English Standard Version
Song of Songs 8:6
6Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.
Song of Songs 8:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
- New International Version (NIV)Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
Context of Song of Songs 8:6
4I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. 5Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. 7Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised. 8We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?
Read all of Song of Songs 8Song of Songs 8:6 word by word
שִׂימֵ֨נִי כַֽחוֹתָ֜ם עַל־לִבֶּ֗ךָ כַּֽחוֹתָם֙ עַל־זְרוֹעֶ֔ךָ כִּֽי־עַזָּ֤ה כַמָּ֙וֶת֙ אַהֲבָ֔ה קָשָׁ֥ה כִשְׁא֖וֹל קִנְאָ֑ה רְשָׁפֶ֕יהָ רִשְׁפֵּ֕י אֵ֖שׁ שַׁלְהֶ֥בֶתְיָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
- me as a sealחֹתָםchôthâm chôthâm · signetH2368
- upon thine heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- upon thine armזְרוֹעַzerôa‛ zerôa‛ zerô‛âh zerô‛âh · armH2220
- for loveאַהֲבָה'ahăbâh · loveH160
- strongעַז‛az · strongH5794
- as deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- jealousyקִנְאָהqin'âh · jealousyH7068
- cruelקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
- as the graveשְׁאוֹלshe'ôl she'ôl · hell: SheolH7585
- the coalsרֶ֫שֶׁףresheph · flashH7565
- of fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- most vehement flameשַׁלְהֶ֫בֶתshalhebeth · flameH7957
Commentaries on Song of Songs 8:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Set me as a seal upon thine heart - It was customary in the Levant and other places to make impressions of various kinds upon the arms, the breast, and other parts. I have seen these often: some slight punctures are made, and the place rubbed over with a sort of blue powder that, getting between the cuticle and cutis, is never discharged; it continues in all its distinctness throughout life. The figures of young women are frequently thus impressed on the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-7Verses 5-7 The Jewish church came up from the wilderness, supported by Divine power and favour. The Christian church was raised from a low, desolate condition, by the grace of Christ relied on. Believers, by the power of grace, are brought up from the wilderness. A sinful state is a wilderness in which there is no true comfort; it is a wandering, wanting state: There is no coming out of this wilderness, but leaning on Christ as our Beloved, by faith; not…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6seal over your heart . . . on your arm: In ancient Israel a seal was used for identification or to show ownership by pressing the face of a ring into soft wax. The husband wants his wife to mark him with her identity, privately upon his heart, and publicly upon his arm as well. • love is as strong as death: Though death is inevitable, the bond of love is resolute, unshakable, and broken only in death. • The energy of jealousy moves to protect an exclusive…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Implying approaching absence of the Bridegroom. seal--having her name and likeness engraven on it. His Holy Priesthood also in heaven (Ex 28:6-12, 15-30; He 4:14); "his heart" there answering to "thine heart" here, and "two shoulders" to "arm." (Compare Jr 22:24, with Hag 2:23). But the Holy Ghost (Ep 1:13, 14). As in So 8:5, she was "leaning" on Him, that is, her arm on His arm, her head on His bosom; so she prays now that before they part, her…Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 6Place me like a seal for the sake of that love, You shall seal me on Your heart, so that You should not forget me, and You will see.Read the comment
Topics related to Song of Songs 8:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Song of Songs 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries