Song of Solomon 5:12

Son 5:12 His eyes [are] as [the eyes] of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, [and] fitly set.

Ver. 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of water, &c., ] i.e., they are full of all innocence, singleness, and chastity; {See Trapp on "Son 1:15"} {See Trapp on "Son 4:1"} where Christ had attributed the very same to the Church, who is his image and glory, as the woman is of the man, {1Co 11:7} the very looking glass of his dignity and reflex of his comeliness. His eyes are elsewhere said to be as a "flame of fire," {Rev 1:14 Dan 10:6} sharp and terrible, such as pierce into the inward parts, and need no outward light. Here they are as the "eyes of doves," casting an amiable, gracious, joyful, and comfortable look upon his Church. As his "eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men" {Psa 11:4} - the one points out his knowledge, the other his critical descant - so he casteth an eye of singular providence and tender affection upon his afflicted people. "I have seen, I have seen," saith he, "the sufferings of my people; I know their sorrows, and am come down to deliver them." {Exo 3:7-8} His "eye affects his heart," and his heart sets his hand to work for their help and safety. In Eze 1:8, we read of faces, eyes, wings, hands, &c., all to express the sufficiency of God’s providence for all means of help; see Psa 33:18-19; Psa 34:16. The Church is like the land of Canaan, which is said to be "a hind which the Lord careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it." {Deu 11:11} He seeth that loveliness in her that he overlooks all, as it were, to look upon her; he beholds that worth in her that the buzzards of the world cannot ken. Therefore the "world knows us not," respects us not, "because it knew not him," {1Jn 3:1} saw "no such beauty that they should desire him." {Isa 53:2} Nicostratus in Aelian, himself being a cunning artisan, finding a curious piece of work, and being wondered at by one, and asked by one what pleasure he could take to stand gazing as he did on the picture, answered, Hadst thou mine eyes, thou wouldst not wonder, but rather be ravished, as I am, at the inimitable art of this piece. Similarily, had men those dove like single eyes that Christ and his people have, "washed in milk," that is, in milk white waters, cleansed from the dust of sinful prejudice, and "fitly set," as a precious stone in the foil of a ring, or as the precious filling stones in the holy ephod, {Exo 25:7} they would "kiss the Son" and admire his spouse; whereas, for want of spiritual eyes, the northern proverb is verified, "unkent, unkist," unknown, unrespected.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves] See on So 4:1.

Washed with milk] The white of the eye, exceedingly white. By the use of stibium, in the East, the eye is rendered very beautiful; and receives such a lustre from the use of this article, that, to borrow the expression of a late traveller, "their eyes appear to be swimming in bliss." I believe this expression to be the meaning of the text.

Fitly set.] Or, as the margin, very properly, sitting in fullness; not sunk, not contracted.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(12) Fitly set.—Literally, sitting in fulness, which the Margin explains, according to one received method of interpretation, as beautifully set, like a precious stone in the foil of a ring. If the comparison were to the eyes of the dove, this would be a sufficient interpretation, the image being perfect, owing to the ring of bright red skin round the eye of the turtle-dove. But there is no necessity to have recourse to the figure comparatio compendiana here, since doves delight in bathing; and though there is a certain delicious haze of indistinctness in the image, the soft iridescence of the bird floating and glancing on the face of the stream might not too extravagantly suggest the quick loving glances of the eye. Keats has a somewhat similar figure:—

“To see such lovely eyes in swimming search

After some warm delight, that seems to perch

Dove-like in the dim cell lying beyond

Their upper lids;”

and Dr. Ginsburg aptly quotes from the Gitagovinda: “The glances of her eyes played like a pair of water-birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full-grown lotus in a pool in the season of dew.” The words washed in milk refer to the white of the eye, which swells round the pupil like the fulness of water, i.e., the swelling wave round the dove. The parallelism is like that of Son_1:5.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. His eyes, &c.] R.V. His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks. Here the idea is different from that in Son_1:15 and Son_4:1. It is not the innocent dove-like look of the eye that is referred to. The eyes themselves, or at least the pupils of the eyes, are compared to doves. Ginsburg’s quotation from the Gitagovinda is almost an exact parallel: “The glances of her eyes played like a pair of water birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full blown lotus in a pool in the season of dew.”

