The Hebrew in Song of Solomon 1:9 that is translated as “a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots” by many translations in English is translated in the English poetic translation of Marcia Falk as “a mare among stallions.”

Falk (2004, p. XXI) explains: “For example, in chapter 1, verse 9, of the Hebrew, a man compares his beloved to a mare in Pharaohs chariotry — an image that becomes especially puzzling when one discovers that in ancient Egypt only stallions, never mares, drew chariots. But the Egyptians’ enemies set mares loose during war to drive the pharaoh’s stallions wild, and this is the crux of the metaphor. Neither regality nor creaturely beauty is what defines the beloved here; rather she is a symbol of allure and temptation, as dangerous as ‘a mare among stallions’ — the phrase I arrived at for my translation. Seen this way, the image is striking, even daunting; the woman possesses a captivating power over her admirer. All the more moving, then, is his response to her, which is not to withdraw but to draw nearer. Although she is already lovely, with braided hair framing her cheekbones and a simple string of shells outlining the curve of her neck, he vows to lavish her with his own gifts — ornaments of gold and silver to gild the lily.”