Keraia
Song of Solomon 6

Song of Solomon 6:1

Together in the Garden · Song of Solomon 6:1–13
Read Song of Solomon 6

Translations

Modern
Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.
Traditional
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
Literal
Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among the women? Where has your beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with you?
Latin
Quo abiit dilectus tuus, o pulcherrima mulierum? quo declinavit dilectus tuus? et quæremus eum tecum.

Original

Hebrew
English
Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.

Notes

Song of Solomon 6:1–3

The conversation at the end of this poem shows it is not a real event. The dream ends when the young women of Jerusalem ask the woman where her man has gone. The woman tells them not to worry about finding him—he is back in bed with her, enjoying his garden with its spice beds and lilies, which describes sexual intimacy.

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

Glossary

Song of Solomon