Song of Songs 4 (MSG)

1Chapter

¹The Song—best of all songs—Solomon’s song!

The Woman

^2-3Kiss me—full on the mouth! Yes! For your love is better than wine, headier than your aromatic oils. The syllables of your name murmur like a meadow brook. No wonder everyone loves to say your name!
⁴Take me away with you! Let’s run off together! An elopement with my King-Lover! We’ll celebrate, we’ll sing, we’ll make great music. Yes! For your love is better than vintage wine. Everyone loves you—of course! And why not?
^5-6I am weathered but still elegant, oh, dear sisters in Jerusalem, Weather-darkened like Kedar desert tents, time-softened like Solomon’s Temple hangings. Don’t look down on me because I’m dark, darkened by the sun’s harsh rays. My brothers ridiculed me and sent me to work in the fields. They made me care for the face of the earth, but I had no time to care for my own face.
⁷Tell me where you’re working —I love you so much— Tell me where you’re tending your flocks, where you let them rest at noontime. Why should I be the one left out, outside the orbit of your tender care?

The Man

⁸If you can’t find me, loveliest of all women, it’s all right. Stay with your flocks. Lead your lambs to good pasture. Stay with your shepherd neighbors.
^9-11You remind me of Pharaoh’s well-groomed and satiny mares. Pendant earrings line the elegance of your cheeks; strands of jewels illumine the curve of your throat. I’m making jewelry for you, gold and silver jewelry that will mark and accent your beauty.

The Woman

^12-14When my King-Lover lay down beside me, my fragrance filled the room. His head resting between my breasts— the head of my lover was a sachet of sweet myrrh. My beloved is a bouquet of wildflowers picked just for me from the fields of En Gedi.

The Man

¹⁵Oh, my dear friend! You’re so beautiful! And your eyes so beautiful—like doves!

The Woman

^16-17And you, my dear lover—you’re so handsome! And the bed we share is like a forest glen. We enjoy a canopy of cedars enclosed by cypresses, fragrant and green.

2Chapter

¹I’m just a wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon, a lotus blossom from the valley pools.

The Man

²A lotus blossoming in a swamp of weeds— that’s my dear friend among the girls in the village.

The Woman

^3-4As an apricot tree stands out in the forest, my lover stands above the young men in town. All I want is to sit in his shade, to taste and savor his delicious love. He took me home with him for a festive meal, but his eyes feasted on me!
^5-6Oh! Give me something refreshing to eat—and quickly! Apricots, raisins—anything. I’m about to faint with love! His left hand cradles my head, and his right arm encircles my waist!
⁷Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.
^8-14Look! Listen! There’s my lover! Do you see him coming? Vaulting the mountains, leaping the hills. My lover is like a gazelle, graceful; like a young stag, virile. Look at him there, on tiptoe at the gate, all ears, all eyes—ready! My lover has arrived and he’s speaking to me!

The Man

^8-14Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Look around you: Winter is over; the winter rains are over, gone! Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world’s a choir—and singing! Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet strains. Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed, and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms. Oh, get up, dear friend, my fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Come, my shy and modest dove— leave your seclusion, come out in the open. Let me see your face, let me hear your voice. For your voice is soothing and your face is ravishing.
¹⁰Get up, my dear friend,

The Woman

¹⁵Then you must protect me from the foxes, foxes on the prowl, Foxes who would like nothing better than to get into our flowering garden.
^16-17Turn to me, dear lover. Come like a gazelle. Leap like a wild stag on delectable mountains!

3Chapter

^1-4Restless in bed and sleepless through the night, I longed for my lover. I wanted him desperately. His absence was painful. So I got up, went out and roved the city, hunting through streets and down alleys. I wanted my lover in the worst way! I looked high and low, and didn’t find him. And then the night watchmen found me as they patrolled the darkened city. “Have you seen my dear lost love?” I asked. No sooner had I left them than I found him, found my dear lost love. I threw my arms around him and held him tight, wouldn’t let him go until I had him home again, safe at home beside the fire.
⁵Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.
^6-10What’s this I see, approaching from the desert, raising clouds of dust, Filling the air with sweet smells and pungent aromatics? Look! It’s Solomon’s carriage, carried and guarded by sixty soldiers, sixty of Israel’s finest, All of them armed to the teeth, trained for battle, ready for anything, anytime. King Solomon once had a carriage built from fine-grained Lebanon cedar. He had it framed with silver and roofed with gold. The cushions were covered with a purple fabric, the interior lined with tooled leather.
¹¹Come and look, sisters in Jerusalem. Oh, sisters of Zion, don’t miss this! My King-Lover, dressed and garlanded for his wedding, his heart full, bursting with joy!

