Song of Songs Chapter 7
Song of Solomon 7
The Maiden’s Beauty
A. The Maiden Is Described for a Third Time
1. Song of Solomon 7:1–3, Description of the Maiden’s Body
Song of Solomon 7:1, “How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter, the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.”
Song of Solomon 7:2, “Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor, thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.”
Song of Solomon 7:3, “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.”
Song of Solomon 7 begins with another extended description of the maiden’s beauty. This follows the end of chapter 6, where the daughters of Jerusalem called for the Shulamite to return so that they might look upon her. The final phrase of Song of Solomon 6:13 spoke of “the company of two armies,” or possibly the dance of two companies. That context suggests that the maiden may be pictured as dancing, either in a poetic sense or in a private setting before her beloved.
Song of Solomon 6:13, “Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.”
The description in Song of Solomon 7 begins with her feet and moves upward through her body. This movement from feet to head is different from earlier descriptions that began with her face and hair. This may support the idea that she is standing or dancing. Whether this is viewed as public poetic admiration or private marital admiration, the text remains focused on the beauty of the wife within covenant love.
There are reasons some interpreters think the daughters of Jerusalem or other onlookers speak the opening lines. The previous verse includes a call from others to look upon the Shulamite. The phrase “O prince’s daughter” may sound like the speech of admirers rather than the beloved himself. The mention of a king later in the passage may also suggest an outside voice. However, there are also strong reasons to see this as the beloved’s private praise. The description includes intimate parts of her body, including thighs, navel, waist, and breasts, which would be most fitting within the privacy of marriage.
The safest conclusion is that the passage uses poetic imagery to praise the bride’s beauty. It does not need to be treated as a literal public performance. Scripture gives us no reason to think that modest Hebrew maidens danced provocatively before a public crowd. Therefore, the description should be handled as poetic and marital, not as a crude public spectacle.
This is the third extended description of the maiden’s beauty. The first was in Song of Solomon 4, in the context of the wedding night. The second was in Song of Solomon 6, in the context of reconciliation after conflict. This third description continues the theme of ongoing delight in marriage. The beloved does not stop seeing her beauty after the wedding. He continues to praise her. Their love has matured, and his admiration has not faded.
The repeated descriptions also reveal something important about marriage. A wife often needs repeated assurance of her beauty and desirability. The beloved does not say, “I already told you once.” He speaks again. He praises her in different seasons, before consummation, after conflict, and in mature delight. A wise husband understands that affection must be renewed, not assumed.
The opening phrase says, “How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter.” Her feet in sandals are beautiful. Feet are often associated with movement, grace, and direction. In this scene, they may be connected to the dance imagery of the previous verse. Her beauty is not static. It moves. It has life.
Calling her “O prince’s daughter” does not necessarily mean she was born into royal blood. It may mean that she has noble character, dignity, bearing, and grace. She carries herself as one of royal quality. This fits the earlier description of her as beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, and awesome as an army with banners.
Song of Solomon 6:4, “Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.”
Her beauty includes dignity. She is not merely physically attractive. She is noble in bearing and character. Biblical femininity is not cheap, common, or careless. It has dignity, grace, modesty, strength, and beauty.
The text says, “the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.” This is intimate praise of the shape and movement of her body. The phrase “cunning workman” refers to skilled craftsmanship. Her form is compared to carefully made jewels, not rough or accidental material. The implication is that her body reflects artistry.
This can be understood theologically under the doctrine of creation. The human body is not an accident. God made man and woman. He made the male body and the female body. The beauty of the wife’s body, rightly seen within marriage, is part of God’s created design.
Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.”
Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
The female body is not shameful in marriage. It is not to be objectified by strangers or treated as common property, but it is beautiful to the husband to whom she belongs in covenant. The Song praises that beauty without vulgarity.
Verse 2 says, “Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor.” The navel, or central part of the body, is compared to a rounded goblet that lacks no mixed drink. The imagery suggests fullness, pleasure, satisfaction, and beauty. It is sensual, but poetic.
The text continues, “thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.” Wheat was a staple of nourishment, and wine was a staple of celebration. Together, the images suggest that her body is like a satisfying feast to him. The lilies add beauty, fragrance, and delicacy to the image. The language is not anatomical in a clinical way. It is poetic, using food, flowers, and beauty to describe attraction.
Some interpreters have attempted to turn the navel into baptism or the belly into the Lord’s Supper, but such allegory strains the text. The plain meaning concerns the beloved’s admiration of his bride. God has given Scripture in poetic language so that marital desire may be honored without being made vulgar.
Verse 3 repeats an earlier image, “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.”
Song of Solomon 4:5, “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.”
