Old Testament · Poetry

Song of Solomon 6

Where Has He Gone?

My beloved has gone down to his garden. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. Reunion after the agony of separation.

King James Version BSB KJV

1Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

2My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

5Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

6Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

7As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

8There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

9My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

11I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

12Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

13Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

Understand This

Song of Solomon 6, explained

What Song of Solomon 6 is saying

The daughters of Jerusalem ask where the beloved's lover has gone; she answers that he has gone to his garden. The lover responds with renewed praise, comparing her to Tirzah and Jerusalem in beauty, and declaring her 'unique' (achat hi)—one of a kind among queens, concubines, and maidens.

The background behind it

The comparison to Tirzah (the beautiful northern capital before Samaria's construction) and Jerusalem suggests the Song's composition during the early monarchy. The military imagery—'awesome as an army with banners'—portrays the beloved's beauty as overwhelming in its power.

Themes running underneath

The reconciliation after chapter 5's separation shows love's resilience. The beloved is not merely beautiful but singular—'unique' among all women. The military metaphors for beauty suggest that genuine beauty has a force that commands attention and respect.

Why it still matters

The lover's declaration of the beloved's uniqueness speaks to the heart of committed love: seeing one person as irreplaceable, not because others lack beauty but because this one is chosen and cherished.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.