About Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon celebrates romantic love and marriage, while also picturing the love between God and His people.

Author: SolomonWritten: c. 965 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 16
LoveBeautyDevotionMarriageDesireCovenant

King James Version

Song of Solomon 4

16 verses with commentary

Solomon Praises His Beloved

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. that: or, that eat of, etc

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair</strong>—the bridegroom's doubled declaration employs the Hebrew yaphah (יָפָה, beautiful) twice for emphatic affirmation. <strong>Thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks</strong> (eynayikh yonim, עֵינַיִךְ יוֹנִים) celebrates the bride's gentle, pure gaze—doves symbolize faithfulness and the Holy Spirit's presence (Matthew 3:16). The ph...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

IV. (1) **Locks.**—Heb., *tsammah, *only besides in Song of Solomon 6:7 and Isaiah 47:2. The derivation, and the existence of cognate Arabic words, leave no doubt that it means *veil. *So, in Isaiah 47:2, the LXX. understood it, though here they have given the strange and meaningless translation, “out of thy silence,” which the Vulg. has still further mystified into “from that which lies hid withi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. infirmity--**bodily sickness, or outward evil. The spirit, which sustains, being wounded, no support is left, except, as implied, in God.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing</strong>—the Hebrew tsinayikh (צִנַּיִךְ, your teeth) are compared to qatsubot (קְצוּבוֹת, shorn/matched) sheep emerging clean from washing. This celebrates uniformity, cleanliness, and wholeness. The imagery suggests white, even teeth—a sign of health and beauty in the ancient world where dental hygien...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Thy teeth **. . . —*i.e., white as newly washed sheep. *The word translated *shorn *is only used as a synonym for *sheep, *as we see by comparison with Song of Solomon 6:6. The only other place where it is found is 2Kings 6:6, where it is used of *cutting wood.* **Bear twins.**—The Hebrew word means “to make double.” But this may either be “to produce twins,” as in the text, or “to make pair...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. (Compare Pr 1:5, 15, 31).

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet</strong> (kesiphteyka kechut hashani, כְּשִׂפְתֹתַיִךְ כְּחוּט הַשָּׁנִי)—the comparison to scarlet thread celebrates the lips' vibrant color and delicate beauty. Scarlet dye, derived from insects, was expensive and prized, symbolizing royalty and value. <strong>And thy speech is comely</strong> (umidbarekh naveh, וּמִדְבָּרֵיךְ נָאוֶה) affirms not jus...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Speech.**—Rather, *mouth, *as the parallelism shows. **Thy temples **. . .—Rather, *like a piece of pomegranate thy cheeks behind thy veil. *(See Note to Song of Solomon 4:1.) “The pomegranate brings to my mind the blushes of my beloved, when her cheeks are covered with a modest resentment” (Persian Ode, quoted by Ginsburg from Sir Wm. Jones). For the pomegranate see Exodus 28:34. It natural...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16. (Compare Pr 17:8, 23). Disapproval of the fact stated is implied.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury</strong> (ketsamiyakh kemigdal david banui letalpiyot, כְּצַמִּיָיָךְ כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת)—this striking comparison celebrates strength, dignity, and noble bearing. The tower built "for an armoury" (talpiyot, תַּלְפִּיּוֹת) may mean "for weapons" or "in courses/rows"—architectural terminology suggesting impre...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Tower of David.**—This is not likely to be identified, when even the towers of Phasaelus and Hippicus, minutely described by Josephus, cannot be found. The structure at the north-west angle, known since the Crusades as the “Tower of David,” is Herodian. No clue would be given by the words in the text, “builded for an armoury,” even were it certain that this is their right rendering. The LXX....
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

17. One-sided statements are not reliable. **searcheth--**thoroughly (Pr 17:9, 19).

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies</strong> (shney shadayikh kishnsey apharim te'omey tseviyah haro'im bashoshipim, שְׁנֵי שָׁדַיִךְ כִּשְׁנֵי עֲפָרִים תְּאוֹמֵי צְבִיָּה הָרוֹעִים בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים)—this comparison to twin fawns celebrates symmetry, grace, and natural beauty. Young roes (apharim, עֲפָרִים, young deer) are gentle, beautiful, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18. The lot--**whose disposal is of God (Pr 16:13), may, properly used, be a right mode of settling disputes.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. break: Heb. breathe

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Until the day break, and the shadows flee away</strong> (ad sheyaphach hayom venasu hatsilalim, עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים)—this phrase suggests the dawning of day when darkness dissipates. The beloved anticipates the time of full revelation and consummation. <strong>I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense</strong> (elekh li el har hamor ve'...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Until the day break**.—See Note, Song of Solomon 2:17. *Until the day breathe = when evening is come. *Commentators have tried to identify the *mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense, *but these only carry on the thought of Song of Solomon 4:5 under another figure. We have come to another break in the poem, the end of another day, and, as before, though the metaphor is changed, the curta...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. No feuds so difficult of adjustment as those of relatives; hence great care should be used to avoid them.

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.</strong> This verse presents one of Scripture's most extravagant declarations of covenantal perfection. The bridegroom's pronouncement <em>kullakh yaphah</em> (כֻּלָּךְ יָפָה, "all of you is beautiful") employs the totality word <em>kol</em>—not partially but completely fair. The phrase <strong>there is no spot in thee</strong> (וּמוּם ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. (Compare Pr 12:14; 13:2). Men's words are the fruit, or, increase of his lips, and when good, benefit them. **satisfied with--**(Compare Pr 1:31; 14:14).

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon</strong> (iti miLevanon kalah iti miLevanon tavo'i, אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי)—the bridegroom calls his bride away from distant, dangerous places. Lebanon's mountains were known for beauty but also danger. The doubled "with me" (iti, אִתִּי) emphasizes intimate companionship and protective presence. Th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **Come with me**.—Better, *to me. *LXX., *hither*; so Vulg. and Luther, reading *athî, *imperative of *athah, *instead of *ittî =* *with me, *or more properly, *as regards me. *The reading involved only a difference of vowel points, and is to be preferred. We have here another reminiscence of the obstacles which had attended the union of the pair under another figure. The course of true love, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**21. Death and life--**or, the greatest evil and good. **that love it--**that is, the tongue, or its use for good or evil. **eat ... fruit--**(Compare Pr 18:19; Jas 1:19).

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. ravished: or, taken away

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.</strong> The Hebrew <em>libbabhtini</em> (לִבַּבְתִּנִי, "thou hast ravished my heart") comes from <em>lev</em> (לֵב, heart) in intensive verbal form—literally "you have hearted me" or "you have given me heart/courage." The KJV's "ravished" captures the sense o...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Ravished.**—Marg., *taken away, *whereas many (including Herder, Ewald, &c) give an exactly opposite sense: “thou hast given me heart, emboldened me.” The literal, “thou hast *hearted *(*libabtinî*) me,” if we can so say, may mean either; the language of love would approve either *stolen my heart *or *given me thine. *But the reference to “chain”—*anak *(a form occurring also in Judges 8:26;...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

22. The old versions supply "good" before the "wife," as the last clause and Pr 19:14 imply (compare Pr 31:10).

How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse</strong> (mah yafu dodayikh achoti kalah, מַה־יָּפוּ דֹדַיִךְ אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה)—the exclamation "how fair" expresses wonder and delight. The term dodayikh (דֹדַיִךְ, your love/lovemaking) celebrates both emotional affection and physical intimacy. The dual address "my sister, my spouse" (achoti kalah, אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה) combines familial intimacy with c...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**23. the rich ... roughly--**He is tolerated because rich, implying that the estimate of men by wealth is wrong.

Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb</strong> (nopheth titopha siphteykha kalah, נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַיִךְ כַּלָּה)—the image of lips dripping honeycomb celebrates the bride's words as supremely sweet and desirable. Nopheth (נֹפֶת) refers to fresh honey dripping from the comb, the purest and sweetest honey. The bride's speech brings pleasure, nourishment, and delight.<br><br...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. A man ... friendly--**better, "A man ... (is) to, or, may triumph (Psa 108:9), or, shout for joy (Psa 5:11), that is, may congratulate himself." Indeed, there is a Friend who is better than a brother; such is the "Friend of sinners" [Mt 11:19; Lu 7:34], who may have been before the writer's mind.

