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Texts -- The Song of Songs 4:1-9 (NET)

Context
The Wedding Night: Praise of the Bride
4:1 The Lover to His Beloved: Oh , you are beautiful , my darling ! Oh , you are beautiful ! Your eyes behind your veil are like doves . Your hair is like a flock of female goats descending from Mount Gilead . 4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep coming up from the washing place; each of them has a twin , and not one of them is missing . 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread ; your mouth is lovely . Your forehead behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate . 4:4 Your neck is like the tower of David built with courses of stones ; one thousand shields are hung on it– all shields of valiant warriors . 4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns , twins of the gazelle grazing among the lilies . 4:6 Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee , I will go up to the mountain of myrrh , and to the hill of frankincense . 4:7 You are altogether beautiful , my darling ! There is no blemish in you!
The Wedding Night: Beautiful as Lebanon
4:8 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 the leopards . 4:9 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 .

Pericope

NET
  • Sos 4:1-7 -- The Wedding Night: Praise of the Bride
  • Sos 4:8-11 -- The Wedding Night: Beautiful as Lebanon

Bible Dictionary

  • Fellowship

    [nave] FELLOWSHIP. Eccl. 4:9-12; Amos 3:3 See: Fraternity; Fellowship. With God Gen. 5:22, 24; Gen. 6:9; Ex. 29:45; Ex. 33:14-17; Lev. 26:12; Isa. 57:15; Zech. 2:10; Mark 9:37; John 14:23; John 17:21, 23; 2 Cor. 6:16; 2 Cor. 13:...

  • Song

    [nave] SONG Sung at the passover, Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26. Didactic, Deut. 32. See: Psalms, Didactic. Impersonation of the church, Song 1-8. Of Moses and the Lamb, Rev. 15:3, 4. New, Psa. 33:3; 40:3. Prophetic, See: Psalms, P...

  • Personification

    [nave] PERSONIFICATION Of wisdom, Prov. 1; 2:1-9; 8; 9. possibly of the Church or Israel, Song 1-8.

  • Bridegroom

    [nave] BRIDEGROOM Ornaments of, Isa. 61:10. Exempt from military duty, Deut. 24:5. Companions of, Judg. 14:11. Joy with, Matt. 9:14; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34, 35. Parable of, Matt. 25:1-13. Song of, Song 4:7-16. Figurative E...

  • Leopard

    [isbe] LEOPARD - lep'-erd ((1) namer (Song 4:8; Isa 11:6; Jer 5:6; 13:23; Hos 13:7; Hab 1:8); compare Arabic nimr, "leopard." (2) Chaldaic nemar (Dan 7:6). (3) pardalis (Rev 13:2; Ecclesiasticus 28:23); compare nimrim Nimrim (Isa 1...
    [smith] (Heb. namer) is invariably given by the Authorized Version as the translation of the Hebrew word, which occurs in the seven following passages: (Solomon 4:8; Isaiah 11:6; Jeremiah 5:6; 13:23; Daniel 7:6; Hosea 13:7); Habb 1:8...
    [nave] LEOPARD A carnivorous animal, Song 4:8. Fierceness of, Jer. 5:6; 13:23; Hos. 13:7; Hab. 1:8. Figurative Dan. 7:6. Taming of, the triumph of the gospel, Isa. 11:6.

  • HAIR

    [isbe] HAIR - har (se`ar, sa`ar, Aramaic se`ar, and their derivatives; thrix, gen. case trichos, kome): 1. Hair Fashions: Hair was worn in different fashions by the Orientals of Biblical times, and not always in the same way among ...
    [smith] The Hebrews were fully alive to the importance of the hair as an element of personal beauty. Long hair was admired in the case of young men. (2 Samuel 14:26) In times of affliction the hair was altogether cut off. (Isaiah ...

  • Amana

    [isbe] AMANA - a-ma'-na, ('amanah): A mountain mentioned in Song 4:8 along with Lebanon, Senir and Hermon. The name probably means the "firm," or "constant." "From the top of Amana" is mistranslated by the Septuagint apo arches pis...
    [smith] (a covenant), apparently a mountain in or near Lebanon. (Solomon 4:8) It is commonly assumed that this is the mountain in which the river Abana, (2 Kings 5:12) has its source.
    [nave] AMANA, a mountain mentioned in Song 4:8.

  • Shenir

    [isbe] SHENIR - she'-ner (senir, shenir): Only found in Song 4:8 (Massoretic Text). See SENIR.
    [nave] SHENIR, called also Senir. Amorite name of Mount Hermon, Deut. 3:9; 1 Chr. 5:23; Song 4:8; Ezek. 27:5.

  • Myrrh

    [isbe] MYRRH - mur: (1) (mor or mowr; Arabic murr]): This substance is mentioned as valuable for its perfume (Ps 45:8; Prov 7:17; Song 3:6; 4:14), and as one of the constituents of the holy incense (Ex 30:23; see also Song 4:6; 5:1...
    [nave] MYRRH, a fragrant gum. A product of the land of Canaan, Song 4:6, 14; 5:1. One of the compounds in the sacred anointing oil, Ex. 30:23. Used as a perfume, Esth. 2:12; Psa. 45:8; Prov. 7:17; Song 3:6; 5:13. Brought by wise ...

  • VEIL (1)

    [isbe] VEIL (1) - val: The following words are so translated in English Versions of the Bible (sometimes the King James Version vail): (1) miTpachath, Ruth 3:15 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "ma...

  • LILY

    [isbe] LILY - lil'-i (shushan (1 Ki 7:19), shoshannah (2 Ch 4:5; Song 2:1 f; Hos 14:5); plural (Song 2:16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2 f; 7:2; Ecclesiasticus 39:14; 50:8); krinon (Mt 6:28; Lk 12:27)): The Hebrew is probably a loan word from the...
    [smith] (Heb. shushan, shoshannah). Although there is little doubt that the Hebrew word denotes some plant of the lily species, it is by no means certain what individual of this class it specially designates. The plant must have been...

  • Goat

    [isbe] GOAT - got: 1. Names: The common generic word for "goat" is `ez (compare Arabic `anz, "she-goat"; aix), used often for "she-goat" (Gen 15:9; Nu 15:27), also with gedhi, "kid," as gedhi `izzim, "kid of the goats" (Gen 38:17),...
    [nave] GOAT Designated as one of the clean animals to be eaten, Deut. 14:4, with Lev. 11:1-8. Used for food, Gen. 27:9; 1 Sam. 16:20; for the paschal feast, Ex. 12:5; 2 Chr. 35:7; as a sacrifice by Abraham, Gen. 15:9; by Gideon, J...

  • Armory

    [isbe] ARMORY - ar'-mer-i: (1) ('otsar; thesauros): A storehouse (1 Ki 7:51; Neh 10:38), but employed figuratively of the stored-up anger of Yahweh which breaks forth in judgments (Jer 50:25). (2) (nesheq): Identical with Solomon's...
    [nave] ARMORY A place for the storage of armor, Neh. 3:19; Song 4:4; Isa. 22:8; 39:2. In different parts of the kingdom, 1 Kin. 10:17; 2 Chr. 11:12. See: Jerusalem. Figurative Jer. 50:25.

  • VEIL

    [smith] With regard to the use of the veil, it is important to observe that it was by no means so general in ancient as in modern times. Much of the scrupulousness in respect of the use of the veil dates from the promulgation of the ...

  • TEMPLES

    [isbe] TEMPLES - tem'-p'lz (raqqah, "thinness," "upper cheeks"): The original signifies the thinnest part of the skull (Jdg 4:21,22; 5:26). In Song 4:3; 6:7, the bride's cheeks are likened to pomegranates because of the rich colori...

  • TOWER OF DAVID

    [isbe] TOWER OF DAVID - (Song 4:4). See JERUSALEM.

  • SPOUSE

    [isbe] SPOUSE - spouz (kallah, "bride," "daughter-in-law"): the Revised Version (British and American) gives "bride" for the King James Version "spouse" in Song 4:8 ff, and "brides" for "spouses" in Hos 4:13 f (margin "daughters-in...

  • Tower

    [nave] TOWER Of Babel, Gen. 11:1-9. Of Edar, Gen. 35:21. Of Penuel, Judg. 8:8, 9, 17. Of Shechem, Judg. 9:46, 49. Of Meah, Neh. 3:1; 12:39. Of Hananeel, Neh. 3:1; 12:39; Jer. 31:38; Zech. 14:10. Of David, Song 4:4. Of Syene,...

  • Thread

    [nave] THREAD translated as cord, line, ribbon, etc. Gen. 14:23; Josh. 2:18; Judg. 16:12; 1 Kin. 7:15; Eccl. 4:12; Song 4:3

  • WORM; SCARLET-WORM

    [isbe] WORM; SCARLET-WORM - wurm, skar'-let-wurm: (1) tola`, tole`ah, tola`ath, tola`ath, from tala`; compare Arabic tala, "to stretch the neck"; usually with shani, "bright" (of Arabic sana, "a flash of lightning"), the term tola`...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Many references to Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this book (cf. 1:4-5, 12; 3:7, 9, 11; 6:12; 7:5; 8:11-12; 1 Kings 4:33). He reigned between 971 and 931 B.C.How could Solomon, who had...
  • I. The superscription 1:1II. The courtship 1:2-3:5A. The beginning of love 1:2-111. Longing for the boyfriend 1:2-42. The girl's insecurity 1:5-83. Solomon's praise 1:9-11B. The growth of love 1:12-3:51. Mutual admiration 1:1...
  • Perhaps the outstanding characteristic of this first major section of the book is the sexual restraint that is evident during the courtship. This restraint contrasts with the sexual intimacy that characterizes the lovers afte...
  • Whereas the setting so far had been Israel, it now shifts to the Shulammite's home that was evidently in Lebanon (cf. 4:8, 15).2:8-9 The girl described her young lover coming for a visit in these verses. He was obviously eage...
  • Weddings in Israel took place before the local town elders rather than before the priests (e.g., Ruth 4:10-11). They transpired in homes rather than in the tabernacle or temple (or synagogue later). They were civil rather tha...
  • His bride's beauty ravished Solomon. His praise in verses 1 and 7 frames his description of her in verses 1-6.4:1 Women in Solomon's culture did not always wear a veil. Before their wedding they put one on and did not take it...
  • In these verses Solomon evidently praised his bride for giving herself wholly to him as he had asked.4:9 "Sister"was evidently an affectionate term for wife (cf. vv. 10, 12; 5:1-2; Tobit 7:16; 8:4, 7).4:10 Again the word tran...
  • 5:2 Again the woman dreamed (cf. 3:1-4). In her dream her husband came to her having been out of doors in the evening. His mind appears to have been on making love in view of what follows.5:3-4 However she had lost interest. ...
  • This section that provides a window into the intimate relationship of Solomon and his wife shows how their love had matured since their wedding (cf. 4:1-11).
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