The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Parallel translations
- WEB The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
- BSB The flowers have appeared in the countryside; the season of singing has come, and the cooing of turtledoves is heard in our land.
- NKJV The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.
- NASB ‘The blossoms have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
- NLT The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Flowers bloom, singing returns, and the turtledove is heard. It celebrates the arrival of springtime and renewed gladness.
Overview
Blossoms, birdsong, and the dove's call announce spring's full arrival, a time of beauty and rejoicing. The renewal of creation invites the lovers to delight. The springtime imagery has often been linked to the new life and hope that come with the Lord's reviving work among His people (Isa. 35:1-2).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Isa 55:12For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
- Ps 89:15Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
- Jer 8:7Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.
- Ps 148:7–13Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
- Col 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
- Ps 40:1–3I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
- Eph 1:13–14In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
- Isa 42:10–12Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
- Eph 5:18–20And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
- Isa 35:1–2The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
- Rom 15:9–13And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
- Hos 14:5–7I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
- Song 6:11I 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.
- Song 6:2My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The poetry of covenant love between bride and bridegroom pictures, at its highest, the love of Christ for his church — the Bridegroom who gave himself for his bride.
How Song of Songs 2:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.