Song of Solomon 4:2
What does Song of Solomon 4:2 mean?
A plain-English look at Song of Solomon 4:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Song of Solomon 4:2 means
The teeth comparison to newly shorn ewes that have just been washed portrays a smile both bright and clean. The note that “every one hath twins, and none is bereaved” communicates evenness and completeness—no tooth missing, nothing marred. This is not merely about appearance; it pictures wholeness and health, and the joy that radiates from her mouth. Pastoral imagery, familiar to ancient hearers, conveys purity and symmetry more vividly than abstract words. The groom delights in the sight of her, but also in the warmth implied by her smile. Beauty here is ordered, not exaggerated—natural and harmonious, like a well-tended flock rising fresh from the waters.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Thy teeth are like a flockof ewesthat arenewlyshorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Thy teeth are like a flockof ewesthat arenewlyshorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Your teeth are like a flock of sheep whose wool is newly cut, which come up from the washing; every one has two lambs, and there is not one without young.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Thy teeth as flocks of sheep, that are shorn, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.
Context
The groom continues his deliberate praise, moving from eyes and hair to teeth, still centered on the face—what is seen first in loving encounter. The flow is intentional: from the gentleness of her eyes to the wholesomeness of her smile. Next, in verse 3, he will speak of her lips, mouth, and temples, continuing to dignify her features with rich, meaningful comparisons. This steady progression teaches the reader to receive the metaphors as affirmations of honor and affection, not as cold description, preparing for the more intimate language that will follow.
v.1Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead.
v.2This passage
v.3Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Deuteronomy 7:13
and he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; he will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground, thy grain and thy new wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
- John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
- Colossians 1:4
having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,
- Exodus 23:26
There shall none cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
- Song of Solomon 6:6
Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.
- Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts.
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