Song of Solomon 1:7

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Tell	הַגִּ֣ידָה ha.Gi.dah	H5046	properly · verb, hiphil imperative, 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic he
soul	נַפְשִׁ֔י naf.Shi	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
loveth	שֶׁ֤אָהֲבָה֙ she.'a.ha.vah	H157	to have affection for (sexually or otherwise) · relative particle + verb, qal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
feedest	תִרְעֶ֔ה tir.'Eh	H7462	to tend a flock · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
where	אֵיכָ֣ה 'ei.Khah	H349	how? or how! · interrogative particle
rest	תַּרְבִּ֣יץ tar.Bitz	H7257	to crouch (on all four legs folded · verb, hiphil imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
noon	בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם ba.tzo.ho.Ra.yim	H6672	a light (i.e. window) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine dual absolute
for	שַׁלָּמָ֤ה sha.la.Mah	H4100	properly · relative particle + preposition + interrogative pronoun
aside	כְּעֹ֣טְיָ֔ה ke.'O.te.Yah	H5844	to wrap · preposition + verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
flocks	עֶדְרֵ֥י 'ed.Rei	H5739	an arrangement · noun, common masculine plural construct
companions	חֲבֵרֶֽיךָ cha.ve.Rei.kha	H2270	an associate · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Song of Solomon 3:1-4 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
Isaiah 13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither…
Psalms 23:1-2 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Genesis 37:16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
Psalms 28:1 Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
1 Samuel 12:20-21 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD…
Psalms 18:1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Psalms 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

John Gill on Song of Solomon 1:7

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,.... With all her heart, cordially and sincerely; for, notwithstanding her sinful compliance with others, and neglect of her own affairs, she had not lost her love to Christ; and, being sensible of her sin and folly, whereby she was deprived of his company, and communion with him, applies to him to guide, direct, and restore her wandering soul; and particularly inform her where, says she, thou feedest; that is his flock, like a shepherd: for this phrase supposes him to be a shepherd, as he is, of God's choosing, appointing, and setting up, the chief, the good, the great, and only Shepherd of the sheep; and that he has a flock to feed, which is but one, a…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on Song of Solomon 1:7-8

leading your flock: In the dramatic view, the woman’s lover and his friends are literal shepherds, not a line of work or the company that one would associate with King Solomon at any time in his life. • like a prostitute (literally like a veiled woman): Prostitutes wore veils to hide their identities (Gen 38:14-16). Since the woman has been claimed by Solomon as a concubine, she has reason to shroud herself and avoid being obvious. She wants to avoid having to ask everyone around her for the location of someone she loves (cp. Song 3:3; 5:6-7). She wants to find him privately during the resting period at noon so they can enjoy the time together.

Rashi on Song of Solomon 1:7

Tell me, you whom my soul loves. The Holy Spirit now repeatedly compares her to sheep that is endeared to the shepherd. The congregation of Yisroel says to Him, as a woman to her husband, “Tell me, You Whom my soul loves, where do You pasture Your flock [i.e., Bnei Yisroel] among these wolves27I.e., the nations. in whose midst they are? And where will You rest them at noon, in this exile, which is a distressful time for them, like noon, which is a distressful time28Because of its intense heat. for the flock?” For why should I flit about. And if you ask, “What does it concern You?” It is not complimentary for You that I29I.e., Bnei Yisroel. should be like a mourner, who veils herself over th…

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The Church Fathers

I linger long in the land of the midday sun, for it was there and then that the spouse found her bridegroom at rest.
— Jerome, LETTER 108.12

Why do I want you to tell me where you graze, where you lie down in the noonday? "Lest I should happen, like a veiled woman, on the flocks of your companions." That is the reason, she says, why I want you to tell me where you graze your flock, where you lie down in the noonday. When I come to you I won't lose my way, lest like a veiled woman I should come upon the flocks of your companions, that is to say, I should stumble on flocks that are not yours but belong to your companions.
— Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 147A.3

With good reason then to this shepherd of shepherds, does his beloved, his spouse, his fair one, but by him made fair, before by sin deformed, beautiful afterward through pardon and grace, speak in her love and ardor after him, and say to him, "Where do you feed?" And observe how, by what transport this spiritual love is here animated. And far better are they by this transport delighted who have tasted of the sweetness of this love. They bear this properly who love Christ. For in them, and of them, does the church sing this in the Song of Songs.
— Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 88:6

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Love To Christ · Should be: With the soul — Should be: With the soul
Sheep · Flocks of: Made to rest at noon — Flocks of: Made to rest at noon
Shepherd · General references — General references

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).