His Banner Over Me

Chapter 2 opens with the bride's humble words: I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. The groom answers, As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. She describes being honored: He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love. In the ancient world, a banner marked the identity and loyalty of a tribe or army. Here, love is the banner, publicly showing that she belongs to him.

The chapter's most famous lines describe spring: For behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give out their fragrance. Springtime pictures new life and joy after a hard season.

The bride warns, Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom. Small threats, left unchecked, can damage what is precious. She also says, My beloved is mine, and I am his. These are words of faithful commitment. In the New Testament, marriage is a picture of Christ's love for His church. Many Christians read the Song this way too. This is an interpretation, not something the Song says directly. In the New Testament, Paul writes that nothing will be able to separate us from God's love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).