Introduction to Song of Songs 2:7: A Poetic Oath of Restraint
This iconic verse from the Song of Songs is the first of three poetic refrains that appear throughout the book (cf. 3:5, 8:4). Here, the female speaker addresses the “daughters of Yerushalayim” and adjures them by the wild creatures of the field not to awaken love before its proper time. The verse features unique poetic features: the use of conditional clauses with אִם, the volitional jussive mood, and a formal oath formula. This article explores the grammar and rhetoric of restraint and desire through the lens of Biblical Hebrew syntax.
הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם בְּנֹ֤ות יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בִּצְבָאֹ֔ות אֹ֖ו בְּאַיְלֹ֣ות הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ וְאִם־תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ׃
Analysis of Grammatical and Syntactical Features
1. הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם – “I adjure you”
- Root: שׁ־ב־ע (“to swear, make an oath”)
- Form: Hiphil perfect 1cs + direct object אֶתְכֶם (“you [fem. pl.]”)
This is a formal oath formula where the speaker invokes a witness or power (see below) to command or warn the addressee. The Hiphil here is causative: “I cause you to swear” or “I adjure you.” In this context, the oath is not to make the daughters swear, but to bind them to a sacred exhortation.
2. בִּצְבָאֹ֔ות אֹ֖ו בְּאַיְלֹ֣ות הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה – “by the gazelles or by the does of the field”
- These are poetic witnesses, invoking the beauty and gentleness of wild animals rather than divine names
- The use of אֹו (“or”) here links two equally symbolic entities
The indirect invocation of nature rather than YHWH is a hallmark of the erotic-poetic genre of Song of Songs. It may also function as a poetic euphemism or modesty device to avoid divine names in a romantic context.
3. אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ וְאִם־תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ – “if you awaken, if you arouse…”
- אִם – conditional particle (“if”), repeated for emphasis
- תָּעִ֧ירוּ / תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ – both are Qal imperfect 2mp verbs
- ע־ו־ר and ע־י־ר roots, closely related in semantics (“to arouse, awaken”)
This is a poetic repetition for stylistic and rhetorical emphasis. Both verbs are in the imperfect, indicating potential or future action, with jussive force. The repetition of אִם without an “then” clause (apodosis) creates a negative oath: “Don’t do this… until.” It reflects a construction similar to “swear that you will not…”
4. אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ – “the love, until it desires”
- אַהֲבָה – feminine singular noun “love,” object of both verbs
- עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – “until it desires,” from ח־פ־ץ (“to desire, to take pleasure”)
The phrase עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ sets the temporal boundary of the oath: love must not be awakened before it “wants” to be. The verb תֶּחְפָּץ is imperfect 3fs and refers back to אַהֲבָה. This gives personification to love—it has its own will and timing, which must be respected.
Syntax of Prohibition and Desire
This construction belongs to the genre of adjuration through conditional volition. The doubling of אִם and imperfect jussives creates a negative oath without explicitly saying “don’t.” Instead, it obligates restraint until a defined moment. The whole structure teaches a poetic and theological ethic of timing, patience, and consent. In Hebrew poetics, what is not said explicitly is often most powerful—the conditional syntax leaves no room for forcing love.
Love on Its Own Terms: A Theology of Waiting
Song of Songs 2:7 offers a profound theological statement within the most delicate Hebrew grammatical forms. The speaker acknowledges the sanctity of timing in love—rooted in the imperfect, uncertain, and self-willed nature of אַהֲבָה. Hebrew’s use of repeated conditional particles, oath formulas, and poetic verb choice allows the text to express deep emotional nuance and moral instruction. The refrain becomes not only a romantic caution but a spiritual truth: do not stir love until it stirs itself.
