1. Song of Solomon 8:12 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why is the woman's very own vineyard before her?

Song of Solomon 8:12 (ESV)

12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me; you, O Solomon, may have the thousand, and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.

Unlike those in Solomon’s harem, the woman's vineyard is her own to give. The Hebrew literally reads, My vineyard which is mine is my own to dispose of. This is not a vineyard that can be entered simply by the payment of a fee.1

In contrast to Solomon’s vast wealth and high-rent vineyard, the woman has only one simple vineyard to give: her own body. Yet, her man is fully satisfied with its fruit and needs no other.2