Song of Solomon 5:12

New King James Version

His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
His eyes sparkle like doves beside springs of water; they are set like jewels washed in milk.

Update Bible Version
His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, [and] fitly set.

New Century Version
His eyes are like doves by springs of water. They seem to be bathed in cream and are set like jewels.

New English Translation
His eyes are like doves by streams of water, washed in milk, mounted like jewels.

Webster's Bible Translation
His eyes [are] as [the eyes] of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, [and] fitly set.

World English Bible
His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, Washed with milk, mounted like jewels.

Amplified Bible
"His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk And reposed in their setting.

English Standard Version
His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Hise iyen ben as culueris on the strondis of watris, that ben waischid in mylk, and sitten besidis fulleste ryueris.

English Revised Version
His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks; washed with milk, [and] fitly set.

Berean Standard Bible
His eyes are like doves beside the streams of water, bathed in milk and mounted like jewels.

Contemporary English Version
His eyes are a pair of doves bathing in a stream flowing with milk.

American Standard Version
His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set.

Bible in Basic English
His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the water streams, washed with milk, and rightly placed.

Complete Jewish Bible
His eyes are like doves by running streams, bathed in milk and set just right.

Darby Translation
His eyes are like doves by the water-brooks, Washed with milk, fitly set;

Easy-to-Read Version
His eyes are like doves by a stream, like doves in a pool of milk, like a jewel in its setting.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks; washed with milk, and fitly set.

King James Version (1611)
His eyes are as the eyes of doues by the riuers of water, washed with milk, and fitly set.

New Life Bible
His eyes are like doves beside rivers of water, washed in milk, and resting in their places.

New Revised Standard
His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, bathed in milk, fitly set.

Geneva Bible (1587)
His eyes are like doues vpon the riuers of waters, which are washt with milke, and remaine by the full vebels.

George Lamsa Translation
His eyes are like the eyes of doves by brooks of water, washed with milk and fitly set.

Good News Translation
His eyes are as beautiful as doves by a flowing brook, doves washed in milk and standing by the stream.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
His eyes, like doves, by the channels of water, - bathing in milk, set as gems in a ring:

Douay-Rheims Bible
His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.

Revised Standard Version
His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, bathed in milk, fitly set.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
His eyes are as the eyes of doues by the water brookes as though they were wasshed with mylke, and are set lyke pearles in golde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
His eyes are as doves, by the pools of waters, washed with milk, sitting by the pools.

Christian Standard Bible®
His eyes are like dovesbeside flowing streams,washed in milkand set like jewels.

Hebrew Names Version
His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, Washed with milk, mounted like jewels.

King James Version
His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

Lexham English Bible
His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, bathed in milk, set like mounted jewels.

Literal Translation
His eyes are as the eyes of doves on the rivers of waters, washed with milk, sitting on a setting.

Young's Literal Translation
His eyes as doves by streams of water, Washing in milk, sitting in fulness.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
His eyes are as the eyes of doues by the water brokes, washen with mylck, and remaynynge in a plenteous place:

New American Standard Bible
"His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And perched in their setting.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And reposed in their setting.

Legacy Standard Bible
His eyes are like dovesBeside streams of water,Washed in milk,And sitting in their setting.

Contextual Overview

⁹ What is your beloved More than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved More than another beloved, That you so charge us? ¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand. ¹¹ His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. ¹² His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set. ¹³ His cheeks are like a bed of spices, Banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, Dripping liquid myrrh. ¹⁴ His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl. His body is carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires. ¹⁵ His legs are pillars of marble Set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars. ¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

His eyes: Rather, "His eyes are as doves;" the deep blue pigeon, the common dove in the East, whose brilliant plumage vibrates around his neck every sparkling hue, every dazzling flash of colour. And this pigeon standing amid "the torrents of water," or the foam of a waterfall, would be a blue centre with a bright space like the iris of the eye, surrounded by the white. Song of Solomon 1:15, Song of Solomon 4:1, Hebrews 4:13

fitly set: Heb. sitting in fulness, that is, fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foil of a ring.

