7:5 like Carmel. There are two places with this name in the Old Testament. One is in the relatively arid south, in the hills west of the Dead Sea (1 Sam. 15:12). The other is the famous mountain where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal (1 Kin. 18), in the lush north. This is probably the one used here as a favorable comparison. Mount Carmel is on the Mediterranean coast, due west of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee).

a king. The man fancies himself a king, enchanted by the beauty of his princess (v. 1; cf. 1:4, 12; 6:12).