Song of Solomon 8:7 teaches that real love cannot be extinguished by hardship, and it cannot be purchased with money. The verse says that no flood of trouble can drown love, and that no amount of wealth could buy it, so anyone who tried would be rightly despised. The words are spoken by the bride in the poem, and they are addressed to the daughters of Jerusalem, the young women who form the chorus of the book.
Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
Song of Solomon 8:7 (WEB)
What Song of Solomon 8:7 Means
The verse uses two images of overwhelming force. “Many waters” and “floods” describe the kind of danger that can put out a fire or wash away everything in its path. The bride says that genuine love is not like a small flame that gets smothered easily. It keeps burning when pressure, opposition, or sorrow pours over it.
The second half turns to money. If someone offered “all the wealth of his house” to obtain love, the offer would not work. Love is not for sale, and a person who tried to purchase it would only show that he had misunderstood what love is. The word “scorned” carries the sense of being treated with contempt, the way someone is mocked for an empty and foolish gesture.
The verse does not promise that love will never be tested, nor does it say that every relationship will last. It describes the nature of true love and the folly of trying to manufacture it through payment. Read honestly, it is a statement about what love is worth and what it cannot be reduced to.
The Context of Song of Solomon 8:7
The Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems, traditionally attributed to Solomon, that celebrate romantic and marital love with frank, lyrical imagery. Its speakers include the woman, the man, and a chorus often identified as the daughters of Jerusalem. Verse 7 belongs to the final section of the book, where the woman reflects on the strength and seriousness of the love she has known.
Just before the verse, in verse 6, she asks to be set “as a seal on your heart,” and she says that love is “strong as death.” Verse 7 widens that thought: if love is that strong, no outside force can overwhelm it, and no material offer can replace it. The verses that follow, about the little sister and the walls and doors, shift to a discussion of protecting and preparing a young woman, which gives the whole closing section a theme of faithfulness and dignity in love.
Key Phrases in Song of Solomon 8:7
1 Corinthians 13:7
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
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Paul describes love that bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. His list reflects the same resilience the bride praises in Song of Solomon 8:7, showing that genuine love keeps going through every kind of difficulty.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Paul affirms that nothing can separate believers from the love of God. Like the bride’s image of unquenchable love, this passage stresses that floods of trouble cannot overwhelm the steadfast love that holds us.
A Short Prayer From Song of Solomon 8:7
Lord, you know the seasons when my love feels tested by pressure, disappointment, or weariness. Teach me to love the way you love, freely and faithfully, without trying to purchase what can only be given. When the waters rise, keep my heart steady, and let my commitments burn brighter than the storms around them.
Where I have tried to earn affection or repair relationships by my own efforts alone, show me the better way of honest presence and patient care. Make my love a reflection of your faithfulness, strong enough to endure what would drown a lesser love. Amen.