washed with milk] Rather, bathing in milk. This may refer to the eyes; the pupils move in the white of the eye as if bathing in milk. Or it may refer to the doves, in which case it would be an extension or correction of the previous part of the simile; ‘the eyes are like doves by brooks of water or rather streams of milk.’ The choice between these alternatives depends upon the reference of the next clause fitly set. If it refers to the eyes, then this would best be understood of the eyes also. But if that be understood of the doves, as probably it should be, then to avoid the awkwardness of connecting the two participles with different subjects, this clause should be understood of the doves also.

fitly set] The A.V. in margin gives this note, “Heb. sitting in fulness, that is, fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foil of a ring.” This is the traditional Jewish interpretation. Others explain full as opposed to sunken (Oettli). Possibly, as LXX suggest, the text is faulty and we should read yôshìbhôth al mìlo’ hammayîm, and translate, sitting upon full streams, when the subject would, of course, be the doves. This latter reading and the rendering it suggests are simpler and more natural than any of the other varied conjectures that have been made.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, His eyes are doves. The comparison is to doves seen by streams of water washing in milk (i. e., milk-white), and sitting on fulness (i. e., on the full or abundant water-flood).

Fitly set - This rendering supposes that the eyes within their sockets are compared to precious stones set in the foil of a ring (see the margin); but the other rendering is preferable. The milk-white doves themselves, sitting by full streams of water, or reflected in their flittings athwart the glassy surface, present images of the calm repose and vivid glances of the full pure lustrous eyes of the beloved.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves, lovely and pleasant, chaste and innocent.

By the rivers of waters; where they delight to abide, and wherewith they bathe themselves, and wash their eyes; where also their eyes are most lively and beautiful, both by the reflection of the waters, and from that pleasure which they take in such places.

Washed with milk; which may belong either,

1. To the eyes, which are supposed to be washed with water, as white and pure as milk; or,

2. To the doves, which are intimated to be of a milk-white colour, which in those parts was most esteemed, which colour also made the eyes appear more lovely.

Fitly set; neither sinking into the head, nor standing out too much, but in a moderate and comely situation. Heb. sitting in fulness; which may note a full and competently large eye, which is esteemed one beauty of the eye.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

12. His eyes, etc. — Hebrew, His eyes are doves, etc. Doves are fond of bathing and dressing their plumage, and the blue creatures tricking their feathers by a full and sparkling summer stream form a lively and agreeable picture. But the eyes seem to bathe in milk.

Fitly set — Rather, Framed in fulness, that is, with ample development, full-orbed, and gushing copious light.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of doves - Lovely and pleasant, chaste and innocent. Rivers - Where they delight to abide. Milk - Doves of a milk white colour.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

fitly set Heb. "sitting in fulness;" i.e. fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foil of a ring.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

The young woman continues to describe the man.

His eyes are like doves

Translate "eyes are like doves" as in Song of Songs 1:15. Possible meanings are 1) the Israelites considered doves to be gentle and soft birds, and the woman considers the man's eyes beautiful because the way the man looks at her makes her think he is gentle. AT: "His eyes are gentle like doves" or 2) the woman is speaking of the man's white eyeballs or the shape of his eyes, the shape of a dove. (See: Metonymy)

doves beside streams of water

Birds that the Israelites considered gentle sitting beside a gently flowing stream are a metaphor for a gentle person. (See: Metaphor)

streams of water

"gently flowing water"

bathed in milk

Milk is a metaphor for the whiteness of the doves. AT: "doves that are white like milk" or 2) milk is a metaphor for the white part of the man's eyes. AT: "his pupils are like doves bathing in white milk" (See: Metaphor)

mounted like jewels

His eyes are beautiful. Jewels that a craftsman has carefully put in place are beautiful. (See: Simile)

translationWords

like

dove

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

His eyes are like doves beside rivulets of water By rivulets of water his eyes are as beautiful as the eyes of doves. Rivulets of water are beautiful to behold, and the young men go there to swim, so does the poet praise the eyes of “my beloved.” When he gazes upon the rivulets of water, they resemble the beauty of the eyes of doves.

bathing in milk the eyes of my beloved in milk.

fitly set All this is an expression of beauty, neither protruding too much nor sunken, but set on מִלֵאת, their sockets. (Other editions: the eye according to the socket.) The literal meaning parallels the allegorical meaning. And it is a term used to refer to anything made to fit a socket which is made for it as a base, like (Exod. 25:7): “stones to be fit (מְלֻאִים)”; (ibid. 28:17): “And you shall set (וּמִלֵאתָ) into it settings of (מִלֻאַת) stones.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.