Song of Solomon 4:11

Translations

Modern

Your 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.

Traditional

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.

Literal

Your lips drip with nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

Latin

Favus distillans labia tua, sponsa; mel et lac sub lingua tua: et odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut odor thuris.

Original

Hebrew

English

Your 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.

Notes

Song of Solomon 4:10–11

wine...perfume...honey and milk: The woman is compared to things that are smooth, sweet, and sensual. Her love and their kisses, surrounded by rich fragrances, bring the bridegroom close to ultimate joy.

Song of Solomon 4:1–5:1

The marriage is now complete.
This poem is the first "descriptive poem" in the book (see also Song of Solomon 5:10–16; 6:4–6; 7:2–8). Scholars often call these poems by the Arabic term wasf (meaning "description"). These poems are similar to songs sung at modern Arabic weddings. They are preludes to sexual intimacy. In describing physical beauty, they often start at the head and move downward.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality

Related verses

Song of Solomon 5:1
I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; 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, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.
Song of Solomon 7:9
…and your mouth like the finest wine. May it flow smoothly to my beloved, gliding gently over lips and teeth.
Hosea 14:6–7
His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
Genesis 27:27
So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.
Song of Solomon 5:13
His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.
Hebrews 13:15
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
Psalm 71:14–15
But I will always hope and will praise You more and more.
Proverbs 24:13–14
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
Hosea 14:2
Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 5:3
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
Psalm 45:8
All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.

Places

Lebanon: A mountainous region known for its cedar trees

Glossary

Beauty Incense Perfume Song of Solomon

Topics

Bridegroom: Song of Garments of the Rich: Perfumed Honey was Eaten with Milk Honey: General Scriptures Concerning Honey: Holy Speech of Saints Lebanon: (Fragrance of) of the Graces of the Church Lebanon: Celebrated For: Fragrance Milk: Godly and Edifying Discourses The Cedar: Fragrant

Song of Solomon 4:11

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