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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Song of Solomon 1

Poetry celebrating desire, beauty, mutual love, longing, and covenant affection.

Old Testament

Song of Solomon 1

1The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.

3Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is oil poured out, therefore the virgins love you.

4Take me away with you. Let’s hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. Friends We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! Beloved They are right to love you.

5I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar’s tents, like Solomon’s curtains.

6Don’t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven’t kept my own vineyard.

7Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; for why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?

8If you don’t know, most beautiful among women, follow the tracks of the sheep. Graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.

9I have compared you, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.

10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.

11We will make you earrings of gold, with studs of silver.

12While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.

14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

15Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves.

16Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, yes, pleasant; and our couch is verdant.

17The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Poetry celebrating desire, beauty, mutual love, longing, and covenant affection. Read Song of Solomon 1 within the complete Song of Solomon overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1 contains 17 verses and about 292 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 17 closes: “The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include love, beautiful, beloved, will, like, behold. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Song of Solomon 1

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Song of Solomon 1:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer