Song of Solomon 5:4

Translations

Modern

My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him.

Traditional

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

Literal

My beloved stretched out his hand to the latch, and my bowels murmered for him.

Latin

Dilectus meus misit manum suam per foramen, et venter meus intremuit ad tactum ejus.

Original

Hebrew

English

My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him.

Notes

Song of Solomon 5:4–6

My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him: The man keeps trying to excite the woman, and she eventually responds positively. However, by the time she responds, he has either given up or become busy with something else. This is a strong poetic image of the challenges two lovers face in becoming intimate with each other.

Song of Solomon 5:2–6:3

One verse earlier, the couple fully enjoys their intimate union. Now the woman feels the pain of separation. In the dramatic interpretation, the woman has been separated from the man twice before and has searched for him (Song of Solomon 1:4–7; 3:1–4). This last time, the separation occurs in her dreams—it is only a nightmare. Her dream seems to continue to Song of Solomon 6:3, given the natural flow of questions and answers between the woman and the young women of Jerusalem.
If the Song is a collection of poems, these poems explore love rather than recounting actual events. This poem reminds us that an intimate relationship is not always easy or perfectly satisfying.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality

Related verses

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.
Genesis 43:30
Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.
2 Corinthians 8:16
But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.
2 Corinthians 8:1–2
Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.
Acts 16:14
Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
Psalm 110:3
Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
1 Kings 3:26
Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”
Song of Solomon 1:4
Take me away with you—let us hurry! May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. It is only right that they adore you.
Isaiah 26:8–9
Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.
1 John 3:16–17
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Glossary

Perfume Song of Solomon

Topics

Bowels of the Sensibilities

Song of Solomon 5:4

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