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Appendix One:
THE VOCABULARY OF
THE SONG OF SONGS
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A. Notes on the Hebrew Vocabulary
We cannot deal here with all the forty-nine Hebrew words said to be unique to the Song, nor with all of the unusual
grammatical features of the text. This book deals with the Song as a vocal score with a spiritual message -- not
as a linguistic phenomenon.
Still, there are a number of features related to the music and to what it implies: the origin, authorship and meaning
of the Song. We shall deal with them in the order they are found in the Song itself (along with their numbering
in Strong's Concordance and Dictionary).
Here we will primarily refer to the New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Genesius Lexicon (BDBG) for our definitions. (The BDBG has the added advantage of using Strong's numbering
system for the words it defines.)
It is fitting that our first definition leads us to link the Hebrew Bible with the Greek New Testament, since the
subject matter of the Song of Songs presages what the New Testament says about marriage and what it typifies in
the Divine plan.
o `alma, #5959 (Song 1:3; 6:8), "young
woman (ripe sexually; maid or newly married)" (BDBG). This word is best translated in one word as "maiden":
one who is expected to be a virgin until marriage. It is found elsewhere only in Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalms
46:1; 68:26; Proverbs 30:19; Isaiah 7:14; and 1 Chronicles 15:20.1
In Psalm 46:1 and 1 Chronicles 15:20, the reference is to the "maidenly" (probably alto) pitch of the "harps" (nevalim) used to accompany the psalmody.2 In Psalm 68:26, `alamot
are mentioned without reference to their marital status, though presumably unmarried women are meant. In Exodus
2:8 and Proverbs 30:19, however, the women mentioned are plainly unmarried -- and in Genesis 24:43, Rachel is plainly a virgin as well (cf. verse 16).
What then of Isaiah 7:14, where ha`alma
("the maiden") is said to be the future mother of Immanuel (`iManu 'El -- literally
"God with us", as the accentuation in Letteris confirms)? Judaism considers ha`alma in Isaiah 7:14 to Isaiah's own young wife. And indeed, for his prophecy to carry any weight
for his own day, that is exactly what ha`alma
must have meant (at least as a type).
This Jewish interpretation has been supported by the idea that `alamot in Song 1:3 and 6:8 refers to married women -- that is, women already in Solomon's harem. But thanks to the original melodic-verbal structure,
we now know that `alamot in these verses
refers to unmarried women -- not at all
to Solomon's harem. Thus `almah normally refers to an unmarried
woman (in all places where the context makes the meaning clear). Only in Isaiah
7:14 is `alma used exceptionally in another
context.
Such an exceptional use would not have been lost on Isaiah's audience. How could an `alma (one specially pointed out by the definite article) conceive and give birth without breaking
God's law -- that is, if she were unmarried? That would indeed be a noteworthy "sign": one "as deep
as Sheol or as high as heaven" (cf. Isaiah 7:11, RSV)! Is it mere coincidence that (according to the New Testament) Jesus spent three days and three nights in the grave (She'ol), then was resurrected and went to heaven?
Thus the Song of Song's original melody allows us to link the "Old and New Testaments" even more closely
than before. In type, ha`alma in Isaiah
7:14 must (by usage in context) refer
to Isaiah's wife, who was a virgin until marriage and who gave birth to a son named Immnauel (cf. Isaiah 8:1-4,
8, 18). In antitype, ha`alma (under its
normal usage) can only refer to an unmarried woman (and by God's law, a virgin) having conceived a child who would shortly be born.3 This could only happen if the child truly were `iManu
'El -- "God with us". Thus Jesus' conception and birth "fulfilled"
Isaiah's prophecy (cf. Matthew 1:18-23). The flexibility of the meaning of ha`alma made this typology possible.4
o she-, #7945 (Song 1:6, etc.), "who,
which, that", a prefix parallel to asher
(of similar meaning, Song 1:1). The BDBG (with most modern scholars) thinks this prefix is probably a synonym to
asher, but limited to late Hebrew and
"passages with Northern Palestinian coloring". However (notes the BDBG), cognates exist in Assyrian and
(regularly) in Phoenician; it may also be an abbreviation, not merely a synonym, of asher. Thus its consistent use in the Song of Songs (and its use elsewhere) need not be an indication
of lateness.
The prefix is found, sometimes commonly, in Judges, 2 Kings, Jonah, a number of the Psalms (mostly "of David",
in "Book Five", all with consistent usage), Job, Lamentations, Ezra, 1 Chronicles, and (especially) the
Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, as well as in the names Misha'el and Metusha'el. (See the BDBG for the references.)
Musically, David and Solomon had definite "styles". Like all composers of all times, each had his own
personal preferences: modes, musical motives, melodic-verbal ideas, and so on, which he used commonly. The works
that bear their name consistently carry these traits. Because of this, we do not believe the works ascribed to
them are late; another explanation must be found for the textual features which might suggest later authorship.
