Song of Solomon 6:5 · Bible study
Song of Solomon 6:5 Commentary: Overcome by Love
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the beloved ask the Shulammite to turn away her eyes? What does 'overcome me' mean? This page synthesizes commentary on this intense love poem.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The beloved is so captivated by the Shulammite's gaze that he asks her to turn away; her eyes have overcome him, a positive surrender to love's power.
- Key words: hirhivuni (Hiphil of rahav), ‘they have overcome/assaulted me’; galash, ‘descend, lie along,’ used of goats and hair.
- Main debate: Whether the ‘overcoming’ expresses positive awe or negative terror; nearly all commentators take it as positive overwhelming love.
- Theological theme: The power of faithful love to move the beloved's heart, applied to Christ and the church in allegorical reading.
- Best use: To illustrate the intensity of God's delight in his people, or to celebrate the reciprocal nature of love in marriage.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down from Gilead.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
KJV King James Version 1769
Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Turn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Turn round thine eyes from before me, Because they have made me proud. Thy hair is as a row of the goats, That have shone from Gilead,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Turn away thine eyes from me, For they overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats On the slopes of Gilead.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thy teeth as a flock of sheep, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Aparta tus ojos de delante de mí, porque ellos me vencieron. Tu cabello es como manada de cabras, que se muestran en Galaad.
Afasta teus olhos de mim, pois eles me deixam desconcertado. Teu cabelo é como um rebanho de cabras, que descem de Gileade.
Détourne de moi tes yeux, car ils me troublent.
Wende deine Augen von mir; denn sie verwirren mich. Deine Haare sind wie eine Herde Ziegen, die am Berge Gilead herab gelagert sind.
Wend uw ogen van Mij af, want zij doen Mij geweld aan; uw haar is als een kudde geiten, die het gras van Gilead afscheren.
Storna da me gli occhi tuoi, che mi turbano. I tuoi capelli son come una mandra di capre, sospese ai fianchi di Galaad.
Zęby twoje są jako stado owiec, które wychodzą z kąpieli, z których każda miewa po dwojgu, a niepłodnej niemasz między niemi.
Уклони очи твои от меня, потому что они волнуют меня.
求你掉轉 眼目 不看我，因你的眼目 使我驚亂。你的頭髮 如同山羊 群 臥在 基列山 旁。
Let your eyes be turned away from me; see, they have overcome me; your hair is as a flock of goats which take their rest on the side of Gilead.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Song of Solomon 6:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse captures an overwhelming moment of love. The Hebrew verb hirhivuni (Hiphil of rahav) conveys a forceful impact, ‘they have assailed me,’ ‘they have made me proud,’ or ‘they have taken me by storm.’ Keil and Delitzsch connect it to a ‘paralyzing terror’ that is not fear but love’s irresistible pressure. Gill interprets it as condescending grace: Christ (or the beloved) allows himself to be overcome by the faith and love of the church (or the bride). Barnes notes the ‘awe-striking majesty’ in the bride’s gentle eyes, adding that true love’s condescension gives it such power. The request ‘Turn away your eyes’ is poetic hyperbole, not a real dismissal; it signals that her gaze has reached the core of his heart. Adam Clarke compares it to being dazzled by fires at night, the brilliance is too much to bear. All sources read the line as a positive, even delighted, surrender to love’s force, not a rebuke.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Overwhelming love (positive): The context of praise, the verb's range in Psalms (e.g., 'strengthened' in Psalm 138:3), and the parallel in Song 4:9 where the beloved's eyes 'ravish' the lover.
- Awe and holy terror (positive-mixed): The word <em>rahav</em> can mean 'to terrify'; Keil and Delitzsch connect it to 'paralyzing terror' as part of love's sublimity. The 'terrible as an army' in verse 4 supports this nuance.
- Negative rebuke (minority): Some early interpreters (e.g., some rabbis) read the command 'Turn away' as actual displeasure, though this view lacks support in the narrative's joyful tone.
