How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman's hands.He goes on to praise the beauty of her body in every detail.

1. CHAPTER 7 SONG OF SONGS
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
This is the most erotic chapter of the Song, and to bring that out I will be
quoting those who consider the male lover to be Solomon as well as those who
think it is the shepherd lover. The point is not to prove who is speaking, but to
point out the validity of erotic passion as a part of God's plan for the happiness
of lovers. In other words, sex is good, and God loves for us to enjoy it to the full
with our committed sexual partner. An unknown author has put together what
is considered by many to be the sexual allusions all through this song, and I have
put them at the end of this chapter in Appendix A.
1 How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's
daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the
work of a craftsman's hands.
1. We begin here at the bottom of this lovely young lady, and work our way up her
body praising every aspect of her anatomy. Very few things are left out of this visual
trip up from her feet to her head. Scholars debate some parts, and there is both a
liberal and conservative perspective as to how personal and delicate this description
gets.
2. We would say in our day that she is a ten for sure, but John Karmelich points out
just how relevant the ten was even in that day. He wrote, “ In this section, Solomon
specifically gives her ten compliments. In Hebrew numerology (study of patterns of
numbers in the Bible) the number “ten” is associated with perfection in the human-state.
We discussed a few weeks back how the number “seven” is associated with
perfection from God’s perspective. The world was created in six days and God
rested on the seventh. Thus, “seven” is a model of perfection from God’s
perspective. The number ten in the Bible is associated with human perfection. I
believe that is why God gave us ten fingers and toes. Almost all cultures base their
numbering system on a “zero to ten” basis. In the creation account in Genesis
Chapter 1, the Bible says “And God said” ten times. It is associated with His
creation. There are also the Ten Commandments. In a Jewish thought, ten is
associated with human perfection. The point of all of this is for Solomon to pay her
“10 compliments” is an expression in Hebrew Poetry of saying “you are a perfect
creation.” Solomon saw her in perfect beauty, with no faults at all. The last thing to
notice about the compliments is that Solomon goes from “feet to head”. He is
working his way up the body. Remember that she is dancing for him, so

2. complimenting her footwork is a good place to start."
3. He is both a foot and a leg man as he examines her body swaying back and forth
in her graceful dance, and it is obvious in light of coming descriptions that she is
nearly, if not totally naked. She is performing an exotic dance for her lover, and he
is labeling each of her beauty spots. His criticism is conspicuous by its absence, for
he find everything about her deliciously beautiful. One commentator points out
some interesting details: "In the sixth chapter the bridegroom praises the
Shulamite, as we might express it, from head to foot. Here he begins a new
description, taking her from foot to head. The shoes, sandals, or slippers of the
Eastern ladies are most beautifully formed, and richly embroidered. The majestic
walk of a beautiful woman in such shoes is peculiarly grand. And to show that such
a walk is intended, he calls her a prince's daughter.
4. Rabbi Adin Stensaltz, "All that takes place in the poem has its setting in a
background that is both real and imaginary: Lebanon and Amana, Ein Gedi and
Jerusalem. None of the places mentioned in the Song of Songs seems to need any
verifiability as a specific place. The locations, the trees, and the plants do not carry
the authenticity of specific objects in time and space; they seem more like legend or
dream fragments. Even though the poem does not speak of anything that is not of
this world, neither mythical beasts nor celestial creatures, and everything appears to
be quite real and earthy, there are, nevertheless, features like the vineyard and the
apple tree, the daughters of Jerusalem and the little foxes, and even the watchers of
the walls and money for the vineyard, all of which become the elements of a dream
world. Moreover, all of these seem to be no more than the setting for the dance;
they provide a mirage-like background for that which is the only genuine reality,
the two lovers and their dance."
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks
blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
1. A bare navel of a female will tend to draw a man's attention, but seldom will a
man compliment the navel like this lover does. The erotic level has just jumped into
high gear, for you cannot talk to a woman about her navel and pretend you do not
want to kiss it. S. Craig Glickman in A Song For Lovers says, “Wine and wheat
were the basic foods of any meal. His joining of these two images in his praise of her
stomach must mean that her stomach is like a wonderful feast to him. And it is
implicit in his praise that he would kiss her warm stomach as later he expresses the
explicit desire to kiss her breasts. It is all a part of lovemaking, and God does not
stutter to describe it.”
2. Dillow sees her dancing with little or no clothing on as part of their love play. He
is being sexually aroused as she does so. The word navel is used for modesty, but the

3. Hebrew word is generally translated today as vulva. Her body was a feast that he
got great pleasure in devouring. Alexander Pope declared "The proper study of
mankind is man," but Covertry Patmore revised this famous statement and said,
"No, The proper study of mankind is woman," This was the conviction of the
shepherd lover at this point.
3.When you begin to focus on the navel of a female you are focusing on the erotic,
but there is no end to the ways men have refused to admit this. It is one of the
reasons that the analogy theories become a laughingstock because of the refusal to
see what is before their eyes. Richard T. Ritenbaugh wrote, " One Jew said that the
description in chapter 7 of the Shulamite by the Beloved (which starts at the feet
and goes through to the head and describes about everything in between) is a
geographical reference to the Holy Land, that her feet are the southern border of
Israel. The toes were dripping in the Red Sea, and her knees were this and that. Her
navel was Jerusalem, because it is right in the center, and that her breasts are
Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It really got ridiculous." Rather than admit that a
beautiful female body is being described here, he, and many others, come up with
crazy stuff like this.
4. John Karmelich wrote, “Many of the commentators believe that “navel” is a bad
translation. Many believe the word actually refers to the genitals. Notice that
Solomon goes from feet to thighs/legs to navel to waist in the first two verses. The
navel is out of order if he is working his way up the body. That is why some believe
the Hebrew word refers to the genitals. The “goblet that never lacks blended wine”
can be interpreted as having sexual references to the joy of contact with the genital
area. Others commentators say that navel is the correct word. She is probably
dancing with some sort of eastern style “lingerie”. Visualize some of the classic
movies where the women do the “dance of the seven veils”. The navel is often
exposed. Wine in the Bible is associated with joy. In biblical weddings, wine is
present. It is a word-picture of ultimate joy. To paraphrase, Solomon is saying the
beauty of her navel (or genital areas) brings me joy to behold.
5. Net Bible, "The comparison of her navel to a “round mixing bowl” is visually
appropriate in that both are round and receding. The primary point of comparison
to the round bowl is one of sense, as the following clause makes clear: “may it never
lack mixed wine.” J. S. Deere suggests that the point of comparison is that of taste,
desirability, and function. More specifically, it probably refers to the source of
intoxication, that is, just as a bowl used to mix wine was the source of physical
intoxication, so she was the source of his sexual intoxication. She intoxicated
Solomon with her love in the same way that wine intoxicates a person." "The
comparison of a wife’s sexual love to intoxicating wine is common in ancient Near
Eastern love literature. Parallel in thought are the words of the Hebrew sage, “May
your fountain be blessed and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving
doe, a graceful deer – may her love (or breasts) always intoxicate you, may you ever
stagger like a drunkard in her love” (Prov 5:18-19)."
6. At this point Karmelich warns men not to try this at home, at least not without
modifications of the language. The second part describes your waist as a “mound of

4. wheat encircled by lilies.” “Oh honey, your waistline looks like a pile of wheat with
flowers all around it”. Guaranteed guys, that would make your woman stop dancing
on the spot as she says, “Huh?, what do you mean by that?” Remember this is a
farm girl. Solomon is using vocabulary she can understand. The application in our
compliments is to use love-language that our spouses can comprehend. Compare
your spouse to things that they find beautiful. The mound of wheat refers to refined
wheat. This is where the wheat is already harvested and the chaff is
separated. That mound is very soft at this point. That material was often used for
pillows. So here is this pile of soft wheat surrounded with lilies for embellishment.
The point is although we may not think of this as being attractive, this picture
worked for this culture and time era.”
7. Net Bible, "The comparison of her belly to a heap of wheat is visually appropriate
because of the similarity of their symmetrical shape and tannish color. The primary
point of comparison, however, is based upon the commonplace association of wheat
in Israel, namely, wheat was the main staple of the typical Israelite meal (Deut
32:14; 2 Sam 4:6; 17:28; 1 Kgs 5:25; Pss 81:14; 147:14). Just as wheat satisfied an
Israelite’s physical hunger, she satisfied his sexual hunger. J. S. Deere makes this
point in the following manner: “The most obvious commonplace of wheat was its
function, that is, it served as one of the main food sources in ancient Palestine. The
Beloved was both the ‘food’ (wheat) and ‘drink’ (wine) of the Lover. Her physical
expression of love nourished and satisfied him. His satisfaction was great for the
‘mixed wine’ is intoxicating and the ‘heap of wheat’ was capable of feeding many.
The ‘heap of wheat’ also suggests the harvest, an association which contributes to
the emotional quality of the metaphor. The harvest was accompanied with a joyous
celebration over the bounty yielded up by the land. So also, the Beloved is bountiful
and submissive in giving of herself, and the source of great joy”
3 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a
gazelle.
1. Glickman says the baby deer is an animal people love to pet because they are so
soft and gentle, and so often a part of a petting zoo. So he is saying here that he
longs to caress her soft and tender breasts. Men are infatuated with breasts, and
they are one of the main erotic points on a woman that draws their attention. It is
obviously designed by God to be this way. If a man is not satisfied with a woman's
breasts, he will probably not desire her to be his wife. Here is a man who has to
doubts about what he is seeing, and he wants her. You could read this as lust, but
the whole story makes it clear that we are dealing with love and not just lust, even
though there is lust, or strong desire, in love.
2. Breasts is a touchy word for many people in our culture, while in other cultures
they do not even bother to cover them. We all see them, and we all know that they
are used to catch the eyes of men, and are a part of the world of seduction. Yet,
there are still those who would rather use the word chest, and not utter the word

