4:6

Verse 6 clearly refers back to 2:17. In 2:17, the woman spoke to the man. Here in 4:6, the man speaks to the woman. He repeats what she said about the time of day and mountains in 2:17, but he changes it slightly to express his desire for her.

4:6a–b

In 4:6a–b the author repeats exactly what he said in 2:17a–b. See the discussion under 2:17a–b. As in 2:17, the phrase “the day breaks” probably refers to the cool breezes that often come in the late afternoon in that region. The phrase “shadows flee” probably refers to the disappearing of shadows at the end of day. So both 2:17a–b and 4:6a–b refer to late afternoon or evening. You should translate these two passages in the same way.

Before the day breaks and the shadows flee: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Before can be translated in different ways depending on the context. In 2:17a–b, the Notes suggested the translation “until” because the man and woman were together. Here in 4:6 the man wanted to hurry and go to her (4:6c), so it may be more natural to translate the Hebrew word in a different way like “when” or “as soon as.” For example:

As soon as the evening breeze cools the day and the shadows disappear, I will hurry…
-or-
When the day brings a cool breeze and the shadows flee, I will go… (God’s Word)

4:6c–d

I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense: The phrase I will make my way means “I will go” or “I will hurry.” In this statement the man indicated that he was eager to be with his bride. He wanted to hurry to her.

The phrases the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense are parallel metaphors. They probably refer to either the woman herself (including her body, as in 3:6c) or specifically to her breasts (mentioned in 4:5). She was like mountains that were covered with sweet-smelling myrrh and frankincense. By saying this, the man was using a delicate way to express his desire to have intimate relations with her.

Some ways to translate this statement are:

• Keep the metaphor of sweet-smelling spices. For example:

I will hurry to the ⌊sweet-smelling⌋ mountains of myrrh and frankincense.
-or-
I will go to enjoy the fragrant hills.

• Use a simile. For example:

I will hurry to my love who is as sweet-smelling/delightful as the best perfume.

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

I will hurry to my sweet-smelling bride.

Translate the figures of speech in a natural way in your language.

myrrh: myrrh was an expensive imported perfume that is not native to Israel. For more information, see the note on 3:6c. You should probably translate myrrh in the same way here.

frankincense: frankincense is a kind of fragrant incense that is not native to Israel. For more information, see the note on frankincense in 3:6c. You should probably translate frankincense in the same way here.

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