Song of Solomon 2:3
What does Song of Solomon 2:3 mean?
A plain-English look at Song of Solomon 2:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Song of Solomon 2:3 means
The maiden now praises her beloved as an apple tree standing out among forest trees—rare, inviting, and fruitful. Under his shade she finds rest and relief from heat; his fruit is sweet and satisfying. The image blends protection, pleasure, and nourishment. Love for her is not only excitement; it offers a safe place to sit, a joy to taste, and a life-giving supply. The contrast with ordinary trees underscores his uniqueness. This verse captures both the public dignity of the beloved and the private refreshment he provides, conveying a love that shelters and sustains, not merely impresses from a distance.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
KJV
King James Version · 1611As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my loved one among the sons. I took my rest under his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862As a citron among trees of the forest, So <FI>is<Fi> my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit <FI>is<Fi> sweet to my palate.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons: In his shadow have I rapture and sit down; And his fruit is sweet to my taste.
Context
Responding to verse 2’s lily-and-thorns comparison, the maiden matches it with her own rare-tree metaphor. The back-and-forth heightens mutual delight. The restful shade and sweet fruit transition naturally to the next scene in verse 4, where the setting expands from a tree’s shade to a ‘banqueting-house,’ suggesting celebration. Verses 5–6 will then show how overwhelming this love becomes—so delightful it makes her weak, so tender it places her in his embrace—before the refrain of caution in verse 7 calls for patience and respect for love’s proper timing.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Song of Solomon 4:16
Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits.
- Hebrews 7:23
And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing:
- Isaiah 25:4
For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
- Psalms 91:1
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
- Ezekiel 47:12
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.
- Genesis 3:22
And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever—
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