Song of Songs 4:14

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

נֵ֣רְדְּ ׀ וְכַרְכֹּ֗ם קָנֶה֙ וְקִנָּמ֔וֹן עִ֖ם כָּל־עֲצֵ֣י לְבוֹנָ֑ה מֹ֚ר וַאֲהָל֔וֹת עִ֖ם כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֥י בְשָׂמִֽים׃

Transliteration

nērd and-karkōm qāneh and-qinnāmôn with all-ʿăṣê lᵊḇônāh mōr and-ʾăhālôṯ with all-rāʾšê ḇᵊśāmîm

Grammar Details

*nērd*: noun, masculine singular - nard/spikenard
*karkōm*: noun, masculine singular - saffron/crocus
*qāneh*: noun, masculine singular - reed/cane
*qinnāmôn*: noun, masculine singular - cinnamon
*ʿăṣê*: noun, masculine plural construct - trees of
*lᵊḇônāh*: noun, feminine singular - frankincense
*mōr*: noun, masculine singular - myrrh
*ʾăhālôṯ*: noun, feminine plural - aloes
*rāʾšê*: noun, masculine plural construct - chief/best of
*ḇᵊśāmîm*: noun, masculine plural - spices/fragrances

Word Meanings

*qāneh*: reed/cane/calamus/sweet cane
*ʿăṣê*: trees/woods/timber
*rāʾšê*: chief/best/heads/principal

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Exod 30:23 : 23 Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,
Song 4:6 : 6 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
Song 3:6 : 6 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?
Ezek 27:19 : 19 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise.
Mark 16:1 : 1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.
John 19:39 : 39 And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Rev 18:13 : 13 and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and slaves; and souls of men.
Gen 43:11 : 11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
Song 5:1 : 1 I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
Song 6:2 : 2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
Num 24:6 : 6 As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river-side, As lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters.
1 Kgs 10:10 : 10 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
2 Chr 9:9 : 9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
Prov 7:17 : 17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Song 1:12 : 12 While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Song 4:8-13
6 verses
86%
8Come with me from Lebanon, [my] bride, With me from Lebanon: Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.
9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.
10How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
11Thy lips, O [my] bride, drop [as] the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,
Prov 7:16-17
2 verses
81%
16I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Exod 30:23-24
2 verses
79%
23Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,
24and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;
Song 1:12-14
3 verses
79%
12While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
13My beloved is unto me [as] a bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts.
14My beloved is unto me [as] a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi.
Song 4:15-16
2 verses
79%
15[ Thou art] a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.
16Awake, O north wind; And come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits.
Ps 45:8
76%
8All thy garments [smell of] myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.
Exod 30:34-35
2 verses
76%
34And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight;
35and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure [and] holy:
Song 3:6
75%
6Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?
Exod 25:6
74%
6oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Exod 35:28
74%
28and the spice, and the oil; for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
Song 7:12-13
2 verses
74%
12Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine hath budded, [And] its blossom is open, [And] the pomegranates are in flower: There will I give thee my love.
13The mandrakes give forth fragrance; And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
Exod 35:8
74%
8and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Song 5:13
73%
13His cheeks are as a bed of spices, [As] banks of sweet herbs: His lips are [as] lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
Song 4:6
72%
6Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
Song 8:14
71%
14Make haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.
Song 1:3
71%
3Thine oils have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is [as] oil poured forth; Therefore do the virgins love thee.
Exod 37:29
70%
29And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
Rev 18:13
70%
13and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and slaves; and souls of men.
1 Chr 9:29-30
2 verses
70%
29Some of them also were appointed over the furniture, and over all the vessels of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.
30And some of the sons of the priests prepared the confection of the spices.
Hos 14:6
69%
6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
Song 7:8
69%
8I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy breath like apples,
Song 6:2
68%
2My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
Song 5:1
68%
1I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
Exod 35:15
68%
15and the altar of incense, and its staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;
Song 2:13
68%
13The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Ezek 27:19
68%
19Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise.
Exod 25:34
68%
34and in the candlestick four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof;
Num 7:14
68%
14one golden spoon of ten [shekels], full of incense;
Exod 37:20
68%
20And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof;
Ezek 23:41
67%
41and sit upon a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set mine incense and mine oil.
Song 5:5
67%
5I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.
Ezek 27:22
67%
22The traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers; they traded for thy wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
Song 1:17
67%
17The beams of our house are cedars, [And] our rafters are firs.