Man
1 How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves. g
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead. h
2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one bearing twins,
and none has lost its young. ,i
3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord, j
and your mouth is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow is like a slice of pomegranate. k
4 Your neck is like the tower of David, l
constructed in layers.
A thousand shields are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle, m that feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee, n
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense. o
7 You are absolutely beautiful, p my darling;
there is no imperfection in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, ,q my bride; r
come with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon, s
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have captured my heart, t my sister, u my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine, v
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. w
Honey and milk x are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—
a locked garden and a sealed spring. y
13 Your branches are a paradise of pomegranates
with choicest fruits; z
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, a
with all the trees of frankincense, b
myrrh and aloes, c
with all the best spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of flowing water d
streaming from Lebanon.
Woman
16 Awaken, e north wind;
come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and spread the fragrance of its spices.
Let my love come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits. f
4:1–7. The opening phrase, “How beautiful you are, my darling” (4:1), defines 4:1–7, and the unit ends with similar wording. The veil may support the idea that a wedding is being described. It was removed in the privacy of the bridal chamber, and the guests saw her face only after she came out of the chamber. As the man here looks at his beloved through the veil, which is obviously intended to conceal, his words may relate to earlier descriptions of her as a dove in inaccessible places in the rocks (2:14). The metaphor of goats descending down a hillside suggests dark, wavy hair gently flowing over her shoulders and down her back and perhaps recalls similar scenes the two have enjoyed in the country. The man praises both the whiteness and the evenness of the woman’s teeth (4:2)—something that would have been unusual in antiquity, where modern dental practices did not exist.
4:8–11. Amana, Senir, and Hermon, mountains in the Lebanon or Anti-Lebanon range to the north of Israel, are impressive but somewhat inaccessible. They are noted for their awe-inspiring beauty but are full of danger because of the terrain and animals such as lions and leopards (4:8). The metaphor reflects the woman’s fears that make her, despite her passionate desire for her lover, reluctant to give herself fully to him. He sees her awesome beauty but recognizes that she remains inaccessible.
4:12–15. Gardens were places of relaxation and pleasure and produced an abundance of delightful sights, tastes, and smells (4:12–14). Love poetry often uses garden as a metaphor for female sexuality, as is the case here. Abundant water is necessary for a garden to flourish, and the lover describes his beloved as a garden, a spring, and a fountain (4:15). She is, though, a “locked garden” and a “sealed spring” and remains inaccessible to him (4:12). Despite his passion for her, he wants her as a willing partner in their lovemaking and awaits her invitation before enjoying the full delights of her love.
4:16. The man’s praise is interrupted by her invitation to come into her garden—which she now describes as his garden—to enjoy its delights. Genuine love is characterized by a profound respect for the other; it must be freely and graciously given and received as a gift.