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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Song of Solomon 3

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

Old Testament

Song of Solomon 3

1By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.

2I will get up now, and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.

3The watchmen who go about the city found me; “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

4I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.

5I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up nor awaken love, until it so desires.

6Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the merchant?

7Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage! Sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel.

8They all handle the sword, and are expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh, because of fear in the night.

9King Solomon made himself a carriage of the wood of Lebanon.

10He made its pillars of silver, its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, the middle of it being paved with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.

11Go out, you daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother has crowned him, in the day of his weddings, in the day of the gladness of his heart.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Poetry celebrating desire, beauty, mutual love, longing, and covenant affection. Read Song of Solomon 3 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 3

Song of Solomon 3 contains 11 verses and about 263 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: “By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 11 closes: “Go out, you daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother has crowned him, in the day of his weddings, in the day of the gladness of his…” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include whom, soul, loves, sought, daughters, night. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Song of Solomon 3

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 3:1—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