Song of Solomon 2:10-14 Meaning: Come Away, My Beautiful One
10My beloved spoke, and said to me, “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
11For behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.
12The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give out their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
14My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.
10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
13The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;
12The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
13The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
10My beloved hath answered and said to me, `Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,
11For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away--it hath gone.
12The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,
13The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.
14My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice is sweet, and thy appearance comely.
10My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over, it is gone:
12The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
13The fig-tree melloweth her winter figs, And the vines in bloom give forth [their] fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!
14My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean to 'rise up and come away'? In Song of Solomon 2:10-14, spring's arrival becomes a tender invitation to leave hiding and step into love.
Context
The bride is remembering a visit from her beloved. Earlier in the chapter she heard his voice and saw him leaping over the hills like a gazelle (Song 2:8-9). Now she repeats what he said to her on that spring morning. He came to where she was staying, stood outside, and called her to leave the house and walk with him through the countryside. The rest of the passage describes what he saw and smelled: flowers blooming, vines flowering, turtledoves cooing, fig trees ripening. Winter was over, and everything was coming to life. He wanted her to see it with him.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words give this passage its shape. The first is kumi (קוּמִי), the command to “arise.” It is not a suggestion but a call to action, to get up from where you have been sitting or lying down. The same verb is used when God calls prophets to deliver a message. Here it is spoken by a lover, urgent and tender.
The second word is yonati (יוֹנָתִי), “my dove.” Doves in the ancient world were symbols of beauty, gentleness, and fidelity. But the bride is not a dove in the open sky; she is hiding “in the clefts of the rock.” The word for “clefts” (chagvei) means crevices where someone would press themselves deep into a cliff to stay hidden. The beloved sees her there and does not scold her. He asks to see her face and hear her voice.
The third word is lechi (לְכִי), “come away” or “go.” It is a movement away from shelter and into the open. The spring is the reason, the rains that kept everyone indoors are gone, and the land is beautiful. The invitation is tied to the season: the time for staying hidden is over; it is time to step out.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read these verses in different ways. Some see the beloved as Christ calling the church or the individual soul out of spiritual winter into the new life of grace. The spring flowers and vines become signs of forgiveness and fruitfulness. Other readers take the poem as a celebration of human romantic love, blessed by God and meant to be enjoyed freely. A third reading, found in some early church writers, connects the call to the paschal season, Christ’s resurrection opening the way for believers to leave behind the old life. All these readings share a sense of invitation: someone is being called out of a closed place into a new beginning.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that the beloved calls the bride “my dove in the clefts of the rock” to rebuke her for hiding in shame. In fact, the opposite is true. He calls her dove because he finds her beautiful and faithful. He asks to see her face and hear her voice, not because she is wrong to hide, but because he wants to be near her. The invitation is loving, not corrective.
Living This Out
This week, ask yourself what season you are living in. Have you been hiding in some way, afraid to let someone see you fully, hesitant to speak, uncertain whether you are wanted? The call in these verses is not to fix yourself before coming out. It is to come because the season has changed. The winter of waiting, the rains of sorrow, the long stays indoors, they have passed. The Beloved sees you where you are and asks for nothing but your face and your voice. You do not need to have everything together. You just need to rise and come.
Main takeaway: The season has changed: God calls you to rise from hiding and come into his presence, because he finds your voice sweet and your face lovely.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Someone you love is calling you outside. The rain has stopped, the flowers are out, and they want to play with you. You don’t have to hide anymore.
For ages 9, 12
In this poem, the beloved sees the bride hiding like a dove in a crack in the cliff. He doesn’t get mad. He asks her to come out because he loves her voice and her face. Sometimes you might want to hide because you feel nervous or shy. This verse says you are wanted just as you are. The right person won’t push you away, they will invite you to come out and be seen.
Questions People Ask
Who is the beloved in Song of Solomon chapter 2?
In the poem, the beloved is a young man who loves the Shulammite woman. Christians have traditionally seen him as a symbol of Christ, and the bride as the church or the individual believer. Jewish interpreters have often connected the poem to God's love for Israel.
What does 'the winter is past' mean in this passage?
Literally, it describes the end of the rainy season in Israel, when people could travel and go outside again. Spiritually, many readers see it as the end of a hard season, forgiveness after sin, hope after despair, or the passing of the old covenant.
What does 'my dove in the clefts of the rock' mean?
The dove is a gentle creature, and hiding in rock clefts suggests someone who is withdrawn or shy. The beloved calls her 'my dove' to show affection, and then asks her to come out and let him see her. It is an invitation, not a scolding.
Who wrote the Song of Solomon?
The first verse of the book says it is Solomon's Song. Many scholars believe Solomon wrote it, while others think it was written later and attributed to him. Jewish and Christian traditions have generally accepted Solomonic authorship.
Is the Song of Solomon only about marriage or does it have a spiritual meaning?
It can be read both ways. Some Christians take it as a literal love poem that honors marriage. Others see it as an allegory of Christ and the church. Many readers hold both: the poem is about human love, and that love also points to something greater.
For pastors & researchers
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