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Tag Archives: Song of Songs
“Do Not Arouse Love Until It Desires”: Volition, Oath, and the Conditional אִם in Song of Songs 2:7
הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם בְּנֹ֤ות יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בִּצְבָאֹ֔ות אֹ֖ו בְּאַיְלֹ֣ות הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ וְאִם־תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ׃
(Song of Songs 2:7)
I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the hosts or by the gazelles of the field: do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.
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.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Syntax, Theology
Tagged Song of Songs, Song of Songs 2:7
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The Interrogative Particle אָ֚נָה in Song of Songs 6:1
אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דֹּודֵ֔ךְ הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דֹודֵ֔ךְ וּנְבַקְשֶׁ֖נּוּ עִמָּֽךְ׃
(Song of Songs 6:1)
Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
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.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Song of Songs, Song of Songs 6:1
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