Song of Songs Chapter 3
Song of Solomon 3
A Troubled Night, A Glorious Wedding Procession
A. The Maiden Searches for Her Beloved
1. Song of Solomon 3:1–3, The Restless Maiden Searches for Her Beloved
Song of Solomon 3:1, “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.”
Song of Solomon 3:2, “I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.”
Song of Solomon 3:3, “The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?”
The chapter opens with the maiden in a restless night scene. She is on her bed, and her heart is troubled because she cannot find the one whom her soul loves. This likely continues the dreamlike or reflective pattern from the previous chapter. In Song of Solomon 2, the maiden thought deeply upon her beloved, his coming, his invitation, and their love. Here, she experiences the pain of absence. Love has brought her great joy, but it has also enlarged her capacity for sorrow when the beloved seems distant.
The repeated phrase “him whom my soul loveth” is important. She does not merely desire his appearance, his status, his protection, or his gifts. Her soul loves him. The language points to whole person affection. This is not shallow infatuation alone. It is affection that reaches into the inner life. She seeks the man himself, not merely what he can provide.
Her search begins “by night on my bed.” The bed language carries intimate overtones. Scripture honors the marriage bed, but it also strictly condemns sexual sin outside the marriage covenant.
Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
This verse gives the proper biblical framework for reading Song of Solomon. The Bible is not embarrassed by marital intimacy. It calls the marriage bed undefiled. Yet the same verse warns that fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Therefore, Song of Solomon celebrates desire within the covenant order of God, not uncontrolled passion outside of it. The maiden has the longings of a woman who desires full union with her beloved, but the book repeatedly insists that love must not be awakened before its proper time.
She says, “I sought him, but I found him not.” Love seeks presence. When the beloved is absent, she cannot rest easily. The word “sought” emphasizes intentional effort. She does not casually wonder where he is. She actively searches. In the dream or night vision, her longing pushes her out of passivity and into pursuit.
This must be handled carefully. The relationship is not founded upon the woman pursuing the man. Earlier chapters show his pursuit, his invitation, his praise, and his protection. Yet once covenant love has been established, there is no shame in her desire for his nearness. She is not helpless, but neither does she pretend to be self sufficient. She needs him, and she is honest about that need.
This is one reason Song of Solomon is so honest about love. Love does not only bring pleasure. It also makes the heart vulnerable. A person who loves deeply can rejoice deeply, but also ache deeply. The maiden’s sorrow is not weakness in the sinful sense. It is the cost of real affection. To love is to care whether the beloved is near.
She says, “I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth.” The search intensifies. She moves from the private place of the bed to the public spaces of the city. The streets and broad ways represent the places where one might search, inquire, and look. In the dream, she is willing to risk discomfort, exposure, and uncertainty because she wants the beloved.
She seeks him, but again she says, “I sought him, but I found him not.” The repetition increases the ache. She seeks, but does not find. This is often how longing feels. The heart looks, asks, remembers, and searches, but still feels the pain of absence.
The watchmen then find her. These watchmen go about the city, responsible for security and order. In the dream, she asks them, “Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?” They find her, but they cannot satisfy her longing. They can patrol the city, but they cannot replace the beloved. They may provide safety, but not communion. They may answer practical concerns, but they cannot give her the one she seeks.
There is a spiritual application here when handled secondarily. Believers may experience seasons where the sense of Christ’s nearness seems diminished. In such times, religious structures, teachers, traditions, and outward helps may have value, but they cannot replace communion with the Lord Himself. The soul must seek Him.
Psalm 63:1, “O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”
Psalm 63:2, “To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.”
David’s words in Psalm 63 give a proper spiritual parallel. The thirsty soul longs for God Himself. So also, in the literal text, the maiden longs for her beloved himself. She is not content with substitutes.
2. Song of Solomon 3:4, The Maiden Finds Her Beloved
Song of Solomon 3:4, “It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.”
The search is rewarded. After passing by the watchmen, she finds the one whom her soul loves. The repeated phrase appears again. Her beloved is not described first by title, wealth, appearance, or office, but by relationship. He is “him whom my soul loveth.” This repeated language shows the fixed focus of her heart.
