# Song of Songs 02 📖: The Rose of Sharon [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Song of Songs Overview]] | [[Song of Songs 01]] | [[Song of Songs 03]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### The Lily among the Thorns and the Apple Tree in the Forest #### The Beloved to Her Lover: [[#Verse 01.]] I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys. #### The Lover to His Beloved: [[#Verse 02.]] Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens. #### The Beloved about Her Lover: [[#Verse 03.]] Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. ### The Banquet Hall for the Lovesick #### The Beloved about Her Lover: [[#Verse 04.]] He brought me into the banquet hall, and he looked at me lovingly. [[#Verse 05.]] Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. ### The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration [[#Verse 06.]] His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. #### The Beloved to the Maidens: [[#Verse 07.]] I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases! ### The Arrival of the Lover #### The Beloved about Her Lover: [[#Verse 08.]] Listen! My lover is approaching! Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills! [[#Verse 09.]] My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice. ### The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtledove #### The Lover to His Beloved: [[#Verse 10.]] My lover spoke to me, saying: “Arise, my darling; My beautiful one, come away with me! [[#Verse 11.]] Look! The winter has passed, the winter rains are over and gone. [[#Verse 12.]] Blossoms have appeared in the land, the time for pruning and singing has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. [[#Verse 13.]] The fig tree has ripened its figs, the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance. Arise, come away my darling; my beautiful one, come away with me!” ### The Dove in the Clefts of En Gedi #### The Lover to His Beloved: [[#Verse 14.]] O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountain crags, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. ### The Foxes in the Vineyard #### The Beloved to Her Lover: [[#Verse 15.]] Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards— for our vineyard is in bloom. ### Poetic Refrain: Mutual Possession #### The Beloved about Her Lover: [[#Verse 16.]] My lover is mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies. ### The Gazelle and the Rugged Mountains #### The Beloved to Her Lover: [[#Verse 17.]] Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved— be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountain gorges. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Sharon (2:1) is the fertile coastal plain of Israel between Joppa and Mount Carmel. 2. The flower called the "rose of Sharon" was probably a wild meadow flower like a crocus or narcissus, not a modern rose. 3. The refrain about not stirring up love until it pleases appears three times (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). 4. In Hebrew, "by the gazelles" and "by the does of the field" (2:7) sound similar to divine titles like "God of hosts," which some scholars see as a playful substitute for an oath in God's name. 5. Winter is the rainy season in Israel, so "the winter is past, the rain is over" (2:11) announces spring. 6. The turtledove (2:12) is a migratory bird whose return marked the arrival of spring (Jeremiah 8:7). 7. Foxes and jackals were known to damage vineyards, especially when the vines were in blossom (2:15). 8. The beloved is compared to a gazelle or young stag (2:9, 17), animals known for speed and grace. 9. The bride as a dove hiding in the clefts of the rock (2:14) pictures shyness and safety. 10. Many hymns, including "Jesus, the Rose of Sharon," apply 2:1 to Christ, though in the text the bride says these words about herself. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the Beloved whose banner over His people is love (2:4). He calls His bride to rise and come away into a new season (2:10-13), and in Him we can say, "My beloved is mine and I am His" (2:16; John 10:14). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The bride is warned not to awaken love until the right time (2:7). Why does timing matter so much in love and relationships? 2. The little foxes ruin the vineyards (2:15). What small things can slowly damage a marriage or friendship? 3. "My lover is mine and I am his" (2:16). What does mutual belonging look like in a healthy relationship, and in our relationship with God? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 4: He brought her to the banquet hall, and his banner over her was love. - 📖 verse 7: Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases. - 📖 verse 16: My beloved is mine and I am his. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[John 10#Verse 14.|John 10:14]] - I know My own and My own know Me. - 🔗 [[1 Corinthians 13#Verse 04.|1 Corinthians 13:4-7]] - Love is patient and kind. - 🔗 [[1 Thessalonians 04#Verse 03.|1 Thessalonians 4:3-5]] - Control your body in holiness and honor. - 🔗 [[Song of Songs 06#Verse 03.|Song of Songs 6:3]] - I am my beloved's and he is mine. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 35#Verse 01.|Isaiah 35:1-2]] - The desert will blossom with joy. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Song of Songs 02 - SOAP|Commitment is King]] ## 📂 Internal Notes