5. breasts. They would prefer the revised Joyce Kilmer's poem that goes like this:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; substitute "chest" (a lucky rhyme)
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain; substitute "shoulders"
Who intimately lives with rain. substitute "lives side-by-side"
Poems are made by fools like me, substitute "folks" (we can’t admit this)
But only God can make a tree.
3. If you prefer to stick with the original, then you will also not want to cut out or
revise verses 7 and 8 where the male lover is going to climb her tree and grab her
breasts like he would grab a cluster of grapes. The point I am making here is that
you either accept the reality of the role of breasts in life and romance, or you shut
your mind to something that God created for our sensual pleasure, and pretend they
don't exist. Breasts occur 25 times in the Bible, and one forth of them are right here
in the closing two chapters of this Song.
Song of Solomon 1:13 My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my
breasts.
Song of Solomon 4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a
gazelle that browse among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 7:3 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
Song of Solomon 7:7 Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like
clusters of fruit.
Song of Solomon 7:8 I said, "I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit."
May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like
apples,
Song of Solomon 8:1 If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my
mother's breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would
despise me.

6. Song of Solomon 8:8 [ Friends ] We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet
grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?
Song of Solomon 8:10 [ Beloved ] I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I
have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.
In other books of the Bible we have these 8 interesting verses:
Proverbs 5:19 A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love.
Isaiah 60:16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then
you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One
of Jacob.
Isaiah 66:11 For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will
drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance."
Lamentations 4:3 Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my
people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert.
Ezekiel 16:7 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed
and became the most beautiful of jewels. [ Or became mature ] Your breasts were
formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.
Ezekiel 23:3 They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their
youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.
Ezekiel 23:21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your
bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. [ Syriac (see also verse 3
Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts ]
Hosea 2:2 [ Israel Punished and Restored ] "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for
she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look
from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
4. If you have read through this list, it should be evident to you that God is not shy
about using the word breast. It is a part of his clear revelation, and there is no
reason why we cannot feel free to talk of the female breast. We also need to
recognize that poetry is a form of art, and in art we have expressions of beauty that
outside of art can be crude and in poor taste, but in art they are true expressions of
beauty. Take Michelangelo's statue of David as an example. Is it truly such a
masterpiece of beauty, or is it just a man with his pants off? We can see his private
parts, and yet this statue is put up all over the world in parks and other public
places for all the world to see. If you put up a statue of any other man with his
privates uncovered it would be a disgrace. Why this difference? It is because a work
of art is designed to produce beauty, and nudity is beautiful. Nudity that is
displayed just to create lust is not art, but pornography. So much of the classic
masterpiece of Christian art have nudity in them, and yet they are considered

7. magnificent works of art. That is the way we need to see this Song. It is a masterful
verbal work of art that conveys the awesome beauty of romantic love, and nudity of
the body plays an important role in that beauty. To reject this and try to cover it up
is to reject one of God's greatest gifts to mankind, and it is as foolish as trying to put
clothes on David's statue, and all the many other nudes in Christian art.
5. Rodney Clapp in 1984 Christianity Today Magazine wrote, "... romantic love is
no joke in our culture. It is the linchpin of a multibillion-dollar advertising industry,
the subject of innumerable movies, novels, and television shows, and the personal
preoccupation of millions of people on any given day. Christians agree with the
cultural consensus of much of the West that romantic love is a desirable base for
marriage. Parents do not arrange marriage. Instead, young adults socialize, then
pair off in dates or what could be called little experimental romances. Sober and
rational counseling may come after a couple has fallen in love and decided to marry,
but we mostly agree that it would be a shame for a couple to get married if they had
not first fallen in love." One of the signs of true love is the appreciation of the
physical appearance of the one loved.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are
the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking
toward Damascus.
1. Her long white neck was a turn on, and he admired it immensely. The Net Bible
comments, " Solomon had previously compared her neck to a tower (Song 4:4). In
both cases the most obvious point of comparison has to do with size and shape, that
is, her neck was long and symmetrical. Archaeology has never found a tower
overlaid with ivory in the ancient Near East and it is doubtful that there ever was
such a tower. The point of comparison might simply be that the shape of her neck
looks like a tower, while the color and smoothness of her neck was like ivory.
Solomon is mixing metaphors: her neck was long and symmetrical like a tower; but
also elegant, smooth, and beautiful as ivory. The beauty, elegance, and smoothness
of a woman’s neck is commonly compared to ivory in ancient love literature. For
example, in a piece of Greek love literature, Anacron compared the beauty of the
neck of his beloved Bathyllus to ivory (Ode xxxix 28-29)."
2. Her eyes were like beautiful calm pools of water that reflected from their serene
surface the beauty all around them.The Net Bible says, "The fish-pools in Heshbon -
Clear, bright, and serene. These must have been very beautiful to have been
introduced here in comparison. These two fountains appear to have been situated at
the gate that led from Heshbon to Rabba, or Rabboth Ammon. There is a propriety
in this metaphor, because fountains are considered to be the eyes of the earth."
3. Her nose is like another tower, and not just a general tower like that of her neck,

8. but the specific tower of Lebanon, which these two have seen, and with which they
have been impressed. It would be meaningless to be so specific had she never seen
the place he refers to.
4. The nose thing is hard to grasp, and most parents hope their son never brings
home a girl with this, bigger than Jimmy Durante's, size nose. Even the little
wooden guy with a pack of lies could not produce so long an appendage. Here is a
nose that towers over any other, but, we know that size is not the issue here. This is
a compliment and not a mockery of her nose. The fact is, however, that if she did
look very strange to mom and dad, that would not be a reason to dismiss her as unfit
to be the bride of their son. People have different tastes in just about everything,
and that includes noses. You see couples all the time that seem mismatched, and you
say to yourself, "I don't know what she sees in him.", or, "I can't see what attracted
her to him." Someone wrote, "Parents frequently cannot understand how sons fall
in love with ordinary Janes, or daughters with workaholics. Friends are baffled
when someone they care about falls in love with a freeloader, even a criminal. The
parents and friends are looking rationally, but only rationally. They see how
ordinary our lover is, or how flawed she is. When I am in love, though, I see
something different. In the words of an old George and Ira Gershwin song, "She
may not be the girl some men think of as pretty, but to my heart she carries the
key." I see not how ordinary or how worthless she is, but how extraordinary and
priceless she really is. This, of course, accords with the Christian faith. To God, no
woman or man is worthless or ordinary."
5. The same unknown author wrote, "As a personal friend of C. S. Lewis and J. R.
R. Tolkien, Charles Williams was among those Oxford Christians we know as the
Inklings. He had a slight build and was, according to Lewis, "ugly as a
chimpanzee." His hands, due to a mild nervous affliction, trembled enough that a
barber had to shave him. Despite Williams's appearance, Lewis wrote, "he
emanates more love than any man I have ever known," and talked in such a way
"that he is transfigured and looks like an angel." Lewis observed that "women find
him so attractive that if he were a bad man he could do what he liked either as a
Don Juan or a charlatan." The point of all this is that physical beauty is not always
the key element in love, for there are beautiful people who are not attractive. They
may have literal large noses, but they are beautiful to those who love them, for
beauty is in the eye of the beholder of those who are filled with love.
6. The eyes play a major role in many love songs of our day. Women do not wear
vails over their heads to cover all but their eyes, making them stand out, as was the
case in Bible days, but the eyes still make a big impression. For example"
Almost Paradise by Ann Wilson & Mike Reno
I thought that dreams belonged to other men
'Cause each time I got close
They'd fall apart again

9. I feared my heart would beat in secrecy
I faced the nights alone
Oh, how could I have known
That all my life I only needed you?
Whoa
Almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door
Almost paradise
How could we ask for more?
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise
It seems like perfect love's so hard to find
I'd almost given up
You must have read my mind
And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day
They're finally coming true
I'll share them all with you
'Cause now we hold the future in our hands
Whoa
Almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door
Almost paradise

10. How could we ask for more?
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise.
7. These first 4 verses are translated by the Bloch's like this:
(7.1) Again, o Shulamite,
dance again,
that we may watch you dancing!
(7.2) Why do you gaze at the Shulamite
as she whirls
down the rows of dancers?
O noblemans daughter
The gold of your thigh
shaped by a master craftsman
(7.3) Your navel is the moon's
bright drinking cup
may it brim with wine!
(7.4) Your belly is mound of wheat
edged with lilies
your breasts are two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.

11. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held
captive by its tresses.
1. The gaze of the lover has reached the top of her head, and to him she is truly a
queen, for he sees her head as a crown. She does not wear a crown, for her whole
head is a crown. It is the pinneacle of perfection, and it is like the beauty of Mt.
Carmel that is the crown of the beauty all around us. He is not saying she has a big
head of mountain size proportions, but that her head is an awesome sight to gaze on,
just as it is to gaze on Mt. Carmel.
2. John Karmelich wrote, “If one takes a tour of Israel, a common stop is up to Mt.
Carmel. From there, one looks down on the town of Hafia. It is one of the most
picturesque scenes in all of Israel. Mt. Carmel stands out in majesty over this
landscape. The word-picture created here is a picture of the head as it stands over a
beautiful setting...... Let me try to give a modern paraphrase, “Honey I love to look
at you. Your head stands out like a crowning achievement over a work of beauty."
3. Net Bible, "The point of the comparison is that her head crowns her body just as
the majestic Mount Carmel rested over the landscape, rising above it in majestic
and fertile beauty."
4. “The “hair” reference literally translates to a “royal-purple” color. I don’t believe
she dyed her hair purple. It may be a reference to a veil. It may also be a reference
to the sun or light shining on very black hair that reveals a purple-like color. I
believe the purple reference is a word-picture of royalty. The same way Solomon
called her a “princess’ daughter” a few verses back is similar to this reference. In
his love for her, he doesn’t see her as a simple farm girl, but as the beautiful
princess bride for a prince.” "The term (dallah, “locks, hair”) refers to dangling
curls or loose hair that hangs down from one’s head.
5. Clarke, “The hair of thine head like purple - Ornamented with ribbons and
jewellery of this tint.
6. Net Bible says about his being captivated by her hair: "The passive participle
means “to be bound, held captive, imprisoned” (2 Sam 3:34; Jer 40:1; Job 36:8).
Like a prisoner bound in cords and fetters and held under the complete control and
authority of his captor, Solomon was captivated by the spellbinding power of her
hair. In a word, he was the prisoner of love and she was his captor. Similar imagery
appears in an ancient Egyptian love song: “With her hair she throws lassoes at me,
with her eyes she catches me, with her necklace she entangles me, and with her seal
ring she brands me” (Song 43 in the Chester Beatty Cycle, translated by W. K.
Simpson, ed., The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 324). J. S. Deere suggests, “The
concluding part of the metaphor, ‘The king is held captive by your tresses,’ is a
beautiful expression of the powerful effect of love. A strong monarch was held
prisoner by the beauty of his Beloved” (“Song of Solomon,” BKCOT, 206-207). This
is a startling statement because Solomon emphasizes that the one who was being
held captive like a prisoner in bonds was the “king”! At this point in world history,

12. Solomon was the ruler of the most powerful and wealthy nation in the world (1 Kgs
3:13; 10:23-29). And yet he was held totally captive and subject to the beauty of this
country maiden!"
7. An unknown poet wrote,
Black is the color of my true love's hair
Her lips are like some roses fair
She has the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands.
I love the ground whereon she stands
I love my love and well she knows
I love the ground whereon she goes.
And I wish the day, it soon will come
That she and I will be as one
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love,
with your delights!
1. Such is the feeling of the man who sees his mate in the nude. There is a special
delight in such loveliness that motivates toward great pleasure in possessing one
another in oneness.
2. Clarke, “How fair and how pleasant - Thou art every way beautiful, and in every
respect calculated to inspire pleasure and delight.
3. Net Bible says, "The term (ta’anug, “luxury, daintiness, exquisite delight”) is used
in reference to: (1) tender love (Mic 1:16); (2) the object of pleasure (Mic 2:9); (3)
erotic pleasures (Eccl 2:8); (4) luxury befitting a king (Prov 19:10). The term may
have sexual connotations, as when it is used in reference to a harem of women who
are described as “the delights” of the heart of a man (Eccl 2:8)
4. Patsy Rae Dawson wrote, "As playboys today care only about getting well-developed
bosoms and bodies into bed, so does Solomon. He thinks the perfect body
will solve his problems. Surely, her beautiful body, breasts, and sweet breath will
make the sexual embrace that much more ravishing. In essence, Solomon tells the
Shulammite, “Baby, you've got a beautiful body, and we will enjoy a wonderful time
in bed!” Fortunately, the Shulammite finally sees through Solomon's shallow
flattery and resists him as the continuing story unfolds.
4B. Dawson continues, "This same characteristic of Solomon, of a purely physical
relationship without a proper emotional foundation, is the common thread that runs
through all sexual addiction. Dr. Patrick J. Carnes pioneered the modern study of
sexual addiction and wrote the groundbreaking book Out of the Shadows:
Understanding Sexual Addiction. He uses such words as “isolation,”
“abandonment,” “loneliness,” “cut off from reality,” “self-preoccupation,” “pain,”
“anxiety,” “lack of emotional balance,” “alienation,” “anger,” “distrust,” and

13. “despair” to describe both male and female sexual addicts. The almost total lack of
a proper emotional relationship with the spouse is at the core of the sexual
addiction. (Patrick J. Carnes, Ph.D., Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual
Addiction [Center City, MN: Hazelden Educational Materials, 1992].)
4C. Dawson goes on, "Solomon is the perfect man for studying sexual addiction. He
enjoyed access to it all! If sexual addiction's promise of supreme pleasure and
fulfillment were true, Solomon would have found it with all of his wealth to spend
on his addiction. No pornographic movies or magazines or Internet connections for
him--Solomon heaped his lusts upon the real bodies of the most desirable women of
his time from peasants to royalty to slaves. He had for his amusement all the known
sexual techniques of his time that his foreign wives brought with them as part of
their idolatrous worship. If ever a man could have found true sexual happiness and
fulfillment in variety, techniques, and glorification of the body, Solomon was that
man.
4D. Dawson concludes, "A study of the Song of Solomon shows a poignant contrast
between true love that builds an emotional bond with the lover and liberates both
their bodies for a truly rapturous sexual union; and sensuous love that looks only at
the physical body and traps its participants in a lifelong compelling search for the
perfect combination of bodies. At whatever age a person studies the Song of
Solomon, it powerfully teaches how to lay the foundation for true love and sexual
satisfaction that lasts a lifetime. Ideally, that foundation should be lain in one's
youth. But regardless of a person's age and past sexual history, no one is too old to
learn the secret of true love and find supreme sexual pleasure."
5. One commentator said, "The Loved One's tender gratification at his Dear One's
beauty is summed exquisitely in 7:7 It may be the most emotionally pregnant of his
statements in the Song; it has a delicate, delicious expectancy. In delights" is
referring to the sensual pleasures which the Dear One's form can give her Lover."
6. Guido Cavalcanti, the Florentine, was the early and favourite friend of Dante. He
he fell in love with a beautiful Spanish girl, whom he has celebrated under the name
of Mandetta. He wrote poetry describing what she looked like in his eyes, and it is
similar to what we are reading here. He wrote:
" Who is this, on whom all men gaze as she approacheth !
who causeth the very air to tremble around her with tender-ness?
who leadeth Love by her side in whose presence
men are dumb; and can only sigh? Ah! Heaven! what
power in every glance of those eyes ! Love alone can tell ;
for I have neither words nor skill ! She alone is the Lady of
gentleness beside her, all others seem ungracious and un-kind.
Who can describe her sweetness, her loveliness ? to
her every virtue bows, and beauty points to her as her own
divinity. ' The mind of man cannot soar so high, nor is it
sufficiently purified by divine grace to understand and appre-ciate
all her perfections!"

