Mount Carmel, where Elijah's fire consumed the sacrifice, becomes the metaphor for the beloved's majestic head, transforming Israel's most sacred mountain into intimate poetry.
Song of Solomon 7
Praise of the Shulammite's Form
1How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince’s daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.
2Your body is like a round goblet, no mixed wine is wanting. Your waist is like a heap of wheat, set about with lilies.
3Your two breasts are like two fawns, that are twins of a roe.
4Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.
5Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.
6How beautiful and how pleasant you are, love, for delights!
7This, your stature, is like a palm tree, your breasts like its fruit.
8I said, “I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit.” Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the smell of your breath like apples.
9Your mouth is like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep. Beloved
The Bride's Invitation to the Countryside
10I am my beloved’s. His desire is toward me.
11Come, my beloved! Let’s go out into the field. Let’s lodge in the villages.
12Let’s go early up to the vineyards. Let’s see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.
13The mandrakes produce fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.
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Theme
Song of Solomon 7 presents the lover's elaborate praise of the Shulammite's physical beauty, using vivid metaphors drawn from nature and architecture to describe her form from feet to head. The woman responds by affirming their mutual love and inviting her beloved to join her in the countryside where they can celebrate their relationship amid the beauty of spring. This chapter represents one of the most intimate exchanges in the Song, emphasizing both physical attraction and the desire for shared experiences in love.
Context
This chapter follows the dramatic reunion in chapter 6 and continues the pattern of alternating voices expressing love and desire that characterizes the latter portion of the Song.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-5 Praise of Physical Beauty The lover describes the Shulammite's body using elaborate metaphors from nature and architecture.
- 6-9 Expressions of Desire The lover declares his attraction and desire, comparing her to a palm tree he wishes to climb.
- 10 Mutual Belonging The Shulammite affirms their reciprocal love and devotion.
- 11-13 Invitation to the Countryside She invites her beloved to join her in the fields and vineyards to celebrate their love together.
Praise of the Shulammite's Form
7:1–7:9 poetry speech tender
The beloved gives an elaborate praise of the Shulammite's physical form from feet to head, using vivid imagery of jewels, wine, wheat, and fruit trees.
geographic
Mount Carmel, where Elijah's fire consumed the sacrifice, becomes the metaphor for the beloved's majestic head, transforming Israel's most sacred mountain into intimate poetry.
The Bride's Invitation to the Countryside
7:10–7:13 poetry speech joyful
The bride invites her beloved to come away with her to the countryside to enjoy nature's beauty and share intimate love together.
structural
The bride's agricultural imagery—budding vines, blossoming flowers, ripening pomegranates—creates a sensual parallel between nature's fertility cycle and human intimacy, reversing traditional male pursuit dynamics as she becomes the active initiator.
Insights
The bride's agricultural imagery—budding vines, blossoming flowers, ripening pomegranates—creates a sensual parallel between nature's fertility cycle and human intimacy, reversing traditional male pursuit dynamics as she becomes the active initiator.
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter
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