Tag Archives: Song of Songs

Introduction to Song of Songs 2:7: A Poetic Oath of Restraint This iconic verse from the Song of Songs is the first of three poetic refrains that appear throughout the book (cf. 3:5, 8:4). Here, the female speaker addresses the “daughters of Yerushalayim” and adjures them by the wild creatures of the field not to awaken love before its proper time. The verse features unique poetic features: the use of conditional clauses with אִם, the volitional jussive mood, and a formal oath formula.… Learn Hebrew

Introduction to Song of Songs 6:1 Song of Songs 6:1 presents a question directed to the beloved woman, asking about the whereabouts of her lover. The interrogative particle אָ֚נָה (ʾānāh) plays a crucial role in shaping the inquiry, as it introduces a directional or locative question rather than a simple “where” question. This analysis will explore its morphology, syntactic role, and semantic nuances within Biblical Hebrew. אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דֹּודֵ֔ךְ הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דֹודֵ֔ךְ וּנְבַקְשֶׁ֖נּוּ עִמָּֽךְ׃ Analysis of Key Words/Phrases The interrogative particle אָ֚נָה (ʾānāh) appears twice in the verse: אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דֹּודֵ֔ךְ אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דֹּודֵ֔ךְ Each phrase consists of: אָ֚נָה (ʾānāh) – “Where (to)?”… Learn Hebrew