Song of Solomon 7:5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.

◄ Song of Solomon 7:5 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.

English Standard Version
Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses.

New American Standard Bible
"Your head crowns you like Carmel, And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads; The king is captivated by your tresses.

King James Bible
Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple cloth-- a king could be held captive in your tresses.

International Standard Version
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your flowing locks are like purple, and a king could be captured in the dangling tresses.

American Standard Version
Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses thereof .

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thy head is like Carmel: and the hairs of thy head as the purple of the king bound in the channels.

Darby Bible Translation
Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the locks of thy head like purple; The king is fettered by thy ringlets!

Young's Literal Translation
Thy head upon thee as Carmel, And the locks of thy head as purple, The king is bound with the flowings!

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

7:1-9 The similitudes here are different from what they were before, and in the original refer to glorious and splendid clothing. Such honour have all his saints; and having put on Christ, they are distinguished by their beautiful and glorious apparel. They adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. Consistent believers honour Christ, recommend the gospel, and convince and awaken sinners. The church resembles the stately and spreading palm; while her love for Christ, and the obedience resulting therefrom, are precious fruit of the true Vine. The King is held in the galleries. Christ takes delight in the assemblies and ordinances of his people; and admires the fruit of his grace in them. When applied to the church and to each faithful Christian, all this denotes that beauty of holiness, in which they shall be presented to their heavenly Bridegroom.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. upon thee—the headdress "upon" her.

Carmel—signifying a well-cultivated field (Isa 35:2). In So 5:15 He is compared to majestic Lebanon; she here, to fruitful Carmel. Her headdress, or crown (2Ti 4:8; 1Pe 5:4). Also the souls won by her (1Th 2:19, 20), a token of her fruitfulness.

purple—royalty (Re 1:6). As applied to hair, it expresses the glossy splendor of black hair (literally, "pendulous hair") so much admired in the East (So 4:1). While the King compares her hair to the flowering hair of goats (the token of her subjection), the daughters of Jerusalem compare it to royal purple.

galleries—(so So 1:17, Margin; Re 21:3). But Maurer translates here, "flowing ringlets"; with these, as with "thongs" (so Lee, from the Arabic translates it) "the King is held" bound (So 6:5; Pr 6:25). Her purple crowns of martyrdom especially captivated the King, appearing from His galleries (Ac 7:55, 56). As Samson's strength was in his locks (Jud 16:17). Here first the daughters see the King themselves.