The Dance of the Two Camps

Song of Solomon 6:4 – 13

The Beloved 

4 O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, Lovely as Jerusalem, Awesome as an army with banners! 5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overcome me.  Your hair is like a flock of goats Going down from Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep Which have come up from the washing; Every one bears twins, And none is barren among them. 7 Like a piece of pomegranate Are your temples behind your veil.  8 There are sixty queens And eighty concubines, And virgins without number. 9 My dove, my perfect one, Is the only one, The only one of her mother, The favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her And called her blessed, The queens and the concubines, And they praised her.
 10 Who is she who looks forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Awesome as an army with banners? 

The Shulamite

11 I went down to the garden of nuts
To see the verdure of the valley, To see whether the vine had budded And the pomegranates had bloomed. 12 Before I was even aware, My soul had made me As the chariots of my noble people. 

The Beloved and His Friends

13 Return, return, O Shulamite;
Return, return, that we may look upon you! 

The Shulamite

What would you see in the Shulamite—
As it were, the dance of the two camps?

This dialogue between the Shulamite, The Beloved, and their friends could be hard to follow without the notes supplied here.  He talks, she talks, they talk, then she talks again.  The beloved opens the dialogue by describing his bride’s beauty.  She is eye-catching, her hair is nice, her teeth are white and even, her temples are reddish and lovely. All the sixty queens and eighty concubines connected to Solomon recognize the Shulamite as blessed and praised.  She is like the morning, fair like the moon, clear as the sun. In the most glowing terms, Solomon adores his wife.  She speaks of going to a garden and viewing the valley and the vineyards.  She was quickly gone on her journey.  The Beloved calls for her to return so that he can see her.  She demurres to wonder why he would want to see her.

This playful exchange again describes the desire and need for each other as a married couple.  She is glad that he wants to unite his life with hers, and longs for him as well.  However, in this passage, the desire expressed seems to be mostly his.  This dance of the couple is playful and suspenseful, like many young couples in marriage.  The excitement is nearly palpable and leaves the reader with anticipation for what comes next.  In the same way, our relationship with Christ is a new adventure daily, and we should respond to His call to join Him regularly.  His love and affection are worth our devotion.  Let the two camps become one.  Let the Savior lead while you dance together!