Song of Solomon 4:3 (YLT)

Passage

As a thread of scarlet <FI>are<Fi> thy lips, And thy speech <FI>is<Fi> comely, As the work of the pomegranate <FI>is<Fi> thy temple behind thy veil,

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 4:1 Lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> fair, my friend, lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> fair, Thine eyes <FI>are<Fi> doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead,

Song of Solomon 4:2 Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

Song of Solomon 4:3 As a thread of scarlet <FI>are<Fi> thy lips, And thy speech <FI>is<Fi> comely, As the work of the pomegranate <FI>is<Fi> thy temple behind thy veil,

Song of Solomon 4:4 As the tower of David <FI>is<Fi> thy neck, built for an armoury, The chief of the shields are hung on it, All shields of the mighty.

Song of Solomon 4:5 Thy two breasts <FI>are<Fi> as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thread", "scarlet", "lips", "speech", "comely", "pomegranate", "temple", and "behind". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thread" and "scarlet", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Thy teeth as a row of the..." into verse 4's "As the tower of David FI is...", so "thread" and "scarlet" 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 "thread" and "scarlet" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.