Song of Solomon 4:8-16

Song of Solomon 4:8-16

As we consider this passage, we can understand, even if we do not agree with the Jewish tradition, that this passage was not to be read by teenage boys. The groom calls his bride out of a dangerous situation. Perhaps their relationship was not approved by family and community, and so they are depicted as lions and leopards. The rush of testosterone and sexual arousal is evident in verses 9-10. In verse 11 we see heavy petting, or making out, to use older terms. To his delight, in open-mouth kissing, he discovered that his bride had placed honey under her tongue. The sight, smell, and now taste of his lover are driving the young man wild with passion. The reference to “my sister, my bride” is not a reference to incest. In that culture, the bond between siblings was considered the strongest of all possible bonds. This couple has a bond that is even closer than that of close siblings. Even in all this heated passion, there is the holy bond and covenant between them. Their marriage is described in verses 12-15 as a beautiful, fertile, well-watered, and private garden; and those delights are exclusive. Their marriage is restricted to each other but open between them. In v 16, she wants her allurements to draw in her husband to the highest level of physical intimacy. We see here heavy foreplay that leads to copulation. 

“Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of sexual attraction and consummation. AMEN.”