¶“My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies.
Parallel translations
- WEB My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.
- KJV My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
- BSB My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
- NKJV My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies. (To Her Beloved)
- NLT My lover is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.
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
She declares mutual belonging: my beloved is mine and I am his. It is a treasured affirmation of covenant love.
Overview
This refrain of mutual possession expresses the security and exclusivity of true love, each wholly the other's. It captures the heart of covenant union. Believers have found here a beautiful expression of belonging to the Lord and He to them, the essence of the covenant: "I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:33; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Song 6:3I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
- Song 7:10I am my beloved’s. His desire is toward me.
- Ps 63:1A Psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judah. God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
- Jer 31:33“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:
- Ps 48:14For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to death.
- Song 7:13The mandrakes produce fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
- Gal 2:20I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
- Song 1:7Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; For why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?
- Rev 21:2–3I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
- Song 2:1I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
- Song 4:5Your two breasts are like two fawns that are twins of a roe, which feed among the 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 2:16 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.