Song of Solomon 4

King James Version

4 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

²Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

³Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

⁴Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

⁵Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

⁶Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

⁷Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

⁹Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

¹⁰How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

¹¹Thy lips, O 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.

¹²A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

¹³Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

¹⁴Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

¹⁵A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

¹⁶Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

Song of Songs 4

New Catholic Bible

Chapter 4

How Beautiful You Are, My Beloved^[a]

Bridegroom:

¹How beautiful you are, my beloved;
    your beauty has achieved perfection.
Your eyes are doves^[b]
    behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    streaming down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
²Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
    that have come up from the washing.
Each one of them has a twin;
    not a single one is unpaired with the other.
³Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
    and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks behind your veil
    are like halves of a pomegranate.
⁴Your neck is like the tower of David
    built layer upon layer;
a thousand bucklers hang upon it,
    all of them shields of valiant warriors.
⁵Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    young twins of a gazelle
    that graze among the lilies.
⁶Before the dawn comes,
    and the shadows flee,
I will hasten to the mountain of myrrh
    and the hill of frankincense.
⁷You are all-beautiful, my love,
    without the slightest blemish.^[c]
⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my promised bride;^[d]
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend quickly from the heights of Amana,
    from the peaks of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
    from the mountains of leopards.
⁹You have stolen my heart,
    my sister,^[e] my bride.
You have stolen my heart with a single glance,
    with one jewel of your necklace.
¹⁰How beautiful is your love,
    my sister, my bride!
How much more delightful is your love than wine,
    and the fragrance of your perfumes than any spices.
¹¹Your lips drip with honey,^[f] my promised bride,
    milk and honey are under your tongue,
and the fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
¹²You are an enclosed garden,
    my sister, my promised bride;
you are a garden that is locked,
    a fountain that is sealed.^[g]
¹³You are like an orchard that brings forth pomegranates,
    an orchard with the choicest fruits:^[h]
¹⁴nard^[i] and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
    with all the incense-bearing trees,
myrrh and aloes
    with all the finest spices.
¹⁵You are a garden fountain,
    a well of living water,
    streams flowing down from Lebanon.

Bride:

¹⁶Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind.
Blow upon my garden
    so that its fragrance may spread abroad.
Let my beloved come to his garden
    and eat its choicest fruits.^[j]

Footnotes

Song of Songs 4:1 The bridegroom takes delight in detailing the charms of his bride. He compares her to flowers, to fruits, and to all the perfumes of the East. He ardently desires to be united with the one who has reserved herself for him. The bride, too, calls on the breath of the passion that comes to complete the loving embrace.
The comparison is a daring one but it must be made: God, too, contemplates the beauty of his people enriched with the many calls and favors that they have received on earth. Israel is the exclusive property of the Lord, and he invites her to come and encounter him on the hill of incense, i.e., at the temple of Jerusalem. Humankind is precious in the Lord’s eyes: it is still the Church called to partake in the Lord’s love, the unfailing joy of the new times, the feast of God.
Song of Songs 4:1 Doves: see note on Song 1:15. Gilead: a region across the Jordan, with extensive stock farms, whose goats were usually black.
Song of Songs 4:7 See the description of the Church in Eph 5:27. The Liturgy applies this verse to our Lady in the celebration of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
Song of Songs 4:8 Promised bride: i.e., the betrothed. Amana . . . Senir . . . Hermon: names of peaks in the Anti-Lebanon. The Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon are two mountain chains on the borders of Palestine. These far-off mountains symbolize the distance that separates the two lovers.
Song of Songs 4:9 Sister: a word of endearment that was common in the language of love of the ancient East.
Song of Songs 4:11 Your lips drip with honey: the bridegroom speaks of love (see Prov 5:3; 16:24). Milk and honey: possibly a reference to the fruitfulness of the Promised Land (see Ex 3:8).
Song of Songs 4:12 Enclosed . . . locked . . . sealed: words that indicate the bride is the bridegroom’s and faithful to him (see Prov 5:15-19).
Song of Songs 4:13 The bridegroom sings of the bride’s features that delight him, likening them to sweet-smelling plants.
Song of Songs 4:14 Nard: see note on Song 1:12. Saffron: a purple-flowered crocus used as a cooking spice. Calamus: an aromatic spice cane used in the anointing oil (see Ex 30:23-24) and in incense (see Isa 43:23-24). Cinnamon: an aromatic spice used in the anointing oil (see Ex 30:23, 25). Myrrh: see note on Song 1:13. Aloes: a fragrant resin used in perfuming nuptial robes (see Ps 48:8).
Song of Songs 4:16 The beloved invites the bridegroom to come to her.

Song of Songs 4

New International Version

He

4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil^(A) are doves.^(B)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.^(C)
²Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
    not one of them is alone.^(D)
³Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth^(E) is lovely.^(F)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.^(G)
⁴Your neck is like the tower^(H) of David,
    built with courses of stone^[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,^(I)
    all of them shields of warriors.
⁵Your breasts^(J) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle^(K)
    that browse among the lilies.^(L)
⁶Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,^(M)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh^(N)
    and to the hill of incense.
⁷You are altogether beautiful,^(O) my darling;
    there is no flaw^(P) in you.

⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,^(Q)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,^(R) the summit of Hermon,^(S)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
⁹You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;^(T)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.^(U)
¹⁰How delightful^(V) is your love^(W), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,^(X)
and the fragrance of your perfume^(Y)
    more than any spice!
¹¹Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.^(Z)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.^(AA)
¹²You are a garden^(AB) locked up, my sister, my bride;^(AC)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.^(AD)
¹³Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates^(AE)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna^(AF) and nard,
¹⁴    nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,^(AG)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh^(AH) and aloes^(AI)
    and all the finest spices.^(AJ)
¹⁵You are^[b] a garden^(AK) fountain,^(AL)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

¹⁶Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,^(AM)
    that its fragrance^(AN) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved^(AO) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.^(AP)

Footnotes

Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)

Song of Solomon 4

New King James Version

The Bridegroom Praises the Bride

The Beloved

4 Behold, ^(A)you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a ^(B)flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
²^(C)Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is ^[a]barren among them.
³Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
^(D)Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
⁴^(E)Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built ^(F)for an armory,
On which hang a thousand ^[b]bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
⁵^(G)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.

⁶^(H)Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

⁷^(I)You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir ^(J)and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.

⁹You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
¹⁰How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
^(K)How much better than wine is your love,
And the ^[c]scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
¹¹Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
^(L)Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is ^(M)like the fragrance of Lebanon.

¹²A garden ^[d]enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
¹³Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
¹⁴Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
¹⁵A fountain of gardens,
A well of ^(N)living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.

The Shulamite

¹⁶Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
^(O)Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant ^(P)fruits.

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 4:2 bereaved
Song of Solomon 4:4 Small shields
Song of Solomon 4:10 fragrance
Song of Solomon 4:12 locked or barred

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

New International Version (NIV)

Song of Solomon 4

King James Version