Cross-References

Luke 3:37
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

His eyes [are] as [the eyes] of doves,.... the church's eyes are said to be, Song of Solomon 1:15; which are her ministers, endowed with dove like gifts in measure, as Christ is without measure, in fulness; but these are Christ's eyes, which may signify his omniscience, who has seven eyes, Zechariah 3:9; especially as that has respect unto and is concerned with his people in a way of grace and mercy, and so must look very beautiful in their view: his eyes are like "doves' eyes"; not fierce and furious, but loving and lovely; looking upon his people, under all their trials and afflictions, with sympathy and concern, to deliver them out of them: and like the eyes of doves

by rivers of waters: Sanctius thinks the allusion is to the humours in which the eye is enclosed, and, as it were, swims in; hence the eyes are called "natantia lumina", by Virgil h; but it denotes eyes like those of doves, quick and lively, as clean as milk white doves, as if they had been "washed in milk"; clear and perspicuous, sharp sighted, and behold all persons and things, in all places, and at once; and as doves look only to their mates, so Christ's eyes of love are only on his church; he looks to none but her with his eye of special and peculiar love. Moreover, his eyes are like the eyes of doves "by the rivers of waters"; which denotes the fixedness and constancy of them: doves, by the river side, keep their eyes fixed on the purling streams, and in drinking, as Pliny i observes, do not erect their necks, and lift up their heads, but, keeping their eyes upon the water, drink a large draught, in the manner the beasts do; and they delight in clean water, of which they drink, and with which they wash k: Christ, being greatly delighted with his people, has fixed his eyes on them, and he never withdraws them from them; for these waters may point at the object of Christ's love, even Gospel churches, consisting of such as are justified and sanctified by his grace, compared to "clean water"; among whom the doctrines of the Gospel are powerfully preached, the ordinances purely administered, the waters of the sanctuary flow, by which souls are delighted and refreshed; and to these Christ looks,

Isaiah 66:2; and his eyes being like doves' eyes,

washed with milk, may denote the purity of them, being purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and the meekness and mildness of them, not red and wrathful, but full of mercy, pity, and compassion, as if they had been washed with milk. And they are said to be,

fitly set; or "sitting in fulness" l; such as exactly fill up their holes; are set neither too, high nor too low; neither sunk in too much, nor stand out too far; but are like precious stones, in an enclosure of gold or silver, to which the allusion is; as diamonds set in a ring; or as the precious stones in the high priest's breast plate, which exactly filled the cavities made for them, and hence are called "stones of fulness", Exodus 25:7; or, "set by fulness" m; that is, by full channels of water, where doves delight to be; and may denote the fulness of grace, and the flows of it, by which Christ sits and dwells, and leads his people to, Revelation 7:17; or, "setting upon fulness" n; on the world, and the fulness of it, which is his, and he gives as much of it to his people as he think fit; and on the vast numbers of persons and things in it, and the vast variety of actions done therein; which shows the extensiveness of his omniscience: and on the "fulness" of time, fixed by him and his Father, for his coming into the world, to do the great work of redemption in it; and which, before it came, he was looking, waiting, and watching, and as it were longing till it came: and on his "fulness", the church, which is the fulness of him that filleth all in all, until he has gathered them all in, and filled them with all the gifts and graces of the Spirit, designed for them: and on the "fulness" of the Gentiles, until they are all brought in: and on his own "fulness"; both personal, "the fulness of the Godhead", which he had his eyes upon, when he undertook the work of redemption, and which supported him in it, and carried him through it; and upon his dispensatory "fulness", or fulness of grace, as Mediator, to supply the wants of his people, under all their straits and difficulties, temptations and afflictions: all which must make him exceeding lovely in the eyes of his people.

h Aeneid. l. 5. So Ovid. Fast. l. 6. "animique oculique natabant". i Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 34. k Varro de Rustic. c. 3. s. 7. l על מלאת "siti insitione", Junius Tremellius, Piscator. m "Ad plenitudinem", Tigurine version, Bochart "juxta plenitudinem", Vatablus; so some in Brightman; "juxta fluenta plenissima" V. L. Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions. n "Super plenitudinem", Montanus, Mercerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Or, His eyes are doves. The comparison is to doves seen by streams of water washing in milk (i. e., milk-white), and sitting on fulness (i. e., on the full or abundant water-flood).

Fitly set - This rendering supposes that the eyes within their sockets are compared to precious stones set in the foil of a ring (see the margin); but the other rendering is preferable. The milk-white doves themselves, sitting by full streams of water, or reflected in their flittings athwart the glassy surface, present images of the calm repose and vivid glances of the full pure lustrous eyes of the beloved.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves — See on Song of Solomon 4:1.

Washed with milk — The white of the eye, exceedingly white. By the use of stibium, in the East, the eye is rendered very beautiful; and receives such a lustre from the use of this article, that, to borrow the expression of a late traveller, "their eyes appear to be swimming in bliss." I believe this expression to be the meaning of the text.

Fitly set. — Or, as the margin, very properly, sitting in fullness; not sunk, not contracted.