The Nature of Genuine Romantic Love

• 6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
  • as a seal upon your arm;
• for love is strong as death;
  • passion is fierce as Sheol;
• its flashes are flashes of fire;
  • it is a blazing flame.
• 7 Many waters cannot quench love;
  • rivers cannot sweep it away.[fn]
• If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love ,[fn]
  • he would be utterly scorned.[fn]
    

Maiden’s Virtuous Chastity and Voluptuous Beauty

• 8 We have a little sister ,[fn]
  • and she does not yet have any breasts .[fn]
• What should we do for our sister
  • on the day when she is betrothed ?[fn][fn]
• 9 If she is a wall,
  • we will adorn her with a turret of silver ;[fn][fn]
• but if she is a door,
  • we will barricade her with boards of cedar.[fn]
• 10 I was a wall, and my breasts were like the towers,
  • so my betrothed viewed me with great delight .[fn]
    

Solomon’s Vineyard and the Maiden’s Gift

• 11 Solomon had a vineyard[fn] at Baal-hamon;
  • he entrusted his vineyard to the keepers ;[fn]
  • people paid a thousand silver pieces for its fruit .[fn]
• 12 My own “vineyard” belongs to me ;[fn]
  • the “thousand” are for you, O Solomon,
    • and “two hundred” for those who tend its fruit .[fn]