14. 7 Your stature is like that of the palm, and your
breasts like clusters of fruit.
1. A man beholding a palm tree with a delicious cluster of fruit hanging from it
would be desireous of getting that fruit down to enjoy eating it, and especially so if
he was hungry. That is the way a man looks at a beautiful woman with beautiful
breasts. He desires to possess her breast like a hungry man desires to possess the
sweet fruit of the palm.
2. The implication of verses 7 and 8 is that she is a tall girl, and this fits the realilty
of the palm tree that can reach up to 80 feet high. She is like a typical model who
stands taller than the average female. "There is also a hint of eroticism in this palm
tree metaphor because the palm tree was often associated with fertility in the
ancient world. The point of comparison is that she is a tall, slender, fertile young
woman. The comparison of a tall and slender lady to a palm tree is not uncommon
in love literature: “O you, whose height is that of a palm tree in a serail” (Homer,
Odyssey vi 162-63)"
3. Pope wrote, "The comparison between her breasts and clusters of dates probably
has to do with shape and multiplicity, as well as taste, as the rest of this extended
metaphor intimates. M. H. Pope (The Song of Songs [AB], 634) notes: “The
comparison of the breasts to date clusters presumably intended a pair of clusters to
match the dual form of the word for ‘breasts.’ A single cluster of dates may carry
over a thousand single fruits and weigh twenty pounds or more. It may be noted
that the multiple breasts of the representations of Artemis of Ephesus look very
much like a cluster of large dates, and it might be that the date clusters here were
intended to suggest a similar condition of polymasty.”
8 I said, "I will climb the palm tree; I will take
hold of its fruit." May your breasts be like the
clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath
like apples,
1. This lover is not interested in climbing trees. His desire is to climb up this tall
slender beautiful female body and enjoy the fruit of her breasts. He wants to bury
his head in her bosom and relish the pleasure of her embrace. We are dealing with
reality here, as any man knows when he is enjoying love making with his wife.
2. A Palestinian palm tree grower would climb a palm tree for two reasons: (1) to
pluck the fruit and (2) to pollinate the female palm trees. Because of their height and

15. because the dates would not naturally fall off the tree, the only way to harvest dates
from a palm tree is to climb the tree and pluck the fruit off the stalks. This seems to
be the primary imagery behind this figurative expression. The point of comparison
here would be that just as one would climb a palm tree to pluck its fruit so that it
might be eaten and enjoyed, so too Solomon wanted to embrace his Beloved so that
he might embrace and enjoy her breasts. It is possible that the process of pollination
is also behind this figure. A palm tree is climbed to pick its fruit or to dust the
female flowers with pollen from the male flowers (the female and male flowers were
on separate trees). To obtain a better yield and accelerate the process of pollination,
the date grower would transfer pollen from the male trees to the flowers on the
female trees. This method of artificial pollination is depicted in ancient Near
Eastern art. For example, a relief from Gozan (Tel Halaf) dating to the 9th century
b.c. depicts a man climbing a palm tree on a wooden ladder with his hands stretched
out to take hold of its top branches to pollinate the flowers or to pick the fruit from
the tree. The point of this playful comparison is clear: Just as a palm tree grower
would climb a female tree to pick its fruit and to pollinate it with a male flower,
Solomon wanted to grasp her breasts and to make love to her (The Illustrated
Family Encyclopedia of the Living Bible, 10:60).
3. John Karmelich wrote, “Now in Chapter 7, we get into physical lovemaking
Sexual lovemaking is one of the greatest ways to show your martial partner of your
love for them. The mistake people make is they worship sex as an entity all to
itself. God intended that His gift of sex to be used as an expression of love.The point
is we should make love with our spouses because we love our spouses, not make love
with our spouses because we enjoy making love. One can also study the passage in
our relationship with God. Physical lovemaking with the one we love is one of the
greatest feelings of joy one can have. The overall sensation of happiness and joy
that comes from making love to the one you love (in marriage!) is a feeling that little
else can match.” “During this whole section she is dancing in a sexually enticing
manner in order to arouse her man. It was a custom of that time and era for a bride
to dance to sexually entice her man. This is an intimate scene for just the two of
them.
4. John Karmelich goes on “Visualize a person climbing up a palm tree. Now
visualize a man “climbing” up a woman in lovemaking. I believe that is the picture
here. He is working his way up the body. At this point, he is at the breasts and
compares it to fruit. It is sweet to the taste and desirable to Solomon. This again
well ties in to what Solomon advised men in Proverbs: “May your fountain be
blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful
deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.”
(Proverbs 5:18-19, NIV)
5. You will notice that he makes a point of her sweet breath. It is not a turn on to be
making love to a person whose breath is awful smelling. It is part of ideal love
making to have all odors be sweet and pleasant to the smell. Men often forget this,
and they will come in from working on the car with all of it oily smells, or in from
slopping the pigs, and expect to hop into bed for sex. Women can forget as well, and
fail to make sure that when she is being kissed in love making he does not smell the

16. onions she cut for supper. Smell is a part of the erotic experience, and it can enhance
it or hinder it depending on the degree of its pleasantness.
6. Net Bible comments, "The Hebrew noun (tappukha) has been traditionally
been translated as “apple,” but modern botanists and the most recent
lexicographers now identify with the “apricot”. This might better explain the
association with the sweet smelling scent, especially since the term is derived from a
Semitic root denoting “aromatic scent.” Apricots were often associated with their
sweet scent in the ancient world (Fauna and Flora of the Bible, 92-93).
7. Martin Copenhaver wrote, The Song of Songs (also known as the Song of
Solomon) is an ode to the joys of erotic love. It is so giddy with the intoxicating
charms of sensual love that, like young lovers kissing in a public place, it seems not
to care who else is around or what they might think of such carrying on. The Song is
composed of the love songs sung by a man and a woman who can see only each
other. But see each other they do. The lovers linger over every inch of each other in
voluptuous celebration, savoring all the physical characteristics of the beloved. It is
almost enough to get the Bible banned from public libraries. If young adolescents
ever happened upon this torrid little book, they might begin to read the Bible with
flashlights under their covers at night.
8. An unknown author wrote, The Loved One has been looking forward to
climbing the palm tree and laying hold of its branches (where the clusters
hang). Now he wishes, fervently, to kiss her while caressing her round, firm breasts
(thus, the analogy here to clusters of the vine rather than of the palm tree). The
(your breasts) suggest his circular caresses, perhaps given by both hands at once.
He also longs for the applelike fragrance of her breath (literally, nose); the verse
calms into melodic resolution as he mentions it. Going on from there (verse 10a), he
tenderly likens her mouth (literally, her palate) to the best wine; the melody suggests
the intimacy of deep, prolonged kissing.
9. Susan L. Helwig wrote, Her breasts
Her breasts make me a sculptor
to strip her clothes off this early morning, once more
buttons, zippers,
watch her drink the day's first coffee, naked,
her hand, the cup, her lips
Her breasts sigh,
they feed the greedy babies that are my eyes
all hunger

17. Her breasts are not marble or art
they breathe slowly
ripple the water
Her breasts are never crushed in love
they cradle in my hands as we make nesting spoons
they sing perfect O
that I try to speak again and again:
fill me, fill me
once and for all.
9 and your mouth like the best wine. May the
wine go straight to my lover, flowing gently over
lips and teeth.
1. John Karmelich wrote, From this point forward to the end of the chapter, the
woman (Shulammite) is speaking. In the first half of verse 9, he says, “and your
mouth like the best wine.” Now she is returning the compliment! Read the verse
again at this point. I believe they are complimenting each other verbally as they are
kissing. He is describing how the taste of her mouth is like the best wine. Remember
this is a girl who worked the vineyards. This is a compliment that she can relate to.
She is responding to that love and saying in effect “that wonderful wine is only for
you my love.”To me, this section of Song of Songs is one of the great high points of
the book. It is the bride, in the realization of Solomon’s love for her responding
back to him. Solomon just spent 8½ verses describing her beauty. There is no
mention of any of her faults nor flaws. There is no mention of, “I’m still angry
about this”. There are no past hurts being discussed.” Solomon loves her with a
perfect love and describes her beauty from head to toe and his desire for her.
2. An unknown source said, As good wine has a tendency to cause the most
backward to speak fluently when taken in moderation; so a sight of thee, and
hearing the charms of thy conversation, is sufficient to excite the most taciturn to
speak, and even to become eloquent in thy praises.

18. 10 I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.
1. This verse is one of the key verses in Song of Songs. It is repeated three times,
each with a different emphasis. This is the third time. In Chapter 2, Verse 16, she
says, “My beloved is mine, and I am his;” In Chapter 6 Verse 4, she says, “I belong
to him and him to me”. In Chapter 7 (here), it is saying, “I belong to my lover, and
his desire is for me.
1B. A free paraphrase of this passage by an unknown author goes-
“O tall and stately lady, so slender and slim,
A gracious supple palm you are, so calm in nature’s sweet allure,
Such teasing inaccessibility, aloof, serene.
Your breasts so soft, so gentle, so full of promise,
Clusters of the tender vine, O to be mine, their fruit to taste!
Methinks with resolution strong, to climb the tree, its trunk to scale
And hold her leafy fronds, to take..
her slender form, her glistening locks caress.
Your rounded swelling breasts to me, be clusters of desire.
Your fragrant nostrils’ scent be that of luscious lime.
The taste and motion of your mouth,
The smoothness of your silken kisses,
Be as the languid flow of vintage wine o’er sweet and liquid lips
T’is me, t’is me, t’is me, he longs for,
His passion is for me!
2. Clarke, “It is worthy of remark that the word which we translate his desire is the
very same used Gen. iii. 16: Thy desire, thy ruling appetite shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee. This was a part of the woman's curse. Now here it seems
to be reversed; for the bride says, I am my beloved's, and his desire or ruling
appetite and affection is UPON ME.”
2B. Ron Wallace has a long comment on this verse: Here she proclaims not only
her devotion to the shepherd, but his intense love for her as well. By using the
expression, I am my beloved's, she states not only her volitional acceptance of the
romantic relationship, but also his. He claims her as his own, in a romantic sense,
and she willingly gives herself to him. Next, we see a very strong word for emotional
desire to indicate the intensity and fervor of the shepherd's devotion to the
Shulamite.The word for desire, is teshuqAh, which occurs only 3 times in the Bible.
The first time is at Genesis 3:16, and refers to the intense emotional desire and
dependence that a woman's love will produce for the man she loves. As a result of
Ishah's act of independence from Adam in the garden of Eden, God has decreed

19. that every woman's soul be created with a natural mechanism that triggers when
she truly falls in love.
Her soul will depend on the man's soul for emotional fulfillment and security. This
is entirely a SOUL characteristic and has nothing to do with the body and physical
attraction. In other words, she will have a real SOUL NEED for that special
devotion and protection that comes from the man she loves. An objective recognition
of this need can even be a barometer for determining whether a woman is truly in
love with any of the men in her life. At Genesis 4:7, the word is used to describe the
intense, domineering influence of the sin nature that urges man toward
independence from God, even to the point of seeking relationship with God on terms
other than God's. It is an impulsive, self-centered desire that urges man to live life
through the philosophy of sensuality rather than beneficent love. But here, it refers
to the intense, self-sacrificing desire that puts the object of that desire first and
foremost in everything. She recognizes that his love is genuine and protective, which
is of course, what has been keeping her focused on moral reality instead of the allure
of Solomon's wealth and prestige.
This DESIRE on the part of the man is similar to the desire that is built in to the
woman's soul as a result of Eve's act of independence in the garden, but does not
reflect the same emotional need and dependence. There is however in the soul of
every man, the created need for a helper that carries with it the various
mechanisms, both soulish and physical, which cause the man to WANT a woman, in
general, and specifically the woman with whom he has found soul and physical
rapport. The shepherd in our story is such man. His love and integrity is such that it
has kept him in the Shulamite's soul, and her in his soul. And now, it has finally
brought him to her rescue. He speaks and asks her to join him in the home he has
built for her.
3. She is saying that the feelings are mutual, and she is committed to him, and he is
committed to her. Some see this as a transition statement, and that she is telling
Solomon that nothing he can offer can change her mind. She loves her shepherd,
and she belongs to him and no one else. He wants her and she wants him, and that is
the final word. No other relationship is wanted to interfere with our commitment to
each other. Andy Bannister put it this way: For the final time, the maiden
categorically rejects the advances of King Solomon by declaring wholeheartedly her
love for the shepherd. It is this joyful expression of devotion, loyalty, and
commitment that finally gains the maiden’s release from the harem. Whether King
Solomon freed her in recognition of her loyalty to her lover, or whether through
simple resignation that nothing he could do would bend her from her unswerving
devotion, we will never know. But at last she is free!
4. The following poem by David R Gillespie gives us the same spirit as we see in this
Song of Songs.
VARIATION ON THE SONG OF SOLOMON
How beautiful and delightful you are.
Hearing your voice I turn, stunned by beauty and magic,
you standing there in the doorway, hands above your head--

20. the visual impact of flesh--
your clothes crumpled on the floor.
Let us run together.
You call me like Bela Lugosi, seducing my body, my soul.
I rise, turn you around, my hands touching the hard flat plain
of your stomach lightly,
like walking barefoot on rice paper.
Wholly desirable, my beloved, my friend.
I smell the scents that make you singular in the universe
and my head swims through a pool
of most intense desires --
I must have you, give you me now.
Better your love than wine.
I outline your neck with my fingertips and lips,
and the taste of salty fragrance intoxicates me
as I move down the curve
of muscle that is your back.
In you I take delight.
I caress and kiss the rounded softness before me,
reach around to touch you at that place
where life is unambiguous
and the fire burns blue flame.
Let us rise early.
I seek your face to brush your lips with mine,
and move toward our place of love with anticipation.
My alarm clock sounds --
and I wake to an empty bed.
11 Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let
us spend the night in the villages.
1. This verse becomes one of the most important in the whole song, for it reveals the
agressive role that a woman can and should play in a relationship. Patsy Rae
Dawson wrote, The maiden begged the Shepherd to hurry and marry her.
Describing their honeymoon in the countryside she said, “There I will give you my
love.” Not just doing her duty by passively accepting his advances, she promised to
initiate a passionate night of boiling emotions through the exciting union of the
bodies of true lovers.
2. Dawson continued, All the way through the Song of Solomon, the maiden, not

21. the Shepherd, spoke freely of physical love. She assured the Shepherd that she
looked forward to his embrace by stating, “Let his left hand be under my head and
his right hand embrace me” (2:6). They both determined to preserve their purity for
marriage (4:12-15). The Shepherd let the Shulammite know how much he looked
forward to uniting physically with her (4:12-15 and 5:1). Rebuking King Solomon,
she told him she would enjoy making love with only the Shepherd (7:9). She
promised the Shepherd she would give her love freely to him after marriage (7:12).
The Shepherd enjoyed her kisses (1:2 and 8:1), but she assured him she was saving
many more delights for him in marriage (7:13). If given a chance, she told him, she
would kiss him outdoors (8:1). The Shulammite credited her mother with teaching
her how to please a man, and she looked forward to satisfying him (8:2-3). In
contrast, the Shepherd limited his sexual statements to rejoicing in her purity (4:12-
15). The Bible does not picture the woman as a timid body lying there for her
husband to fulfill his lust on. Rather, God pictures the wife as initiating love and
eagerly satisfying her husband's deepest emotional and physical desires and needs.
God never portrays the woman as a timid receiver of love, but as an active bestower
of love.
3. Dawson concludes, In spite of plain Bible teachings, Victorian morals turned
many women against their true loving natures. These women fail to rise to their full
potential as a giver of affectionate love in the home. They still expect the man to
make all the moves. As a result, many a husband feels cheated deep in his heart
when his wife fails to love him as God created her to. Hannah Lees, the author of
Help Your Husband Stay Alive, explains that an eminent psychiatrist told her that
most husbands suffer from a lack of enough “warm love” from their wives. He said
this was the most basic unfulfilled need in American men. (Hannah Lees, “What
Every Husband Needs,” Reader's Digest [Aug. 1968], p. 142.) Accurate knowledge
of the Song of Solomon and the Shulammite's good sense and expression of her
femininity liberates many a woman to enjoy her true loving nature, to the delight of
her husband. She adds, “In these verses, the bride gives the invitation to the
groom, come my lover. She took the initiative. Romantic love is not always
initiated by the groom but sometimes, the bride needs to unashamedly take the lead
in a romantic relationship.
4. Here we have a woman with a creative imagination who can take the initiative in
sexual love making. She does not have to wait for him to dream up something to add
a sparkle to their love life. She has her own ideas of what will make her receptive to
his passion. Women who just wait for their husbands to think up romantic ways to
prepare for love making will often wait a long time. The idea that the man is the one
who is to initiate love making is not based on the Bible, but on the culture. In the
Bible God makes it clear that women can and should be agressive in love making.
They are the ones most likely to be creative, and arrange for what is truly romantic.
A second honeymoon, and a third and forth etc., is more likely to be her idea. If men
will listen to their wives, they will be rewarded for doing so.
5.... JJJJoooohhhhnnnn KKKKaaaarrrrmmmmeeeelllliiiicccchhhh wwwwrrrrooootttteeee,,,, Here is all of this sweet talk and love making and now
she says in effect , “hey honey, lets go away for the weekend to somewhere
romantic”.In Verse 11 she is saying in effect, “I want this to go on some more. I’m
so happy right now, and I don’t want you to go back to all of the king-business. Let

