Song of Solomon 4:10 (YLT)

Passage

How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 4:8 Come from Lebanon, come thou in. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

Song of Solomon 4:9 Thou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

Song of Solomon 4:10 How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.

Song of Solomon 4:11 Thy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk <FI>are<Fi> under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments <FI>Is<Fi> as the fragrance of Lebanon.

Song of Solomon 4:12 A garden shut up <FI>is<Fi> my sister-spouse, A spring shut up--a fountain sealed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wonderful", "been", "loves", "sister-spouse", "much", and "better". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wonderful" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "Thou hast emboldened me my sister-spouse Emboldened..." into verse 11's "Thy lips drop honey O spouse Honey...", so "wonderful" and "been" belong inside that flow. In Song of Solomon context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "wonderful" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.