5:2–7 The mood in the first poem is tense as it depicts the first recorded discord between the happy couple. Like 3:1–4, the bride is in bed at night, and what follows appears to be a dreamlike sequence of events. Unlike 3:1–4 (and all the Song thus far), the bride is cold. After her needy beloved knocks on the door (5:2)27 and tries to woo her with words (which has always worked), she refuses. She gives two lame excuses: she is not dressed properly and her feet would get dirty (v. 3). In contrast to his desperation to be with her (and her earlier insatiable appetite to be with him; 1:2, 4; 1:7; 2:5; 3:2–4; 4:16), now she shows uninterested indifference.

He decides to take matters into his own “hand” (5:4), here “hand” being a euphemism for foreplay. He has unlocked this door before (4:12). Whatever he does to “the latch,” it arouses her insides (“my heart”; meʿay). She is aroused at least in the sense of being determined to get out of bed and let him in. Yet the woman’s wetness (her “hands” and “fingers” are dripping with rich perfume—“myrrh”) points to sexual arousal and readiness. His persistent pursuit and warm hand has melted her coldness.

However and sadly, she has overplayed her hand. He asked, “Open to me” (5:2), and now finally she “opened” (v. 6). But alas, it is too late. He has “turned and gone” (v. 6). Next, and again like the dream of 3:1–4, she seeks him in the streets. Her newfound passion has turned into panic—“Where is he?” This time, however, not only does she not find her man but the men tasked to protect the city abuse her (5:7).28 In her dream their violence likely symbolizes how defenseless and defeated she feels. Her protector has left her unprotected.

5:8–16 Suddenly, within the bride’s nightmare, the daughters of Jerusalem appear (note the inclusio, “daughters of Jerusalem”; 5:8, 16). Where did they come from? We do not know, and we do not need to inquire. This is, after all, a dream sequence within poetry! Why are they there? Perhaps following the men of justice, who were supposed to protect the unprotected (v. 7), her own bridesmaids (or students in love) mock her marriage. Their voice is added here to give a sarcastic sneer, with the sense of verse 9 being, “O wonder-woman, what is so special about your super-man?” Whatever the reason for their placement in the plot, the artistic author places them here to move us forward in the drama by asking her to tell them about her beloved (v. 9).

Their question is just what she needs to remind her of his matchless greatness. In verses 10–16, she does not give a police report (so they might find the right man). Rather, she draws an intimate artistic image of his glorious body. Othmar Keel sees her inventory as a chiasm:

(A)  v. 8b O daughters of Jerusalem, . . . tell him . . .

(B)  v. 9ac What is your beloved more than . . .

(C)  v. 10b distinguished among . . .

(D)  v. 11a His head is the finest gold

(D')  v. 15b [his feet are] gold

(C')  v. 15d choice as . . .

(B')  v. 16c This is my beloved

(A')  v. 16d O daughters of Jerusalem29

Note that “gold” is at the structural (thus thematic) center of this list of costly products. Her description of his golden head and feet represents his overall character quality, the sense being that he is extremely valuable from head to heel.30 This is why the daughters of Jerusalem should help her in her search (to answer their question in v. 9). Like gold, her “beloved”/“friend” (v. 16) is worth finding (“He is altogether desirable”).

Other than the symbolic bodily descriptions of Jesus in Revelation 1–2, this is the only inventory of a man’s features in the Bible, and one of the few extant in the ancient world. While she admires his body in general (it is “polished ivory,” and his complexion is “radiant and ruddy”) and takes note of his strong arms (“rods of gold”) and legs (“alabaster columns”), her focus is on his face—his distinguished, elevated-above-the-crowd “head,” his wavy, “black” hair, his moist, sparkling, lively “eyes,” his sweet-smelling “cheeks” and “lips” (or perhaps beard), and his sweeter-tasting “mouth.” She is more interested in what is above the shoulders than below (cf. 4:1–5; the man’s description of her goes from head to breasts and then stops). This is not to say that his “appearance” (5:15) is not stunning. She compares him to the tall, dark, and handsome cedars of Lebanon.

6:1–3 From the Edenic metaphors in 5:15–16—trees (“cedars”) and eating fruit (“his mouth most sweet”)—the scene returns to their Edenic lovemaking. Like how the daughters of Jerusalem appeared out of nowhere, the groom suddenly and somehow returns (in her mind, or in reality?). Again, such poetic license is allowed, assumed, and even celebrated. The climax of the three poems is his return. His plea (“open to me”; 5:2) is finally answered in the affirmative, and done so with candid linguistic modesty. He has returned to “his garden” (i.e., her body; cf. 4:12). And there, in this garden, he “gathers [the] lilies” and “grazes among” them. This is a reference to kissing (cf. 5:13: “His lips are [like] lilies”) or to sex (cf. 2:16) or to both. Whatever the specific symbolism, the big picture is plain: the chasm of separateness has been filled emotionally and physically. We do not overhear the supplications for forgiveness and the announcements of absolution, but we do see the results of reconciliation—the start of his passionate kisses amid the renewal of their vows.