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Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Song of Solomon 4:10

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride. Your love is much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than all spices.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anointing;   Bridegroom;   Ointment;   Thompson Chain Reference - Odours, Sweet;   Perfume;   Sweet Odours;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anointing;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Spices;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Spouse;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canticles;   ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Song of Songs;   Spice, Spices;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Abba;   Spikenard;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Smell;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Paradise;   Wisdom of Solomon, the;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Anointing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Constellations;   Oil;   Solomon ben Judah Ha-Babli;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.Your caresses are much better than wine,and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
Hebrew Names Version
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! The fragrance of your perfumes than all manner of spices!
King James Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
English Standard Version
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
New American Standard Bible
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much sweeter is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
New Century Version
Your love is so sweet, my sister, my bride. Your love is better than wine, and your perfume smells better than any spice.
Amplified Bible
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of balsam and spices.
World English Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! The fragrance of your perfumes than all manner of spices!
Geneva Bible (1587)
My sister, my spouse, how faire is thy loue? howe much better is thy loue then wine? and the sauour of thine oyntments then all spices?
Legacy Standard Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!How much better is your love than wine,And the fragrance of your oilsThan all kinds of spices!
Contemporary English Version
Your love is sweeter than wine; the smell of your perfume is more fragrant than spices.
Complete Jewish Bible
My sister, my bride, how sweet is your love! How much better your love than wine, more fragrant your perfumes than any spice!
Darby Translation
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!
Easy-to-Read Version
Your love is so beautiful, my darling, my bride! Your love is better than wine. The smell of your perfume is better than any kind of spice!
George Lamsa Translation
How beautiful are your breasts, O my sister, my bride! how much better are your breasts than wine! and the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!
Good News Translation
Your love delights me, my sweetheart and bride. Your love is better than wine; your perfume more fragrant than any spice.
Lexham English Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister bride! How better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Literal Translation
How beautiful are your loves, My sister, My spouse! How much better are your loves than wine, and the scent of your ointments than all spices!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O how fayre and louely are thy brestes, my sister, my spouse? Thy brestes are more pleasaunt then wyne, and the smell of thy oyntmentes passeth all spices.
American Standard Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
Bible in Basic English
How fair is your love, my sister! How much better is your love than wine, and the smell of your oils than any perfume!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
King James Version (1611)
How faire is thy loue, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy loue then wine! and the smell of thine oyntments then all spices!
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O howe fayre are thy breastes, my sister, my spouse? Thy breastes are more pleasaunt then wine, and the smell of thyne oyntmentes passeth all spices.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! how much more beautiful are thy breasts than wine, and the smell of thy garments than all spices!
English Revised Version
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] bride! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My sistir spousesse, thi tetis ben ful faire; thi tetis ben feirere than wyn, and the odour of thi clothis is aboue alle swete smellynge oynementis.
Update Bible Version
How fair is your love, my sister, [my] bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your oils than all manner of spices!
Webster's Bible Translation
How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thy ointments than all spices!
New English Translation
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine; the fragrance of your perfume is better than any spice!
New King James Version
How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!
New Living Translation
Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.
New Life Bible
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the sweet smell of your oils than all kinds of spices!
New Revised Standard
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How beautiful are thy caresses, my sister, bride, - how much more delightful thy caresses, than wine, and the fragrance of thine oils, than all spices:
Douay-Rheims Bible
How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.
Revised Standard Version
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Young's Literal Translation
How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices!

Contextual Overview

8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards. 9You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck. 10How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride. Your love is much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than all spices.11Your lips, my bride, drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of Lebanon. 12My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed. 13Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard, 14with nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

love: Heb. loves, Song of Solomon 1:2, *marg.

how much: Song of Solomon 1:2, Song of Solomon 1:4

the smell: Song of Solomon 1:3, Song of Solomon 1:12, Song of Solomon 3:6, Song of Solomon 5:5, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 4:18, Revelation 5:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 8:21 - smelled Genesis 43:11 - spices 1 Kings 9:3 - mine eyes Psalms 45:11 - So shall Proverbs 27:9 - Ointment Ecclesiastes 7:1 - precious Song of Solomon 1:8 - O thou Song of Solomon 1:15 - thou art fair Song of Solomon 4:1 - my Song of Solomon 4:9 - my sister Song of Solomon 4:11 - the smell Song of Solomon 7:6 - General Song of Solomon 8:2 - I would cause Matthew 12:50 - and sister Mark 3:34 - Behold John 12:3 - ointment 1 Corinthians 9:5 - a sister

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied, "and I ate."
Genesis 4:9
And the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I do not know!" he answered. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
Genesis 4:10
"What have you done?" replied the LORD. "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Genesis 9:5
And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:
Genesis 18:20
Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,
Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
Numbers 35:33
Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Joshua 7:19
So Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."
2 Kings 9:26
'As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.' Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground."
Job 16:18
O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How fair is thy love, [my] sister, my spouse!.... Of these titles, :-;

:-; and of the love of the church to Christ,

:-; here said to be "fair", lovely and delightful, grateful and acceptable; as it is to Christ, in the several acts and effects of it, and therefore the word is plural, "thy loves" r; being exceeding beautiful in his eye, and extremely well pleasing to him; therefore says, "how fair!" as admiring it, it being hard to say how fair it was; and this appears from the large manifestations of Christ's love to those that love him; and from his causing all things to work together for the good of such; and from his preparing and laying up things, unseen and unheard of, for them;

how much better is thy love than wine! which is saying the same thing of her love to him she says of his to her, Song of Solomon 1:2; her love to Christ is more pleasant, more cheering, and more acceptable to him, than the wine of legal sacrifices, or than all burnt offerings; or than any duty whatever, unless that is the principle from whence it flows,

Mark 12:33;

and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! the same with Christ's ointments, commended Song of Solomon 1:3; namely, the graces of the Spirit, which are in Christ without measure, and from him communicated to his people; and when exercised by them, are very delightful to him, and preferred by him to "all spices": even to all those used in the holy anointing oil, typical of them, Exodus 30:23.

r דודיך "amores tui", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The similes employed refer to the graces of adornment, speech, and gesture, as expressions of inward character and sentiment.

Song of Solomon 4:9

With one of thine eyes - Rather, with one look of thine.

Song of Solomon 4:11

Honeycomb - literally, Thy lips distill a dropping (of pure honey). Compare the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. How much better is thy love — דדיך dodayich; Hebrew. μαστοισου; Septuagint. Ubera tua; Vulgate. "Thy breasts." And so all the versions, except the Chaldee.

Smell of thine ointments — Perfumes.


 
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