Song of Solomon 4:1
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.
Song of Solomon 4:1 in other translations
| BSB | How beautiful you are, my darling— how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. |
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| WEB | Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats, that descend from Mount Gilead. |
| ASV | Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead. |
| YLT | Lo, thou art fair, my friend, lo, thou art fair, Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead, |
| DARBY | Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, On the slopes of mount Gilead. |
| BBE | 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. |
| Webster | 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. |
What does Song of Solomon 4:1 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Introduction
The bridegroom's description of his bride, her person, her accomplishments, her chastity, and her general excellence, vv. 1-16. Verse 1 Thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks - Perhaps this refers rather to a sort of veil worn by many of the Eastern women, but especially in Egypt. It is a species of black cloth made of the hair of some animal, probably the black goat; is suspended from the head by silken cords, one of which comes from the crown of the head, down the forehead, to the upper part of the nose, just under the eyes, at which place the veil begins; for the forehead and the eyes are uncovered, except the cord above mentioned, which is ornamented with gold, silver, and precious stones, according to the circumstances of the wearer. This partial veil not only covers all the face, the eyes and forehead excepted, but the neck also, and hangs loosely down over the bosom. One of them, lately brought from Egypt, now lies before me. But the clause, within thy locks, מבעד למתך mibbaad letsammathech, is not well translated, either by ourselves or by the versions. Jerome's translation is an indication of the meaning: Absque eo quod intrinsecus latet; without that, or independently of that, which lies hidden within. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have, besides thy silence. Calmet contends that none of these gives the true meaning, and that the word tmu tsemath has not the meaning of hair or locks wherever it occurs, and has quite a different meaning in Isa 47:2. St. Jerome on this place expresses himself thus: Nolentibus gui interpretati sunt transferre nomen quod in Sancta Scriptura sonat turpitudinem - Ergo Ktmu tsammathech, quod Aquila posuit, verenda mulieris appellanatur cujus etymologia apud eos sonat sitiens tuus. Calmet translates: Vous etes toute belle, won amie; vous etes toute belle: vos yeux sont des yeux de colombe; sans ce que la pudeur et la modestie tiennent cache. I leave the translation of these to the learned reader. See another description under Sol 4:7 (note). As a flock of goats - Because it was black and sleek, as the hair of the goats of Arabia and Palestine is known to be; which, with its fine undulation, is supposed to bear some resemblance to the curls or plaits of a woman's tresses. The mountains of Gilead were beyond Jordan, on the frontiers of Arabia Deserta.Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Song of Solomon 4:1-7
Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain
Song of Solomon 4:1 in the original Hebrew
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Cross references for Song of Solomon 4:1
- Song of Solomon 6:5
Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
- Song of Solomon 1:15
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.
- Song of Solomon 6:7
As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
- Song of Solomon 2:14
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
- Song of Solomon 7:5
Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
- Micah 7:14
Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
- Song of Solomon 4:9-10
Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How 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!
- Psalms 45:11
So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
- Numbers 32:40
And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
- Philippians 2:3-5
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
- Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
- Ezekiel 16:14
And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8 He shews his love to her.
16 The church prays to be made fit for his presence.
thou art fair, my.
9,10; 1:15; 2:10,14; Ps 45:11; Eze 16:14; 2Co 3:18
thou hast.
5:12; Mt 11:29; Php 2:3-5
thy hair.
5:11; 6:5,7; 7:5
appear from. or, eat of, etc. mount.
Nu 32:1,40
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Song of Solomon 4:1
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.
- Song of Solomon 4:2
Thy 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.
Song of Solomon 4:1 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | HE aquí que tú eres hermosa, amiga mía; he aquí que tú eres hermosa; tus ojos entre tus guedejas como de paloma; tus cabellos como manada de cabras, que se muestran desde el monte de Galaad. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Voici, tu es belle, mon amie; voici, tu es belle! Tes yeux sont des colombes derrière ton voile; tes cheveux sont comme un troupeau de chèvres sur les pentes de la montagne de Galaad. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Siehe, du bist schön, meine Freundin, siehe, du bist schön: Deine Augen sind Tauben hinter deinem Schleier. Dein Haar ist wie eine Herde Ziegen, die an den Abhängen des Gebirges Gilead lagern. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Quam pulchra es, amica mea! quam pulchra es! Oculi tui columbarum, absque eo quod intrinsecus latet. Capilli tui sicut greges caprarum quæ ascenderunt de monte Galaad. |