The Book of Song of Solomon is a poetic and passionate love story between a young woman and her beloved, traditionally attributed to King Solomon. These Song of Solomon chapter summaries provide a brief and beautiful overview of the main scenes and themes of this romantic and allegorical book.
When you are done reading here, you may also want to check out our complete list of Bible Chapter Summaries for every Book of the Bible.
Book of Song of Solomon Summary By Chapter
Chapter 1: The Longing of the Lovers
The young woman expresses her desire for her beloved, who is a shepherd. She asks him where he grazes his flock, and he invites her to join him. He praises her beauty and compares her to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. She admits that she is dark-skinned because of the sun, and asks him not to look at her. She compares herself to a flower of the field, and he compares her to a lily among thorns. They exchange compliments and affirm their love for each other.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 1 Summary
Chapter 2: The Joy of the Lovers
The young woman compares herself to a rose and a lily, and her beloved to an apple tree. She describes how he brought her to his banquet hall and covered her with his love. She asks the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken love until it is ready. She hears her beloved’s voice, and he calls her to come with him. He compares her to a dove, a gazelle, and a young stag. He invites her to see the spring flowers and the budding vines. She calls him her lover and her friend.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 3: The Dream of the Bride
The young woman dreams that she is looking for her beloved in the city, but she cannot find him. She asks the watchmen if they have seen him, and they say no. She finally finds him and holds him tight. She then sees a wedding procession coming out of the wilderness, with Solomon in his royal carriage. She describes his crown and his throne, and praises his appearance and his fragrance.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 3 Summary
Chapter 4: The Praise of the Bridegroom
The young man praises the beauty of his bride, and compares her eyes to doves, her hair to a flock of goats, her teeth to a flock of sheep, her lips to a scarlet thread, her cheeks to pomegranates, her neck to the tower of David, and her breasts to twin fawns. He calls her his sister, his bride, his garden, and his fountain. He invites the north wind and the south wind to blow on his garden, and asks his bride to let him enter her garden and taste its fruits.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 4 Summary
Chapter 5: The Separation of the Lovers
The young woman invites her beloved to eat and drink from her garden. She dreams that he knocks on her door, but she is reluctant to open it. When she finally opens it, he is gone. She looks for him in the city, but the watchmen beat her and take her veil. She asks the daughters of Jerusalem to help her find him, and they ask her what is so special about him.
The woman describes her beloved in detail, and compares his head to gold, his eyes to doves, his cheeks to beds of spices, his lips to lilies, his arms to rods of gold, his body to ivory, his legs to pillars of marble, and his mouth to sweetness. She calls him her lover and her friend.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter 6: The Reunion of the Lovers
The daughters of Jerusalem ask the young woman where her beloved has gone, and she says he has gone to his garden. They say they want to see him too. The young man praises his bride again, and compares her to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots, to Tirzah, to Jerusalem, and to an army with banners. He says he is captivated by her eyes and her hair. He says she is his sister, his bride, his garden, and his fountain. He invites her to come with him to the countryside and the villages, and to see the blossoming of the pomegranates. He says he is his beloved’s and his beloved is his.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 6 Summary
Chapter 7: The Delight of the Lovers
The young man admires the body of his bride, and compares her feet to jewels, her legs to pillars, her navel to a goblet, her belly to a heap of wheat, her breasts to clusters of grapes, her neck to a tower of ivory, her eyes to pools of water, her nose to the tower of Lebanon, her head to Mount Carmel, and her hair to purple. He says she is a garden of delights, with fruits and spices. He says he will go to his garden and gather his myrrh and spice. The young woman invites him to come to his garden and eat its fruits. She says she is his beloved and he is hers.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 7 Summary
Chapter 8: The Commitment of the Lovers
The young woman wishes that her beloved was like a brother, so that she could kiss him in public without being scorned. She says she would bring him to her mother’s house and teach him. She asks the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken love until it is ready. She sees her beloved coming from the wilderness, and she asks him to place her like a seal over his heart and his arm.
She says that love is as strong as death, and that many waters cannot quench it. She says that if a man offered all his wealth for love, he would be utterly scorned. She says that she has a little sister who has no breasts, and she wonders what to do for her when she is spoken for. She says that she is a wall and her breasts are towers, and that she has found peace in her beloved’s eyes.
Her beloved says that he has a vineyard that he has entrusted to others, and that he will give them a thousand silver pieces for its fruit. He asks his bride to keep her own vineyard, and to let him hear her voice. She asks him to hurry to her, and to be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
Read More: Song of Solomon Chapter 8 Summary
Biblevise is an online ministry that’s focused on getting people excited about reading the Bible and connecting the Scriptures to their daily lives.
