Return, 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
- BSB Come back, come back, O Shulammite! Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you. Why do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?
- NKJV Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you! The Shulamite What would you see in the Shulamite— As it were, the dance of the two camps?
- NASB ¶“Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!” “Why should you look at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two armies?
- NLT Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you again. Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam, as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers?
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
Others call the Shulammite to return so they may gaze on her, and the question is raised why they would stare. Her beauty draws admiring attention.
Overview
Here the bride is named 'the Shulammite,' likely linking her to Solomon or to her home village. The onlookers long to behold her in the dance, while a voice gently questions such gazing. The verse highlights the bride's loveliness and the desire of others to admire her, even as the love poem keeps her beauty ultimately for her beloved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Gen 32:2And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
- Jer 3:22Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
- Judg 21:21And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
- 2 Sam 17:24Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
- Song 2:14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
- Song 1:6Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
- Isa 8:6Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;
- Hos 14:1–4O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
- Luke 7:44And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
- Luke 15:10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
- Gal 5:17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
- Eph 6:10–19Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
- Eph 2:14–17For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
- 2 Th 1:10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
- Heb 7:2To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
- Gen 49:10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
- Ps 76:2In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
- John 9:7And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
- John 10:16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
- Rom 7:23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
- Jer 3:12–14Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
- Rom 3:29Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
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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 6:13 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
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