The ornaments of love

Tell me, O you whom I love,
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herself
By the flocks of your companions?
If you do not know, O fairest among women,
Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
I have compared you, my love,
To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
We will make you ornaments of gold
With studs of silver.
(Song 1.7–11) </blockquote

In verse 7, after having addressed the other women, the Shulamite addressed Solomon. She desired his presence. Therefore, she wanted to know where he was working that she might visit him.

What did she mean when she referred to veiling herself? While in the presence of strangers, she veiled herself, but she wanted to be open and relaxed in his presence.

It appears that he then played a game with her in verse 8. Why do you think he answered that way? What answer did he give? She could follow in the footsteps of the flock, feed her little goats, and she would be by the shepherd’s tent. She could find him easily. It seems that in the line, “Beside the shepherds’ tent,” he gave the most obvious clue.

He referred to her as his love. Why call her, “My love”? What does that mean? To him, she embodied love. Throughout the Song he called her, “My love,” whereas, she referred to him as her “beloved.”

To what did he compare her? She was like Solomon’s filly among Pharaoh’s chariots. Does this mean she was the best, or that she got the attention of others? G. Lloyd Carr notes,

“…in ancient Egypt after the middle of the second millennium bc, mares were never used to draw chariots. Stallions, hitched in pairs, were the standard motive-power of both war-chariots and other royal vehicles. Yet the text here has the feminine singular mare. The preposition linked with chariots is better translated ‘among’ rather than as a possessive. These factors suggest that the comparison here underscores the girl’s attractiveness. A mare loose among the royal stallions would create intense excitement.”

In cultures built around the horse, as compared to modern America built around the car, people placed high values on horses. See how God describes a horse in Job 39.19–25. Solomon recognized the value of horses (1Ki 4.26). Egypt provided him with excellent horses (1Ki 10.26–29). Think of the beauty and value of royal horses and chariots, then see what Solomon said of the Shulamite.

In verse 9, he compared her to his filly among Pharaoh’s chariots, and such horses had decorations upon them. Did she wear ornaments that highlighted her beauty like on a filly? Even as a filly might wear decorations around its neck, so she did as well.

The daughters of Jerusalem then promised to make her ornaments of gold with studs of silver, showing how they had accepted her into the royal court.

Tell me, O you whom I love,
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herself
By the flocks of your companions?
If you do not know, O fairest among women,
Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
I have compared you, my love,
To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
We will make you ornaments of gold
With studs of silver.
(Song 1.7–11)

In verse 7, after having addressed the other women, the Shulamite addressed Solomon. She desired his presence. Therefore, she wanted to know where he was working that she might visit him.

What did she mean when she referred to veiling herself? While in the presence of strangers, she veiled herself, but she wanted to be open and relaxed in his presence.

It appears that he then played a game with her in verse 8. Why do you think he answered that way? What answer did he give? She could follow in the footsteps of the flock, feed her little goats, and she would be by the shepherd’s tent. She could find him easily. It seems that in the line, “Beside the shepherds’ tent,” he gave the most obvious clue.

He referred to her as his love. Why call her, “My love”? What does that mean? To him, she embodied love. Throughout the Song he called her, “My love,” whereas, she referred to him as her “beloved.”

To what did he compare her? She was like Solomon’s filly among Pharaoh’s chariots. Does this mean she was the best, or that she got the attention of others? G. Lloyd Carr notes,

“…in ancient Egypt after the middle of the second millennium bc, mares were never used to draw chariots. Stallions, hitched in pairs, were the standard motive-power of both war-chariots and other royal vehicles. Yet the text here has the feminine singular mare. The preposition linked with chariots is better translated ‘among’ rather than as a possessive. These factors suggest that the comparison here underscores the girl’s attractiveness. A mare loose among the royal stallions would create intense excitement.”

In cultures built around the horse, as compared to modern America built around the car, people placed high values on horses. See how God describes a horse in Job 39.19–25. Solomon recognized the value of horses (1Ki 4.26). Egypt provided him with excellent horses (1Ki 10.26–29). Think of the beauty and value of royal horses and chariots, then see what Solomon said of the Shulamite.

In verse 9, he compared her to his filly among Pharaoh’s chariots, and such horses had decorations upon them. Did she wear ornaments that highlighted her beauty like on a filly? Even as a filly might wear decorations around its neck, so she did as well.

The daughters of Jerusalem then promised to make her ornaments of gold with studs of silver, showing how they had accepted her into the royal court.

Leave a comment