Cânticos 4
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Cânticos 4:1-6
4:1 "How beautiful you are my darling" This is a recurrent phrase (cf. Sol 1:15,16; 2:10,13; 4:1,7; 6:4,10). Notice the parallelism. Here this phrase begins a series of analogies describing the maiden's physical beauty: eyes, Sol 4:1 ‒ doves (gentle) hair, Sol 4:1 ‒ goats (black, cf. Sol 5:11) teeth, Sol 4:2 ‒ shorn ewes (white, cf. Sol 6:16) lips, Sol 4:3 ‒ scarlet thread (red) temples, Sol 4:3 ‒ slice of pomegranate (reddish) neck, Sol 4:4 ‒ towers of David (decorated) breasts, Sol 4:5 ‒ balanced and accentuated ▣ "eyes are like doves" The eyes would have been the only part of the face clearly visible behind the veil. The man compliments them often (Sol 1:15; 4:1; 5:12; 7:4). Apparently he is referring to their softness or gentleness (not their color, shape, or size). In the ANE eyes were very important. They could denote character (i.e., Gen. 3:5,6,7; 20:16; 39:7; Num. 5:13; 15:39; Deut. 16:19) evil (i.e., "the evil eye," cf. Deut. 15:9; 28:54,56; Prov. 23:6; 28:22) possibly allurement (cf. Sol 4:9; 6:5) They were often used as idioms for phrases of endearment: "favour in your eyes" ‒ Gen. 30:27; 34:11; 50:4; Deut. 24:1 "the apple of his eye" ‒ Deut. 30:10; Ps. 17:8; Zech. 2:8 SPECIAL TOPIC: VEIL, SHAWL, COVERING ▣ "hair is like a flock of goats" This refers to black goats against a lush, green hillside (i.e., Gilead, cf. Mic. 7:14). The term "flock" (BDB 727) may have been a way of drawing attention to separate pieces of hair (i.e., ringlets or braids). "That have descended" "going down" "moving down" "bounding down" "surging down" "have appeared from" JPSOA, REB "streaming down" "come up" The meaning of this VERB (BDB 167, KB 195) is uncertain. It is found only here and in Sol 6:5. Here are the possibilities: to sit or recline, BDB 167, from Arabic root to boil, KB 195 to hop or jump, KB 195; a possible parallel in Egyptian love poems is "skipping goats." The maiden's hair is bouncing as she walks or flowing over her shoulders in large amounts. Whatever it is, it is a compliment (cf. Sol 7:5)! 4:2 "Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes" This refers to her teeth all being in place, well shaped, balanced, and very white. 4:3 "Your lips are like a scarlet thread" This refers to the redness and shapeliness of her lips. NASB, NKJV, NRSV, REB "your mouth is lovely" "how lovely they are when you speak" "your words are enchanting" LXX, Peshitta "your speech is comely" This term (BDB 184 I) is found only here in the OT. The rare Hebrew root from which it is formed means "mouth," "word" or "speech." The dynamic equivalent translations (i.e. TEV, NJB) prefer the two connotations, but the context of Song of Songs often uses body parts, so "mouth" seems the appropriate parallelism. ▣ "Your temples are like a slice of pomegranate" This maiden apparently did not need lipstick or rouge. The facial highlights could be seen behind her thin veil. 4:4 "Your neck is like the tower of David" In the Masoretic text and the Septuagint the "tower of David" is a proper name. The ancient Orientals considered large necks and noses to be very attractive (cf. Sol 7:4). "Built with rows of stones" NKJV, LXX, Peshitta "built for an armory" "built in courses" "built on layers" "built with encircling courses" "built to hold weaponry" The VERBAL is a Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of "to build" (BDB 124, KB 139). The footnote of JPSOA states that it refers to her jewelry (i.e., necklace, cf. Sol 4:9; 1:10-11): The NOUN (BDB 1069) is more difficult. In Arabic the root means "to perish." BDB says it is poetic for weapons (JPSOA). KB 1741 also refers to an Arabic root, "to arrange in order," thereby to construct a tower in layers (cf. NASB, NRSV, NJB, REB, Peshitta). ▣ "On which are hung a thousand shields, All the round shields of the mighty men" This may refer to a beautiful necklace around the Shulammite maiden (cf. Sol 4:9). SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph) 4:5 "Your two breasts are like two fawns" This may refer to well proportioned and mature breasts (i.e. she is of the age of child bearing). The usual imagery is of two young deer eating with their heads down in the tall plants. 4:6 "Until the cool of the day" This can refer to dawn or evening (cf. Sol 2:17). ▣ "I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh" The man urges himself to act! He calls her to himself in Sol 4:8 and by metaphorical imperatives in Sol 4:16. He cannot wait! This is a euphemism for intimacy. The mountain refers to the woman's perfumed breasts (cf. Sol 1:13).
