The Song of Songs 5:9

The Maidens to The Beloved:

5:9 Why is your beloved better than others, ¹ 

O most beautiful of women?

Why is your beloved better than others,

that you would command us in this manner?

The Song of Songs 5:16

5:16 His mouth is very sweet; ² 

he is totally desirable. ³ 

This is my beloved!

This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!

[5:9]  ¹ tn Heb “How is your beloved [better] than [another] lover?”

[5:16]  ² tn Heb “sweetnesses.” Alternately, “very delicious.” The term מַמְתַקִּים (mamtaqqim, “sweetness”; HALOT 596 s.v. מַמְתַקִּים; BDB 609 s.v. מַמְתַקִּים) is the plural form of the noun מֹתֶק (moteq, “sweetness”). This may be an example of the plural of intensity, that is, “very sweet” (e.g., IBHS 122 §7.4.3a). The rhetorical use of the plural is indicated by the fact that מַמְתַקִּים (“sweetness”) is functioning as a predicate nominative relative to the singular subjective nominative חִכּוֹ (khikko, “his mouth”).

[5:16]  ³ tn The term מַחֲמַדִּים (makhmaddim, “desirable”) is the plural form of the noun מַחְמַד (makhmad, “desire, desirable thing, precious object”; HALOT 570 s.v. מַחְמָד 1; BDB 326 s.v. מַחְמַד). Like the plural מַמְתַקִּים (“sweetness”) in the preceding parallel line, this use of the plural is probably an example of the plural of intensity: “very desirable.”