Song of Solomon 8:3 (KJV)

Passage

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 8:1 O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

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.

Song of Solomon 8:4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "hand", "should", "under", "head", and "right". 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 and bring thee..." into verse 4's "I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem...", 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.