1
— I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh and my spices;
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Eat, friends; drink,
drink deeply of love!
2
I slept, but my heart was awake.
Listen! my beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one;
for my head is wet with dew,
and my hair with the drops of the night.”
3
“I have taken off my robe;
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
must I soil them again?”
4
My beloved put his hand through the opening,
and my heart was moved for him.
5
I rose to open for my beloved;
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6
I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My soul failed when he spoke.
I sought him, but I did not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7
The watchmen who went about the city found me;
they struck me, they wounded me;
they took away my veil
from the keepers of the walls.
8
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem:
if you find my beloved,
what will you tell him?
Tell him that I am sick with love.
9
— What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O fairest among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you so charge us?
10
— My beloved is white and ruddy,
chief among ten thousand.
11
His head is like the finest gold;
his hair is wavy,
black as a raven.
12
His eyes are like doves beside streams of water,
washed in milk,
set like jewels in a full pool.
13
His cheeks are like beds of spices,
like banks of sweet herbs.
His lips are lilies,
dropping flowing myrrh.
14
His hands are rods of gold,
set with beryl.
His body is polished ivory,
covered with sapphires.
15
His legs are pillars of marble,
set on bases of fine gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16
His mouth is most sweet,
and he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
🌙🚪🕊️ Summary of Song of Songs 5 – The Knock Missed and the Search for the Beloved
This chapter opens with a moment of intimacy, but quickly turns to sorrow and regret because the woman delays opening the door to her beloved. When she finally opens it, he has already gone. What remains is only searching and loss. This is an important picture of longing for the presence of love, as well as the consequences of delay and spiritual inattentiveness.
📌 1. The Beloved Enters the Garden (verse 1)
“I have come to my garden… I have eaten my honey…”
- The man describes a closeness full of delight and love, as though intimacy has already taken place
- This verse serves as a transition between longing (chapter 4) and the fulfillment of love
🎯 In a relationship of love (and with God), there is a special time for intimacy and the union of souls.
📌 2. The Knocking in the Middle of the Night (verses 2–6)
“I slept, but my heart was awake… my beloved knocked: Open to me…”
- The man came and knocked, yet the woman was reluctant to rise because she was already asleep
- When she finally opened, her beloved had already gone
🎯 The time to respond to love can pass us by if we delay or grow too comfortable in a safe place.
📌 3. A Painful Search (verses 7–8)
“The watchmen… struck me and wounded me…”
- The woman went out searching for her beloved with persistence
- Yet she was rejected, hurt, and received no answer
🎯 The search for divine love (or a broken relationship) can be full of pain and regret, yet it is still worth pursuing.
📌 4. Describing the Beloved (verses 9–16)
“What is your beloved more than another…?”
- Her companions ask, and the woman describes the greatness of her beloved from head to foot
- She calls her beloved “chosen among ten thousand” — special, majestic, and precious
🎯 When true love is longed for, confession and admiration will arise all the more strongly.
📖 Main Teaching
- Do not delay answering love’s call — it may be too late
- The presence of divine or human love cannot be forced to remain always
- Regret often comes after losing the chance to act
- Willingness to seek and suffer for love shows the value of that relationship
- When true love is remembered, praise and appreciation become deep and sincere
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”
“When the master of the house has risen and shut the door… you will knock and say: Lord, open to us…”
“While they were going to buy… the bridegroom came… and the door was shut…”
“Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation!”
🎯 Christ knocks at our hearts. If we are slow to respond, His presence may seem to be gone — and only a painful seeking remains.
🕊️ “I sleep, but my heart is awake… my beloved is knocking.” – Song of Songs 5:2
🕊️ “My beloved has gone, he has vanished…” – Song of Songs 5:6
🕊️ “The watchmen struck me and wounded me…” – Song of Songs 5:7
🕊️ “My beloved is radiant and white, chosen among ten thousand.” – Song of Songs 5:10
