Song 1:5-11 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Song 1:5-11: 1:5-11 If the Song is a three-character drama and the shepherd is her lover, the couple was apart while she was in the king’s palace, and in this passage she wants to be sure of where to find him when she leaves there. On two occasions, she is frantic about losing him again (3:1-4 ; 5:2-8 ). At other times, her concern is more subtle (2:14 ). Summary for Song 1:5-6: 1:5-6 The woman’s dark skin color has nothing to do with her race; her complexion has been darkened by the sun . Even so, she retains her self-respect and asserts her beauty. She is wholesome-looking from tending vineyards and goats (see also 1:8 ). • Solomon had caretakers of his fields, vineyards, herds, and flocks; the herders lived in dark goats’-hair tents.

Summary for Song 1:5-11: 1:5-11 ^a If the Song is a three-character drama and the shepherd is her lover, the couple was apart while she was in the king’s palace, and in this passage she wants to be sure of where to find him when she leaves there. On two occasions, she is frantic about losing him again (3:1-4 ^b; 5:2-8 ^c). At other times, her concern is more subtle (2:14 ^d).
Summary for Song 1:5-6: 1:5-6 ^e The woman’s dark skin color has nothing to do with her race; her complexion has been darkened by the sun. Even so, she retains her self-respect and asserts her beauty. She is wholesome-looking from tending vineyards and goats (see also 1:8 ^f).

• Solomon had caretakers of his fields, vineyards, herds, and flocks; the herders lived in dark goats’-hair tents.
1:6 ^g my own vineyard: The NLT interprets vineyard as a metaphor for the woman’s own body (cp. 2:15 ^h; 7:12 ⁱ). In ancient Near Eastern societies, brothers protected sisters from premature intimate relationships with men. The woman’s protest reflects her belief that she is ready for love (see also 8:8-12 ^j, the only other mention of the brothers).

• The dramatic view takes vineyard literally: The brothers’ abuse had resulted in the woman’s inability to take care of the vineyards for which she was personally responsible. She found herself in Solomon’s harem because she had not been able to pay Solomon the money she owed him (8:11-12 ^k).
Summary for Song 1:7-8: 1:7-8 ^l leading your flock: In the dramatic view, the woman’s lover and his friends are literal shepherds, not a line of work or the company that one would associate with King Solomon at any time in his life.

• like a prostitute (literally like a veiled woman): Prostitutes wore veils to hide their identities (Gen 38:14-16 ^m). Since the woman has been claimed by Solomon as a concubine, she has reason to shroud herself and avoid being obvious. She wants to avoid having to ask everyone around her for the location of someone she loves (cp. Song 3:3 ⁿ; 5:6-7 ^o). She wants to find him privately during the resting period at noon so they can enjoy the time together.
1:8 ^p The man’s first words in this poem lovingly pacify the woman’s anxiety by giving directions to where she should meet him.

• The man desires to be with her and tells her to come under the guise of a goatherd, following the trail of his flock.
1:9 ^q The shepherd frequently calls the woman darling (literally companion) to show his respect for her as a partner and friend as well as a lover (1:15 ^r; 2:2 ^s, 10 ^t, 13 ^u; 4:1 ^v, 7 ^w; 5:2 ^x; 6:4 ^y).

• In the ancient Near East, a charge of horsemen on stallions was sometimes diverted by letting loose a mare in heat. This so distracted the attacking horses that they broke the charge. Similarly, the woman’s beauty drives other men to distraction.
Summary for Song 1:10-11: 1:10-11 ^z The woman’s beauty is enhanced by her jewelry. This beauty deserves to be even further ornamented, so the man says that even more jewelry will be provided for her (cp. Matt 13:12 ^aa).