The Bride Is a Garden Locked

A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. inclosed: Heb. barred shut up: Heb. barred

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.</strong> The bridegroom celebrates the bride's exclusive devotion through three parallel images of enclosure and protection. The Hebrew <em>gan na'ul</em> (גַּן נָעוּל, "garden locked") employs <em>na'al</em>, meaning locked, barred, or secured. This is no public park but private sanctuary, accessible only to t...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **A** **garden inclosed.**—Comp. with this passage Song of Solomon 4:12-15; Proverbs 5:15; Proverbs 5:21. The closed or walled garden and the sealed fountain appear to have been established metaphors for the pure and chaste wife. For the latter, at least, there is not only the above passage in Proverbs, but a prayer still in use in Jewish marriages: “Suffer not a stranger to enter into the se...
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Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, camphire: or, cypress

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits</strong> (shelachaykh pardes rimonim im peri megadim, שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים עִם פְּרִי מְגָדִים)—the term shelachaykh (שְׁלָחַיִךְ, your plants/shoots/channels) likely refers to the bride's body or her productive life. The metaphor of an orchard (pardes, פַּרְדֵּס—from which we get "paradise") celebrates abundance, ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Thy plants.**—Some have thought the offspring of the marriage intended here; but the poet is plainly, by a new adaptation of the language of flowers, describing the charms of the person of his beloved. **Orchard.**—Heb. *pardes*; LXX. παράδεισος; found only elsewhere in Nehemiah 2:8 (where see Note), Ecclesiastes 2:5. *The pomegranate *was perhaps an emblem of love, having been held sacred ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 19 Pr 19:1-29. 1. (Compare Pr 28:6). "Rich" for fool here. Integrity is better than riches (Pr 15:16, 17; 16:8).

Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices</strong> (nerd vekarkom qaneh veqinamon im kol atsey levonah mor va'ahalot im kol roshey vesamim, נֵרְדְּ וְכַרְכֹּם קָנֶה וְקִנָּמוֹן עִם כָּל־עֲצֵי לְבוֹנָה מֹר וַאֲהָלוֹת עִם כָּל־רָאשֵׁי בְשָׂמִים)—this remarkable catalog lists expensive imported spices from across th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **Spikenard.**—See Note, Song of Solomon 1:12. *Saffron; *Heb. *carchom*; only here. The Arabic name is still *kûrkûm =* *Crocus sativus, *a well-known bulb of the order *Iridaceœ. *The pistil and stigma. dried, form the saffron. **Calamus.**—Heb. *kâneh. *(Comp. *kâneh bosem = *sweet calamus, Exodus 30:23; *k. hottôv—*sweet cane, Jeremiah 6:20.) There are many sweet grasses in India and the ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. The last illustrates the first clause. Rashness, the result of ignorance, brings trouble.

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.</strong> The bridegroom continues praising his bride, now using water imagery. The Hebrew <em>ma'yan gannim be'er mayim chayim venozelim min-Levanon</em> (מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים וְנֹזְלִים מִן־לְבָנוֹן) employs three parallel metaphors emphasizing abundance, purity, and life-giving power. <em>Ma'yan</e...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. perverteth ... way--**turns him back from right (Pr 13:6; Jas 1:13); and he blames God for his failures.

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.</strong> The bride responds to her beloved's praise (4:12-15) with invitation. The Hebrew <em>uri tsafon uvo'i teiman hafichi ganni yizelu vesamav yavo dodi legano veyokhal peri megadav</em> (עוּרִי צָפוֹן וּבוֹאִי תֵימָן הָ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Blow upon my garden.**—After the description of his beloved’s charms under these figures, the poet, under a companion figure, invokes the “airs of love” to blow upon the garden, that its perfumes may “flow out” for him—that the object of his affections may no longer keep herself reserved and denied to him. Tennyson’s melodious lines are recalled which describe how, when a breeze of morning ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. (Compare Pr 14:20). Such facts are often adduced with implied disapprobation.

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