July 12, 2025
Holy Desire: Intimacy as God Intended
Song of Solomon 7-8
Emma Dotter
Big Book Idea
God's design for relationships is always best.
Key Verse | Song of Solomon 8:7
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.
Song of Solomon 7-8
Chapter 7
1
How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O noble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a master hand.
2
Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with lilies.
3
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are pools in Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon,
which looks toward Damascus.
5
Your head crowns you like Carmel,
and your flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6
How beautiful and pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights!
1
7:6
Or among delights
7
Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8
I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
9
and your mouth
2
7:9
Hebrew palate
like the best wine.
She
It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding over lips and teeth.
3
7:9
Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew causing the lips of sleepers to speak, or gliding over the lips of those who sleep
10
I am my beloved's,
and his desire is for me.
The Bride Gives Her Love
11
Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages;
4
7:11
Or among the henna plants
12
let us go out early to the vineyards
and see whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13
The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Chapter 8
Longing for Her Beloved
1
Oh 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.
6
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy
5
8:6
Or ardor
is fierce as the grave.
6
8:6
Hebrew as Sheol
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.
7
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he
7
8:7
Or it
would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
8
We have a little sister,
and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
9
If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
She
10
I was a wall,
and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds
8
8:10
Or brings out
peace.
11
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he let out the vineyard to keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
12
My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
13
O you who dwell in the gardens,
with companions listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
She
14
Make haste, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.
Table of Contents
Introduction to The Song of Solomon
Timeline
Author and Date
The wording of the first verse in Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs; 1:1) does not necessarily mean that Solomon wrote the book. It may have been written by Solomon himself, or it could have been written in his honor. When he is mentioned (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), it is generally as a distant, even idealized figure. What is known about Solomon suggests that he probably was not the writer himself (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1–8). However, the book was probably composed during Solomon’s time, perhaps under his oversight, between c. 960 and 931 B.C.
Theme
The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry expressing romantic love between a young man and a young woman in ancient Israel. He is a shepherd (1:7) and she is a shepherdess (1:8). They are looking forward to their marriage and the pleasure it will bring.
Interpreting Literary Images
The Song of Solomon includes several extravagant comparisons. For example, the woman is compared to a horse in Pharaoh’s court (1:9), and her hair is compared to a flock of goats (4:1). It is helpful to remember that (1) the comparisons are figurative rather than literal, and (2) what the person has in common with what he or she is compared with is a certain quality, usually the quality of excellence, or of being the best of its kind.
Structure
The author has presented the Song of Solomon as a series of exchanges, mostly between the shepherdess and the shepherd, with the chorus-like “others” sprinkled in. These others usually pick up items from the lovers’ speeches and urge the two forward in love. There is also a refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4; variation in 5:8), spoken by the shepherdess. This is understood as her urging the other women not to push this love too fast, in order to let it reach its consummation at the right time (the marriage bed, which seems to begin in 8:5).
Key Themes
- God’s law commands sexual purity. Marriage provides the right framework within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (see Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.
- Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people.
Outline
Fact: Song of Deliverance
David’s Song of Deliverance is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Perhaps 2 Samuel 22 was meant to be read aloud for instruction and Psalm 18 was meant to be sung or prayed as part of worship.
Fact: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees
Vineyards, fields, and palm trees. The Song of Solomon takes place in a rural setting, and the lovers describe each other using images drawn from this context. The man is a shepherd, and the woman works in her family’s vineyard.
Fact: Kissing
Kissing was a cultural means of showing respect, friendship, or reverence, as it is in many places today. A kiss was often given as a form of greeting or farewell (19:39). There are only three places in all of Scripture where kissing is connected with romance (Prov. 7:13, Song 1:2; 8:1.).
Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem
The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.
Song. 7:7 In ancient literature, a person of elegance was often compared to a palm tree.
Song. 7:1–9a This description of the woman’s beauty echoes that of 4:1–7 (see her description of the man in 5:10–16). They take romantic delight in each other’s physical appearance.
Song. 7:10 The context indicates that desire here refers to sexual desire. The thought of the man desiring her gives the shepherdess pleasure.
Song. 7:13 It is possible that mandrakes (which sounds like my beloved in Hebrew) were seen as an aphrodisiac (see Gen. 30:14–16). Here, they appear to be seductive as they give forth fragrance.
Song. 8:1 This verse seems to indicate that, in Israelite culture, romantic kisses were reserved for private situations, while a kiss of family affection was considered appropriate in public. Thus, the woman wishes that her lover were a brother.
Fact: Kissing
Kissing was a cultural means of showing respect, friendship, or reverence, as it is in many places today. A kiss was often given as a form of greeting or farewell (19:39). There are only three places in all of Scripture where kissing is connected with romance (Prov. 7:13, Song 1:2; 8:1.).
Song. 6:4–8:4 The Lovers Yearn for Each Other Again. The dream of 3:1–6:3 is over. The man and woman now offer words of praise to each other.
Song. 8:4 Here is the final instance of urging the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time (compare 2:7; 3:5). The period of waiting is almost over.
