Keraia
Song of Solomon 4

Song of Solomon 4:16

Solomon Admires His Bride · Song of Solomon 4:1–16
Read Song of Solomon 4

Translations

Modern
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits.
Traditional
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 pleasant fruits.
Literal
Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Breathe on my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat the fruit of its excellencies.
Latin
Surge, aquilo, et veni, auster: perfla hortum meum, et fluant aromata illius.

Original

Hebrew
English
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits.

Notes

Song of Solomon 4:16

  • Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits: Finally, the woman invites the man to join her and experience her fully.

  • The man had poetically affirmed the woman's purity (Song of Solomon 4:12). However, she is now completely devoted to him, so she reveals her treasures and invites him into the garden.

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

Beauty in Nature Human Sexuality

Glossary

Song of Solomon

Topics

Bridegroom: Song of Fruits: Divided Into: Pleasant Gardens: Kinds of, Mentioned in Scripture: Spices Sex Symbols and Similitudes of the Holy Spirit: Wind The Wind: North