4Chapter

The Man

^1-5You’re so beautiful, my darling, so beautiful, and your dove eyes are veiled By your hair as it flows and shimmers, like a flock of goats in the distance streaming down a hillside in the sunshine. Your smile is generous and full— expressive and strong and clean. Your lips are jewel red, your mouth elegant and inviting, your veiled cheeks soft and radiant. The smooth, lithe lines of your neck command notice—all heads turn in awe and admiration! Your breasts are like fawns, twins of a gazelle, grazing among the first spring flowers.
^6-7The sweet, fragrant curves of your body, the soft, spiced contours of your flesh Invite me, and I come. I stay until dawn breathes its light and night slips away. You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.
^8-15Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. Leave Lebanon behind, and come. Leave your high mountain hideaway. Abandon your wilderness seclusion, Where you keep company with lions and panthers guard your safety. You’ve captured my heart, dear friend. You looked at me, and I fell in love. One look my way and I was hopelessly in love! How beautiful your love, dear, dear friend— far more pleasing than a fine, rare wine, your fragrance more exotic than select spices. The kisses of your lips are honey, my love, every syllable you speak a delicacy to savor. Your clothes smell like the wild outdoors, the fresh scent of high mountains. Dear lover and friend, you’re a secret garden, a private and pure fountain. Body and soul, you are paradise, a whole orchard of succulent fruits— Ripe apricots and peaches, oranges and pears; Nut trees and cinnamon, and all scented woods; Mint and lavender, and all herbs aromatic; A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing, fed by spring waters from the Lebanon mountains.

The Woman

¹⁶Oh, let my lover enter his garden! Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits.

5Chapter

The Man

¹Celebrate with me, friends! Raise your glasses—“To life! To love!”

The Woman

²I was sound asleep, but in my dreams I was wide awake. Oh, listen! It’s the sound of my lover knocking, calling!

The Man

²“Let me in, dear companion, dearest friend, my dove, consummate lover! I’m soaked with the dampness of the night, drenched with dew, shivering and cold.”

The Woman

³“But I’m in my nightgown—do you expect me to get dressed? I’m bathed and in bed—do you want me to get dirty?”
^4-7But my lover wouldn’t take no for an answer, and the longer he knocked, the more excited I became. I got up to open the door to my lover, sweetly ready to receive him, Desiring and expectant as I turned the door handle. But when I opened the door he was gone. My loved one had tired of waiting and left. And I died inside—oh, I felt so bad! I ran out looking for him But he was nowhere to be found. I called into the darkness—but no answer. The night watchmen found me as they patrolled the streets of the city. They slapped and beat and bruised me, ripping off my clothes, These watchmen, who were supposed to be guarding the city.
⁸I beg you, sisters in Jerusalem— if you find my lover, Please tell him I want him, that I’m heartsick with love for him.

The Chorus

⁹What’s so great about your lover, fair lady? What’s so special about him that you beg for our help?

The Woman

^10-16That’s my lover, that’s my man, dear Jerusalem sisters.

6Chapter

The Chorus

¹So where has this love of yours gone, fair one? Where on earth can he be? Can we help you look for him?

The Woman

^2-3Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden, to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms. I am my lover’s and my lover is mine. He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers.

The Man

^4-7Dear, dear friend and lover, you’re as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights, Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams, the ravishing visions of my ecstasy. Your beauty is too much for me—I’m in over my head. I’m not used to this! I can’t take it in. Your hair flows and shimmers like a flock of goats in the distance streaming down a hillside in the sunshine. Your smile is generous and full— expressive and strong and clean. Your veiled cheeks are soft and radiant.
^8-9There’s no one like her on earth, never has been, never will be. She’s a woman beyond compare. My dove is perfection, Pure and innocent as the day she was born, and cradled in joy by her mother. Everyone who came by to see her exclaimed and admired her— All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends, blessed and praised her:
¹⁰“Has anyone ever seen anything like this— dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant, ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars?”
^11-12One day I went strolling through the orchard, looking for signs of spring, Looking for buds about to burst into flower, anticipating readiness, ripeness. Before I knew it my heart was raptured, carried away by lofty thoughts!
¹³Dance, dance, dear Shulammite, Angel-Princess! Dance, and we’ll feast our eyes on your grace! Everyone wants to see the Shulammite dance her victory dances of love and peace.

