What parallels exist between Song of Solomon 6:13 and Ephesians 5:25-33? Text Under Consideration • Songs 6:13: “Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you. Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim?” “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This mystery is great, but I speak of Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Immediate Picture: Bride and Bridegroom • Songs 6:13 presents the Shulammite as a sought-after bride being invited to return so the court may “look upon” her. • Ephesians 5:25-33 presents the church as the bride, loved and purified by Christ so that He might one day “present her to Himself” in splendor. Parallel Themes • Desire for the Bride – Songs 6:13: fourfold “return” expresses the groom’s eager longing. – Ephesians 5:27: Christ’s purpose is to “present her to Himself,” revealing equal longing for close fellowship. • Public Display of Beauty – Songs 6:13: the Shulammite’s beauty is put on display—“that we may look upon you.” – Ephesians 5:27: the church will be shown “glorious… without stain or wrinkle,” her beauty made visible to all creation (Colossians 3:4). • Restoration and Purity – Songs 6:13’s “return” hints at restoration; the bride is welcomed back without rebuke. – Ephesians 5:26-27 describes Christ cleansing and sanctifying His bride, actively restoring her purity. • Loving Initiative of the Groom – Songs 6:13: the call originates with the groom and the chorus. – Ephesians 5:25: “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her”—the initiative belongs entirely to Him (1 John 4:19). • Unity and Dance – “Dance of Mahanaim” (6:13) evokes two camps moving in harmony. – “One flesh” (5:31) depicts husband and wife—and Christ and church—moving in perfect unity. Echoes of Covenant Language • Fourfold “return” mirrors covenant calls elsewhere (e.g., Hosea 14:1-2), stressing faithfulness. • Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, rooting marital unity in covenant creation design. Practical Takeaways for Marriage • Pursue: Husbands initiate loving pursuit, modeling Christ’s call—mirrored in the groom’s “return.” • Protect and Adorn: As Christ washes His church, husbands wash wives in the Word—guarding purity rather than merely admiring outward beauty. • Celebrate: The “dance of Mahanaim” portrays joyful celebration; marriage should reflect that joyful oneness before an observing world (Philippians 2:15). Wider Biblical Connections • Isaiah 62:4-5: God rejoices over Zion “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.” • Revelation 19:7-8: the church made ready, clothed in “fine linen, bright and pure,” fulfilling Ephesians 5’s vision and echoing Songs 6:13’s public admiration. Summary Statement Song of Solomon 6:13 and Ephesians 5:25-33 stand side by side as pictures of a bride pursued, cherished, purified, and publicly honored by her groom. One scene is a royal court longing to behold the Shulammite; the other is Christ’s self-sacrificial love that readies His church for eternal display. Both passages call earthly husbands and wives to mirror this divine romance in tangible, joyful unity. |
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