His head is purest gold;This phrase symbolizes the value and majesty of the beloved. Gold, often associated with royalty and divinity, suggests purity, worth, and honor. In biblical times, gold was a precious metal used in the construction of the temple (
1 Kings 6:20-22) and in the making of sacred objects, indicating something of great importance and reverence. The imagery of the head being like gold may also reflect wisdom and leadership, as the head is often seen as the seat of intellect and decision-making. This can be connected to the depiction of Christ in
Revelation 1:14, where His head and hair are described with similar grandeur, emphasizing His divine authority and glory.
his hair is wavy and black as a raven.
The description of wavy, raven-black hair conveys youth, vitality, and attractiveness. In the ancient Near Eastern context, black hair was considered a sign of health and vigor. The comparison to a raven, a bird known for its glossy black feathers, enhances the image of beauty and strength. This imagery can be seen as a type of Christ, who is often depicted as the perfect and most desirable bridegroom in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:25-27). The wavy nature of the hair might also suggest movement and life, indicating a dynamic and living presence. This aligns with the portrayal of Jesus as the living Word, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The BelovedThe primary subject of this verse, often interpreted as Solomon or a representation of the ideal lover. In a broader spiritual sense, he can symbolize Christ as the bridegroom of the Church.
2.
The ShulammiteThe speaker in this passage, expressing admiration and love for her beloved. She represents the bride, which can be seen as the Church or individual believers in a spiritual allegory.
3.
JerusalemWhile not directly mentioned in this verse, the Song of Solomon is set in and around Jerusalem, a central place in biblical history and a symbol of God's presence and covenant with His people.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Purity and ValueThe description of the beloved's head as "purest gold" symbolizes purity, value, and worth. In our spiritual lives, we are called to recognize and value the purity and worth of Christ, our spiritual bridegroom.
Beauty in CreationThe imagery of wavy, raven-black hair highlights the beauty found in God's creation. We are encouraged to appreciate and celebrate the beauty God has placed in the world and in each other.
Spiritual AllegoryWhile the Song of Solomon is a love poem, it also serves as an allegory for Christ's love for the Church. This verse invites us to reflect on the depth and beauty of Christ's love for us.
Cultural Context and InterpretationUnderstanding the cultural context of ancient Israel can enrich our interpretation of the text. The imagery used would have resonated deeply with the original audience, and we can seek to understand its significance today.
Personal Reflection on Love and DevotionThis verse encourages personal reflection on our own expressions of love and devotion, both in human relationships and in our relationship with God.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Song of Solomon 5:11?
2.How does Song of Solomon 5:11 describe the beloved's physical appearance?
3.What does "his head is purest gold" symbolize in a biblical context?
4.How can we appreciate God's creation through Song of Solomon 5:11?
5.Connect Song of Solomon 5:11 to Genesis 1:31 on God's creation.
6.How can we honor God by valuing beauty as seen in Song of Solomon 5:11?
7.What does Song of Solomon 5:11 reveal about the cultural significance of physical beauty in biblical times?
8.How does Song of Solomon 5:11 reflect the relationship between physical and spiritual love?
9.Why is the imagery of gold used in Song of Solomon 5:11?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Song of Solomon 5?
11.How do we reconcile the romantic imagery of Song of Solomon 3 with the more sober views on marriage and lust in other biblical texts (e.g., Matthew 5:28)?
12.Song of Solomon 7:5 - Is likening hair to royal purple historically or archaeologically supported in ancient Israel, and does it conflict with other scriptural cultural references?
13.How does Song of Solomon 8:5, which suggests a strong marital bond, align with biblical texts that portray marriage in more patriarchal terms?
14.(Song of Solomon 6:8) How can sixty queens and eighty concubines align with Solomon's reputed 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3)?What Does Song of Solomon 5:11 Mean
His head is purest gold• The bride begins with the head, the seat of thought and authority. Gold evokes unmatched value, purity, and permanence. Kings wore crowns of gold (Psalm 21:3: “You set a crown of pure gold upon his head”), and the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:11), signaling holiness and worth.
• Calling the Bridegroom’s head “purest gold” points to His flawless leadership. Christ is “the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18) and “the head of every man” (1 Corinthians 11:3). His authority is not tarnished by corruption; it is as incorruptible as refined gold (1 Peter 1:7 compares tested faith to gold, underscoring the metal’s purity).
• Gold also shines.Revelation 21:23 speaks of a city that needs no sun because the Lamb is its light. The Bridegroom’s head gleams with that same radiance, suggesting wisdom that illuminates and guides His people (James 1:5).
• In contrast to Nebuchadnezzar’s “head of gold” that would pass away (Daniel 2:38), Christ’s head of gold is eternal.Psalm 45:6: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.”
His hair is wavy and black as a raven• The description shifts from regal splendor to vibrant vigor. Wavy (or flowing) hair pictures energy and movement, hinting at the lively, approachable nature of the Bridegroom.
• “Black as a raven” highlights youthful strength—no gray or weakness.Isaiah 40:28-31 reminds us the LORD “never grows weary,” andHebrews 13:8 affirms, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
• Scripture often links hair to strength and dedication: Samson’s uncut locks (Judges 16:17) and Absalom’s impressive mane (2 Samuel 14:25-26). Here, the raven-black hair of the Bridegroom conveys undiminished power directed toward righteousness.
• Raven black also offers striking contrast to the gold of His head, underscoring both majesty and intimacy. His authority is awe-inspiring, yet His vigor invites closeness: “I came that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10).
