 'catch' him as Solomon himself admitted, he was caught by her beauty. The Hebrew means that she 'laid hold of him' and wouldn't let him go- exactly as the bad woman in Proverbs whom Solomon had written of. Now, writing up this Song, Solomon is perceiving that this is what had happened to him. Her subconscious desire was to bring him to her family home back in Egypt. This was going to be an impossible romance, because Solomon was king of Israel- and his lover had a fantasy to bring him to her family home down in Egypt. And so many relationships start with this impossible conflict of positions.
There is some historical evidence that in Egypt, discussions about marriage were held in the mother's house. Her deepest psychological positions, as reflected in this dream, were that she would get Solomon away from his mother, who had warned him against women like her in Prov. 31, and into the house of her and not his mother. She says she will not let him go. Perhaps despite the break up of the relationship at the end of the book, they did in fact marry, and Solomon laments that her hands were as bands (Ecc. 7:26) and his relationship with her was a being caught in a net.
She was the fulfilment of what Solomon had written at the same time in Prov. 7:27: "Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the rooms of death". Solomon's wisdom was given to him as a young man, and the book of Proverbs appears to be collections of the various statements of that wisdom. But about the same time, he also got involved with multiple Gentile women who led him astray from God and to idolatry. And now in later life Solomon is writing up the story- for we must keep reminding ourselves that he was the author of this book, now understanding what was going on in her mind and putting those thoughts into her dream which he now describes and imputes to her. The very warnings he gives against the adulteress and Gentile woman were ignored by him; he became the young man who went wrong with women. His girlfriend speaks in the very language of the Gentile woman of Proverbs: "I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house... into her chamber" (Song 3:4 AV). Compare this with "She caught him... come not near the door of her house... her house... the chambers of death" (Prov. 7:13,27; 5:8). We see here the warning for all time; that we can know God's ways in theory, whilst disobeying them in practice, absolutely to the letter. Indeed it may be so that the more we know them, the more strongly we are tempted by our nature to break them. As we mature spiritually, drawing ever closer to the Kingdom, the stakes as it were rise.
Yet Solomon was aware, at least theoretically, of the foolish path he was going down. God had inspired him with the wisdom of Prov. 2:16,17, which warned that wisdom would save a man from the Gentile woman who made a covenant with the God of Israel in her youth (in order to marry an Israelite, by implication), but soon forgot it. This was exactly the case of Solomon; yet he just couldn't see the personal relevance of his own wisdom to himself. Solomon could write of the folly of the ruler who oppressed the poor (Prov. 22:16)- and yet do just that very thing. The Proverbs so frequently refer to the dangers of the house of the Gentile woman; yet the Song shows the Egyptian girl dearly wishing that Solomon would come with her into her house. And Solomon, just like the foolish young man he wrote about, went right ahead down the road to spiritual disaster he so often warned others about. He warns the young man of the dangers of the Egyptian woman who perfumes her bed with myrrh (Prov. 7:16,17)- and then falls for just such a woman (Ps. 45:8). This woman he warns of appears to want to serve Yahweh, and presents herself in the very language of the tabernacle (Prov. 7:14,16,17). And yet Solomon goes and falls for just such a woman. One can only conclude that the more true spiritual knowledge we have, the more prone we are to do the very opposite.
Song of Solomon 3:5 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the hinds of
the field, that you not stir up, nor stimulate love, until he so desires-
An oath was typically taken in the name of God in Israel (Dt. 6:13;
Josh. 9:18; 2 Chron. 15:14). But again, this woman is portrayed as lacking
any spirituality or relationship with God. She seems terrified that the
daughters of Jerusalem would sexually attract Solomon, and this fear leads
to her further nightmare which follows. Yet it has been argued
that 'do not stir up love' means effectively “Do not disturb our
lovemaking”; hence TEV "Don't interrupt us now!".
Song of Solomon 3:6 Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of
smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the
merchant?-
Again the imagery of pillars of smoke coming from the desert towards
Jerusalem (:1) is the prophetic image for judgment coming. There is always
the hint that this relationship leads to condemnation. The spices brought
by merchants connect with the merchant trading of Solomon which resulted
in these things being brought to him. Clearly this is Solomon in all his
God given glory.
