Sexual Symbols in the Song of Songs

Sexual Symbols in the Song of Songs
by Deborah Murphy

The events in the Song of Songs aren't written in a chronological order. Instead it is done in a poetic form, telling the circumstances and facts of the story, but not the order they happnen.

1:6 "my own vineyard" - her body.
1:15 "your eyes are as doves" - she was a virgin.
2:3 "shade," "fruit," "apple tree" - all ancient erotic symbols of the male genitals, indicating here an oral genital caress.
2:5 "sustain me with raisin cakes" fertility, sexual interest, passion
"lovesick" - overcome with sexual passion
2:6 "embrace" - fondle their genitals.
2:9 "gazelle or young stag" - suggests sexual virility
2:15 "little foxes" - temptations and sexual problems
2:16 "feeds among the lilies" - refers to kissing some tender part of each other's bodies.
2:17 "until the day breaks" - she wants it to last until the morning.
"upon the mountains of Bether" - run your hands and mouth over the contours of
my body.
3:6-11 The groom's wedding procession.
3:11 "crown" - In ancient times garlands were worn on weddings and the bride and groom were called queen and king.
4:4 "shields" - tiered or layered coins or ornaments of precious metal that adorned her neck as she walked in public. The coins or ornaments were her dowry.
4:5 "two breasts," "twins of a gazelle" - inviting affection, carresses
4:10 "wine" - symbol of supreme pleasure.
"the scent of your perfumes" - those she naturally produces.
4:11 "honey and milk are under your tongue" - points to the depth and fullness of the kissing.
4:12 "garden" - The garden refers to her vagina. When the lover says it is locked, he is saying it has never been entered; she is a virgin. Thus to describe his wife's vulva as a garden is to say it is beautiful to behold, like flowered gardens of the East.
   "a spring shut up" - reserved for her husband's use and no other.
4:13 "pleasant fruits" - Making love with her is as entering into a paradise.
4:15 "rivers of water" - One inference of this picture of abundant moisture is that her body is prepared by its own secretions for the long-awaited consummation.
4:16 "Awake, O north wind and come, O south!" - She is asking her spouse to stimulate her garden with caresses to promote the growth of her sexual passion.
"Let my beloved come to his garden" - The Hebrew word (literally, "enter" or
"come into") is used frequently of sexual penetration (Genesis 16:2).
"eat of the sweet fruit" - the wife asks the husband to perform oral sex on her.
5:1 "I have come into...have gathered....have eaten...have drunk" - indicates that they have just made love, and of sealing their marriage covenant.
   "wine and milk" - readily understood in that culture as fertility symbols.
"O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" - This phrase occurs exactly in the center of the book of Songs, when all the verses are counted. In this type of poetry, the key topic was always put in the center of a poem to give an extra emphasis and clarity. In fact, God declares its matrimonial blessing and it encouraging them to rejoice in their sexual relationships.
5:2-6 Literally it means that the husband knocks on the door of his own bedroom. But she rejects his advances (she/he didn't open the door). Instead, she gives an excuse for not being interested, in spite of knowing that her husband wants greatly to make love to her
5:2 "my head is covered with dew" - pre-ejaculation fluid drips from the lover's penis.
5:4 "my heart yearned for him" - her mood changes.
5:6 "my beloved had turned away and was gone" - it was already too late. He felt the rejection and was hurt by it. Now, he doesn't have any interest in encouraging her.
6:11 "garden," "vine," "pomegranates" - all paint poetic pictures of the woman's erogenous zones.
6:13 "Shulamite" - a feminine form of Solomon.
7:2 "navel" - generally translated today as "vulva."
"round goblet" - refers to the female genitals.
"heap of wheat" - pubic hair.
7:8 "climb the palm trees" - to enter her.
"I will take hold of its branches" - take hold of her breasts. Grapes swell and become increasingly round and elastic as they ripen, similar to the female breasts when sexually aroused.
7:12 "pomegranates are in bloom" - erotic implications.
7:13 "mandrakes" - considered to be an aphrodisiac in the ancient world.
8:6 "seal over your heart...seal on your arm" - The seal of a king was commonly a sign of his ownership. She desires to be set as a seal on her husband's heart -- the place of his affection. To be set like a seal on his arm is to be in the place of his strength or protection.
8:8 A small sister, this is obvious in that she doesn't yet have breasts.
8:9 "If she be a wall" - if she grows to be impervious to the interest of other men, she will be worthy of greater "gifts" trusted with greater amounts of money.
   "if she be a door" - if she grows to be promiscuous (seductive of others), and accepts the caresses of many other men, she will be protected with boards of cedar. This act of protection is done because she is in need of greater covering. She needs more direction and correction.
8:12 "my own vineyard is before me" - In these verses he compares his vineyard, i.e. his wife, with Solomon's vineyard at Baal Hamon. His bride was to him a vineyard beyond price.
8:14 "mountains of spices" - She invites her husband to make love. She is excited and has made herself ready with perfumes.

