translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: SNG

label: NET study note

text: The term טוֹבִים ( tovim , “pleasing”) refers to what is pleasant to the olfactory senses (BDB 373 s.v. II טוֹב 1.c) (e.g., Jer 6:20 ).


text: The term שְׁמֶךָ ( shÿmekha , “your name”) may be a metonymy of association for her lover. In Hebrew idiom, the name often represents the person (e.g., 1 Sam 25:25 ).


text: The similar sounding terms שֵׁם ( shem , “name”) and שֶׁמֶן ( shemen , “perfume”) create a wordplay (paronomasia).


text: The term עַלְמָה (’ almah , “young woman”) refers to a young woman who is of marriageable age or a newly married young woman, usually before the birth of her first child ( HALOT 835-36 s.v. עַלְמָה ; BDB 761 s.v. עַלְמָה ) (e.g., Gen 24:43 ; Exod 2:8 ; Ps 68:26 ; Prov 30:19 ; Song 1:3; 6:8 ; Isa 7:14 ). The only other use of the term “young women” ( עֲלָמוֹת ) in the Song refers to the young women of Solomon’s harem ( Song 6:8 ). The root עלם denotes the basic idea of “youthful, strong, passionate” ( HALOT 835 s.v. III עלם ). While the term עַלְמָה (“young woman”) may be used in reference to a young woman who is a virgin, the term itself does not explicitly denote “virgin.” The Hebrew term which explicitly denotes “virgin” is בְּתוּלָה ( bÿtulah ) which refers to a mature young woman without any sexual experience with men (e.g., Gen 24:16 ; Exod 22:15-16 ; Lev 21:3 ; Deut 22:23, 28; 32:25 ; Judg 12:12; 19:24 ; 2 Sam 13:2, 18 ; 1 Kgs 1:2 ; 2 Chr 36:17 ; Esth 2:2-3, 17, 19 ; Job 31:1 ; Pss 45:15; 78:63; 148:12 ; Isa 23:4; 62:5 ; Jer 2:32; 31:3; 51:22 ; Lam 1:4, 18; 2:10, 21; 5:11 ; Ezek 9:6 ; Joel 1:8 ; Amos 9:13 ; Zech 9:17 ( HALOT 166-7 s.v. בְּתוּלָה ; BDB 143 s.v. בְּתוּלָה ). The related noun בְּתוּלִים ( bÿtulim ) means “state of virginity” ( Lev 21:13 ; Judg 11:37-38 ; Ezek 23:3, 8 ; Sir 42:10) and “evidence of virginity” ( Deut 22:14-15, 17, 20 ) ( HALOT 167 s.v. בְּתוּלִים ).


text: The verb מָשַׁךְ ( mashakh , “draw”) is a figurative expression (hypocatastasis) which draws an implied comparison between the physical acting of leading a person with the romantic action of leading a person in love. Elsewhere it is used figuratively of a master gently leading an animal with leather cords ( Hos 11:4 ) and of a military victor leading his captives ( Jer 31:3 ). The point of comparison might be that the woman wants to be the willing captive of the love of her beloved, that is, a willing prisoner of his love.


text: Normally in the Song, the person/gender of the pronouns and suffixes makes the identify of the speaker or addressee clear. However, there are several places in which there is grammatical ambiguity that makes it difficult to identify either the speaker or the addressee (e.g., 6:11-13; 7:9 b). This is particularly true when 1st person common plural or 3rd person common plural verbs or suffixes are present ( 1:3 [4]; 2:15; 5:1 b; 8:8-9 ), as is the case in the three lines of 1:3 b[4b]. There are four views to the identity of the speaker(s): (1) NASB attributes all three lines to the maidens, (2) NIV attributes the first two lines to the friends and the third line to the Beloved (= woman), (3) NJPS attributes all three lines to the Beloved, speaking throughout 1:2-4 , and (4) The first line could be attributed to the young man speaking to his beloved, and the last two lines attributed to the Beloved who returns praise to him. The referents of the 1st person common plural cohortatives and the 2sg suffixes have been taken as: (1) the maidens of Jerusalem, mentioned in 1:4 [5] and possibly referred to as the 3rd person common plural subject of אֲהֵבוּךָ (’ ahevukha , “they love you”) in 1:3 b[4b], using the 1st person common plural cohortatives in reference to themselves as they address her lover: “We (= maidens) will rejoice in you (= the young man).” (2) The Beloved using 1st person common plural cohortatives in a hortatory sense as she addresses her lover: “Let us (= the couple) rejoice in you (= the young man), let us praise your lovemaking…” (3) The Beloved using the 1st person common plural cohortatives in reference to herself – there are examples in ancient Near Eastern love literature of the bride using 1st person common plural forms in reference to herself (S. N. Kramer, The Sacred Marriage Rite , 92, 99) – as she addresses the young man: “We (= I) will rejoice in you (= the young man).” Note: This problem is compounded by the ambiguity of the gender on בָּךְ ( bakh , “in you”) which appears to be 2nd person feminine singular but may be 2nd person masculine singular in pause (see note below).


