Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Song of Solomon 1:7 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 7. 7Tell 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?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse asks the beloved for his noon pasture and resting place so she need not wander or appear veiled among other flocks.
Read It With
- Song of Solomon 1:7-8
Read Song of Solomon 1:7 with 1:7-8. This verse asks the beloved for his noon pasture and resting place so she need not wander or appear veiled among other flocks. The complete unit establishes this movement: The woman asks for a clear meeting place rather than wandering exposed among other flocks, and an answering voice directs her toward shepherd territory without resolving who speaks.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The poem moves from self-description to the problem of locating the beloved, showing that longing occurs amid labor, social risk, and incomplete information. Within that movement, this verse asks the beloved for his noon pasture and resting place so she need not wander or appear veiled among other flocks.
Follow the Context
- She addresses the one her soul loves.
- She asks where he feeds and rests the flock at noon.
- She questions why she should wander, veil herself, or appear like one turning aside.
- An answering voice points to flock tracks and shepherd tents.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“as one that turneth aside”
In plain language: a difficult image of wandering, veiling, or social exposure
asks the beloved for his noon pasture and resting place so she need not wander or appear veiled among other flocks. Active desire includes asking for clear location and acknowledging social exposure.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk requiring the complete unit and stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
A woman searching or wearing a veil is not consenting to attention and must not be labeled or shamed.
What Remains True
Active desire includes asking for clear location and acknowledging social exposure.
How It Can Shape Life
- Make meeting plans explicit and safe instead of expecting someone to navigate ambiguity alone.
Teach It Back
Explain Song of Solomon 1:7's contribution to Song of Solomon 1:7-8: asks the beloved for his noon pasture and resting place so she need not wander or appear veiled among other flocks. Include what the surrounding lines add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Song of Solomon 1:7-8 — A Noon Search Among the FlocksSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The difficult final phrase can mean veiled, wandering, or turning aside and does not securely imply prostitution.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Song of Solomon 1:7-8, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Song of Songs
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, speaker-gender signals, wordplay, poetic clauses, and translation questions.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Song.xml, 1:7-8
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: The Song of Songs with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level textual, grammatical, literary, historical, and translation alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Song of Songs PDF, printed pp. 1229-1230, translation and notes on 1:7-8
Open source ↗