Keraia
Song of Solomon 5

Song of Solomon 5:2

The Bride and Her Beloved · Song of Solomon 5:1–16
Read Song of Solomon 5

Translations

Modern
I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
Traditional
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
Literal
I was asleep, and my heart was aroused. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. For my head is full of dew, my locks of the drops of the night.”
Latin
Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat. Vox dilecti mei pulsantis: Aperi mihi, soror mea, amica mea, columba mea, immaculata mea, quia caput meum plenum est rore, et cincinni mei guttis noctium.

Original

Hebrew
English
I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

Notes

Song of Solomon 5:2

  • I sleep, but my heart is awake: This describes a dream well; she was asleep, but her emotions and mind were active.

  • My beloved is knocking: “Open to me": In the ancient Near East, opening doors symbolized sexual activity (see also Song of Solomon 8:9). The man knocking and asking to enter suggests he seeks a sexual union. He waits for permission and does not assume.

Song of Solomon 5:2–6:3

  • One verse earlier, the couple fully enjoys their intimate union. Now the woman feels the pain of separation. In the dramatic interpretation, the woman has been separated from the man twice before and has searched for him (Song of Solomon 1:4–7; 3:1–4). This last time, the separation occurs in her dreams—it is only a nightmare. Her dream seems to continue to Song of Solomon 6:3, given the natural flow of questions and answers between the woman and the young women of Jerusalem.

  • If the Song is a collection of poems, these poems explore love rather than recounting actual events. This poem reminds us that an intimate relationship is not always easy or perfectly satisfying.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality

Glossary

Perfume Pigeon Song of Solomon

Topics

Church: Dove Church: Sister of Christ Night: Frequently: Accompanied by Heavy Dew The Dove of the Church Titles and Names of the Church: Dove