Song of Solomon 1:15
New International Version
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves.

New Living Translation
How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves. Young Woman

English Standard Version
Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves.

Berean Standard Bible
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

King James Bible
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

New King James Version
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.

New American Standard Bible
“How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.”

NASB 1995
“How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.”

NASB 1977
“<,>How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“Behold, you are beautiful, my darling, Behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.”

Amplified Bible
“Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling, Behold, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”

Christian Standard Bible
How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Your eyes are doves. Woman

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Your eyes are doves. W

American Standard Version
Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves.

Contemporary English Version
My darling, you are lovely, so very lovely--your eyes are those of a dove.

English Revised Version
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Look at you! You are beautiful, my true love! Look at you! You are so beautiful! Your eyes are like doves!

Good News Translation
How beautiful you are, my love; how your eyes shine with love!

International Standard Version
Look at you! You are beautiful, my darling. Look at you! You are so beautiful. Your eyes are doves.

Majority Standard Bible
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

NET Bible
Oh, how beautiful you are, my beloved! Oh, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves!

New Heart English Bible
Look, you are beautiful, my love. Look, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

World English Bible
Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, you [are] beautiful, my friend, "" Behold, you [are] beautiful, your eyes [are] doves!

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, thou art fair, my friend, Lo, thou art fair, thine eyes are doves!

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold thee fair, my friend; behold thee beautiful; thine eyes are doves'.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Groom to Bride: Behold, you are beautiful, O my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are those of a dove.

New American Bible
How beautiful you are, my friend, how beautiful! your eyes are doves!

New Revised Standard Version
Ah, you are beautiful, my love; ah, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, you are beautiful, O my beloved; behold, you are fair; you have dove's eyes.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, you are beautiful, my kinswoman, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are of doves!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, thou art fair, my companion; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are doves.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Bride Confesses Her Love
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi. 15How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves. 16How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how delightful! The soft grass is our bed.…

Cross References
Psalm 45:11
and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Isaiah 62:5
For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, / but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.

Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her / to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, / and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Genesis 29:17
Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

2 Corinthians 11:2
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Revelation 19:7-8
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. / She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

Matthew 25:1-13
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. / Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. / The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. ...

John 3:29
The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

Isaiah 61:10
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.

Hosea 2:19-20
So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion. / And I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.”

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. / It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. / Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair; you have doves' eyes.

thou art fair

Song of Solomon 1:8
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

Song of Solomon 4:1,7,10
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead…

Song of Solomon 5:12
His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

my love

Malachi 2:14
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

thou hast

Song of Solomon 4:1
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Song of Solomon 5:12
His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

2 Corinthians 11:2,3
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ…

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Beautiful Beloved Darling Dove Doves Eyes Fair Friend Love
Song of Solomon 1
1. the church's love unto Christ
5. She confesses her deformity
7. and prays to be directed, to his flock
8. Christ directs her to the shepherd's tents
9. and showing his love to her
11. gives her gracious promises
12. the church and Christ congratulate one another














How beautiful you are, my darling!
The phrase "How beautiful you are" is an expression of admiration and deep affection. In Hebrew, the word for "beautiful" is "יָפָה" (yapha), which conveys not only physical beauty but also a sense of goodness and pleasantness. This reflects the speaker's profound appreciation for the beloved's entire being. The term "my darling" is translated from "רַעְיָתִי" (ra'ayati), which is a term of endearment, indicating a close, intimate relationship. This phrase sets the tone for the Song of Solomon, emphasizing the deep love and admiration between the lovers, which can be seen as a metaphor for the love between Christ and His Church.

Oh, how very beautiful!
The repetition of the word "beautiful" underscores the intensity of the speaker's admiration. In Hebrew poetry, repetition is a common device used to emphasize a point or emotion. This doubling of the expression highlights the overwhelming beauty perceived by the speaker. It suggests that the beloved's beauty is not only apparent but also deeply felt and acknowledged. This can be seen as a reflection of the divine love that sees and appreciates the inherent worth and beauty of the beloved.

Your eyes are like doves
The comparison of the beloved's eyes to doves is rich with symbolism. In the Hebrew context, doves are often associated with peace, purity, and the Holy Spirit. The word "dove" in Hebrew is "יוֹנָה" (yonah), which evokes images of gentleness and innocence. Eyes are often considered the windows to the soul, and by likening them to doves, the speaker is highlighting the purity, serenity, and spiritual beauty of the beloved's inner being. This imagery can also be seen as a reflection of the spiritual purity and peace that believers are called to embody in their relationship with God. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that the beloved's eyes reflect a divine presence and tranquility.

(15) Behold, thou art fair.--The song is now transferred to a male speaker--the advocates for the dramatic theory cannot agree whether Solomon or the shepherd; and no wonder, since the poem gives no indication.

My love.--Marg., companion, LXX. ???????, in Heb. rayati, is used for the female, dodi being her usual term for her lover. Beyond this the terms of endearment used cannot safely be pressed for any theory.

Thou hast doves' eyes.--Literally, thine eyes are doves'. The same image is repeated (Song of Solomon 4:1), and adopted in return by the heroine (Song of Solomon 5:12). The point of the comparison is either quickness of glance or generally tenderness and grace. The dove, a favourite with all poets as an emblem of love, is especially dear to this bard. Out of about fifty mentions of the bird in Scripture, seven occur in the short compass of this book. For general account of the dove in Palestine, see Psalm 55:6, and for particular allusions Notes below to Song of Solomon 2:11-12; Song of Solomon 2:14. (Comp. Shakespeare's Coriolanus, v. 3:-- . . .

Verse 15. - Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves; literally, thine eyes are doves. The king receives the worship of his bride and delights in her. She is very sweet and fair to him. The dove is a natural symbol of love; hence it was attached by the classical nations to the garden of love, together with the myrtle, rose, and apple, all of which we find introduced in this Hebrew poem. Hence the Arabic name for a dove, Jemima, as we see in the Book of Job, was the name of a woman (cf. Columbina). The language of the king is that of ecstasy; hence the interjection and repetition. The enraptured monarch gazes into the eyes of his beloved bride, and sees there only purity, constancy, and affection. In Song of Solomon 7:4 the eyes are compared to fish ponds, no doubt for their clear, liquid depth and serenity. Some have thought that the allusion is to the very lovely eyes of the doves; but there is no need of the limitation.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
How
הִנָּ֤ךְ (hin·nāḵ)
Interjection | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

beautiful [you are],
יָפָה֙ (yā·p̄āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 3303: Fair, beautiful

my darling!
רַעְיָתִ֔י (ra‘·yā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7474: A female associate

Oh, how very
הִנָּ֥ךְ (hin·nāḵ)
Interjection | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

beautiful!
יָפָ֖ה (yā·p̄āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 3303: Fair, beautiful

Your eyes
עֵינַ֥יִךְ (‘ê·na·yiḵ)
Noun - cdc | second person feminine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

are [like] doves.
יוֹנִֽים׃ (yō·w·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 3123: A dove


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OT Poetry: Song of Solomon 1:15 Behold you are beautiful my love (Song Songs SS So Can)
Song of Solomon 1:14
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