What is clear: The speaker of Song 6:5 is profoundly affected by the Shulammite's gaze, and the verse expresses a powerful reaction—whether of awe, delight, or both—that the lover himself cannot resist.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Allegorical vs. literal interpretation | The Song of Songs is a biblical book that speaks about love, whether human or divine. | Historic Jewish and Christian readings predominantly allegorize it as God's love for Israel or Christ's love for the Church. Many modern readers take it as a celebration of human marital love, sometimes with secondary spiritual application. |
| Meaning of 'overcome me' | The verb conveys a strong impact of the bride's eyes on the beloved. | Some see it as awe or reverence ('they have made me proud'), others as powerless surrender ('they have taken me by storm'), and a few as a negative terror ('they have terrified me'). The majority view is positive. |
| Significance of repetition from Song 4:1 | The repeated description of the bride's hair is intentional. | Barnes sees it as proof of enduring affection despite estrangement. Others suggest it marks different periods in the relationship or highlights the unchanged beauty of the beloved. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits within a renewal of praise after a brief estrangement (Song 6:4, 13). The beloved, most often identified as Solomon in the literal narrative, and as Christ in allegorical reading, addresses the Shulammite. He compares her hair to ‘a flock of goats that lie along the side of Gilead.’ Gilead, east of the Jordan, was a fertile region famous for its livestock (Numbers 32:1). Goats from Gilead were often dark-haired, moving gracefully down slopes; the simile suggests the Shulammite’s black, flowing hair and its gentle motion. The Hebrew verb galash (translated ‘lie along’ or ‘descend’) reinforces the image of waves of hair cascading.
The repetition of this description from Song 4:1 is intentional. Barnes notes that the lover repeats the same praise to show that his affection has not cooled despite the bride’s earlier withdrawal. The repetition itself becomes a pledge of constancy. In ancient Near Eastern wedding poetry, these extended physical descriptions written in the ‘wasf’ style (a genre of praise listing body parts) were common. They celebrated the beloved’s beauty in vivid, earthy terms. Here the king returns to the same catalogue to confirm that she is as beautiful to him now as on their wedding day. The broader context, verse 4 calling her ‘awesome as an army with banners’, prepares for the military metaphor in ‘overcome me,’ turning the language of conquest into that of love.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The main interpretive difference lies not in the consonants but in the vocalization and semantic range of hirhivuni, which appears only here in the Song. The Septuagint translates it anapteroun (‘to make to start up’), conveying a sense of sudden, forceful impact, while the Syriac uses a verb meaning ‘to put to flight.’ These variant renderings reflect the word's range rather than textual corruption.
Reception History
From early times, this verse has been read within the larger allegorical tradition. The Targum interprets the Song as an account of God's love for Israel at the Exodus and the building of the Temple; in that light, the beloved's cry is God's response to Israel's faithful gaze. Christian fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa read the whole book as an allegory of the soul's union with Christ, and this verse exemplified how Christ is 'overcome' by the church's persistent love, a bold image for divine condescension. Medieval mystics like Bernard of Clairvaux used the Song to describe the intimate love between Christ and the believer, finding here a model of reciprocal desire. During the Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant commentators continued the allegorical tradition, though some, like Theodore Beza, began to admit a literal celebration of marriage. In the modern period, the literal reading has become widespread, but the allegorical remains influential in devotional use.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The power of a steadfast gaze. The bride’s eyes overcome the lover. In allegorical reading, this pictures how the church’s persistent faith and love move the heart of Christ. Cross-references like Genesis 32:26, 28 (Jacob clinging to God) and Matthew 15:27, 28 (the Canaanite woman’s humble persistence) show that faith can ‘overcome’ even heaven.
- The humility of the beloved. The lover admits he cannot withstand her gaze. This is not weakness but condescension: love allows itself to be moved. As Gill says, Christ ‘suffers himself to be overpowered’ by his people’s faith.
- The assurance of unchanging love. The repetition from Song 4:1 underscores that love endures through estrangement. The same praise is spoken again; the same beauty is recognized. The congregation can trust that God’s love does not grow cold.
Five-point outline
- A surprising command: ‘Turn away your eyes from me’, not rejection but overwhelmed delight.
- The seizure of love: ‘for they have overcome me’, the Hebrew verb hirhivuni suggests a storming assault. Love conquers.
- The beauty of devotion: the hair simile recalls the earlier wedding day, linking past and present.
- Context of reconciliation: this declaration comes after the bride’s wandering, showing forgiveness.
