Song of Solomon 6 Study Notes: The Beloved Found and the Shulammite
The daughters of Jerusalem offer to help the woman find her beloved, and she replies that he is tending his flock and that the two belong to each other. He praises her as unique above all other women, who also admire her, and others call the Shulammite to return.
General
By what name is she called when others urge her to come back so they may look at her (Song of Solomon 6:13)?
Answer: The Shulammite
A group of voices calls to her four times to return, so that they may look at her, and they name her the Shulammite (6:13). This is the only place in the Song where she is given this name. The call shows how widely she is admired, following the praise of the maidens and queens (6:9) and the daughters’ earlier address to her as the most beautiful of women (6:1). The verse ends with a question about why they gaze at her as at a dance, leading into further praise of her in the next chapter.
- Song of Solomon 6:13 (BSB)“Come back, come back, O Shulammite! Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you. Why do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?”Others call her to return and name her the Shulammite.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”The maidens and queens have just praised her.
- Song of Solomon 6:1 (BSB)“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.”The daughters of Jerusalem had addressed her as the most beautiful of women.
Theological
What name is given to the woman when she is called to return so that others may look on her (Song of Solomon 6:13)?
Answer: The Shulammite
A chorus repeatedly urges her to return so they may look upon her, and here alone in the Song she is called the Shulammite (6:13). The summons reflects the admiration expressed by the queens and maidens (6:9) and by the daughters of Jerusalem (6:1). The closing question about gazing at her as at a dance opens onto the extended praise that begins chapter 7.
- Song of Solomon 6:13 (BSB)“Come back, come back, O Shulammite! Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you. Why do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?”Others call her to return and name her the Shulammite.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”The maidens and queens have just praised her.
- Song of Solomon 6:1 (BSB)“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.”The daughters of Jerusalem had addressed her as the most beautiful of women.
General
When asked where her beloved has gone, what does she affirm about the two of them (Song of Solomon 6:3)?
Answer: That she is his and he is hers
She answers the daughters with confidence, affirming that she belongs to him and he to her, and that he is pasturing his flock (6:3). This repeats her earlier declaration of mutual belonging with the order reversed (2:16), and she will say something similar again (7:10). Their pledge is mutual and exclusive, fitting God’s design from the beginning that a man and his wife be joined as one (Genesis 2:24).
- Song of Solomon 6:3 (BSB)“I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me; he pastures his flock among the lilies.”She affirms that they belong to each other.
- Song of Solomon 2:16 (BSB)“My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.”She had made the same declaration earlier, in the reverse order.
- Song of Solomon 7:10 (BSB)“I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.”She affirms her belonging to him once more later in the Song.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”From creation, God joined a man and his wife as one.
Theological
In answering where her beloved has gone, what does the woman affirm about their relationship (Song of Solomon 6:3)?
Answer: That she is his and he is hers
Her answer to the daughters shows settled confidence: the two belong to one another, and he is pasturing his flock (6:3). The formula reverses the order of 2:16 and anticipates 7:10. Such exclusive, mutual self-giving reflects the creation pattern of marriage, in which husband and wife are joined as one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
- Song of Solomon 6:3 (BSB)“I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me; he pastures his flock among the lilies.”She affirms that they belong to each other.
- Song of Solomon 2:16 (BSB)“My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.”She had made the same declaration earlier, in the reverse order.
- Song of Solomon 7:10 (BSB)“I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.”She affirms her belonging to him once more later in the Song.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”From creation, God joined a man and his wife as one.
General
True or False: In 6:10 she is described with images of the dawn, the moon, the sun, and the stars.
Answer: True
This is true. The question in 6:10 pictures her as shining like the daybreak, lovely as the moon, and brilliant as the sun, and as stately as the stars moving in order. It follows directly after the maidens and queens praise her (6:9), and it continues the theme of her splendor already sounded by her beloved, who compared her to troops marching under banners (6:4). The images stress radiance and majesty.
- Song of Solomon 6:10 (BSB)“Who is this who shines like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as the stars in procession?”She is pictured with images of the dawn and the lights of the sky.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”The verse follows the praise given to her by the queens and maidens.
- Song of Solomon 6:4 (BSB)“You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.”Her beloved had already likened her majesty to an army under banners.