• WhileRevelation 1:14 portrays the risen Christ with hair “white like wool,” that later vision emphasizes eternal wisdom; the Song’s portrait emphasizes the unfading vitality of the same Lord. Both images are literally true, each revealing a different facet of His glory.
summarySong of Solomon 5:11 paints a twofold picture of the Bridegroom—majestic and priceless in authority (“His head is purest gold”), vigorous and eternally youthful in His care (“His hair is wavy and black as a raven”). Together the lines reassure believers that the One who leads them is both perfectly holy and endlessly strong, able to rule with pure righteousness while drawing His people into joyful, life-giving fellowship.
(11)
Bushy.--Marg.,
curled;Heb.,
taltallim=flowing in curls, or heaped up,
i.e.,thick, bushy, according as we derive from
talahor
tel.The LXX. (followed by the Vulg.) take
taltallimfor another form of
zalzallim(
Isaiah 18:5,
sprigsof the vine), and render palm-leaves.
Verses 11-16. -
His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks; washed with milk and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as banks of sweet herbs; his lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh. His hands are as rings of gold set with beryl; his body is as ivory work overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold. His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. This description, which is complete in itself, is best regarded in its unbroken perfection. We must not expect to find a meaning for each separate part of it. There are ten corporeal excellences enumerated. We naturally recall the descriptions in Daniel and in the Apocalypse, which certainly have reference to this, and manifestly combine the attributes of greatness and beauty in the Son of man. Solomon, no doubt, as the son of Bathsheba, was distinguished by his personal attractions. Some of the details of description are differently rendered by different commentators. Delitzsch regards the description of the hair in ver. 11 as compared to a hill or hilly range" his locks hill upon hill,"
i.e. "his hair, seen from his neck upwards, forms in undulating lines hill upon hill." The black colour is no doubt mentioned as a contrast with the fair, white complexion. The eyes are not only pure and clear, but with a glancing moistness in them which expresses feeling and devotion. So Plutarch has
ὑρότης τῶνὀμμάτῶν to denote a languishing look, and we find the same figure in the 'Gitagovinda ' and Hafiz, and in Ossian. So Luther, "Und stehen in der Falle." The pureness of the white of the eye is represented in the bathing or washing in milk. They are full and large, "fine in their setting," referring no doubt to the steady, strong look of fine eyes. "The cheeks" are compared to towers of plants; that is, there is a soft elevation in them. LXX.,
ψύουσαι μυρεψικά: Jerome,
Sicut areolae aromatum consitae a pigmentariis. The Targum says, "Like the rows of a garden of aromatic plants, which produce deep, penetrating essences, even as a (magnificent) garden aromatic plants" - perhaps referring to the "flos juventae," the hair on the face, the growth of the beard. "The lips" are described as the organs of speech as well as inviting to embrace. They drop words like liquid fragrance. "The bands" may be differently described according as they are viewed. Delitzsch says, "His hands form cylinders, fitted in with stones of Tarshish." Gesenius thinks the comparison is of the closed hand and the stained nails, but that seems farfetched. Surely it is the outstretched hands that are meant. The form of the fingers is seen and admired; they are full, round, fleshy like bars of gold. The word "Tarshish" may mean clay white, as in the Greek versions; that is,
topaz, called Tarshish from Tartessus in Spain, where it is found. The description of the body is of the outward appearance and figure only, though the word itself signifies "inward parts." The comparison with ivory work refers to the glancing and perfect smoothness and symmetry as of a beautiful ivory statue, the work of the highest artistic excellence. The sapphire covering tempers the white. The beautiful blue veins appear through the skin and give a lovely tint to the body. So in the description of the legs we have the combination of white and gold, the white marble setting forth greatness and purity, and the gold sublimity and nobleness; intended, no doubt, to suggest that in the royal bridegroom there was personal beauty united with kingly majesty, as in the following description of his general aspect, which, like the splendours of the mountains, was awe-inspiring and yet elevating and delightful (cf.
Psalm 80:11 (10):
Jeremiah 22:7;
Isaiah 37:24). His mouth, or palate, is sweetness itself; that is, when he speaks his words are full of winning love (cf.
Proverbs 16:4;
Psalm 55:16). We may compare with the whole description that given of Absalom, Solomon's brother, in
2 Samuel 14:25, 26. It has been truly remarked by Zockler that "the mention of the legs, and just before of the body, could only be regarded as unbecoming or improper by an overstrained prudishness, because the description which is here given avoids all libidinous details, and is so strictly general as not even to imply that she had ever seen the parts of the body in question in a nude condition." It merely serves to complete the delineation of her lover, which Shulamith sketches by a gradual descent from head to foot, and, moreover, is to be laid to the account of the poet rather than to that of Shulamith, who is in everything else so chaste and delicate in her feelings. Certainly it would be much less delicate regarded as the description of a shepherd lover who is seeking to obtain possession of the maiden taken from him, than of the royal bridegroom to whom Shulamith is at all events affianced, if not already married. The highest spiritual feelings of loving adoration of the Saviour have welcomed some parts of this description, and adopted them into the language of "spiritual songs." To some minds, no doubt, it is repellent; to those to whom it is not so, the warmth and glow of Eastern language is by no means too realistic for the feelings of delight in the Lord which express themselves in rapturous music.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
His headרֹאשׁ֖וֹ(rō·šōw)Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7218:The headis purest gold;כֶּ֣תֶם(ke·ṯem)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3800:Something carved out, ore, goldhis hairקְוּצּוֹתָיו֙(qəw·wṣ·ṣō·w·ṯāw)Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6977:Locks (of hair)is wavyתַּלְתַּלִּ֔ים(tal·tal·lîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8534:Perhaps locks (of hair)and blackשְׁחֹר֖וֹת(šə·ḥō·rō·wṯ)Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 7838:Dusky, jettyas a raven.כָּעוֹרֵֽב׃(kā·‘ō·w·rêḇ)Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6158:A raven
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OT Poetry: Song of Solomon 5:11 His head is like the purest gold (Song Songs SS So Can) 
