Song of Solomon 1:17 — Word Study
WLCקֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֙ינוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים׃
BSAThe beamsqôwrâh [structural frame, main supports] of our housebayith [dwelling place, family home] are cedarsʼerez [strong and durable trees] our raftersrᵉchîyṭ△ [upper structural parts, roof supports] [are fragrant] firsbᵉrôwth△ [pleasantly scented, aromatic, evergreen trees, cypress]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| קֹר֤וֹת | [the] beams of | Noun common, feminine plural construct |
| בָּתֵּ֙ינוּ֙ | houses our | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| אֲרָזִ֔ים | [are] cedar | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ | rafters our | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| בְּרוֹתִֽים׃ | [are] cypress | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs. |
| KJV | The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. |
| ASV | The beams of our house are cedars, And our rafters are firs. |
| YLT | The beams of our houses [are] cedars, Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys! |
| WEB | The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs. |
| BBE | Cedar-trees are the pillars of our house; and our boards are made of fir-trees. |
Where they part company is אֲרָזִ֔ים and בְּרוֹתִֽים — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence contains two main clauses, each with a predicate, describing the structure and materials of the beloved's home.
2 of 5 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Song of Solomon 1:17
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Beauty of the Belovedgenerated
Song of Solomon 1:17 presents a vivid image of the beloved's house, highlighting its strong beams and fragrant rafters. This verse is part of a larger poetic exchange where the speaker admires the beauty and qualities of their beloved, using the home as a metaphor for warmth and safety. The context emphasizes the intimate relationship between the speaker and the beloved, as seen in the preceding verses that celebrate their beauty and connection.
The Key Word — קֹר֤וֹת, ko.Rotgenerated
The word קוֹרָה (qowrah) refers to a beam or rafter, essential in the construction of a building. It signifies strength and support, indicating that the house is well-built and sturdy. The parsing as a feminine plural construct suggests multiple beams, reinforcing the idea of a solid structure.
This term is derived from a root meaning to meet or fit together, which highlights its role in construction. The lexicons emphasize its use in contexts related to building, making it clear that the beams are foundational elements of the house.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is governed by the subject קֹר֤וֹת, beams, with two predicates following: אֲרָזִ֔ים, cedars, and בְּרוֹתִֽים, cypress. The structure emphasizes the materials used in the construction of the house, highlighting their qualities.
The syntax indicates a focus on the house's strength and aromatic qualities, with the beams and rafters presented as essential components of the beloved's dwelling.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates קֹר֤וֹת as δοκοὶ, meaning beams, which maintains the structural connotation of the original Hebrew. This choice reinforces the idea of strength in the construction of the beloved's home.
For בְּרוֹתִֽים, the LXX uses κυπάρισσοι, translating to cypress, which aligns with the aromatic qualities attributed to these trees in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Song of Solomon 1:17 describes the house of the beloved, noting that its beams are made of strong cedar wood and its rafters are fragrant fir trees. This imagery conveys a sense of strength and pleasantness, reflecting the beauty of the beloved's home.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The beams and rafters symbolize strength and beauty in the beloved's home, suggesting a solid and comforting environment.
Cedar trees are known for their durability, while fir trees are valued for their pleasant aroma, both contributing to the imagery of a beautiful and strong dwelling.
This verse emphasizes the intimate relationship between the speaker and the beloved, using the home as a metaphor for safety and affection.
The choice of cedar and fir highlights the quality and care put into the beloved's home, reflecting the value placed on their relationship.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I see strength and beauty in my own home environment?
- How can I create a space that reflects comfort and safety for those I love?
- What materials or symbols do I associate with strength and beauty in my life?
- How does the imagery of this verse inspire my understanding of relationships?
The verse in English, compared — 15 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.
The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs.
The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.
the cedars are the beams of our bedroom chamber; the pines are the rafters of our bedroom.
Tyndale line
The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
The beams of our house are cedars, And our rafters are firs.
The beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters are firs.
The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
Strictly literal
The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are cypresses.
The beams of our houses [are] cedars, Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!
The beams of our houses [are] cedars, || Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!
The beams of our houses are cedars and our wainscoting of cypress-trees.
The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs.
Simplified
with cedar trees as beams for our “house,” and pine trees for the rafters.
Cedar-trees are the pillars of our house; and our boards are made of fir-trees.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of קֹר֤וֹת and בָּתֵּ֙ינוּ֙, with all five words matched. This indicates a consistent understanding of the verse across these texts.
קֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֙ינוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Song of Solomon 1:17
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
קוֹרָה (qowrah) refers to a rafter or beam, typically understood as something that fits into or supports another structure. The term is derived from a root meaning to meet or fit together, and it implies a connection to roofing. The entries consistently emphasize its use in construction contexts.
קוֹרָה n.f. rafter, beam (prop. a thing meeting, fitting into, another)
base
H6982 קוֹרָה rafter, beam (prop. a thing meeting, fitting into, another)
6982 qowrah ko-raw'
or qorah {ko-raw'}; from 6979; a rafter (forming trenches as
it were); by implication, a roof:--beam, roof.
see HEBREW for 06979
קוֹרָה (qo.rah) — beam.
rafter, beam
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural constructHNcfpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
The Hebrew word בַּיִת (*bayith*) means 'house' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including dwelling, family, and place. It can refer to physical structures, such as homes and temples, as well as metaphorical uses like the body or household affairs. The word is built from the root related to 'between' and appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between
base
בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house
house
place
receptacle
of house as containing a family
household, family (592 t.)
house, including household affairs
lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards
מִבַּיִת
adv. on the inside
prep. within
base
H1004a בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between H1004b בַּ֫יִת house
1004 bayith bah'-yith
probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest
variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court,
daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as
would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold),
inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet,
temple, web, + within(-out).
see HEBREW for 01129
בֵּית (bet) — place.
nm
place, origin, between
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — house: home.
: home/temple/building
nm
1) house
1a) house, dwelling habitation
1b) shelter or abode of animals
1c) human bodies (fig.)
1d) of Sheol
1e) of abode of light and darkness
1f) of land of Ephraim
2) place
3) receptacle
4) home, house as containing a family
5) household, family
5a) those belonging to the same household
5b) family of descendants, descendants as organized body
6) household affairs
7) inwards (metaph.)
8) (TWOT) temple
adv
9) on the inside
prep
10) within
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(ashbea).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with ash.be.a (אַשְׁבֵּעַ "Ashbea" H0791)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth (Haggan).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with hag (גַּן "Haggan" H1588)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(togarmah).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bp
The Hebrew word אֶ֫רֶז (*erez*) means 'cedar' and refers to the cedar tree, its timber, and its use in building and purification. It is derived from a root indicating the tenacity of its roots. The entries consistently highlight its significance in construction and ritual practices.
אֶ֫רֶז n.m. cedar
cedar-tree
cedar-timber, cedar-wood for building
cedar-wood used in purification
base
H730 אֶ֫רֶז cedar
730 'erez eh-rez'
from 729; a cedar tree (from the tenacity of its
roots):--cedar (tree).
see HEBREW for 0729
אֶ֫רֶז (e.rez) — cedar.
1) cedar
1a) cedar tree
1b) cedar timber, cedar wood (in building)
1c) cedar wood (in purifications)
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
se'-dar, se'-der ('erez, from Hebrew root meaning "to be firm"; kedros): The 'erez was in almost all the Old Testament references the true cedar, Cedrus libani, but the name may have been applied in a loose way to allied trees, such as junipers and pines. In Nu 24:6--"as cedar-trees beside the waters"--the reference must, as is most probable, be purely poetical (see ALOES) or the 'arazim must signify some other kind of tree which flourishes beside water.
