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I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
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.
The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

2:1 rose of Sharon. Although these terms are often applied to Christ by modern writers, it is actually the bride who is speaking, in effect deprecating herself as like two very common wildflowers. The bridegroom, however, rejects this comparison, saying she is like “a lily among thorns” (Song of Solomon 2:2).


2:4 banner. The “banner” metaphor envisions a flag on a flagpole, depicting ownership and protection. The bride’s “banner” is the love of her bridegroom, just as our eternal security is in the undying love of Christ. Except for Song of Solomon 2:2, it is the bride who is speaking throughout this chapter.


2:5 flagons. The Hebrew word probably refers to “raisin-cakes.”


2:7 charge. This charge is given three times to the “daughters of Jerusalem,” urging them to premarital chastity (Song of Solomon 3:5; 8:4). The word “my” is not in the original, so the charge is really: “Stir not up, nor awake love, until he please [‘please’ can mean ‘is proper’].”


2:8 behold, he cometh. Although the bride is still speaking, the occasion is different. She is no longer in Jerusalem, but perhaps in their country palace, and her beloved is away. But then she cries: “Behold, he cometh,” and she rises to meet him, as she sees him rapidly approaching. This perhaps speaks, in type, of the signs of the imminent return of Christ, after His long absence (compare Matthew 25:6; 24:33).


2:10 Rise up. The king, after a long time away from his beloved during a busy winter, returns in the spring for a happy reunion. In type, the call to “rise up and come away” may foreshadow the wonderful rapture of the church when Christ returns (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).


2:11 winter is past. Typologically, “the winter” perhaps refers to the long period of Christ’s absence between His ascension and the second coming.


2:12 turtle. “Turtle” also means “turtledove.” When Christ comes again and establishes His reign of righteousness on earth, it will be like a glorious springtime after a long winter.


2:13 fig tree. The budding of the “fig tree” (Israel) is given by Christ as a sign of His imminent return (Luke 13:6-9; 21:29-31).


2:15 Take us the foxes. Evidently both bride and bridegroom here realize there is a need to “take”—that is, “capture”—the little foxes infesting the vineyards before the grapes have ripened. There are “little” things that can come in and destroy even the happiest marriage if they are allowed to remain, just as “little” sins (ingratitude, impatience, etc.) may hurt our relationship with the Lord. Sadly, Solomon himself soon allowed the little sins of political expedience, preoccupation with business affairs and, finally, the greater sins of lust and idolatry, to ruin his idyllic relation with his first love.


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