photo by Matija Barrett
This commentary is based on my notes after reading The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Song of Songs, by Tremper Longman III, 2001
Poem 6 (Compliments)
The Man:
v 15 Behold, you are beautiful, my darling.
You are beautiful; your eyes are doves.
Note the repetitive compliments and term of endearment.
We have no clue what aspect of the dove her eyes would be (though there are guesses), but it does sound better than being compared to a mare these days!
The Woman:
v 16 You are beautiful my lover, so lovely; our bed is verdant!
Verdant can mean luxurious, flourishing or having to do with trees.
v 17 The boards of our house are cedars, its rafters are junipers.
These are strong woods and it implies the foundation of their home/ marriage is strong.
Location: They could be in a well-built house, or in a private part of the woods. Since the previous poem mentioned the oasis En-Gedi, it could be either, with most scholars believing they are outside.
Notice that both the male and the female compliment each other. Here the woman compliments the man on their location implying he had something to do with it. He has either built them a strong house, or arranged a tryst in a secluded location. Either way, he has put some time and effort into this setting and she is grateful.
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