Song of Solomon / Chapter 1

Song of Solomon 1

17 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The Song opens with its superscription attributing the work to Solomon, then immediately plunges into the woman's voice — her longing for her lover's kisses, her self-conscious awareness of her dark skin, and her search for the shepherd she desires. The chapter establishes the erotic dialogue between the two lovers and introduces the Daughters of Jerusalem as a chorus. The man responds with lavish praise of her beauty, comparing her to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The woman speaks first and speaks most. In a literary culture dominated by male voices, the Song of Songs gives the opening lines — and the majority of the poem — to a woman. She is not passive; she initiates, she seeks, she demands. Her first words are an imperative: 'Let him kiss me.' The self-description in verses 5-6 ('I am dark and beautiful') is a striking act of self-assertion against social judgment. She has been made to labor in vineyards under the sun, and her brothers are angry with her, yet she refuses shame. The imagery of 'my own vineyard' (verse 6) introduces the Song's central metaphor: the vineyard as the woman's body and sexuality, which she owns and gives freely.

Translation Friction

The superscription 'Song of Songs which is Solomon's' (shir ha-shirim asher li-Shelomoh) is ambiguous — the lamed prefix could mean 'by Solomon,' 'for Solomon,' 'about Solomon,' or 'in the style of Solomon.' Solomonic authorship is a literary attribution, not a historical claim most scholars would affirm. The Hebrew in verse 5 reads shechorah ani ve-navah, which can be rendered 'I am dark AND beautiful' rather than the KJV's 'black BUT comely' — the conjunction ve- does not inherently carry adversative force. The choice between 'and' and 'but' is theologically significant: one affirms her darkness as beautiful, the other implies it is a flaw to be excused.

Connections

The vineyard metaphor recurs throughout the Song (2:15, 7:13, 8:11-12) and connects to Isaiah 5:1-7 (the vineyard as beloved) and Hosea's marriage imagery. The mare-among-chariots comparison (1:9) draws on Egyptian royal imagery — Pharaoh's chariot horses were legendary. The nard, henna, and myrrh of 1:12-14 appear in the spice catalogues of Proverbs 7:17 and the trade lists of Ezekiel 27, grounding the Song's sensuality in the real luxury economy of the ancient Near East.

Song of Solomon 1:1

שִׁ֥יר הַשִּׁירִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לִשְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

The finest song, which is Solomon's.

KJV The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים shir ha-shirim
"Song of Songs" — song, poem, lyric; the superlative form means 'the greatest song, the supreme song'

The superlative genitive construction elevates this poem above all others. The same grammatical pattern appears in qodesh ha-qodashim ('Holy of Holies') and melekh ha-melakhim ('King of Kings'). This is not merely a song but THE song.

Translator Notes

  1. Shir ha-shirim is a Hebrew superlative construction — 'the greatest of songs,' 'the ultimate song,' comparable to 'King of Kings' or 'Holy of Holies.' The attribution to Solomon likely reflects the tradition associating him with 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32) rather than a strict authorial claim.
Song of Solomon 1:2

יִשָּׁקֵ֙נִי֙ מִנְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔יהוּ כִּֽי־ט֥וֹבִים דֹּדֶ֖יךָ מִיָּֽיִן׃

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your lovemaking is better than wine.

KJV Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

דֹּדֶיךָ dodekha
"your lovemaking" — love, lovemaking, caresses, sexual love; plural intensifies physicality

Dodim is the plural of dod ('beloved, uncle, lover'). In its plural form it consistently refers to physical love and sexual pleasure (Proverbs 7:18, Ezekiel 16:8, 23:17). The KJV's 'thy love' understates the erotic charge.

Translator Notes

  1. The woman's voice opens the poem with a bold imperative — she does not wait to be pursued but declares her desire. The shift from third person ('let him') to second person ('your') within the same verse is characteristic of the Song's fluid, emotionally charged speech.
  2. Dodim (plural of dod) means 'lovemaking, caresses, acts of love' — not abstract love but physical expressions of intimacy. The comparison to wine is sensory: his touch intoxicates more than the finest vintage.
Song of Solomon 1:3

לְרֵ֙יחַ֙ שְׁמָנֶ֣יךָ טוֹבִ֔ים שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑ךָ עַל־כֵּ֖ן עֲלָמ֥וֹת אֲהֵבֽוּךָ׃

Your anointing oils are fragrant, your name is perfume poured out — no wonder the young women love you!

KJV Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

שֶׁמֶן shemen
"perfume" — oil, fat, perfume, ointment; olive oil used for anointing, cooking, and cosmetics

The near-homophone with shem ('name') creates a pun: his name IS oil, his identity IS fragrance. In the ancient world, fine perfumed oil was both luxury commodity and marker of status.

עֲלָמוֹת alamot
"young women" — young women, maidens, girls of marriageable age

Alamah refers to a young woman of marriageable age. The same word appears in Isaiah 7:14 and generates significant interpretive debate there, but here its meaning is straightforward: other women also find him desirable.

Translator Notes

  1. The wordplay between shemen ('oil, perfume') and shem ('name') is deliberate and untranslatable — his name and his scent are fused. Identity and sensory presence merge. The alamot ('young women, maidens') confirm the man's desirability: the woman's desire is not private delusion but publicly recognizable attraction.
Song of Solomon 1:4

מָשְׁכֵ֖נִי אַחֲרֶ֣יךָ נָּר֑וּצָה הֱבִיאַ֨נִי הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ חֲדָרָ֗יו נָגִ֤ילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ נַזְכִּ֤ירָה דֹדֶ֙יךָ֙ מִיַּ֔יִן מֵישָׁרִ֖ים אֲהֵבֽוּךָ׃

Draw me after you — let us run! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you, we will savor your lovemaking more than wine. Rightly do they love you!

KJV Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חֲדָרָיו chadarav
"his chambers" — inner room, bedroom, private chamber; the most intimate space in a dwelling

The cheder is the innermost room — the bedroom, the place of privacy and intimacy. Being brought into the king's chambers is both literal (sexual union) and metaphorical (deepest intimacy).

Translator Notes

  1. The shift from singular ('draw me') to plural ('let us run, we will rejoice') likely represents the chorus of the Daughters of Jerusalem joining the woman's voice. The king's chambers (chadarav) suggest royal intimacy — the innermost, most private rooms of the palace.
  2. Mesharim is rendered 'rightly' rather than KJV's 'the upright' — the word functions adverbially here, meaning 'with good reason, justly, fittingly.' Their love for him is well-founded.
Song of Solomon 1:5

שְׁחוֹרָ֤ה אֲנִי֙ וְנָאוָ֔ה בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כְּאָהֳלֵ֣י קֵדָ֔ר כִּירִיע֖וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

I am dark and beautiful, O Daughters of Jerusalem — dark as the tents of Kedar, lovely as the curtains of Solomon.

KJV I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

שְׁחוֹרָה shechorah
"dark" — black, dark, swarthy, sun-darkened

Shachor describes dark coloring — here from sun exposure (as verse 6 explains). The word carries no inherent negative connotation in Hebrew. The woman states her appearance as fact and claims beauty alongside it.

נָאוָה navah
"beautiful" — beautiful, comely, lovely, fitting, becoming

Navah describes beauty that is appropriate and pleasing. It appears again in 2:14 and 6:4, consistently describing the woman. Her beauty is a refrain, not a concession.

Translator Notes

  1. The conjunction ve- is rendered 'and' rather than the KJV's 'but.' The Hebrew does not inherently contrast darkness with beauty — it can and does assert both simultaneously. Rendering it 'but' imports an assumption that dark skin is a deficiency to be overcome, which the Hebrew does not require.
  2. Kedar refers to a nomadic Arabian tribe descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:13) known for their black goat-hair tents. The comparison is striking: she is dark like desert tents AND beautiful like royal curtains. Both images coexist without tension.
Song of Solomon 1:6

אַל־תִּרְא֙וּנִי֙ שֶׁאֲנִ֣י שְׁחַרְחֹ֔רֶת שֶׁשְּׁזָפַ֖תְנִי הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ בְּנֵ֤י אִמִּי֙ נִֽחֲרוּ־בִ֔י שָׂמֻ֙נִי֙ נֹטֵרָ֣ה אֶת־הַכְּרָמִ֔ים כַּרְמִ֥י שֶׁלִּ֖י לֹ֥א נָטָֽרְתִּי׃

Do not stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has gazed on me. My mother's sons were angry with me — they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not tended.

KJV Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כַּרְמִי karmi
"my vineyard" — vineyard; metaphorically the woman's body, sexuality, or selfhood

The vineyard as sexual metaphor is the Song's signature image. In 8:12, the woman declares 'my vineyard, which is mine, is before me' — full ownership of her body and desire. Here the lament is that others have controlled her labor and left her no freedom for herself.

Translator Notes

  1. Shecharochoret is an intensified form — 'very dark, deeply tanned.' The sun has shezafatni ('scorched me, burned me'). Her darkness is the result of forced outdoor labor, not innate complexion — though the Song never treats this as diminishing her beauty.
  2. The vineyard metaphor operates on two levels simultaneously. On the surface: her brothers forced her to tend their vineyards, leaving no time for her own. Below the surface: 'my own vineyard' (karmi shelli) is her body, her sexuality, her self — which she has not been free to cultivate or enjoy. This double meaning recurs at the Song's climax in 8:12.
Song of Solomon 1:7

הַגִּ֣ידָה לִּ֗י שֶׁאָהֲבָ֤ה נַפְשִׁי֙ אֵיכָ֣ה תִרְעֶ֔ה אֵיכָ֖ה תַּרְבִּ֣יץ בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם שַׁלָּמָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּעֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽיךָ׃

Tell me, you whom my whole being loves — where do you graze your flock? Where do you rest them at noon? Why should I be like a veiled woman wandering among your companions' flocks?

