Bible Strands
Song of Solomon 6:9
but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker addresses the Shulammite woman during a public assembly of sixty queens, eighty concubines, and countless maidens. The moment captures a declarative comparison where the speaker elevates her status above all other royal and feminine figures present.
The words — אַחַת ('aChat) appears twice in the verse, literally meaning "one" or "unique," while תַמָּתִי (tammati) translates to "my perfect one." These terms function as direct predicates establishing her singular identity relative to the mother who bore her.
The thread — The designation "my dove" recurs in Song 2:14, where the speaker calls for her to appear from the rock crevices. The theme of women declaring blessedness appears in Genesis 30:13 when Leah notes others call her happy, and Psalms 45:9 places a queen among honored women, mirroring the royal assembly praising the Shulammite.
Why it lands — The text states that the Shulammite is uniquely favored and publicly praised, establishing her worth as an objective reality rather than a subjective claim. A reader must accept that her blessedness requires no validation from the queens or concubines whose praises she receives.
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
My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
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.
- Genesis 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
- Psalms 45:9 The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
- Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well:
- Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
- Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
- Psalms 126:2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
- Galatians 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
- Numbers 23:9 For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 4:6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”