Song of Solomon 6:4
What does Song of Solomon 6:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Song of Solomon 6:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Song of Solomon 6:4 means
The beloved begins his praise: she is “fair as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.” Tirzah and Jerusalem were renowned for beauty and prominence; together they suggest loveliness joined with dignity. The striking image of an army with banners adds awe and majesty—her presence commands respect and stirs admiration. Love here is not sentimental flattery; it recognizes true worth that is both gentle and formidable. She is not merely attractive; she is stately, like a city set high and a host arrayed in order. The beloved sees in her a beauty that steadies and leads, a loveliness that elicits both delight and reverent awe.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949You are beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, as fair as Jerusalem; you are to be feared like an army with flags.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Fair <FI>art<Fi> thou, my friend, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from Galaad.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Thou art fair, my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as troops with banners:
Context
After the bride’s confession of mutual belonging (verse 3), the beloved answers with royal-scale comparisons (verses 4–10). Verse 4 sets the tone: her beauty is civic and martial—ordered, noble, impressive. This opening line widens the frame from garden intimacy to public grandeur. It prepares for a series of specific compliments (verses 5–7) and then for statements about her uniqueness among many (verses 8–9). The flow underscores that private devotion naturally spills into public honor and esteem.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Song of Solomon 1:5
I am black, but comely, Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.
- Song of Solomon 2:14
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
- Psalms 144:4
Man is like to vanity: His days are as a shadow that passeth away.
- Revelation 21:2
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
- Psalms 48:2
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
- Ephesians 5:27
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
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