Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The woman tells her friends about the relationship she has with her lover. The man then praises the woman’s beauty and uniqueness. At the end of the chapter an occurrence in a nut garden is alluded to.
II. Photo
The man tells his lover that “The brow behind your veil [gleams] like a pomegranate split open.” (v. 7)
III. Important Verses
vv. 2-3: My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To browse in the gardens And to pick lilies. I am my beloved’s And my beloved is mine; He browses among the lilies.
vv. 8-9: There are sixty queens, And eighty concubines, And damsels without number. Only one is my dove, My perfect one, The only one of her mother, The delight of her who bore her. Maidens see and acclaim her; Queens and concubines, and praise her.
IV. Outline
1. Friends ask about the whereabouts of the lover
2-3. The woman reiterates that the two belong to each other
4-10. The man praises the woman
11-12. An occurrence at a nut grove
V. Comment
No comment today. I hope to revisit this chapter at the end of the cycle. Stay tuned.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Murphy, Wisdom Literature (Forms of Old Testament Literature)
Photo taken from http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/pomegranate_2900595.jpeg