- Invitation to reflect: How does our gaze of faith affect the heart of God? This is mystery, but Scripture invites us to see that God delights in the confidence of his people.
Illustration hooks
- A parent whose toddler reaches up with trusting arms, the parent’s heart is ‘overcome’ and they pause everything to respond.
- A spouse who, after a conflict, says the exact words of their wedding vows to restore connection. The repetition is a reaffirmation.
- A piece of art or a sunrise that is so beautiful it is almost painful to look at. The ‘Turn away’ is the language of being stunned.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God allow himself to be ‘moved’ by our prayers? How should we understand the biblical language of God relenting or being won over?
- Is the Song of Songs only about human romance, or does it legitimately speak about God’s love for his people? How do we read it in church?
- When I feel distant from God, how can I be sure his love for me has not changed?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the heart of a love poem that has been read both as human romance and as a picture of divine love. The beloved asks the Shulammite to turn away her eyes because they have ‘overcome’ him, a strong verb that elsewhere means to assail or to make proud. The small group can explore what this reveals about the nature of love, both human and divine.
Discussion questions
- Read Song 6:5 in your translation. What strikes you about the beloved’s request? Why would he want her to turn away?
- The Hebrew verb hirhivuni can mean ‘they have made me proud,’ ‘they have terrified me,’ or ‘they have stormed against me.’ How do these different nuances change the tone of the verse?
- How does the repetition from Song 4:1 shape the meaning here? What does it say about the relationship?
- If you read this as an allegory of Christ and the church, what does it suggest about how Christ responds to the church’s devotion?
- The bride is described as ‘awesome as an army with banners’ (verse 4). How does military language fit with intimate love poetry?
- Share a time when you felt overwhelmed by someone’s love or trust, a child, a friend, a spouse. How does that experience help you understand this verse?
- How might this passage shape the way you pray or approach God? Does it give you any new confidence?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 32:26 | The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” |
| Genesis 32:28 | He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.” |
| Exodus 32:10 | Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.” |
| Song of Solomon 4:1 | Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats, that descend from Mount Gilead. |
| Song of Solomon 4:3 | Your lips are like scarlet thread. Your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil. |
| Jeremiah 15:1 | Then Yahweh said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind would not turn toward this people. Cast them out of my sight, and let them go out! |
| Matthew 15:27 | But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” |
| Matthew 15:28 | Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes the bridegroom’s cry means his heart was overwhelmed by her beauty. He also says her hair was like a group of goats.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the bride is compared to the two fairest cities of the land, Tirzah and Jerusalem, and that her majesty inspires awe like a bannered army. He asserts this passage is a divine witness to the principle of monogamy in the Old Testament, even during Solomon's luxurious age.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The king repeats his praise of the woman’s beauty after she declares her love. He also uses the same words the other court women used to praise her.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that the teeth are compared to sheep that have been washed, each one bearing twins and none barren. This emphasizes not only cleanliness and whiteness but also perfect order and fruitfulness, with every tooth in place and none missing.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that Christ's plea, "Turn away your eyes," is not a rejection but an expression of being overcome by the believer's faith and love. He emphasizes Christ's condescending grace: the Lord willingly allows himself to be conquered, as it were, by the power of his people's trusting gaze.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the word overcome means have taken me by storm. It describes how the army in Song of Solomon 6 overcomes enemies and Jesus Christ. This term also shows Christ restoring His Church at resurrection and sending her forth as an army.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch reads the lover's request to turn away her eyes as an admission of their unbearable, terror‑inducing power. The Hebrew verb implies violent assault that leaves him overwhelmed. He also defends the repeated praise in this scene as a sign that Solomon's love remains unchanged, not a tired recitation.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the beloved's eyes as carrying a grave, reproachful look that strikes Solomon's conscience, not as a romantic or alluring force. Her innocent, pure gaze abashes and awes him, piercing his heart with a sense of moral accountability rather than passionate desire.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees Christ’s return to his bride as a literal event after he had left her. He believes the verses describe his actual return to speak tenderly and restore joy to her.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the repeated description of the church's beauty, using the same words from an earlier chapter, is no empty repetition. It confirms that even the church's failures and miscarriages have not lessened Christ's love for her. The poetic phrase "Turn away" highlights how lovely she remains in His eyes.