Cânticos 4:7-15
4:7 One wonders if this is a delayed reaction to her unexpectedly dark skin (cf. Sol 1:5-6) or if this was a way for the man to affirm that he liked everything about the maiden (cf. Sol 4:9). 4:8 This refers to the bride being from northern Israel. It may be imagery for her being far away, separated or secluded from him (i.e., in Jerusalem). ▣ "lions" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LIONS IN THE OT 4:9 "sister" In Song of Songs the maiden is greeted by several phrases or terms of endearment: "most beautiful among women," Sol 1:8; 5:9; 6:1 "my darling," Sol 1:9,15; 2:2,10,13; 4:1,7; 6:4 "my beloved," Sol 1:13,14 "my beautiful one," Sol 2:10,13 "O my dove," Sol 2:14; 5:2; 6:9 "my sister," Sol 1:9,10,12; 5:1,2 (one of several idioms common to Egyptian love songs) "my bride," Sol 5:1 "my perfect one," Sol 5:2 "O Shulammite," Sol 6:13 "O princess daughter," Sol 7:1 "My love," Sol 7:6 Notice how Sol 5:2 has several of these one after another #6 (BDB 27); #2 (BDB 946; #5 (BDB 401 I); and #8 (BDB 1070). She is never listed as "queen" which is surprising if these are Syrian (wasfs) wedding songs. So too, the man is greeted by the woman: "O you whom my soul loves," Sol 1:7; 3:1-4 "my beloved," Sol 1:16; 2:8,9,10,16,17; 4:16; 5:2,4,5,6,10; 6:2,3; 7:10,13; 8:14 Notice that she never addresses him as "brother" or "king." ▣ "You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes" The VERB, NASB, "beat faster"; NKJV, NRSV, NJB, "ravished"; TEV, "stolen" (BDB 525, KB 515, Piel PERFECT) is a rare VERB from the same root as "heart." It occurs only three times in the OT (two here in Piel and Job 11:12 in Niphal). Just looking at her made his adrenalin flow (cf. Sol 4:10)! ▣ "with a single glance of your eyes With a single strand of your necklace" Now the interpretive question is, "Is this synonymous or step parallelism?" "Eyes" can refer to a kind of stone in a necklace (i.e., Akkadian). If so, it is synonymous parallelism. The man has mentioned her necklace before (cf. Sol 1:10; 7:4). 4:10-15 He described the maiden's body in Sol 4:1-6; now he describes her smell and taste: her love is better than wine, Sol 1:2,4 (REB has "breasts," same consonants but different vowel points) she smells better than oils and spices, Sol 1:3 her lips drip honey and milk, Sol 1:2; 5:1 she smells like the forest of Lebanon she is like a private (i.e., "locked") and secluded garden (cf. Sol 4:15; 5:1; Prov. 5:15-23) with a water feature a sealed fountain a well of living water flowing streams she is like wonderful plants an orchard of pomegranates henna and nard plants saffron, calamus, and cinnamon fragrant trees of frankincense myrrh, aloes, and the finest spices 4:12 "a garden locked" This is beautiful imagery for the sexual loyalty of the maiden to her one beloved. 4:13 NASB, NJB, LXX, Peshitta "shoots" NKJV, TEV "plants" "channel" "cheeks" "limbs" This term (BDB 1019, KB 1517 II) seems to develop its meaning from the VERB "to send out" (KB 1511) and developed as imagery for "offshoot." The maiden is sending out fragrances like plants send out shoots and branches. ▣ "henna" This is a blossom from which perfume and an orange dye is made (BDB 499 III). Women in the Near East still use this today to adorn fingernails, toenails; it is also used for other cosmetic purposes (cf. Sol 1:14). 4:14 "saffron" This flower (BDB 501) is mentioned only here in the OT. It is uncertain as to exactly which ancient plant it refers: blue-flowered saffron crocus used for dying food, clothing, and walls yellow (cf. Helps for Translators, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, p. 124) a thistle native to the Middle East, which has a red flower and is also used for dying food and clothing (cf. Helps for Translators, p. 175) In Sol 4:4 it seems to be listed along with other imported spices. Apparently in Song of Songs the flower mentioned was used for perfume, not dying. ▣ "calamus" This refers to fragrant river cane (BDB 889). It is also used in the holy anointing oil (cf. Exod. 30:23). ▣ "cinnamon" This comes from India and Sri Lanka and is made from the bark of an evergreen tree (BDB 890). It was very popular and expensive (cf. Exod. 30:23; Prov. 7:17).
Cânticos 4:16
4:16 This verse has a series of commands from the maiden to the man (REB has both v.15 and Sol 4:16 spoken by her) in images from nature: "awake," BDB 734, KB 802, Qal IMPERATIVE "come," BDB 97, KB 112, Qal IMPERATIVE "breathe," BDB 806, KB 916, Hiphil IMPERATIVE "be wafted," BDB 633, KB 683, Qal IMPERFECT used as a JUSSIVE "eat," BDB 37, KB 46, Qal IMPERFECT used as a JUSSIVE This verse is an extension of Sol 4:8, "come with me from Lebanon." She is calling to him to come to her in the north. Her fragrances are spreading on the southerly winds! Calling herself a garden is typical Near Eastern sexual imagery (cf. Sol 5:1).