Song of Solomon – Chapter 3

Old Testament11 Verses

1In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not.

2I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not.

3The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth?

4When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him: and I will not let him go, till I bring him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that bore me.

5I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved, till she please.

6Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?

7Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of Israel, surrounded the bed of Solomon?

8All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man's sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night.

9King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Libanus:

10The pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousal, in the day of the joy of his heart.

Reflection for Today

As you read Song of Solomon Chapter 3, the Catholic Church invites you to encounter God's living Word through the lens of Sacred Tradition. The Catechism teaches that Scripture must be read "within the living Tradition of the whole Church" (CIC 113). The same Holy Spirit who inspired these words continues to guide the Church in understanding them today.

In Catholic theology, every passage of Scripture points ultimately to Christ and finds its fullest meaning in the Church's sacramental life. The Magisterium—the teaching authority of the Pope and bishops—guides the faithful in authentic interpretation. As you meditate on these verses, consider how the Church Fathers and saints have understood them.

Through lectio divina—the ancient Catholic practice of prayerful reading—allow these words to transform your mind and heart, drawing you deeper into communion with Christ and His Church. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate these verses and show you how they call you to deeper faith, hope, and love.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

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