Song of Solomon 2:11 (ASV)

Passage

For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: Behold, he standeth behind our wall; He looketh in at the windows; He glanceth through the lattice.

Song of Solomon 2:10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Song of Solomon 2:11 For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;

Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing [of birds] is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

Song of Solomon 2:13 The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "winter", "past", "rain", "over", and "gone". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "winter" and "past", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "My beloved spake and said unto me..." into verse 12's "The flowers appear on the earth The...", so "winter" and "past" belong inside that flow. In Song of Solomon context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "winter" and "past" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.