Song of Songs 2:16

Song of Songs 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
• New International Version (NIV)My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.
• English Standard Version (ESV)My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
• New King James Version (NKJV)My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Context of Song of Songs 2:16

14“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock, In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.” 15“Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love], While our vineyards are in blossom.” “My beloved is mine and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. 17Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Return quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether [which separate us].”

Song of Songs 2:16 word by word

דּוֹדִ֥י לִי֙ וַאֲנִ֣י ל֔וֹ הָרֹעֶ֖ה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• My belovedדּוֹדdôd dôd · belovedH1730
• his: he feedethרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• among the liliesשׁוּשַׁןshûshan shôshân shôshân shôshannâh · lilyH7799

Commentaries on Song of Songs 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16My beloved is mine - The words of the bride on his entering: "I am thy own; thou art wholly mine." He feedeth among the lilies - The odor with which he is surrounded is as fine as if he passed the night among the sweetest scented flowers.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-17Verses 14-17 The church is Christ's dove; she returns to him, as her Noah. Christ is the Rock, in whom alone she can think herself safe, and find herself easy, as a dove in the hole of a rock, when struck at by the birds of prey. Christ calls her to come boldly to the throne of grace, having a great High Priest there, to tell what her request is. Speak freely, fear not a slight or a repulse. The voice of prayer is sweet and acceptable to God; those who…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17be like a gazelle: The woman sees her lover as strong and fast like a gazelle. She describes his delay as if he is grazing in the countryside. Alternatively, the lover, like a gazelle, grazes among the lilies, which might represent the woman. This suggests their close relationship. The woman is often compared to a garden (see also Song of Solomon 4:12, 15–16; 5:1; 6:2). turn: Her desire to see him in the evening grows stronger by the hour.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. mine ... his--rather, "is for me ... for Him" (Ho 3:3), where, as here, there is the assurance of indissoluble union, in spite of temporary absence. So 2:17, entreating Him to return, shows that He has gone, perhaps through her want of guarding against the "little sins" (So 2:15). The order of the clauses is reversed in So 6:3, when she is riper in faith: there she rests more on her being His; here, on His being hers; and no doubt her sense of love to…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Tender
• Lily
• Marble

Commentaries on Song of Songs 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary