Song of Solomon 2:5
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Song of Solomon 2:5
5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
Chapter Context
Song of Solomon 2 is a poetic love song chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of fellowship, love. Written during Solomon's reign (c. 970-930 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Ancient Near Eastern love poetry often used agricultural and royal imagery.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-17: Central message and teachings
This chapter is significant because it foreshadows Christ's work through typology and prophetic elements. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Song of Solomon and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Song of Solomon 2:5
5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
Analysis
The bride exclaims, 'Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.' The Hebrew 'raphad' (רַפֵּד, stay/sustain) suggests supporting or strengthening, while 'samakh' (סָמַךְ, comfort) means uphold or refresh. The 'flagons' (ashishot, אֲשִׁישׁוֹת) were likely raisin cakes—sweet, nourishing food. Apples (tappuchim, תַּפּוּחִים) provide refreshment. The bride feels faint—'sick of love' (cholat ahavah, חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה) describes lovesickness, overwhelming desire for the beloved. Love's intensity creates physical effects requiring sustenance. This verse celebrates passion's power—legitimate desire within covenant relationship so strong it requires physical refreshment. Spiritually, it represents the soul's intense longing for God that can feel overwhelming, requiring spiritual nourishment through Word and sacrament.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern culture understood lovesickness as genuine physical condition—intense desire affecting body and emotions. Raisin cakes appear elsewhere in Scripture in festive, celebratory contexts (2 Samuel 6:19). The imagery suggests that intense desire within covenant relationship is healthy, not shameful. Early church mystics used this language for spiritual experience—intense desire for God sometimes overwhelming the soul. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross described ecstatic longing for divine presence using marital imagery. The Puritans balanced this: marriage includes appropriate passion, while spiritual life involves intense desire for God. Modern readers see both affirmation of marital desire and the soul's hunger for God.
Reflection
- Have you experienced spiritual 'lovesickness'—overwhelming desire for God's presence that requires refreshment through His means of grace?
- How does this verse affirm that intense desire within marriage is godly rather than shameful?
Word Studies
- Love: אַהֲבָה / חֶסֶד (Ahavah / Chesed) H160 - Love / Loyal-love
Cross-References
- Related: Song of Solomon 5:8, 2 Samuel 6:19, Hosea 3:1