Song of Solomon 4:7 — Word Study
WLCכֻּלָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י וּמ֖וּם אֵ֥ין בָּֽךְ׃ ס
BSAYou are altogetherkôl [completely, perfectly] beautifulyâpheh [fair, lovely] my darlingraʻyâh [female companion, loved one] [there is] noʼayin [exists, can be found, not a single] flawmʼûwm [blemish, spot, imperfection]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כֻּלָּ֤ךְ | all of you | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| יָפָה֙ | [is] beautiful | Adj |
| רַעְיָתִ֔י | O friend my | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| וּמ֖וּם | and [is] blemish | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| אֵ֥ין | there not | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| בָּֽךְ׃ ס | in you | Preposition, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw. |
| KJV | Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. |
| ASV | Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee. |
| YLT | Thou [art] all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse, |
| WEB | You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you. |
| BBE | You are all fair, my love; there is no mark on you. |
Where they part company is מ֖וּם — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a prepositional phrase and a noun phrase, creating a clear statement about the beloved's beauty.
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
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 4:7
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 Celebration of Lovegenerated
Song of Solomon 4:7 expresses a deep affection and admiration for the beloved, emphasizing their beauty and perfection. This verse is part of a larger poetic exchange that highlights the themes of love, beauty, and intimacy within the context of romantic relationships. The imagery used in this passage contributes to the overall celebration of love found throughout the Song of Solomon.
The Key Word — כֹּל, ku.Lakhgenerated
The word כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It encompasses totality, referring to every aspect of the beloved. Its parsing as a noun with a suffix indicates possession, emphasizing that the beauty described belongs entirely to the beloved.
This term is commonly used in the Hebrew Bible to denote completeness, as seen in various contexts. Here, it underscores the totality of the beloved's beauty, suggesting that nothing is left out.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses altogether beautiful, a phrase echoed in the KJV and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb יָפָה (is beautiful) serves as the main predicate, with the subject כֻּלָּךְ (all of you) preceding it. The clause structure emphasizes the completeness of the beloved's beauty.
The phrase וּמ֖וּם אֵ֥ין (and there is no flaw) follows, providing a contrast that reinforces the idea of perfection without any blemish.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates כֹּל as ὅλη (whole), which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning of totality. This choice emphasizes the completeness of the beloved's beauty in the Greek context.
For מ֖וּם, the translation is μῶμος (blemish), which maintains the idea of imperfection, indicating that the translators understood the Hebrew term in a similar light.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Song of Solomon 4:7 describes the beloved as completely beautiful, with no flaws at all. This verse captures the admiration and love the speaker has for their companion, emphasizing their perfection.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This phrase indicates that every aspect of the beloved is beautiful, highlighting their overall perfection.
The absence of flaws underscores the idealized love and admiration the speaker has for their beloved, portraying them as perfect.
This verse exemplifies the celebration of love and beauty found throughout the Song of Solomon, focusing on the intimate admiration between lovers.
The verse employs imagery and parallelism to convey the deep affection and beauty of the beloved, enhancing the romantic tone of the poem.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I see beauty in the people I love around me?
- What does it mean to me that my loved ones have no flaws in my eyes?
- In what ways can I express admiration for those I care about?
- How can I cultivate a perspective that sees the beauty in others, despite imperfections?
The verse in English, compared — 17 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
You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.
You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you.
You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.
You are altogether beautiful, my darling! There is no blemish in you!
Tyndale line
Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.
Thou art all fair, my love; and there is no spot in thee.
Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Thou art all faire, my loue, and there is no spot in thee.
Strictly literal
Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.
Thou [art] all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,
You [are] all beautiful, my friend, || And there is not a blemish in you. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,
Thou art altogether beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish on thee.—
You are beautiful in every way, my love and there is no blemish in you.
From the Latin
Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.
Simplified
You are incredibly beautiful, my darling—you are absolutely flawless!
You are all fair, my love; there is no mark on you.
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 reads כֻּלָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י וּמ֖וּם אֵ֥ין בָּֽךְ׃ ס, and this is matched in the Septuagint. The Dead Sea Scrolls, while partially restored, also reflect the same essence, indicating a strong textual consistency across these witnesses.
כֻּלָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י וּמ֖וּם אֵ֥ין בָּֽךְ׃ ס
6 of the 6 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.
