1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I gathered my myrrhe with my spice: I ate mine hony combe with mine hony, I dranke my wine with my milke: eate, O friends, drinke, and make you merie, O welbeloued. 2 I sleepe, but mine heart waketh, it is the voyce of my welbeloued that knocketh, saying, Open vnto mee, my sister, my loue, my doue, my vndefiled: for mine head is full of dewe, and my lockes with the droppes of the night. 3 I haue put off my coate, howe shall I put it on? I haue washed my feete, howe shall I defile them? 4 My welbeloued put in his hand by the hole of the doore, and mine heart was affectioned toward him. 5 I rose vp to open to my welbeloued, and mine hands did drop downe myrrhe, and my fingers pure myrrhe vpon the handels of the barre. 6 I opened to my welbeloued: but my welbeloued was gone, and past: mine heart was gone when hee did speake: I sought him, but I coulde not finde him: I called him, but hee answered mee not. 7 The watchmen that went about the citie, founde me: they smote me and wounded me: the watchmen of the walles tooke away my vaile from me. 8 I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, if you finde my welbeloued, that you tell him that I am sicke of loue. 9 O the fairest among women, what is thy welbeloued more then other welbeloued? what is thy welbeloued more then another louer, that thou doest so charge vs? 10 My welbeloued is white and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand. 11 His head is as fine golde, his lockes curled, and blacke as a rauen. 12 His eyes are like doues vpon the riuers of waters, which are washt with milke, and remaine by the full vessels. 13 His cheekes are as a bedde of spices, and as sweete flowres, and his lippes like lilies dropping downe pure myrrhe. 14 His hands as rings of gold set with the chrysolite, his belly like white yuorie couered with saphirs. 15 His legges are as pillars of marble, set vpon sockets of fine golde: his countenance as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is as sweete thinges, and hee is wholy delectable: this is my welbeloued, and this is my louer, O daughters of Ierusalem. 17 O the fairest among women, whither is thy welbeloued gone? whither is thy welbeloued turned aside, that we may seeke him with thee?
Song of Songs · Geneva Bible (1599)
Song of Songs 5 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
Cross references (16)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Song of Songs 6:2; Song of Songs 4:16; Revelation 22:17; Song of Songs 4:9–14; Isaiah 55:1–2
- 2 Revelation 3:20; Song of Songs 2:14; Song of Songs 6:9; Zechariah 4:1; Psalm 119:1
- 3 Luke 11:7; Romans 7:22–23; Proverbs 22:13; Matthew 26:38–43; Proverbs 3:28
- 4 Philippians 2:13; Song of Songs 1:4; Acts 16:14; 2 Corinthians 8:16; 1 Kings 3:26
- 5 Song of Songs 5:13; Ephesians 3:17; Song of Songs 4:13–14; Revelation 3:20; 2 Corinthians 7:9–11
- 6 Song of Songs 5:2; Revelation 3:19; Hosea 5:15; Hosea 5:6; Isaiah 58:2
- 7 Song of Songs 3:3; Matthew 23:2; Hosea 6:5; Psalm 141:5; John 16:2
- 8 Song of Songs 2:5; Song of Songs 2:7; Psalm 42:1–3; Song of Songs 3:5; Galatians 6:1–2
- 9 Song of Songs 6:1; Song of Songs 1:8; Song of Songs 6:9–10; Psalm 45:13; Isaiah 53:2
- 10 Psalm 45:2; Psalm 45:17; Song of Songs 2:1; Philippians 2:9–11; Hebrews 7:26
- 11 Song of Songs 7:5; Revelation 1:14; Song of Songs 5:2; Daniel 7:9; Ephesians 1:21–22
- 12 Song of Songs 4:1; Song of Songs 1:15; Hebrews 4:13
- 13 Song of Songs 1:10; Song of Songs 2:1; Song of Songs 6:2; Song of Songs 4:11; Psalm 89:15
- 14 Exodus 24:10; Isaiah 54:11; Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 52:13; Ezekiel 1:16
- 15 1 Kings 4:33; Revelation 1:15–16; Acts 2:28; Hosea 14:7; Psalm 92:12
- 16 Psalm 45:2; Song of Songs 7:9; Psalm 119:103; Galatians 2:20; Song of Songs 1:16
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
I am come into My garden, My sister, My spouse; (now in the place where He was crucified was a garden;) and what takest Thou thence?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Filled with these thoughts may you, even in sleep, enjoy the pleasure of the day, so that you may be permitted to say, "I sleep but my heart waketh," meditating day and night upon the law of the Lord, to Whom be glory and power world without end.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)
… begotten, and for forgiveness of sins; even as it was emblematically foretold that Christ should be thus manifested in the appearance of His eyes; for in the Canticles she cries concerning the Bridegroom, and says, Thine eyes are as doves by the rivers of water.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)