Song of Solomon 2:1 — Word Study
WLCאֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַשָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָעֲמָקִֽים׃
BSAIʼănîy [the speaker, the beloved] am a rosechăbatstseleth [crocus, a type of flower] of SharonShârôwn [a plain in Palestine] a lilyshûwshan of the valleyʻêmeq [lowland area, a place of humility]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי֙ | I | Pronoun |
| חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת | [am] [the] crocus of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| הַשָּׁר֔וֹן | Sharon | Particle, noun proper |
| שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת | lily of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| הָעֲמָקִֽים׃ | the valleys | Particle, noun common masculine plural absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley. |
| KJV | I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. |
| ASV | I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys. |
| YLT | As a lily among the thorns, |
| WEB | I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. |
| BBE | I am a rose of Sharon, a flower of the valleys. |
Where they part company is חֲבַצֶּלֶת — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with a descriptive noun phrase following it, emphasizing the identity of the speaker.
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 2:1
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 2:1 presents the beloved speaking metaphorically about themselves as a flower, highlighting their beauty and uniqueness. This verse is part of a larger poetic context that celebrates love and desire, as seen in the surrounding verses where the beloved continues to express their feelings and identity in relation to their lover.
The Key Word — חֲבַצֶּלֶת, cha.va.Tze.letgenerated
The word חֲבַצֶּלֶת (*cha.vatzelet*) is a feminine singular noun meaning 'crocus' or a type of flower. It is derived from a root that suggests flowering plants and is used here to convey beauty and delicacy.
In this verse, it emphasizes the beloved's self-identification with a flower, which symbolizes beauty and tenderness. The use of this word connects the speaker to the natural world, suggesting a sense of purity and charm.
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 אֲנִי, I, which introduces the speaker's identity. The structure includes two noun phrases that describe the speaker: חֲבַצֶּלֶת, the crocus, and שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת, lily, followed by a prepositional phrase that specifies their location in the valleys.
The order emphasizes the speaker's self-identification and the beauty associated with these flowers, creating a poetic and vivid imagery.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חֲבַצֶּלֶת as ἄνθος, meaning 'flower'. This choice broadens the interpretation from a specific flower to a more general term for flowering plants, which may reflect a different cultural understanding of beauty.
The term κρίνον for שׁוּשַׁן also indicates a lily, maintaining the symbolic representation of purity and beauty found in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Song of Solomon 2:1 expresses the beloved's self-identification as a flower, specifically a crocus and a lily, symbolizing beauty and uniqueness. This verse is part of a poetic expression of love, where the beloved finds their identity in these beautiful flowers, suggesting purity and charm.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The beloved uses the metaphor of a flower to express their beauty and uniqueness, indicating a sense of charm and delicacy.
The crocus, or meadow-saffron, symbolizes beauty and is used in the context of the beloved's identity, highlighting their delicate nature.
The valley represents a lowland area, suggesting humility and a grounded beauty, contrasting with the high status often associated with flowers.
This verse contributes to the overarching theme of love and beauty in the Song of Solomon, where the beloved expresses their identity and allure in a poetic manner.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I see beauty in myself and others, like the beloved does in this verse?
- How can I express my identity in a way that reflects my unique qualities?
- What metaphors resonate with me when I think about love and beauty?
- How does humility play a role in how I perceive myself and my relationships?
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
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley.
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley.
I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys.
Tyndale line
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.
I AM a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
I am the rose of the fielde, and the lilie of the valleys.
Strictly literal
I am a narcissus of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.
As a lily among the thorns,
As a lily among the thorns,
I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.—
I am a meadow flower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
From the Latin
I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.
Simplified
I'm just a flower from the plain of Sharon, a lily found in the valleys.
I am a rose of Sharon, a flower of the valleys.
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 of Song of Solomon 2:1 reads, "אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַשָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָעֲמָקִֽים׃", which translates to "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text, as all five words match in their word-by-word correspondence, although the Greek version has its own word order and articles. There are no notable differences in this verse among the witnesses, indicating a strong consistency in the text across these ancient sources.
אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַשָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָעֲמָקִֽים׃
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 2:1
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.
אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I
589 'aniy an-ee'
contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X
which, X who.
see HEBREW for 0595
אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.
I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)
Pron — PronounHPp1bs
The Hebrew word חֲבַצֶּלֶת (*chabatstseleth*) refers to a type of flower, specifically the meadow-saffron or crocus. Its derivation is uncertain, but it is associated with the rose in some contexts. The entries consistently identify it as a flowering plant without significant disagreement.
חֲבַצֶּלֶת n.f. meadow-saffron or crocus
base
H2261 חֲבַצֶּלֶת meadow-saffron or crocus
2261 chabatstseleth khab-ats-tseh'-leth
of uncertain derivation; probably meadow-saffron:--rose.
חֲבַצֶּלֶת (cha.vats.tse.let) — crocus.
meadow-saffron, crocus, rose
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
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…
שָׁרוֹן (Sharown) refers to a region in Palestine known for its flat, fertile land. It is often described as a plain, particularly the maritime plain along the Mediterranean coast, extending from Joppa northward. The name may also relate to a district east of the Jordan River, near Gilead and Bashan.
שָׁרוֹן n.pr.loc. Sharon
(with art.), name of maritime plain on Mediterr., fr, Joppa northward, noted for fertility
region E. of Jordan
base
H8289 שָׁרוֹן Sharon
8289 Sharown shaw-rone'
probably abridged from 3474; plain, Sharon, the name of a
place in Palestine:--Lasharon, Sharon.
see HEBREW for 03474
שָׁרוֹן (sha.ron) — Lasharon.
