Song of Solomon 1:2

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;

For thy love is better than wine.

Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;

Thy name is as oil poured fourth;

Therefore do the virgins love thee.

Draw me; we will run after thee:

The king hath brought me into his chambers;

We will be glad and rejoice in thee;

We will make mention of thy love more than wine:

Rightly do they love thee."

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (Song of Solomon 1:1). "The scene here is in the women's chamber of the royal house. The young bride sings of her love for Solomon. In passionate romantic terms, she praises the man she loves. The `oils' (Song of Solomon 1:3) are those with which the king anoints himself. His name is as refreshing and soothing as oil."[1] That is one way of viewing the passage.

Balchin understood it this way: "A number of different persons speak here. The Shulamite, a young innocent from the country, has been thrust into the king's harem. She is not at home. The over sensuous words of the women grate on her sensitive ears. As they see the king approaching, they long for the touch of his lips on theirs. The women are talking to one another about the king. Your `love' (plural in the Hebrew) means caresses ... `wine.' An apt description of the intoxicating effect of caressing and kissing."[2]

"Your name is oil poured out" (Song of Solomon 1:3). "There is a play on words here. In Hebrew, `name' is [~shem] and `oils' is semen."[3] Waddey writes that, "His name was as refreshing and soothing as oil upon wind-burnt skin."[4]

"St. Gregory, seeking some meaning beyond the words, wrote that, `Every precept of Christ is as one of his kisses.'"[5]

"Draw me. We will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers; we will be glad and rejoice in thee" (Song of Solomon 1:4). "The Shulamite speaks here."[6] She longs for her shepherd lover; and although he is not present, she pleads for him to come and take her away. The better version here reads: "Draw me after you, let us make haste. The king has brought me into his chambers."[7] This version fully supports the "two lovers" interpretation. Note that the "us" in this place refers to the Shulamite's true lover; and the third person reference to the king in the same breath means that the king is not her beloved.

"The king has brought me into his chambers" (Song of Solomon 1:4). The king's chambers here are those of the king's harem.

"Let us make haste" (Song of Solomon 1:4). There was always an extended period of waiting before a woman taken into the harem was brought into the king's presence (Esther 2:12). The Shulamite pleaded for her lover to take her away before she would be compelled to go to the bed of Solomon.

"We will be glad and rejoice in thee" (Song of Solomon 1:4). Scholars agree that these are the words of the women in the harem. Waddey found them to mean that, "They shared her joy for her new found love, and they loved her as well."[8] Such love in a king's harem for a new member of his seraglio seems to this writer totally contrary to the mutual hatred among the women, such as that which we have always understood to be characteristic of such godless places.

In the Shulamite's plea for her true love to come in a hurry and take her away, we have a glimpse of, "True loyal love shining through the lust of this court scene (the harem)."[9]