seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Song of Songs 4
He
4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with courses of stone[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle
that browse among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling;
there is no flaw in you.
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with courses of stone[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle
that browse among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling;
there is no flaw in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.
15 You are[b] a garden fountain,
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.
15 You are[b] a garden fountain,
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
She
16 Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
a. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
b. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
Verse 2 caught my eyes first reading.... and again this morning.... "teeth like sheep"..... who ever heard of such a thing!
This is from the enduringword.com.
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep: The idea isn’t that her teeth are wooly; they are like a flock of shorn sheep that all look the same, are clean (come up from the washing), match one another (every one of which bears twins), and are complete (none is barren among them).
Your neck is like the tower of David: The idea is not that her neck was as long as a tower or proportioned like one. Rather, it speaks of the noble and strong character displayed by her neck, both literally and symbolically. In the ancient world, the neck was one part of the body thought to reflect character. A bent-over neck was a picture of humiliation. A stiff neck was a sign of stubbornness.
“The tower of David was a military fortress of the nation. The country depended upon the faithfulness and integrity of that fortress. And it must have been very reassuring to loop upon that awesome stronghold, displaying as it did all the shields of war. The people had a healthy respect for it. Therefore, when the king likens the neck of his bride to the fortress, he is paying her a great compliment. The way she carries herself reflects an integrity and character that breeds a healthy respect from all who see her.” (Glickman)
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense: Some focus on the mountain and hill imagery in this verse and believe the beloved longed for the embrace of the maiden’s breast. This is possible but doesn’t explain well the references to myrrh and frankincense. It is perhaps better to see this as a poetic reference to their seclusion, surrounded by the luxury and sensual pleasure of rich scents.
You are all fair, my love and there is no spot in you: After giving a seven-fold description of his maiden’s beauty, the beloved summarizes his observations. She was more than fair; she was all fair, and there was no spot in her.
No spot in you: “The word is used only eighteen times in the Old Testament… generally in describing the perfect sacrificial animals which were required.” (Carr)
From the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards: “In asking her to come from such fearful places, he is really asking her to bring her thoughts completely to him and leave her fears behind and perhaps to leave the lingering thoughts of home behind as well… he wished her to leave her fear and anxiety about the new life of marriage and simply come to him… So he calls her from her fears to his arms.” (Glickman)
A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed: With these three images the beloved praised the virginity of his maiden and did so immediately before receiving the gift of her virginity. Her sexuality had not been given to another; it was like an enclosedgarden, a protected spring, a fountain sealed.
Awake, O north wind, and come O south! Blow upon my garden: Here, for the first and only time in this section, the maiden speaks. First, she took the garden imagery introduced by her beloved, and thought of gentle winds releasing and carrying the fragrance of a literal garden. In this she asked both her beloved (and perhaps also her God) to release the beautiful fragrance of her preserved, protected sexuality – now ready to be yielded to her beloved.
I would not expect any commentary to suggest what I am thinking. This is supposed to be a rendition on how beautiful this young girl is to the king of Israel. Sounds more to me like he's taking a look at her..... as if she were some animal chosen for sacrifice on the alter. "teeth like sheep".... "no spot on you".... flushed cheeks..... and certified a virgin.... oh my! This girl is twelve or thirteen years old.... even tho it was acceptable in the day.... it didn't make it easy on the child involved..... if this girl were living in Southern Maryland.... she would be a sixth grader.I've been thinking about these verses during the day..... and I can't get the image of this young child being assessed by the king. The Bible even said she is blushed..... and he keep talking about drugs... myrrh and frankincense were drugs.... they relieved stress and pain.... is she drugged????
This is from Bible.org.
The challenge is still imagery. For the allegorist and the typologist, the challenge was to relate imagery to spiritual meaning. Now, it is to understand how the imagery relates to healthy romance and enduring love. There is a cultural and historical divide between the author and us. Consider these words of the bridegroom: “Your hair is like a flock of goats that have descended from Mount Gilead.” Such words will hardly melt the heart of a young maiden today, but we must assume they were precious words at the time of writing. So, picture a compact herd of goats moving down the switch-backed trails of a mountain. How might this scene look from a distance? Would they seem to move in waves and suggest hair blown by a soft wind? Okay, it might work. Try this one, “Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes which have come up from their washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost her young.” In the days before modern orthodontics, the young man or young woman would appreciate someone with a complete set (“not one has lost her young”) of straight (“all bear twins”), white (“newly shorn and washed”) teeth.
These two people are not a likely couple. Cleopatra and Solomon.... that's a likely couple. A girl from the vineyards with a shepherd.... that's a likely couple. A girl from the vineyards and the king of Israel.... not likely. On top of that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and only a handful of kids. I would say I think Solomon was just in it for the conquest and the first kiss.... or I would say that this little girl was indeed special..... but it still looks like this little girl was caught up in a sweep, just as her brothers had warned her..... and she wants to go home...... instead she is being assessed like a new goat or horse.... but that's just my opinion.