Troublesome Topic: WHEN THE DAY BREATHES IN REFRESHING COOLNESS 4:6

Lesson 12 of 16

Song of Solomon 4:6

Translation

When the day breathes in refreshing coolness,

and shadows become indistinguishable,

I will go

to the mountain

of myrrh

and to the hill

of frankincense.

Paraphrase

In times of encouragement and refreshing, and in times of discouragement, I will go to that which powerfully heals and uplifts me, I will rely on the great impact of prayer which revives my spirit.

Footnotes

1

“When the day breathes” refers to the time of day after the hottest part of the day has passed and the refreshing breezes of the evening arrive. Everything and everyone can breathe a bit more easily and it’s as if the day itself is breathing in relief from the intense heat. This phrase is often translated “in the cool of the day,” but be aware that it refers to the evening, not the morning.

2: “become indistinguishable”

This phrase says, “and the shadows disappear or are chased away.” At first glance this sounds like morning, when the sun makes the shadows smaller and smaller till by noon they are very small. But no. What is disappearing, or being chased away, is not the presence of shadows, but the ability to perceive shadows as distinguishable shapes. This is referring to the time of evening when shadows grow long and become nothing more than a mass of indistinguishable darkness. Support for this interpretation comes from such noted scholars as BDB, the Cambridge Bible, Ellicott, Barnes, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown. However, the common translations available today are split on the matter.

In my opinion, the symbolism of this phrase points in the opposite direction of the phrase just preceding it. Because of the lack of light and the dark shadows, the symbolism seems to point to things like discouragement, doubt, or even danger.

3: “I will go”

The Hebrew has a picturesque way of communicating this, it says: “I will get me to the mountain of myrrh.” It seems to carry the connotation that I will get myself there no matter what; one way or another I will be sure to get there.”

4

Mountains here are a symbol of strength, protection and refuge. Knowing where to go during difficult times is very important; God and your spouse should be the key places you retreat to in such times.

5

Myrrh, like other aromatic oils, was something that revived the spirit.

6

Hills were similar to mountains and had a similar meaning.

7

Incense is one of several things that revive the spirit. Because of the sacrifice of incense it also served as a picture of other things with more of a spiritual emphasis, but that side of things is not part of the picture here.