4:5

In 4:5 the man compared the woman’s breasts to two gazelles grazing among lilies. In some cultures it may not be appropriate to describe a woman’s breasts openly, but in the author’s culture it was an acceptable and common part of love poetry. For more information, see the comments on “Respectable speech and actions in the Song” in the introduction to 4:1–7.

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies: In this phrase the man praised the woman. He implied that he felt strong love for her as he looked at her. Her breasts made him feel as happy as if he were in a beautiful place where fawns grazed among sweet-smelling lilies. Translate in a beautiful, poetic way that will express the feelings of the man as he spoke to the woman.

Some ways to do this in English are:

Your breasts remind me of twin fawns of a gazelle grazing in ⌊a field of⌋ lilies.
-or-
When I see your breasts, I think of young gazelle twins feeding on ⌊sweet-smelling⌋ lilies.

It is likely that in this statement, the man described some characteristics of the woman that the gazelles and lilies suggested. He described how she affected him, rather than what she looked like.

4:5a

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle: In this phrase the man compared the woman’s breasts to two young gazelles (fawns). He describes her breasts as being like twins born to the same mother. This figure of speech implies that her breasts are identical, just as twin fawns are identical. Another way to translate this comparison is:

Your two breasts are like young twins of a gazelle

Your breasts: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as breasts is literally, “your two breasts.” It’s possible the Hebrew includes the word two because it begins with the same sound as the word for breasts. In many languages the word two is not needed here, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

like two fawns, twins: The word, twins, implies that the woman’s breasts are exactly alike, but the text does not explicitly say how they are like fawns. The fawns that the man referred to here are young gazelles. In Israel people considered them to be graceful, gentle, beautiful, shy, and quick. It is uncertain which specific quality the author referred to here, but it is clear that the woman’s breasts were beautiful and pleasing to the man. Consider how to communicate this meaning in a poetic way.

In some languages it may seem insulting to compare the woman’s breasts to fawns, or it may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a more general description. Since the man described his feelings about her breasts, it may be helpful to indicate that he considered them to be beautiful. For example:

Your breasts are as ⌊lovely⌋ as two ⌊beautiful⌋ twin fawns

4:5c

grazing among the lilies: The phrase grazing among the lilies describes the place where the fawns were feeding. It also implies that the man had strong loving feelings as he looked at the woman. He felt happy when he was with her. Here the beautiful fawns among the lilies represent the woman’s breasts and the woman herself.

Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

that feed in the midst of lilies.
-or-
that eat where lily flowers grow.

lilies: lilies smell sweet, and they may be associated with romance. The lilies are part of the description of the woman’s breasts. The text may imply that her breasts were like lilies because they were perfumed.

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