Song of Solomon 2:16

Old Testament Poetry/Wisdom ASV (1901)

What does Song of Solomon 2:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 2:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Song of Solomon 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his, etc.] These are the words of the church; who, having had such evidences of Christ’s love to her, and care of her, expresses her faith of interest in him, and suggests the obligations she lay under to observe his commands. The words are expressive of the mutual interest had property Christ and his church have in each other: Christ is the church’s, by the Father’s gift of him to her, to be her Head, Husband, and Saviour; and by the gift of himself unto her, to be her Redeemer and ransom price; and by marriage, having espoused her to himself, in righteousness and lovingkindness; and by possession, he living and dwelling in her, by his Spirit and grace: the…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The bride relates to the chorus a visit which the beloved had paid her some time previously in her native home. He on a fair spring morning solicits her company. The bride, immersed in rustic toils, refuses for the present, but confessing her love, bids him return at the cool of day. It is a spring-time of affection which is here described, still earlier than that of the former chapter, a day of pure first-love, in which, on either side, all royal state and circumstance is forgotten or concealed. Hence, perhaps, the annual recitation of the Song of Songs by the synagogue with each return of spring, at the Feast of Passover, and special interpretations of this passage by Hebrew doctors, as…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“My beloved - These are the words of the bride, who having come to him upon his gracious invitation, now maketh her boast of him. He feedeth - Abideth and refresheth himself amongst his faithful people, who are compared to lillies, Sol 2:2. Song of Solomon (Canticles) 2:17”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“2:16–3:5 In the dramatic view, the woman has already been separated from her lover and is horrified by the notion that she will not see him soon. One night, her worries drive her from bed to search frantically for him; she finds him and takes him to see her mother. 2:16-17 He browses . . . like a gazelle: The woman has so identified her lover with the strength and speed of a gazelle that she portrays his delay as grazing in the country. • Alternatively, the lover, in the guise of a gazelle, grazes among the lilies that possibly represent the woman, suggesting the intimate association of the couple. The woman is often likened to a garden (see also 4:12, 15-16; 5:1; 6:2). • return to me: Her…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“beloved: Sol 6:3, Sol 7:10, Sol 7:13; Psa 48:14, Psa 63:1; Jer 31:33; Co1 3:21-23; Gal 2:20; Rev 21:2, Rev 21:3 he: Sol 2:1, Sol 1:7, Sol 6:3 Song of Solomon (Canticles) 2:17”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification