Song of Solomon chapter 1
The Hebrew is clear that the woman is speaking, but not until 6:13 is she identified as the Shulamite maiden, a
country girl.
The virgins refers to other maidens attached to the royal palace. The switch to the first person plural here
indicates that a group is now speaking. From the maiden’s response in 1:5 we conclude that the group is to be
identified as the “daughters of Jerusalem,” a number of maidens who served the royal court. They appear
throughout the book as a chorus who reiterate the power and drama of love, in response to the speeches of the
main characters.
I am black refers to her swarthy, deeply tanned appearance, which in verse 5 is attributed to her long hours of
work in the vineyard. The tents of Kedar were Arab tents made of black goat’s hair. She is comely as the curtains
of Solomon which were known for their lavish beauty and exquisiteness.
The maiden now addresses her shepherd lover to determine his location. The three-character interpretation
seems to make an unnecessary separation of the shepherd and the king who answers in the next verse (cf. 1:12)
into two separate individuals.
Solomon begins speaking to the maiden at this point, although some interpreters delay his speech until verse 9
and ascribe verse 8 to the daughters of Jerusalem. Since there is a distinction in the Hebrew verb forms between
feminine and masculine, in most cases it is easy to determine the identity of the speaker. However, not all
ambiguity is removed as verse 8 attests. Comparing the maiden to a company of horses, like many figures of
speech in the book, seems quite unflattering to the modern reader. However, in the ancient world it would have
been considered a compliment since the horses of the king were known for their beauty, gracefulness, and costly
ornamentation.
My beloved (Hebrew dod) is used 32 times in the book, always to refer to Solomon. Camphire refers to henna
blossoms which come from the henna shrub of northern India.
Solomon speaks again, and the conversation becomes more intimate. He compares the maiden’s eyes to those of
doves because of their beautiful and gentle appearance.
The book is a love son sung by the two lovers: the shepherd-king and the Shulamite maiden. Solomon appears
first as a young shepherd who falls in love with the outcast Shulamite girl. He promises to come again one day to
marry her. In his absence, she dreams about their reunion.
When he returns, to her surprise he appears as King Solomon himself. Accompanied by his entire entourage, he
takes her back to Jerusalem in his royal coach to become his bride. The story serves as a beautiful picture of
Christ’s love for His outcast Gentile bride, the church, for whom He promises on day to return.