Section seven — Making Up Continues Alone

Section Seven
MAKING UP CONTINUES ALONE  6:13 – 7:10

• Dance of the two camps.  What is it? 6:13
• Is she doing some kind of movements or dance? – 7:1
• What is she wearing – your opinion?
• Was she trying to excite him?
• Over the lips and teeth – what does this verse mean? 7:9

The two of them are walking away.  The friends know that they are back together.  The friends say this:
Return, return, O Shulamith;  return, return, that we may gaze in awe upon you.
He replies as the couple continues to walk away:
How you gaze in awe upon Shulamith, as at the dance of the two camps.
I don’t know what this dance refers to, but it shows that the friends know they are making up, and the two of them definitely want to be alone.  it also sets up the next section.  Look at some commentaries (so called experts), and they see in the original language (Hebrew) some kind of movement or dancing in the words used to describe the feet and hips.  I’m going to guess that he is laying down or in some kind of reclining position.  And she is moving or dancing enough that it is holding his attention.  What they are saying we don’t know. They could be having the make up discussion — I was wrong, you were right, we should have talked first and each said what we were expecting from the other person — but that is only a guess.
What we know is that he starts describing her body from the feet up.  Compare this to the wedding night where he talks about her from the head down.
How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O daughter of a prince.  The curves of your hips are like ornaments, the work of the hands of an artist.  Your navel is a round chalice.  It never lacks mixed wine.  Your abdomen is a stack of wheat surrounded with lotus flowers.  Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.  Your neck is like a tower of ivory.  Your eyes are like pools of understanding, by the gate of a crowded city.  Your nose is like a tower in Lebanon, keeping watch over Damascus.  your head crowns you like Carmel.  And the flowing hair of your head is like purple threads — the king is held captive by your tresses.  How beautiful and how lovely you are.  Love flows through your tender affection.
I’m going with the opinions of some so-called-experts that what is translated navel here is a little lower — the ‘golden triangle’.  The stack of wheat is a little higher so abdomen or belly fits.  No doubt breasts means breasts.  Then up to the neck, eyes, nose and flowing hair.  He says she is beautiful (you can’t tell her that enough guys), and that she has ‘tender affection’.  Then he describes his intentions:
This — your stature — is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like clusters of fruit.  I say, “I will climb the palm tree, I will take hold of its stalks of dates.”  May your breasts be like cluster of grapes and the fragrance of your breath like apples.  And your mouth like the best wine..
He mixes metaphors, but his meaning is clear to her.  He is excited and wants to continue this discussion in a very physical way.  She finishes his sentence.
…going down smoothly for my beloved, flowing gently through your lips as we fall asleep.  I am my beloved’s and his desire is for me.
other translations:
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.  NIV
May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.  NLT

Many translations have something in about sleep, or falling  asleep.  There has to be something to that.  But is she also suggesting what type of kiss it would be — deep, long, with tongue?  The next part is very clear.  She states that his desire, his longing is for her.  They could have sex at this point, but that isn’t what the text says.  The next section will show what her intentions are.