Song of Solomon 4 Study Notes: The Bridegroom Praises His Bride
The bridegroom praises his bride’s beauty in a series of images and declares her flawless. He calls her to come away with him from the peaks of Lebanon, says one glance from her has won his heart, and the chapter closes with further images of his delight in her.
General
How does the bridegroom sum up his praise of his bride at the end of 4:1-7?
Answer: She is wholly lovely, with no flaw at all
In 4:1-7 the bridegroom praises his bride’s beauty in a series of images, and he ends by declaring that she is beautiful through and through, without a single flaw (4:7). He delights in her just as the first man delighted in the wife God gave him (Genesis 2:23), and he praises her again later in the Song (6:4).
- Song of Solomon 4:7 (BSB)“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.”He sums up his praise: she is wholly beautiful and without flaw.
- Genesis 2:23 (BSB)“And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.””The first man rejoices over the woman God made for him.
- Song of Solomon 6:4 (BSB)“You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.”Later in the Song he again praises her beauty.
Theological
What summary verdict does the bridegroom give at the close of his praise in 4:1-7?
Answer: She is wholly lovely, with no flaw at all
The bridegroom’s praise in 4:1-7 unfolds as a series of images and closes with a summary verdict: she is wholly beautiful, without flaw (4:7). His delight recalls the first man’s joy over the wife God gave him (Genesis 2:23), and the praise is renewed later (6:4).
- Song of Solomon 4:7 (BSB)“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.”He sums up his praise: she is wholly beautiful and without flaw.
- Genesis 2:23 (BSB)“And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.””The first man rejoices over the woman God made for him.
- Song of Solomon 6:4 (BSB)“You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.”Later in the Song he again praises her beauty.
General
What does the bridegroom say his bride has done with just one look of her eyes (4:9)?
Answer: Taken his heart captive completely
He tells her that she has captured his heart, that one glance of her eyes and a single jewel of her necklace were enough to win it (4:9). He goes on to say how delightful her love is to him (4:10). His words show the joy and devotion of a husband who treasures his wife. Proverbs praises a noble wife as worth far more than jewels, one her husband trusts with all his heart (Proverbs 31:10-11), and calls finding a wife a good gift from the LORD (Proverbs 18:22).
- Song of Solomon 4:9 (BSB)“You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.”The bridegroom says his bride has captured his heart with one glance.
- Proverbs 31:10-11 (BSB)“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value.”A wife of noble character is precious to her husband, who trusts her fully.
- Proverbs 18:22 (BSB)“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.”Finding a wife is a good gift and a sign of the LORD’s favor.
Theological
According to 4:9, what effect has a single glance from the bride had on the bridegroom?
Answer: Taken his heart captive completely
He declares that she has taken his heart captive with a single glance and a single jewel of her necklace (4:9), and he goes on to celebrate the delight of her love (4:10). The language expresses a husband’s wholehearted devotion. Proverbs likewise prizes a noble wife above rubies, one in whom her husband places his full trust (Proverbs 31:10-11), and counts a wife a good gift bringing the LORD’s favor (Proverbs 18:22).
- Song of Solomon 4:9 (BSB)“You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.”The bridegroom says his bride has captured his heart with one glance.
- Proverbs 31:10-11 (BSB)“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value.”A wife of noble character is precious to her husband, who trusts her fully.
- Proverbs 18:22 (BSB)“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.”Finding a wife is a good gift and a sign of the LORD’s favor.
General
From where does the bridegroom call his bride to come with him in 4:8?
Answer: From Lebanon and its high, wild mountains
He calls his bride to come with him from Lebanon, down from the peaks of Amana, Senir and Hermon, places where lions and leopards live (4:8). These are high, remote mountains in the north, and his call is to leave those wild heights and come away with him. Senir is another name for Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 3:8-9; 1 Chronicles 5:23). This verse is also the first time in the Song that he calls her his bride.
- Song of Solomon 4:8 (BSB)“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.”The bridegroom calls his bride to come with him from the mountains of Lebanon.
- Deuteronomy 3:8-9 (BSB)“At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—”Moses notes that the Amorites called Mount Hermon by the name Senir.
- 1 Chronicles 5:23 (BSB)“Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).”Chronicles also identifies Senir with Mount Hermon.
Theological
Out of what region does the bridegroom summon his bride in 4:8?
Answer: From Lebanon and its high, wild mountains
He summons his bride from Lebanon, from the heights of Amana, Senir and Hermon, haunts of lions and leopards (4:8). The northern peaks evoke distance and danger, and his call is for her to come away from them to be with him. Senir is elsewhere identified with Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 3:8-9; 1 Chronicles 5:23). Here, for the first time in the Song, he addresses her as his bride.
- Song of Solomon 4:8 (BSB)“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.”The bridegroom calls his bride to come with him from the mountains of Lebanon.
- Deuteronomy 3:8-9 (BSB)“At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—”Moses notes that the Amorites called Mount Hermon by the name Senir.
- 1 Chronicles 5:23 (BSB)“Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).”Chronicles also identifies Senir with Mount Hermon.
General
True or False: Beginning in 4:8, the man calls the woman his bride, and in 4:9-12 he repeatedly calls her both his sister and his bride.
Answer: True
This is true. He first calls her his bride when he invites her to come from Lebanon (4:8), and in the verses that follow he speaks to her again and again as both his sister and his bride (4:9-12). The title bride shows that she is now his wife, and pairing it with sister expresses tender closeness. Marriage is God’s own design, in which a man and his wife become one (Genesis 2:24), and Malachi calls a wife her husband’s companion bound to him by covenant, a solemn promise made before God (Malachi 2:14).
- Song of Solomon 4:8 (BSB)“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.”He first addresses her as his bride.
- Song of Solomon 4:9 (BSB)“You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.”He calls her both his sister and his bride.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God’s design for marriage unites husband and wife as one.
- Malachi 2:14 (BSB)“Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”A wife is described as her husband’s companion by covenant.
Theological
True or False: From 4:8 the man addresses the woman as his bride, and in 4:9-12 he repeatedly pairs the titles sister and bride.
Answer: True
This is true. The title bride first appears with the call from Lebanon (4:8) and is repeated, paired with sister, through 4:9-12. The title marks her as his wife, while sister adds a note of tender closeness and belonging. Marriage is the Creator’s ordinance, uniting husband and wife as one (Genesis 2:24), and Malachi describes a wife as her husband’s companion by covenant (Malachi 2:14).
- Song of Solomon 4:8 (BSB)“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.”He first addresses her as his bride.
- Song of Solomon 4:9 (BSB)“You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.”He calls her both his sister and his bride.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God’s design for marriage unites husband and wife as one.
- Malachi 2:14 (BSB)“Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”A wife is described as her husband’s companion by covenant.