Poem 4:8–15 The man called his bride from Lebanon; and compared her to a private garden

In these lines the man continued to use figurative language to praise his bride (4:8–15). First, he spoke to her as if he and she were in Lebanon. Lebanon is a region north of Israel. It is far from Jerusalem (Zion), where they celebrated their wedding. In Lebanon the rugged mountains and wild animals make it dangerous for people to travel. The man calling the woman from Lebanon symbolizes that he thought the woman was wonderful and mysterious (like Lebanon), but perhaps she was reluctant to fully surrender herself to him. She seemed beyond his reach, as though she was up in the mountains, guarded by wild animals. Because he loved her, he was gentle as he wooed her, preparing her to surrender herself to him.

As you translate these lines, it is important to remember that the author used figurative language. The woman was not actually in Lebanon, and the man did not refer to a real journey from there. The garden descriptions in 4:12–15 are also figurative. They do not describe an actual garden.

Several poetic themes help to unify 4:8–15 and 4:16–5:1:

(a) Lebanon (4:8, 11, 15): In the OT, Lebanon is often portrayed as a remote, beautiful, and fragrant place with mountains and cedar forests. (For example, see Psalm 72:16; Isaiah 35:2; 60:13; and Hosea 14:5–7.)

(b) fragrances (4:10–11, 13–14, 16, 5:1, and maybe implied in 4:8)

(c) tastes (4:10–11, 13–14, 16, 5:1)

(d) the garden metaphor (especially in focus in 4:12–5:1)

The context of 4:8–5:1, as well as 3:6–4:7, is probably the day of the couple’s wedding. In 5:1, the women of Jerusalem encouraged them to consummate their love as husband and wife.

4:8–15 The man continued to speak

4:8–11

In 4:8–11 the man used figurative language to invite the woman to come and be intimate with him. He spoke as if she were in far-away Lebanon. This figure of speech is similar to the one in 2:14, where he spoke of her being like a dove hidden high on rocky cliffs. She was not on literal cliffs, and here in 4:8–11 she was not literally on the tops of mountains in Lebanon. The figurative language may suggest that the man perceived the woman as being reluctant to fully surrender herself to him. The love that the man expressed here in 4:8–11 is more intense than in 2:14. He wanted to have marital relations with his new bride.

4:8a–b

There is a textual issue in this part of the verse, but the two textual variations have the same general meaning. The text that the Notes follows is literally, “With me from Lebanon, bride, with me from Lebanon come.” In some languages, it is more natural to begin the sentence with the verb “come,” as in the Berean Standard Bible, or with the word “bride.” For example:

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride….
-or-
My bride, come from Lebanon with me….

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride: Here the man used a figurative way to tell his bride that he wanted her to be with him. He wanted the two of them to begin to experience the joys of physical love in their marriage.

The phrase Come with me is figurative. He and she were not actually in Lebanon, so he did not mean that he literally wanted her to leave Lebanon with him.

Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Use a simile or other comparison. It is helpful if the comparison implies marital relations between the man and his bride. For example:

My bride, come with me, as if we were coming from the remote Lebanon mountains.

• Use a comparison and make the meaning more explicit. For example:

My bride, come ⌊and be secure⌋ with me, as if we are descending Lebanon’s ⌊rugged⌋ mountains, coming ⌊down⌋ from Lebanon.

Translate the meaning in a poetic way in your language.

from Lebanon: Lebanon was a mountainous region north of Israel. It was a beautiful place, but it was also rugged and dangerous. It was far from Jerusalem, and the man implied that in a figurative way, the woman, though wonderful and beautiful ⌊like Lebanon⌋, seemed far away from him ⌊like Lebanon⌋. Her distance from him is a poetic way that may imply that she was reluctant to fully surrender herself to him. He also may have seen her as beyond his reach, like a beautiful queen.

Such figurative themes are common throughout the Song. For example, see 2:14; 3:6–11; 5:2–7; and 6:10.

my bride: The Hebrew word that is translated as bride is used to refer to a woman during the time right before she marries, as she marries, and for some time after the marriage. The phrase my bride is one word in Hebrew—simply bride. It is used only in 4:8–5:1, where it is used five times. It is appropriate for that section of the Song, which focuses on the wedding celebration and the days immediately after it.

In 4:8–5:1 the man seemed to use the word bride to show his delight that the woman was now his wife. It is not used anywhere else in the Song. Use an appropriate way in your language for a husband to speak to his new wife. For example:

⌊ beloved⌋wife
-or-
you the one I married

4:8b

come with me from Lebanon: Here the clause in 4:8a is repeated to add emphasis to what the man said to his bride. It emphasizes that he greatly desired to be with the woman he loved. In some languages it may not be natural to repeat this phrase or to repeat it in exactly the same words. It may be necessary to use a different way to indicate that the man was emphasizing what he just said. For example:

yes, please come with me from there!
-or-
come, let’s descend those peaks!

4:8c–f

Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards: In 4:8c–f the man continued to invite the woman to come with him. In some languages his command to the woman to “descend” may wrongly imply that he wanted her to come down those peaks alone. Translate in a way that implies that the man will descend the peaks with her. For example:

You will travel with me from the peak of Mount Amana, from the mountain peaks in Senir and Hermon, from the lairs of lions, from the mountains of leopards. (God’s Word)
-or-
We will come down from the top of Mount Amana. We will descend from the tops of Mount Senir and Mount Hermon, where lions and leopards live/roam.
-or-
Let’s go down from the tops of Amana, Senir, and Hermon mountains, where lions and leopards have their homes.

from the summits of Senir and Hermon: In 4:8c–d the author gave the names of three peaks in the Lebanon mountains—“Amana,” Senir, and Hermon. Some scholars believe that the names Senir and Hermon refer to the same peak. However, you should include all three names in your translation.

General Comment on 4:8c–d

The list of three mountain peaks in 4:8c–d seems to imply that the woman was on several mountain peaks. But she was not actually in the Lebanon mountains or on top of any mountain peak. The author used a figurative way to describe her as remote and mysterious. The two lines, 4:8c–d, are parallel and have the same meaning. The man figuratively encouraged the woman to come and be intimate with him.

4:8e–f

from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards: The lines of 4:8e and 4:8f are parallel to 4:8c and 4:8d. In 4:8e–f, the man continued to speak to his bride in a figurative way about their love. He invited her to come share in the security and joys of married love.

Some other ways to translate 4:8e–f are:

where the lions and leopards live. (Good News Translation)
-or-
where the lions have their dens and leopards live among the hills. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊ dangers lurk/hide⌋there ⌊like⌋ lions and leopards ⌊lurk/hide to catch their prey⌋.

from the dens of the lions: The phrase dens of the lions refers to the homes of lions where they take care of their young cubs. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

homes of lions
-or-
places where the lions live