the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
most
כֶּ֣תֶםKe.tem
H3800
properly · noun, common masculine singular construct
gold
פָּ֑זPaz
H6337
pure (gold) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
locks
קְוּצּוֹתָיו֙ke.vtz.tzo.Tav
H6977
a forelock (as shorn) · noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
bushy
תַּלְתַּלִּ֔יםtal.ta.Lim
H8534
a trailing bough (as pendulous) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
black
שְׁחֹר֖וֹתshe.cho.Rot
H7838
properly · adjective, feminine plural absolute
raven
כָּעוֹרֵֽבka.'o.Rev
H6158
a raven (from its dusky hue) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: fo…
Song of Solomon 7:5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like th…
Ephesians 1:21-22 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which…
Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Daniel 2:37-38 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
John Gill on Song of Solomon 5:11
His head is as the most fine gold,.... Here the church enters into a particular description and commendation of her beloved, which continues to the end of the chapter; and she begins with his "head", which she compares to the most fine gold. Some think that some ornament of the head is meant, as a diadem or crown of gold; or else the hair of the head, which, though afterwards said to be black, yet being powdered with gold dust, looked of the colour of gold, especially in the rays of the sun upon it; as did the hair of Solomon's youths that attended him, being thus decorated, as Josephus (u) relates; and which custom of powdering the hair with gold dust was used by some of the Roman emperors…
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Song of Solomon 5:11-15
The woman describes the man as a statue made of gold, ivory, lapis lazuli, and marble pillars, suggesting that he is god-like in appearance, since statues of deities were composed of such precious metals in antiquity (Exod 32:1-4; 1 Kgs 12:28; Dan 2:32-33; 3:1).
Rashi on Song of Solomon 5:11
His head. Shines like the finest gold. ‘כֶּתֶם’39‘ם‘ת‘כ is an acronym representing the three crowns: תורה [=Torah], כהונה [=priesthood], and מלכות [=kingship], mentioned in Avos 4:13. (Gra) is a term referring to the treasures of kings which they store in their treasure houses, and similarly, “the finest gold כֶּתֶם has changed,”40Eichah 4:1. and similarly, “and fine gold וְלַכֶּתֶם I called my security,”41Iyov 31:24. and similarly, “and an ornament of fine gold כֶּתֶם.”42Mishlei 25:12.
His locks hang. תַּלְתַּלִּים is] is an expression of hanging תְּלוּיִים, pendelojes in O.F.
They are raven-black. All these are handsomeness for a young man.
Hair is also represented by another comparison, wherein the shape of its locks seems to mimic the brilliance of gold. "His hair is like waves of palms," so that they would surely seem to be curly and golden.
His hair lifted like palm trees, etc. The hair of the beloved's head is the throng of saints, who adhere to God with faithful service; and deservedly are they compared to raised palm trees, because they expect the sweetness of perpetual reward. Hence it is that the Psalmist says: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalm 92). Deservedly they are said to be black as a raven, because they acknowledge that they cannot have this sweetness from themselves, but hope to receive it from him who said: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15). Indeed, they realize they have nothing but darkness from themselves, as the Apostle reminds: "For ye were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord" (Ephesians 5). Nor is it surprising that we are compared to the blackness of ravens before the washing of regeneration, since the Master of truth said to the apostles themselves who were already following him: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children" (Matthew 7). But let us also see if the lawgiver found any raven-blackness amidst the raised palm trees in the hair of the spouse? For seeing the light of divine glory, he immediately recognized the darkness of human depravity, and rebuked it, saying: "Lord, Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who keeps steadfast love for thousands, who forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, and none is innocent before you by themselves" (Matthew 7). Therefore, the hair of the spouse, that is, the cohorts of the righteous, are raised like palm trees, black as a raven, because they tend toward the joys of victory indeed through the mercy of the Lord, but recognize themselves. This verse can also be understood in regard to those spirits who eternally adhere to their Creator in the heavenly homeland. The higher they contemplate the glory of the unchangeable and everlasting majesty, the more truly they perceive how weak and vile everything created is. Apponius interprets the hair of the bridegroom as the virtues of the angels, adding: "By 'the raised palm branches,' he indicated that the aforementioned ministries never waver in their strength and duty but always remain lofty; just as the leaves of the palms, always holding the force of greenness, are elevated…
Dictionary and topics
Black — Properly the absence of all colour. In Prov. 7:9 the Hebrew word means, as in the margin of the Revised Version, “the pupil of the eye.” It is translated “apple” of the eye in Deut. 32:10; Ps. 17:8;…
Colour — The subject of colours holds an important place in the Scriptures. White occurs as the translation of various Hebrew words. It is applied to milk (Gen. 49:12), manna (Ex. 16:31), snow (Isa. 1:18),…
Raven — Heb. ‘orebh, from a root meaning “to be black” (comp. Cant. 5:11); first mentioned as “sent forth” by Noah from the ark (Gen. 8:7). “Every raven after his kind” was forbidden as food (Lev. 11:15;…
Hair, The · Black, particularly esteemed — Black, particularly esteemed
Love To Christ · His personal excellence is deserving of — His personal excellence is deserving of
Preciousness Of Christ · Illustrated — Illustrated
Raven · A black — A black
Raven, The · Described as: Black — Described as: Black
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary on the Song of Songs
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