KJV Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נַפְשִׁי nafshi
"my whole being" — soul, self, life, appetite, desire, throat, breath; the entire animated self

Nefesh is the whole person — not a disembodied soul but the breathing, desiring, living self. When she says 'whom my nefesh loves,' she means every part of her — body, mind, and desire — is oriented toward him.

Translator Notes

  1. She-ahavah nafshi ('whom my soul loves') is the Song's signature phrase for the woman's desire (repeated in 3:1-4). Nefesh here is not 'soul' in the Greek dualistic sense but the whole self — body, desire, identity, life-force.
  2. The word ke-oteyah is debated: it may mean 'like one who veils herself' (suggesting a prostitute, cf. Genesis 38:14-15) or 'like one who wanders' (from a root meaning to go astray). Either reading carries anxiety — she does not want to be mistaken for someone she is not.
Song of Solomon 1:8

אִם־לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ לָ֔ךְ הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים צְאִ֤י־לָךְ֙ בְּעִקְבֵ֣י הַצֹּ֔אן וּרְעִי֙ אֶת־גְּדִיֹּתַ֔יִךְ עַ֖ל מִשְׁכְּנ֥וֹת הָרֹעִֽים׃

If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, go out and follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats beside the shepherds' tents.

KJV If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים ha-yafah ba-nashim
"most beautiful among women" — the fair one, the beautiful one; superlative beauty among all women

This phrase recurs as a title for the woman (5:9, 6:1). It functions like a name — she is never named in the Song, only addressed by epithets of beauty and desire.

Translator Notes

  1. The speaker here is likely the chorus (Daughters of Jerusalem) or the man himself. The address ha-yafah ba-nashim ('the beautiful one among women') is a superlative — she is the most beautiful of all women. The advice is practical and teasing: follow the sheep tracks and you will find your shepherd.
Song of Solomon 1:9

לְסֻסָתִ֖י בְּרִכְבֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה דִּמִּיתִ֖יךְ רַעְיָתִֽי׃

To a mare among Pharaoh's chariot stallions I compare you, my darling.

KJV I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

סוּסָתִי susati
"a mare" — mare, female horse; a single female horse among male war-horses

Egyptian military records describe the tactic of releasing a mare among enemy chariot horses to cause chaos. The comparison is not about her physical size but about her irresistible, formation-breaking power over him.

רַעְיָתִי ra'yati
"my darling" — my companion, my love, my darling, my friend; feminine form of re'a ('friend, companion')

Ra'yah is built on the root for friendship and companionship. The man's primary term for his beloved emphasizes mutuality and partnership alongside desire.

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew is susati ('my mare') — singular and feminine, not the KJV's 'company of horses.' The image is provocative and deliberately erotic: a mare released among chariot stallions would drive them wild, breaking formation. He is saying: you have the power to undo all composure.
  2. Ra'yati ('my darling, my companion, my friend') is the man's signature term for the woman — it implies both romantic love and genuine companionship.
Song of Solomon 1:10

נָאו֤וּ לְחָיַ֙יִךְ֙ בַּתֹּרִ֔ים צַוָּארֵ֖ךְ בַּחֲרוּזִֽים׃

Your cheeks are lovely between the pendants, your neck with strings of beads.

KJV Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Torim ('rows, strings') likely refers to ornamental pendants or earrings framing her face. Charuzim ('beads, strung ornaments') describes jewels strung on a cord around her neck. The man notices how adornment enhances her natural beauty — the jewels do not create beauty but frame what is already there.
Song of Solomon 1:11

תּוֹרֵ֤י זָהָב֙ נַעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ עִ֖ם נְקֻדּ֥וֹת הַכָּֽסֶף׃

We will make you ornaments of gold studded with silver.

KJV We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The plural 'we will make' suggests the man and his companions, or a royal 'we.' The gold-and-silver adornment is a love-gift, crafted specifically for her. The combination of gold with silver nequddot ('studs, dots, speckles') describes fine metalwork — luxury jewelry as an expression of devotion.
Song of Solomon 1:12

עַד־שֶׁהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בִּמְסִבּ֑וֹ נִרְדִּ֖י נָתַ֥ן רֵיחֽוֹ׃

While the king reclines at his table, my nard gives off its fragrance.

