New English Translation
Song of Songs 5:1
11I have entered my garden, O my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk! Eat, friends, and drink! Drink freely, O lovers!
Song of Songs 5:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
- New International Version (NIV)I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love!
- New King James Version (NKJV)I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!
Context of Song of Songs 5:1
I have entered my garden, O my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk! Eat, friends, and drink! Drink freely, O lovers! 2I was asleep, but my mind was dreaming. Listen! My lover is knocking at the door! “Open for me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one! My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.” 3“I have already taken off my robe – must I put it on again? I have already washed my feet – must I soil them again?”
Read all of Song of Songs 5Song of Songs 5:1 word by word
בָּ֣אתִי לְגַנִּי֮ אֲחֹתִ֣י כַלָּה֒ אָרִ֤יתִי מוֹרִי֙ עִם־בְּשָׂמִ֔י אָכַ֤לְתִּי יַעְרִי֙ עִם־דִּבְשִׁ֔י שָׁתִ֥יתִי יֵינִ֖י עִם־חֲלָבִ֑י אִכְל֣וּ רֵעִ֔ים שְׁת֥וּ וְשִׁכְר֖וּ דּוֹדִֽים׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I am comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- into my gardenגַּןgan · gardenH1588
- my sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
- spouseכַּלָּהkallâh · daughter-in-law: brideH3618
- I have gatheredאָרָה'ârâh · to pluckH717
- my myrrhמֹרmôr môr · myrrhH4753
- with my spiceבֹּ֫שֶׂםbâώâm · spiceH1313
- I have eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- my honeycombיַ֫עַרya‛ar · honeycombH3293
- with my honeyדְּבַשׁdebash · honeyH1706
- I have drunkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- my wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
- with my milkחָלָבchâlâb · milkH2461
- O friendsרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
- yea, drink abundantlyשָׁכַרshâkar · be drunkH7937
- O belovedדּוֹדdôd dôd · beloved: loveH1730
Commentaries on Song of Songs 5:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I am come into my garden - באתי bathi, I came, or have come; this should be translated in the past tense, as the other preterite verbs in this clause. I think the latter clause of the preceding verse should come in here: "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. I have come into my garden, my sister, callah, or spouse; I have gathered my myrrh," etc. I have taken thee for my spouse, and am perfectly satisfied that thou art pure…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Christ's answer. (Song 5:1) The disappointments of the church from her own folly. (Song 5:2-8) The excellences of Christ. (Song 5:9-16) Verse 1 See how ready Christ is to accept the invitations of his people. What little good there is in us would be lost, if he did not preserve it to himself. He also invites his beloved people to eat and drink abundantly. The ordinances in which they honour him, are means of grace.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1I have come to my garden...my myrrh with my spices...my honeycomb with my honey...my wine with my milk: When the man enters the garden, he discovers endless enjoyment. They are thrilled to finally experience the vast pleasure of intimacy. drink freely, O beloved: The young women of Jerusalem encourage the couple to fully enjoy their union. There is no guilt or shame in the deep pleasure between husband and wife.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-16So 5:1-16. 1. Answer to her prayer (Is 65:24; Re 3:20). am come--already (So 4:16); "come" (Ge 28:16). sister ... spouse--As Adam's was created of his flesh, out of his opened side, there being none on earth on a level with him, so the bride out of the pierced Saviour (Ep 5:30-32). have gathered ... myrrh--His course was already complete; the myrrh, &c. (Mt 2:11; 26:7-12; Joh 19:39), emblems of the indwelling of the anointing Holy Ghost, were already…Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 1I have come to my garden in the days of the dedication of the Temple.Read the comment
Topics related to Song of Songs 5:1
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Song of Songs 5:1 There is no little debate about the identity of the speaker(s) and the audience addressed in 5:1b. There are five options: (1) He is addressing his bride. (2) The bride is addressing him. (3) The wedding guests are addressing him and his bride. (4) He and his bride are addressing the wedding guests. (5) The poet is addressing him and his bride. When dealing with this issue, the following factors should be considered: (1) the form of both the exhortations and the addressees are plural. This makes it unlikely that he is addressing his bride or that his bride is addressing him. (2) The exhortation has an implicitly sexual connotation because the motif of “eating” and “drinking” refers to sexual consummation in 5:1a. This makes it unlikely that he or his bride are addressing the wedding guests – an orgy is quite out of the question! (3) The poet could be in view because as the writer who created the Song, only he could have been with them – in a poetic sense – in the bridal chamber as a “guest” on their wedding night. (4) The wedding guests could be in view through the figurative use of apostrophe (addressing an audience that is not in the physical presence of the speaker). While the couple was alone in their wedding chambers, the wedding guests wished them all the joys and marital bliss of the honeymoon. This is supported by several factors: (a) Wedding feasts in the ancient Near East frequently lasted several days and after the couple had consummated their marriage, they would appear again to celebrate a feast with their wedding guests. (b) The structure of the Song is composed of paired-dialogues which either begin or conclude with the words of the friends or daughters of Jerusalem (1:2-4, 5-11; 3:6-11; 5:9-16; 6:1-3, 4-13; 7:1-10) or which conclude with an exhortation addressed to them (2:1-7; 3:1-5; 8:1-4). In this case, the poetic unit of 4:1-5:1 would conclude with an exhortation by the friends in 5:1b. ↩
Commentaries on Song of Songs 5
- 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
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Commentaries