“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.”

“Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like purified oil;
Therefore the maidens love you.”

“Draw me after you and let us run together!
The king has brought me into his chambers.”

“We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”

“I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.”

“Do not stare at me because I am dark,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.”

“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who veils herself
Beside the flocks of your companions?”

“If you yourself do not know,
Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.”

“To me, my darling, you are like
My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.”

“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of beads.”

“We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”

“While the king was at his table,
My perfume gave forth its fragrance.”

“My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.”

“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
In the vineyards of Engedi.”

“Behold, you are beautiful, my darling,
Behold, you are beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.”

“Behold, you are handsome, my beloved,
Yes, so pleasant!
And our couch is luxuriant!”

“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters, cypresses.”

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Context and Meaning

Song of Solomon opens with something Scripture rarely places at the forefront: spoken desire.

After Ecclesiastes exposes the vanity of pleasure, labor, wisdom, and legacy — the Song does not retreat into silence, but where many hearts find themselves once emptiness has been acknowledged. It reveals what surfaces once false satisfactions are stripped away: longing remains.

This chapter establishes the relational and poetic framework for the entire book. Rather than commands or conclusions, it presents dialogue. Rather than instruction, it offers invitation. Love is expressed honestly, wounds are acknowledged without shame, and worth is affirmed in relationship.

Song of Solomon 1 teaches that intimacy—whether human or divine—does not begin with our perfection, for the woman stands both neglected and loved, confessing—“They made me caretaker of the vineyards, but I have not taken care of my own vineyard”—while the beloved speaks without hesitation—“Behold, you are beautiful, my darling”—inviting honest truth about desire, beauty, wounds, and worth.

Key Themes

Desire Properly Ordered
The chapter opens by ranking love above wine. Desire is not condemned, but clarified.

Character Over Appearance
The beloved’s name—his identity—is praised. Love is drawn to character, not merely attraction.

Invitation Over Control
“Draw me” reveals dependence. Love cannot be seized; it must be received.

Beauty Without Denial of Wounds
The woman names her suffering and her worth together. Scripture refuses to separate the two.

Mutual Delight
Affection flows both ways. Love here is responsive, affirming, and shared.

Reflection and Impact

Song of Solomon 1 reshapes the reader’s understanding of desire.

Psychologically, it affirms that longing is not a flaw, but a signal—pointing the heart toward what it was made for. Spiritually, it challenges the idea that closeness with God is built only through restraint rather than relationship.

This chapter teaches the soul how to speak honestly again—after wisdom has stripped away illusions.

Application

Examine What You Believe Is Better Than Wine

“For your love is better than wine.”
This declaration forces a ranking of values. Scripture repeatedly calls God’s love superior to life’s comforts. “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You” (Psalm 63:3). Jesus affirms the same principle when He teaches that the heart follows what it treasures most (Matthew 6:21).

Application asks: what do I treat as my highest good? Desire reveals allegiance.

Guard and Tend the Inner Vineyard

“They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.”
This confession echoes wisdom’s warning to guard the inner life. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Jesus later rebukes outward righteousness that neglects inward care (Matthew 23:25–26).

Application here is stewardship, not self-absorption—ensuring the soul is not neglected while serving others.

Bring Desire Into Prayer, Not Suppression

“Draw me after you and let us run together!”
This is desire spoken as dependence. God consistently reveals Himself as the One who draws. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Jesus affirms this when He says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

Application means learning to pray desire honestly instead of masking it with discipline alone.

Seek Rest Where God Provides It

“Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?”
This language intentionally echoes Psalm 23: “He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2). The soul longs not just for direction, but restoration.
Jesus fulfills this invitation when He calls the weary to Himself (Matthew 11:28–29).

Application asks whether our rest is shaped by communion with God or by temporary relief.

Receive God’s Affirmation as He Speaks It

“Behold, you are beautiful, my darling.”
Throughout Scripture, God names His people before they feel worthy. Israel is called treasured before obedience is perfected (Deuteronomy 7:6).
In Christ, believers are called beloved and chosen by grace (Ephesians 1:4–6).

Application means learning to receive God’s declaration without retreating into shame or disbelief.

Closing Thought

Song of Solomon 1 does not rush toward resolution.

It establishes posture.

Desire is spoken.
Worth is affirmed.
Vulnerability is welcomed.

After Ecclesiastes taught us what cannot satisfy, the Song begins to show where desire rightly belongs. Love awakens not through striving, but through invitation—and the soul, once emptied of vanity, finally has room to respond.