Song of Solomon 8:3 (DBY)

Passage

His left hand would be under my head, And his right hand embrace me.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 8:1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! Should I find thee without, I would kiss thee; And they would not despise me.

Song of Solomon 8:2 I would lead thee, bring thee into my mother's house; Thou wouldest 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 would be under my head, And his right hand embrace me.

Song of Solomon 8:4 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, Why should ye stir up, why awake [my] love, till he please?

Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I awoke thee under the apple-tree: There thy mother brought thee forth; There she brought thee forth [that] bore thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "hand", "under", "head", "right", and "embrace". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "left" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "I would lead thee bring thee into..." into verse 4's "I charge you daughters of Jerusalem Why...", so "left" and "hand" 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 "left" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.