I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Parallel translations
- WEB I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
- KJV I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
- NKJV I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies. The Beloved
- NASB “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”
- NLT I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. 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
The bride joyfully reaffirms mutual belonging: she is her beloved's and he is hers. This is the heart of covenant love secure and reciprocal.
Overview
This refrain (cf. 2:16) expresses the settled assurance of belonging to one another. Earlier she said 'My beloved is mine, and I am his'; here she puts her belonging to him first, a mark of maturing love. The words beautifully picture covenant union, which Christians see fulfilled in Christ's bond with his people: 'I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Song 2:16My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
- Song 7:10I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.
- Heb 8:10For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
- Rev 21:2–4I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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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 6:3 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.