Song of Solomon 7:6
How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern love poetry celebrated beauty, but Israel's wisdom tradition connected beauty with covenant faithfulness. The Song presents marital love as God's good gift, meant to be a source of joy and pleasure (Proverbs 5:18-19). The repeated exclamations 'how fair! how pleasant!' reflect Hebrew poetic emphasis through parallelism and repetition. Early church fathers sometimes allegorized 'delights' as spiritual pleasures found in contemplating divine truth. The Puritans, often mischaracterized as anti-pleasure, actually emphasized that God designed marriage to be delightful, not merely functional. Modern application affirms that Christian marriage should be characterized by mutual delight, generous affirmation, and celebration of the beloved.
Questions for Reflection
- When was the last time you expressed enthusiastic, specific appreciation to your spouse or to Christ in prayer?
- How does this verse challenge the cultural lie that passionate delight fades inevitably with time and familiarity?
- What 'delights' does Christ find in His Church—and how should this transform your self-understanding as a believer?
Analysis & Commentary
How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! (מַה־יָּפִית וּמַה־נָּעַמְתְּ אַהֲבָה בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים)—the bridegroom exclaims in wonder at the bride's beauty. The Hebrew mah-yafit (מַה־יָּפִית, how beautiful!) and mah-na'amt (מַה־נָּעַמְתְּ, how pleasant!) express emphatic admiration. The word ahavah (אַהֲבָה, love) can be vocative (addressing the beloved as 'O love') or describing the quality of love. Batta'anugim (בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים, in/for delights) emphasizes the exquisite pleasure love brings.
This verse models the biblical pattern of verbal affirmation in covenant relationships. The bridegroom doesn't merely think the bride is beautiful—he declares it enthusiastically and specifically. The exclamatory 'how!' (mah) expresses wonder that doesn't diminish with familiarity. Church tradition heard Christ's voice celebrating His Church's beauty, made lovely through His sanctifying work. The verse teaches that covenant love creates an atmosphere of delight, pleasure, and celebration—not grim duty or mere tolerance.