Song of Songs 8:6-7 (NASBStr)
“Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of the Lord.
“Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
In the final chapter of Song of Songs we see the two lovers expressing the depth of their love for each other. The contrast in the above two verses is obvious. Their love is so hot it is like fire (v. 6) that can't be quenched by many waters (v. 7). When they say, "Love is as strong as death," we see a reference that produces the phrase, "Love never fails" of Paul (1 Corinthians 13:8). Like death, which escapes no man, so, too, love will be certain to accomplish its task. You can stop love. Jealousy might be severe, but it can't stop love. No amount of water can quench love or put out its flame. IF you tried to purchase love, even all the possessions you own and could used to purchase love would be despised - it would not be valuable enough to purchase love. If you put that last line into historical context you would recall that to own a home in these days would be safety and security. It would be very valuable, versus living in a tent. What Solomon is telling us is that love is certain (like death), it can overcome the worst character quality (jealousy), it can't be quenched or suppressed by anything (water), and, it can't be purchased with anything on this earth (even a valuable home). True love for your partner will overcome anything. It is when we try to manipulate love and fail to show true love that we think it can be purchased with a present. False love can be quenched by a minor storm of life.
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