Song of Solomon 2:16-17
Summary for Song 2:16-3:5: 2:16–3:5 a In the dramatic view, the woman has already been separated from her lover and is horrified by the notion that she will not see him soon. One night, her worries drive her from bed to search frantically for him; she finds him and takes him to see her mother.Summary for Song 2:16-17: 2:16-17 b He browses ... like a gazelle: The woman has so identified her lover with the strength and speed of a gazelle that she portrays his delay as grazing in the country.
• Alternatively, the lover, in the guise of a gazelle, grazes among the lilies that possibly represent the woman, suggesting the intimate association of the couple. The woman is often likened to a garden (see also 4:12 c, 15-16 d; 5:1 e; 6:2 f).
• return to me: Her longing to see him in the evening is intensifying by the hour.
Song of Solomon 3:1-5
3:2 g The poem is partly about a lover’s being willing and able to overcome all obstacles in order to be with the beloved.• Since the women of Jerusalem are mentioned frequently (3:5 h), the city is probably Jerusalem. Searching in all its streets and squares was an ambitious effort.
• The king of Israel would probably not be outside in the city at night, and if he had his sixty-man entourage with him (3:7-8 i), she would find him easily. Rather, the woman appears to be looking for a common man in common places.
3:3 j The watchmen of ancient towns or cities were roughly equivalent to police. Guardians of social custom and law, they were posted on the city walls to look out for attack and to assure that any traffic in or out of the city was not threatening.
• The woman may have been stopped because she was not a resident of the city and was not recognized. It was not considered appropriate for a woman to be out alone at night. The scene accentuates the strong desire that the woman must have felt toward the man as she ignored social conventions and safety considerations.
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