Regal Portrait of the Bride and Daughters' Praise
Song 6:4-9
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Son.6.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יפה: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- רעיתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1
- כתרצה: PREP+PROPN,f,sg
- נאוה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- כירושלם: PREP+PROPN,f,sg
- אימה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כנדגלות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 4:1 (verbal): Directly echoes the vocative praise of the beloved's beauty ('Behold, thou art fair, my love'), a similar verbal formula of admiring the woman's appearance.
- Song of Solomon 6:10 (thematic): Same chapter continues exalted praise of the woman's appearance using radiant imagery ('fair as the moon, clear as the sun'), paralleling the celebration of her beauty and majesty.
- Psalm 48:2 (allusion): Describes Jerusalem as 'beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth,' paralleling the simile in 6:4 that likens the beloved's beauty to Jerusalem.
- Psalm 45:13–14 (thematic): A royal nuptial song that extols the bride's splendor and garments ('The king's daughter is all glorious within'), paralleling Song 6:4's bridal/royal imagery and exalted depiction of the beloved.
Alternative generated candidates
- You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah; comely as Jerusalem; awe‑inspiring as an army with banners.
- You are beautiful, my beloved, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awe-inspiring as an army with banners.
Son.6.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הסבי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- מנגדי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff
- שהם: PRON,rel,3,pl,m
- הרהיבני: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,pl
- שערך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss2f
- כעדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העזים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- שגלשו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- הגלעד: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 4:1 (verbal): Uses the same distinctive simile—'your hair is like a flock of goats that graze on Gilead'—a near‑verbatim parallel image of the beloved's hair.
- Song of Solomon 7:5 (quotation): A close recasting of 6:5's language (turning the eyes away / the overpowering beauty of the beloved and the comparison of her hair to goats from Gilead), reflecting internal repetition and variation within the Song.
- Song of Solomon 1:6 (thematic): Also treats the theme of gaze and modesty—'do not gaze upon me'—paralleling 6:5's plea to avert the eyes because the beloved's attractiveness overwhelms the speaker.
- 1 Corinthians 11:15 (thematic): Although in a different context, Paul's reflection that a woman's long hair is her glory resonates with the Song's portrayal of hair as a primary sign of feminine beauty and social/sexual allure.
Alternative generated candidates
- Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overwhelmed me. Your hair is like a flock of goats that have descended from Gilead.
- Turn your eyes away from me—for they have overwhelmed me; your hair is like a flock of goats that descend from Gilead.
Son.6.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שניך: NOUN,f,du,abs
- כעדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרחלים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- שעלו: REL+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- הרחצה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שכלם: REL+PRON,3,pl
- מתאימות: VERB,qal,ptcp,3,f,pl
- ושכלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 4:2 (verbal): Almost identical simile: the beloved’s teeth compared to a flock of ewes coming up from the washing—same wording and image emphasizing whiteness, regularity, and completeness.
- Song of Solomon 4:1-7 (structural): The broader descriptive stanza that includes 4:2; parallels the same catalogue of bodily metaphors (hair, eyes, cheeks, lips, teeth) and the genre of erotic praise-epithet used throughout the book.
- Song of Solomon 7:1-9 (thematic): Another extended portrait of the beloved using animal and natural imagery to praise physical features; echoes the same trope of comparing parts of the body to flocks, gardens, and precious things.
- Psalm 45:11-14 (thematic): Royal-bride imagery that, like Song 6:6, uses sumptuous and figurative language to celebrate female beauty and adornment—parallel in function (praise through lavish metaphor) though different motifs (garments/jewels rather than flocks).
Alternative generated candidates
- Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing—each one bears twins; not one among them is bereaved.
- Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the wash; all of them are twins, and not one is bereft.
Son.6.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כפלח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרמון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רקתך: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:2ms
- מבעד: PREP
- לצמתך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss2f
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 7:5 (verbal): A near-identical image within the Song — the beloved’s temples (or brow) compared to a slice/section of pomegranate amid her braids; an internal verbal parallel reinforcing the same sensual/ornamental motif.