When she finds him, she says, “I held him, and would not let him go.” This is the language of relief, affection, security, and renewed possession. The one she feared losing is now found. She clings to him and refuses to release him. The scene is emotionally powerful. The absence made the reunion sweeter.
There is a biblical parallel in Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Christ. After seeking Him and grieving His apparent absence, she recognizes Him and clings to Him.
John 20:16, “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master.”
John 20:17, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.”
The situations are not identical, but the emotional pattern is similar. Love seeks, love grieves absence, love rejoices in finding, and love clings. The maiden’s embrace is not casual. It is the grasp of one who has found what her soul desired.
The phrase “and would not let him go” also carries a spiritual lesson. When communion with the Lord is renewed, the believer should not treat His presence lightly. The soul should cling to Christ by faith, not to a mere tradition, ceremony, emotional memory, or outward form, but to Christ Himself.
Genesis 32:26, “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”
Jacob’s wrestling at Jabbok gives a fitting illustration of holy persistence. He would not let go until he received blessing. In a proper spiritual application, the believer should hold fast to the Lord, seeking His fellowship, His mercy, His strength, and His blessing.
The maiden then says she brought him “into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.” This is intimate language, but the reference to the mother’s house is important. It suggests proper familial and covenantal context. She is not describing an illicit meeting. Even in this dreamlike longing, she desires union rightly ordered. She wants him brought into the place associated with family, legitimacy, and marriage.
This may also reflect ancient marital customs that are not fully known to us. There is a possible parallel in the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.
Genesis 24:67, “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”
Isaac brings Rebekah into Sarah’s tent, and there the marriage is consummated. Song of Solomon 3:4 may echo similar cultural patterns. The maiden desires consummation, but not lawless consummation. She wants love fulfilled in the proper covenant setting.
This is one of the remarkable features of Song of Solomon. It is deeply romantic and yet morally serious. It is passionate and yet restrained. It is emotionally intense and yet ordered. That combination is almost entirely lost in modern thinking. The modern world often assumes that passion and restraint are enemies. Scripture shows that restraint preserves passion for its proper place. Love becomes most beautiful when governed by righteousness.
3. Song of Solomon 3:5, An Exhortation to the Daughters of Jerusalem
Song of Solomon 3:5, “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.”
The maiden again gives the charge that appeared earlier in Song of Solomon 2:7. This repeated warning is one of the major wisdom principles of the book. Love must not be stirred up or awakened before the proper time. Desire is powerful, and therefore it must be handled with wisdom.
Song of Solomon 2:7, “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.”
Song of Solomon 8:4, “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.”
The repetition proves that this is not a minor thought. It governs how the reader should understand the book. Song of Solomon celebrates love, attraction, longing, kisses, beauty, and marital desire, but it also warns that such love has a proper time. To awaken it prematurely is dangerous.
The charge is given “by the roes, and by the hinds of the field.” This is poetic oath language. The imagery of gazelles and does fits the natural, graceful, and untamed world of the Song. Love has a wild and powerful quality, but it must still be governed by covenant wisdom.
The phrase “till he please” may mean until love itself pleases, or until the proper time comes. The meaning is that love must be allowed to mature properly. A couple must not force the flower open before its time. Relationship must not be rushed beyond wisdom. Passion must not be stirred beyond what can be righteously completed. This applies to both emotional attachment and physical desire.
In terms of relationship, this means love must be allowed to grow into maturity. Courtship should not be driven by fantasy, pressure, fear, or lust. In terms of passion, it means the couple should not awaken physical desire in a way that belongs only to marriage. This is not shame based repression. It is moral restraint. Restraint is not hatred of desire. Restraint is the protection of desire until it can be enjoyed honorably.
1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”
1 Thessalonians 4:4, “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;”
1 Thessalonians 4:5, “Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:”
These verses state clearly that God’s will includes sanctification and sexual purity. Song of Solomon does not contradict this. It beautifies it. The book teaches that desire is good in its place, but dangerous when severed from holiness.
B. The Spectacular Arrival of the Wedding Party
1. Song of Solomon 3:6–8, Solomon’s Entourage Brings the Maiden to the Wedding
Song of Solomon 3:6, “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?”
Song of Solomon 3:7, “Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.”
