Song of Songs 6:8

Song of Songs 6:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
• New International Version (NIV)Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number;
• English Standard Version (ESV)There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
• New King James Version (NKJV)There are sixty queens And eighty concubines, And virgins without number.

Context of Song of Songs 6:8

6Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young. 7Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate Behind your veil. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number; 9But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all]; She is her mother’s only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying, 10‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn, Fair and beautiful as the full moon, Clear and pure as the sun, As majestic as an army with banners?’

Song of Songs 6:8 word by word

שִׁשִּׁ֥ים הֵ֙מָּה֙ מְּלָכ֔וֹת וּשְׁמֹנִ֖ים פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים וַעֲלָמ֖וֹת אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• There are threescoreשִׁשִּׁיםshishshîym · sixtyH8346
• queensמַלְכָּהmalkâh · queenH4436
• and fourscoreשְׁמֹנִיםshemônîym shemônîym · eightyH8084
• concubinesפִּלֶ֫גֶשׁpîylegesh pilegesh · concubineH6370
• and virginsעַלְמָה‛almâh · young womanH5959
• without numberמִסְפָּרmispâr · numberH4557

Commentaries on Song of Songs 6:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8There are threescore queens - Though there be sixty queens, and eighty concubines, or secondary wives, and virgins innumerable, in my harem, yet thou, my dove, my undefiled, art אצת achath, One, the Only One, she in whom I delight beyond all.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-10Verses 4-10 All the real excellence and holiness on earth centre in the church. Christ goes forth subduing his enemies, while his followers gain victories over the world, the flesh, and the devil. He shows the tenderness of a Redeemer, the delight he takes in his redeemed people, and the workings of his own grace in them. True believers alone can possess the beauty of holiness. And when their real character is known, it will be commended. Both the church…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9If the Song were an allegory of the Lord’s love for his people, it would be a weak comparison. Solomon's many marriages poorly represent God's love and faithfulness (see 1 Kings 11:1–13). sixty queens: Solomon married many wives through international treaties (see 1 Kings 11:1–3, 8). Concubines were wives with lower status than a primary wife but higher than a slave. People acquired concubines through war, debt repayment, or purchase. In the anthology…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. threescore--indefinite number, as in So 3:7. Not queens, &c., of Solomon, but witnesses of the espousals, rulers of the earth contrasted with the saints, who, though many, are but "one" bride (Is 52:15; Lu 22:25, 26; Joh 17:21; 1Co 10:17). The one Bride is contrasted with the many wives whom Eastern kings had in violation of the marriage law (1Ki 11:1-3).Read the comment
• Rashi on Tanakh · v. 8There are sixty queens Abraham and his descendants (Song Zuta). The sons of Keturah are sixteen. Ishmael and his sons are thirteen. Isaac and his sons are three. The sons of Jacob are twelve. The sons of Esau are sixteen, thus totaling sixty. And if you say that Timna should be excluded because she was a woman, then count Abraham in the number.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Abolish
• Maid; Maiden
• Number
• Queen
• Virgin, Virginity

Commentaries on Song of Songs 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary