Song of Solomon 1 · a question people ask
The chapter speaks of "the king" (1:4, 1:12) and of "my beloved" (1:14, 1:16). Are they the same man?
The chapter doesn't say. "The king has brought me into his rooms" (1:4), and "While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance" (1:12). "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi" (1:14), and "Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved" (1:16). In 1:7 the one the speaker calls "you whom my soul loves" is asked where he grazes his flock. The chapter sets these side by side and doesn't join them or keep them apart, and the rest of the Song doesn't say either (see the introduction). These notes say what each verse says of the king, of Solomon and of the beloved, and don't decide.
The verses
“Take me away with you. Let’s hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. Friends We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! Beloved They are right to love you.”
“Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; for why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?”
“While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.”
“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.”