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Song of Solomon 8
1. On that you were like a brother to me who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I
found you outside, I would kiss you, and none would despise me.
2. I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother – she who used to teach
me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate.
3. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me!
4. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it
pleases.
5. Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the
apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she
who bore you was in labor.
“These magnificent words that pledge deathless love and then describe its power and worth
are uttered by the bride (Hubbard 342).” “These verses sum up the nature and power of the
‘love’ depicted in the Song (Deere 1024).” “These 3 wisdom statements characterize marital
love as the strongest, most unyielding and invincible force in human experience (Stak 956).” “In
all of human literature there are few passages on the power of love compared with this unit
(Kinlaw 1241).”
6. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as
death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of
the Lord.
“With these words the love covenant is renewed (Fruchtenbaum 63).” “All this is true
because love is supported by the Creator who possesses all power (Deere 1074).”
“There is no mistaking the accent on love’s victory, but ‘love’ is compared to ‘death;’
‘jealousy’ (or better, ‘passionate love’) is said to be ‘cruel as the grave.’ Such love is like
‘flashes of fire, a most vehement flame’ which ‘many waters’ cannot ‘quench’ nor can it be
drowned by ‘floods.’ It is of inestimable value, but money ‘would be utterly scorned,’ for love is
priceless and cannot be bought. The point is not merely that love is something beautiful and
ineffable, but that it is a powerful force, as strong and irresistible as death itself, a consuming fire
that withstands all efforts to quench its flame. The symbolism suggests that love’s victory is set
over against whatever threatens it – death, the grave, waters, floods, wealth, barter. The victory
of love of which the Song of Songs sings therefore, has little to do with the sentimental, mawkish
platitude of minor poets and writers of popular songs who proclaim smoothly that love is the
sweetest thing in the world. The maiden and the youth in the Song do not indulge in banal or
vapid truisms about the beauty or wonder of love; their love is a hard-won thing that emerges
victorious and triumphant in spite of everything that would hinder and prevent it. As a testimony
to the invincible power and inestimable value of love the Song of Songs takes a high place,
perhaps a unique place, in the literature of mankind. Its uniqueness, however, lies not merely in
its enchanting imagery, its consummate literary composition, its appreciation of nature’s charms,
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or its description of love’s rapture. These are not inconsiderable merits, and the Song, to be sure,
can be read and enjoyed on the basis of such intrinsic qualities. Yet on this level alone it is but
one of innumerable examples, both ancient and modern, of exquisite love poetry. For better or
for worse the Song of Songs found its way into the canon of Scripture. … From the biblical
perspective itself there is no reason why its sensuous and sensual language cannot be taken at its
face value. The Bible, as we have seen, does not minimize the love of man and woman. This
indeed is a negative understatement, for, rightly viewed, the biblical conception of love can
enhance and exalt what otherwise is merely human and mundane. The biblical perspective
accordingly can appreciate the Song of Songs for what it is and rejoice in its eulogy of love. … It
is inevitable from the vantage point of the biblical context to set love’s victory in the Song of
Songs in juxtaposition with the NT song of songs: ‘Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. … So faith, hope, love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love (1Co 13:7-8,13; Kerr 146-147).’”
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death” “To
enforce this petition, she pleads the power of love, of her love to him, which constrained her to
be thus pressing for the tokens of his love to her (Henry 1974).” “The very nature of the love
covenant between Solomon and Shulamit now about to be renewed demands that he take her in
such a way that they become inseparable (Fruchtenbaum 63).” “Let me never lose the room I
have in thy heart; let thy love to me be ensured, as that deed which is sealed up not to be robbed.
Let nothing ever prevail either to separate me from they love, or by suspending the
communications of it, to deprive me of the comfortable sense of it’ (Henry 1073).” “The request
that he would keep her firmly and faithfully as his inalienable possession is here based by
Shulamith on a reference to the death-vanquishing power and might of her love, or rather of love
(‫ אַ הֲבָ ה‬absolutely), of true love (Lange 129).”
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm” “The seal or signet ring was the
emblem of authority (Gn 41:42; 1Kg 21:8) worn on the right hand (Jr 22:24) or against the heart
by a string from the neck (Gn 38:18). It was a jewel from which one did not separate himself
(Fruchtenbaum 63).” “In Old Testament times ‘a seal’ was used to indicate ownership of a
person’s valued possessions. So the beloved asked to be her lover’s most valued possession, a
possession that would influence his thoughts (over your heart) and his actions (over your arm).
Such a demanding request required the explanation which she gave in verses 6b–7a (Deere
1024).” “She may mean ‘value me as you would your own sezl, that stone or metal stamp by
which you label possessions as your own and ratify legal documents.’ More likely she is calling
herself the seal, to gain the right to put her stamp on him and claim him as her own possession
both inwardly (‘heart’) and outwardly (‘arm’; Hubbard 342-243).” “‘Place me like a seal,’
bearing my name and likeness, as a locket upon your ‘heart’ (inwardly), as a signet upon your
‘arm’ or hand (publicly): an avowal that your heart and arms are for me alone (Orr 712).” “In
OT times “The seal was to be in 2 places: on his heart (the seat of his affections) and on his arm
(the symbol of his physical strength). He would totally own her, love her and protect her
(Balchin 627).” Shulamith “wishes to be united and bound to him indissolubly in the affection
of love and in the community of life’s experience (Keil 604).” In Africa, “having a ‘seal’ that
represents the bride over your heart and on your arm is an indication that each belongs to the
other (Habtu 827).” “Let me be always near and dear to thee, as the ‘signet on thy right hand,’
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not to be parted with (Jr 22:24), ‘engraven upon the palms of thy hands (Isa 49:14), be loved
with a peculiar love … let my name be written on thy breast-plate, nearer thy heart, as the names
of all the tribes were engraven like the engravings of a signet in twelve precious stones on the
breast-plate of Aaron, and also on two precious stones on the two shoulders or arms of the ephod
(Ex 28:11,12,21). Let thy power be engaged for me, as an evidence of thy love to me; let me be
not only a ‘seal upon thy heart,’ but a ‘seal upon thy arm;’ let me be ever borne up in thy arms,
and know it to my comfort (Henry 1073-1074).”
“The seal identified her as belonging to him, or more than likely, she requests that she be
allowed to own him. The seal is placed on him not on the woman (Bland 464).”
“Set me as a seal upon your heart” Place me “like a signet-ring worn on a cord over the heart
(Kretzmann 286).” “Let me have a place in thy heart (Henry 1073).” “She begs of him that her
union with him might be confirmed, and her communion with him continued and made more
intimate (Henry 1073).”
“Set me as a seal” The Shulammite “wants to be her husband’s most treasured possession (Ryrie
1010).
“a seal” “Seal” means to “impress” to make an impression, a mark, with a seal (Keil 145).”
“The seal was a valuable possession in the ancient world, both in terms of its manufacture (made
of precious and semiprecious metals and stones) and of its use (to mark and protect other
possessions; (Provan 366).” “An engraved stone or metal seal was a mark of ownership in the
ancient world. Possession of another’s seal indicated mutual access and possession (Kinlaw
1241).” A seal was “‫ חֹותָ ם‬the seal or signet-ring (Gn 38:18) is here as in Jr 22:24, and Hg 2:23
(which latter passage is probably an imitation of that before us) a symbol of close inseparable
connection and most faithful preservation. Reference is had to the custom attested by Gn loc. cit.
of wearing signet-rings on a string upon the breast as well as to the like custom of binding them
to the arm or right hand (Jr loc. cit., Ecclus 49:11; Lange 128-129).” “A seal was nothing if not
personal property; so this girl longs to be as close to him, as much a part of him as his seal
(Davidson 152).” “‘Seal’ is a sign of ownership that can be seen by anyone. She wants it to be
obvious to all that she is totally owned by him and in no way belongs to any other (2Tm 2:19;
Balchin 627).” “A seal could be stamp or a cylinder (the latter being less common), and could be
attached to a person by a band (and thereby hand form the neck or arm) or worn as a ring. It was
pressed into clay to create an image or an inscription that assigned ownership of an object
(Collins 1227).” “Seals were precious to their owners, as personal as their names (Gn 38:18;
Stak 956).”
“The imagery of the ‘seal’ might lead us to expect a reference to the hand rather than the
arm in v.6. ‘Arm’ is, in fact, regularly explained as a poetic synonym for ‘hand.’ This may be
so, but it is also likely that the imagery is being influenced not only by the idea of the seal but
also by the idea of the embrace in which the lover clasps his beloved with his arms to his heart.
The general idea of carrying important things around the neck and close to the heart is also found
in Pr 6:20-23, where the young man is to remain in intimate relationship with his parents’ advice
– advice that concerns, in particular, relationships with women (Provan 367).”
“arm” This is “probably a poetic synonym for ‘hand’ (Stak 956).” “The word translated ‘arm’
in v.6 should probably be taken to mean ‘hand’ or ‘finger’ (Davidson 152).”
“The ‘arm’ speaks of strength and security. … True love does have a protective attitude.
You desire to shield the one you love from any harm, from any injury, from any damage, from
anything that will be detrimental in any way. One key to this protective component of love is
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knowledge. The better we know our mate, the better equipped we are to give them ‘protective
love’ (Akin 344).”
“love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very
flame of the Lord” “God Himself is seen as the source of this love. The power of [its] nature
would therefore only be strengthened. The love God kindles in a marriage, over which he is
Lord, is such a fervent and fiery flame that nothing on earth can extinguish it or put it out (Akin
345).” “This statement indicates that both love and a jealousy to protect marriage are given by
God (Collins 1227).”
“love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire” “In this
respect [love] is also like ‘blazing fire,’ looking for things to consume (Provan 368).”
“love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave” Shulamith’s “love is so total and so
strong that she wants their mutual possession of each other to be as lasting as life (Kinlaw
1241).” Love “will pay any price for its survival and exact high tariff from all who threaten it
(Hubbard 343).” “The adjectives ‫ ַעזָה‬and ‫ קָ שָ ה‬stand together also in Gen. 49:7 to designate the
passionate anger and fiery zeal of Simeon and Levi as one which was too strong and invincible
to be repressed (Lange 129).” “In this context the idea is parallel to the phrase ‘strong as death’
and means a strong emotional attachment to a particular person or thing. This type of love is
possessive and exclusive (Akin 344).” Love “is as universal and irresistible as ‘death,’ exclusive
and possessive (in the sense of being genuinely concerned for the one loved) as ‘the grave’
(Deere 1024).” Shulamith refers to “love undivided, unfeigned, entire, and not transient, but
enduring; thus true and genuine love, such as is real, what the word denotes, which exhausts the
conception corresponding to the idea of love (Keil 604).” “‫קִ נְ אָ ה‬, which is here parallel to ‘love,’
is the jealousy of love asserting its possession and right of property; the reaction of love against
any diminution of its possession, against any reserve in its response, the ‘self-vindication of
angry love. Love is a passion, i.e., a human affection, powerful and lasting, as it comes to light in
‘jealousy. (Keil 604).” “In this passage [jealousy] intensifies the idea of love, just as ‘death’ and
‘hell’ stand to each other in the relation of climax, and as ‘strong’ (i.e. invincible) indicates a
lower degree of the passion of love than ‘hard, unyielding; i.e. inexorable, not to be appeased,
like the realm of death, which never gives up anything that it possesses (Lange 129).” The
adjectives ‫( ַעזָה‬strong) and ‫( קָ שָ ה‬hard, inexorable, firm, severe) are respectively assigned to ‘love’
and ‘jealousy,’ as at Gn 49:7 to ‘anger’ and ‘wrath.’ It is much more remarkable that the energy
of love, which, so to say, is the life of life, is compared to the energy of death and Hades; with at
least equal right ‫ ִממָ וֶת‬and ‫( ִמ ְשאֹ ול‬might be used, for love scorns both, outlasts both, triumphs over
both (Ro 8:38f.; 1Co 15:54f.; Keil 609).” So when Shulamite says “‘for strong as death is love,’
she gives herself up to this love on the condition that it confesses itself willing to live only for
her, and to be as if dead for all others; and with ‘inexorable as hell is jealousy,’ in such a manner
that she takes shelter in the jealousy of this love against the occurrence of any fit of infidelity,
since she consents therein to be wholly and completely absorbed by it (Keil 605).” “Love
demands all, and will have all (Orr 712).” “Death and the grave are never satisfied; they have an
unquenchable thirst for more and more (Pr 27:20). … Death is personified as an active power
that doggedly pursues every human being. Death is relentless; it will not release anyone from its
clutches. In the same way, love will not let loose whom it has brought into its grip. It is
persistent (1Co 13:8; Bland 464).”
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“love is strong as death” “This truth is reflected in the marriage vows that bind a couple together
‘until death do us part’ - pointing to their lifetime commitment to one another (Habtu 837).”
“Love is a violent vigorous passion. It is ‘strong as death’ (Henry 1074).” “Death never releases
those whom it has once seized (Garret 426).” “True love is as strong as death in that both are
irresistible. So too, the love of Christ is all-conquering. Paul found that the love of Christ
compelled him irresistibly (2 Co 5:14; Balchin 627).” “‘Love’ like ‘death,’ is relentlessly
persistent, always accomplishing its goal (Collins 1227).” “As the grave will not give up the
dead, so love will not surrender the loved one (Stak 956).”
“‫עַ ז‬, powerful, designates the person who, being assailed, cannot be overcome (Nb 13:28),
and, assailing, cannot be withstood (Jg 14:18). Death is obviously thought of as the assailer (Jr
9:20), against which nothing can hold its ground, from which nothing can escape, to whose
sceptre all must finally yield (Ps 49). Love is like it in this, that it also seizes upon men with
irresistible force (Böttcher: ‘He whom Death assails must die, whom Love assails must love’);
and when she has once assailed him, she rests not till she has him wholly under her power; she
kills him, as it were, in regard to everything else that is not the object of his love (Keil 604605).” “The point of comparison is inflexibility; for Sheol, thought of with ‫שאל‬, to ask (Isa
5:14), is the God-ordained messenger of wrath, who inexorably gathers in all that are on the
earth, and holds them fast when once they are swallowed up by him (Keil 605).” “Against death
nothing can hold its ground or escape. All must eventually yield to it. The type of love Shulamit
describes is as powerful as death, for it too can seize men with irresistible force. Whomever
death attacks must die, and whomever love attacks must love. As death kills in relationship to
everything living, even so love kills in relationship to everything else that is not the object of
one’s love (Fruchtenbaum 63).”
“All interpreters agree that if the Song of Songs has a climax, it is to be found in the
familiar and often quoted lines ‘love is strong as death. … Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.’ Here is the Song’s doxology to love, victorious, invincible,
irresistible. And it is an affirmation that strikes a responsive chord in the human heart (Kerr
146).”
“love is strong” “Our poet … designed ‫ ַעזָה‬to be understood here too of the all-conquering
power (Lange 129).” “The Song of Songs sings of a love that is all-consuming and
overpowering. … It is the song of an irresistible love, invincible and triumphant. … There is no
mistaking the major theme regardless of the difficulties of translation and exegesis. … It is
undoubtably a song of love, … a love that overcomes and vanquishes all that stands in its way
(Kerr 144-145).” “Love stands as the one truly creative and constructive force which throws
down the gauntlet and defies the destructive forces in experience (Davidson 152).”
“love” “Love () is used 11 times in the Song (2:4-5,7; 3:5,10; 5:8; 7:7’ 8:4,6-7; v.7 twice (Bland
464n).” “4 metaphos or images describe the resilience and abiding nature of love: it is ‘like a
seal,’ it is ‘as strong as death,’ it ‘burns like blazing fire,’ and it is like ‘many waters’ (Bland
464).”
strong as death” Death is “the most powerful of enemies in the Bible and a force that cannot be
overcome by mere mortals (Provan 367).”
“strong” “The Hebrew word translated ‘strong’ means powerful. On one hand, it can designate
a person who is being attacked but cannot be overcome (Nb 13:28). On the other hand, if the
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powerful one is himself doing the attacking, he cannot be withstood (Jg 14:18). Here death is
seen as being powerful, and nothing can withstand it (Jr 9:21; Fruchtenbaum 63).”
“death” “Death comes to all (Provan 367).” “Death overcomes all things (Lange 129).” “The
word for ‘death’ is the same as that for the god of Sheol or the underworld in the Tas Shamra
texts (Mink 143).” The Hebrew word “sheol” is “the shadowy world of the dead (Ec 3:20;
Davidson 152).”
“jealousy is fierce as the grave” “‘Jealousy is cruel as the grave,’ which swallows up and
devours all (Henry 1074).” “The fierceness of love is recognized as being deadly serious
(Huwiler 288).” “The jealousy of love is hard as Sheol. … the jealousy of love fully takes
possession of the object of love, just as Sheol takes full possession of the dead (Ps 49:13-15).
“Since love is powerful as death, Shulamit gives herself up to this love on the condition that
Solomon will love only her and will be as dead to all others, and all others will be dead to him.
Since the jealousy of love is also hard as Sheol, she hides in this jealousy as security against any
unfaithfulness (Fruchtenbaum 63).” “The jealousy of love wholly takes possession of the
beloved object not only in arrest, but also in safe keeping; she holds her possession firmly, that it
cannot be taken from her (Wisd. 2:1), and burns relentlessly and inexorably against anyone who
does injury to her possession (Prov. 6:34 f.; Keil 605).”
“This jealousy is not to be interpreted as the negative emotion that can destroy
relationships because partners do not trust each other. Rather, it is a jealousy similar to that of
God, who describes himself as ‘a jealous God’, that is, one who asserts his rightful claim to
ownership (Habtu 827).” “‘Jealousy’ (which parallels ‘love’ in the receding line) is a resolute
devotion rather than a selfish ambition; only such devotion can rightly describe the relationship
with God and one’s spouse (Collins 1227).”
“True love has a jealousy about it which is a reflection of the jealousy of God (Ex 20:5;
2Co 11:2). A wife has every right to jealousy if her husband starts getting involved with another
woman. Jealousy hurts and hurts badly and that is why it can be as ‘unyielding as the grave
(NIV)’ (Balchin 627).”
“The parallel line should be rendered, ‘Passion is as fierce as the grave.’ The word
‘jealousy’ is not an apt translation since the English term, in a context of love, implies suspicion
of faithlessness on the part of the other. The Hebrew term often refers to this kind of jealousy,
but it is not limited to this meaning. Also it is not strictly a sexual passion but rather a strongly
emotional attachment to another. This attachment is possessive and exclusive, as in the ‘passion’
of the Lord for Israel. Just as the grave swallows down men and women, so the passion of love,
when it has taken a prisoner, never lets him or her go. This does not mean, however, that one is
gripped by suspicion that the beloved is faithless (Garret 426).”
“jealousy” “The word ‫קנאה‬, ‘jealousy,’ is better rendered ‘zealous love’ or ‘passion’ (Mink
143).” “Jealousy, in its proper usage, simply asserts its right of possession or ownership …
Jealousy burns against everyone who will try to violate the right of ownership (Fruchtenbaum
63).” “On ‫ קִ נְ אָ ה‬zeal, zealous love [see] Pr 6:34; 27:4, where however the expression is used in a
bad sense of love that has cooled, jealousy (Lange 129).”
“The translation ‘jealousy’ is perhaps not the best, given the almost entirely negative
connotations this word has come to have in English usage. Hebrew ‫( קִ נְ אָ ה‬qin’a) refers to
passionate love that acts in protection of the loved one and of the covenant relationship
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constituted in the love relationship. It is used, e.g., of God’s love for Israel, which leads Him to
fight on Israel’s behalf and to direct His anger against her enemies. It is evidently a good thing
in itself, although it can lead mortal beings, touched by sin, to actions that must be judged as
wrong in the context of the Bible’s ethical teaching as a whole (e.g. Pr 6:34). A better
translation, therefore, is ‘passion,’ which does not carry the same baggage in modern English
usage as ‘jealousy’ does (Provan 367n).” “The Hebrew word conveys the idea of intense singleminded devotion (Zc 1:14-17; 8:2). So it is best to translate the word ‘zeal’ or ‘fervent love’
(Bland 464).” “BDB suggests ‘ardent love’ (Bland 464n).”
“fierce” “‫[ קָ שָ ה‬is] literally; hard, resisting all impressions [speaking] of the constancy of love
which baffles every attempt to suppress or to extirpate (Lange 129).” “‫קָ שֶ ה‬, hard (opposed to ‫רְך‬,ַ
2Sm 3:39), σκληρός, designates one on whom no impression is made, who will not yield (Ps
48:4; 19:4), or one whom stern fate has made inwardly stubborn and obtuse (1Sm 1:15; Keil
605).”
“Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord” “At Ps 76:4, ‫ ִר ְש ֵפי‬are effulgurations;
the pred. says that these are not only of a bright shining, but of a fiery nature, which, as they
proceed from fire, so also produce fire, for they set on fire and kindle. Love, in its flashings up,
is like fiery flashes of lightning; in short, it is ‫שַ לְ הֶ בֶ ְתיָה‬, which is thus to be written as one word
with ‫ ה‬raphatum, according to the Masora; but in this form of the word ‫ יה‬is also the name of
God, and more than a meaningless superlative strengthening of the idea (Keil 605-606).” Love’s
“fiery flames are a blaze of Jehovah (Kretzmann 286).” Love “is indeed like ‘the flame of the
Lord, who is Himself a consuming fire (Ex 24:17; Dt 4:24; Hb 12:29; Provan 368).” “In Hebrew
this is a flame of the most vehement kind, a flame of bright shining and fiery flashes. Love of
the right kind is not a flame kindled by man but by God (Fruchtenbaum 64).” Love’s “fiery
flashes are not merely a ‘blazing fire,’ but a very flame of JAH. Its fire is not simply, to use our
worn-down phrase, awfully not; it is ‘aweful,’ as carrying the divine imperative and sanctions
(Ml 2:14ff; Orr 712).” “Love of a right kind is a flame not kindled and inflamed by man (Jb
20:26), but by God - the divinely-influenced free inclination of two souls to each other, and at
the same time, as is now further said, 7a, 7b, a situation supporting all adversities and assaults,
and a pure personal relation conditioned by nothing material (Keil 606).”
“Love’s “lamps, and flames, and beams, are very strong, and burn with incredible force,
as the ‘coals of fire that have a most vehement flame, a flame of the Lord’ (so some read it), a
powerful piercing flame, as the lightning (Ps 29:7). Holy love is a fire that begets a vehement
heat in the soul, and consumes the dross and chaff that are in it, melts it down like wax into a
new form, and carries it upwards as the sparks towards God and heaven (Henry 1074).”
“Its flashes are flashes of fire” “To ‫קנאה‬, which proceeds from the primary idea of a red glow,
there is connected the further description of this love to the sheltering and protecting power of
which she gives herself up: ‘its flames, ָָ‫רשָ ֶפיה‬,ְ are flames of fire;’ its sparkling is the sparkling of
fire (Keil 605).” “Love or rather its intenser synonym ‫( קִ נְ אָ ה‬comp. Zp. 1:18), appears here as a
brightly blazing fire, which sends forth a multitude of sparks or flames into the hearts of men and
thus verifies its invincible power and its inextinguishable intensity (Lange 129).” Love is
“passionate (Deere 1024).”
“flashes” “The word here translated ‘flashes’ can mean arrows (Ps 76:3; Davidson 152-153).”
“On ‫‘ ְרשָ פִ ים‬sparks, rays, flames (comp. Jb 5:7), ‫ֵיָרשֶ ף‬
ֶ ‫‘ בְ ֹנ‬sons of the flame,’ i.e. sparks of fire (Ps
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76:4); flashes’ or ‘sparks of the bow,’ i.e. arrows; (Dt 32:24; Hb 3:5, etc.; Lange 129).” “The
Hebrew word (reshep) may have some connection with the Canaanite god Reshep, god of war
and pestilence, sometimes called ‘lord of the arrow.’ What now flashes across the sky, heading
for their target with deadly effect are the fiery arrows or darts of love, an image which is to be
developed on the basis of classical literature in terms of the fiery shafts and bolts of Cupid
(Davidson 153).”
“the very flame of the Lord” This “Hebrew expression conveys the idea of a most intense flame
(Stak 956).” “‘A most vehement flame’ is a superlative expression, as strong as anything
Hebrew can kindle, to show the brilliance and tenacity of love (Hubbard 343).” “The expression
‫שלהבתיה‬, ‘a most vehement flame’ (‘furious flames’ American Trans), may be taken as one word
with the emphatic yāh ending, or as 2 words, lit., ‘flame of Yah,’ which again is emphatic in
accordance with the Hebrew idiom of using the divine name with superlative force (Mink 143144).” ‘“The Lord is portrayed as the Source of this powerful love (Deere 1024).” “This quality
belongs to [love] because it is not natural fire, but a ‘blaze of Jehovah,’ flame kindled and
sustained by God Himself (Lange 129).” “True love has its source in God, for God is love. So
such love has a supernatural power that no human efforts can extinguish (Balchin 627).”
“The Hebrew is ‫( שלהבתיה‬šalbebetya), in which the final ya appears to be the short form
of the divine name ‘Yahweh,’ which is known from such passages as Ps 118:5. Since divine
names can sometimes indicate a superlative (e.g Ps 36:6, where the NIV renders ‘mountains of
El’ as ‘mighty mountains’), the word can be translated ‘mighty flame’ or ‘most vehement flame,’
but the context, with its various allusions to the cosmic forces of death and chaos that Yahweh
elsewhere in the OT is regularly described as overcoming, favors the more literal translation
(Provan 368n).”
“Lord” “This is the only mention of the divine name in the entire Song of Solomon, but it is
fitting in a book of covenant wisdom (Collins 1227).”
7. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for
love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.
“I would almost close the book,” says Herder in his Lied der Lieder (Song of Songs), 1778,
“with this divine seal. It is even as good as closed, for what follows appears only as an appended
echo (Keil 606).”
“True love can’t be quenched nor bought (Ryrie 1010).” “Nothing can change Shulamit’s
love for the king – not circumstances nor money (Fruchtenbaum 64).” Here we see contrast “of
exciting love and producing it artificially where it does not exist. … the contrast between
Shulamith’s genuine, invincibly strong love for Solomon and the mere semblance of love which
had previously subsisted between this king and his other wives (Lange 129).”
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it” “To the figure of a blazing fire
was readily added that of the inability of floods of water to extinguish this fire (Lange 129).”
“Marriage is meant to last, and so is love. It is not for a season, but for a lifetime. Solomon
teaches us that the love God gives cannot be stopped; its flame cannot be put out. … Carr writes:
‘The tenacious staying power of love is set against these tides and perennial rivers which are
unable to wash love away or put out its sparks.’ True love – God’s kind of love – is persevering
(Akin 345).” “Millennia before the phrase became fashionable in our circles, the bride in the
Song knew all about ‘tough love,’ love that endures, confronts, forgives, demands, and blesses
(Hubbard 343).” “External forces cannot quench or drown” love (Kinlaw 1241).” “This kind of
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love cannot be extinguished by many waters nor can rivers overflow it to sweep it away. No
amount of adverse circumstances can extinguish this kind of love, for the flame of Jehovah is
inextinguishable (Fruchtenbaum 64).” “The ‘many {or mighty} waters’ and ‘the floods’ may be
an echo of the threatening powers of chaos which in ANE mythology had to be quelled to bring
creation into being and were always a potential threat to the God-ordered life of the world. …
Defiantly, against all that may be dark or threatening in life, this girl throws into the balance the
inextinguishable flame of love (Davidson 153).” “True love is indestructible (Lindsell 974).”
“Love is a valiant victorious passion. Holy love is so; the reigning love of God in the soul is
constant and firm, and will not be drawn off from Him either by fair means or foul, by life or
death (Ro 8:38; Henry 1074).” “Let no-one trifle with this awesome elemental power (Orr
712).” Love “is a fire-flame which mighty waters (‫רבִ ים‬,ַ great and many, as at Hk 3:15; cf. ‫עַ זִ ים‬,
wild, Isa 43:16) cannot extinguish, and streams cannot overflow it (Ps 69:3; 124:4) or sweep it
away (Jb 14:19; Isa 28:17). … “no heaping up of adverse circumstances can extinguish true love,
as many waters extinguish elemental fire; no earthly power can suppress it by the strength of its
assault, as streams drench all they sweep over in their flow - the flame of Jah is inextinguishable
(Keil 606).” “The overflowing of these waters will strike no damp upon it, but it will enable a
man to rejoice in tribulation (Henry 1074).”
“Many waters cannot quench love” “Water may quench a fire, but it cannot quench love
(Lindsell 974).” “Love will enable us to repel and triumph over temptations from the smiles of
the world, as much as from its frowns (Henry 1074).”
“Many waters” “‘Water’ here, as often in Scripture, is viewed as life-threatening not life-giving
(Ps 88:6-7; Jo 2:3; Isa 43:2): water-filled pits in desolate places, stream beds suddenly flowing
with terror from flash floods, the sea itself – all these put life in jeopardy for the Israelites
(Hubbard 343).” These words “suggest not only the ocean depths (Ps 107:23) but also the
primeval waters that the people of the ANE regarded as a permanent threat to the world (Ps
32:6). The waters were also associated with the realm of the dead (Ps 30:1; Stak 956).”
“love, neither can floods drown” “Floods will drown people and strike terror to their hearts, but
they will not overwhelm love (Lindsell 974).”
“If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised”
“There is little difference in meaning among the various interpretations; they all affirm the
pricelessness of love (Mink 144).”
Glickman wrote: “Sex can be bought, love must be given (Akin 345).” “Indelible as a seal
sharply stamped, unquenchable as a fire with leaping flames, and unbuyable even at an
exorbitant price – such is the ‘love’ that she offers (Hubbard 343).” “There are things in life for
which you cannot write a blank check; there are riches that money cannot buy, and high on that
list is love (Davidson 154).” Love’s “value is greater than all the possessions one might ever
possess (Kinlaw 1241).” “True love is thus valued far more highly by those who know it
intimately and who ‘scorn’ (‫ בוז‬bwz) those who buy it than by people who view it from the
outside and are apt to ‘despise’ (‫ בוז‬bwz) those who give expression to it (Provan 368).” “No
‘man,’ however great the ‘wealth’ of the possessions and influence of his extate (‘house’), could
raise a ‘bride price’ high enough to procure her affections. Indeed, such an overture would be
greeted with the fiercest contempt (‘utterly despised’ is an emphatic construction in Hebrew in
which the verb root is repeated to underscore the action): she would turn on her heels at best and
spit in his face at worst (Hubbard 343).” “Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy
love, contempt is all that he would purchase (JB).” “True love scorns purchase even though the
price offered is extremely high (Balchin 627).” “All the riches of this world are insufficient and
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inadequate to pay for” love (Kretzmann 286).” “To attempt to buy [love] is to despise it (Ryrie
1010).” “On this occasion, the woman declares that love is not a commodity to buy or sell. It is
only for those who give themselves freely to one another (Bland 465).”
“As we understand the Song, v.7 refers to the love with which Shulamith loves, as
decidedly as 6b to the love with which she is loved. Nothing in all the world is able to separate
her from loving the king; it is love to his person, not love called forth by a desire for riches which
he disposes of, not even by the splendour of the position which awaited her, but free, responsive
love with which she answered free love making its approach to her. The poet here represents
Shulamith herself as expressing the idea of love embodied in her (Keil 606).” “The final statement
about the ‘love’ depicted in the Song is that it is priceless. ‘All’ one’s ‘wealth’ would be totally
inadequate to purchase such love. In fact such money ‘would be … scorned,’ because love cannot
be bought. Any attempt to ‘buy’ love depersonalizes it. If love is priceless, how then can it be
obtained? The answer is that it must be given. And ultimately love is a gift from God (Deere
1024).”
“all the wealth of his house” “The phrase, ‘all the wealth of his house,’ is identical to that used in
Pr 6:31 for a man who must pay for an adulterous affair. ‘All the wealth of his house’ may refer
to the bride price or dowry that was a part of the negotiation done when a daughter was given away
in marriage to the groom’s family (Bland 465).”
“wealth of” “Regarding ‫( הֹ ון‬from ‫הּון‬, (Arab.) han, levem esse), convenience, and that by which
life is made comfortable (Pr 1:13; Keil 606).”
“he would be utterly despised” “The repetition of the verb by means of the Infin. absol.
expresses the very high degree of contempt, which such an one as is here spoken of would
encounter (Lange 129).” The Good News Bible translates these words, “contempt is all he
would get.”
“utterly despised” “While in 8:1 the woman is scorned (‫ בוז‬bûz) by the society around her, now
she scorns (‫ בוז‬bûz) those who buy love (Bland 465).”
8.
Bibliograpy
Daniel L. Akin. Holman Old Testament Commentary Vol. 14. Nashville: Holman, 2003.
John A. Balchin. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 1994.
David L. Bland. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Songs. Joplin: College Press, 2003.
John C. Collins. Song of Solomon. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
Robert Davison. Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. Louisville: Westminster John Know Press, 1986.
Jack S. Deere. The Bible Knowledge Commentary; Old Testament. Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1985.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum. Biblical Lovemaking. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries Press, 1983.
Duane Garret. The New American Commentary Vol. 14. Nashville: Broadman, 1993.
Tewoldemedhin Habtu. Africa Bible Commentary. Kindle Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan (2010).
Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume.
Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.
David Hubbard. Mastering the OT Vol. 5B. Dallas: Word, 1991.
Elizabeth Huwiler. New International Biblical Commentary Vol 12. Peabody, MA, Hendrickson, 1999.
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament Vol. 6. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.
Hugh Thomson Kerr & Hugh Thomson Kerr, Jr. The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 5. Nashville: Abingdon, 1956.
Dennis F. Kinlaw. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol. 5. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
Paul E. Kretzmann. Popular Commentary of the Bible: The Old Testament, Vol. 1. St. Louis; Concordia, 1923.
J.P. Lange, et al. A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Song of Solomon (pp. 128–129). Bellingham, WA:
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Logos Bible Software, 2008.
Harold Lindsell. NRSV Harper Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
Theophile Mink. The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 5. Nashville: Abingdon, 1956.
R.W. Orr. International Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986
Iain Provan. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
Charles Ryrie. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody, 1976.
John H. Stek. NASB Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
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