Song of Solomon 2:12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

◄ Song of Solomon 2:12 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

English Standard Version
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

New American Standard Bible
The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

King James Bible
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove's cooing is heard in our land.

International Standard Version
Blossoms have appeared in the land. The season of songbirds has arrived, and cooing of turtledoves is heard in our land.

American Standard Version
The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

Douay-Rheims Bible
The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land:

Darby Bible Translation
The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

Young's Literal Translation
The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,

Cross References

Genesis 15:9
And he said to him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

Psalm 74:19
O deliver not the soul of your turtledove to the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of your poor for ever.

Song of Solomon 2:11
For, see, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

Jeremiah 8:7
Yes, the stork in the heaven knows her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

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Already Appear Appeared Arrived Birds Cutting Dove Doves Earth Flowers Heard Pruning Season Singing Sounding Time Turtle Turtledove Turtle-Dove Vines Voice

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Already Appear Appeared Arrived Birds Cutting Dove Doves Earth Flowers Heard Pruning Season Singing Sounding Time Turtle Turtledove Turtle-Dove Vines Voice

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

2:8-13 The church pleases herself with thoughts of further communion with Christ. None besides can speak to the heart. She sees him come. This may be applied to the prospect the Old Testament saints had of Christ's coming in the flesh. He comes as pleased with his own undertaking. He comes speedily. Even when Christ seems to forsake, it is but for a moment; he will soon return with everlasting loving-kindness. The saints of old saw him, appearing through the sacrifices and ceremonial institutions. We see him through a glass darkly, as he manifests himself through the lattices. Christ invites the new convert to arise from sloth and despondency, and to leave sin and worldly vanities, for union and communion with him. The winter may mean years passed in ignorance and sin, unfruitful and miserable, or storms and tempests that accompanied his conviction of guilt and danger. Even the unripe fruits of holiness are pleasant unto Him whose grace has produced them. All these encouraging tokens and evidences of Divine favour, are motives to the soul to follow Christ more fully. Arise then, and come away from the world and the flesh, come into fellowship with Christ. This blessed change is owing wholly to the approaches and influences of the Sun of righteousness.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

12. flowers—tokens of anger past, and of grace come. "The summoned bride is welcome," say some fathers, "to weave from them garlands of beauty, wherewith she may adorn herself to meet the King." Historically, the flowers, &c., only give promise; the fruit is not ripe yet; suitable to the preaching of John the Baptist, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand"; not yet fully come.

the time of … singing—the rejoicing at the advent of Jesus Christ. Gregory Nyssenus refers the voice of the turtledove to John the Baptist. It with the olive branch announced to Noah that "the rain was over and gone" (Ge 8:11). So John the Baptist, spiritually. Its plaintive "voice" answers to his preaching of repentance (Jer 8:6, 7). Vulgate and Septuagint translate, "The time of pruning," namely, spring (Joh 15:2). The mention of the "turtle's" cooing better accords with our text. The turtledove is migratory (Jer 8:7), and "comes" early in May; emblem of love, and so of the Holy Ghost. Love, too, shall be the keynote of the "new song" hereafter (Isa 35:10; Re 1:5; 14:3; 19:6). In the individual believer now, joy and love are here set forth in their earlier manifestations (Mr 4:28).