Song of Solomon 8:14 (KJV)

What does Song of Solomon 8:14 mean?

Song of Solomon 8:14 closes with a woman calling to her beloved to move swiftly, like a gazelle or a young deer. Her words express longing through a picture of quick movement across a fragrant landscape.

After the request to hear her voice in verse 13, the woman’s final call brings her beloved into the scene. The “mountains of spices” give the imagined landscape a sweet scent, adding to the poem’s language of desire and delight.

The Hebrew behind Song of Solomon 8:14

• “Make haste” — בָּרַח (barach): The word can mean to hurry away or flee. Here the KJV presents the call as an urgent invitation to swift movement.
• “beloved” — דּוֹד (dod): The word refers to a loved one or lover. It is a personal form of address, fitting the woman’s direct call to the man she loves.
• “roe” — צְבִי (tsevi): The word refers to a gazelle. The KJV’s “roe” is a kind of deer, but the Hebrew image is of a swift, graceful animal.

Why Song of Solomon 8:14 matters

• The final line brings back an earlier image of the lovers. In Song of Solomon 2:17, the woman also compares her beloved to a gazelle or young deer on mountains, giving the ending an echo of that earlier call.
• The fragrant mountains join two kinds of beauty in one picture. The animal suggests speed and grace, while “spices” add scent to the landscape.
• The poem ends with the woman addressing her beloved directly. The words “my beloved” make the closing line personal, rather than a general description of love.