Song of Songs 4: Summary and Commentary

Verse 1

4:1–5:1 The consummation of the marriage is now expressed. • This poem is the first “descriptive poem” in the book (see also 5:10-16; 6:4-6; 7:2-8). Scholars commonly refer to these poems by the Arabic term wasf (“description”); these poems are similar in form to songs sung at modern Arabic weddings. These sensuous poems are preludes to sexual intimacy. In their descriptions of physical beauty, they often move—as this one does—from the head downward.

4:1 my darling (literally companion): The man is about to consummate his love with the one who is his friend as well as lover (see also 4:7). • like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead: Middle Eastern goats are very dark, if not black. The woman’s hair flows over and down her lighter veil.

Verse 2

4:2 Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin: Her teeth are matched on both sides, with none missing. In an age when dental care was not what it is today, a woman with all her teeth was quite a prize!

Verse 3

4:3 Pomegranates have a rosy appearance and are one of the lushest Middle Eastern fruits.

Verse 4

4:4 A slender neck held high is a sign of confidence and dignity as well as beauty. The tower of David is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.

Verse 5

4:5 Your breasts are like two fawns . . . grazing among the lilies: The comparison can be seen in terms of physical softness, firmness, beauty, and roundness.

Verse 6

4:6 After mention of the breasts in the previous verse, the man’s exclamation that he wants to hurry to the mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense is easily understood as his desire to be intimately close to this beautiful woman.

Verse 8

4:8 Mount Amana, Senir, and Hermon are the three northernmost peaks in Israel and the highest point on the border with Lebanon. They represent the height of the couple’s ecstasy, from which they must at times descend.

Verse 9

4:9 my treasure (literally my sister): The man calls the woman his sister to emphasize their relationship as loving companions and his role as her protector. This sounds strange to modern ears, but it does not suggest an incestuous relationship. Ancient Near Eastern love poetry often uses the language of brother and sister to refer to two people in love.

Verse 10

4:10-11 wine . . . nectar . . . honey . . . milk: The woman is compared with much that is smooth, sweet, and sensuous. Her love and their kissing within the lavish fragrance around them is nearing the ultimate delight for this bridegroom.

Verse 12

4:12 private garden . . . secluded spring . . . hidden fountain (literally locked garden . . . locked spring . . . sealed fountain): This affirmation of her purity and virginity accentuates his exclusive and privileged position (see Prov 5:15 for similar imagery). The images of spring and fountain evoke thoughts of the most intimate parts of a woman’s body.

Verse 13

4:13-14 The man’s description of his lover now focuses on the most exquisite place of delight between her thighs.

Verse 16

4:16 Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits: Finally, the woman invites the man to enter her and experience her now-unlocked body in all its sensual perfection. • The man had poetically affirmed the woman’s chastity (4:12). However, she is totally and exclusively committed to him, so she reveals her treasures and invites him into the garden.