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

Who is the king lying on his couch?

Song of Solomon 1:12 (ESV)

12 While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance.

The young woman responds to the young man’s encouraging words and speaks again as she expresses her longing for him. She has already compared him to a king in Song of Solomon 1:4 and she does so again here. The sensual image she has in mind is of her beloved lounging like a king on his couch. It is possible, and even very likely, that King Solomon is her reference point, but she is not thinking of Solomon, she is thinking of her beloved.