# Song of Songs 04 General Notes

### Special concepts in this chapter

##### Beauty
The woman is described as the epitome of beauty in ancient Israel. Not all cultures share the same the same standards of beauty. 

### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter

##### Metaphors
In the ancient Near East, it was common to describe a woman using metaphors involving animals. In many cultures today, this can be considered offensive. Different metaphors of beauty are used in different cultures. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])

##### "My sister, my bride"
The woman described is not the sister of her husband. They are not related. Instead, this is a reference to a woman who is a fellow Israelite. 

## Links:

* __[Song of Songs 04:01 Notes](./01.md)__

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