Song of Solomon 2 is a short, tender section of poetry in which the bride and her beloved speak to each other about their love, using images of flowers, fruit, springtime and a hidden garden. These questions are designed for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each set of questions moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how it might shape the way you live and love.
Song of Solomon 2 at a Glance
The chapter opens with the woman describing herself and her beloved as flowers in a field, then moves into a picture of the man bringing her into a banquet hall and sustaining her with love. She then calls on the women of Jerusalem to wait patiently for love. In the second half, the beloved arrives like a gazelle over the hills, looks through the lattice, and invites her out into the springtime. The chapter closes with her intimate claim that she belongs to him and he to her.
Leaders may find it helpful to read the chapter aloud once before beginning the questions, letting the sense of movement from winter to spring guide the discussion. The poem rewards slow reading and repeated listening.
Observation Questions
Use these questions to slow the group down and notice exactly what the poem describes. Invite several people to answer before offering your own observations, and resist the urge to explain too quickly.
Song of Solomon 2:1-3
1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. 2 As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 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, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
(WEB)
Reading these opening lines aloud sets the tone for the whole chapter and introduces the flower and fruit imagery that runs through it. Give the group a moment of silence afterward to notice which picture stays with them.
Song of Solomon 2:4-6
4 He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love. 5 Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love. 6 His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.
(WEB)
This passage moves from the banquet hall to the embrace, showing how the woman experiences love as both refreshment and security. It works well as a hinge in the reading, before the mood shifts toward longing.
Song of Solomon 2:8-10
8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills. 9 My beloved is like a roe or a young deer. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice. 10 My beloved spoke, and said to me, “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
(WEB)
The arrival of the beloved is vivid and energetic, so reading it with some expression helps the group feel the anticipation. Pause after the invitation to rise and come away.
Song of Solomon 2:11-13
11 For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give out their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
(WEB)
These verses describe winter giving way to spring, and reading them aloud carries that sense of renewal. Ask the group to name what seasons of life they hope might end or begin.
Song of Solomon 2:16
My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.
(WEB)
This single line is short enough to memorize and rich enough to discuss for a long time. It works well as a closing focus before the group prays.
Memory Verse for Song of Solomon 2
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the gift of love that is tender, honest and faithful, as this chapter describes. We ask that you would help us see and hear the people closest to us, and that we would respond to your invitations with the same readiness the woman showed when her beloved called her to come away. Teach us to be nourished by your love and to offer that nourishment to others in our homes, churches and communities. Keep our commitments strong and our hearts open, and draw us into the new seasons you are preparing for us. Amen.