KJV While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נִרְדִּי nirdi
"my nard" — spikenard, nard; an expensive aromatic plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) imported from the Himalayas

Nard was among the most costly perfumes of the ancient world, imported from northern India. Its appearance here signals luxury and extravagant desire.

Translator Notes

  1. Bi-mesibbo ('at his circle, at his reclining') describes the king reclining at a banquet — the posture of feasting. The woman's nard (an expensive aromatic imported from India) releases its scent in his presence. The image is sensual: her perfume fills the room, reaching him, drawing him. Her fragrance is her desire made atmospheric.
Song of Solomon 1:13

צְר֤וֹר הַמֹּר֙ ׀ דּוֹדִ֣י לִ֔י בֵּ֥ין שָׁדַ֖י יָלִֽין׃

A sachet of myrrh is my beloved to me — he lodges between my breasts all night.

KJV A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

דּוֹדִי dodi
"my beloved" — my beloved, my lover, my darling; from dod ('love, beloved, uncle')

Dodi is the woman's signature name for the man, just as ra'yati is his for her. The root dod connects to dodim ('lovemaking'), keeping the physical dimension of their love audible in every use.

מֹר mor
"myrrh" — myrrh; a resinous gum from Commiphora trees, used as perfume, medicine, and embalming agent

Myrrh was associated with luxury, sexuality, and the body. It appears repeatedly in the Song (3:6, 4:6, 4:14, 5:1, 5:5, 5:13) as the dominant fragrance of erotic encounter.

Translator Notes

  1. The imagery is simultaneously literal and metaphorical. Women wore small sachets of myrrh between their breasts as perfume. But she says her beloved IS the sachet — his presence against her body is the fragrance she carries. The verb yalin ('lodges, spends the night') is unmistakably sexual: he lies between her breasts through the night.
  2. Dodi ('my beloved') is the woman's primary term for the man, appearing over 25 times in the Song. It is built on the same root as dodim ('lovemaking') in verse 2.
Song of Solomon 1:14

אֶשְׁכֹּ֨ל הַכֹּ֤פֶר ׀ דּוֹדִ֣י לִ֔י בְּכַרְמֵ֖י עֵ֥ין גֶּֽדִי׃

A cluster of henna blossoms is my beloved to me, in the vineyards of Ein Gedi.

KJV My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כֹּפֶר kofer
"henna" — henna plant, its blossoms; also 'ransom, atonement' from a different root

The henna plant produces clusters of small, powerfully fragrant white or yellow flowers. The homophone with kofer ('ransom, atonement price') may be coincidental or may add a subtle resonance.

Translator Notes

  1. Kofer is henna (Lawsonia inermis), not the KJV's 'camphire.' Henna produces intensely fragrant flower clusters and was used to dye skin, hair, and nails. Ein Gedi is the lush oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea — a tropical garden in the midst of desert. Her beloved is an oasis of fragrance and beauty in a barren world.
Song of Solomon 1:15

הִנָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י הִנָּ֥ךְ יָפָ֖ה עֵינַ֥יִךְ יוֹנִֽים׃

How beautiful you are, my darling! How beautiful you are! Your eyes are doves.

KJV Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The double hinnakh yafah ('behold you are beautiful') is emphatic repetition — he cannot say it once and stop. Her eyes are yonim ('doves'), not 'dove-like' — they ARE doves. The metaphor is full identification. Doves suggest gentleness, purity, and soft iridescence.
Song of Solomon 1:16

הִנְּךָ֨ יָפֶ֤ה דוֹדִי֙ אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים אַף־עַרְשֵׂ֖נוּ רַעֲנָנָֽה׃

How handsome you are, my beloved! How delightful! Our bed is lush and green.

KJV Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

עַרְשֵׂנוּ arsenu
"our bed" — bed, couch, divan; a place of rest and intimacy

The bed is 'ours' — shared, mutual, belonging to both. Its greenness (ra'ananah, 'luxuriant, fresh, verdant') identifies it with the living earth. Their lovemaking happens in the garden, in nature, under open sky.

Translator Notes

  1. She mirrors his praise back — hinnekha yafeh ('behold you are beautiful/handsome'). Then she turns to their shared space: arsenu ra'ananah ('our bed is green/verdant'). The eres ('bed, couch') is outdoors — a bed of living vegetation, the earth itself as their marriage bed. The whole landscape participates in their love.
Song of Solomon 1:17

קֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֙ינוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים׃

The beams of our house are cedars, our rafters are cypresses.

KJV The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The lovers' 'house' is the forest itself — cedar trunks are their beams, cypress branches their rafters. The construction metaphor transforms wilderness into a bridal chamber. Arazim ('cedars') were the premier building material of the ancient Near East, associated with temples and palaces. Their love deserves a palace, and nature provides one.
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