My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi.
My love is to me as a branch of the cypress-tree in the vine-gardens of En-gedi.
My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of En-gedi.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. Lover
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna-flowers in the vineyards of En-gedi.
A cluster of camphire - Mr. Hasselquist supposes this to mean a bunch of the Cyprus grape; but this is supposed to mean a shrub so called, not any production of the isle of Cypress; the best kinds of which were found at En-gedi. This place belonged to the tribe of Judah.
Perhaps the poet alludes to the dark color of the hair, which by the Greeks was not unfrequently compared to the bunches of grapes; by no means an unfit similitude for thick black clustering curls. The following lines represent the same idea: -
"The dark black locks that ornament her neck
Hang thick and clustering like the branchy palm."
Camphire - Rather, כפר kôpher," from which "cyprus" is probably derived (in the margin misspelled "cypress "),the name by which the plant called by the Arabs "henna" was known to the Greeks and Romans. It is still much esteemed throughout the East for the fragrance of its flowers and the dye extracted from its leaves. Engedi was famous for its vines, and the henna may have been cultivated with the vines in the same enclosures.
1:14 Camphire - We are not concerned to know exactly what this was; it being confessed, that it was some grateful plant, and that it sets forth that great delight which the church hath in the enjoyment of Christ.Engedi - A pleasant and well - watered place in the tribe of Judah, where there were many pleasant plants.