22. us continue this joy and celebration and just get away from it all.”One can use these
verses as biblical support for the occasional need for vacations. There are times
when just you and the spouse (not the kids, not friends, not the parents) to just get
away and spend time with each other. For a healthy marriage to grow and bloom
requires time alone with each other. It is important to have date nights as a couple
or occasional getaways. This is healthy for the marriage.”
6. Clarke, “It has been conjectured that the bridegroom arose early every morning,
and left the bride's apartment, and withdrew to the country; often leaving her
asleep, and commanding her companions not to disturb her till she should awake of
herself. Here the bride wishes to accompany her spouse to the country, and spend a
night at his country house.”
12 Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the
vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom-- there I will
give you my love.
1. Sex in the great outdoors was more common in the old world, because they could
find privacy, which is hard to do for most in our culture. The environment she
desired was one of beauty for the eye and also for the nose. The many flowers would
provide a feast for the eyes, and the nose would enjoy the wonderful aroma they
produced. These two things enhance sex for a woman, and wise is the lover who
knows this and pays attention to the role of beauty in making love. Men are not as
sensitive as women, and they could make love in an outhouse, but women like to
have the environment ozzing with romance.
2. John Karmelich wrote, Girls, you want to entice your man into a vacation? Try
something like this, “Hey honey, why don’t we go drive off to that spot we both like,
all quiet, just the two of us, and there we can make love all night.” Most guys will
start packing right away. I also think it is healthy for any person to look forward to
some special future event. The day-to-day tasks of life can get boring and routine,
and the thought of a special planned event that brings joy to both of you can keep
you going through the monotonous times. Notice also it isn’t just about making love,
it is about getting away to the things they enjoy. This girl, who grew up around
vineyards is saying, “It’s springtime. Let’s go see if the vines are blossoming and
the fruit (pomegranates) is starting to come off the trees”. There is something
wonderfully romantic about springtime. It is fun to watch nature that has been
dormant all winter to start to bloom again. It was springtime. The time when
dormant fruit starts to blossom. She wanted Solomon and herself to get in on the
action.”

23. 3. Martin Copenhaver wrote of his personal experience of discovery that many
young people never do discover, and that is about how their grandparents had
passionate romantic experiences in their youth too. Old people continue to have
them also, but most children and grandchildren cannot imagine it to be true. He
found the evidence that gave him a picture that most never see. He wrote,
Encountering these love songs in the pages of the Bible reminds me of the time
when, as a teenager, I discovered ardent letters written by my grandparents when
they were in the throes of young love. The discovery completed my picture of them.
They were real people after all, animated by the kind of impulses and yearnings I
knew quite well. These dignified and upright people--who before my discovery I
could only imagine going to bed fully clothed--also had a love for one another that
was as hungry and tumultuous as the sea. And as their lives demonstrated,
passionate love for another person need not eclipse God but can enlarge a life in
ways that make room for God to be manifest--something I might have missed if
those letters had remained undiscovered and my picture of my grandparents had
remained incomplete.”
4. Ron Wallace comments, I see two options for viewing this small discourse by the
shepherd. In both cases, it serves as a marriage proposal, but the details are not
clear. First, it could be an invitation to visit the places that are special to both of
them and while there, to get married, and the statement, There I will give you my
love, would refer to the vow of dedication that he gives her at the formal ceremony.
Second, it could be an invitation to visit the places that are special to both of them as
a wedding trip (honeymoon, if you please), after a formal ceremony with the family,
and the statement, There I will give you my love, would refer to the physical
intimacy that they would enjoy while there.
4B. These Biblical lovers had the advantage of the beauty of nature to enhance their
love, but those in the big city lack this environment, and that makes it harder
according to the following poem, but lack of nature's help, the romance still goes on.
LONDON LOVERS by Jan Struther
Country lovers play at love
In a scene all laid for loving.
Marriage-making stars above
Gossip and wink and look approving,
While the moon with maudlin beam
Gilds the sentimental air,
And lends the glamour of a dream
To eye and hand, to lip and hair;
Long dewy lanes invite the feet
And all the silver dusk is sweet
With unimaginable roses;
And round the heart enchantment closes,
And the whole world's a lovers' tale
Spun by the moon and the nightingale.
O love's a simple word to say

24. With nature aiding and abetting;
And love's an easy part to play
On such a stage, in such a setting.
London lovers lack the aid
Of such poetic properties:
In uninspiring streets are played
Their love-scenes and their ecstasies.
They are not coached by moon or star
Or prompted by the nightingale;
On Shepherd's Bush no roses are;
There lies no dew in Maida Vale.
London lovers see instead
Electric sky-signs overhead,
Jarring upon romantic mood
With eulogies of patent food.
For them no peace when twilight falls,
Only the noise of busy places,
The drabness of a thousand walls,
The staring of a thousand faces.
Yet London man to London maid
Makes his undaunted serenade:
Enraptured and oblivious
He woos her–on a motor-bus.
O proudly down each thoroughfare
Go London lovers two by two:
For London love is staunch and rare
And brave and difficult and true;
And seven times sweet is each caress
Snatched from a world of ugliness.
5. Sexuality and spirituality go hand in hand. Sex is not an incidental aspect of life.
It is an essential aspect of life. It is the means by which we exist. Existence depends
on sex, and the quality of existence depends on sex, and the extension of that
existence depends upon sex, as it produces our children. Origen felt that this book
should only be read by older people who are no longer troubled by sexual desire. In
contrast Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote, “It is a good thing that the book is included in
the Bible as a protest against those who believe that Christianity stands for the
restraint of passion.” Love is physical and that is why the incarnation was essential.
Jesus took on a body that could be touched. God so loved he gave, not a theory, a
plan, but a person in the flesh with a body. Those who reject the body have a civil
war in themselves for the mind and the body are built to work together and not as
opponents. The body and mind are made to desire sex, and if you feel guilty about
this you will not be a good sex partner. For it is vital that two become one, and this
is hard if one of the two is also another two, with no unity in their mind and body
with a oneness about sex. There needs to be full release in unity so that the two can
become one. Self acceptance is a key to love, for if one does not fully accept his
sexuality as legitimate there will be a lack of unity.

25. 6. The following song might seem appropriate for her at this point.
A Natural Woman by Carole King
Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind
But your love was the key to peace my mind
Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman
When my soul was in the lost-and-found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for
Cause if I make you happy I don't need no more
Oh, baby, what you've done to me
You make me feel so good inside
And I just want to be close to you
You make me fell so alive
7 . One of the best articles I have ever read on the internet was by an unknown
author. It is so good and relevant that I want to put it in Appendix B for all to read.
If anyone finds the author, let me know so I can give the credit for this excellent
writing. See Appendix B.
13 The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and
at our door is every delicacy, both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my lover.
1. Mandrakes were an aphrodisiac and were used to make the atmosphere more
conducive to love making. They were actually called love apples.They are also
called love-plants, and they are mentioned only here and in Gen. 30:14-16 where
love making is also the theme. Among certain Asian cultures, it is believed to ensure
conception. The ancient world thought of it as a narcotic plant. It was a drug with

26. the power to magically arouse ardor, to stimulate sexual vigour, and overcome
infertility. This young woman is under the influence of this fragrant drug, and she is
appealing to his imagination by suggesting she has some new ideas for love making.
The old is still good, but she has some new ideas in store waiting to be tried. We see
three keys to good sex in this verse. 1. She was aggressive. Many men are grateful
when their mates become more aggressive. 2. She was available. She made it clear
she was willing and able. 3. She had alternatives. If the old is not satisfying, she is
ready with the new.
2. John KarmelichS wrote, “Mandrake is a fruit. It is associated with lovemaking.
Mandrakes are mentioned in Genesis Chapter 30. Jacob had two wives and two
other concubines who produced a total of 12 sons for him. There was an argument
in Verses 14-16 between the two wives over mandrakes. It was believed that
mandrakes were a sexual stimulant to a man. In Genesis 30, Verse 17, Jacob
impregnated his wife Leah after snacking on mandrakes. That was Jacob’s 5th son.
I don’t know if this is medically true, but in a Jewish mind, to mention mandrakes is
to say “hey honey lets get some mandrakes and see if it helps you like it did Jacob!”
3. Andy Bannister wrote, As she is reunited with her shepherd lover, she is able to
affirm what we already knew from earlier (4:12) — that despite all the attempts of
Solomon she has remained a virgin, she has saved herself for the shepherd who is to
be her husband, as he has saved himself for her; hence the poetic reference to over
our doors are all choice fruits … which I have saved up for you, my beloved, an
allusion to the honour and virginity of the two lovers as the poem nears its end.
APPENDIX A
Sexual Allusions and Symbols in the Song of Songs.
Compiled by an unknown author
My own best guess is that the Song of Songs was used as a love-making
manual for grooms and brides-to-be. (Of course, it serves the
same function for all of you older married folk too.) Read the Song of
Songs (i.e. the best of all songs) with this poetic key in hand. The
following symbols are either evident from the context or are frequently
used in other Oriental poetic literature of the time. For a complete
explanation see the following commentaries: David Hubbard's Song of
Solomon, Tom Gledhill's The Message of the Song of Songs, and Jodie
Dillow's Solomon of Sex.