Theological
True or False: The question in 6:10 portrays her with images of the dawn and the heavenly lights.
Answer: True
This is true. The question of 6:10 draws on the dawn, the moon, the sun, and the stars in their courses to express her radiance and dignity. It follows the praise of her by the queens and maidens (6:9) and develops her beloved’s earlier comparison of her to an army with banners (6:4), using images of brightness and grandeur.
- Song of Solomon 6:10 (BSB)“Who is this who shines like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as the stars in procession?”She is pictured with images of the dawn and the lights of the sky.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”The verse follows the praise given to her by the queens and maidens.
- Song of Solomon 6:4 (BSB)“You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.”Her beloved had already likened her majesty to an army under banners.
General
How does her beloved describe her when he compares her with the queens and the many other women (Song of Solomon 6:8-9)?
Answer: She alone is unique and perfect to him
He places her beside a great company of royal women and countless young women, and declares that she alone is unique, his dove and his perfect one, the favorite of her mother (6:8-9). The other women look at her and speak of her as blessed, and even the queens praise her (6:9). His words echo his earlier claim that she stands out among the young women like a lily surrounded by thorns (2:2), and the praise of a noble wife who surpasses all others (Proverbs 31:28-29).
- Song of Solomon 6:8 (BSB)“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,”He sets her beside a large company of royal women.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”He declares that she alone is unique, and the other women praise her.
- Song of Solomon 2:2 (BSB)“Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.”He had earlier said she stands out among the young women.
- Proverbs 31:28-29 (BSB)“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well: “Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!””A husband’s praise of his wife as surpassing all others parallels his praise of her.
Theological
In setting her beside the queens and the many other women of the court, what does her beloved claim about her (Song of Solomon 6:8-9)?
Answer: She alone is unique and perfect to him
Against the backdrop of numberless royal women (6:8), he insists that she is singular, his dove and his perfect one, cherished by her mother (6:9). The other women themselves acknowledge her as blessed and praise her. The claim continues his earlier comparison of her to a lily among thorns (2:2) and parallels the husband’s praise of the noble wife who surpasses all others (Proverbs 31:28-29).
- Song of Solomon 6:8 (BSB)“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,”He sets her beside a large company of royal women.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 (BSB)“but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.”He declares that she alone is unique, and the other women praise her.
- Song of Solomon 2:2 (BSB)“Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.”He had earlier said she stands out among the young women.
- Proverbs 31:28-29 (BSB)“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well: “Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!””A husband’s praise of his wife as surpassing all others parallels his praise of her.
General
After her praise of him, what do the daughters of Jerusalem offer to do (Song of Solomon 6:1)?
Answer: Help her look for him, asking which way he went
Her description of her beloved (5:10-16) moves the daughters of Jerusalem from questioning to helping. They ask where he has gone and which direction he took, and they promise to search for him alongside her (6:1). Just before, they had asked what made him better than others (5:9); now they are ready to help. They again address her as the most beautiful of women, as they did in 5:9.
- Song of Solomon 6:1 (BSB)“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.”The daughters ask where he has gone and offer to seek him with her.
- Song of Solomon 5:9 (BSB)“How is your beloved better than others, O most beautiful among women? How is your beloved better than another, that you charge us so?”Before her praise, they had asked what made him better than others.
- Song of Solomon 5:8 (BSB)“O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.”Their offer answers her earlier plea for help in finding him.
Theological
How do the daughters of Jerusalem respond to the woman’s description of her beloved (Song of Solomon 6:1)?
Answer: Help her look for him, asking which way he went
The woman’s portrait of her beloved turns the daughters of Jerusalem from questioners (5:9) into willing helpers. They ask where he has gone and in which direction, and they pledge to join her search (6:1), again addressing her as the fairest of women. The plea she made in 5:8 is now answered with an offer of help.
- Song of Solomon 6:1 (BSB)“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.”The daughters ask where he has gone and offer to seek him with her.
- Song of Solomon 5:9 (BSB)“How is your beloved better than others, O most beautiful among women? How is your beloved better than another, that you charge us so?”Before her praise, they had asked what made him better than others.
- Song of Solomon 5:8 (BSB)“O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.”Their offer answers her earlier plea for help in finding him.