FocusPresence, absence, and longing
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The poetry develops the experience of invitation and searching and returns to the repeated refrain concerning love.
interpretation Song of Solomon 3:4
KJVIt was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
Read it in context
The Bride’s Dream
Start reading at Song of Solomon 3:1 (Song of Solomon 3:1 to Song of Solomon 3:5).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The poetry develops the experience of invitation and searching and returns to the repeated refrain concerning love.
- 3:1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
- 3:2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
- 3:3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
- 3:4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
- 3:5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Solomon is the traditional author, supported by the title's association with him. Whether that association identifies authorship, ownership, or subject is debated. Biblical references: Song of Solomon 1:1. traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Song of Solomon 1:1–8:14): The lovers address one another, with the daughters of Jerusalem and other companions addressed in portions of the poems. Speaker assignments in individual lines are sometimes uncertain; the poems do not identify a single audience present throughout the whole collection. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? An Israelite audience receiving love poetry. Within the poems the lovers address one another and the daughters of Jerusalem; those speakers and hearers are distinct from the book's later readers. Biblical references: Song of Solomon 1:5; Song of Solomon 2:7. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? The Bride’s Dream. Read Song of Solomon 3:1 through Song of Solomon 3:5 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The poetry develops the experience of invitation and searching and returns to the repeated refrain concerning love. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The poems mention seasons and times of encounter but do not establish a continuous, fully dated narrative or a single certain composition date. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Gardens, vineyards, countryside, and city scenes appear in the poetry. Images of places and bodies function poetically and need not all be literal travel or event reports. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in The Bride’s Dream (Song of Solomon 3:1 to Song of Solomon 3:5). Start reading at Song of Solomon 3:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Christian readers may compare covenant love with New Testament teaching about Christ and the church. That is an interpretive comparison; the Song's verses do not explicitly identify every lover, feature, or scene as Christ or the church. See Song of Solomon 8:6, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:32. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Value faithful, enduring love and respect the poem's warnings about its timing. Avoid assigning a spiritual code to every physical image without textual support. interpretation
Cited: Song of Solomon 3:1, Song of Solomon 3:5, Song of Solomon 8:6, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:32
Who wrote it, and how we know
Solomon
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe opening verse names Solomon.
Song of Solomon 1:1
Early traditionTradition credits Solomon.
What is debatedThe Hebrew phrasing can also mean a song about or for Solomon.
Related passages
- but Song 6:12 Prov 8:17 Isa 45:19 Isa 55:6-7 Jer 29:13 Lam 3:25 Matt 7:7
- I held Song 7:5 Gen 32:26 Prov 4:13 Hos 12:3-4 Matt 28:9 John 20:16-17 Rev 3:11-12
- I had Isa 49:14-18 Isa 54:1-3 Gal 4:26
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Song of Solomon 3
The Song of Solomon is poetry of love and desire. Identifying every speaker and assigning every image to Christ and the church involve interpretation; those readings should not be presented as names and meanings explicitly supplied in every verse. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Song of Solomon 1:1 Song of Solomon 2:7 Song of Solomon 8:6
Solomon Arrives on His Wedding Day
Song of Solomon 3:6–11FocusBeauty, celebration, and welcome
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The central sequence presents a procession and extended language of admiration, moving toward an invitation and response.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Song of Solomon
The Song of Solomon is poetry of love and desire. Identifying every speaker and assigning every image to Christ and the church involve interpretation; those readings should not be presented as names and meanings explicitly supplied in every verse.
Song of Solomon 1:1 Song of Solomon 2:7 Song of Solomon 8:6
Love expressed and admired
Song of Solomon 1:1–2:7FocusDesire, beauty, and delight
Connection to the wholeThe opening exchanges introduce the lovers' desire and admiration and reach a refrain about not stirring love before its time.
interpretation FocusPresence, absence, and longing
Connection to the wholeThe poetry develops the experience of invitation and searching and returns to the repeated refrain concerning love.
interpretation Royal imagery and mutual delight
Song of Solomon 3:6–5:1FocusBeauty, celebration, and welcome
Connection to the wholeThe central sequence presents a procession and extended language of admiration, moving toward an invitation and response.
interpretation Absence and renewed praise
Song of Solomon 5:2–6:3FocusSeeking the beloved
Connection to the wholeAn account of missed encounter leads to searching and a sustained description of the beloved, followed by renewed affirmation of belonging.
interpretation Love affirmed
Song of Solomon 6:4–8:14FocusMutual desire and enduring devotion
Connection to the wholeThe later exchanges culminate in reflection on love's strength and a final invitation, completing the collection's movement of desire and belonging.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.