Cantar de los Cantares 7

VBL · Chapter 7/8

1Qué bonitos son tus pies con sandalias, princesa! Tus muslos curvados son como adornos hechos por un maestro artesano.

2Tu ombligo es como un cuenco redondo; que nunca le falta vino aromático! Tu abdomen es como un montón de trigo rodeado de lirios.

3Tus pechos son como dos cervatillos, gemelos de una gacela.

4Tu cuello es elegante como una torre de marfil. Tus ojos brillan como los estanques de Hesbón junto a la puerta de Bathrabbin. Tu nariz es hermosa, prominente como la torre del Líbano que da a Damasco.

5Tu cabeza es tan magnífica como el monte Carmelo; tu pelo negro tiene un brillo púrpura, como si un rey ¡se quedó cautivo en tus cerraduras!

6¡Qué hermosa eres, amor mío, qué atractivos son tus encantos!

7Eres alta y esbelta como una palmera; tus pechos son como sus racimos de frutos.

8Me digo: “Subiré a la palmera y me apoderaré de los frutos”. Que tus pechos sean como racimos de uvas en la vid, y tu aliento tenga el aroma de las manzanas.

9Que tus besos sean como el mejor vino, bajando suavemente, deslizándose sobre los labios y los dientes.

10Mi amor es mío, y yo soy la que él desea.

11Ven, amor mío, salgamos al campo y pasemos la noche entre las flores de henna.

12Vayamos temprano a los viñedos y veamos si las vides han brotado y están en flor, y si los granados están floreciendo. Allí te daré mi amor.

13Las mandrágoras desprenden su fragante aroma; estamos rodeados por toda clase de delicias, tanto nuevas como antiguas, que he guardado para ti, mi amor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The lover continues to admire the beloved's beauty, from head to foot, comparing her to a palm tree and its fruit. She responds by inviting him to go out with her to the fields and villages to enjoy their love.

Explanation

This chapter returns to the descriptive, admiring style, but now it is the beloved who takes the initiative to propose a romantic outing in the open air, among vineyards and pomegranate trees — symbols of fruitfulness and life in Israel's agricultural landscape. The expression "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" (echoing 2:16 and 6:3) reinforces the book's central theme: the mutuality and reciprocity of desire between the two. Application for today: in a healthy marriage, both husband and wife are free to take the initiative in expressing desire and pursuing intimacy.

Fun facts

  • The "mandrakes" mentioned at the end of the chapter were a plant popularly associated with fertility in the ancient Near East, also mentioned in the story of Rachel and Leah in Genesis 30:14-16.
  • The comparison of the beloved to a palm tree reflects a tree highly valued in the region for its complete usefulness — fruit, shade, wood, and fiber — and for its elegant, upright form.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Cantar de los Cantares 7:1The detailed description of the beloved’s feet, thighs, and navel shows how the book treats the human body with a poetic freedom unusual by today’s standards of religious language, without any tone of shame.
  2. Cantar de los Cantares 7:2Comparing the waist to a heap of wheat surrounded by lilies joins two images from the harvest: abundance (the piled wheat) and delicacy (the flowers around it), a typically agricultural combination of praise.
  3. Cantar de los Cantares 7:3This same comparison to twin fawns already appeared in chapter 4, showing how certain physical compliments repeat throughout the book as recognizable poetic formulas.
  4. Cantar de los Cantares 7:4Heshbon was a real city known for its clear, calm water pools — comparing the eyes to these pools suggests a calm, translucent gaze, not an agitated one.
  5. Cantar de los Cantares 7:5Mount Carmel was known for its lush vegetation, so comparing the head to it praises the fullness and beauty of the hair — saying the king is “held captive” in those locks is poetic exaggeration of fascination.
  6. Cantar de los Cantares 7:6The phrase “love, for delights” sums up the spirit of the chapter well: the book openly celebrates the pleasure between the lovers, without hiding or disguising that side of the relationship.
  7. Cantar de los Cantares 7:7The palm tree was valued for its tall, straight trunk — comparing her posture to this tree praises her height and physical elegance quite directly.
  8. Cantar de los Cantares 7:8Describing the desire to “go up” the palm tree and hold onto its branches turns the previous metaphor into an image of physical action, the beloved wanting to draw close and touch what he has just praised.
  9. Cantar de los Cantares 7:9Comparing the kiss to a wine so good it makes even the lips of someone asleep speak is a poetic exaggeration describing something irresistibly sweet and captivating.
  10. Cantar de los Cantares 7:10This variation on the mutual-belonging formula, already seen before, adds something new: now it is specifically his desire that turns toward her, not just a generic mutual possession.
  11. Cantar de los Cantares 7:11Inviting the beloved to spend the night in the villages, away from the city, suggests a wish to escape to a simpler, more private setting, just for the two of them.
  12. Cantar de los Cantares 7:12Her invitation for them to go together to the fields and spend the night among the vineyards shows the woman’s initiative within the relationship, proposing the encounter instead of just waiting for him.
  13. Cantar de los Cantares 7:13Mandrakes were associated in antiquity with fertility and romantic desire, so mentioning them alongside fruits kept especially for the beloved reinforces the intimate invitation at the end of the chapter.

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