Song of Solomon 7
1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
10 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
Song of Solomon 7 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Song of Solomon 7 continues the praise that began at the end of chapter 6. The man describes the woman from her sandaled feet upward through images of jewelry, agriculture, architecture, geography, and royal life. The sequence expresses accumulated wonder: no single picture is sufficient to describe the beloved’s beauty.
The comparisons may sound unfamiliar today. Wheat, ivory, pools, mountains, and purple cloth communicated abundance, symmetry, strength, refreshment, height, and costly beauty. Faithful reading asks what the images conveyed in their own culture rather than measuring them by modern romantic language.
Verses 6–9 move from admiration to desire. The woman is compared to a palm tree, and the man wishes to draw near. Yet she is not a silent object. She answers that she belongs to her beloved and that his desire is toward her, then invites him into the countryside where she will give him her love.
The chapter therefore joins physical attraction with mutuality. The woman is seen and desired, but she also speaks, chooses, invites, and gives. Its direct subject is romantic love, which Scripture’s wider teaching places within faithfulness, respect, and holiness.
Key Themes
The address “O prince’s daughter” grants the woman dignity. It may be poetic rather than a claim that she is literally royal. The detailed praise begins by treating her as noble and worthy of honor, not merely as a collection of body parts.
Her sandaled feet and the curves of her thighs are compared to jewels shaped by a skilled worker. The emphasis is graceful form and artistry. The craftsman image presents the body as carefully made, though no individual body should be forced to match one poetic description.
The navel or rounded center of the body is compared to a bowl filled with mixed wine, and the belly to wheat encircled by lilies. Wine suggests celebration, wheat nourishment and abundance, and lilies delicacy. These are images of fullness and delight, not anatomical measurements.
The breasts like twin young deer repeat an image from Song of Solomon 4:5. The twins suggest harmony, while the young animals suggest softness and vitality. The poetry is sensual but affectionate rather than crude.
The neck like an ivory tower combines elegance and strength. Ivory was costly and smooth, while a tower stood upright and prominent. Her beauty includes confidence and stature, not only fragility.
Her eyes resemble the pools of Heshbon near the gate of Bathrabbim. The location is uncertain, but clear, still pools suggest depth and refreshment. Eyes in the Song also represent the gaze through which the lovers recognize and affect one another.
The nose like Lebanon’s tower overlooking Damascus sounds strange today. In context, it likely praises a strong, noble profile, perhaps with a sense of watchfulness. Ancient poetry should not be flattened into modern beauty standards; the image intends honor.
Her head is compared to Carmel, known for height and fertile beauty, while her hair carries the costly color of purple. The difficult line about the king being held in galleries or tresses most likely means that her flowing hair captivates him.
“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” gathers the images into a judgment about the whole person. She is not only visually impressive but delightful in presence and companionship.
The palm tree suggests height, grace, and fruitfulness. When the man says he will climb it and take hold of its fruit, the language clearly expresses sexual desire. Readers can recognize its intimacy without forcing every botanical detail into a rigid code.
Verse 9 compares the woman’s mouth or palate to excellent wine and may shift into her response as the wine goes smoothly to her beloved. The wording and speaker division are debated, but the exchange suggests reciprocal enjoyment rather than one-sided taking.
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” is the Song’s third major declaration of belonging. In 2:16 she begins with his belonging to her; in 6:3 she begins with her belonging to him. Here she expresses security: she knows she is wanted without grasping for possession.
The word translated “desire” also appears in Genesis 3, but here it is clearly positive. His desire is directed toward her, and she welcomes it. The verse does not authorize entitlement; desire becomes loving when answered willingly rather than through coercion.
The woman’s invitation to the fields and villages shows initiative. She proposes a place and time for shared closeness. The countryside may offer privacy, while the vineyards return to the image of cultivated love. Her voice shows that consent is active participation, not merely silence.
She wants to rise early and inspect budding vines and flowering pomegranates. Nature becomes a calendar of readiness and renewal. Earlier the Song warned against awakening love before its time; here the lovers look for signs that the season has arrived.
Mandrakes were fragrant plants associated with fertility and desire. They also appear in Genesis 30 amid Jacob’s troubled household. The Song uses their fragrance poetically; it does not teach that plants guarantee fertility or possess spiritual power.
The “pleasant fruits, new and old” stored at the doors suggest abundance prepared for the beloved. New fruit pictures freshness, while old fruit suggests what has matured and been preserved. Enduring love needs both remembered faithfulness and renewed affection.
Important Verses and Questions
Who speaks in Song of Solomon 7? The man most naturally speaks through verses 1–9a. The woman likely takes over during verse 9 and clearly speaks in verses 10–13. Exact divisions remain interpretive because the Hebrew text has no modern dialogue labels.
Why describe the woman’s body so openly? The Song celebrates attraction as part of God’s good creation. Genesis 2 presents husband and wife without shame, and Proverbs 5 encourages delight in one’s spouse. This is intimate poetry, not permission for public sexualization.
Are these comparisons standards for every woman? No. They express one lover’s admiration through his culture’s symbols. They are not a divine checklist of measurements, hair, age, fertility, or ability. The point is personal: he praises the particular woman he loves.
Does “his desire is toward me” give the man a right to her body? No. She speaks confidently and then offers her own invitation. The pattern is reciprocal. 1 Corinthians 7 teaches mutual care between spouses, not permission for force or disregard.
What are the mandrakes? They are strongly scented plants associated with love and fertility. Their presence strengthens the atmosphere of fragrance and ripeness; the verse is poetry, not a medical recommendation or promise of conception.
Practical Applications
Specific praise can strengthen a marriage when it is sincere and welcome. The man pays sustained attention rather than offering a vague compliment. Spouses can name what they admire in one another’s appearance, character, courage, faith, work, humor, and companionship.
Praise must not become comparison or pressure. This chapter records one relationship, not a universal body standard. Bodies change through age, illness, childbirth, disability, labor, and ordinary life, yet covenant love can continue to recognize beauty with gratitude.
Desire should honor the whole person. The woman remains a speaking subject with dignity and initiative. Lust asks how another body can satisfy the self; love seeks delight, safety, faithfulness, and care. Words or touch that humiliate, frighten, manipulate, or ignore boundaries contradict this exchange.
Consent should be willing, active, and ongoing. The woman chooses to invite her beloved and names where she will give her love. No language of marital belonging excuses coercion. A faithful spouse listens, respects refusal, considers health and emotion, and seeks intimacy both can receive as loving.
Couples benefit from intentionally making room for affection. The woman proposes leaving ordinary surroundings, rising early, and walking through vineyards. Romance rarely remains healthy through assumption alone. Time, privacy, conversation, tenderness, and shared experiences help affection remain rooted and fresh.
The vineyard imagery also invites examination. Healthy love shows growth in trust, honest apologies, shared responsibility, safe affection, and protected dignity. Where fear, contempt, secrecy, coercion, or repeated betrayal dominates, poetic words must not hide the need for truth, help, repentance, or protection.
Long-term love should treasure both “new and old.” Couples need memories of promises kept, hardships endured, prayers answered, and kindness received. They also need fresh attention rather than living only on the past. Faithfulness preserves what is good while continuing to learn a changing person.
Finally, Song of Solomon 7 teaches that bodily love can be joyful without becoming godless and reverent without embarrassment. The body is neither an idol nor an object to use. Within faithful, mutual love, attraction can become gratitude, delight can become generosity, and desire can be spoken and received without shame.