Read | Song of Songs 1:1–2:7
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Woman
Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your caresses are more delightful than wine.
The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating;
your name is perfume poured out.
No wonder young women adore you.
Take me with you—let’s hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers.
Young Women
We will rejoice and be glad in you;
we will celebrate your caresses more than wine.
Woman
It is only right that they adore you.
Daughters of Jerusalem,
I am dark like the tents of Kedar,
yet lovely like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me take care of the vineyards.
I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
Tell me, you whom I love:
Where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you let them rest at noon?
Why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?
Man
If you do not know,
most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.
I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry,
your neck with its necklace.
We will make gold jewelry for you,
accented with silver.
Woman
While the king is on his couch,
my perfume releases its fragrance.
The one I love is a sachet of myrrh to me,
spending the night between my breasts.
The one I love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me,
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
Man
How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
Woman
How handsome you are, my love.
How delightful!
Our bed is verdant;
the beams of our house are cedars,
and our rafters are cypresses.
I am a wildflower of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
Man
Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
Woman
Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banquet hall,
and he looked on me with love.
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,
for I am lovesick.
May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.
Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
Why do you think this Hebrew love poetry, that at times feels too scandalous for church, is in the Bible?
Focus & Pray
Art is a beautiful expression of God’s gift to us and can help us imagine, visualize, and better understand Scripture. View this work of art, titled Last Song, connected to Sunday’s sermon passage.
Observe what you see in the image, from colors to composition to recognizable elements, without trying to understand what it is supposed to mean. Then read about the work, using these details to help you interpret the work of art. Ask God what he might be saying through the image, and listen for his insight in your thoughts and feelings, then take a moment to respond through prayer to what God showed you in this image.
Commentary:
Aharon April was an Israeli artist who was born into the turmoil of World War II in Russia. He spent several periods of his life exiled in Siberia due to antisemitism, and eventually he emigrated to Jerusalem in 1972. April was an accomplished visual artist who mastered many mediums.
He returned to the Song of Songs throughout his career, calling the poetry “an inexhaustible source of inspiration.” According to his website, “these…deep visual ponderings about life and love…invite the observer to discover their own profound associations within the Old Testament imagery presented on canvas.”
Last Song is lush and vibrant with color, and the central female figure reclines amid garden–like shapes that are blurred but not muddied as they blend together. The result is much like the poetry of the book that inspired it: rich, sensual, and full of mystery. The longer you look at it, the more beauty it reveals.
Art Source: Last Song, Aharon April, 2005. Wikimedia commons, used by permission. aprilaharon.com
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.