Fact: Daughters of Jerusalem
The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem four times throughout this book, creating a refrain that ties her “songs” together (2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). She urges them not to “stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” In other words, they should wait until the appropriate time to enjoy romantic love.
Song. 8:5 The Hebrew word for leaning implies that the man and woman are now married. In 2:3 the apple tree was a place of love; here it is the place of childbirth, which is what romantic love ideally leads to. I awakened you indicates that the woman sexually awakens the man as they consummate their marriage.
Song. 8:6 Love, like death, is persistent, always accomplishing its goal. flame of the 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. Both love and the jealous desire to protect one’s marriage are gifts from the Lord.
Song. 8:5–14 The Lovers Join in Marriage. The pair have gone from yearning to be joined together, to actually being married and consummating their union. The tension of the previous chapters—the anxious waiting, the concern for propriety—gives way to relaxed enjoyment.
Song. 8:14 For gazelle and young stag, see 2:7, 17. Mountains of spices refers to the woman (see 4:6). The Song of Solomon closes with the man and woman delighting themselves with their enjoyment of each other.
Introduction to The Song of Solomon
Timeline
Author and Date
The wording of the first verse in Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs; 1:1) does not necessarily mean that Solomon wrote the book. It may have been written by Solomon himself, or it could have been written in his honor. When he is mentioned (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12), it is generally as a distant, even idealized figure. What is known about Solomon suggests that he probably was not the writer himself (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1–8). However, the book was probably composed during Solomon’s time, perhaps under his oversight, between c. 960 and 931 B.C.
Theme
The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry expressing romantic love between a young man and a young woman in ancient Israel. He is a shepherd (1:7) and she is a shepherdess (1:8). They are looking forward to their marriage and the pleasure it will bring.
Interpreting Literary Images
The Song of Solomon includes several extravagant comparisons. For example, the woman is compared to a horse in Pharaoh’s court (1:9), and her hair is compared to a flock of goats (4:1). It is helpful to remember that (1) the comparisons are figurative rather than literal, and (2) what the person has in common with what he or she is compared with is a certain quality, usually the quality of excellence, or of being the best of its kind.
Structure
The author has presented the Song of Solomon as a series of exchanges, mostly between the shepherdess and the shepherd, with the chorus-like “others” sprinkled in. These others usually pick up items from the lovers’ speeches and urge the two forward in love. There is also a refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4; variation in 5:8), spoken by the shepherdess. This is understood as her urging the other women not to push this love too fast, in order to let it reach its consummation at the right time (the marriage bed, which seems to begin in 8:5).
Key Themes
- God’s law commands sexual purity. Marriage provides the right framework within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (see Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.
- Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people.
Outline
Fact: Song of Deliverance
David’s Song of Deliverance is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Perhaps 2 Samuel 22 was meant to be read aloud for instruction and Psalm 18 was meant to be sung or prayed as part of worship.
Fact: Vineyards, fields, and palm trees
Vineyards, fields, and palm trees. The Song of Solomon takes place in a rural setting, and the lovers describe each other using images drawn from this context. The man is a shepherd, and the woman works in her family’s vineyard.
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Song of Solomon 7-8
Let's be honest—Song of Solomon 7 might be one of the most surprising chapters in the Bible. A husband is delighting in his bride's body, and he's not holding back. For modern readers, especially single ones (hi, it's me again), it can feel awkward or even out of place. But that's only if we forget the bigger picture.
Marriage, intimacy, and delight weren't our idea—they were God's. From the beginning, he designed this kind of love to be good, safe, and celebrated within the boundaries of a covenant. So what we're reading here isn't something cringey or off-limits—it's a poetic expression of God's good gift, joyfully enjoyed in the way he intended.
But the end of chapter 8 turns up the heat—not just romantically, but spiritually.
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, . . . for love is strong as death . . . . Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD." (Song of Solomon 8:6)
This is no ordinary love. This is covenant language. It's fierce, unrelenting, consuming; and it's a window into a much greater love—the love of Christ for his Church." The only love truly "strong as death" is Jesus' love for us—a love that faced death and won. It's the love that sealed us with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:38–39). Song of Solomon may describe a human couple, but it also foreshadows the eternal romance of redemption.
So today, whether you're single, dating, married, or somewhere in between, take comfort in this: God is not awkward about intimacy. He created it, and he's not distant from desire. He is the one who pursues us with a holy, burning love.
This month's memory verse
"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
– Isaiah 53:5-6
Discussion Questions
1. How does the physical delight expressed in Song of Solomon 7 challenge or expand your view of God's design for marital intimacy? What assumptions (cultural or church-based) might need to be reexamined in light of this passage?
2. In Song of Solomon 8:6, love is described as "strong as death" and "the very flame of the LORD." How have you experienced or witnessed love that reflects that kind of covenant faithfulness? How does that image shape our understanding of Christ's love for us?
3. The book ends with longing, pursuit, and belonging. In what ways does Song of Solomon stir your affections for Jesus—and how does it reshape your understanding of the kind of relationship he desires with his people?