Song of Solomon 2:8

Old Testament Poetry/Wisdom ASV (1901)

What does Song of Solomon 2:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.
Song of Solomon 2:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Song of Solomon 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The voice of my beloved! etc.] So says the church, who well knew Christ her beloved’s voice; which is known by all believers in him, and is distinguished by them from the voice of others; by the majesty and authority of it; by the power and efficacy of it; by its directing them to himself, and by the pleasure it gives them: and she speaks of it as being very delightful to her; it being the voice of him whom she loved, and a voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation; and, being observed before, what follows shows that Christ is heard before he is seen; he is first heard of in the Gospel, before he is seen, by an eye of faith: and such would have others…”
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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
“The voice - Christ's voice, the word of grace revealed outwardly in the gospel, and inwardly by the Spirit of God. Leaping - He saith, leaping and skipping, to denote that Christ came readily, and swiftly, with great desire and pleasure and adds, upon the mountains and hills, to signify Christ's resolution to come in spite of all difficulties. Song of Solomon (Canticles) 2:9”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“2:8-17 In this poem, the woman anticipates the arrival of her lover. She describes the passing of winter and the coming of spring, a time of floral fragrance and new beginnings. She and her lover are in their country garden, a place of intimacy, though even here there is a hint of threat (2:15). 2:8-10 The man ardently desires to be in the woman’s presence. He finally arrives at his lover’s home and takes her into the romantic countryside during the new, budding spring. • The woman compares the man to a gazelle, a fast, sleek animal that easily overcomes obstacles to reach its destination.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“voice: Sol 5:2; Joh 3:29, Joh 10:4, Joh 10:5, Joh 10:27; Rev 3:20 leaping: Sa2 6:16; Isa 35:6; Jer 48:27; Luk 6:23; Act 3:8, Act 14:10 the mountains: Isa 40:3, Isa 40:4, Isa 44:23, Isa 49:11-13, Isa 55:12, Isa 55:13; Luk 3:4-6 Song of Solomon (Canticles) 2:9”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“8 Hark, my beloved! lo, there he comes! Springs over the mountains, Bounds over the hills. The word קול, in the expression דּודי קול, is to be understood of the call of the approaching lover (Bttch.), or only of the sound of his footsteps (Hitz.); it is an interjectional clause (sound of my beloved!), in which kōl becomes an interjection almost the same as our "horch" "hear!". Vid., under Gen 4:10. זה after הנּה sharpens it, as the demonst. ce in ecce = en ce. בּא is though of as partic., as is evident from the accenting of the fem. בּאה, e.g., Jer 10:22. דּלּג is the usual word for springing; the parallel קפץ (קפּץ), Aram. קפץ, קפז, signifies properly contrahere (cogn. קמץ, whence Kametz,…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification