“Let his left hand be under my head, And his right hand embrace me.”
Parallel translations
- WEB His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.
- KJV His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
- BSB His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
- NKJV His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.
- NLT Your left arm would be under my head, and your right arm would embrace me.
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 pictures her beloved's embrace, his hands cradling and holding her. The image conveys tender, secure intimacy.
Overview
Repeating the embrace of 2:6, the bride dwells on the security and tenderness of being held by her beloved. The picture is one of rest and safety in love. Such imagery of being upheld and embraced echoes the comfort Scripture offers in the everlasting arms of God, in whom his people find their rest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Song 2:6His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.
- Deut 33:27The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’
- Isa 62:4–5You will not be called Forsaken any more; nor will your land be called Desolate any more: but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land will be married.
- 2 Cor 12:9He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Resources, by level
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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 8:3 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.