- Exodus 28:33-34 (allusion): Pomegranates used as decorative motifs on the hem of the priestly robe (alternating with bells); parallels the use of the pomegranate as an ornamental symbol of beauty and festal adornment.
- 1 Kings 7:18, 42 (thematic): Descriptions of pomegranates as architectural ornament on Solomon’s temple/pillars and capitals; echoes the pomegranate as a prominent decorative and symbolic motif in sacred/royal contexts.
- Deuteronomy 8:8 (thematic): Pomegranates listed among the fertility and bounty of the Promised Land; supports reading the pomegranate image in the Song as a symbol of fruitfulness, abundance, and sexual/nuptial vitality.
- Numbers 13:23 (thematic): The spies bring back pomegranates as part of the fruit of Canaan (Eshcol); connects the pomegranate to concrete images of fertility and desirability that underlie the Song’s sensual praise.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your nape behind your braids is like a slice of pomegranate.
- Like a slice of pomegranate are your temples through your braids.
Son.6.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ששים: NUM,card
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- מלכות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושמנים: CONJ+NUM,card,m,pl
- פילגשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ועלמות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- מספר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 11:3 (verbal): Gives a comparable royal tally of spouses—Solomon's many wives and concubines—echoing the numerical abundance of queens and concubines in Song 6:8.
- Song of Songs 6:9 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel/contrast within the same poem: after listing many queens and concubines, the speaker singles out his unique beloved, underscoring exclusivity amid plurality.
- Psalm 45:9-10 (thematic): Royal bridal imagery (queens, honorable women, the king's bride) parallels the courtly/royal setting and nuptial language of Song 6:8.
- Ezekiel 16:32-34 (thematic): Uses the motif of many lovers/concubines and sexual unfaithfulness as an image of Israel's promiscuity—thematically related to the depiction of numerous consorts in Song 6:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- Sixty are queens, eighty are concubines, and maidens beyond number.
- Sixty are queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens beyond number.
Son.6.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אחת: NUM,f,sg
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- יונתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- תמתי: ADJ,f,sg,abs+1,sg
- אחת: NUM,f,sg
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- לאמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ברה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- ליולדתה: PREP+PTCP,qal,ptc,f,sg+3fs
- ראוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl,obj=3fs
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויאשרוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl,obj=3fs
- מלכות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ופילגשים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויהללוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl,obj=3fs
Parallels
- Song of Solomon 5:16 (verbal): Close verbal and structural parallel: both verses present the beloved to the daughters of Jerusalem with superlative language ('this is my beloved… O daughters of Jerusalem'), emphasizing uniqueness and praise.
- Song of Solomon 4:7 (verbal): Uses the same idea of flawless/completely lovely (׳תמתי׳ / 'altogether lovely' or 'no defect'), praising the beloved's perfection.
- Song of Solomon 2:14 (thematic): Continues the dove imagery for the beloved ('my dove') and intimate pastoral motifs that identify and celebrate her distinctiveness and beauty.
- Proverbs 31:29 (thematic): Similar theme of singular excellence among women: 'Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all,' echoing the depiction of the beloved as uniquely praised by the daughters.
- Psalm 45:13-15 (allusion): Royal bridal imagery resonates with 6:9's scene of public acclaim—daughters, queens and concubines admiring and praising the bride—reflecting the courtly wedding-poem tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- One is my dove, my perfect one; one is she—her mother's only, the choice of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed; queens and concubines praised and extolled her.
- One is my dove, my perfect one; she is the only one of her mother, the darling of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed; queens and concubines praised her.
You are beautiful, my beloved—comely as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awe-inspiring as an army with banners.
Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me; your hair is like a flock of goats that have come down from Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing—each pair matched, not one lacking.
Your temples are like halves of a pomegranate, shown through your braids.
Sixty are queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens beyond number. But one alone is my dove, my perfect one; she is the only one of her mother, the darling of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and acclaimed her; the queens and concubines praised and extolled her.