Bible Strands
Song of Solomon 1:5
I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The bride addresses the daughters of Jerusalem in a public moment, immediately after the king has taken her from the city (1:4) and before she explains the cause of her dark skin (1:6).
The words — שְׁחוֹרָה (shchorah, "black/dark") and נָאוָה (navah, "lovely") sit in direct apposition; the verse holds both without resolving the tension.
The thread — "Tents of Kedar" appears in Psalms 120:5 as a mark of exile and displacement; here the same image is reclaimed as a beauty standard. In Song 2:14 the beloved calls her "my dove," a gentler self-image that this verse deliberately resists.
Why it lands — She names her own body without apology or explanation, and the verse asks the reader to stop reaching for a correction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
Cross-references
- Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely.
- Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
- Psalms 120:5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
- Song of Solomon 2:7 O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until the time is right.
- Song of Solomon 5:8 O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.
- Song of Solomon 5:16 His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Song of Solomon 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.
- Song of Solomon 6:4 You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.
- Isaiah 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house.