Song of Songs 6:4–13a (April 28, 2025)

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,

lovely as Jerusalem,

awesome as an army with banners.

5 Turn away your eyes from me,

for they overwhelm me—

Your hair is like a flock of goats

leaping down the slopes of Gilead.

6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

that have come up from the washing;

all of them bear twins;

not one among them has lost its young.

7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

behind your veil.

8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,

and virgins without number.

9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,

the only one of her mother,

pure to her who bore her.

The young women saw her and called her blessed;

the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.

10 “Who is this who looks down like the dawn,

beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,

awesome as an army with banners?”

She

11 I went down to the nut orchard

to look at the blossoms of the valley,

to see whether the vines had budded,

whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

12 Before I was aware, my desire set me

among the chariots of my kinsman, a prince.[b]

Others

13 [c] Return, return, O Shulammite,

return, return, that we may look upon you.

He

Why should you look upon the Shulammite,

as upon a dance before two armies?[d]

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 6:12 Or chariots of Ammi-Nadib

Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7:1 in Hebrew

Song of Solomon 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim

5G's

1. God: Who is God (His character)?

God is the faithful Bridegroom who sees His Bride as beautiful, majestic, and beloved, even after her earlier distance. His gaze is not cold or judgmental but filled with affection and delight.

Verse 4, "You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners."

He is the covenant-keeping God who remains steadfast in love despite the Bride’s earlier reluctance.

2. Guilt: What is our frailty?

The Bride had previously delayed in responding to the Bridegroom’s call (cf. Song of Songs 5:2–6).

Though not restated in 6:4–13a, the lingering context shows that the Bride had been slow and careless toward love. Our weakness is our spiritual sluggishness, our hesitation to respond fully to God's pursuing love. How can we turn this around?

Implicit in the need for reaffirmation of love (6:4–5) is the reminder that we are prone to wander and slow to return to God.

3. Gospel: How is the Gospel foreshadowed here?

The Bridegroom's unstoppable, restorative love points toward the Gospel. Though the Bride faltered, the Bridegroom steadfastly renews His praises for her, declaring her beautiful, unique, and chosen!

Verse 9, "My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore her."

The King points forward to Christ, who loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, not because she was perfect, but to make her perfect (cf. Ephesians 5:25–27). The Bride’s restoration and glorification are by grace alone, not by her merit. How amazing!

4. Grace: How is God’s grace revealed here?

God’s grace shines through in that the Bride, once hesitant and faltering, is described as radiant and victorious.

Verse 10, "Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?"

The transformation from hesitation (chapter 5) to radiance (chapter 6) is a work of sheer grace. This grace is at work in your life, today! How does your life change knowing that God is relentless and steadfast?

It is God who makes His people glorious, not by their effort but by His sovereign love and sanctifying power.

5. Gratitude: How shall we respond then?

In gratitude, the Bride is called to return and be seen by the community.

Verse 13a, "Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you."

Our thankful response is to live publicly as God’s redeemed people, to reflect His beauty before a watching world, and to glorify Him with lives of holiness, mission, and joy.

"Let your light shine before others..." (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Though we falter, Christ's love restores and glorifies us, calling us to shine brightly for His glory.