View source for Song of Songs 1

{{Short description|First chapter of the Song of Songs}}
{{For|other uses of the abbreviation|Song 1 (disambiguation){{!}}Song 1}}
{{Bible chapter|letname= Song of Songs 1 |previouslink= Ecclesiastes 12 |previousletter= Ecclesiastes 12 |nextlink= Song of Songs 2 |nextletter= chapter 2 |book=[[Song of Songs]] |biblepart=[[Old Testament]] | booknum= 22 |category= [[Ketuvim]] | filename= Song of songs Rothschild mahzor.jpg | size=250px |caption=<div style="width: 250px; text-align: center; line-height: 1em">Illumination for the opening verse of Song of Songs, the Rothschild Mahzor, Manuscript on parchment. Florence, Italy, 1492. </div>}}

'''Song of Songs 1''' (abbreviated {{where|date=January 2023}} as '''Song 1''') is the first chapter of the [[Song of Songs|"Song of Songs" or "Song of Solomon"]], a book of the [[Hebrew Bible]] or [[Old Testament]] of the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Bible]].{{sfn|Halley|1965|p=278}}<ref name=Holman>Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.</ref> This book is one of the [[Five Megillot]], a group of short books, together with [[Book of Ruth|Ruth]], [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]], [[Ecclesiastes]] and [[Book of Esther|Esther]], within the [[Ketuvim]], the third and the final section of the Hebrew Bible.{{sfn|Brenner|2007|p=429}} [[Jewish tradition]] views [[Solomon]] as the author of this book (although this is now largely disputed), and this attribution influences the acceptance of this book as a canonical text.{{sfn|Brenner|2007|p=429}} Song of Songs 1 contains the book's superscription, songs of the main female characters, and the opening song of the male character.{{sfn|Brenner|2007|p=430}}

==Text==
[[File:Elihu-Shannon Megillot 01Song-of-Songs.pdf|thumb|right|200px|A handwritten Hebrew scroll of the Song of Songs by the scribe Elihu Shannon of Kibbutz Saad, Israel (circa 2005).]] 
The original text is written in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew language]]. The [[Chapters and verses of the Bible|chapter is divided]] into 17 verses (16 in the Latin [[Vulgate]] translation).

===Textual witnesses===
{{Further|Textual variants in the Hebrew Bible#Song of Songs 1}}
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] are of the [[Masoretic Text]], including the [[Aleppo Codex]] (10th century CE), and [[Leningrad Codex|Codex Leningradensis]] (CE 1008).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=36-37}} Some fragments containing verses of Song 1 were found among the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], assigned as [[6Q6|6Q6 (6QCant)]]; 50 CE; extant verses 1–7).<ref>{{Cite book | editor-last = Ulrich | editor-first = Eugene | editor-link = Eugene Ulrich | title = The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants | year = 2010 | pages = 739 | publisher = Brill | url = https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls |access-date= May 15, 2017 | isbn= 9789004181830}}</ref><ref>[https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#song_of_songs Dead sea scrolls - Song of Songs].</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last = Fitzmyer|first = Joseph A. |title = A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature| authorlink = Joseph Fitzmyer | publisher = William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC | year = 2008 | pages = 107 |isbn = 9780802862419 | location = Grand Rapids, MI | access-date= February 15, 2019}}</ref>

There is also a translation into [[Koine Greek]] known as the [[Septuagint]], made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include [[Codex Vaticanus]] ('''B'''; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>B</sup>; 4th century), [[Codex Sinaiticus]] ('''S'''; [[Biblia Hebraica (Kittel)|BHK]]: <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>S</sup>; 4th century), and [[Codex Alexandrinus]] ('''A'''; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>A</sup>; 5th century).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=73-74}}

==Structure==
The [[Modern English Version|Modern English Version (MEV)]] divides this chapter as follows:
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:1|MEV}} = Introduction
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:2-4|MEV}}a = The Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:4|MEV}}b = Friends of the Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:5-7|MEV}} = The Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:8|MEV}} = Friends of the Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:9-10|MEV}} = The Man
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:11|MEV}} = Friends of the Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:12-14|MEV}} = The Woman
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:15|MEV}} = The Man
*{{bibleref2|Song|1:16-17|MEV}} = The Woman

The New Catholic Bible and [[Jerusalem Bible]] treat verses 2-4 as a "prologue".<ref>{{bibleverse|Song of Songs|1:1-4|NCB}}: New Catholic Bible; Jerusalem Bible (1966), The Song of Songs, Title and Prologue, verses 1:1-4</ref> [[Richard Hess]], on the other hand, treats verses 1:1-2:7 as a "prologue".{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=35}}

==Superscription (1:1)==
[[File:Ecclesiastes, chapter XII, on old age. Wellcome M0013785.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The end of the book of [[Ecclesiastes]] and the beginning of the first chapter of Song of Songs in a family Bible, bound with the Book of Common Prayer, 1607.]]
A superscription in a biblical book functions like the title page of a modern book, containing information about the genre, author, and sometimes also the subject matter and the date of the book (in prophecy books for examples, [[Isaiah 1:1]]; [[Nahum 1:1]]; in wisdom books: {{bibleverse|Proverbs|1:1|KJV}}; [[Ecclesiastes 1:1]]).{{sfn|Longman|2001|p=87}}

===Verse 1===
: ''The song of songs, which is Solomon's.''<ref>{{bibleverse|Song|1:1|KJV}} [[King James Version|KJV]]</ref>
This verse is a detached description of the book's content, containing two phrases: "the song of songs" and "which is Solomon's".{{sfn|Longman|2001|pp=87-88}}
*The "song of songs" ({{langx|he|שיר השירים}}, ''{{Strong-number|shîr|H|7892}} ha-{{Strong-number|shî-rîm|H|7892}}''<ref name="Song1_1h">[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-1.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:1]. Biblehub</ref>): The form of the words indicates a superlative statement as the "Greatest of Songs",{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=37}} but can also denote "a single poem composed of many poems".{{sfn|Longman|2001|p=88}}
*"Song" (Hebrew: {{lang|he|שיר}}, ''{{Strong-number|shîr|H|7892}}'';<ref name="Song1_1h"/> also meaning "poem") in noun form appears only here in this book, out of 166 times in the Hebrew Bible (mostly in the [[Book of Psalms]]).{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=37}}
*"Which is Solomon's" ("that concerns Solomon"; Hebrew: {{lang|he|אשר לשלמה}}, ''{{Strong-number|’ă-sher|H|834}} li{{Strong-number|š-lō-mōh|H|8010}}''<ref name="Song1_1h"/>): can have the interpretation that (1) Solomon is the author; (2) the book is dedicated to Solomon; or (3) it was merely a 'part of royal holding'.{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=3}}
*"Solomon" is mentioned twice in this chapter (verses 1 and [[#Verse 5|5]]); Solomon's name also appears in two other passages (3 times in {{bibleverse-nb|Song|3:6-11|KJV}} and twice in the final chapter {{bibleverse-nb|Song|8:10-12|KJV}}), a total of seven times in the whole book.{{sfn|Longman|2001|pp=88, 132}}

==Female: Longing for her lover (1:2–7)==
[[File:BookOfLove.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Heart shaped shadow cast by a ring on the pages of the Bible. Song of Solomon chapter 1 is shown on the right page.]]
This section is the first part of the Prologue, as described by Hess, containing the description of the lovers' first coming together and intimacy (1:2–2:7).{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=35}} The speaker is a woman as definitely established in verse 5 from the adjectival form ''shehora'' ("black").{{sfn|Exum|2005|pp=92, 100}}

Verses 2–4 contains a 'romantic [[soliloquy]]' of a woman about her lover, with two distinctive word-patterns: "your_love (or 'lovemaking') more_than_wine" (verses 2, 4; Hebrew: {{lang|he|דדיך מיין}}, ''{{Strong-number|ḏō-ḏe-ḵā|H|1730}} mî-{{Strong-number|ya-yin|H|3196}}''<ref name="Song1_4h">[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-4.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:4]. Biblehub</ref>) and "they love you" (verses 3, 4; Hebrew: {{lang|he|אהבוך}}, ''{{Strong-number|’ă-hê-ḇū-ḵā.|H|157}}''<ref name="Song1_4h"/>).{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=8}}

The first appearance of the first word-pattern is a part of a [[chiastic structure]] (verses 2b–3a):{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=8}}
:A. good
::B. your lovemaking
::: C. wine
::: C'. scent
::B'. ointments
:A'. good
The second chiastic structure of the same word-pattern could be found in verse 4(c–d).{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=8}} The word for the noun "love" (''{{Strong-number|ḏôḏîm|H|1730}}'') is plural, indicating more that one romantic act, so here "lovemaking" is a better rendering than a simple word "love".{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=9}}

One Hebrew word (''ahebuka'') becomes the second word-pattern "[they] love you" which is used 'twice as the last word of a tricolon' in verses 3 and 4.{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=8}} The root verb "love" (''{{Strong-number|aheb|H|157}}'') is used seven times in the whole book ([[#Verse 3|verses 1:3]], [[#Verse 4|4]], 7; 3:1, 2, 3, 4) and always translated in Greek using the same verb 'agapaō' in [[Septuagint|Septuagint (LXX)]] (also only seven times in these seven verses of the book).{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=52}}

===Verse 3===
[The Shulamite]
:''Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,''
:''Your name is ointment poured forth;''
:''Therefore the virgins love you.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:3|NKJV}} [[New King James Version|NKJV]]</ref>

*"The virgins" (Hebrew: {{lang|he|עלמות}}, ''{{Strong-number|‘ălāmōṯ|H|5959}}''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-3.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:3]. Biblehub.com</ref>): from the root word ''‘ălmā'' ("maiden"), which is only used seven times in the whole Hebrew Bible, twice in this book (the second one in {{bibleverse-nb|Song|6:8|HE}}),{{efn|The seven verses containing the word formed from ''‘ălmā'' are Song 1:3 and {{bibleverse|Song|6:8|HE}}, {{bibleverse|Genesis|24:43|HE}}, {{bibleverse|Exodus|2:8|HE}}, {{bibleverse|Psalm|68:26|HE}} (68:25 English), {{bibleverse|Proverbs|30:19|HE}}, and [[Isaiah 7:14]].{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=51}}}} none denies the possibility of the interpretation of "virgins", some even suggest it, but the most certain meaning is "unmarried women who are, or shortly will be, sexually mature".{{sfn|Hess|2005|pp=51–52}}

===Verse 4===
[[File:Rafe-ML-BHS.png|right|thumb|200px|The word "{{lang|he|אחריך}}", meaning "after you", from {{bibleverse|Song of Solomon|1:4a|HE}} in the [[Leningrad Codex]] (hand-written) and in the Hebrew Bible print edition of the ''[[Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia|BHS]]'' (which omits the [[Rafe]] diacritic)]]
:<small>According to the [[New King James Version|New King James Version (NKJV)]]</small>
[The Shulamite]
:''Draw me away!''
[The Daughters of Jerusalem]
:''We will run after {{sup|[a]}}you.''
[The Shulamite]
:''The king has brought me into his chambers.''
[The Daughters of Jerusalem]
:''We will be glad and rejoice in {{sup|[b]}}you.''
:''We will remember your love more than wine.''
[The Shulamite]
:''Rightly do they love you.''<ref>{{bibleverse|Song|1:4|NKJV}} NKJV</ref>

*{{sup|[a]}}"You": masculine singular, referring to "the Beloved" ("the man").<ref>Note [a] on Song 1:4 in NKJV</ref>
*{{sup|[b]}}"You": feminine singular, referring to "the Shulamite" ("the woman").<ref>Note [b] on Song 1:4 in NKJV</ref>

===Verse 5===
:''I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.''<ref>{{bibleverse|Song|1:5|KJV}} KJV</ref>

The phrase "daughters of Jerusalem" ("friends of the woman" in MEV heading; "girls of Jerusalem" in [[Living Bible]]) is introduced as one of the three identifiable speaking voices and principal characters in this chapter, other than the woman, who speaks until verse 7, and the man, whom the woman talks about in 1:2-4 and 7 (he starts to speak in 1:9-11).{{sfn|Exum|2005|p=100}}

===Verse 6===
:''Do not gaze at me, because I am dark,''
::''because the sun has looked upon me.''
:''My mother's sons were angry with me;''
::''they made me the keeper of the vineyards,''
::''but my own vineyard I have not kept.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:6|MEV}} [[Modern English Version|MEV]]</ref>
*"My mother's sons": suggesting her "full brothers" (not "half-brothers"), who seem to assume responsibility for the woman (cf. {{bibleverse|Song|8:8|KJV}}), a common practice in [[Patriarchy|patriarchal societies]], especially with no mention of her father in the whole book.{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=16}} The woman's mother is mentioned in five places (Song 1:6; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|3:4|KJV}}, {{bibleverse-nb|Song|6:9|KJV}}; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|8:1,2|KJV}}), whereas the man's mother is mentioned once ([[Song 8:5]]) and one mention of Solomon's mother ({{bibleverse|Song|3:11|KJV}}).{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=16}}{{sfn|Exum|2005|p=141}}

===Verse 7===
[[File:Où paissent les brebis 04221.JPG|thumb|right|250px|17th-Century French tapestry with the text of Song 1:7 in Latin on the center bottom ("Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest"). [[Palace of Tau]], [[Rheims]].]]
:''Tell me, you whom my soul loves,''
::''where you pasture your flock,''
::''where you make it lie down at noon;''
:''for why should I be like one who wanders''
::''beside the flocks of your companions?''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:7|RSV}} [[Revised Standard Version|RSV]]</ref>
*"Noon": in warm climates, such as in Palestine, is a time for 'rest and repose', and a convenient occasion for 'an amorous tryst'.{{sfn|Coogan|2007|p=960 Hebrew Bible}}

==Male: Response with invitation and praise (1:8–11)==
Hess notes the distinct structure of the verses containing the male's response in term of the syllable count for the lines in each one:{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=61}}
* Verse 8: 11, 6, and 12
* Verse 9: 7 and 6
* Verse 10: 8 and 6
* Verse 11: 7 and 6
It is clear that verse 8 is structurally out of sequence among these verses and different in the content as well: verse 8 provides the answer to the female's prior question, whereas verses 9–11 focus on her beauty.{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=61}}

===Verse 8===
[He]
:''If you do not know,''
::''O most beautiful among women,''
:''follow in the tracks of the flock,''
::''and pasture your young goats''
::''beside the shepherds' tents.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:8|ESV}} [[English Standard Version|ESV]]</ref>
All three finite verbs in this verse ("know", "follow" and "pasture") have the woman as the subject, and the second-person feminine singular form is used for "you" or "your".{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=61}} The structure of this verse duplicates the woman's question and plea of verse 7.{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=61}} MEV applies this verse to the "Friends of the woman".<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:8|MEV}} MEV</ref>

===Verse 9===
[The Man]
:''I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:9|MEV}} MEV</ref>
The man calls his lover, "my love" (or "my [female] friend"; Hebrew: {{lang|he|רעיתי}}, ''{{Strong-number|ra‘-yā-ṯî|H|7474}}''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-9.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:9]. Biblehub</ref>) a specific term of endearment for women that is used 9 times in the book (Song '''1:9''', [[#Verse 15|15]]; [[Song of Songs 2:2|2:2]],{{bibleverse|Song|2:10|KJV|10}}, [[Song of Songs 2:13|13]]; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|4:1|KJV}},{{bibleverse|Song|4:7|KJV|7}}; [[Song of Songs 5:2|5:2]]; [[Song of Songs 6:4|6:4]]).{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=19}}<ref>[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7474.htm Strong's Concordance: 7474. rayah]. Biblehub</ref> The masculine form of the same root word to call the man ("my [male] friend"; Hebrew: {{lang|he|רעי}}, ''{{Strong-number|rê-‘î|H|7453}}''<ref name="So5_16h">[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/5-16.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 5:16]. Biblehub</ref>){{efn|Another use of ''rê·‘î'' in the Hebrew Bible is in {{bibleverse|Job|31:9|HE}}.<ref>[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/rei_7453.htm Englishman's Concordance: rê·‘î — 2 Occurrences]. Biblehub</ref>}} is used in a parallel construction with "my beloved" (Hebrew: {{lang|he|דודי}}, ''{{Strong-number|ḏōḏî|H|1730}}''<ref name="So5_16h"/>) in [[Song 5:16]].{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=19}}

==Female: Her lover as fragrance (1:12–14)==
[[File:Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Albany, New York) - interior, stained glass, A Disciple washes Christ’s feet.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Illustration of "A disciple washes Christ's feet" ([[Luke 7:38]]) with the text on the bottom from Song of Solomon 1:12 in Latin (English: "While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof.")]]
[[File:Lawsonia inermis (3709419835).jpg|right|thumb|150px|''[[Lawsonia inermis]]'', known as "camphire" or "henna".]]
In these three verses, the woman describes her lover in the first line and their relationship in the second line.{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=68}} The second word in each of the verses—the king, the myrrh, the henna—are the only words preceded by the definite article {{lang|he|הַ}} (''ha'') in this section, indicating their identification with one another.{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=68}}

===Verse 12===
:''While the king is at his table,''
:''My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:12|NKJV}} NKJV</ref>
*"His table" (Hebrew: {{lang|he|מסבו}}, ''{{Strong-number|me-si-bōw|H|4524}}''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-12.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:12]. Biblehub</ref>): with a meaning "that which surrounds or is round",<ref>[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4524.htm Strong's Concordance: 4524. mesab or mesibbim or mesibboth]. Biblehub</ref> likely "a divan or seat set round a room".<ref name=cambridgebible>Harper, A. (1902), [[Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges]]. [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/songs/1.htm Song of Solomon 1], accessed 28 April 2019.</ref>
*"[[Spikenard]]" (or "nard"; Hebrew: ''{{Strong-number|nerd|H|5373}}''): or "perfume";<ref>Note [a] on Song of Solomon 1:12 in NKJV</ref> a substance originated from [[India]], extracted from ''[[Nardostachys jatamansi]]'', a plant of the family [[Valerianaceae]], growing in the [[Himalaya mountains]], in [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]].{{sfn|Tristram|1868|pp=484–485}} It was "very precious" as read from the account of [[Mary of Bethany|Mary's]] [[Anointing of Jesus|anointing on]] [[Jesus]], priced more than 300 [[denarius|denarii]] ({{bibleverse|Mark|14:5|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|John|12:2|KJV}}).<ref name=pulpit>Exell, Joseph S.; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice (Editors). [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/songs/1.htm On "Song of Solomon 1".] In: ''The [[Pulpit Commentary]]''. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. Accessed 24 April 2019.</ref>

===Verse 14===
[[File:Ein Gedi 11.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Ein Gedi (=Engedi) nature reserve, Judaean Desert, Israel. (2009)]]
:''My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.''<ref>{{bibleverse|Song|1:14|KJV}} KJV</ref>
*"[[Camphire]]" (Hebrew: {{lang|he|כפר}}, ''{{Strong-number|kō-p̄er|H|3724}}''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-14.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:14]. Biblehub</ref>) or "Henna" (''[[Lawsonia inermis]]'') from Arabic: {{script|Arab|حِنَّاء}} ([[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]]: ''ḥinnāʾ'').<ref>[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3724.htm Strong's Concordance: 3724. kopher]. Biblehub</ref> This small shrub (8–10 feet high) produces "clusters of white and yellow blossoms with a powerful fragrance" and continues to grow in En-gedi area from the ancient time until the modern era, providing an enduring illustration of this verse.{{sfn|Tristram|1868|pp=339–340}}
*[[Ein Gedi|Engedi]]: ''lit.'' "spring of the kid"; an "oasis on the western shore of the [[Dead Sea]]".{{sfn|Coogan|2007|p=961 Hebrew Bible}}

==Male: Praise of beauty (1:15)==
===Verse 15===
:''Behold, you are fair, my love!''
:''Behold, you are fair!''
:''You have dove's eyes.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Song|1:15|NKJV}} NKJV</ref>
In this verse and the following, the lovers exchange a mutual admiration in a parallel fashion:{{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=21}}
*first the man (verse 15)
:a. Ah!
::b. you are beautiful
:::c. my love ({{Strong-number|ra‘-yā-ṯî|H|7474}})
*then the woman (verse 16):
:a'. Ah!
::b'. you are beautiful
:::c'. my love ({{Strong-number|ḏōḏî|H|1730}}){{sfn|Bergant|2001|p=21}}

The response of the man comprises seven words, two of which are repeated (Hebrew: {{lang|he|הנך יפה}} ''{{Strong-number|hināḵ|H|2005}} {{Strong-number|yāp̄āh|H|3303}}'', "behold_you_[are] fair"<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/songs/1-15.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 1:15]. Biblehub</ref>).{{sfn|Hess|2005|p=71}} The exclamation "you are beautiful" is used most frequently by the man to describe his lover ([[#Verse 8|1:8]],'''15'''; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|2:10|KJV}}, [[Song of Songs 2:13|13]]; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|4:1|KJV}},{{bibleverse|Song|4:7|KJV|7}},{{bibleverse|Song|4:10|KJV|10}}; {{bibleverse-nb|Song|7:1|KJV}},{{bibleverse|Song|7:6|KJV|6}} [Masoretic: 7:2,7]).{{sfn|Bergant|2001|pp=21–22}}

==Female: Love in paradise (1:16–2:1)==
Verses 16–17 focus on the subject of trees, with a closure in [[Song of Songs 2:1|verse 2:1]] on the subject of flowers, to provide a 'picture of the bed as a spreading growth', using a theme of nature's flora.{{sfn|Hess|2005|pp=72–73}}

==See also==
* [[Ein Gedi|Engedi (Ein Gedi)]]
* [[Jerusalem]]
* [[Jezreel (city)|Jezreel]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last= Bergant |first= Dianne |title= The Songs of Songs |series= Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant): Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry |editor1-first=David W. |editor1-last= Cotter|editor2-first= Jerome T. |editor2-last= Walsh|editor3-first= Chris |editor3-last= Franke |publisher= Liturgical Press |date= 2001|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xkwtwLQ_QCQC |isbn= 9780814650691}}
*{{cite book|last= Brenner | first= Athalya| authorlink= Athalya Brenner |chapter = 21. The Song of Solomon | title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John| editor-last1=Barton |editor1-link = John Barton (theologian) | editor-first2=John| editor-last2= Muddiman |editor2-link = John Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press |edition= first (paperback) | date = 2007 | pages = 429–433 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ| access-date=February 6, 2019}}
*{{cite book|last= Coogan|first = Michael David| authorlink= Michael D. Coogan |title = The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 |editor-last1=Coogan |editor-first1=Michael David |editor-first2=Marc Zvi |editor-last2= Brettler |editor-first3=Carol Ann |editor-last3= Newsom |editor-first4= Pheme |editor-last4= Perkins |edition= Augmented 3rd |publisher = Oxford University Press |year =2007 |isbn = 9780195288810 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HmpMPgAACAAJ}}
*{{cite book|last= Exum |first= J. Cheryl |title= Songs of Songs: A Commentary |series= Old Testament library |edition= reprint|publisher= Westminster John Knox Press |date= 2005 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mLKBcC5ND30C |isbn= 9780664221904}}
*{{cite book|last= Halley| first= Henry H.| authorlink= Henry Hampton Halley| title= Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary |edition=24th (revised)|publisher= Zondervan Publishing House |date= 1965 |url= https://archive.org/details/halleysbiblehand00henr |url-access= registration| isbn= 0-310-25720-4}}
*{{cite book|last= Hess |first= Richard S.|author-link=Richard Hess|title= Songs of Songs |series= Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Series |publisher= Baker Academic |date= 2005 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=AWoEZ2bWauAC |isbn= 9780801027123}}
*{{cite book|last= Longman |first= Tremper |title= Songs of Songs |volume= 26 |series= The New International Commentary on the Old Testament |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |date= 2001 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PDnMuOcIUjEC |isbn= 9780802825438}}
*{{cite book|last= Tristram|first= Henry Baker |title=The Natural History of the Bible: Being a Review of the Physical Geography, Geology, and Meteorology of the Holy Land, with a Description of Every Animal and Plant Mentioned in Holy Scripture|edition = 2nd |publisher= Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge | year= 1868 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=v7UsAAAAYAAJ}}
*{{cite book | last = Würthwein | first = Ernst | authorlink = Ernst Würthwein | title = The Text of the Old Testament | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |location = Grand Rapids, MI | year=  1995 | translator-first1 = Erroll F.| translator-last1 = Rhodes |isbn = 0-8028-0788-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC | access-date= January 26, 2019}}

==External links==
* [[Judaism|Jewish]] translations:
** [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16445 Shir Hashirim - Song of Songs - Chapter 1 (Judaica Press)] translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] at Chabad.org
* [[Christianity|Christian]] translations:
** [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Song+1 ''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org] (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=26&chapter=1&version=9 Song of Solomon Chapter 1 King James Version]
* {{librivox book | title=Song of Solomon}} Various versions

{{Song of Songs}}

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[[Category:Song of Songs chapters|01]]