# 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/translate/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)__ __[<<](../03/intro.md) | [>>](../05/intro.md)__