Cânticos 7

ARC · Chapter 7/8

1Que formosos são os teus pés nos sapatos, ó filha do principe! As voltas de tuas coxas são como joias, segundo a obra de mãos d'artifice.

2O teu umbigo como uma taça redonda, a que não falta bebida; o teu ventre como montão de trigo, sitiado de lyrios.

3Os teus dois peitos como dois filhos gemeos da corça.

4O teu pescoço como a torre de marfim: os teus olhos como os viveiros de Hesbon, junto á porta de Bath-arabbim: o teu nariz como torre do Libano, que olha para Damasco.

5A tua cabeça sobre ti é como o monte Carmelo, e os cabellos da tua cabeça como a purpura: o rei está atado ás varandas.

6Quão formosa, e quão aprazivel és, ó amor em delicias!

7Esta tua estatura é similhante á palmeira; e os teus peitos são similhantes aos cachos d'uvas.

8Dizia eu: Subirei á palmeira, pegarei de seus ramos; e então os teus peitos serão como os cachos na vide, e o cheiro dos teus narizes como os das maçãs.

9E o teu paladar como o bom vinho para o meu amado, que se bebe suavemente, e faz com que fallem os labios dos que dormem.

10Eu sou do meu amado, e elle me tem affeição.

11Vem, ó amado meu, saiamos nós ao campo, passemos as noites nas aldeias.

12Levantemo-nos de manhã para ir ás vinhas, vejamos se florescem as vides, se se abre a flor, se já brotam as romeiras; ali te darei o meu grande amor.

13As mandragoras dão cheiro, e ás nossas portas ha toda a sorte d'excellentes fructos, novos e velhos: ó amado meu, eu os guardei para ti

📖 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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. Cânticos 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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