27. 1:6 my own vineyard - her body.
1:9 like my mare - at that time in the Orient the horse was not a beast
of burden, but the cherished companion of kings.
1:12 at his table - banqueting was done in a reclining position.
1:12 my perfume spread its fragrance - The perfume is nard, or
spikenard, a very expensive perfume or ointment from a plant native to
India. Origen, one of the great fathers of the early church, observed
that the actual spikenard plant emits its scent only when its hairy stem
is rubbed, thus hinting at some erotic connotations.
1:14 henna - a fragrant bush which grows and intertwines itself
among the vines in a vineyard.
1:15 dove - symbol of innocence, gentleness and purity - indicating
that the beloved was a virgin.
2:3 shade, fruit, apple tree - all ancient erotic symbols. Extra-biblical
literature uses fruit and apples as a symbol of the male
genitals, indicating here an oral genital caress.
2:5 raisin cakes were used as a religious ritual in fertility rites. The
cakes were molded in the form of a female goddess. Along with apples,
raisin cakes came to be viewed as an aphrodisiac.
2:5 lovesick - overcome with sexual passion
2:6 embrace - fondle her vulva.
2:7 Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases = The experience
of lovemaking is too powerful to be aroused before the couple have
committed themselves in marriage.
2:9 gazelle or young stag - suggests sexual virility as gazelles and
stags in the spring.
2:15 The meaning of the whole verse is: Let us give full expression to
our love now while our bodies (vines) are young (tender grapes) before

28. aging (the foxes) takes its toll on our bodies (spoil the vines).
2:16 feeds among the lilies - refers to kissing some tender part of each
other's bodies.
2:17 until the day breaks - she wants it to last until the morning.
2:17 upon the mountains of Bether - run your hands and mouth over
the contours of my body.
3:6-11 The groom's wedding procession. Solomon is a kind of code
name for the lover as Shulamite (see 6:13, i.e., Solomoness) is for the
beloved. The picture of the processional with its entourage and
trappings is hyperbolic, deliberately exaggerated to heighten the
significance of the event. Behind this poem may lie a royal wedding
song from Solomon's time which helped to shape its extravagant
descriptions of royal largesse expended in the services of love.
bride.jpg (143203 bytes)3:11 crown - In ancient times garlands were
worn on weddings and the bride and groom were called queen and
king.
4:3 temples - cf. Judges 4:21-22, describe more generally the side of
the face. Hence cheeks is meant. Her cheeks are compared with the
rosy, roundness of pomegranate halves.
4:4 neck like tower of David - erect and queenly carriage.
4:4 shields - tiered or layered coins or ornaments of precious metal
that adorned her neck as she walked in public. The coins or ornaments
were her dowry.
4:5 two fawns, twins of a gazelle - The reference is to the dorcus
gazelle, an animal about two feet high at the shoulders, and a marvel of
lightness, beauty, and grace. The gentle beauty of its eyes was
proverbial. The attractiveness of the gazelle invited petting and
affectionate touching. One of the most common associations with the
gazelle was that it was a delicacy served at Solomon's table (1 Kings
4:23). They are delicious to eat. As gazelles were warm and affectionate,
so was the beloved as a sexual partner.

29. 4:10 wine - symbol of supreme pleasure.
4:10 the scent of your perfumes - those she naturally produces.
4:11 your lips drip with honey - speaks of the sweetness of her kisses.
4:11 honey and milk are under your tongue - points to the depth and
fullness of the kissing.
4:12 garden - The garden refers to her vulva and vagina. When the
lover says it is locked, he is saying it has never been entered; she is a
virgin. Thus to describe his wife's vulva as a garden is to say it is
beautiful to behold, like flowered gardens of the East.
4:12 a spring shut up - its precious liquid is reserved for private use.
Because water was scarce in the East, owners of fountains sealed the
fountain with clay which quickly hardened in the sun. Thus, a walled
fountain was shut against all impurity, no one could get water out of it
except its rightful owner.
4:13 orchard of pomegranates - depicts the beauty and colortone of
her vulva which abounds in delights to his senses.
4:13 pleasant fruits - Her vagina is a source of sexual refreshment for
him to experience. As a carefully cultivated Eastern garden yields
delicious fruit, so his bride's garden is a source of delicious fruit
(sexual pleasure), when cultivated. Furthermore, it is a source of
fertility. To make love with her is like entering Paradise. Her pleasures
are secret and hidden from all but her husband - the rightful owner of
the garden.
4:15 rivers of water - One inference of this picture of abundant
moisture is that her body is prepared by its own secretions for the long-awaited
consummation.
4:16 Awake, O north wind and come, O south! - The north wind
brings clear weather and removes clouds, and the south brings warmth
and moisture. When they blew across a garden in Palestine, coolness
and sultriness, cold and heat, would promote the growth of the garden.

30. She is asking her spouse to stimulate her garden with caresses to
promote the growth of her sexual passion.
4:16 Let my beloved come to his garden - The Hebrew word
(literally, enter or come into) is used frequently of sexual
penetration (Genesis 16:2).
5:1 I have come into...have gathered....have eaten...have drunk - The
past tenses are a clear clue to what has happened. The invitation has
been responded to in every detail and more. The fullness of covenant-love
(my sister, my spouse) has been experienced. The true marriage
feast has been completed.
5:1 wine and milk - readily understood in that culture as fertility
symbols.
5:2-6 These verses can be read on one level as the lover coming and
knocking on the door of his beloved's house. But many commentators
see an underlying meaning. The word open is twice used without
door in Hebrew as object. Head covered with dew, hand by the
latch, feet and hand (which can be euphemisms for genitals) -- all
of these point to double meanings.
5:2 my head is covered with dew - pre-ejaculation fluid drips from
the lover's penis.
5:3 There is a difference in intensity between the lover's ardor (v. 2)
and the beloved's reluctance to inconvenience herself and respond to his
overture (v. 3). She tries to put off his advances.
5:3 feet - often a euphemism for genitals.
5:4 hand by the latch - Latch is literally keyhole. It was the ancient
custom to secure the door of a house by a cross bar or by a bolt, which
at night was fastened with a little button or pin. In the upper part of the
door, there was a round hole (a keyhole) through which any person
from the outside might thrust his arm and remove the bar, unless the
hole was sealed up. Hand is often a euphemism for genitals.
5:4 my heart yearned for him - her mood changes.

31. 5:6 my beloved had turned away and was gone - too late.
6:11 garden, vine, pomegranates - all occur most frequently in
sections where the man is speaking. He uses them to paint poetic
pictures of the woman's erogenous zones.
6:13 Shulamite - a feminine form of Solomon and, therefore, part of
the royal motif which threads through the song.
7:2 navel - incorrect translation. While the Hebrew word could take
that meaning, it is generally translated today as vulva.
7:2 round goblet - The Hebrew for round goblet should be
rendered a bowl in the shape of a half moon. The allusion to the
female genitals is obvious.
7:2 heap of wheat - In Syria, the perfect skin was considered to be
that which could be compared in color to the yellowish-white of wheat
after it had been threshed and winnowed.
7:2 set about with lilies - pubic hair that guards and graces the
banquet bowl of the vulva.
7:8 climb the palm trees - To climb the palm tree had a special
meaning. In the Ancient Near East the artificial fertilization of the
female palm tree flowers by the male palm tree flowers has been
practiced from the earliest times. The male and female flowers are born
on separate trees in clusters among the leaves. In order to fertilize the
female tree, one must climb the male tree and get some of its flowers.
One then ascends the female tree and ties among its flowers, a bunch of
the pollen-bearing male flowers. Thus, to climb the palm tree is to
fertilize it.
7:8 I will take hold of its branches - The man says he will take hold of
her branches, i.e. fruit stalks of the date palm - her breasts. Now he
changes images from date palms to grape clusters for breasts, which
seems more appropriate. Grapes swell and become increasingly round
and elastic as they ripen, similar to the female breasts when sexually
aroused.

