Song of Solomon Chapter 2
Showing all 17 verses for Song of Solomon Chapter 2.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. "
"I am a wildflower of Sharon's plain, a lily growing in the valleys."
You don't need to be rare or exclusive to be genuinely beautiful and worth loving — ordinary, natural, unforced goodness is enough. Don't wait to feel exceptional before you believe you're worth cherishing.
"As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. "
"Like a lily growing among thorns, that's how my love stands out among other women."
When someone you love undersells themselves, answer it — don't let their humility go unmet. I want you to be the kind of person who notices what's genuinely remarkable in others and says so, especially when they can't see it in themselves yet.
"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. "
"Like an apple tree standing out among the ordinary trees of the forest, so is my love among other men. I love sitting in his shade, and his fruit tastes sweet to me."
Look for what someone actually gives you — shelter, comfort, real delight — not just how they present. And when you find that kind of person, let yourself openly enjoy the good things they bring into your life, whether that's rest, comfort, or physical closeness within a committed love.
"He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. "
"He brought me to the banqueting hall, and everyone could see: his banner over me was love."
Commitment that hides in the shadows isn't much comfort to the person on the receiving end. If you love someone, let it be visible — don't make them guess at your loyalty or wonder where they stand with you in front of others.
"Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. "
"Refresh me with raisin cakes, revive me with apples — I am faint with love."
It's alright to admit when longing or love feels overwhelming — you don't have to perform composure. I don't ask you to minimise how deeply you feel things; bring the full weight of your longing honestly, whether to the person you love or in prayer.
"His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. "
"His left arm is under my head, his right arm holds me close."
Let yourself receive comfort and closeness from people who love you — you don't have to hold yourself rigid and self-sufficient all the time. Being held, physically or otherwise, by someone trustworthy is a real and legitimate source of peace.
"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. "
"I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer of the field: do not stir up or awaken love before it is ready."
Passion and patience aren't opposites — the wisest love holds both together. I want you to feel the full force of desire and affection, but never let urgency talk you into rushing something, or someone, before its time. Real love can wait for the right moment.
"The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. "
"Listen! That's my love's voice — look, he comes leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills!"
Let the people you love see your eagerness to reach them — don't play it cool if what you actually feel is joy at seeing them again. Enthusiasm honestly shown is a gift, not a weakness.
"My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. "
"My love is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, peering through the lattice."
There's nothing undignified about being visibly eager for someone you love — that eagerness, even a little clumsy or comic, is part of what makes love feel alive. Don't be so composed that you lose the joy of simply wanting to see someone.
"My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. "
"My love spoke and said to me: 'Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away with me.'"
Invite the people you love into good things rather than demanding their compliance. I call people towards life and joy, I don't drag them — love that respects someone's freedom to say yes is worth more than love that simply expects it.
"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; "
"Look — winter is over, the rains have stopped and gone."
Notice the seasons in your own life — the times of waiting, hardship, or distance eventually give way to renewal, if you let them. Don't assume winter is permanent; be ready to step out and receive the new season when it comes.
"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 flowers are blooming across the land; the season of singing has come, and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our countryside."
When life opens up into a season of goodness, let yourself notice it fully — the sounds, the colours, the small evidences that things are turning good. Gratitude means paying attention to a good season while you're actually in it.
"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. "
"The fig tree is putting out its first green figs, and the blossoming vines smell sweet. Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away with me."
When I invite you into something good, I don't ask once and drop it — I keep calling, patiently, because I want you to actually come, not just hear the offer. Don't be afraid to repeat an honest, loving invitation to someone even if the first ask hasn't landed yet.
"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. "
"My dove, hidden in the crevices of the rock, in the secret places on the cliff — let me see your face, let me hear your voice; your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."
Ask, don't demand, for someone's presence and attention, even when you love them deeply and want them close. Respecting someone's freedom to give themselves to you, rather than assuming you're entitled to it, is what keeps desire from curdling into control.
"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. "
"Catch the foxes for us — the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, now while our vines are still tender and blossoming."
Deal with the small foxes in your relationships early — the little resentments, unspoken irritations, small dishonesties — before they've had time to damage something still growing. I'd rather you have an honest, slightly awkward conversation now than let a small thing quietly spoil something good.
"My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. "
"My love is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies."
Real love is mutual ownership freely given, not one-sided control — 'mine and I am his' only works both ways. Look for, and offer, that kind of equal, freely-chosen belonging, not a relationship where only one person is doing the giving.
"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. "
"Until the day breaks and the shadows fade, turn to me, my love — be like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged hills."
Healthy longing for someone you love doesn't have to end in immediate resolution to be good — sometimes wanting, itself, held honestly, is part of a real relationship's rhythm. Don't rush every desire to a tidy conclusion; some longing is meant to be lived in, not just solved.