The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove 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.
- KJV 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;
- BSB The flowers have appeared in the countryside; the season of singing has come, and the cooing of turtledoves 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 you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.
- Ps 89:15Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, Yahweh.
- Jer 8:7Yes, the stork in the sky knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people don’t know Yahweh’s law.
- Ps 148:7–13Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths;
- Col 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
- Ps 40:1–3For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. I waited patiently for Yahweh. He turned to me, and heard my cry.
- Eph 1:13–14in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation — in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
- Isa 42:10–12Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.
- Eph 5:18–20Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
- Isa 35:1–2The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
- Rom 15:9–13and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
- Hos 14:5–7I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, and send down his roots like Lebanon.
- Song 6:11I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
- Song 6:2My beloved has gone down to 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.