- Contrast the metaphors used to describe the woman’s physical attributes with those customarily used in western literature; are they the same; varying?
- Why does the lover compare his loved one’s hair to a flock of goats and her teeth to a flock of sheep?
- What is particularly peculiar about the imagery of the tower of David in Song of Songs 4:4?
- In Song of Songs 4:4 the word talpiot is particularly problematic. Its usage is rare. In modern Jerusalem there is a geographical association which would relate it to the first half of the verse. Are you familiar with it?
- Song of Songs 4:4 illustrates how Biblical metaphors differ from those common in western literature. Explain.
- Why do you think Mount Lebanon (Song of Songs 4:6) is chosen as a site for the lovers rather than another part of Israel?
- In Song of Songs 4:9 and elsewhere, would the phrase “my sister, my bride,” imply incest or is this usage of that period?
- In Song of Songs 4:12 what do the phrases “a locked garden” and “a fountain locked” imply? How does the woman respond to her lover’s claim?
