Oaths in the Bible are normally taken in God’s name. It could be that the author is careful to use the name of God in Song of Songs, so using these words may be significant in that the sounds of the Hebrew words for gazelles (sebaot) and does of the field (ayelot hassadeh) deliberately recall the divine names the Lord of Hosts (yhwh sebaot) and God Almighty (el shadday), indicating who the true God of love is.1 This suggests she may be calling on them to make an oath before God not to awaken love before the time is right. The idea of an oath binding two people together for life has always been important in a relationship of love.
7 Je vous en conjure, filles de Jérusalem, Par les gazelles et les biches des champs, Ne réveillez pas, ne réveillez pas l'amour, Avant qu'elle le veuille.