Song of Solomon 2:7

"I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the roes, or by the hinds of the field,

That ye stir not up, nor awake my love,

Until he please."

"This refrain appears four times in this book: here, and in Song of Solomon 3:5; 5:8; and Song of Solomon 8:3; and with each use of it, there is a definite break in mood and movement. It twice follows the clause, `O that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand embraced me.'"[5] What does it say? "She begs the attendant maidens not to disturb their private moments of love."[6] Pope was sure that it could mean no such thing; "It cannot be an appeal not to be disturbed during the course of love-making."[7] This writer believes that the Shulamite's plea here is that the women she addresses may not awaken her desire for love in the continued absence of her lover. This would make the words, "Until he please," carry the message, "Until he comes and rescues me." The use of the abstract word `love' rather than the concrete word `lover,' as pointed out by Jordan,[8] supports this viewpoint. "The verse refers to a false rousing of love as an emotion."[9] It might very well be a reference to the Shulamite's rejection of the passion arousing stimulants which members of the harem provided for the woman scheduled to be called to the king's bed.