Song of Solomon 3:8, “They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.”
The scene now shifts from the troubled night search to a glorious wedding procession. The question is asked, “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness?” The immediate impression may be that Solomon himself is arriving in royal splendor. However, the wording indicates that the one coming is likely the maiden, being brought in Solomon’s royal procession for the wedding. Other similar questions in Song of Solomon also point toward the maiden.
Song of Solomon 6:10, “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”
Song of Solomon 8:5, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.”
These passages support the idea that Song of Solomon 3:6 refers to the maiden. She comes out of the wilderness, transformed from a country maiden into a bride associated with royal splendor. The wilderness background makes her appearance more striking. She does not come from an obvious place of palace privilege, yet she is now honored in the wedding procession.
The procession comes “like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant.” The imagery is grand, fragrant, and almost sacrificial. Smoke rises in pillars. Myrrh and frankincense fill the air. Costly spices and powders mark the procession with beauty and honor. The wedding is not treated casually. It is solemn, joyful, public, and dignified.
Myrrh and frankincense were costly substances associated with fragrance, worship, burial, royalty, and honor in different biblical contexts. Their presence here gives the wedding procession an elevated dignity. Marriage is not a cheap social arrangement. It is a covenantal union worthy of public honor.
Exodus 30:34, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:”
Exodus 30:35, “And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:”
These verses concern sacred incense in the tabernacle, not marriage directly, but they show the association of fragrance and holiness in Israel’s worship life. Song of Solomon 3 uses fragrant imagery to portray the dignity and beauty of the procession.
The text then says, “Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s.” The word translated “bed” here differs from the word used in Song of Solomon 3:1. Here the idea is not the intimate bed of longing, but Solomon’s couch, litter, or palanquin used in the procession. It is associated with royal transport, not the private bedchamber.
Around it are “threescore valiant men,” meaning sixty mighty men, “of the valiant of Israel.” These men are warriors. They are armed, skilled, and ready. They carry swords and are expert in war. Every man has his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.
This detail matters. Solomon’s bride is brought with protection. The wedding procession is not merely ornamental. It is guarded. The king has the strength to protect the bride. This displays one of the fundamental responsibilities of a man preparing for marriage. He must be able to protect and provide. Protection is seen in the armed men. Provision will be seen in the rich palanquin of verses 9 through 10.
This principle should not be softened. A man who wants a wife must grow into responsibility. Marriage is not for boys who want benefits without burden. Marriage calls a man to maturity, discipline, protection, provision, sacrifice, and leadership. Solomon’s procession communicates strength and security. The maiden need not fear the night because she is being brought into union with a man whose resources and protection now surround her.
This also points to the shared life of marriage. What belongs to the husband is now used for the blessing of the bride. His strength becomes her security. His honor becomes her honor. His protection becomes her covering. In marriage, husband and wife are joined into one life.
Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
The one flesh union is not merely physical. It includes shared life, shared loyalty, shared responsibility, shared burdens, and shared honor. The bride is brought into what belongs to the bridegroom.
There is also a secondary spiritual application concerning Christ and His people. The church is not left defenseless. The Lord preserves His people, and no enemy can finally destroy what belongs to Him.
Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
John 10:29, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
The literal meaning concerns the wedding procession and the protection surrounding the bride. The spiritual application reminds the believer that Christ protects His own.
2. Song of Solomon 3:9–11, Solomon Enthroned and Crowned
Song of Solomon 3:9, “King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.”
Song of Solomon 3:10, “He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.”
Song of Solomon 3:11, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.”
The description now turns to the royal vehicle Solomon prepared. The KJV calls it a “chariot,” but the idea is a luxurious palanquin or portable carriage appropriate for a royal wedding procession. It is made of the wood of Lebanon, associated with strength, beauty, and quality. Lebanon was famous for its cedars.
1 Kings 5:6, “Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint, for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.”
Lebanon wood was used in royal and temple construction, and therefore it carried associations of excellence, strength, and majesty. Solomon’s wedding procession is marked by the best materials available.
The palanquin has “pillars thereof of silver,” “the bottom thereof of gold,” and “the covering of it of purple.” Silver, gold, and purple all speak of value, dignity, and royal splendor. Purple especially was associated with royalty and high status because of the costliness of the dye. This is not a poor or careless preparation. Solomon brings his bride with honor.
