Commentary - Song of Solomon 8:8-10

Bird's-eye view

This brief section near the conclusion of the Song gives us a marvelous glimpse into the godly family dynamics that produce a woman of character like the Shulamite. We hear the voice of her brothers, reflecting on their duty to protect their "little sister" as she grows into maturity. This is not the oppressive paternalism of the feminists' fever dreams; this is the affectionate, responsible, and forward-thinking headship that God designed for the flourishing of families. The brothers are not trying to squash their sister's personality, but rather to rightly discern it and protect it. Their goal is her successful and glorious marriage, what they call "the day when she is spoken for."

The passage presents two metaphors for a young woman's character as she approaches marriageable age: she is either a wall or a door. A wall is fortified and reserved; a door is more open and accessible. Neither is presented as inherently sinful, but both present unique temptations and require unique strategies for protection. The brothers' loving concern is to build upon her strengths and fortify her weaknesses. The Shulamite bride then triumphantly declares that she was indeed a wall, and her maturity ("breasts were like towers") was the fruit of this protected purity. Because she was guarded well, she was able to come to her husband as a source of complete peace and satisfaction, a true shalom. This is a picture of covenantal succession, of a family successfully raising a godly woman and presenting her as a glorious bride, which is a faint echo of what the Father does for His Son in the presentation of the Church.

Outline

Context In Song of Solomon

This passage comes after the great declaration of love's unconquerable power in verse 7. Having established the nature of this covenantal love, the Song now provides a practical look at how such love is cultivated and protected within a family. It functions as a flashback, with the bride recalling the responsible care of her brothers when she was younger. This grounds the intense, romantic love of the Song in the soil of ordinary, faithful family life. The glorious marriage we have witnessed throughout the book did not just happen by accident. It was the result of a culture of faithfulness, where fathers and brothers understood their God-given duty to protect the purity and character of their daughters and sisters. This section serves as a crucial link, showing that the freedom and delight of marital love are the fruit of godly discipline and protection beforehand.

Key Issues

A Wall or a Door

The central metaphor here revolves around a young woman's disposition as she approaches the time of courtship. Is she a "wall" or is she a "door"? We should not think of this as a simple good/bad distinction. Rather, it is a wise acknowledgment of differing temperaments. Some young women are naturally reserved, quiet, and fortified in their demeanor. They are walls. Others are more open, outgoing, friendly, and accessible. They are doors. Both temperaments are gifts from God, but both come with particular challenges when it comes to courtship.

A wall might be tempted toward coldness, aloofness, or a fearful withdrawal. A door might be tempted toward flirtatiousness, naivete, or being too easily opened by the wrong man. The task of the family, particularly the father and brothers, is not to turn a door into a wall or a wall into a door. The task is to adorn the wall and barricade the door. They are to take the raw material of her God-given personality and, through discipleship and protection, build it up into a structure of godly maturity. This is what biblical courtship, under the authority of the family, does. It provides the framework within which a young woman can be safely and honorably "spoken for."

Verse by Verse Commentary

8 “We have a little sister, And she has no breasts; What shall we do for our sister On the day when she is spoken for?

The scene shifts, and we hear the voice of the bride's brothers. They are looking at their "little sister" who is not yet physically mature; "she has no breasts." This is a tender and familial way of describing her as prepubescent. But they are already thinking ahead. They are not reactive, but proactive. They feel the weight of their responsibility for her, and so they ask the crucial question: "What shall we do for our sister?" Their concern is directed toward a specific future event: "On the day when she is spoken for," that is, the day a suitor comes to ask for her hand in marriage. This is the biblical model. Marriage is not something a young woman stumbles into after a series of romantic entanglements. It is a formal, public, and familial affair. The brothers see it as their duty to prepare her for that day, to ensure she is ready to be a godly wife. This is covenantal thinking, planning for the generations.

9 If she is a wall, We will build on her a battlement of silver; But if she is a door, We will barricade her with planks of cedar.”

Here is their strategy, based on their wise assessment of her character. If she is a "wall," meaning she is naturally reserved, chaste, and self-possessed, they will not just leave her alone. They will "build on her a battlement of silver." A battlement is a defensive structure, but making it of silver means it is also an adornment. They will honor her, celebrate her purity, and add to her glory. They will make her virtue conspicuous and beautiful. They will signal to all potential suitors that this is a woman of immense value. On the other hand, if she is a "door," meaning she is more open, accessible, and perhaps a bit naive, their strategy is different. They will "barricade her with planks of cedar." This is not a punishment. Cedar was a valuable, beautiful, and strong wood. They are not locking her in a prison; they are fashioning a beautiful and strong protection around her, lest her open nature be exploited by foolish or predatory men. They will provide the strength and discernment she may lack, protecting her so that she is not opened by the wrong man at the wrong time.

10 “I was a wall, and my breasts were like towers; Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.

Now the bride speaks again, reflecting on her own upbringing in light of her brothers' responsible care. She gives her testimony: "I was a wall." She cultivated that chaste, fortified character. And the result of this was not stuntedness, but glorious maturity. Her "breasts were like towers," a poetic image of a fully developed and beautiful woman, strong and magnificent. She is not a ruin; she is a glorious city. And because she was this protected and pure wall, what was the result in her marriage? "Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace." The word for peace is shalom, which means so much more than the absence of conflict. It means wholeness, completeness, satisfaction, and flourishing. Because she was guarded from the wounds and compromises of youthful folly, she was able to bring a whole and undivided heart to her husband. She was a haven for him, a source of deep and abiding peace. This is the promised fruit of purity. The world thinks chastity is bondage, but Scripture reveals it as the only path to this kind of marital shalom.

Application

This passage is a direct broadside against the modern, individualistic, and frankly chaotic approach to romance and marriage. The world tells our young people to "follow your heart" and to engage in a series of unchaperoned, unaccountable romantic relationships. The result is a wasteland of heartbreak, sexual sin, and broken people who bring a mountain of baggage into marriage, if they even get married at all.

The biblical vision is one of corporate, familial responsibility. Fathers and brothers have a non-negotiable duty to protect the young women in their care. This is not about being overbearing tyrants. It is about providing a context of security and wisdom within which a young woman can mature into the glorious creature God designed her to be. Young men should be taught to approach the father before they approach the daughter. Young women should be taught to value this protection, not to resent it.

And for the young woman herself, the charge is to be a wall. This does not mean being rude or joyless. It means cultivating a quiet and gentle spirit, a demeanor that is not desperate for male attention. It means saving the full welcome of your heart for one man, your husband. When a woman does this, under the care of her family, she is not making herself a prisoner. She is making herself into a palace. She is preparing to bestow the incredible gift of shalom upon her future husband and home. This is a high and glorious calling, and it is the pathway to the kind of love celebrated in this entire book.