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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Song of Solomon 3:1 On my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/songs/3-1.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/6/22_Sng_03_01.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Song of Solomon 3:1 - The Bride's Dream" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="On my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/songs/3-1.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/songs/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/songs/">Songs</a> > <a href="/songs/3.htm">Chapter 3</a> > Verse 1</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad1.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/songs/2-17.htm" title="Song of Solomon 2:17">◄</a> Song of Solomon 3:1 <a href="/songs/3-2.htm" title="Song of Solomon 3:2">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/songs/3.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/songs/3.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/songs/3.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover. I yearned for him, but he did not come.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/songs/3.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/songs/3.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />On my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/songs/3.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/songs/3.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/songs/3.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/songs/3.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/songs/3.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/songs/3.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/songs/3.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“On my bed night after night [I dreamed that] I sought the one Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/songs/3.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/songs/3.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br /> In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/songs/3.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/songs/3.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />While in bed at night, I reached for the one I love with heart and soul. I looked for him, but he wasn't there. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/songs/3.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/songs/3.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Night after night on my bed I looked for the one I love. I looked for him but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/songs/3.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Asleep on my bed, night after night I dreamed of the one I love; I was looking for him, but couldn't find him. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/songs/3.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Night after night on my bed, I sought the one I love; I sought him, but didn't find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/songs/3.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />On my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/songs/3.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />All night long on my bed I longed for my lover. I longed for him but he never appeared. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/songs/3.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I did not find him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/songs/3.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/songs/3.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/songs/3.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />On my bed by night, I sought him whom my soul has loved; I sought him, and I did not find him!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/songs/3.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> On my couch by night, I sought him whom my soul hath loved; I sought him, and I found him not!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/songs/3.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Upon my bed in the night I sought him whom my soul loved: I sought him, and I found him not.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/songs/3.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/songs/3.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Bride: <font color=#0000CC>On my bed, throughout the night, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, and did not find him.</font><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/songs/3.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />On my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves— I sought him but I did not find him. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/songs/3.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/songs/3.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />UPON my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him but found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/songs/3.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />On my bed in the nights I begged him whom my soul has loved; I sought him and I did not find him. I called him and I did not find him<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/songs/3.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/songs/3.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he hearkened not to me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/songs/3-1.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9D_QEk8ZdxU?start=336" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/songs/3.htm">The Bride's Dream</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">1</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">On</a> <a href="/hebrew/4904.htm" title="4904: miš·kā·ḇî (N-msc:: 1cs) -- Place of lying, a couch, act of lying. From shakab; a bed; abstractly, sleep; by euphemism, carnal intercourse.">my bed</a> <a href="/hebrew/3915.htm" title="3915: bal·lê·lō·wṯ (Prep-b, Art:: N-mp) -- Night. Or leyl; also laylah; from the same as luwl; properly, a twist, i.e. Night; figuratively, adversity.">at night</a> <a href="/hebrew/1245.htm" title="1245: biq·qaš·tî (V-Piel-Perf-1cs) -- To seek. A primitive root; to search out; by implication, to strive after.">I sought</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’êṯ (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self.">the one</a> <a href="/hebrew/5315.htm" title="5315: nap̄·šî (N-fsc:: 1cs) -- From naphash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense.">I</a> <a href="/hebrew/157.htm" title="157: še·’ā·hă·ḇāh (Pro-r:: V-Qal-Perf-3fs) -- To love. Or raheb; a primitive root; to have affection for.">love;</a> <a href="/hebrew/1245.htm" title="1245: biq·qaš·tîw (V-Piel-Perf-1cs:: 3ms) -- To seek. A primitive root; to search out; by implication, to strive after.">I sought him,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">but did not</a> <a href="/hebrew/4672.htm" title="4672: mə·ṣā·ṯîw (V-Qal-Perf-1cs:: 3ms) -- To attain to, find. ">find him.</a> </span><span class="reftext">2</span>I will arise now and go about the city, through the streets and squares. I will seek the one I love. So I sought him but did not find him.