A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
Parallel translations
- WEB My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.
- BSB My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.
- NKJV A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.
- NASB “My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night between my breasts.
- NLT My lover is like a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
She treasures her beloved like a sachet of myrrh held close to her heart. It expresses cherished, constant nearness.
Overview
Myrrh worn between the breasts was precious and ever near; so she holds her beloved close and dear through the night. The image speaks of treasured, abiding love. Believers have seen here the soul that keeps Christ near and precious, valuing Him above all (Phil. 3:8).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- John 19:39And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
- Ps 45:8All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
- Eph 3:17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
- Song 5:5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
- Song 5:1I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
- Song 8:3–4His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
- Song 5:13His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
- Song 4:6Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
- Song 3:5I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
- Gen 43:11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
- Song 2:7I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
- Song 4:14Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The poetry of covenant love between bride and bridegroom pictures, at its highest, the love of Christ for his church — the Bridegroom who gave himself for his bride.
How Song of Songs 1:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.