'Love' in the Bible

(The Shulammite Bride)“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” [Solomon arrives, she turns to him, saying,]“For your love is better than wine.

“The aroma of your oils is fragrant and pleasing;Your name is perfume poured out;Therefore the maidens love you.

“Draw me away with you and let us run together!Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

“To me, my love, you are likeMy [favorite] mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

(The Bridegroom)“Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling,Behold, how beautiful you are!Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”

(The Bridegroom)“Like the lily among the thorns,So are you, my darling, among the maidens.”

“He has brought me to his banqueting place,And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].

“Sustain me with raisin cakes,Refresh me with apples,Because I am sick with love.

(The Bridegroom)“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,By the gazelles or by the does of the field [which run free],That you do not rouse nor awaken my loveUntil she pleases.”

“My beloved speaks and says to me,‘Arise, my love, my fair one,And come away.

‘The fig tree has budded and ripens her figs,And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.Arise, my love, my fair one,And come away [to climb the rocky steps of the hillside].’”

(The Chorus)“Catch the foxes for us,The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love],While our vineyards are in blossom.”

(The Shulammite Bride)“On my bed night after night [I dreamed that] I sought the oneWhom my soul loves;I sought him but did not find him.

(The Bridegroom)“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,By the gazelles or by the does of the field,That you do not rouse nor awaken my loveUntil she pleases.”

(The Bridegroom)“How fair and beautiful you are, my darling,How very beautiful!Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goatsThat have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].

“O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair.There is no flaw nor blemish in you!

“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride!How much better is your love than wine,And the fragrance of your oilsThan all kinds of balsam and spices.

(The Bridegroom)“I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride;I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words].I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;I have drunk my wine with my milk.Eat, friends;Drink and drink deeply, O lovers.”

(The Shulammite Bride)“I was asleep, but my heart was awake.A voice [in my dream]! My beloved was knocking:‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,My dove, my perfect one!For my head is drenched with the [heavy night] dew;My hair [is covered] with the dampness of the night.’

“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,If you find my beloved,As to what you tell him—[Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him].”

(The Bridegroom)“You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,As lovely as Jerusalem,As majestic as an army with banners!

“How beautiful and how delightful you are,My love, with all your delights!

“Let us go out early to the vineyards;Let us see whether the vine has buddedAnd its blossoms have opened,And whether the pomegranates have flowered.There I will give you my love.

(The Bridegroom)“I command you to take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,That you do not rouse nor awaken my loveUntil she pleases.”

(The Shulammite Bride)“Under the apple tree I awakened you [to my love];There your mother was in labor with you,There she was in labor and gave you birth.“Put me like a seal on your heart,Like a seal on your arm;For love is as strong as death,Jealousy is as severe and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead).Its flashes are flashes of fire,[A most vehement flame] the very flame of the Lord!

“Many waters cannot quench love,Nor can rivers drown it.If a man would offer all the riches of his house for love,It would be utterly scorned and despised.”