April 29, 2020: Day 88 – Song of Solomon 5

We do have an interplay with dialogue for both the man and the woman.  We begin the chapter with the man in verse 1 warning his beloved that he is making his way to the garden, where the woman is found.  At the end of this verse you almost have the crowd telling the two of them to eat and drink and be drunk with love.  They are encouraging the two of them to come together.

Then the woman gives another long speech about her beloved.  She describes him in physical detail much like he had described her earlier.  You can almost palpably feel the yearning that she has to be with her beloved.  It is a passionate physical yearning which all wives should have for their husbands, which all husbands should have for their wives. 

The end of the chapter is almost a proclamation where the woman exclaims: “This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”  Notice throughout these Scriptures the man uses the term “sister” to describe his beloved and here she uses the term “friend” to describer her beloved.  So along with the somewhat erotic imagery and descriptions and titles that are very sensual, there is also an undercurrent of a fraternal relationship that should not be discounted.  The presence of a love that is sexual is important, but so is a relationship that is based on respect and a love that is fraternal.  Couples would do well to remember both sides of this coin.