By Jay T. Robertson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Relational Investment
Song of Solomon 5:6–16
The Cry for Companionship (6–8)
Solomon and his bride were now husband and wife, but for some undisclosed reason he was not there with her. His absence is not explained in the passage, but eventually he came to the door of her room and knocked trying to enter (5:2). She did not immediately open the door, and by the time she decided to open the door he had gone away.
Old Testament scholars are divided as to whether the words “turned and gone away” are literal or figurative. Was the husband’s absence actual or had the couple grown emotionally distant? However one decides to interpret the passage, the point is clear. Their relationship had become strained, and they needed to work together to strengthen it.
She was heartsick when she realized that her hesitation to open the door had caused her husband to leave. After discovering her husband had left the palace, she dressed and went out to find him.
She encountered guards who protected the city, and they mistreated her.
How can the behavior of the guardians of the wall be explained? Some interpreters believe this passage describes a dream the bride was having. If this interpretation is correct, the bride is having a nightmare. Dreams are often a projection of subconscious fears or desires.
Desperate to find her husband, she enlisted some “young women of Jerusalem” to help her locate her missing husband. She required these young women to take an oath to search for her husband and if they found him, to let him know she was “lovesick.”
She was serious about finding her husband and repairing the damage in their relationship. Their separation, whether actual or emotional, made her feel sick.
Godly marriages are designed by God to be a portrait of the gospel. Godly marriages should be characterized by mutual moral, emotional and spiritual support. We demonstrate our love for Christ by the way we express biblical love to our spouse.
The Call for Remembering (9)
The young women did not immediately agree to search for her husband. Instead, they posed two questions for her, the first here and the second in 6:1.
The question in verse 9 is what is so special about this man that you would want us to go to him for you? In doing this, they asked her to come to terms with her love for him.
Having given herself to her husband in marriage, she had opened herself to great emotional hurt. She felt isolated and emotionally distant. But the solution to her problem was not to be found in something either they or he could do for her. It was to be found in herself.
She must recognize that she gave herself to him for a reason, and that she was in fact deeply in love with him. In her eyes he was better than all other men.
The Crux for Celebrating (10–16)
These verses are an admiration song, the longest in the book sung by the bride in praise of her husband. In responding to the young women, she rediscovered her love for him.
She gave a detailed description of her husband from head to toe. She unashamedly expressed her love for him as she recounted his physical qualities. Her sadness was gone and her love for her husband was rekindled.
She concluded her description of her husband in verse 16 as her “love” and her “friend.” Love here referred to romantic, sensual love.
But notice, their marriage consisted of more than just physical desire. He was her friend. They had a relationship that was physical, emotional and spiritual. A godly marriage is truly something worth celebrating!
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