The most important phrase is “the midst thereof being paved with love.” The outward materials are silver, gold, purple, and fine wood, but the interior is love. That is the heart of the matter. A marriage may have ceremony, beauty, wealth, structure, and public honor, but if love is absent, the center is empty. Solomon’s procession is outwardly splendid, but the inward meaning is love.
This phrase also prevents the reader from reducing the marriage to status. The maiden is not merely impressed by luxury. The luxury is meaningful because it is tied to love. A rich wedding without love is hollow. A simple wedding with covenant love is honorable. Here, Solomon’s best is shared with the maiden, and the midst is paved with love.
The procession also shows that Solomon can provide. In the previous verses, he can protect. Here, he can provide. These two responsibilities are basic to masculine readiness for marriage. A man does not need to be wealthy like Solomon, but he does need the maturity, discipline, and responsibility necessary to care for a wife and household. Marriage calls a man upward. It exposes selfishness and demands maturity.
1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
This verse speaks directly to provision. A man who refuses to provide for his household violates a basic duty. Song of Solomon 3 shows the positive side. The bridegroom brings strength, provision, honor, and love.
The daughters of Zion are then called to behold King Solomon with the crown his mother crowned him with on the day of his espousals, “and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” This crown does not appear to be the formal royal crown of political coronation. Solomon’s kingship was established in 1 Kings 1 through the actions of David, Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah.
1 Kings 1:38, “So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.”
1 Kings 1:39, “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, God save king Solomon.”
1 Kings 1:40, “And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.”
Since Solomon’s formal royal recognition involved priestly anointing rather than Bathsheba crowning him, Song of Solomon 3:11 likely refers to a wedding crown or festive wreath connected with the joy of marriage. His mother’s involvement may point to family blessing and public celebration. The bridegroom is honored on the day of his wedding.
This is called “the day of the gladness of his heart.” The wedding is not grim. It is glad. His heart rejoices. This matters because marriage in Scripture is not meant to be entered as mere duty without delight. It is covenant, yes. It is responsibility, yes. But it is also gladness. A right wedding joins solemn covenant with genuine joy.
This gladness is possible because their love has been real, passionate, and restrained into proper channels. The desire was not treated as evil, but it was not allowed to become lawless. The affection was not denied, but it was governed. The result is gladness, not shame. Their love becomes a fountain of joy not only for them, but also for the community that witnesses it.
Psalm 128:1, “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD, that walketh in his ways.”
Psalm 128:2, “For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”
Psalm 128:3, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.”
Psalm 128:4, “Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.”
Psalm 128 shows the blessedness of a household ordered under the fear of the LORD. Song of Solomon 3 gives the poetic picture of wedding joy. Together, they teach that marriage is a good gift from God when entered with reverence, responsibility, purity, and love.
Summary and Theological Emphasis
Song of Solomon 3 moves from restless longing to wedding glory. In the first half of the chapter, the maiden searches by night for the one whom her soul loves. She seeks him on her bed, in the city, in the streets, and among the watchmen. Her longing reveals the depth of love and the pain of absence. When she finds him, she holds him and will not let him go, bringing him into her mother’s house and chamber, which shows her desire for union in an honorable and covenantal context.
The chapter again repeats the warning not to stir up or awaken love until it pleases. This is one of the major moral controls of the book. Love is powerful and must not be rushed. Desire must not be stirred apart from wisdom, timing, and covenant order.
The second half of the chapter presents the magnificent arrival of the wedding procession. The maiden comes out of the wilderness in royal splendor, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, surrounded by Solomon’s valiant men. The armed men show protection. The luxurious palanquin shows provision. The silver, gold, purple, and Lebanon wood show honor. Yet the midst is paved with love, showing that outward splendor is empty unless love fills the center.
The chapter concludes with Solomon crowned on the day of his wedding, “the day of the gladness of his heart.” This is the proper outcome of love that is passionate yet restrained, romantic yet moral, public yet intimate, joyful yet covenantal. Marriage is not treated as inferior, dirty, or merely practical. It is honored as a glad covenant before God and man.
