Song of Solomon 4 · Verse 11

Song of Solomon 4:11

Thy 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.
Song of Solomon 4:11, King James Version

Song of Solomon 4:11 in other translations

BSBYour lips, my bride, drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of Lebanon.
WEBYour lips, my bride, drip like the honeycomb. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The smell of your garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
ASVThy lips, O my bride, drop as the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
YLTThy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk are under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments Is as the fragrance of Lebanon.
DARBYThy lips, 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.
BBEYour lips are dropping honey; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the smell of your clothing is like the smell of Lebanon.
WebsterThy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honey-comb; honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

What does Song of Solomon 4:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. drop--always ready to fall, being full of honey, though not always (Pr 10:19) actually dropping (So 5:13; De 32:2; Mt 12:34). honeycomb--(Pr 5:3; 16:24). under thy tongue--not always on, but under, the tongue, ready to fall (Psa 55:21). Contrast her former state (Psa 140:3; Ro 3:13). "Honey and milk" were the glory of the good land. The change is illustrated in the penitent thief. Contrast Mt 27:44 with Lu 23:39, &c. It was literally with "one" eye, a sidelong glance of love "better than wine," that he refreshed Jesus Christ (So 4:9, 10). "To-day shalt thou be with Me (compare So 4:8) in Paradise" (So 4:12), is the only joyous sentence of His seven utterances on the cross. smell of ... garments--which are often perfumed in the East (Psa 45:8). The perfume comes from Him on us (Psa 133:2). We draw nigh to God in the perfumed garment of our elder brother (Ge 27:27; see Jude 23). Lebanon--abounding in odoriferous trees (Ho 14:5-7).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Thy lips - drop as the honey-comb - Thy words are as delicious to my heart as the first droppings of the honey-comb are to the palate. Honey and milk are under thy tongue - Eloquence and persuasive speech were compared among the ancients to honey and milk. Thus Homer, Iliad, lib. i., ver. 247: - Τοισι δε Νεστωρ Ηδυεπης ανορουσε, λιγυς Πυλιων αγορητης. Του και απο γλωσσης μελιτος γλυκιων ῥεεν αυδη. Experienced Nestor, in persuasion skill'd, Words sweet as honey from his lips distill'd. But the figure is common to all writers and languages. A similar expression will be seen in the Gitagovinda.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Song of Solomon 4:8-15

Observe the gracious call Christ gives to the church. It is, 1. A precept; so this is Christ's call to his church to come off from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but there are in them lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards. 2. As a promise; many shall be brought as members of the church, from every point. The church shall be delivered from her persecutors in due time, though now she dwells among…

Read the full comment on Song of Solomon 4:8-15 →

Song of Solomon 4:11 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.

נֹ֛פֶתNo.fethoneyH5317
תִּטֹּ֥פְנָהti.To.fe.nahthey dripH5197
שִׂפְתוֹתַ֖יִךְsif.to.Ta.yikhlips yourH8193
כַּלָּ֑הka.LahO brideH3618
דְּבַ֤שׁde.VashhoneyH1706
וְחָלָב֙ve.cha.Lavand milkH2461
תַּ֣חַתTa.chat[are] underH8478
לְשׁוֹנֵ֔ךְle.sho.Nekhtongue yourH3956
וְרֵ֥יחַve.Rei.achand [the] odor ofH7381
שַׂלְמֹתַ֖יִךְsal.mo.Ta.yikhgarments yourH8008
כְּרֵ֥יחַke.Rei.ach[is] like [the] odor ofH7381
לְבָנֽוֹן\׃\ \סle.va.NonLebanonH3844

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Song of Solomon 4:11

  • Song of Solomon 5:1

    I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

  • Hosea 14:6-7

    His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

  • Song of Solomon 5:13

    His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

  • Song of Solomon 7:9

    And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

  • Genesis 27:27

    And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:

  • Psalms 45:8

    All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

  • Psalms 71:14-15

    But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

  • Isaiah 7:15

    Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

  • Proverbs 16:24

    Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

  • Proverbs 5:3

    For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

  • Psalms 19:10

    More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

  • Song of Solomon 4:3

    Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
lips.
3; 5:13; 7:9; Ps 71:14,15,23,24; Pr 16:24; Ho 14:2; Heb 13:15
honey.
5:1; Pr 24:13,14; Isa 7:15
the smell.
10; Ge 27:27; Ps 45:8; Ho 14:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Song of Solomon 4:10

    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!

  • Song of Solomon 4:11

    Thy 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.

  • Song of Solomon 4:12

    A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Read all of Song of Solomon 4

Song of Solomon 4:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Como panal de miel destilan tus labios, oh esposa; miel y leche hay debajo de tu lengua; y el olor de tus vestidos como el olor del Líbano.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tes lèvres, ma fiancée, distillent le miel; sous ta langue il y a du miel et du lait, et l’odeur de tes vêtements est comme l’odeur du Liban.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Honig und Milch ist unter deiner Zunge, und der Duft deiner Gewänder wie der Duft des Libanon.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Favus distillans labia tua, sponsa; mel et lac sub lingua tua: et odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut odor thuris.