We believe the appearance of she- in their
works reflects the influence of the Northern Israel dialect upon them, after the formation of the United Kingdom
in Jerusalem under David. A standard "courtly" dialect would soon have developed, and certain Northern
usages (such as in Psalm 122, which describes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem by the ten "tribes" of "Israel")
would have been deliberately adopted for particular purposes. (So far as this author knows, however, no one seems
to have considered this possibility, which is the simplest explanation for the musical and verbal phenomena.)
Shulamith, who in any case is from northern Israel, uses the prefix consistently; but so do Solomon and the Sons
and Daughters of Jerusalem (Song 1:6; 5:2; 3:7; 5:9). On the other hand, the use of she- may simply be a northern preference, but also known to southerners (and perhaps derived from
Phoenician or Assyrian). Below, we will note certain characteristic melodic-verbal combinations using she-.
o 'otya, #5844 (Song 1:7), comes from
the root `ata, "wrap oneself, enwrap,
envelop oneself". The RSV (margin) thinks the meaning uncertain and follows the amendation suggested by the
BDBG: to`ayah, "one who wanders"
beside the flocks of the Loved One's companions.
The meaning of the word, to us at least, is not obscure. The Dear One does not want to be mistaken for a harlot
by the shepherds (as Tamar definitely wanted to be in Genesis 38:14!). The rather plaintive tone of the Dear One's
request confirms this. The "veiling" was meant to disguise the identity, even the personality of the harlot.5
o ra`ya, #7474 (Song 1:9), is used only
in the Song and in Judges 11:37. In this last verse, however, the marginal (qerê) reading is preferable; it assumes a related root (re`a, #7464), used also in Psalm 45:15 (Hebrew versification). Only in the Song does ra`ya assume the special form ra`yati ("My Dear One"). Its consistent use throughout the Song confirms the unity of its
authorship (along with many other words and phrases so used).
o dod, #1730 (Song 1:13; verb form, Song
1:2): The root may be a "primitive caressing word"; it means "swing, rock, dandle, fondle, love"
(BDBG). Others connect it with dud (#1731),
"pot, jar" and the related Syrian word meaning "to disturb" (from the idea of boiling). Strong's Dictionary assumes dod comes from the latter idea.
The use of the word dod in the Song, in
its various melodic-verbal contexts, confirms both connotations. There is the idea of caressing, but also of the emotional disturbance it causes. Whether dod
and dud came from two different roots
or not, we may see a deliberate interplay
between the two ideas in the Song.
o `eres, #6210 (Song 1:16), does not mean
a "marriage couch" as the BDBG suggests. The poetic and melodic-verbal structures refute this. Moreover,
the "couch" or "divan" the Lovers share is figurative, not literal.6
The root word is related to a number of foreign words with the common thread of a wooden
structure or frame (cf. BDBG). The melodic-verbal imagery suggests the Lovers
are sitting in a bower of trees. Their
"couch" is "verdant" (ra`anana,
cf. #7488), a word used only to describe trees (or virgin olive oil, which is also green). Cedars and "firs",
"cypresses" or "pines" (cf. next entry) form the roof of the "houses" where the Lovers
sit.
Paradoxically, the BDBG says elsewhere the "verdant" couch is a "leafy couch" (cf. #7488),
contradicting the idea of a marriage couch. The poetic and melodic-verbal context confirms this is a romantic interlude
in daylight, not the wedding night; part of the courtship, not the consummation of it.
o berot, #1266 (Song 1:17) means the same
as berosch (#1265), "cypress"
or "fir" (RSV: "pine" in this verse). The latter word is Hebrew; the former, an Aramaic (and
probably Northern Israelite) form of the latter. Cypress (or firs) and cedars grow together in the high northern
mountains of Erets Yisrael, which confirms the locale.
Only in David's and Solomon's reign were these mountains under unified Israelite rule (and thus readily accessible
to both Lovers). Since the Song is a poetic and melodic unity, this confirms the Song cannot be younger than Solomon's
time. But this also confirms that Solomon was familiar with regional dialects (and the influences of other languages
on them), which influenced his highly idiosyncratic literary style. This is what we should expect from the sort
of genius Solomon possessed.
Here again, the BDBG confirms our guess: berot
refers to an "arbour [sic] of trees". This is not an allegory for the Lovers' home (as the BDBG surmises),
but a sheltered place for the discovery of mutual love. "Houses" in this context is therefore a "plural
of majesty" (which partly explains the intensity of the melodic expression on the word).
o zamir, #2158 ("song") and
#2159 ("trimming, pruning") (Song 2:12). The BDBG lists this word as coming from two different roots,
and prefers the latter translation in Song 2:12. (Others, it notes, prefers "singing".)
Cyrus H. Gordon notes what he calls a "Janus parallelism" in this verse. Zamir indeed has a double meaning; the first meaning refers back to the first stich of the verse
(which mentions "blossoms"), the second meaning to the third stich (which mentions "the voice of
the turtledove").7
In fact the biblical melody underlines this parallelism, however subtly. The musical half-cadence (and a full stop
for the singer, in Haïk-Vantoura's score) rests at the end of the second stich (on "has come"),
linking it to the first stich. The radiant melodic quality of the middle stich, however, links it to the third
stich. Here is another indication that melody and words in the Song were created by the same author at the same
time, under the same impulse.
o ra`a, #7462 (Song 2:16; 6:3), "pasture,
tend, graze" (BDBG). The RSV reads "pastures his flock" (as does Haïk-Vantoura). We prefer
the alternate reading: "feeds (as would a sheep) among the lilies" -- a reference to kissing (as the tone of the melody suggests).
o cavav, #5437 (Song 2:17): The BDBG gives
the basic meaning as "turn about, go around, surround". It adds (as an intransitive meaning) "turn
about, often as preliminary to something else". Yet when the BDBG comes, in this context, to Song 2:17, it
simply translates the word cov as "turn".
The KJV, RSV and NIV all render the word this way. Haïk-Vantoura alone translates this word as "return".
Most translations seem to imply the Dear One is asking the Loved One to turn toward her (and to spend the night
with her in lovemaking). Naturally, this would mean the Song's strophes are not in chronological order (which is
denied by the overall poetic structure). Indeed, the vagueness of the translation "turn" seems tied to
uncertainty about the poetic context (and to ignorance of the musical context).
The idea of turning "as preliminary to something else" actually applies here. As we show in our commentary,
the Dear One is sending the Loved One away for the night -- but asking that he return as soon as he may the next
day.
o beter, #1335 (Song 2:17), suggests a
number of meanings to commentators. Some (following the basic meaning of the word) think of "cleft mountains";
others of "rugged" or "craggy mountains"; still others, of an allegory of separation between
the two lovers. Some think this symbolic of the Dear One's breasts (with their "cleavage"). Jay P. Green
translates the word literally as "cleft",8 suggesting to us the Dear One's vulva. Does beter refer to one or more of these?
The King James Version makes this word a place name: "Bether". This suggests haBitron, "the craggy country" or "the Cleft" east of Jordan through which Abner
and his men passed to reach Mahanaim (2 Sa. 2:29). The River Jabbok runs through this valley. High mountains rise
north and south of it.
Here alone in the ancient Erets Yisra'el
is a valley truly worthy of being called "The Cleft". Mahanaim sits within it: near its mouth, or far
within it (scholars, ironically, being divided on its location).
"The Cleft" is nevertheless too wide to suggest a cleft bosom (at least to us). The interconnections of Song 2:17 with other verses make "the mountains
of Bether" parallel with delicate, delicious references to sexual intercourse. Any analogy must surely be
with the Dear One's vulva -- yet it is hidden beneath the emotions provoked by the Lovers' separation. The Dear
One wants to be reunited with her Loved One as soon as possible; her deeper desires and hopes are only suggested.
o 'apiryon, #668 (Song 3:9), used only
here in the Bible, is considered by some a Greek loan word, originally phoreion (thus indicating a late date for the Song).9 The BDBG, while claiming a dubious origin for the word (there being allegedly no plausible
Semitic etymology for it), suggests the Sanskrit word paryanka: "litter-bed, palanquin", or "perhaps (if poem be late)" the above Greek
word. (Even this concedes the Song cannot be dated on the strength of this word alone.)
Once again, the BDBG contradicts itself here. 'Apiryon
is listed under the Hebrew root 'apar,
"enclose, envelope", which has several cognates in Semitic languages (including Aramaic and Assyrian).
A "palanquin" is a covered sedan-chair,
"enclosed" by curtains for the privacy of the occupants. The formation of nouns from verbs via the addition
of -yon is extremely common in Hebrew
(e.g., nasah, "tempt, test";
niCayon, "temptation, testing").
We see no reason to postulate a late, Greek origin for 'apiryon.
o ratsuf, #7528 (Song 3:10), "fit
together, fit out", makes us think of an inlay
of some sort. The root is used as a verb form (i.e., a passive participle) only here. As a noun, ritspah, it means "pavement" (as in a temple
or palace). The BDBG suggests "its interior fitted out (?) with love", adding that the Septuagint and
other sources substitute habni, "ebony",
for 'ahava, "love".
We like to think (with R.K. Dorr) that the palanquin had inlaid letters: "(With) love (in a humble, ideal sense) from the Daughters of Jerusalem". In any
case, the interior workmanship was their gift to the Loved One on his wedding day. With this phrase ('ahava mibnot yerushalayim), the melody shifts focus from
the grandeur of the wedding and its furnishings to the emotion behind this gift. The melody descends to the tonic
and the subtonic on 'ahava, then rises
no higher than a third above the tonic on mibnot
-- pointing one to the feelings which inspired the Daughters' special tribute (whatever it actually was).
o raqa, #7541 (Song 4:3; 6:7), is found
elsewhere in Judges 4:21, 22 and 5:26. In the Song the RSV translates this word as "cheek", but "temple"
in Judges (where no other meaning is possible). The NIV and Haïk-Vantoura render it "temples" in
the Song. Yet we find it strange that raqah
should mean "temple" in the Song; a lover usually focuses on the blush in another's cheeks. Both areas
are "thin" areas of the skull (which is what the root word suggests); possibly different things are meant
in different contexts. (See, however, our discussion of the next word.)
o tsama, #6777 (Song 4:1, 3; 6:7), is
found elsewhere only in Isaiah 47:2, always in the same form: tsaMatekh. In all cases the KJV translates the word "your locks"; all other translators, "your
veil".
Both temples and cheeks may blush, and both may be hidden by a veil. Since the Loved One's mouth is visible, the
"veil" must be over the head, not wrapped around the mouth. Since her hair is mentioned separately (and
previously), virtually all sources think this an article of clothing. Yet the meaning of tsamah does not really depend on that of raqa; the "veil" may be the figurative effect given by the Dear One's long locks, which
would flow over and about (miba`ad) both
temples and cheeks. We prefer the idea of "cheeks" (in the Song at least), if only because a woman's
blushing cheeks are more universally erotic.
o talpiyot, #8530 (Song 4:4), is (according
to some) a loan word from Greek: telopis,
"far-off" (again, allegedly indicating a late origin for the Song).10 Supposedly, the Tower of David was built to be seen from far away; but the verbal grammar
("built to" or "for talpiyot")
would fit that suggestion awkwardly.
The BDBG suggests a root not elsewhere used in the Bible: talaf (cf. Arabic, "to perish"). "Weapons", "fatal things", "shields"
and many other translations have been suggested by commentators.
Actually, the analogy used in the Song is one of decoration. The Dear One's neck has a beauty meant to be adorned, just as the Tower of David is meant
to be adorned with talpiyot. "Trophies" (Haïk-Vantoura) seems to be the best translation here. This
fits with the rest of the verse (see below) and indirectly the tone of its melody.
o schelet, #7982 (Song 4:4), "shield",
is parallel to magen here (as it is not
elsewhere). The root is related to the Assyrian word shaltu: a leather shield. Yet David captured "shields of gold" (schiltê
haZahav) from the servants of Hadadezer of Aram (2 Samuel 8:7). These shields
-- obviously "trophies" (see above) -- are also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 18:7.11
The Loved One refers to these "round shields of heroes" (Haïk-Vantoura) -- the arms of the one thousand
servants of Hadadezer, it seems -- likening them to the gold plates of the Dear One's necklace. Even if one refuses
to concede Solomonic authorship, this usage confirms the Song (as a unified work) must date no later than Rehoboam's
time. (Would Pharaoh Shishak, in his sack of Jerusalem under Solomon's son Rehoboam, ignore these shields? Besides,
in Solomon's time the "trophies" would have been acquired within living memory, making them more likely
to be used as a poetic symbol.)
o schur, #7788, #7789 (Song 4:8). The
BDBG notes the existence of two roots: "perh[aps] travel, journey" and "behold, regard". While
the former has less documentation in the Bible, it actually fits the context of Song 4:8 better. "Look down"
(Haïk-Vantoura), "look" (RSV), even the clever "go to order to view" (Fruchtenbaum), do
not seem to us to fit the melodic interpretation in the context. Not a promise of ecstasy foreseen, but deliverance
from present fear (and thence to that promise), seems the main thrust of the melody, in its particular mode.
o `anak, #6060 (Song 4:9), related to
the word for "neck", means "necklace, neck-pendant", or else a part of a necklace (BDBG). (The
verbal grammar confirms the idea of a "part": a chain, perhaps a "jewel" as in the RSV.) Some
think this word an Aramaism, but this does not prove late authorship (cf. Judges 8:26; Proverbs 1:9).
o schela, #7973 (Song 4:13): "missile,
weapon, sprout" according to the BDBG. For shelahayikh the BDBG can only suggest an (undefined) figurative meaning (or else an emendation to "your
two cheeks", which does not fit the context).12 Some think this refers to the Dear One's legs (via the analogy of sprouts from a central trunk). Haïk-Vantoura translates this word "your plantings"
-- apparently pointing to the public hair,
the "orchard" which is the source of the fragrances described (see below).
o pardec, #6508 (Song 4:13), "preserve,
park" (BDBG), "orchard" (Jay P. Green, RSV), "paradise" (Haïk-Vantoura). Surely this is a late word? Not necessarily. Though found (in
the Bible) only here, Ecclesiastes 2:5 and Nehemiah 2:8, it is a loan word found in a number of Semitic languages
(as well as Greek). We find it interesting that two of the three biblical usages are from books ascribed to Solomon.
