Song of Solomon 8:7 Explained

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned." — Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)

The Song's only piece of direct commentary on love, and it arrives at the very end.

Read it in context: The Book of Song of Solomon. Also gathered under verses about love.

Song of Solomon 8:7 in context

What does Song of Solomon 8:7 mean?

Two claims, and the second is the sharper. Water is the standard image for chaos in Hebrew poetry, so 'many waters' is not rain but everything that undoes the world; love is said to survive it. Then the market: anyone offering their entire estate for love would be utterly despised — the word is strong. Not that the price is too high, but that the transaction is contemptible, because this is not a thing that is bought.

What is the context of Song of Solomon 8:7?

Almost the whole book is dialogue between two lovers. Verses 6 and 7 of chapter 8 step out of it to say what love is — the nearest thing the Song has to a thesis, placed just before the closing exchange.

How do I pray Song of Solomon 8:7?

Read it at a wedding by all means, and then read it over a marriage that has been through something, which is where the first half earns its keep. The second half is a warning worth praying separately: ask where you have been trying to purchase what only gets given.

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