Bible Strands
Song of Solomon 8:9
If she is a wall, we will build a tower of silver upon her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker is the woman’s brothers, outlining their protective plan for her before her betrothal. They address her physical development and the safeguards they intend to provide.
The words — חוֹמָה (choMah) translates literally to “wall,” and טִירַת (Ti.rat) means “battlement” or “tower.” These terms frame the sister’s bodily maturity as architectural structures.
The thread — The imagery of walls and cedar paneling appears in 1 Kings 6:15 and Song of Solomon 2:9, while the concept of restoration and repair connects to Isaiah 58:12. These passages share a focus on structural integrity and communal responsibility.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to recognize how familial protection is measured against physical and moral readiness. It presents care as a conditional response to maturity rather than an unconditional guarantee.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 6:15 He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.
- Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.
- Isaiah 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
- Isaiah 60:17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.
- Isaiah 61:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
- Zechariah 6:12 And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.
- Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
- Acts 14:27 When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
- Acts 15:16 ‘After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
- 1 Corinthians 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.