text: The term “dark” does not appear in the Hebrew in this line but is supplied in the translation from the preceding line for the sake of clarity. The poetic structure of this tricolon is an example of redistribution. The terms “black but beautiful” in the A-line are broken up – the B-line picks up on “black” and the C-line picks up on “beautiful.” The Beloved was “black” like the rugged tents of Qedar woven from the wool of black goats, but “beautiful” as the decorative inner tent-curtains of King Solomon (J. L. Kugel, The Idea of Biblical Poetry , 40; W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry [JSOTSup], 181).


text: The comparison of her dark, outdoors appearance to the “tents of Qedar” is quite fitting for two reasons. First, the name “Qedar” refers to an ancient Arabian tribe of bedouin who lived in tents and inhabited a region in northern Arabia. Their tents were traditionally woven from the wool of black goats. They were not beautiful to look at; they were rough, rustic, rugged, and weather-beaten. Second, the terms שְׁחוֹרָה ( shÿkhorah , “black”) and קֵדָר ( qedar , “Qedar”) create a wordplay because the root קָדַר ( qadar ) means “dark, dirty” ( HALOT 1072 s.v. קדר ). The point of the comparison is that the Beloved had dark skin and a rugged outdoors appearance because she had been forced to work outdoors, and so her skin had become dark as 1:6 states.


text: There is debate whether the terms “tents” אָהֳלֵי (’ ahale , “tents”) and יְרִיעוֹת ( yÿri ’ ot , “tent-curtains”) used here as synonyms or antonyms. The term אֹהֶל (’ ohel , “tent”) is often used in reference to an overall tent assembly, with particular emphasis on the external structure (e.g., Gen 4:20; 18:1; 31:33 ; Exod 26:13; 40:19 ; Judg 4:17 ; Isa 54:2 ; Jer 37:10 ) ( HALOT 19 s.v. I אֹהֶל ). The term “tent-curtains” ( יְרִיעוֹה ) is used to refer to (1) inner hanging curtains, such as decorative hangings or tapestries inside a tent (e.g., Exod 26:1-2, 7 ; Num 4:25 ) and (2) a tent as a whole (e.g., 2 Sam 7:2 ; Jer 4:20; 10:20 ; Hab 3:7 ) ( HALOT 439 s.v. יְרִיעוֹת ). The two terms are often used in parallelism as an A-B word pair ( Isa 54:2 ; Jer 4:20; 10:20; 49:29 ; Hab 3:7 ). Like the “tents” ( אֹהָלִים ) of Qedar which were made from the wool of black goats, “tent-curtains” ( יְרִיעוֹה ) also were sometimes made from goat hair ( Exod 26:7 ). If the two are synonymous, the point is that the tents of Qedar and the tent-curtains of Salmah were both black but beautiful. If the two terms are antonyms, the point is that the tents of Qedar are black but the tent-curtains of Salmah are beautiful. In either case, her point is that she is black, but nonetheless beautiful. Rabbinic midrash misses the point; it views the metaphor as contrasting her swarthy outward appearance with her inner beauty: “Just as the tents of Kedar, although from outside they look ugly, black, and ragged, yet inside contain precious stones and pearls, so the disciples of the wise, although they look repulsive and swarthy in this world, yet have within them knowledge of the Torah, Scriptures, Mishnah, Midrash, Halachoth, Talmud, Toseftas and Haggadah” ( Midrash Rabbah 4:54-55).


text: The verb הָרָה ( harah , “to burn in anger, to be angry”) creates an interesting wordplay or pun on the preceding line: “The sun burned me (= my skin).” The sun burned her skin, because her brothers had burned ( נִהֲרוּ , niharu ) in anger against her. This is an example of a polysemantic wordplay which explains the two basic meanings of הָרָה (“to burn, to be angry”) (W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry [JSOTSup], 241-42).


text: The noun כֶּרֶם ( kerem , “vineyard”) is used figuratively in this line (see following note on the wordplays in this verse). Some suggest that her “vineyard” refers to her virginity, that is, she lost her virginity. However, this runs contrary to the moral purity accorded to the Beloved throughout the Song (e.g., 4:12; 8:8-10 ). It is better to take the “vineyard” imagery as a reference to her ability to take care of her physical appearance which had been thwarted by being forced to work outside where her skin had been darkened by the scorching rays of the sun, as alluded to throughout 1:4-5 [5-6].


