Song of Songs 8:5–14 (April 30, 2025)

God – Who is God in this passage?

Guilt – What sin or weakness is exposed?

Gospel – How is Christ or the gospel foreshadowed?

Grace – How is God’s grace more clearly seen?

Gratitude – How should we respond?

8:5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,

leaning on her beloved?

Under the apple tree I awakened you.

There your mother was in labor with you;

there she who bore you was in labor.

6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

jealousy[a] is fierce as the grave.[b]

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

the very flame of the Lord.

7 Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

he[c] would be utterly despised.

Final Advice

Others

8 We have a little sister,

and she has no breasts.

What shall we do for our sister

on the day when she is spoken for?

9 If she is a wall,

we will build on her a battlement of silver,

but if she is a door,

we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

She

10 I was a wall,

and my breasts were like towers;

then I was in his eyes

as one who finds[d] peace.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;

he let out the vineyard to keepers;

each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.

12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;

you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,

and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.

He

13 O you who dwell in the gardens,

with companions listening for your voice;

let me hear it.

She

14 Make haste, my beloved,

and be like a gazelle

or a young stag

on the mountains of spices.

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 8:6 Or ardor

Song of Solomon 8:6 Hebrew as Sheol

Song of Solomon 8:7 Or it

Song of Solomon 8:10 Or brings out

1. God – Who is God in this passage?

God is the faithful Bridegroom, whose love is not seasonal or fleeting but eternal and sealing. He is portrayed as one who awakens love, cultivates life, and whose love is stronger than death.

“Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

jealousy is fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

the very flame of the Lord.” (8:6)

God’s love is exclusive, passionate, and even jealous in a holy sense — it demands the whole of us. Not just Sundays but every day. Not just when we are in the "church" building but in the "world."

This is not a passive love. It is an active holy fire — “the very flame of the LORD.”

2. Guilt – What is our guilt or weakness revealed?

In contrast to the strength and purity of divine love, our love is often incomplete, conditional, and self-centered.

We often fail to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

We forget that His love cannot be bought or earned, and try instead to offer our own merit as though they are "good enough."

“If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house,

he would be utterly despised.” (8:7b)

This verse exposes our pride: the human instinct to trade or buy God’s favor, rather than receive it humbly. But true love — God's love — is a gift, not a transaction. We often "negotiate" with God when God has already given Himself to us.

3. Gospel – How is the gospel foreshadowed here?

The Gospel is seen in the unquenchable nature of divine love, which points to Christ’s sacrificial love for His Church. It's Good News because God is relentless. He is pursuing us.

“Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.” (8:7a)

This echoes Romans 8:38–39 — that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Himself set us as a seal upon His heart and His arm — He bore our names upon His chest (the heart) and bore our sins upon His shoulders (the arm).

His love is not only strong as death — it conquered death.

4. Grace – How is God’s grace more clearly seen here?

God’s grace is shown in His initiation, persistence, and fruit-bearing love.

The vineyard — a frequent biblical image for God’s people — is now entrusted to the Bride:

“My vineyard, my very own, is before me;

you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,

and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.” (8:12)

Grace gives not only redemption but also responsibility and fruitfulness.

The once passive Bride is now an active keeper of fruit.

She is not just loved — she is transformed and entrusted.

5. Gratitude – How shall we then live?

The Bride responds not with passivity but with longing, readiness, and expectation:

“Make haste, my beloved,

and be like a gazelle

or a young stag

on the mountains of spices.” (8:14)

This final prayer of the Bride reflects the heart of the Church crying,

"Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)

Our response is to long for His coming, to remain faithful, and to live as a sealed and sanctified people until we see Him face to face.

The love of Christ compels us — a love stronger than death, unquenchable, and worthy of our lifelong longing.