Song of Solomon 4:2-12

2 Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.
3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely; As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armoury: A thousand bucklers hang thereon, All shields of mighty men.
5 Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
7 Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.
8 [Come] with me, from Lebanon, [my] spouse, With me from Lebanon, -- Come, look from the top of Amanah, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.
9 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.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!
11 Thy lips, [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.
12 A garden enclosed is my sister, [my] spouse; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Song of Solomon 4:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 4

In this chapter is contained a large commendation of the church's beauty by Christ; first, more particularly, by an enumeration of several parts, as her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, temples, neck, and breasts, So 4:1-5; and more generally, So 4:7; And having observed where he himself was determined to go, he invites her to go with him; which he enforces, partly from the danger she was exposed unto where she was So 4:6,8; and partly from the comeliness of her person and graces in his esteem; with which he was ravished, and therefore was extremely desirous of her company, So 4:9-11; And then enters into some new descriptions of her; as a garden and orchard, as a spring and fountain, So 4:12-14; all which she makes to be owing to him, So 4:15; And the chapter is closed with an order from Christ to the winds to blow on his garden, and cause the spices of it to flow out; and with an invitation of the church to Christ, to come into his garden, and relax there, So 4:16.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or 'cheeks;' and so ch. 6.7.
  • [b]. * Said to mean 'firmness' or 'constancy.'
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.