Proverbs 5:19
a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The imagery of the "hind of loves" suggests a connection not just to beauty, but to deep, affectionate attachment, urging a love that remains fervent and satisfying through all seasons of life, not just the youthful ones. This isn't just about fleeting pleasure, but a rich, sustaining delight found in intimacy, meant to be a profound, intoxicating joy.
This verse appears amidst a strong warning against adultery, directly following the counsel to cherish one's own wife as a "spring of water." It contrasts the destructive allure of the "strange woman" with the deep, lasting joy found within a faithful marriage, using poetic imagery of animals known for their beauty and affection. The passage urges the reader to find complete satisfaction and fervent delight in their marital intimacy, not just when it's convenient or when their spouse is young and beautiful.
The Bible uses vivid imagery to describe a spouse's attractiveness. What does this tell us about the nature of marital delight?
The verse compares a wife to a "loving hind" and a "graceful doe." These are not just random animals; they represent creatures known for their beauty, gentleness, and affection.
Ancient Allure
Beyond the Surface
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The Bible doesn't shy away from passionate language for marital love. What does it mean to be 'intoxicated' by your spouse's love?
The verse uses strong language, urging believers to be "intoxicated always in her love." This isn't a call to mindless indulgence, but a powerful metaphor for complete satisfaction and absorption in a spouse.
Deep Satisfaction
Unwavering Delight
Understand the original words
ahabah · Hebrew Noun
A deep, intense, and God-honoring pleasure derived from the companionship and intimacy of one's spouse, serving as a safeguard against the enticements of illicit relationships.
This passage uses similar imagery of the deer and gazelle to describe the beloved, highlighting the beauty and grace found within intimate marital love, mirroring the delight described in Proverbs.
Song of Solomon 8:14Here, the lover calls for his beloved to 'be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices,' continuing the theme of associating these graceful animals with profound affection and intimate connection.
Ezekiel 23:3This verse speaks of 'lovers,' comparing them to the desirable 'breasts' of young women, which, while used in a context of unfaithfulness, echoes the physical intimacy and attraction portrayed in Proverbs 5:19.
1 Corinthians 7:3-5The Apostle Paul instructs husbands and wives to fulfill their marital duties to one another, emphasizing that sexual intimacy within marriage is not only permissible but expected and healthy, reinforcing the idea of 'satisfaction' within the marriage bed.
bensonProverbs 5:19: "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love."
Proverbs 5:19 . Let her be as the loving hind — Hebrew, as the hind of loves; as amiable and delightful as the hinds are to princes and great men, who used to make them tame and familiar, and to take great delight in them, as has been observed by many writers. “The wise man,” says Bishop Patrick, “describes allegorically the felicities of the nup…
clarkeProverbs 5:19: "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love."
The loving hind and pleasant roe - By אילת aiyeleth, the deer; by יעלה yaalah, the ibex or mountain goat, may be meant. Let her breasts satisfy thee - As the infant is satisfied with the breasts of its mother; so shouldst thou be with the wife of thy youth.
The imagery of the "hind of loves" suggests a connection not just to beauty, but to deep, affectionate attachment, urging a love that remains fervent and satisfying through all seasons of life, not just the youthful ones. This isn't just about fleeting pleasure, but a rich, sustaining delight found in intimacy, meant to be a profound, intoxicating joy.
This verse appears amidst a strong warning against adultery, directly following the counsel to cherish one's own wife as a "spring of water." It contrasts the destructive allure of the "strange woman" with the deep, lasting joy found within a faithful marriage, using poetic imagery of animals known for their beauty and affection. The passage urges the reader to find complete satisfaction and fervent delight in their marital intimacy, not just when it's convenient or when their spouse is young and beautiful.
This verse appears amidst a strong warning against adultery, directly following the counsel to cherish one's own wife as a "spring of water." It contrasts the destructive allure of the "strange woman" with the deep, lasting joy found within a faithful marriage, using poetic imagery of animals known for their beauty and affection. The passage urges the reader to find complete satisfaction and fervent delight in their marital intimacy, not just when it's convenient or when their spouse is young and beautiful.
"a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love." — The imagery of the "hind of loves" suggests a connection not just to beauty, but to deep, affectionate attachment, urging a love that remains fervent and satisfying through all seasons of life, not j…
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