Song of Solomon · chapter 1 of 8
Updated on
Song of Solomon 1 opens the love poem whose title is the Song of Songs, the best of songs. The woman longs for her beloved's kisses, describes herself as dark but lovely and asks where he pastures his flock; the man answers with praise, and the two admire each other on a couch surrounded by nature.
The Song of Solomon is a love poem between a man and a woman, made up of a series of songs and dialogues. Its title, the Song of Songs, means the best of songs, and the text is attributed to Solomon. The first chapter introduces the characters: the woman, who is the main voice, the man, and a chorus of women of Jerusalem who sometimes respond.
The title presents the poem as the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's (v. 1). The woman begins by longing for her beloved: let him kiss her with the kisses of his mouth, for his love is better than wine; his name is like perfume poured out, and that is why the young women love him. She asks him to draw her after him and let them run; the king has brought her into his chambers, and the women of Jerusalem celebrate her love (vv. 2-4).
The woman speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem and tells them she is dark but lovely, like the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon, and asks them not to look down on her for the sun, since her brothers were angry with her and made her keeper of the vineyards, and she has not kept her own vineyard (vv. 5-6). Then she asks her beloved where he pastures his flock and where he makes it lie down at noon, so that she need not wander beside the flocks of his companions (v. 7). The women of Jerusalem suggest that she follow the tracks of the flock and pasture her young goats by the shepherds' tents (v. 8).
The man answers with a series of compliments: he compares her to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots and praises her cheeks with their ornaments and her neck with its strings of jewels (vv. 9-11). The woman, while the king is on his couch, says her nard gives forth its fragrance, and that her beloved is to her a bundle of myrrh lying between her breasts and a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En-gedi (vv. 12-14). He says she is beautiful and that her eyes are doves (v. 15). She answers that he is beautiful and pleasant, that their couch is green and that the beams of their house are cedar and its rafters pine (vv. 16-17).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The woman wants her beloved's kisses and declares that his love is better than wine. The poem begins with desire, without circumlocution, and presents human love as a gift that gladdens, something the Bible neither hides nor is ashamed of.
She presents herself as dark but lovely, like the tents of Kedar. She does not apologize for skin weathered by the sun: she affirms her beauty and worth, and the poem accepts her appearance naturally.
The woman asks where he pastures his flock and where he makes it rest at noon. Her question shows her desire to be with her beloved and describes a love that seeks the presence of the one it loves.
He tells her she is beautiful, with eyes like doves, and she answers that he is beautiful and pleasant. The love of the poem is mutual: each praises the other, and shared admiration is a central trait of a healthy marriage.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. — Song of Solomon 1:1
Answer: Better than wine. — Song of Solomon 1:2
Answer: Dark but lovely, like the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon. — Song of Solomon 1:5
Answer: To tell her where he pastures his flock and where he makes it lie down at noon. — Song of Solomon 1:7
Answer: A mare among Pharaoh's chariots. — Song of Solomon 1:9
Answer: They are like doves. — Song of Solomon 1:15
Song of Solomon 1 reminds us that the Bible speaks beautifully and without shame about love between a man and a woman. In a youth group or a couples group you can talk about how the church speaks of this topic, and whether there is room to celebrate love as a gift from God within marriage.
The woman also teaches us to accept ourselves without shame, and the couple shows that sincere praise is a way of caring for the relationship. A practical question: when was the last time we told someone we love something good about them?
Song of Solomon 1 introduces the lovers and their mutual longing in a setting of countryside and palace. Chapter 2 continues with the image of the rose of Sharon, the lily among thorns and the invitation to come away when spring arrives.
The most direct reading takes it as a poem about human love between a man and a woman, a gift of God within marriage. Since ancient times many Jewish and Christian interpreters have also read it as a picture of God's love for his people or of Christ's love for the church. Both readings aim to honor the text; it is wise not to force every detail into an allegory.
She is the woman who speaks of herself. The text says her skin is darkened by the sun because her brothers made her keep the vineyards. What matters is that she affirms her beauty and the esteem of her beloved, not skin color in itself.