text: The repetition of the noun כֶּרֶם ( kerem , “vineyard”) and the verb נָטַר ( natar , “to keep, maintain”) creates a series of eloquent wordplays. The first occurrence of כֶּרֶם (“vineyard”) and נָטַר (“to keep”) is literal, the second occurrence of both is figurative (hypocatastasis). Her brothers forced her to work outside in the sun, taking care of the vineyards; as a result, she was not able to take care of her appearance (“my own vineyard I could not keep”).


text: It was common in ancient love literature to compare a beautiful woman to a sleek filly. For example, Horace likened Lyde to a three year old filly: “She gambols over the spreading plains and shrinks from touch, to wedlock still a stranger, not yet ripe for eager mate” (Horace, Odes iii. xi. 9). Theocritus compared Helen of Troy to a graceful steed harnessed to a chariot: “As towers the cypress mid the garden’s bloom, as in the chariot proud Thessalian steed, thus graceful rose-complexion’d Helen moves” (Theocritus, Idyll xviii. 30-31).


text: “Nard” ( נֵרְדְּ , nerdÿ ) was an aromatic oil extracted from the Valerian nardostachys jatamansi which was an aromatic drug from a plant which grew in the Himalaya region of India, used for perfume ( HALOT 723 s.v. נֵרְדְּ ). Nard was an expensive imported perfume, worn by women at banquets because of its seductive charms. It was used in the ANE as a love potion because of its erotic fragrance (R. K. Harrison, Healing Herbs of the Bible , 48-49).


text: The term מֹר ( mor , “myrrh”) refers to an aromatic gum ( Commiphora abessinica resin) which exudes from the bark of the Balsmodendron myrrha tree which was native only to Arabia, Abyssinia, and India ( HALOT 629 s.v. מֹר ). It was an expensive luxury item, which had to be imported into Israel. In liquid form it could be carried in small bottles like nard, but it was also used in solid form in which it was carried in a small cloth pouch or sachet worn next to the body. The myrrh was mixed with fat and shaped into cones and as the fat melted from the body heat, the aroma of myrrh and the anointing oil would perfume a woman’s body. Because it had a very strong aroma which would last for long periods of time, women often wore it to bed to perfume themselves for the next day. Because of its beautiful fragrance, it is associated with romance (e.g., Isa 3:24 ) (R. K. Harrison, Healing Herbs of the Bible , 45-46).


text: The henna plant ( כֹּפֶר , kofer , “henna”; HALOT 495 s.v. III כֹּפֶר ) is an inflorescent shrub with upward pointing blossoms, that have sweet smelling whitish flowers that grow in thick clusters ( Song 4:13; 7:12 ). Like myrrh, the henna plant was used to make sweet smelling perfume. Its flowers were used to dye hair, nails, fingers, and toes orange.


text: En-Gedi is a lush oasis in the midst of the desert wilderness on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea. The surrounding region is hot and bleak; its dry sands extend monotonously for miles. The Dead Sea region is a salty desert covered with a dusty haze and characterized by almost unbearable heat during most of the year. The lush oasis of En-Gedi is the only sign of greenery or life for miles around. It stands out as a surprising contrast to the bleak, dry desert wilderness around it. In the midst of this bleak desert wilderness is the lush oasis in which indescribable beauty is found. The lush oasis and waterfall brings welcome relief and refreshment to the weary desert traveler.


text: His praise begins with the exclamatory particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “behold!”). This is often used to introduce a statement in which the speaker either newly asserts or newly recognizes something (BDB 244 s.v. הִנֵּה b.a).


text: The term רַעְיָתִי ( ra ’ yati , “my darling”) is from רֵעַ ( re ’ a ) “companion, friend” in general (e.g., Job 2:11; 6:27; 12:4 ; Pss 35:14; 122:8 ; Prov 14:20; 17:17; 19:6; 27:10 ) and “darling, beloved” in romantic relationships (e.g., Job 30:29 ; Jer 3:1, 20 ; Hos 3:1 ; Song 5:1, 16 ) ( HALOT 1253-54 s.v. II רֵעַ ; BDB 945 s.v. II רָעָה II.1). This is the most common term of affection to address the Beloved ( Song 1:9, 15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4 ).


text: In the ancient Near East there was an unusual emphasis on beauty of a woman’s eyes. This was probably due to the practice of women veiling themselves and wearing long robes so that no portion of their body or face was exposed to sight except for their eyes (e.g., Gen 26:17 ). The only indication of a woman’s beauty was her eyes. There was no better (and no other, in light of the attire) way to praise a woman’s beauty in the ancient Near East (G. L. Carr, Song of Solomon [TOTC], 86).


text: The statement הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי ( hinnakh yafah ra ’ yati , “How beautiful you are, my darling”) in 1:15 is virtually mirrored by the Beloved’s statement in 1:16 , הִנְּךְ יָפֶה דוֹדִי ( hinnÿkh yafeh dodi , “How handsome you are, my lover”).