SUMMARY
The woman announces the full self-giving to one another of each of the lovers.
ANALYSIS
The notion that “he is mine” and “I am his” is here precisely not a matter of ownership or possessiveness, but rather the mutual self-giving that genuine love entails and enables. The announcement here rejoices in the gift of the other that turns around God’s recognition in Genesis 2:18 that “it is not good that the man should be alone.” The full union of the lovers will be found in sexual ecstasy where, as in Genesis 2:24, the two become “one flesh.” As with 2:10 and 7:11, here, too, the full mutual solidarity in their relationship is shown in 6:3 where the sentence of 2:16 is inverted: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
