Song Of Solomon / Question
The speaker charges the daughters of Jerusalem not to arouse love before the right time (Song of Solomon 2:7). It functions as a pause that frames love as something not to be forced prematurely (Song of Solomon 2:7).
In Song of Solomon 2:7 the speaker turns outward to address the “daughters of Jerusalem” with a serious, oath-like warning. She calls on images from the natural world—gazelles and deer—to strengthen the appeal. The core request is simple: do not push, provoke, or prematurely rouse love. This line comes at the close of an intimate sequence in chapter 2 where desire and closeness have been building, and then the poem deliberately pauses. The address to the “daughters of Jerusalem” functions like a refrain that briefly widens the scene from the lovers to the observing community.
Song 2:7 is a deliberate slowdown in the poem. The speaker turns away from private intimacy and addresses a wider group (“daughters of Jerusalem”), using an oath-like charge to make the moment feel weighty. The content of the charge is clear: love is not to be forced awake.
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with Song of Solomon 2:7, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
7I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That you not stir up, nor awaken love, Until it so desires.