Make haste, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag On the mountains of spices. Song of Solomon 8:14
Wait until it’s time
For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised. 8:6-7
8:1, 2 like my brother: The love of the bride for her beloved was so intense that she wished that she had known him dearly his entire life.
1 Oh, that you were like my brother, Who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised. 2 I would lead you and bring you Into the house of my mother, She who used to instruct me. I would cause you to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.
8:6 A seal is a symbol of possession or ownership. The Shulamite wants the king to feel a total ownership of her in his heart. She is committed only to him, and she wants him to be completely committed to her. As long as she resides in his heart, she feels secure. She knows that love deeply rooted in a heart commitment is intense – strong as death – and passionate – like flames of fire.
6 The Shulamite to Her Beloved Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
8:7 quench… despised: The point of this powerful verse is that true love cannot be destroyed, and neither can it be purchased.
7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.
8:8 The Shulamite came from a fatherless home where she had been raised by her mother and brothers (1:6). They alternated between protective concern for her and anger with her. But in her growing up, her brothers had protected her.
8 The Shulamite’s Brothers We have a little sister, And she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister In the day when she is spoken for?
8:9 If… a wall: By this the brothers meant that they would praise her for virtue and strength during puberty. If a door: However, if she were loose, like a swinging door, they would have to protect her from herself and from untoward advances by young men.
9 If she is a wall, We will build upon her A battlement of silver; And if she is a door, We will enclose her With boards of cedar.
8:10 The woman explains that she has been virtuous in her youth – a wall – and she will remain faithful in her adulthood – towers. In this way she discovers peace. How unexpected to find this rich Hebrew word used here of sexual completion.
10 The Shulamite I am a wall, And my breasts like towers; Then I became in his eyes As one who found peace.
⇒ God has set the right time for everything including the second coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He has become our protective brother as well. We shouldn’t doubt His love which is as strong as death. He has come and promised to come back. With the Holy Spirit indwelling and guiding, we will know when is the right time and call out to Him “Make Haste!” The great wonder is “Christ in me” — He has never left us between His first and second coming.
8 1 Oh, that you were like my brother, Who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised. 2 I would lead you and bring you Into the house of my mother, She who used to instruct me. I would cause you to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate. 3 (To the Daughters of Jerusalem) His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me. 4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases. 5 A Relative Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth; There she who bore you brought you forth. 6 The Shulamite to Her Beloved Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.
8 The Shulamite’s Brothers We have a little sister, And she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister In the day when she is spoken for? 9 If she is a wall, We will build upon her A battlement of silver; And if she is a door, We will enclose her With boards of cedar. 10 The Shulamite I am a wall, And my breasts like towers; Then I became in his eyes As one who found peace. 11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers; Everyone was to bring for its fruit A thousand silver coins. 12 (To Solomon) My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, And those who tend its fruit two hundred. 13 The Beloved You who dwell in the gardens, The companions listen for your voice– Let me hear it! 14 The Shulamite Make haste, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag On the mountains of spices.