The comparison to young roes, or young gazelles, emphasizes softness, tenderness, symmetry, and beauty. This is not lustful public display. It is marital praise. The husband’s delight in his wife’s body is honorable when it is exclusive, covenantal, affectionate, and holy.
Proverbs 5:18, “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”
Proverbs 5:19, “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love.”
Proverbs 5:20, “And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?”
Proverbs 5 gives the biblical balance. A husband should be satisfied with his wife, but he must not be ravished by a strange woman. Marital desire is blessed. Adulterous desire is condemned. Song of Solomon 7 celebrates the first and rejects the second by implication.
2. Song of Solomon 7:4–5, Description of the Maiden’s Head, Face, and Hair
Song of Solomon 7:4, “Thy neck is as a tower of ivory, thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim, thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.”
Song of Solomon 7:5, “Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple, the king is held in the galleries.”
The description now moves upward to the maiden’s neck, eyes, nose, head, and hair. The beloved, or the poetic speaker, continues to praise her from head to foot. The language remains elevated, using towers, pools, mountains, purple, and royal captivity to describe her beauty.
The neck is compared to “a tower of ivory.” This does not mean her neck is long in an awkward way. It means her neck has smoothness, dignity, nobility, and strength. Ivory suggests smoothness and beauty. A tower suggests stature and noble bearing. Earlier, her neck was compared to the tower of David.
Song of Solomon 4:4, “Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.”
Both descriptions indicate that her posture and bearing communicate dignity. She is not merely attractive in form. She carries herself with strength. Again, the Song presents feminine beauty as including both softness and nobility.
Her eyes are compared to “the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim.” The image suggests depth, clarity, calmness, and beauty. Pools of water in the ancient world were precious, especially in a dry land. Beautiful eyes are often associated with depth and life. The beloved sees her eyes as refreshing and captivating.
Her nose is compared to “the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.” To modern readers this may sound strange, but the point is not that her nose was large like a tower. Lebanon is associated with whiteness, especially the pale limestone cliffs and snowy heights. The image may point to the color, nobility, and profile of her face. It may also suggest stately dignity, as a tower looking toward Damascus.
Her head is said to be “like Carmel.” Mount Carmel was known for beauty, height, and fertility. It stood prominently and beautifully. Her head crowns her like Carmel. This is another statement of dignity and beauty.
Her hair is “like purple.” Purple was associated with royalty, richness, and beauty. The phrase may refer to the dark, lustrous appearance of her hair, or to the royal impression it gives. The next phrase says, “the king is held in the galleries.” The idea is that her flowing hair captivates the king. He is held, bound, or enthralled by her tresses.
This is remarkable. The king is not presented as coldly dominant. He is captivated by his wife. He is held by her beauty. In marriage, a man should be willingly captivated by his wife. He should not live with wandering eyes or divided desire. His heart should be held by the woman God has given him.
Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon a maid?”
Job’s covenant with his eyes shows the moral discipline required of a righteous man. Song of Solomon shows the positive side, a husband captivated by his wife. Faithfulness is not merely avoiding sin. It is actively delighting in the wife of one’s covenant.
3. Song of Solomon 7:6–9a, Description of the Beloved’s Desire
Song of Solomon 7:6, “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!”
Song of Solomon 7:7, “This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.”
Song of Solomon 7:8, “I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof, now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples,”
Song of Solomon 7:9, “And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.”
At this point, it seems clear that the beloved himself is speaking directly to the maiden. He says, “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” This is more than physical admiration. She is fair and pleasant. She delights him. Her beauty, personality, character, presence, and affection all bring him joy.
The word “delights” is important. Marriage is not presented merely as duty. There is duty in marriage, but there is also delight. The beloved delights in his wife. This is consistent with the wider biblical view of marriage.
Ecclesiastes 9:9, “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.”
A man is commanded to live joyfully with the wife he loves. Song of Solomon gives poetic expression to that command. Marriage is not merely a household arrangement. It is companionship, affection, desire, joy, and covenant faithfulness.
There is also a spiritual application. God rejoices over His people. The bridegroom’s delight in the bride helps illustrate the LORD’s covenant delight.
Isaiah 62:5, “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee, and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”
The literal meaning concerns the beloved’s delight in the maiden. The spiritual application points to the joy of God over His redeemed people. God’s love is not cold or reluctant. He rejoices over His own.
The beloved says, “This thy stature is like to a palm tree.” The palm tree suggests height, uprightness, fruitfulness, beauty, and nobility. She stands with grace and strength. Again, he praises more than physical features. He praises her bearing.
He then says, “and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.” The imagery becomes openly marital and sensual, yet remains poetic. Her breasts are compared to fruit clusters, something desirable, pleasant, and satisfying. He says, “I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof.” This expresses his desire to enjoy her body in marital intimacy.
This is not sinful. The marriage covenant has already been established. The garden has already been opened in chapter 4 and received in chapter 5. Their relationship has moved beyond the wedding night into ongoing marital enjoyment. This is an important distinction. The wedding night consummates the marriage, but marital intimacy is not only for the wedding night. It nourishes the marriage over time.
His words are more direct than earlier descriptions, suggesting that their love has matured. On the wedding night, there was delicacy, anticipation, and tenderness. Now there is greater confidence, freedom, and familiarity. Covenant love grows. Husband and wife become more comfortable with one another as trust deepens.
He says, “now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples.” The phrase “smell of thy nose” likely refers to her breath or the fragrance associated with her face. Apples recall the earlier imagery of the beloved as an apple tree and of refreshment in love.
Song of Solomon 2:3, “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”
Song of Solomon 2:5, “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.”
The apple imagery continues to suggest sweetness, refreshment, and delight.
He says, “And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine.” This refers to the sweetness of her kisses and mouth. The beloved is satisfied by her love. The imagery of wine again recalls joy and delight.
Song of Solomon 1:2, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.”
Song of Solomon 4:10, “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!”
Wine has been a repeated image for love’s joy. Here, the beloved says her mouth is like the best wine. The language is romantic, intimate, and covenantal.
B. The Maiden Longs for Intimacy with Her Beloved
1. Song of Solomon 7:9b–10, The Longing for Intimacy
Song of Solomon 7:9, “And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.”
Song of Solomon 7:10, “I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.”
The final part of verse 9 appears to shift into the maiden’s response. The beloved has spoken of her mouth like the best wine, and she answers by saying that the wine goes down sweetly for her beloved. She recognizes and receives his delight. She is not ashamed of being desired by him. She understands his desire as fitting, honorable, and good.
The phrase “causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak” is poetic and difficult, but it likely pictures the lingering sweetness of their intimacy as they drift toward sleep. The love shared between husband and wife remains like the aftertaste of good wine. It is not merely a momentary act. It leaves warmth, peace, and satisfaction.
This is a beautiful picture of marital intimacy as nourishment. The wedding night focused on consummation. This later scene focuses on the sustaining, refreshing, and strengthening role of intimacy in marriage. Physical love in marriage is not merely for procreation, although children are a blessing. It also strengthens the bond of husband and wife.
1 Corinthians 7:3, “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”
1 Corinthians 7:4, “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:5, “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”
Paul teaches that marital affection is part of the ongoing duty and blessing of marriage. Husband and wife are not to defraud one another. This is not a license for selfishness or coercion. It is a call to mutual giving, tenderness, and care.
The maiden then says, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” This is the third major statement of belonging in the Song.
Song of Solomon 2:16, “My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.”
Song of Solomon 6:3, “I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.”
Song of Solomon 7:10, “I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.”
The progression is meaningful. In Song of Solomon 2:16, she begins with possession, “My beloved is mine.” In Song of Solomon 6:3, after conflict and restoration, she begins with surrender, “I am my beloved’s.” In Song of Solomon 7:10, she rests in belonging and desire, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.”
She no longer needs to say, “my beloved is mine,” because she is secure. She knows his desire is toward her. She is not anxious, defensive, or insecure. She is at rest in his love. His desire is not felt as pressure, burden, or threat. It is welcomed as part of covenant joy.
This phrase also echoes Genesis 3 in an interesting contrast.
Genesis 3:16, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
In Genesis 3:16, desire and rule are affected by the fall, and marriage is marked by tension, pain, and struggle. In Song of Solomon 7:10, the maiden says, “his desire is toward me,” and it is not oppressive. It is secure, affectionate, and welcomed. This shows the beauty of marital desire when ordered by love rather than sin. The fall corrupts desire into conflict. Covenant love restores desire into joy.
2. Song of Solomon 7:11–13, The Invitation to Intimacy
Song of Solomon 7:11, “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, let us lodge in the villages.”
Song of Solomon 7:12, “Let us get up early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth, there will I give thee my loves.”
Song of Solomon 7:13, “The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.”
The maiden now invites her beloved to intimacy. Earlier in the Song, the beloved invited her to arise and come away with him.
Song of Solomon 2:10, “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
Now she gives a similar invitation, “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, let us lodge in the villages.” This shows growth in her confidence. She is not merely responding passively. She initiates affection. She understands that marital intimacy is not only the husband’s desire and the wife’s duty. It is mutual delight.
She invites him to the field and villages, like a romantic retreat into the countryside. The imagery is wholesome, fresh, and free. The city, where earlier she searched in distress and was wounded by the watchmen, is left behind. Now she invites him to the open country, to vineyards, blossoms, fragrance, and fruitfulness.
She says, “Let us get up early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth.” This returns to the springtime imagery that has marked their love throughout the Song.
Song of Solomon 2:11, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,”
Song of Solomon 2:12, “The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land,”
Song of Solomon 2:13, “The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
Song of Solomon 6:11, “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.”
Their relationship has gone from spring to spring. It has passed through attraction, courtship, wedding, consummation, conflict, restoration, and now renewed mature delight. The vineyard imagery shows growth and fruitfulness. Love must be cultivated. It must be watched. It must be enjoyed. It must be protected.
Then the maiden says plainly, “there will I give thee my loves.” This is a direct and honest invitation to marital intimacy. She is not embarrassed by her desire. She does not treat love as a burden. She freely gives herself to him. The phrase is modest, but clear.
This is a critical point. Song of Solomon teaches that sexual intimacy in marriage is not merely the husband’s pleasure and the wife’s obligation. The maiden desires, invites, plans, and gives. She is active in love. The Bible’s view of marriage is not cold or mechanical. It is covenantal and joyful.
The statement “there will I give thee my loves” also shows that love is a gift. She gives herself. He does not take by force. She offers. He receives. This mutual giving is the biblical pattern of marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:4, “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
The husband and wife belong to one another in mutual covenant. This is not domination. It is exclusive self giving.
Verse 13 says, “The mandrakes give a smell.” Mandrakes were associated in the ancient world with fertility and sexual desire. Scripture mentions mandrakes in the account of Rachel and Leah.
Genesis 30:14, “And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.”
Genesis 30:15, “And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.”
Genesis 30:16, “And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.”
Genesis 30:17, “And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.”
In Genesis 30, mandrakes are connected with fertility hopes and marital intimacy. In Song of Solomon 7, their fragrance suggests desire, fertility, and the possibility of children. The maiden’s desire is not sterile selfishness. Marriage naturally opens toward fruitfulness, including the blessing of children when God gives them.
Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
Children are not the only purpose of marital intimacy, as Song of Solomon clearly shows, but they are a blessed fruit of marriage. The mandrakes may hint at this desire for visible fruit from their union.
The maiden says, “and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.” The phrase “new and old” suggests both familiar and fresh expressions of love. Their intimacy is not stale. It has memory and creativity. There are old fruits, the established joys they already know, and new fruits, fresh expressions of affection prepared for him.
The words “which I have laid up for thee” show intentionality. She has thought about how to bless him. She has prepared herself and her love for him. This is not careless or begrudging. It is planned affection.
A strong marriage requires this kind of intentionality. Husband and wife should not assume affection will maintain itself without effort. Love must be cultivated like a vineyard. Desire must be protected like a garden. Friendship must be renewed. Romance must be nourished. The maiden takes initiative, invites him away, and offers both old and new fruits of love.
Spiritually, there is a careful application. The believer should bring forth fruit for the Lord, both old and new, from a life cultivated by grace.
John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches, he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing.”
The literal meaning concerns marital intimacy and mature affection. The spiritual application points to a fruitful life offered to Christ.
Summary and Theological Emphasis
Song of Solomon 7 presents a mature stage of marital love. The maiden is described again in rich poetic language, beginning with her feet and moving upward through her body. Her feet in sandals, thighs, navel, belly, breasts, neck, eyes, nose, head, and hair are praised. This is the third extended description of her beauty in the Song, showing that the beloved continues to delight in her after the wedding and after conflict has been resolved.
The chapter teaches that a wife should feel beautiful, desired, and preferred by her husband. The repeated praise is not wasted language. It is part of love’s nourishment. The beloved praises her body without vulgarity and her bearing without reducing her to physical form. She is beautiful, noble, strong, pleasant, and delightful.
The beloved’s desire is openly expressed, but it is covenantal. He delights in her as his wife. He compares her stature to a palm tree and her breasts to clusters of the vine. His desire is not adultery, lust, or selfish exploitation. It is marital desire, which Scripture honors. Proverbs 5 confirms that a husband is to be satisfied with his wife and ravished with her love.
The maiden responds with security and confidence, saying, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” This is a mature statement of belonging. She no longer speaks anxiously. She rests in his desire. His desire is not a threat but a blessing. This shows how marital desire, when governed by covenant love, reverses the corruption of desire caused by sin.
Finally, the maiden invites her beloved to the countryside, to the vineyards, and to renewed intimacy. She says, “there will I give thee my loves.” Her invitation shows that marital intimacy is mutual, joyful, and freely given. The mandrakes, pleasant fruits, and fruits new and old show fertility, creativity, and prepared affection. Their love has moved from spring to spring, from early attraction to mature delight.