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/63-1.htm">Psalm 63:1</a></span><br />A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/26-9.htm">Isaiah 26:9</a></span><br />My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/7-7.htm">Matthew 7:7-8</a></span><br />Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/29-13.htm">Jeremiah 29:13</a></span><br />You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/42-1.htm">Psalm 42:1-2</a></span><br />For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. / My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-6.htm">Matthew 5:6</a></span><br />Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/77-2.htm">Psalm 77:2</a></span><br />In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/3-25.htm">Lamentations 3:25</a></span><br />The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/20-11.htm">John 20:11-16</a></span><br />But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb, / and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet. / “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/8-17.htm">Proverbs 8:17</a></span><br />I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/11-9.htm">Luke 11:9-10</a></span><br />So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/119-10.htm">Psalm 119:10</a></span><br />With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/5-6.htm">Hosea 5:6</a></span><br />They go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, but they do not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/philippians/3-10.htm">Philippians 3:10</a></span><br />I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/27-4.htm">Psalm 27:4</a></span><br />One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but I found him not.</p><p class="hdg">night</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/4-4.htm">Psalm 4:4</a></b></br> Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/6-6.htm">Psalm 6:6</a></b></br> I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/22-2.htm">Psalm 22:2</a></b></br> O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.</p><p class="hdg">him whom</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/songs/1-7.htm">Song of Solomon 1:7</a></b></br> Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest <i>thy flock</i> to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/songs/5-8.htm">Song of Solomon 5:8</a></b></br> I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I <i>am</i> sick of love.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/john/21-17.htm">John 21:17</a></b></br> He saith unto him the third time, Simon, <i>son</i> of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.</p><p class="hdg">i sought him</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/songs/5-6.htm">Song of Solomon 5:6</a></b></br> I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, <i>and</i> was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/23-8.htm">Job 23:8,9</a></b></br> Behold, I go forward, but he <i>is</i> not <i>there</i>; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/130-1.htm">Psalm 130:1,2</a></b></br> A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/songs/1-16.htm">Bed</a> <a href="/songs/1-16.htm">Couch</a> <a href="/songs/1-4.htm">Find</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/9-15.htm">Found</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/11-10.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/songs/2-10.htm">Loved</a> <a href="/songs/1-7.htm">Loves</a> <a href="/songs/1-13.htm">Night</a> <a href="/psalms/92-2.htm">Nights</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/12-10.htm">Sought</a> <a href="/songs/1-7.htm">Soul</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/songs/3-7.htm">Bed</a> <a href="/songs/3-7.htm">Couch</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Find</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Found</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Loved</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Loves</a> <a href="/songs/3-8.htm">Night</a> <a href="/songs/3-8.htm">Nights</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Sought</a> <a href="/songs/3-2.htm">Soul</a><div class="vheading2">Song of Solomon 3</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/songs/3-1.htm">the church's fight and victory in temptation</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/songs/3-6.htm">The church glories in Christ</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/songs/3.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/songs/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/songs/3.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>On my bed at night</b><br>This phrase suggests a time of solitude and introspection, often associated with vulnerability and longing. In biblical times, the night was a period of rest but also of reflection and sometimes anxiety. The bed symbolizes a place of intimacy and personal thoughts. The night can also represent a spiritual darkness or a period of waiting for God's presence, as seen in <a href="/psalms/63-6.htm">Psalm 63:6</a>, where David meditates on God during the night watches.<p><b>I sought the one I love;</b><br>The act of seeking indicates a deep desire and earnest pursuit. In the context of the Song of Solomon, this reflects the bride's longing for her beloved, symbolizing the soul's yearning for communion with God. This pursuit can be likened to the search for wisdom in <a href="/proverbs/2-4.htm">Proverbs 2:4</a>, where seeking is portrayed as a diligent and passionate endeavor. The "one I love" can be seen as a type of Christ, representing the believer's relationship with Jesus, who is the ultimate beloved of the soul.<p><b>I sought him,</b><br>The repetition of seeking emphasizes the intensity and persistence of the search. It reflects a personal and active engagement in the pursuit of the beloved. This mirrors the biblical theme of seeking God with all one's heart, as encouraged in <a href="/jeremiah/29-13.htm">Jeremiah 29:13</a>. The personal pronoun "him" underscores the intimate and exclusive nature of the relationship, pointing to the personal relationship believers are called to have with Christ.<p><b>but did not find him.</b><br>This phrase introduces a moment of tension and unfulfilled desire. It reflects the reality of spiritual longing and the occasional sense of God's absence, which can be a test of faith and perseverance. This echoes the experience of the psalmist in <a href="/psalms/22.htm">Psalm 22:1</a>, who cries out to God in a time of perceived abandonment. The absence of the beloved can also be seen as a call to deeper faith and trust, encouraging believers to continue seeking until they find the presence and peace of Christ.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_shulammite_woman.htm">The Shulammite Woman</a></b><br>The speaker in this verse, traditionally understood to be the bride or beloved in the Song of Solomon. She represents the longing and desire for her beloved, which can be seen as a metaphor for the soul's longing for God.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_beloved.htm">The Beloved</a></b><br>The one whom the Shulammite woman seeks. In a spiritual allegory, he can represent Christ or God, whom believers seek in their spiritual journey.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_bed.htm">The Bed</a></b><br>Symbolic of a place of rest and intimacy, it represents the personal and private space where one reflects and seeks connection with the beloved.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/n/night.htm">Night</a></b><br>Often symbolizes a time of searching, longing, or spiritual darkness, where the soul seeks the presence of God.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/s/seeking.htm">Seeking</a></b><br>The act of searching for the beloved, which can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual pursuit of God.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_nature_of_spiritual_longing.htm">The Nature of Spiritual Longing</a></b><br>The Shulammite's search for her beloved reflects the deep spiritual longing that believers experience. This longing is a natural part of the Christian journey and should be embraced as a call to draw closer to God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/persistence_in_seeking_god.htm">Persistence in Seeking God</a></b><br>Just as the Shulammite continues to seek her beloved despite not finding him immediately, believers are encouraged to persist in their pursuit of God, trusting that He will reveal Himself in His timing.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_intimacy_in_faith.htm">The Role of Intimacy in Faith</a></b><br>The setting of the bed at night suggests a place of intimacy and vulnerability. Believers are invited to cultivate a personal and intimate relationship with God, seeking Him in the quiet and private moments of life.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_challenge_of_spiritual_dryness.htm">The Challenge of Spiritual Dryness</a></b><br>The experience of not finding the beloved can mirror times of spiritual dryness or distance from God. These moments challenge believers to deepen their faith and trust in God's presence, even when He seems distant.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_song_of_solomon_3.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Song of Solomon 3</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_is_the_dream-like_search_literal.htm">In Song of Solomon 3:1–3, how can we reconcile the apparent dream-like search for the beloved with a literal historical setting? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_song_3_with_matt_5_28.htm">How do we reconcile the romantic imagery of Song of Solomon 3 with the more sober views on marriage and lust in other biblical texts (e.g., Matthew 5:28)? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_song_4_fit_solomon's_many_wives.htm">If historically attributed to King Solomon, how does Song of Solomon 4 mesh with the accounts of his many wives and concubines in other biblical texts (e.g., 1 Kings 11:3)?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_60_queens_fit_solomon's_700_wives.htm">(Song of Solomon 6:8) How can sixty queens and eighty concubines align with Solomon's reputed 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3)?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/songs/3.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div><span class= "bld">III.</span><p>(1) A reminiscence (elaborated in <a href="/songs/5-2.htm" title="I sleep, but my heart wakes: it is the voice of my beloved that knocks, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.">Song of Solomon 5:2</a> <span class= "ital">seq.</span>) of the intensity of their love before their union, put by the poet into his lady's mouth. She "arises from dreams" of him, and goes to find him.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/songs/3.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 1.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.</span> The bride is probably relating a dream. The time referred to is the close of the day on which she had been visited by her lover. She is retired to rest, and dreams that she searches for the beloved object in the neighbouring city (cf. <a href="/job/33-15.htm">Job 33:15</a>). It is another way of telling her love. She is always longing for the beloved one. She had been waiting for him, and he came not, and retired to rest with a heart troubled and anxious because her lover did not appear as she expected at the evening hour. The meaning may be "night after night (<span class="hebrew">לֵילות</span>)" (cf. <a href="/songs/3-8.htm">Song of Solomon 3:8</a>), or the plural maybe used poetically for the singular. Ginsburg observes that "by night on my bed" is opposed to midday couch (cf. <a href="/2_samuel/4-5.htm">2 Samuel 4:5</a>), merely to express what came into her thoughts at night in her dreams or as the result of a dream. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the bride intends to represent herself as suffering from self-reproach in having grieved her lover and kept him away from her. In that case the typical meaning would be simple and direct. The soul grieves when it is conscious of estrangement from him whom it loves, and the sense of separation becomes intolerable, impelling to new efforts to deepen the spiritual life. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/songs/3-1.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">On</span><br /><span class="heb">עַל־</span> <span class="translit">(‘al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">my bed</span><br /><span class="heb">מִשְׁכָּבִי֙</span> <span class="translit">(miš·kā·ḇî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4904.htm">Strong's 4904: </a> </span><span class="str2">Place of lying, a couch, act of lying</span><br /><br /><span class="word">at night</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּלֵּיל֔וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(bal·lê·lō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3915.htm">Strong's 3915: </a> </span><span class="str2">A twist, night, adversity</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I sought</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּקַּ֕שְׁתִּי</span> <span class="translit">(biq·qaš·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1245.htm">Strong's 1245: </a> </span><span class="str2">To search out, to strive after</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the one</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(’êṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Direct object marker<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_853.htm">Strong's 853: </a> </span><span class="str2">Untranslatable mark of the accusative case</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I</span><br /><span class="heb">נַפְשִׁ֑י</span> <span class="translit">(nap̄·šî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5315.htm">Strong's 5315: </a> </span><span class="str2">A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion </span><br /><br /><span class="word">love;</span><br /><span class="heb">שֶׁאָהֲבָ֖ה</span> <span class="translit">(še·’ā·hă·ḇāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - relative | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_157.htm">Strong's 157: </a> </span><span class="str2">To have affection f</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I sought him</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֖יו</span> <span class="translit">(biq·qaš·tîw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1245.htm">Strong's 1245: </a> </span><span class="str2">To search out, to strive after</span><br /><br /><span class="word">but did not</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֹ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">find him.</span><br /><span class="heb">מְצָאתִֽיו׃</span> <span class="translit">(mə·ṣā·ṯîw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4672.htm">Strong's 4672: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/songs/3-1.htm">Song of Solomon 3:1 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/songs/3-1.htm">OT Poetry: Song of Solomon 3:1 By night on my bed I sought (Song Songs SS So Can)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/songs/2-17.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Song of Solomon 2:17"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Song of Solomon 2:17" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/songs/3-2.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Song of Solomon 3:2"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Song of Solomon 3:2" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>