Song of Solomon 4

Song of Solomon 4

The big picture

Song of Solomon 4 opens in verse 1 with “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana…”, and closes in verse 16 with “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof…” Repeated or prominent terms include spouse, fair, Lebanon, love, garden. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Song of Solomon · King James Version · 16

Song of Solomon 4:1-8

1–8: Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’…

Song of Solomon 4:1–8 opens with “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks…” and reaches “Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Song of Solomon 4 develops its own movement around spouse, fair, Lebanon, love, garden, with particular weight carried by fair, flock, Lebanon.

Context that brings the passage to life

“Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock…” Naming Gilead keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within…” Naming Thy keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Song of Solomon 4:1-8

King James Version

1Behold, 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.

Song of Solomon 4:9-16

9–16: Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my…

Song of Solomon 4:9–16 opens with “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine…” and reaches “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Song of Solomon 4 develops its own movement around spouse, fair, Lebanon, love, garden, with particular weight carried by spouse, garden, sister.

Context that brings the passage to life

“Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

“Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is…” Naming Lebanon and Thy keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Song of Solomon 4:9-16

King James Version

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.

Details worth noticing

16verses in this reading
2major movements

The opening image

Song of Solomon 4:1 begins with “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…”

Where the chapter turns

Song of Solomon 4:6 forms a natural hinge: “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”

The final note

Song of Solomon 4:16 leaves the reader with “Awake, 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…”

A word trail through the chapter

The words spouse, fair, Lebanon, love, garden, sister help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.

What opportunity exists before the murder?

Cain receives a warning and a call to resist sin in verse 7. Anger is not treated as an irresistible excuse.

What do the two speeches about vengeance reveal?

God limits retaliation against Cain; Lamech celebrates escalation.

KJV words made clear

behold
look, or pay close attention
thee
you
thou
you
thy
your

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.