(The original root word means "enclosure", which fits the context here as well.)
o qiNamon, #7076 (Song 4:14), "cinnamon
(prob[ably] foreign word, coming with the thing from remote [East])" (BDBG). This word compares with the Malay
word kainamanis or kayumanis (ibid.). It is mentioned as early as Exodus 30:23, and also in Proverbs 7:17 -- in both cases,
as a kind of perfuming agent. Certainly this word does not prove a late origin for any of these passages; cinnamon
and other spices were long imported into the Middle East from the Far East, thanks to the ambition of Babylonian,
Arab and other traders. Again, two of the three biblical usages of this word come from works ascribed to Solomon
(who could certainly afford to import spices or anything else he wanted).
o bara, #1249 (Song 6:9, 10), "pure,
clean" (BDBG) -- referring in the Song to the Dear One's purity (v. 9), and the purity of the sunlight to
which she is likened (verse 10).
o schaqaf, #8259 (Song 6:10), "overhang,
look out and down" (BDBG, which suggests "look down, forth" here, as do the RSV and the KJV). We
think the analogy is not only of sunrise, of "dawn" over the world, but of the Dear One's position over
the Daughters (as if she is standing on a balcony). Their melody rises to meet her, literally, just as the sun
rises over the horizon (or the eyes rise to the balcony where she stands).
As we note in the main text, the word nischqafa
("looks out and down") is found also in 2 Samuel 6:16 and 1 Chronciles 15:29 (where Michal looks down
from a window to watch David dancing). In the Letteris Edition of these verses, the melody descends from the 5th
degree to the tonic (and then to a melisma, revi`a,
emphasizing the place where she stood). In the BHS and other editions, the tonic sign is ommitted on hahaLon, "the window". The melody which results in BHS emphasizes Michal's looking out (rather
than both out and down as the melody of Letteris indicates). Yet the tonic sign should not be omitted for another
reason: it ensures the reader stops on the first syllable of hahaLon long enough
to make it distinct from be`ad immediately
preceding it.
o ami nadiv, #5971, #5081 (Song 6:12):
in the Masoretic Text, these are two words. The name Amminadib (#5992) is used for Aaron's father-in-law, and also
certain later Levites. Were it a proper name meant in Song 6:12, it would have no direct connection to these personages
save the name.
Some amend the Hebrew to read "beside my prince" (RSV) or "the people of the prince" (NIV,
margin). The former assumes Shulamith is speaking here. The melody makes it possible to render the text literally:
"my people / noble" or "my noble people". These are Solomon's words, not Shulamith's; the verbal
grammar is poetic, concise and expressive.
o schulamit, #7759 (Song 7:1): "Shulammite",
as the BDBG spells the word; "Shulamith" as we spell it in the book. The BDBG and certain ancient sources
make this word equivalent to "Shunammite" (substituting n for l according to
linguistic principles). Yet we hold that the Song, together with the biblical narrative, denies an identification
with Abishag the Shunammite (or anyone else from Shunem). The parallel (as Strong's
Dictionary hints) is with Solomon's name, making haSchulaMit ("the Shulamith") a "pet name" (which explains the use of "the").
True, Shunem (we are told) was known later as Shulem, and today (by the Arabs) as Sulem (Fruchtenbaum, op. cit., p. 54). But this does not outweigh the internal
evidence of the Song itself, which points to a derivation from shelomo (as Fruchtenbaum acknowledges, p. 5).
o hamuk,
#2542 (Song 7:2), "curving, curve" (BDBG), used only here. It comes from hamak, #2559, "turn away (intr[ansitive])" (BDBG).
The root word is found in Song 5:6 ("my Loved One had turned away") and Jeremiah 31:22 ("How long
will you turn hither and thither...?").
The verbal action of Song 7:2b (on hamuqê
yerekayikh) moves from the half-cadence (4th degree) to suspension (5th degree)
to a feminine cadence (4th to 5th): a gentle curve of motion. In essence, the words describe the hips' form (which
is compared to the static forms of jewels as worked by the artisan); the music, their gentle motion. The focus
(as one might expect) is on the visual form;
the dancer's movements (defined by the simple melodic progression) are designed merely to highlight
it. The motion is not that of the swaying
of ornaments on a chain as Fructenbaum thinks (see below); it is that of the
dancer as such.
o hali,
#2481 (plural hala'im, Song 7:2b), "ornament" (BDBG). It is used elsewhere only in Proverbs 25:12. A related
word, helyah,
is found in Hosea 2:15 (2:13, English versification), translated by the BDBG as "jewelry". In both cases
outside of the Song of Songs, the word seems to refer to ornaments for the neck or breast, not the hips (at least
in the opinion of the BDBG).
