Song of Solomon 6:8–10 — The Maiden’s Beauty Is without Peer

The Maiden’s Beauty Is without Peer

8 Sixty queens there are, eighty concubines,
- and maidens beyond number.
9 My dove, she is the one ;[fn][fn]
- my perfect, she is the only one ;[fn][fn]
  - she is the favorite of[fn][fn] her mother who bore her.
Maidens see her and consider her fortunate;[fn]
- queens and concubines praise her:
10 “Who is this that looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon,
- bright as the sun ,[fn][fn]
  - overwhelming as an army with banners ?”[fn]

6:? Literally “she is one”

6:? The term “one” functions here as an adjective of quality: “unique, singular, the only one”

6:? Literally “she is one”

6:? Or “the only daughter of her mother.” Although the latter option is permissible, the term is used elsewhere of the heir as the favored child (e.g., Gen 22:2; Prov 4:3 ). This nuance is supported by the parallel term “favorite”

6:? Or “she is the pure one.” Since there are two Hebrew terms spelled the same way, some relate this to the adjective that means “pure.” Others relate it to the verb that means “to choose, select.” The parallelism favors the latter

6:? Literally “the favorite for”

6:? Or “call her happy” or “call her blessed” or “bless her”

6:? Literally “pure as the glow”

6:? Or “bright as the heat of the sun.” The Hebrew term “glow” poetically refers to the bright rays of the sun (Psa 19:7; Isa 24:23 ; 30:26 )

6:? Literally “terrible as the bannered ones”

LEB by section SNG 6:8

The Maiden’s Beauty Is without Peer