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Tag Archives: Song of Songs 5:6
The Voice That Slips Away: Temporal Disjunction and Emotional Tension in Song of Songs 5:6
פָּתַ֤חְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ לְדֹודִ֔י וְדֹודִ֖י חָמַ֣ק עָבָ֑ר נַפְשִׁי֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה בְדַבְּרֹ֔ו בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֨יהוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מְצָאתִ֔יהוּ קְרָאתִ֖יו וְלֹ֥א עָנָֽנִי׃
Poetry of Absence
In this verse from the Song of Songs, we witness a moment of intimate longing turned to heartbreak. The beloved knocks, she hesitates, opens—and he is gone. This poetic line is not only emotionally vivid but grammatically intricate. Embedded within it lies a profound tension between completed action and emotional immediacy, conveyed through a striking interplay of perfective verbs and existential intensity.… Learn Hebrew
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Vanished Beloved: Syntax and Yearning in Song of Songs 5:6
פָּתַ֤חְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ לְדֹודִ֔י וְדֹודִ֖י חָמַ֣ק עָבָ֑ר נַפְשִׁי֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה בְדַבְּרֹ֔ו בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֨יהוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מְצָאתִ֔יהוּ קְרָאתִ֖יו וְלֹ֥א עָנָֽנִי׃
(Song of Songs 5:6)
Initial Impression
This verse is one of the most emotionally charged moments in the Song of Songs. The speaker opens herself to her beloved—only to find he has vanished. The syntax is disjointed, urgent, and full of first-person imperfect and perfect verbs, conveying a breathless, emotional progression.
Clause-by-Clause Analysis
1. פָּתַ֤חְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ לְדֹודִ֔י
– פָּתַ֤חְתִּֽי – “I opened” (1cs, Qal perfect), simple completed action.… Learn Hebrew
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