Fructenbaum asserts that hala'im "signifies female ornaments consisting of gold, silver and precious stones. This figure
is used by Solomon because the bending of the thighs and loins full of life and beauty are like the free swinging
of such ornaments when connected to a chain."13 But the actual dance shows off the form as well as the gracefulness
of the dancer's hips -- just as the Admirers, watching the Dear One walking, notice both the form and the motion
of her hips.
Here, as elsewhere, Fructenbaum goes beyond what the Hebrew text actually says, even apart from the original music.
Nowhere are the actual materials of the "ornaments" described (save the use of "gold" in Proverbs
25:12), nor do the Hebrew words alone prove "curves" must refer to motion. (Other exegetes focus on the form
of the hips, as do we.) Once again, the melody must make the meaning clear in context.
o 'oman, #542 (Song 7:2), "master-workman,
artist" (BDBG). Used only here, it has parallels in Mishnaic Hebrew ('uman, 'umanut, "handiwork"),
Syriac, and in the Syriac Version proper of Exodux 28:11 (where it parallels the Hebrew harasch, referring -- like the Hebrew -- to work with gems and gold). In the Song, 'oman refers to a lapidary, as the imagery of the melos in which the word is found confirms.
o schoRer, #8326 (Song 7:3), "navel-string"
(BDBG). The word is found elsewhere only in Ezekiel 16:4 and Proverbs 3:8. In the former, it indeed refers to the
umbilical cord; in the latter, the navel (or rather the body, by a figure of speech called synecdoche). In both cases, the "r"
(resh) is alone, but with a dot called
a dagesch (meaning that the letter is
pronounced as if "doubled") -- something most unusual, as resh normally cannot carry a dagesch.
(The Masorah points out these cases in
the margin for this reason.) In Song 7:3 the "doubled resh" is spelled out (schorrekh,
"your navel").14
Many today believe schoRer in this verse
means the vulva (via a "dubious Arabism"
for "secret part"). This translation assumes a connection with verse 2 which the melody denies (as does
the usage of the word elsewhere in the Bible). The vulva is already the hidden object of desire (by the Dear One's
Admirers) in verse 2. In verse 3, the Loved One (in sequence) describes a part higher on the Dear One's body. The
delicacy of the melody in verse 3 confirms this.
Does the analogy of a goblet of mixed wine
(verse 3) deny this?15 No more than
the following description of the belly as "a heap of wheat, encircled by lilies". The Hebrew compares
the shoRer to a goblet, then adds, "Let
[the goblet] never lack mixed wine!" The "goblet" suggests the form, the "mixed wine" the delectability of the navel -- just as the phrase "heap of wheat, encircled by lilies" suggests
the form and delectability of the belly. The "mixed wine" in the one and the "lilies" surrounding
the other suggest the Loved One's desire to enjoy these "parts" by kissing them (cf. Song 7:10; 6:3).
Could the "spiced wine" and the "juice of my pomegranates" in Song 7:3 (cf. 4:13) refer to
coition? This would be consistent with
the idea that shoRer refers to the vulva.
Yet "wine" elsewhere refers to kissing, and "pomegranates" to the Dear One's cheeks -- so "spiced
wine" and "the juice of my pomegranates" may simply be two ways of referring to deep kissing (which of course may be enjoyed at the same
time as coition).
o mezeg, #4197 (Song 7:3), "mixture,
i.e., mixed wine" (BDBG). This word (used only here in the Bible) comes from the Semitic root mazag, "to mix". Various Aramaic derivatives
have the same sense of "mix, prepare by mixing, mixture". In Arabic the cognate refers to "water
mixed with wine, mixture".
The Tosafot (additions to Rashi's Commentary
during the 12th-14th centuries A.D.) propose spiced wine as the proper translation -- perhaps in an attempt to
link shoRer to the vulva rather than the
navel. If so, we think the analogy to be forced. True, a "goblet" full of "spiced wine" could
suggest a well-lubricated vulva, and perhaps oral sex as well (especially in the light of the association of "spices"
with the vulva elsewhere in the Song). But the "spicy" link depends on the assumption (contrary to all
other evidence, some unavailable until now) that the vulva is really meant in Song 7:3.
