Song of Solomon 5:1-8
Open to Me, My Darling
Read the passage
1I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.
2I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3I have taken off my robe—must I put it back on? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again?
4My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him.
5I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt.
6I opened for my beloved, but he had turned and gone. My heart sank at his departure. I sought him but did not find him. I called, but he did not answer.
7I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city. They beat me and bruised me; they took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls.
8O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The man says he has come into his garden, gathered myrrh and spices, eaten honeycomb with honey, and drunk wine with milk. Friends are invited to eat and drink freely. The celebration is generous, and the language continues the garden imagery from the earlier poem. What was protected is now enjoyed within the relationship.
Then the scene turns. The woman says she is asleep, but her heart is awake. Her beloved is knocking and asking her to open the door. His head is wet with dew and his hair with the dampness of night. The invitation is tender, but it arrives at an inconvenient hour.
She hesitates. She has taken off her robe and washed her feet. Does she really have to put the robe back on and soil her feet again? The poem does not make her hesitation noble or wicked. It sounds like the ordinary reluctance of someone who is comfortable and does not want to get up.
Her beloved puts his hand to the latch, and her heart pounds. She rises, and her hands drip with myrrh as she reaches for the bolt. But when she opens the door, he has turned and gone. She seeks him, calls for him, and receives no answer.
The watchmen find her in the city. Instead of helping, they beat and bruise her and take away her cloak. The people called guardians have harmed her instead. The poem does not excuse their violence or present it as something she deserved. She is left with the message that she is sick with love and asks the daughters of Jerusalem to carry it if they find him.
This is not a simple lesson that every missed opportunity is a punishment. The poem is honest about how desire can make a person vulnerable, and how absence can hurt. A relationship needs responsiveness, but it also needs mercy when two people fail to meet one another at the same moment.
Questions
1 What is happening at the beginning of the unit?
AnswerThe man has come into the garden and celebrates with its fragrances, food, and drink. He also invites friends to share the feast.
2 What does the woman say about her state?
AnswerShe says she is asleep, but her heart is awake. Her feelings are alert even while she is physically resting.
3 Why does she hesitate to open the door?
AnswerShe has taken off her robe and washed her feet, so she hesitates at getting dressed and putting her feet to the floor again. Her reluctance sounds ordinary, not like a carefully reasoned rejection.
4 What happens after she opens the door?
AnswerHer beloved has gone. She searches and calls without an answer, and the watchmen beat her and take her cloak when she encounters them.
What This Means for Us
We cannot always meet one another's needs at the same moment. A missed conversation may leave someone lonely, but it need not become an accusation about the whole relationship. Ask what happened, listen, and make time to speak again.
The watchmen's violence is a different matter. People entrusted with protection can betray that trust. If someone tells us they have been harmed, our response should be to help them find safety and support, not to blame them for the choices that came before the harm.
Prayer
God, be near to those who feel abandoned or have been harmed by people they expected to trust. Give us patience when we miss one another, courage to tell the truth about violence, and wisdom to offer care that protects. Amen.