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.
– אֲנִי – “I,” serves for emphasis.
– לְדֹודִ֔י – “to my beloved.” The preposition לְ marks recipient.
The redundancy of subject and verb (“I—I opened”) intensifies the speaker’s personal engagement.
2. וְדֹודִ֖י חָמַ֣ק עָבָ֑ר
– וְדֹודִ֖י – “and my beloved”
– חָמַ֣ק – “had turned aside / slipped away” (Qal perfect)
– עָבָ֑ר – “had passed on” (Qal perfect)
The double verb pairing suggests suddenness and irreversibility. This asyndetic couplet creates a poetic echo of loss.
3. נַפְשִׁי֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה בְדַבְּרֹ֔ו
– נַפְשִׁי – “my soul”
– יָֽצְאָ֣ה – “went out” (Qal perfect 3fs)
– בְדַבְּרֹ֔ו – “when he spoke / at his speaking”
This is a poetic idiom—her “soul left her” as he spoke, signaling overwhelming emotion or longing. Syntax and metaphor collapse into one.
4. בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֨יהוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מְצָאתִ֔יהוּ
– בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֨יהוּ – “I sought him” (Piel perfect 1cs + object suffix)
– וְלֹ֣א מְצָאתִ֔יהוּ – “and did not find him”
A sharp action-failure contrast, intensified by parallel syntax.
5. קְרָאתִ֖יו וְלֹ֥א עָנָֽנִי
– קְרָאתִ֖יו – “I called him” (Qal perfect 1cs + 3ms suffix)
– וְלֹ֥א עָנָֽנִי – “but he did not answer me”
The vav conjunction chain (וְ) builds a rapid succession of efforts and emotional letdowns.
Syntax of Desperation
Each clause is short, perfective, and first-person. The shift from hopeful action to heartbreaking silence is carried by:
– Repetition of the direct object suffix –הוּ (him)
– Alternating positive and negative clauses
– Rapid narrative flow
Poetic Parallelism
We see synthetic and climactic parallelism:
– I opened… he was gone.
– I sought… did not find.
– I called… no answer.
Each pair heightens the sense of separation.
Language of Absence
This verse is a syntactic lament. Every clause reinforces the beloved’s absence through structure: abrupt transitions, failed efforts, and silent responses. Language itself mimics the heartbeat of unfulfilled love.