כל׳ך [יפה] [רעית׳י] [ומום] [אין] [ב׳ך]
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 5 supplied entire by an editor.
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 4:7
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.
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp2fs
The Hebrew word יָפֶה (yapheh) means 'fair' or 'beautiful,' and can describe something that is aesthetically pleasing or attractive. It is derived from the root word יָפָה (yafah). The entries consistently emphasize its use in both literal and figurative contexts.
יָפֶה adj. fair, beautiful
base
H3303 יָפֶה fair, beautiful
3303 yapheh yaw-feh'
from 3302; beautiful (literally or figuratively):--+
beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), + goodly,
pleasant, well.
see HEBREW for 03302
יָפֶה (ya.pheh) — beautiful.
fair, beautiful, handsome
Adj — AdjHAafsa
רַעְיָה (ra'yah) is a feminine noun derived from רָעָה (ra'ah). It encompasses meanings such as companion, fellow, and darling, often referring to a female associate or attendant maidens. The entries highlight its relational aspect, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[רַעְיָה] n.f. companion
base
H7474 רַעְיָה
7474 ra`yah rah-yaw'
feminine of 7453; a female associate:--fellow, love.
see HEBREW for 07453
רַעְיָה (ra.yah) — darling.
attendant maidens, companion
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp1bs
מאוּם (m'um) and מוּם (mum) both mean 'blemish' or 'defect,' referring to physical or moral imperfections. The entries suggest a connection to a root meaning to stain. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding the meaning or usage of this word.
מאוּם n.m. blemish, defect
base
מוּם n.m. (= foregoing [m.ad.ab]) blemish, defect
base
H3971a מאוּם blemish, defect H3971b מוּם blemish, defect
3971 m'uwm moom
usually muwm {moom}; as if passive participle from an unused
root probably meaning to stain; a blemish (physically or
morally):--blemish, blot, spot.
מאוּם (m.um) — blemish.
1) blemish, spot, defect
1a) of physical defect
1b) of moral stain
מוּם (mum) — blemish.
1) blemish, spot, defect
1a) of physical defect
1b) of moral stain
Also means: m.um (מאוּם "blemish" H3971A)
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
blem'-ish:
(1) mum, me'um; momos: This word signifies no particular skin disease, as has been supposed; but is used generally for any and all disfiguring affections of the skin, such as eczema, herpes, scabies, etc., even for scratches and scars, as in Le 24:19,20; and thence for moral defects, as in Eph 5:27. The existence of a blemish in a person of priestly descent prevented him from the execution of the priestly office; similarly an animal fit for sacrifice was to be without blemish. In the New Testament Christ is presented as the antitype of a pure and ritually acceptable sacrifice "as a lamb without blemish and without spot" (Heb 9:14; 1Pe 1:19), and the disciples are…
Blemish
Imperfection or bodily deformity excluding men from the priesthood, and rendering animals unfit to be offered in sacrifice (Lev. 21:17-23; 22:19-25). The Christian church, as justified in Christ, is “without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Christ offered himself a sacrifice “without blemish,” acceptable to God (1 Pet. 1:19).
→ (A physical deformity)
→ Debarred sons of Aaron from exercise of priestly offices Le 21:17-23
→ Animals with, forbidden to be used for sacrifice Le 22:19-25
אַ֫יִן (ayin) primarily means 'nothing' or 'nought' and serves as a negative particle indicating absence or negation, such as 'is not' or 'there is not.' It can also express lack of possession or existence. The word is derived from a root meaning to be non-existent, and it appears frequently in various grammatical constructions.
אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought
to nothing, as nothing
cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not
אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not
in circumst. clauses
with inf. and ל׳, it is not to …
with prefixes
base
H369 אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought . to nothing, as nothing
. cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not
. אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not
. in circumst. clauses
. with inf. and ל׳, it is not to …
. with prefixes
369 'ayin ah'-yin
as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not
exist; a non-entity; generally used as a negative
particle:--else, except, fail, (father-)less, be gone,
in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any,
thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable),
well-nigh, without. Compare 370.
see HEBREW for 0370
אַ֫יִן (a.yin) — nothing.
1) nothing, not, nought n
1a) nothing, nought neg
1b) not
1c) to have not (of possession) adv
1d) without w/prep
1e) for lack of
Part — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ךְ (kh) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person feminine singular
HR/Sp2fs — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp2fs