Song of Solomon 2:14 (ASV)

Passage

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Nearby Context

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.

Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dove", "clefts", "rock", "covert", "steep", "place", "countenance", and "hear". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dove" and "clefts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs And..." into verse 15's "Take us the foxes the little foxes...", so "dove" and "clefts" 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 "dove" and "clefts" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.