1. Cedar for Ritual Cleansing:
Cedar is twice mentioned as a substance for ritual cleansing. In Le 14:4 the cleansed leper was sprinkled with the blood of a "clean bird" into which had been put "cedar- wood, and scarlet, and hyssop." In Nu 19:6 "cedar-wood, and hyssop, and…
Cedar
(Heb. e’rez, Gr. kedros, Lat. cedrus), a tree very frequently mentioned in Scripture. It was stately (Ezek. 31:3-5), long-branched (Ps. 80:10; 92:12; Ezek. 31:6-9), odoriferous (Cant. 4:11; Hos. 14:6), durable, and therefore much used for boards, pillars, and ceilings (1 Kings 6:9, 10; 7:2; Jer. 22:14), for masts (Ezek. 27:5), and for carved images (Isa. 44:14).
The Hebrew word erez , invariably rendered "cedar" by the Authorized Version, stands for that tree in most of the passages where the word occurs. While the word is sometimes used in a wider sense, (Leviticus 14:6) for evergreen cone-bearing trees, generally the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is intended. (1 Kings 7:2; 10:27; Psalms 92:12; Solomon 5:15; Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 31:3-6) The wood is of a reddish color, of bitter taste and aromatic odor, offensive to insects, and very durable. The cedar is a type of the Christian, being evergreen, beautiful, aromatic, wide spreading, slow growing, long lived, and having many uses. As far as is at present known, the cedar of…
A noble evergreen-tree greatly celebrated in the Scriptures, Ps 92:12 Eze 31:3-6. These trees are remarkably thick and tall; some among them are from thirty-five to forty feet in girth, and ninety feet in height. The cedar-tree shoots out branches at ten of twelve feet from the ground, large and almost horizontal; its leaves are an inch long, slender and straight, growing in tufts. The tree bears a small cone, like that of the pine. This celebrated tree is not peculiar to mount Lebanon, but grows also upon mounts Amanus and Taurus in Asia Minor, and in other parts of the Levant, but does not elsewhere reach the size and height of those on Lebanon. It has also been cultivated in the gardens of Europe; two venerable individuals of this species exist at Chiswick in England; and…
רָהִיט (rchiyt) refers to rafters or boards, suggesting strips that run between beams. The entries indicate that it is a collective noun, possibly used in contexts related to construction, as seen in שיר השירים 1:17.
[רָהִיט] n.m.coll. rafters ? boards ? (as strips running between beams ?);—sf. Ct 1:17 Qr
ref
H7351 רָהִיט, רְחִיט
7351 rchiyt rekh-eet'
from the same as 7298; a panel (as resembling a
trough):--rafter.
see HEBREW for 07298
רָהִיט (re.chit) — rafter.
rafters, boards
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bp
בְּרוֹת (browth) refers to a type of tree, specifically the cypress, fir, juniper, or pine. The term appears in the context of a grove or arbor of trees, as noted in Song of Solomon 1:17. It is derived from a variation of another Hebrew word related to trees.
[בְּרוֹת] n.m. id. [b.dh.ab] Ct 1:17; ref. to arbour of trees as their home
ref
H1266 בְּרוֹת
1266 browth ber-oth'
a variation of 1265; the cypress (or some elastic
tree):--fir.
see HEBREW for 01265
בְּרוֹת (be.rot) — cypress.
cypress, fir, juniper, pine
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
si'-pres.
See HOLM-TREE.
Cypress
(Heb. tirzah, “hardness”), mentioned only in Isa. 44:14 (R.V., “holm tree”). The oldest Latin version translates this word by ilex, i.e., the evergreen oak, which may possibly have been the tree intended; but there is great probability that our Authorized Version is correct in rendering it “cypress.” This tree grows abundantly on the mountains of Hermon. Its wood is hard and fragrant, and very durable. Its foliage is dark and gloomy. It is an evergreen (Cupressus sempervirens). “Throughout the East it is used as a funereal tree; and its dark, tall, waving plumes render it peculiarly appropriate among the tombs.”
(Heb. tirzah). The Hebrew word is found only in (Isaiah 44:14) We are quite unable to assign any definite rendering to it. The true cypress is a native of the Taurus. The Hebrew word points to some tree with a hard grain, and this is all that can be positively said of it.