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Introduction

Song of Solomon 4 opens with Solomon praising his bride in poetic and vivid terms, moving through a detailed description of her features from head to chest, often called a “wasf” in ancient Near Eastern love poetry. He praises her eyes, comparing them to doves, and her hair to a flock of goats moving down Mount Gilead, imagery that reflects grace, flow, and abundance rather than modern standards of beauty.

He continues by comparing her teeth to a flock of sheep, symbolizing purity and completeness, and her lips to a thread of scarlet, emphasizing attractiveness and sweetness. Her cheeks are compared to a piece of pomegranate, and her neck to the tower of David, hung with shields, representing dignity, strength, and honor.

The description continues with references to her breasts, compared to two young fawns feeding among lilies, portraying tenderness and natural beauty. Solomon expresses his intent to go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, poetic language likely symbolizing anticipation of physical intimacy within the marriage relationship.

He then declares her altogether beautiful, stating there is no flaw in her, an expression of complete acceptance and admiration. He calls her his spouse, inviting her to come with him from Lebanon, using imagery of mountains and wildlife, possibly symbolizing purity, freedom, and the wildness of untouched land.

The woman is described as a garden enclosed, a sealed fountain, symbolizing purity, exclusivity, and the treasured nature of intimacy reserved for marriage. Solomon describes her as a paradise with precious plants, spices, and fountains of living water, an image emphasizing richness, life, and delight found within the marriage relationship.

The chapter closes with an invitation for the north and south winds to blow upon the garden, symbolizing the release of fragrance, and the woman’s response inviting her beloved to come into his garden, indicating mutual consent and readiness for the consummation of their marriage.

Chapter 4

1 See, you are fair, my love, you are fair; you have the eyes of a dove; your hair is as a flock of goats, which take their rest on the side of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep whose wool is newly cut, which come up from the washing; every one has two lambs, and there is not one without young.
3 Your red lips are like a bright thread, and your mouth is fair of form; the sides of your head are like pomegranate fruit under your veil.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David made for a store-house of arms, in which a thousand breastplates are hanging, breastplates for fighting-men.
5 Your two breasts are like two young roes of the same birth, which take their food among the lilies.
6 Till the evening comes, and the sky slowly becomes dark, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are all fair, my love; there is no mark on you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon; see from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the places of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have taken away my heart, my sister, my bride; you have taken away my heart, with one look you have taken it, with one chain of your neck!
10 How fair is your love, my sister! How much better is your love than wine, and the smell of your oils than any perfume!
11 Your lips are dropping honey; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the smell of your clothing is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 A garden walled-in is my sister, my bride; a garden shut up, a spring of water stopped.
13 The produce of the garden is pomegranates; with all the best fruits, henna and spikenard,
14 Spikenard and safron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
15 You are a fountain of gardens, a spring of living waters, and flowing waters from Lebanon.
16 Be awake, O north wind; and come, O south, blowing on my garden, so that its spices may come out. Let my loved one come into his garden, and take of his good fruits.

Important Verses

  • Song of Solomon 4:7 “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” This verse expresses complete acceptance and admiration within the marriage covenant.
  • Song of Solomon 4:9 “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse.” This reflects the depth of emotional and romantic connection between the couple.
  • Song of Solomon 4:12 “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” This imagery emphasizes purity and exclusivity reserved for marriage.
  • Song of Solomon 4:16 “Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.” This verse reflects mutual invitation and consent, marking the consummation of the marriage relationship.

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