# Song of Solomon 5.10 **Book:** [Song of Solomon](/codex/song-of-solomon/) · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 8. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, That ye tell him, that I am sick from love. 9. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, That thou dost so adjure us? > > **10. My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand.** > > 11. His head is as the most fine gold; His locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12. His eyes are like doves beside the water - brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set. (Song of Solomon 5:8-12, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 8. I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am faint with love. 9. How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us? > > **10. My beloved is white and ruddy. The best among ten thousand.** > > 11. His head is like the purest gold. His hair is bushy, black as a raven. 12. His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, washed with milk, mounted like jewels. (Song of Solomon 5:8-12, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 8. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. that ye: Heb. what, etc 9. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? > > **10. My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. the chiefest: Heb. a standard bearer** > > 11. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. bushy: or, curled 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. fitly: Heb. sitting in fulness, that is, fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foil of a ring (Song of Solomon 5:8-12, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 8. I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, What do ye tell him? that I [am] sick with love! 9. What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, O fair among women? What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, That thus thou hast adjured us? > > **10. My beloved [is] clear and ruddy, Conspicuous above a myriad!** > > 11. His head [is] pure gold, fine gold, His locks flowing, dark as a raven, 12. His eyes as doves by streams of water, Washing in milk, sitting in fulness. (Song of Solomon 5:8-12, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** the bridegroom, the bride, and the chorus (multi-voiced) - **Audience:** Israel; theological-allegorical reading: the believing soul + Christ - **Location:** Israel + Lebanon (Solomonic court) - **Time period:** traditionally c. 970-930 BC (Solomon) ## Theological reading ## Key words _No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)_ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses. ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Israelites Were Black Racial Descriptors Objection Defeater](/codex/israelites-were-black-racial-descriptors-objection-defeater/) - [Muhammad Not in Bible Objection Defeater](/codex/muhammad-not-in-bible-objection-defeater/), via [Song of Solomon 5.10-16](/codex/song-of-solomon-5-10-16/) **Concepts:** - [Black Hebrew Israelite Doctrine](/codex/black-hebrew-israelite-doctrine/) - [The Hebrew Israelite Defense](/codex/the-hebrew-israelite-defense/)