Song of Solomon 6:9

Footnotes

1. 16 Alternately, “She alone is my dove, my perfect one.” The term אַחַת (’akhat) is used here as an adjective of quality: “unique, singular, the only one” ( 1:180 אֶחָד 1b). The masculine form is used elsewhere to describe Yahweh as the “only” or “unique” God of Israel who demands exclusive love and loyalty (Deut 6:4; Zech 14:9). Although Solomon possessed a large harem, she was the only woman for him.
2. 17 Heb “the only daughter of her mother.” The phrase אַחַת לְאִמָּה (’akhat lé’immah) is sometimes translated as “the only daughter of her mother” (, ) or “the only one of her mother” (). K&D 18:112 suggests that she was not her mother’s only daughter, but her most special daughter. This is supported by the parallelism with בָּרָה (barah, “favorite”) in the following line. Similarly, Gen 22:2 and Prov 4:3 use the masculine term אֶחָד (’ekhad, “the only one”) to refer to the specially favored son, that is, the heir.
3. 18 The term בָּרָה (barah) is sometimes nuanced “pure” () because the root ברר I denotes “to purify, purge out” ( 140–41 בָּרַר). However, the root בָּרַר also denotes “to choose, select” ( 141 2) (Neh 5:18; 1 Chr 7:40; 9:22; 16:41). Most translations adopt the second root, e.g., “the choice one” (), “the favorite” (), “favorite” (). This is supported by the exegetical tradition of , which translates בָּרָה as ἐκλεκτή (eklektē, “the chosen one”).
4. 19 Heb “daughters.”
5. 20 Heb “to call blessed.” The verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) is used of people whom others consider fortunate because they have prospered or are to be commended (Gen 30:13; Ps 72:17; Mal 3:12, 15). Likewise, the verb הָלַל (halal, “to praise”) is used elsewhere of people who are held in high esteem by others either due to a commendable moral quality (Prov 31:28, 31) or due to one’s physical beauty (Gen 12:15; 2 Sam 14:25). The actual content of their praise of her appears in Song 6:10 in which they compare her beauty to that of the dawn, moon, sun, and stars.