What is the meaning of Song of Solomon 5:8?

O daughters of Jerusalem

- The bride addresses the young women who have been watching the romance unfold (Songs 1:5; 2:7; 3:5).

- They picture the wider covenant community—those called to observe and learn from genuine, covenant-bound love (cf. Psalm 34:3, “Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together”).

- By turning to them, she shows that love for the bridegroom is never a purely private affair; God-given affection spills over into the fellowship of believers (Hebrews 10:24).

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I adjure you

- “Adjure” is a solemn charge, as serious as an oath (Matthew 26:63, where the high priest adjures Jesus to speak).

- The bride is saying, “I earnestly make you promise.” Her longing is so intense that casual conversation will not do.

- Love, when it is righteous, bears a note of holy urgency (Romans 12:11, “Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in spirit”).

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if you find my beloved

- She assumes the bridegroom can be found; there is confidence he is near (Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart”).

- The phrase reveals active pursuit. Love does not wait passively; it seeks (Luke 15:4, the shepherd going after the lost sheep).

- In the wider biblical picture, believers cherish Christ so deeply that seasons of felt distance drive them to renewed pursuit (Psalm 42:1-2).

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tell him

- Communication matters in covenant love (Songs 2:14, “Let Me hear your voice”).

- She wants a message delivered, highlighting the role of witnesses who encourage reconciliation and closeness (Galatians 6:2, “Carry one another’s burdens”).

- This request underscores accountability among believers; we are invited to remind each other of our first love (Revelation 2:4-5).

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I am sick with love

- “Sick” here is not weakness unto death but an overwhelming, almost painful longing (Songs 2:5 uses the same expression).

- True love engages the whole person—mind, emotions, will—reflecting the greatest commandment to love the LORD with all the heart (Deuteronomy 6:5).

- Such intensity foreshadows the church’s yearning for Christ’s return (Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’”).

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summary

Song of Solomon 5:8 captures the bride’s heartfelt plea to the covenant community: “Help me reconnect with the one I love; my longing is so deep it feels like an illness.” Her words model the believer’s pursuit of Christ—serious, communal, confident, communicative, and passionately devoted.