“Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
- KJV Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
- BSB Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.
- NKJV Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned aside, That we may seek him with you? The Shulamite
- NLT Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty? Which way did he turn so we can help you find him?
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
The daughters of Jerusalem, moved by the bride's praise, ask where her beloved has gone so they may help seek him. Sincere praise of the beloved stirs others to seek him too.
Overview
Having heard the bride extol her beloved, the women now wish to join the search. The verse shows how love that openly honors its object draws others to share that desire. In a fitting application, a believer's heartfelt praise of Christ often awakens in others a longing to know and seek him as well.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Song 1:8If you don’t know, most beautiful among women, follow the tracks of the sheep. Graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.
- Song 5:9How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us?
- Jer 14:8You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to stay for a night?
- Ruth 2:12May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
- Isa 2:5House of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
- Song 6:9–10My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
- Song 6:4You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
- Ruth 1:16–17Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
- Song 2:2As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
- Song 1:4Take me away with you. Let us hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! They are right to love you.
- Song 5:6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved left; and had gone away. My heart went out when he spoke. I looked for him, but I didn’t find him. I called him, but he didn’t answer.
- Zech 8:21–23and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.’
- Acts 5:11–14Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.
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 6:1 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.