God gives us many examples of using our five senses in our sexual relationships. The husband is allowed to rejoice in seeing, and touching her body. Express your love to each other with words and caresses. Add variety with perfuming your bed or your body.

Sight

Do not stare at me because I am dark (1:6)
...show me your face (2:14)
You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes (4:9)
How beautiful are your feet, your navel, your stomach, your breasts, your eyes (7:1-6). She wore lacy or translucent clothes was so that her husband could see her body clearly while making love.

Hearing

... let me hear your voice (2:14)

Listen! My lover is knocking (5:2)

You who dwell in the gardens ...let me hear your voice! (8:13)

Touch

Kiss me with kisses of your mouth (1:2)

His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me (2:6)

Taste

His fruit is sweet to my taste (2:3)

...and taste its choice fruits (4:16)

...your mouth like the best wine (7:9)

Smell

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes (1:3)

The mandrakes give a smell (7:13)

	For Old Testament Teachings

	For Marriage Teachings

	The events in the Song of Songs aren't written in a chronological order. Instead it is done in a poetic form, telling the circumstances and facts of the story, but not the order they happnen.
		1:6 "my own vineyard" - her body. 1:15 "your eyes are as doves" - she was a virgin. 2:3 "shade," "fruit," "apple tree" - all ancient erotic symbols of the male genitals, indicating here an oral genital caress. 2:5 "sustain me with raisin cakes" fertility, sexual interest, passion "lovesick" - overcome with sexual passion 2:6 "embrace" - fondle their genitals. 2:9 "gazelle or young stag" - suggests sexual virility 2:15 "little foxes" - temptations and sexual problems 2:16 "feeds among the lilies" - refers to kissing some tender part of each other's bodies. 2:17 "until the day breaks" - she wants it to last until the morning. "upon the mountains of Bether" - run your hands and mouth over the contours of my body. 3:6-11 The groom's wedding procession. 3:11 "crown" - In ancient times garlands were worn on weddings and the bride and groom were called queen and king. 4:4 "shields" - tiered or layered coins or ornaments of precious metal that adorned her neck as she walked in public. The coins or ornaments were her dowry. 4:5 "two breasts," "twins of a gazelle" - inviting affection, carresses 4:10 "wine" - symbol of supreme pleasure. "the scent of your perfumes" - those she naturally produces. 4:11 "honey and milk are under your tongue" - points to the depth and fullness of the kissing. 4:12 "garden" - The garden refers to her vagina. When the lover says it is locked, he is saying it has never been entered; she is a virgin. Thus to describe his wife's vulva as a garden is to say it is beautiful to behold, like flowered gardens of the East. "a spring shut up" - reserved for her husband's use and no other. 4:13 "pleasant fruits" - Making love with her is as entering into a paradise. 4:15 "rivers of water" - One inference of this picture of abundant moisture is that her body is prepared by its own secretions for the long-awaited consummation. 4:16 "Awake, O north wind and come, O south!" - She is asking her spouse to stimulate her garden with caresses to promote the growth of her sexual passion. "Let my beloved come to his garden" - The Hebrew word (literally, "enter" or "come into") is used frequently of sexual penetration (Genesis 16:2). "eat of the sweet fruit" - the wife asks the husband to perform oral sex on her. 5:1 "I have come into...have gathered....have eaten...have drunk" - indicates that they have just made love, and of sealing their marriage covenant. "wine and milk" - readily understood in that culture as fertility symbols. "O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" - This phrase occurs exactly in the center of the book of Songs, when all the verses are counted. In this type of poetry, the key topic was always put in the center of a poem to give an extra emphasis and clarity. In fact, God declares its matrimonial blessing and it encouraging them to rejoice in their sexual relationships. 5:2-6 Literally it means that the husband knocks on the door of his own bedroom. But she rejects his advances (she/he didn't open the door). Instead, she gives an excuse for not being interested, in spite of knowing that her husband wants greatly to make love to her 5:2 "my head is covered with dew" - pre-ejaculation fluid drips from the lover's penis. 5:4 "my heart yearned for him" - her mood changes. 5:6 "my beloved had turned away and was gone" - it was already too late. He felt the rejection and was hurt by it. Now, he doesn't have any interest in encouraging her. 6:11 "garden," "vine," "pomegranates" - all paint poetic pictures of the woman's erogenous zones. 6:13 "Shulamite" - a feminine form of Solomon. 7:2 "navel" - generally translated today as "vulva." "round goblet" - refers to the female genitals. "heap of wheat" - pubic hair. 7:8 "climb the palm trees" - to enter her. "I will take hold of its branches" - take hold of her breasts. Grapes swell and become increasingly round and elastic as they ripen, similar to the female breasts when sexually aroused. 7:12 "pomegranates are in bloom" - erotic implications. 7:13 "mandrakes" - considered to be an aphrodisiac in the ancient world. 8:6 "seal over your heart...seal on your arm" - The seal of a king was commonly a sign of his ownership. She desires to be set as a seal on her husband's heart -- the place of his affection. To be set like a seal on his arm is to be in the place of his strength or protection. 8:8 A small sister, this is obvious in that she doesn't yet have breasts. 8:9 "If she be a wall" - if she grows to be impervious to the interest of other men, she will be worthy of greater "gifts" trusted with greater amounts of money. "if she be a door" - if she grows to be promiscuous (seductive of others), and accepts the caresses of many other men, she will be protected with boards of cedar. This act of protection is done because she is in need of greater covering. She needs more direction and correction. 8:12 "my own vineyard is before me" - In these verses he compares his vineyard, i.e. his wife, with Solomon's vineyard at Baal Hamon. His bride was to him a vineyard beyond price. 8:14 "mountains of spices" - She invites her husband to make love. She is excited and has made herself ready with perfumes.
	God gives us many examples of using our five senses in our sexual relationships. The husband is allowed to rejoice in seeing, and touching her body. Express your love to each other with words and caresses. Add variety with perfuming your bed or your body.
		Sight Do not stare at me because I am dark (1:6) ...show me your face (2:14) You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes (4:9) How beautiful are your feet, your navel, your stomach, your breasts, your eyes (7:1-6). She wore lacy or translucent clothes was so that her husband could see her body clearly while making love. Hearing ... let me hear your voice (2:14) Listen! My lover is knocking (5:2) You who dwell in the gardens ...let me hear your voice! (8:13) Touch Kiss me with kisses of your mouth (1:2) His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me (2:6) Taste His fruit is sweet to my taste (2:3) ...and taste its choice fruits (4:16) ...your mouth like the best wine (7:9) Smell Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes (1:3) The mandrakes give a smell (7:13)