By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
Parallel translations
- WEB By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.
- BSB On my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.
- NKJV By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.
- NASB “On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.
- NLT One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover. I yearned for him, but he did not come.
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
On her bed at night she seeks her beloved but does not find him. It pictures the distress of love when the beloved seems absent.
Overview
Through the night she longs for and seeks the one her soul loves, yet he is not found. The verse honestly portrays the pain of perceived absence within love. Believers have likened this to seasons when the Lord seems hidden, prompting earnest seeking of His face (Ps. 30:7; Isa. 55:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Pet 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
- Song 1:7Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
- Song 5:6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
- Isa 26:9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
- Isa 55:6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
- Song 5:8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
- Ps 22:2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
- Ps 130:1–2Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
- Ps 63:6–8When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
- John 21:17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
- Ps 77:2–4In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
- Luke 13:24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
- Ps 6:6I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
- Job 23:8–9Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
- Ps 4:4Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
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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 3:1 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.