Song of Solomon 4:6
What does Song of Solomon 4:6 mean?
A plain-English look at Song of Solomon 4:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Song of Solomon 4:6 means
The groom expresses a desire to go to the “mountain of myrrh” and “hill of frankincense” until the day cools and shadows flee—poetry for drawing near to the beloved to enjoy her fragrant presence. Myrrh and frankincense were costly perfumes; the places named are figurative heights of delight. The time reference suggests lingering desire, either through the night until dawn or through the day until evening, marking love’s patience and persistence. He longs to be with her, not in haste but with settled intention. The verse conveys the beauty of exclusive intimacy: a husband who seeks his wife’s company as a delightful refuge, fragrant and secure, where love is savored over time.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Till the evening comes, and the sky slowly becomes dark, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
Context
Following the delicate image of twin fawns (verse 5), this verse voices the groom’s movement toward consummation in poetic terms of fragrance and ascent. It stands as a hinge between descriptive praise and decisive affirmation. In verse 7 he will declare her entirely fair, and in verse 8 he will invite her to come away with him from distant, even dangerous heights. The flow is from desire to devotion to invitation, guiding the reader from imagery of beauty to the action of loving union.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Deuteronomy 12:5
But unto the place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come;
- Revelation 22:16
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.
- Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
- Exodus 30:23
Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,
- Exodus 37:29
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
- Luke 1:9
according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
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