Song of Solomon 8:1 (ASV)

Passage

Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! [When] I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 8:1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! [When] I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me.

Song of Solomon 8:2 I would lead thee, [and] bring thee into my mother`s house, Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

Song of Solomon 8:3 His left hand [should be] under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "wert", "brother", "sucked", "breasts", "mother", "should", and "find". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "wert", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "I would lead thee and bring thee...", so "thou" and "wert" should be read forward into that movement. 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 "thou" and "wert" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.