Bible Verses

Song of Solomon · Chapter 8 · Love

Song of Solomon 8:6 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

Love is the centre of Scripture's story. Read this one slowly.

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Both translations, side by side

WEB · World English Bible

"Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh."

KJV · King James Version

"Set7760 me as a seal2368 upon thine heart3820, as a seal2368 upon thine arm2220: for love160 is strong5794 as death4194; jealousy7068 is cruel7186 as the grave7585: the coals7565 thereof are coals7565 of fire784, which hath a most vehement flame7957. cruel: Heb. hard"

How the translations differ: The WEB is a modern public-domain revision of the 1901 ASV; the KJV dates to 1611. The KJV uses upon, thine, the, grave, while the WEB renders these as your, sheol, its, flashes. Both translate the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text — the differences are stylistic, not theological.

In context

Song of Solomon 8:6 in Song of Solomon 8

A Bible verse rarely stands alone. Here is Song of Solomon 8:6 read with the verses immediately before and after — the surrounding flow of Song of Solomon 8. Read the full chapter →

  1. v.4 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.
  2. v.5 Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I aroused you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.
  3. v.6 Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh.
  4. v.7 Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
  5. v.8 We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?

Book background

About the Book of Song of Solomon

Testament
Old Testament
Genre
Hebrew poetry
Author
Solomon (traditional)
Date written
c. 970–930 BC
Audience
Israel
Chapters
8

The Song of Solomon — also called Song of Songs — celebrates the love between a bride and groom in unblushing poetic language. Read at its plain level, it is the Bible's most direct affirmation of romantic and married love. Read typologically, it has long been seen as a picture of Christ's love for the church.

Setting: A series of love poems celebrating marital love.

Key themes: love · beauty · marriage · desire · covenant

Read Song of Solomon from the beginning →

Memorisation aid

How to memorise Song of Solomon 8:6

Song of Solomon 8:6 contains 37 words in 6 clauses. Learn one clause at a time, then chain them. The first-letter mnemonic (FLM) under each clause is a memory hook — once you can speak the FLM from memory, the full clause follows.

  1. 1

    Set me as a seal on your heart

    SMAASO

  2. 2

    as a seal on your arm

    AASOYA

  3. 3

    for love is strong as death

    FLISAD

  4. 4

    Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol

    JIACAS

  5. 5

    Its flashes are flashes of fire

    IFAFOF

  6. 6

    a very flame of Yahweh.

    AVFOY

Frequently asked

FAQ about Song of Solomon 8:6

What does Song of Solomon 8:6 say?

Song of Solomon 8:6 reads: "Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh." — from the Old Testament, Song of Solomon (Hebrew poetry). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

What book of the Bible is Song of Solomon 8:6 in?

Song of Solomon 8:6 is in the book of Song of Solomon, traditionally attributed to Solomon (traditional) and written around c. 970–930 BC. Song of Solomon is hebrew poetry in the Old Testament, originally addressed to Israel. Best known for "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine".

What is Song of Solomon 8:6 about?

Song of Solomon 8:6 is primarily a Bible verse about Love, with related themes including Marriage. Within Song of Solomon, The Song of Solomon — also called Song of Songs — celebrates the love between a bride and groom in unblushing poetic language. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

What is the difference between Song of Solomon 8:6 in WEB and KJV?

Song of Solomon 8:6 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "Set7760 me as a seal2368 upon thine heart3820, as a seal2368 upon thine arm2220: for love160 is strong5794 as death4194; jealousy7068 is cruel7186 as the grave7585: the coals7565 thereof are coals7565 of fire784, which hath a most vehement flame7957. cruel: Heb. hard". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

How long is Song of Solomon 8:6?

Song of Solomon 8:6 is 37 words in the WEB translation (171 characters), broken into 6 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 11 seconds.

How can I memorise Song of Solomon 8:6?

To memorise Song of Solomon 8:6, split it into its 6 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Why does Song of Solomon 8:6 matter in Song of Solomon?

The Song of Solomon — also called Song of Songs — celebrates the love between a bride and groom in unblushing poetic language. Read at its plain level, it is the Bible's most direct affirmation of romantic and married love. Read typologically, it has long been seen as a picture of Christ's love for the church. Song of Solomon 8:6 sits within this larger story — Song of Solomon as a whole emphasises love, beauty, marriage.

How can I apply Song of Solomon 8:6 today?

Many readers use Song of Solomon 8:6 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Song of Solomon 8:6 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.

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