7Chapter

^1-12Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet, and queenly your movement— Your limbs are lithe and elegant, the work of a master artist. Your body is a chalice, wine-filled. Your skin is silken and tawny like a field of wheat touched by the breeze. Your breasts are like fawns, twins of a gazelle. Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender. Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery. Quintessentially feminine! Your profile turns all heads, commanding attention. The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges —stirrings of desire, longings for the heights— Remind me of you, and I’m spoiled for anyone else! Your beauty, within and without, is absolute, dear lover, close companion. You are tall and supple, like the palm tree, and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates. I say, “I’m going to climb that palm tree! I’m going to caress its fruit!” Oh yes! Your breasts will be clusters of sweet fruit to me, Your breath clean and cool like fresh mint, your tongue and lips like the best wine.

The Woman

^1-12Yes, and yours are, too—my love’s kisses flow from his lips to mine. I am my lover’s. I’m all he wants. I’m all the world to him! Come, dear lover— let’s tramp through the countryside. Let’s sleep at some wayside inn, then rise early and listen to bird-song. Let’s look for wildflowers in bloom, blackberry bushes blossoming white, Fruit trees adorned with cascading flowers. And there I’ll give myself to you, my love to your love!
⁹Yes, and yours are, too—my love’s kisses ¹³Love-apples drench us with fragrance, fertility surrounds, suffuses us, Fruits fresh and preserved that I’ve kept and saved just for you, my love.

8Chapter

^1-2I wish you’d been my twin brother, sharing with me the breasts of my mother, Playing outside in the street, kissing in plain view of everyone, and no one thinking anything of it. I’d take you by the hand and bring you home where I was raised by my mother. You’d drink my wine and kiss my cheeks.
^3-4Imagine! His left hand cradling my head, his right arm around my waist! Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.

The Chorus

⁵Who is this I see coming up from the country, arm in arm with her lover?

The Man

⁵I found you under the apricot tree, and woke you up to love. Your mother went into labor under that tree, and under that very tree she bore you.

The Woman

^6-9“Our little sister has no breasts. What shall we do with our little sister when men come asking for her? She’s a virgin and vulnerable, and we’ll protect her. If they think she’s a wall, we’ll top it with barbed wire. If they think she’s a door, we’ll barricade it.”
⁸“Our little sister has no breasts. ¹⁰Dear brothers, I’m a walled-in virgin still, but my breasts are full— And when my lover sees me, he knows he’ll soon be satisfied.

The Man

^11-12King Solomon may have vast vineyards in lush, fertile country, Where he hires others to work the ground. People pay anything to get in on that bounty. But my vineyard is all mine, and I’m keeping it to myself. You can have your vast vineyards, Solomon, you and your greedy guests!
¹³Oh, lady of the gardens, my friends are with me listening. Let me hear your voice!

The Woman

¹⁴Run to me, dear lover. Come like a gazelle. Leap like a wild stag on the spice mountains.

Study

Chapter 4

CSB

If this word-picture of the bride’s beauty is taken as a visual image, the effect is grotesque—hair like goats’ hair, teeth like shorn sheep, lips like string or rope, brow (or cheek) like sliced fruit, neck like a tower strung with shields, breasts like immature gazelles. But Hebrew word-pictures are not static photographic images; they attempt to convey the impression of dynamism, or strength and movement, in what is being described. It was the rich flow of the bride’s hair that the poet compared to a flock of goats streaming down the pastures of prosperous Gilead. The uniformity and cleanliness of her teeth and the richness of her lips were what those images sought to convey. The symmetry and smoothness of pomegranate halves made a fitting analogy for the bride’s cheeks; the pomegranate was used to decorate the robes of the high priest (Ex 28:33-34) and the capitals of the temple’s pillars (1Kg 7:18-20). The bride wore an elaborate necklace that reminded the poet of the shields hung on the battlements of Jerusalem—a symbol of her pride and strength of character, and perhaps of her inviolable virginity. Her breasts were not obtrusive, but shyly hid themselves like fawns feeding under the watchful eye of their mother.

ESV

The first part of v. 1 is repeated in v. 7, creating a literary envelope for a section that describes the woman’s physical beauty, starting at the eyes and working systematically downward. Although the metaphors are vivid, they are somewhat obscure to those who do not share the author’s culture, and one must be careful not to press them too far. Nevertheless, they should still cause an emotional response in the reader.

ESV

Gilead is the area surrounding the Jabbok River, which flows into the lower half of the Jordan River from the east.

ESV

twins … not one … has lost its young. All her teeth are present (a not-so-common occurrence in the ancient world) and attractively matched within her mouth.

