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Saturday, January 11th, 2025
Saturday after Epiphany
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Song of Solomon 4:10

Your love is sweeter than wine; the smell of your perfume is more fragrant than spices.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anointing;   Bridegroom;   Ointment;   Thompson Chain Reference - Odours, Sweet;   Perfume;   Sweet Odours;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anointing;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Spices;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Spouse;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canticles;   ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Song of Songs;   Spice, Spices;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Abba;   Spikenard;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Smell;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Paradise;   Wisdom of Solomon, the;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Anointing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Constellations;   Oil;   Solomon ben Judah Ha-Babli;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Geneva Bible (1587)
My sister, my spouse, how faire is thy loue? howe much better is thy loue then wine? and the sauour of thine oyntments then all spices?
Christian Standard Bible®
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.Your caresses are much better than wine,and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
Hebrew Names Version
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! The fragrance of your perfumes than all manner of spices!
Darby Translation
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!
Easy-to-Read Version
Your love is so beautiful, my darling, my bride! Your love is better than wine. The smell of your perfume is better than any kind of spice!
Amplified Bible
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of balsam and spices.
American Standard Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
Complete Jewish Bible
My sister, my bride, how sweet is your love! How much better your love than wine, more fragrant your perfumes than any spice!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
King James Version (1611)
How faire is thy loue, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy loue then wine! and the smell of thine oyntments then all spices!
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! how much more beautiful are thy breasts than wine, and the smell of thy garments than all spices!
English Revised Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] bride! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
Berean Standard Bible
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride. Your love is much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than all spices.
Lexham English Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister bride! How better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Literal Translation
How beautiful are your loves, My sister, My spouse! How much better are your loves than wine, and the scent of your ointments than all spices!
New Century Version
Your love is so sweet, my sister, my bride. Your love is better than wine, and your perfume smells better than any spice.
New English Translation
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine; the fragrance of your perfume is better than any spice!
New King James Version
How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!
New Living Translation
Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.
New Life Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the sweet smell of your oils than all kinds of spices!
New Revised Standard
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How beautiful are thy caresses, my sister, bride, - how much more delightful thy caresses, than wine, and the fragrance of thine oils, than all spices:
Douay-Rheims Bible
How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.
George Lamsa Translation
How beautiful are your breasts, O my sister, my bride! how much better are your breasts than wine! and the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!
Good News Translation
Your love delights me, my sweetheart and bride. Your love is better than wine; your perfume more fragrant than any spice.
New American Standard Bible
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much sweeter is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
King James Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O howe fayre are thy breastes, my sister, my spouse? Thy breastes are more pleasaunt then wine, and the smell of thyne oyntmentes passeth all spices.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My sistir spousesse, thi tetis ben ful faire; thi tetis ben feirere than wyn, and the odour of thi clothis is aboue alle swete smellynge oynementis.
Young's Literal Translation
How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.
World English Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! The fragrance of your perfumes than all manner of spices!
Revised Standard Version
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Update Bible Version
How fair is your love, my sister, [my] bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your oils than all manner of spices!
Webster's Bible Translation
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thy ointments than all spices!
Bible in Basic English
How fair is your love, my sister! How much better is your love than wine, and the smell of your oils than any perfume!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O how fayre and louely are thy brestes, my sister, my spouse? Thy brestes are more pleasaunt then wyne, and the smell of thy oyntmentes passeth all spices.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices!
Legacy Standard Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!How much better is your love than wine,And the fragrance of your oilsThan all kinds of spices!

Contextual Overview

8 My bride, together we will leave Lebanon! We will say good-by to the peaks of Mount Amana, Senir, and Hermon, where lions and leopards live in the caves. 9 My bride, my very own, you have stolen my heart! With one glance from your eyes and the glow of your necklace, you have stolen my heart. 10 Your love is sweeter than wine; the smell of your perfume is more fragrant than spices. 11 Your lips are a honeycomb; milk and honey flow from your tongue. Your dress has the aroma of cedar trees from Lebanon. 12 My bride, my very own, you are a garden, a fountain closed off to all others. 13 Your arms are vines, covered with delicious fruits and all sorts of spices— henna, nard, 14 saffron, calamus, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and aloes —all the finest spices.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

love: Heb. loves, Song of Solomon 1:2, *marg.

how much: Song of Solomon 1:2, Song of Solomon 1:4

the smell: Song of Solomon 1:3, Song of Solomon 1:12, Song of Solomon 3:6, Song of Solomon 5:5, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 4:18, Revelation 5:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 8:21 - smelled Genesis 43:11 - spices 1 Kings 9:3 - mine eyes Psalms 45:11 - So shall Proverbs 27:9 - Ointment Ecclesiastes 7:1 - precious Song of Solomon 1:8 - O thou Song of Solomon 1:15 - thou art fair Song of Solomon 4:1 - my Song of Solomon 4:9 - my sister Song of Solomon 4:11 - the smell Song of Solomon 7:6 - General Song of Solomon 8:2 - I would cause Matthew 12:50 - and sister Mark 3:34 - Behold John 12:3 - ointment 1 Corinthians 9:5 - a sister

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
The Lord God then asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The snake tricked me," she answered. "And I ate some of that fruit."
Genesis 4:9
Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"
Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said: Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you.
Genesis 9:5
I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.
Genesis 18:20
The Lord said, "Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things.
Exodus 3:7
The Lord said: I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them,
Numbers 35:33
I, the Lord , live among you people of Israel, so your land must be kept pure. But when a murder takes place, blood pollutes the land, and it becomes unclean. If that happens, the murderer must be put to death, so the land will be clean again. Keep murder out of Israel!
Joshua 7:19
"Achan," Joshua said, "the Lord God of Israel has decided that you are guilty. Is this true? Tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything."
Job 16:18
If I should die, I beg the earth not to cover my cry for justice.
Job 24:12
And along the city streets, the wounded and dying cry out, yet God does nothing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How fair is thy love, [my] sister, my spouse!.... Of these titles, :-;

:-; and of the love of the church to Christ,

:-; here said to be "fair", lovely and delightful, grateful and acceptable; as it is to Christ, in the several acts and effects of it, and therefore the word is plural, "thy loves" r; being exceeding beautiful in his eye, and extremely well pleasing to him; therefore says, "how fair!" as admiring it, it being hard to say how fair it was; and this appears from the large manifestations of Christ's love to those that love him; and from his causing all things to work together for the good of such; and from his preparing and laying up things, unseen and unheard of, for them;

how much better is thy love than wine! which is saying the same thing of her love to him she says of his to her, Song of Solomon 1:2; her love to Christ is more pleasant, more cheering, and more acceptable to him, than the wine of legal sacrifices, or than all burnt offerings; or than any duty whatever, unless that is the principle from whence it flows,

Mark 12:33;

and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! the same with Christ's ointments, commended Song of Solomon 1:3; namely, the graces of the Spirit, which are in Christ without measure, and from him communicated to his people; and when exercised by them, are very delightful to him, and preferred by him to "all spices": even to all those used in the holy anointing oil, typical of them, Exodus 30:23.

r דודיך "amores tui", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The similes employed refer to the graces of adornment, speech, and gesture, as expressions of inward character and sentiment.

Song of Solomon 4:9

With one of thine eyes - Rather, with one look of thine.

Song of Solomon 4:11

Honeycomb - literally, Thy lips distill a dropping (of pure honey). Compare the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. How much better is thy love — דדיך dodayich; Hebrew. μαστοισου; Septuagint. Ubera tua; Vulgate. "Thy breasts." And so all the versions, except the Chaldee.

Smell of thine ointments — Perfumes.


 
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