DAWN

     Explanation: In Song of Solomon 2 Abishag and Solomon exchange praises of love. Today's painting combines two prominent themes in the second chapter: musical and floral; and the flame-like central portion suggests the flames of love which are prominent in this chapter and throughout the book.

          [ THEMATICALLY AND CHRONOLOGICALLY RELATED SCRIPTURES: Song of Solomon 1. Song of Solomon 3. ]

          [ CHRONOLOGY: GENERAL. Patriarchs (Traditional). Judges # 1. Judges # 2. Kings # 1. Kings # 2. Prophets # 1. Prophets # 2. NT # 1. NT # 2. NT # 3. ]

          [ MAPS: Maps # 1. Maps # 2. Maps # 3. Maps # 4. Maps # 5. ]

          [ COMMENTARIES, ETC: GENERAL: Bible Study Tools; Bible Hub: Study Light; Blue Letter Bible // PSALMS: Monergism: Precept Austin: The Treasury of David; John Gill; John Calvin - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

          [ MUSIC: GENERAL: The Cyber Hymnal // PSALMS: Genevan Psalter (Instrumental). VARIOUS ARTISTS: Song of Solomon 2. ]

     Abishag describes herself as a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys (1).
     Solomon describes Abishag as a lily among brambles in comparison to other young women (2).
     Abishag describes Solomon as an apple tree among trees of the forest in comparison to other young men. She sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to her taste (3). He brought her to his banqueting house, and his banner over her was love (4). She asked to be sustained with raisins and refreshed with apples, because she was lovesick (5). His left hand was under his head, and his right hand embraced her (6). She charged the daughters of Jerusalem by the gazelles or the does of the field, that they not stir up or awaken love until it desires to awaken. This seems to be an exhortation to avoid lovesickness, such as Abishag had. The King James translates it differently: She urges them to not "awake my love, till he please" In this translation the exhortation is to let her beloved sleep (7).
     In verse eight the setting changes from the city, in the previous section, to the country. Abishag hears the voice of her beloved and he comes leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills like a gazelle or a young stag. He stands behind the wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice (8-9).
      He invites her to come away with him because the winter is past and the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the song of the turtledove is heard in the land. The fig tree ripens its figs, the vines are in blossom, and they give a fragrance. So he invites her to arise and to come away He calls her his dove and asks to see her face in the clefts of the rock, and in the crannies of the cliff. He wants to hear her voice which is sweet, and to see her face which is lovely. He asks her to catch the foxes which spoil the vineyards, because the vineyards are in blossom (10-15).
     She responds by acknowledging that her beloved is hers, and she is his. He grazes among the lilies (16). She asks him to be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains until the day breaths with life and the shadows flee away (17).

Abishag

¹ I am the rose of Sharon,and the lily of the valleys.

Solomon

² As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

Abishag

³ As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
⁴ He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love.
⁵Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
⁶ His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand doth embrace me.
⁷ I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes,
and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up,
nor awake [this] my love, till he please.

The Second Quest - Love Sought & Found in the Country (2:8 - 3:5)

Abishag

⁸ The voice of my beloved!
behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains,
skipping upon the hills.
⁹ My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:
behold, he standeth behind our wall,
he looketh forth at the windows,
shewing himself through the lattice.

Solomon

¹⁰ My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
¹¹ For, lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
¹² The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
¹³ The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
¹⁴ O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret places of the stairs,
let me see [this] thy countenance,
let me hear [this] thy voice; for sweet is thy voice,
and thy countenance is comely.
¹⁵ Take us the foxes,
the little foxes, that spoil the vines:
for our vines have tender grapes.

Abishag

¹⁶ My beloved is mine,
and I am his:
he feedeth among the lilies.
¹⁷ Until [that] the day break,
and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved,
and be thou like a roe or a young hart
upon the mountains of Bether.