ESV

Pomegranate is a fruit with an orange-red leathery skin and deep pink succulent fleshy sacks with a subtle taste that is refreshing in the heat of summer. The metaphor is picking up on the beautiful color of either the skin or the flesh of this fruit.

ESV

The Tower of David is unmentioned outside of the Song of Solomon and little is known about it. The association with David, however, heightens the sense of dignity already implicit in the image of a tower. Dignity, rather than the physical attributes of the tower, probably provides the point of comparison.

CSB

The explicit reference to “breasts” prompted early interpreters to treat the term as symbolic. The Targum (Aramaic translation and explanation of the OT) correlated two breasts with two messiahs, or with Moses and Aaron. Historically, Christian interpreters offered a variety of explanations. Some argued that the two breasts referred to the two Testaments, spiritually nourishing the church. Another perspective correlated the breasts with the dual commands to love God and to love one another. A third view believed the breasts symbolized Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Dt 27:11-13), located north of Jerusalem, from which the Israelite tribes proclaimed the curses, or sanctions, of the covenant. It is not likely that mention of the breasts is especially intended to suggest the bride’s sexual appeal to the male, even in a literal reading; they were listed here along with other features of the bride that equally impressed the poet (Sg 4:1-7). It is only in modern times that women’s breasts have a “suggestive” connotation in Western culture. In ancient and medieval times they were symbols of their function: providing nourishment or nurture. Medieval illustrations exist, for example, of the Virgin Mary supplying milk from her breasts to the baby Jesus.

ESV

Fawns (young deer) refers to the youthful appearance of her two breasts. Gazelle probably refers to her appealingly sleek form.

ESV

This verse starts with a phrase similar to that of 2:17, indicating the man’s desire to spend time with the woman. The reference to a mountain and a hill could continue the theme of the previous verse and refer to the woman’s breasts or, alternatively, to the woman as a whole. The point is that being with her is like inhaling an intoxicating fragrance.

ESV

In the man’s eyes, this woman is without physical fault or flaw and is altogether beautiful.

ESV

Hermon (for which Senir is a synonym) is a peak in a range that starts in the extreme north of Israel near Dan and extends northward into Lebanon (and includes other peaks, such as Amana). These all represent the thought that the man is calling the woman from desolate places that have perils (cf. the references to lions and leopards). The term my bride (six times in 4:8–5:1 and nowhere else in the Song of Solomon) would seem appropriate only after the wedding; this probably indicates that this scene (4:1–5:1) also takes place in the woman’s dream, as she looks forward to what the wedding day will bring.

ESV

The heart was considered the center of one’s inner life, the place of thinking, feeling, and choosing (cf. Prov. 4:23). Sister was a common term of endearment between couples in the ancient Near East. glance of your eyes. See note on Song 6:5.

ESV

wine. See note on 1:2.

ESV

Whereas the woman’s lips and mouth were previously described in terms of beauty (v. 3), here her lips and tongue are described in terms of taste (nectar, honey, and milk, the latter two often being paired together in the Bible, as in the description of the Promised Land in Ex. 3:8). This heightens the sensuality of the man’s continued description of his beautiful bride-to-be.

CSB

Clearly, “garden” (v. 15; 5:1; 6:2) is a euphemism, a polite expression used to refer to delicate subjects. The fertility and lushness of the garden figuratively illustrates the woman’s most intimate physical characteristics. Significantly, the garden is “locked,” emphasizing chastity and therefore, inaccessibility to anyone except her husband.

ESV

A garden (more like modern parks than flowerbeds) is not only a welcoming place for lovers but is regularly associated with a woman’s sexuality in the ancient Near East. A spring or fountain reflects a similar concept (cf. Prov. 5:15–19). Notice that her garden and spring are locked, indicating that she reserves herself for her lover alone.

ESV

Her garden contains choicest fruits and spices in great array and abundance. See notes on 1:12 (nard) and 1:14 (henna).

ESV

Saffron is a kind of crocus with a purple flower, while calamus is a cane. Both can be used to produce a sweet-scented oil. Cinnamon is akin to the present-day aromatic bark, although its use was not limited to cooking (cf. Prov. 7:17, which also identifies aloes as a fragrant wood). On frankincense and myrrh, see notes on Song 1:13 and 3:6.

ESV

The garden-fountain metaphor is extended to indicate the refreshing quality of the woman’s sexuality. In Hebrew, living water refers to fresh running water, the best kind available (e.g., Lev. 14:5; Jer. 2:13; cf. John 4:10; 7:38), as opposed to ground water or water stored in a cistern.

ESV

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. The reference to the winds may reflect the man’s desire for the woman to offer an invitation to him. This is granted in the second half of the verse.