Bible study · Song of Solomon 4:1-16
Song of Solomon 4: My sister, my bride
Read Song of Solomon 4:1-16 before you meet.
In a few lines
The Song calls her bride only in this part: six times, all between 4:8 and 5:1, four of them "my sister, my bride". And the chapter opens with every word of 1:15, then says to a woman, in almost the words 1:2 said to a man, "How much better is your love than wine" (4:10).
The verse to carry
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, the fragrance of your perfumes than all kinds of spices!”
Song of Solomon 4:10
To talk about
1. The praise opens with "Behold, you are beautiful, my love" (4:1) and closes with "You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you" (4:7). What does the chapter add by saying the whole, and not only the parts?
2. Four times the Song sets two names side by side: "my sister, my bride" (4:9, 4:10, 4:12, 5:1). What do the two together say that either one alone wouldn't?
3. Chapter 1's honest question sets out how Christians read the Song. Now that you've read chapter 4, which of its verses would you most want to set beside that question, and why?