The Hebrew is 'Whose [feminine, 'for whom'] is this...?', enquiring for whom is this carriage paved with love. The speaker here could be the daughters of Jerusalem or a narrator. The language of perfume confirms that a female figure is in view, emerging from the desert. The spices or "powders of the merchant" speaks of the women in the harem who had been prepared with powders. It is... another woman, or in fact women, who are coming to marry Solomon. I suggest these words are the teasing of the daughters of Jerusalem. It is part of the beloved's dream, or nightmare. She dreams that she sees Solomon's marriage procession... but not for her, but, for the daughters of Jerusalem. This was her deepest fear, expressed in her dream, that actually Solomon would marry other women. Yet in chapter 1 we read of her fully acceptant, so she thinks, that she is going to be one of a number of wives. But her deepest fear is now revealed as being that he would marry other women.
Solomon's procession is described as approaching from a distance, initially just dust clouds on the horizon, with premonitions of danger- thanks to the mention of the soldiers guarding it. But getting closer the details become apparent. And the description climaxes in the statement that the marriage litter is paved with love... for... the daughters of Jerusalem! The whole scene speaks of how the Shulamite progressively comes to understand that Solomon is in fact also in love with the daughters of Jerusalem and will marry them too. Only in Song 8 do we see the Shulamite facing reality and walking out of the relationship, with the daughters of Jerusalem jeering her. They jeer her with the same question “Who is this coming up from the wilderness?” (Song 8:5).
Song of Solomon 3:7 Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage! Sixty mighty men are
around it, of the mighty men of Israel-
AV "Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s!". She knows his bed, she has slept
with him on it... and here, in her nightmare and the kaleidoscope of
images which dreams have, she sees it again... protected by the harem
guards, prepared for other women. "Carriage" is also "bed". She has been having a secret open air tryst
with Solomon on a bed made from leaves under a bower of tree branches. And
now she sees with some shock (:6,7) a kingly bed coming toward her... but
not for her to sleep with him in. It is for the daughters of Jerusalem
(:10)! This continues her vision of fear which she has on her bed at night
(:1). The relationship is full of such distrust and fear that the
daughters of Jerusalem will finally get Solomon, and she will not.
Song of Solomon 3:8 They all handle the sword, and are expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh, because of fear in the night-
This nightmare (:1) of Solomon's bed advancing as a carriage [hence
the confusion in the translations between "bed" and "carriage"] was
guarded by Israel's best soldiers. They feared something might happen at
night; and at night she had slept with Solomon and they had parted from
each other at dawn (Song 2:17). Her nightmare reflects her deepest fears;
that the men of Israel were against her relationship with Solomon, and
fiercely guarded his kingly bed for the daughters of Jerusalem, and
intended to keep her away from it. These men are another form of the night
watchmen patrolling Jerusalem at night, whom she imagines had caught her.
Dreams are a kaleidoscope of images. She has just dreamt of the watchmen around the harem walls catching her (:3). And now she sees them guarding Solomon's bed and the women he is going to marry in this wedding. The whole thing is a dreamscape, constructed by Solomon the author, as an insight into the mind of his ex. And he was likely not far wrong.
Song of Solomon 3:9 King Solomon made himself a carriage of the wood of
Lebanon-
"Carriage" can also be "bed" as AV. The Egyptian word here used
suggests that Solomon really had a relationship with this woman and spoke
to her in terms she understood. This failed, illicit romance really
happened. For these are the thoughts of the girl in her nightmare (:1).
Solomon "made himself" many things (Ecc. 2:4-8). That he had made his own
wedding bed is therefore unsurprising. The Shulamite had earlier
fantasized of Solomon building a house for her from the wood of Lebanon
(Song 1:16). Now she realizes, with shock ['Who is this coming to a
wedding... it's Solomon!'], that he had built something of wood from
Lebanon for her rivals, the daughters of Jerusalem.
Song of Solomon 3:10 He made its pillars of silver, its bottom of gold,
its seat of purple, its midst being paved with love-
Typical of dreams, she sees the bed-in-a-carriage in great detail.
"Bottom" can be "canopy", and "seat" can be "cushions"; the silver pillars
hold up a canopy over the bed. Solomon's half brother Absalom had slept
with David's wives beneath such a canopy, and so the Shulamite in her
nightmare is imagining Solomon being prepared for sex with the women he is
marrying, in a public way. "He made..." pillars with silver, gold and purple recalls the
language of how Solomon made the temple (1 Kings 7:6-8). He admits in Ecc.
2 that he loved making things. His apparent zeal for building the
temple was really just an expression of his own native temperament and
character type, rather than particular love for God's work. And we must
analyze our own service of God to see if we aren't doing the same thing,
just serving Him in ways which are convenient and reinforce our own native
personality type. Such service is not the service of sacrifice and
carrying a cross which is required.
The bed is described in the language of the tabernacle; made of wood, but covered with gold and surrounded by silver pillars, with a mercy seat of purple (3:9,10 Heb.). He persuaded himself that his marriage to this woman was some kind of expression of spirituality. The bed was made from cedar brought from Lebanon- and yet the same wood was used for the temple (Song 3:9). Such was his dualism. The Song is shot through with allusion to the Law and tabernacle rituals; he speaks of making her borders on her clothes (Song 1:11), probably alluding to the borders of blue to be worn by the faithful Israelite. Solomon wanted her to be a spiritual woman, and he was going to make her one; many a preacher, teacher, husband, wife, father, mother, child, boyfriend has had to learn the impossibility of this. He wanted to see her as a spiritual woman, and eventually he became persuaded that she was just this.
For the daughters of Jerusalem-
The plural "daughters" would suggest Solomon's wedding was in
fact to several women at once. Those accepted as "wives" would have been
married a few at a time and that is what's described here.
I suggested on :7 that this is a nightmare she has on her bed (:1),
having slept with Solomon on a bed of leaves in the open air. Now
she
imagines him having made a luxurious bed... but not for her. For the
daughters of Jerusalem, her rivals! There is always the tension with the
daughters of Jerusalem, who can be understood as Solomon’s Jewish wives,
or those who were his Jewish harem. In Song 2 she wants to bring him into
her mother’s bedroom in Egypt, but this is contrasted in the next Song
with Solomon’s bed in Jerusalem, prepared for the “daughters of Jerusalem”
(3:4,10) whom he should have married. Then, with this bed in the
background, he tells her how he especially loves
her
(Song 4:1), trying to persuade her that her fears have no basis in
reality.
Song of Solomon 3:11 Go forth, you daughters of Zion, and see king Solomon, with the
crown with which his mother has crowned him in the day of his weddings, in
the day of the gladness of his heart-
In Prov. 31 Bathsheba lays the law down with him about his girlfriends,
about not marrying Gentiles, and about not drinking, yet here we see
Bathsheba with all her motherly pride crowning Solomon on the day of
engagement to his wives. Note the plural "weddings". Like David,
Bathsheba taught Solomon the principles with great enthusiasm, but
she allowed parental pride to make her dismiss the possibility
that her son was seriously going astray. But
in this nightmare, the
Egyptian girl imagines Bathsheba approving Solomon's marriages to the
daughters of Zion / Jerusalem
Or perhaps here we have the girl sarcastically commenting to the
Jerusalem girls: “Go forth, O you daughters of Jerusalem, and behold king
Solomon”, and goes on to mock the crown his mother Bathsheba had made for
him, wishing instead that he would be under the influence of
her mother (Song 3:11,4). Her
sarcasm turns to angry defence at times, e.g. when she warns the Jerusalem
girls not to stir up “my love” (Song of Solomon 2:7)- i.e. ‘Hands off my
Solomon!’. In turn, they ask her where Solomon has “turned aside” so that
they can come and seek him with her (Song of Solomon 6:1), using a word
elsewhere associated with ‘turning aside’ in apostasy to other gods. They
in their turn sarcastically comment to her: “Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women… that we may seek him with thee?” (Song of
Solomon 6:1), quoting Solomon’s terms of endearment back to her.
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