Tell 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 OF SOLOMON 1:7KJV
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Song of Solomon 1:7 (KJV)

What does Song of Solomon 1:7 mean?

Song of Solomon 1:7 shows the woman asking the one she loves where he is tending his flock and where he rests at midday, because she does not want to wander like a stranger among the flocks of others. She is seeking closeness and wants to know exactly where to find him, rather than being left searching or feeling out of place.

In this verse, the young woman is speaking to her beloved, who is often pictured as a shepherd. She wants to be near him and is asking for specific directions to where he is during the hottest part of the day, when shepherds would rest their sheep. Her question shows a longing for intimacy and a desire not to be mistaken for someone who is just wandering around or looking for someone else.

The Hebrew behind Song of Solomon 1:7

  • "Soul" (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh): This word means more than just "life" or "self"; it expresses deep personal longing and affection, showing the intensity of her feelings for her beloved.
  • "Loveth" (אָהַב, ahav): This is the common Hebrew word for love, but here it highlights a strong, committed affection, not just a passing attraction.
  • "Feedest" (רָעָה, ra‘ah): This word means to tend or shepherd, reinforcing the image of the beloved as a shepherd and the woman’s desire to be with him in his daily life.
  • "Aside" (עָטָה, ‘atah): This word can mean to wander or turn aside, suggesting she does not want to be seen as someone who is lost or out of place among others.

Why Song of Solomon 1:7 matters

  • This verse clears up that the woman is not just passively waiting; she is actively seeking out her beloved, showing initiative and longing.
  • The imagery of shepherding connects the love story to everyday life in ancient Israel, making the relationship feel real and grounded.
  • The verse sets up a theme in the Song of Solomon of seeking and finding, which runs throughout the book and shapes the way love is portrayed: as something worth pursuing and cherishing.

Where else these words appear

“where” Hebrew H349 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 44:34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
  • Deuteronomy 7:17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
  • Esther 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?

“companions” Hebrew H2270 · used in 11 verses

  • Judges 20:11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
  • Proverbs 28:24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
  • Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

“aside” Hebrew H5844 · used in 15 verses

  • Leviticus 13:45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
  • Psalms 89:45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
  • Isaiah 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

“noon” Hebrew H6672 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
  • 1 Kings 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
  • Isaiah 16:3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.