32. 7:12 vine has budded, grape blossoms are open, pomegranates
are in bloom - all of these terms are capable of a literal, horticultural
meaning; yet each is used in the Song as an image with erotic
implications.
7:13 mandrakes - considered to be an aphrodisiac in the ancient
world.
8:6 seal over your heart..seal on your arm - The seal of a king was
commonly a sign of his ownership. It signified something of great value.
She desires to be set as a seal on her husband's heart -- the place of his
affection. To be set like a seal on his arm is to be in the place of his
strength or protection.
8:10 breasts were like towers - The towers on the walls of the city
were the first things an enemy saw. But because of the ability of the
tower to provide a defense for the wall and city, the sight of those
towers discouraged an attack. In a similar way, the beloved's fully
developed breasts, ready for love, were inaccessible. She was impressive
to look at, like the towers of the city. But any enemy of her virtue was
quickly repelled.
8:8 The brothers' strategy depends on the sister's character. If she is a
wall - impervious to the advances of men - they will simply encourage
and praise her for her virtuous stand. Just as a battlement of silver
increases the beauty of the wall and attractiveness of the city, they will
increase her good character by adding to her dowry (which was worn
around the neck). There is, however, another possibility. It could be
that their sister will turn out to be a door - easily entered, easily
seduced. Should that prove to be the case, they will take a different
approach. They will barricade her with planks of cedar. In other words,
they will be very strict with her and protect her from men's advances.
8:11,12 my own vineyard is before me - The man probably speaks
this. In these verses he compares his vineyard, i.e. his wife, with
Solomon's vineyard at Baal Hamon. His bride was to him a vineyard
beyond price.
8:14 mountains of spices - She sees her body as a veritable mountain

33. range alive with fragrances. Thus she invites her husband to make love.
APPENDIX B
Let us pretend for a moment that the Song of Solomon is not in the Bible, and you
have never read it. You open your copy of Moody Monthly or Christianity Today
and read 1:13, 2:3-6, 4:9-11, 7:1-9. What is wrong with this picture? We know there
is no way such language would ever appear in such places. Which illustrates the fact
that our movement is not as biblical as it thinks it is.
Evangelicals are simply scared of sex. Martin Luther defined history as the story of
a drunk man staggering from one wall of an alley to the other as he tries to make his
way down through it. And his definition applies just fine to church history too. We
have reacted to the worship of sex--especially extra-marital sex--in the culture
around us by simply running the other way. We rightly denounce the degradation
and obsession that marks the entertainment industry, but what kind of alternative
do we provide? The very fact that you could not publish the biblical alternative in a
Christian magazine shows that we are not responding very well. Simply taking a
negative photo of the world does not necessarily produce a protrait of Christ.
Our inability to deal with this topic has produced strained interpretations of the
book. We read it as an allegory of Christ and the Church, not because a single word
of the Text actually encourages us to read the book as a Messianic prophecy, but
because we feel it just couldn't be about what it says it is about! But the allegorical
interpretation is as problematic as all allegorical interpretations of Scripture.
Others--Jewish scholars, for example--have come up with equally plausible
allegories: that it is about God and Israel, or Man and Wisdom. This way lies a Text
with any meaning we want, and hence with no meaning at all.
Not that the Christ-and-the-Church idea is completely worthless: since the NT does
use this metaphor of Christ, any description of marriage has an application to that
reality. But that is not the primary meaning or message of the book. It is about what
it says it is about: the beauty of married love--physical, romantic, erotic.
What then are the lessons of this book for us? First, it has meaning for our
marriages. This is Christian sex therapy. If you want to restore passion to your
marriage, don't call Dr. Ruth, call Dr. Solomon. And what does he say?
First, he reminds us that it is OK to want romance in marriage, and that God wants
us to enjoy it. None of us would deny this, but we do not always feel it. We have
made our whole strategy negative--warning young people about the evils of sex,
preaching abstinence. And this is right. The Bible itself warns us to flee youthful
lusts. But that is not all it does! We, on the other hand, are almost exclusively
negative, and then expect people in the 24 hours of their wedding day to do a

34. complete 180 degree turn and suddenly be free to enjoy God's gift. Experience
shows that this expectation is not always realistic. And when it is not, Solomon's love
song can help.
First, then, we realize that it is OK for us as Christians to desire and enjoy
passionate romance in marriage. Then, we put the rest of our relationship in order.
Eros will only be healthy when it is surrounded by phileo and agape. Women seem
to know this instinctively; they typically do not get aroused by eros alone. Men are
more capable of ignoring this truth, but even they do not find eros fully satisfying in
any other context. The Song hints at this truth by its use of the brother/sister
language in 4:10-12, 5:1, 8:1. Hey, I don't have these feelings for my sister! No, of
course not. But the feelings one should have for his brother or sister should also be
part of his relationship with his beloved: respect, consideration, affection. So we
start with 1 Cor. 13, and then insert the Song of Solomon into the middle of that
chapter, as it were. At this point, simply read it together and use your imagination.
We will draw the Veil of Modesty over what happens after that.
The Song also has implications for the Church, and we have already hinted at what
they are. In our fight against the cheapening of sex in our culture, we must not be
solely negative in our approach. We must not just warn against it outside of
marriage; we must also praise the beauty of it inside marriage. The world thinks
that sex is too good to be limited to marriage. In fighting that horrible error, we
often imply that it is not good at all. In fact, we believe it is too good to be cheapened
by being pursued outside of the protected environment of marriage. The prohibition
of extra-marital sex is not to keep people from having fun; it is to guard and protect
them so that they can enjoy God's gift without exploitation and damage. (Being
married is unfortunately no guarantee that you will avoid exploitation and abuse;
being married is a necessary but not a sufficient condition. But going outside of
marriage guarantees abuse of one kind or another.) The lifelong commitment of
marriage is the only context in which healthy physical intimacy is possible.
We should therefore praise married love to our young people. And we should let our
kids (within the bounds of decency and propriety) see their parents being romantic
with each other. Why should they believe God's gift is worth saving for marriage if
the married people they know best are bored with each other? We need this book.
Let's put the Song of Solomon back in the Bible.
APPENDIX C
JAMES PRATT

35. Solomon.
How beautiful, O maiden highly born.
Appear thy feet which sandals bright adorn ;
Thy graceful movements varied charms impart
Like jeweird necklaces of finest art.
Model of beauty ! I thy form compare
To my rich wine-cup fillM with liquor rare ;
Attired in white thou'rt like to wheat, when bound
In the full sheaf with lilies strewn around.
Thy bosom bears resemblance to a dell.
Where sport in pairs the young of the gazelle.
« Note 15.
64 The Song of Solomon.
Thy neck I call, as it appears to view,
A pillar of ivory in shape and hue ;
And the fair feature on thy beauteous face,
Too exquisite for mortal hand to trace,
Resembles Lebanon^s tower, which commands

36. The distant plain where famed Damascus stands.
To Carmel I compare thy stately head.
And to the purple on its sea-shore spread,
I liken the rich tresses of thy hair,
Which captivate thy king, O maiden fair.
Unrivaird in thy loveliness thou art,
Thy fascinations steal away the heart.
Like the young palm-tree in its ripening years.
In all thy charms thy graceful form appears,
Oh, would that I possess'd this beauteous tree.
And fondly graspM the boughs that bloomM for me;
Oh, could I hope to gain this tender vine.
And were its branches and its clusters mine ;
Oh, breathe for me thy sweetness like the air,
That wafts the scent of fruit from gardens fair ;
Oh, mingle the dear accents of thy voice,
Like mellow wine that makes the heart rejoice ;
Wine that for favourM guests abundant flows.
And gives loquacity e'en in repose.
The Shulamite.

37. My own beloved's I am, his very own,
And 'tis for me to love but him alone.
The Song of Solomon. 65
Come, my beloved, let us no longer stay,
To rural scenes, oh let us haste away !
In quiet villages we'll pass the night.
And seek the vineyards by the morning light ;
Watchful we'll mark each spreading vine, to see
If any there in tender bud may be ;
And look if any blossoms may be found.
On the pomegranate-trees that grow around ;
There, with my heart to thee for ever true,
Will I my vows of constancy renew.
Our mandrakes all their fragrant odours shed,
And at our doors delicious fruits are spread ;
Fruits late and early gathered all by me.
And kept with care, O my beloved, for thee.