Song of Solomon 6:9

Together in the Garden · Song of Solomon 6:1–13
Read Song of Solomon 6

Translations

Modern
…but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.
Traditional
My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
Literal
One she is, my dove, my perfect one; one she is, pure for her mother, she who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; and the queens and the concubines, they praised her.
Latin
Una est columba mea, perfecta mea, una est matris suæ, electa genetrici suæ. Viderunt eam filiæ, et beatissimam prædicaverunt; reginæ et concubinæ, et laudaverunt eam.

Original

Hebrew
English
…but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.

Notes

sing her praises: Literally called her blessed. If the Song is a drama, the woman left Solomon’s harem. The singing happened in the past, when she was still there.

  • If the Song were an allegory of the Lord’s love for his people, it would be a weak comparison. Solomon's many marriages poorly represent God's love and faithfulness (see 1 Kings 11:1–13).

  • sixty queens: Solomon married many wives through international treaties (see 1 Kings 11:1–3, 8).

  • Concubines were wives with lower status than a primary wife but higher than a slave. People acquired concubines through war, debt repayment, or purchase.

  • In the anthology view, mentioning queens and concubines means the woman is more desirable than all others.

The man describes the woman's physical beauty again. He repeats parts of the description from Song of Solomon 4 almost word for word, showing his high regard for his wife.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality

Glossary

Pigeon Song of Solomon