Song of Solomon 7:1-10
I Belong to My Beloved
1How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master.
2Your navel is a rounded goblet; it never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by the lilies.
3Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
4Your neck is like a tower made of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim; your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, facing toward Damascus.
5Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple threads; the king is captured in your tresses.
6How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!
7Your stature is like a palm tree; your breasts are clusters of fruit.
8I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,
9and your mouth like the finest wine. May it flow smoothly to my beloved, gliding gently over lips and teeth.
10I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.
Berean Standard Bible
The man continues his praise, beginning with the woman's feet in sandals and moving upward through her body. He speaks of jewels, a master's handiwork, a mound of wheat, a tower of ivory, pools of water, Mount Carmel, and purple threads. The language is openly physical and intentionally poetic. It is the voice of a lover delighting in the person he sees.
The poem does not apologize for the body. It also does not make the woman a body without a voice. The description reaches its height when the man calls her fair and pleasant, then compares her stature to a palm tree and her breasts to clusters of fruit. The images are sensuous, but they are held inside an established relationship in which admiration has been mutual from the beginning.
He says he will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit. The line is intimate, and it should not be turned into a general permission to take whatever one desires. The surrounding poem matters. The woman has already spoken of belonging, and the following verse will state that her desire is for her beloved. Desire here belongs to a relationship, not to entitlement.
The woman then speaks for herself. She says she belongs to her beloved and that his desire is for her. The sentence is brief but important. She is not merely the object of his attention. She knows the relationship, names her own belonging, and receives his desire as something directed toward her.
This exchange shows why the poetry cannot be reduced to a list of physical features. The body is present, but so are voice, mutual desire, friendship, and chosen attachment. Human love is embodied, and faithful embodiment requires the dignity and freedom of both people.
Questions
1 What kind of language does the man use?
AnswerHe uses vivid images from jewelry, architecture, water, mountains, plants, and fruit to praise the woman's body and presence.
2 What does the poem refuse to do with the body?
AnswerIt does not treat the body as shameful or as disconnected from love. At the same time, its intimacy cannot be separated from the mutual relationship around it.
3 What does the man say he will do with the palm tree image?
AnswerHe says he will climb it and take hold of its fruit. The intimate metaphor is part of the lovers' mutual relationship, not a license to take without welcome.
4 What does the woman say about belonging and desire?
AnswerShe says she belongs to her beloved and that his desire is for her. She speaks as an active participant in the relationship.
What This Means for Us
The body is not an embarrassment to hide or a commodity to display. It is part of the person God made. Song of Solomon honors physical delight while giving it a setting of mutual belonging and personal speech.
Use clear, age-appropriate language when children ask about bodies and desire. Teach both gratitude and responsibility. Attraction does not erase another person's will, and modesty should never be used to teach that a body is shameful.
Prayer
Creator, thank You for making us embodied people. Give us gratitude without lust, desire without selfishness, and relationships where every person is treated with honor and freedom. Amen.