Verse 1 closes a poetic section providing a 'picture of the bed as a spreading growth', using a theme of nature's floras, starting from the previous chapter with verses 1:16–17 focusing on the subject of trees and verse 2:1 on the subject of flowers.
Verse 1
"Rose of Sharon" : is thought to be a kind of crocus growing as a "lily among brambles" in the Sharon plain.
"Rose": is translated from the Hebrew word ḥăḇatzeleṯ, that occurs two times in the scriptures, beside in this verse also in, which reads, "the desert shall bloom like the rose." The word translated as "rose" in KJV is rendered variously as "lily", "jonquil" and "crocus".
"Sharon": the Mediterraneancoastal plain which spans south of the slopes of Mount Carmel, extending about 30 miles south to the Yarkon River north of Joppa, varying from about 8 to 12 miles in width. It is mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament; the other four references are in ; ; ;.
Verse 2 links to [|verse 1] on the use of "lily", and forms a parallel with [|verse 3] on the word order and the use of particles as well as the 'terms of endearment'.
Verse 2
"Thorns" : the Hebrew root word is found twelve times in the Bible: aside from this verse, also in ; ; .
The verse 3 shows an 'excellent synonymous parallelism' with [|verse 2] on the word order and the use of certain words, such as "as" or "like", "so", "among" or "between", "my love"/"my beloved" or "my darling"/"my lover". Each verse begins with a preposition of comparison, followed by three Hebrew words consisting of a singular noun, a preposition and a plural common noun with a definite article.
Verse 3
The sensual imagery of "apple tree" as a place of romance is still used in modern times in the songs such as "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree."
Verse 4
"The banqueting house" is a rendering of the phrase bet hayyayin which is only used here in the Bible, literally meaning "house of the wine". Some near synonyms include "house of the drinking of wine" in, and "house for drinking" in and.
Verse 5
The first two lines of this verse form a 'distinctive structure', using verbs and preposition of the same ideas: "refresh me"/"revive me", "with raisins"/"with apples". The word "apple" links to the first word of verse 3, while the word "love" links to the last word of [|verse 4].
Verse 7
Cross references: ;
"Charge" or "adjure"
The names of God are apparently substituted with similar sounding phrases depicting 'female gazelles' for hosts, and 'does of the field'/'wild does/female deer' for God Almighty.
Female: Her lover pursues her (2:8–9)
This section starts a poetic exposition of lovers who are joined and separated. Verses 8–17 form a unity of a poem of the spring by the woman, beginning with 'the voice of my beloved', which signals his presence before he even speaks.
Male: Invitation to come away (2:10-14)
Verse [|13]
"Green figs": is translated from the Hebrew word paggâh, which occurs in its Aramaic form in the city name, "Bethphage". The plural form paggîm are used to call unripe fruits of the early fig, which takes about four months to ripe, usually towards the end of June, in contrast to the late figs that grow continuously on the new branches and ripen usually they ripen from August onwards in Palestine.
"My love": see notes in verse 2.
Verse 14
"Dove" serves as a 'metaphor for inaccessibility'.
Female: Love affirmed, gratification delayed (2:16-17)
Unlike the ambiguity of the speaker in the previous verse, the two verses in this section are no doubt spoken by the woman, affirming the mutual affection with her lover.