Lasharon or 'of Sharon'
"a plain"
A town possibly near Mt. Tabor
שָׁרוֹן (sha.ron) — Sharon.
This name means plain, level
Sharon = "a plain"
a district on the east of the Jordan around Gilead and Bashan
שָׁרוֹן (sha.ron) — Sharon.
This name means plain, level
Sharon = "a plain"
the district lying between the mountains of central Palestine and the Mediterranean Sea and north of Joppa
Art | N-proper — Particle · noun properHTd/Npl
shar'-un (ha-sharon, with the definite article possibly meaning "the plain"; to pedion, ho drumos, ho Saron):
(1) This name is attached to the strip of fairly level land which runs between the mountains and the shore of the Mediterranean, stretching from Nahr Ruben in the South to Mt. Carmel in the North. There are considerable rolling hills; but, compared with the mountains to the East, it is quite properly described as a plain. The soil is a deep rich loam, which is favorable to the growth of cereals. The orange, the vine and the olive grow to great perfection. When the many-colored flowers are in bloom it is a scene of rare beauty.
Of the streams in the plain four carry the bulk of the water from the western slopes of the mountains to the sea. They are also perennial, being fed by fountains. Nahr el-`Aujeh enters the sea to the North of Jaffa; Nahr Iskanderuneh 7 miles, and Nahr…
(a plain), a district of the holy land occasionally referred to in the Bible. (1 Chronicles 5:16; Isaiah 33:9) In (Acts 9:35) called SARON. The name has on each occurrence with one exception only, (1 Chronicles 5:16) the definite article; it would therefore appear that "the Sharon" was some well-defined region familiar to the Israelites. It is that broad, rich tract of land which lies between the mountains of the central part of the holy land and the Mediterranean --the northern continuation of the Shefelah. [PALESTINA AND PALESTINE] The Sharon of (2 Chronicles 5:16) to which allusion has already been made, is distinguished front the western plain by not having the article…
1. A plain adjoining the seacoast of Palestine between Carmel and Joppa, about sixty miles in length and of variable width, expanding inland as it stretches from the promontory of Carmel towards the south. It contains some sandy tracts, but the soil is in general highly productive, and the plain was of old famous for its beauty and fertility, 1Ch 27:29 So 2:1 Isa 33:9 35:2 65:10. It contained a town of the same name, called Saron in Ac 9:35.
The whole plain was once thickly populated, but is now comparatively uninhabited. The heat of summer is excessive, and the climate somewhat unhealthy. All travellers describe the view of the plain from the tower of Ramleh as one of…
his plain; his song
שׁוּשַׁן (shuwshan) refers primarily to a lily, likely encompassing any lily-like flower. It can also denote a type of trumpet due to its shape. The term appears in various forms, including שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (shoshanah) and is associated with the title of Psalm 45:1 as Shoshannim. The word is derived from a root meaning related to whiteness.
שׁוּשַׁן, שׁוֹשָׁ֑ן n.m. שׁוֹשַׁנָּה n.f. usually lily, prob. any lily-like flower
base
H7799 שׁוּשַׁן, שׁוֹשָׁ֑ן, שׁוֹשַׁנָּה, שׁוּשַׁן עֵדוּת, שֹׁשָׁן
7799 shuwshan shoo-shan'
or showshan {sho-shawn'}; or shoshan {sho- shawn'}; and
(feminine) showshannah {sho-shan-naw'}; from 7797; a lily
(from its whiteness), as a flower of arch. ornament; also a
(straight) trumpet (from the tubular shape): lily, Shoshannim.
see HEBREW for 07797
שׁוּשַׁן (shu.shan) — lily.
1) lily
1a) probably any lily-like flower
1b) Shoshannim, in title of Ps 45:1
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
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 עֵ֫מֶק (*'emeq*) means 'vale' or 'valley,' indicating a broad depression in the landscape. It is derived from the root meaning 'deepening' or 'depth.' This term is often used in proper names, such as the Valley of Achor and the Valley of Elah, and covers a range of valleys and lowlands mentioned in the Old Testament.
עֵ֫מֶק 70 n.m. vale (prop. deepening, depth)
base
H6010 עֵ֫מֶק vale (prop. deepening, depth)
6010 `emeq ay'-mek
from 6009; a vale (i.e. broad depression):--dale, vale,
valley (often used as a part of proper names). See also 1025.
see HEBREW for 06009
see HEBREW for 01025
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Achor).
Combined with a.khor (עָכוֹר " of Achor" H5911)
§ valley, vale, lowland, open country
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Beracah).
Combined with be.ra.khah (בְּרָכָה " of Beracah" H1294H)
§ valley, vale, lowland, open country
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Elah).
Combined with e.lah (אֵלָה "Elah" H0425L)
§ valley, vale, lowland, open country
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Emek.
§ valley, vale, lowland, open country
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Hebron).
Combined with chev.ron (חֶבְרוֹן " of Hebron" H2275H)
§ valley, vale, lowland, open country
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Topheth).
valley, vale, lowland, open country
Another name of to.phet (תֹּ֫פֶת "Topheth" H8612)
עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Jezreel).
Combined with yiz.re.el (יִזְרְעֶאל " of Jezreel" H3157L)
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common masculine plural absoluteHTd/Ncmpa