Song of Songs 8 Chapter Introduction

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Strong feelings of love and commitment between a man and woman who love each other romantically

8:6–7 describe the strong feelings of love, commitment, and emotional attachment that exist between a man and woman who love each other romantically.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The meaning of 8:12

The three possible meanings of 8:12 are: (1) that the woman is speaking of herself as a vineyard and saying that her vineyard is hers alone. She is comparing herself to Solomon’s vineyard (discussed in 8:11) and saying that Solomon and his vineyard keepers can keep the profits from that vineyard. (2) that the woman is speaking of herself as a vineyard but saying that she chooses to give herself freely to the man whom she loves and calls Solomon. (3) that the man is speaking of the woman he loves as a vineyard and is comparing his vineyard to Solomon’s vineyard. He feels wealthier than Solomon because he has the woman he loves as his vineyard, and so Solomon and Solomon’s keepers can keep their portion of the profits from that vineyard.