Song of Solomon 8:12 (KJV)

Passage

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 8:10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

Song of Solomon 8:11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

Song of Solomon 8:12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

Song of Solomon 8:13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

Song of Solomon 8:14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vineyard", "mine", "before", "thou", "solomon", "must", "thousand", and "keep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vineyard" and "mine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon he..." into verse 13's "Thou that dwellest in the gardens the...", so "vineyard" and "mine" 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 "vineyard" and "mine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.