Besides, if Solomon were really starting at the vulva, would he not linger there (true to the lower impulses of
human nature), rather than wander to less sensitive areas of the Dear One's body? On the contrary, he knows enough
to bring the Dear One to emotional as well as purely erotic fulfillment -- which requires (as it were) an indirect approach to the vulva. This is part of what Solomon's
"word-play" is meant to underline: the difference between lust and marital love.
o rahat, #7298 (Song 7:6 -- 7:5, English
versification), "lock of hair", the meaning and origin of which is dubious (the word is used only here).
The BDBG assumes a different root here than for rahat,
"trough" (Genesis 30:38, 41; Exodus 2:16); Strong's Concordance assumes the root is the same. The idea seems to be something "gathered together"
or "flowing" (depending on the root word assumed). The latter seems to us to fit the context better.
o karmel, #3760 (Song 7:6 -- 7:5, English
versification): here and elsewhere, "(Mount) Carmel", related to #3759 ("plantation, garden-land;
fruit, garden-growth"). BDBG suggests one should read in Song 7:6 a late loan word of slightly different spelling,
karmil (#3758), "crimson, carmine".
We note that karmil, like 'arGaman (see below), refers to dye or the cloth dyed
by it -- both used especially for royal or sacerdotal purposes. Were karmil actually meant in the Song, it could refer in some fashion to the color
or highlights of Shulamith's hair.16
If we accept the received tradition (which the te`amim
helped keep intact), then Mount Carmel alone can be meant. The melody, tender as it is, points to the lushness
rather than the color of the Dear One's hair.
Karmil, incidentally, is found elsewhere
only in 2 Chronicles 2:6,13 and 3:14, 'arGvan
or 'arGavan always being found with it
(see next entry). These words are put in Solomon's mouth by the Chronicler; but nothing proves that Solomon could
not have used these very words.17
In any case, there is no provable link between Song 7:6 and the use of karmil and 'arGavan in 2
Chronicles.
o 'argaman, #713 (Song 7:6 -- 7:5, English
versification), "purple, red-purple, i.e., purple thread & cloth" (BDBG). This word has cognates
in Assyrian, Arabic, Aramaic and possibly Sanskrit; yet the BDBG considers it a "prob[able] loan word"
from Persian. 2 Chronicles 2:6,13 and 3:14 use an "Aramaic form", 'arGvan or 'arGavan, "purple"
(#710). The word 'arGaman appears as early
in the Bible as Exodus, in the discussions of the Tabernacle furnishings -- which discussions (being "priestly")
have long been assumed by many to be late. We see no objective basis for this assumption; priestcraft long predated
the Hebrew Bible, or even Israel itself.
o davav, #1680 (Song 7:9 -- 7:8, English
versification), "move gently, glide, glide over" (BDBG). The RSV alters Dovev
siftê yeschenim to "gliding over (my) lips and teeth" (Dovev sefatay veshinay), supported by the Septuagint,
Aquila, Syriac and Vulgate versions (all of which apparently assume Solomon is still speaking in 7:9b).
From the same root comes diba, "whispering
[always in an evil sense], defamation, evil report". (This word and its root are related to an Assyrian cognate:
"plot, plan"). It seems Dovev,
used only in Song 7:9, means "whispering", but in a good or neutral sense: that of "talking in one's
sleep". If so, this meaning (which fits the melodic-verbal context) is unique in the Bible, and obscure apart
from the Song's original melody.
o schalhevetyah, #7957, #3050 (Song 8:6):
According to the "ben Asher" and "Eastern" textual readings (and the Letteris Edition), this
is but one word. According to the "ben Naphtali" and "Western" readings, two words should be
read here (schalhevet-yaH). The former
reading would mean "a powerful flame" or "Yahweh-flame" (BDBG); the latter, literally "a
flame of Yah". The second reading is meant to bring out the presence of one of God's names in the Song. Either
way, Love, the "flame of Yah",
permeates the Song and determines its unique character (verbally and especially melodically).18
o Ba`al-hamon, #1174 (Song 8:11), a place-name
unique in the Bible: from ba`al, #1167,
"owner, lord", and hamon, #1995,
"sound, murmur, roar, crowd, abundance" (BDBG). This "possessor of abundance" is not to be
confused with the Phoenician and especially Carthaginian Ba`al-hamon: "Lord
of the Brazier", the husband and brother of the goddess Tanit. Child sacrifices were made to Ba`al-hamon, much as they were to Molech.19
The Daughters of Jerusalem use "Ba`al-hamon" (underlining it with the 5th, then the augmented 4th degrees)
to suggest Solomon's wealth, whatever the actual or original significance of the place-name. With this understanding,
Shulamith's response in Song 8:12 makes more sense. Solomon, wealthy though he is, does not need to give her family
a bride-price for what his love has already won. On the contrary, Shulamith is happy to contribute something of
her own (figuratively) in thanks for her Loved One's self-restraint before marriage.
o barah,
#1272 (Song 8:14): "go through, flee" (BDBG). In the sense of "go through", it is used in only
two places outside the Song: Exodus 26:28 and 36:33. In these passages, the verb root refers to inserting a bar (beriah, #1280) into the holes of the boards forming the Tabernacle walls, joining them into a whole.
The mechanical analogy with the joining of the Lovers' sexual organs (so that the couple becomes "one flesh")
is so obvious that we wonder why so few
commentators have seen it. The BDBG's one explicit definition of berah as "hasten, come quickly" (no pun intended)
refers to its usage in Song 8:14. If the Dear One asks the Loved One to "hasten" anywhere, it is to some
private place where they can share sexual intercourse (this wish being parallel to "let us run" in Song
1:4). But we should not ignore the "deeper" implications (pun definitely intended) of the Dear One's
wish!
With this word, we reach the end of the relationship begun when Solomon "ran away with" Shulamith. We
watch, as it were, as the Lovers "head into the sunset", leaving the history of their relationship behind
as a timeless example for God's people. |
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FOOTNOTES
1. We reject the amendations of Psalms
9:1 and 48:15 proposed by the BDBG as being contrary to the plain sense of the melos in which these verses are found.
2. The restored melody of Psalms
46 confirms that instrumental pitch, not the use of young women in the choir, is meant in the title. Here as elsewhere,
the technical terms in the Psalm titles refer to instruments or instrument ensembles, not to modes, tunes or special
types of choirs.
3. To this author's knowledge, Greek
has only the word parthenos -- literally
"a virgin" -- to refer to an unmarried woman. This is the word used in the New Testament and
in the Septuagint
translation of Isaiah 7:14.
4. It is no accident that the preaching
of the Resurrection preceded the narrative of the Virgin Birth. Given that Jesus (as His resurrection proved) was
God's Son and Messiah, it was natural for believers to ask how His birth came about (Mt. 1:18). But the narrative
of His birth was not intended to "prove" His Messiahship, but to confirm and explain what the Resurrection
had already proven.
5. In our society, a harlot may
depersonalize herself by wearing almost nothing (or certain things missing in the right places). Same dance, different
tune.
6. The intensity of the melody in
Song 1:16-17 confirms this. It is difficult to imagine something so prosaic as a piece of furniture, a house (lit.
"houses") or rafters inspiring such spiritual and romantic feelings. Nor can the wedding night's emotional
intensity account for it; the relationship is far too young (as the poetic structure proves) and still too detached
from sensuality (as the melody points out).
7. Cited by Anthony R. Ceresko in
"Janus Parallelism in Amos's 'Oracles Against the Nations'", in Journal
of Biblical Literature, Vol. 113, No. 3 (Fall 1994), p. 486 (where a complete
bibliography on "Janus Parallelism" is given in the notes).
8. Jay P. Green, Sr. ed., The Interlinear Bible, 2nd edition (Hendrickson, 1986),
p. 537.
9. "Bible", article in
Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 4, col. 824.
10. "Bible", article in
Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 4, col. 824.
11. 2 Kiings 11:10 and 2 Chronicles
23:9 refer to David's own arms, and mostly use different words to describe them. The first verse, however, does
refer to haSchlatim, "the shields"
(the same word as that used to describe Hadadezar's shields in 2 Samuel 8:7).
12. The "cheeks", of course,
would be those of the face, not of the buttocks as in modern colloquial usage.
13. Fructenbaum, Biblical Lovemaking, p. 56.
14. Since the letter resch cannot normally be "doubled", these and
other cases (such as in Psalm 52:5, Hebrew: Ra`,
"evil") are noteworthy. Haïk-Vantoura seems to perceive the truth more clearly than many: wherever
it is found, the dagesch marks emphasis (which has a different significance in different
contexts).
15. Were coition intended, the Dear
One's natural lubrication would then no doubt be likened to the "mixed wine" at least -- but that seems
rather contrary to the analogy of "wine" with kissing used consistently elsewhere.
16. One commentator, H. Gratz, thinks
karmel (read by him here as karmil) refers to the glossiness of Shulamith's hair (see notes in BDBG). This parallels our own speculation that red or violet
highlights might be described; but that does not prove anything but Mt. Carmel is meant (and the melodic-verbal
syntax seems best to fit that obvious sense).
17. For whatever reason, dyed cloth
is not mentioned at all in the account of the construction of the Temple in 1 Kings.
18. The Ginsburg Edition gives the
above information in its marginal notes; the Letteris Edition uses gives the ben Asher reading and notes it as
such in the margin.
19. Dr. John Currid, "Abortion:
Child Sacrifice in the 90's?", in Ministry,
Vol. 12, No. 2, Summer 1993.
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Updated March 01, 2010 |
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