H6646 H6646
female gazelle, doe; used in love poetry for feminine beauty
The graceful female gazelle appears in the Song of Songs as a simile for the beloved's breasts, which are 'like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.' This metaphor celebrates beauty, symmetry, and graceful delicacy. Gazelles were prized in ancient Near Eastern love poetry for their elegance and alertness, their large eyes and gentle movements. The comparison evokes tenderness and admiration, employing nature imagery to express human beauty and desire in the Song's characteristic style.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both occurrences are in the Song of Songs (4:5; 7:3), where the lover declares his beloved's breasts are 'like twins of a gazelle.' All translations preserve the animal: English 'gazelle,' Spanish 'gacela,' French and German similarly. The image draws on the gazelle's associations with grace, beauty, and paired symmetry—twins feeding together. Ancient Near Eastern love poetry commonly employed gazelle imagery for beloveds, appreciating the animal's delicate form and gentle nature. The repetition of this exact phrase in the Song underscores its conventional power as an expression of admiration. 2×
AR["صْبِيَّه", "غَزَالَةٍ"]·ben["-গজেলার", "-গজেলার।"]·DE["Gazelle"]·EN["gazelle"]·FR["d'une-gazelle,", "d'une-gazelle."]·heb["צבייה"]·HI["हिरनी-की", "हिरनी-के"]·ID["rusa-betina"]·IT["gazzella"]·jav["kidang"]·KO["암사슴-의"]·PT["gazela"]·RU["газели", "газели."]·ES["gacela"]·SW["ya-paa"]·TR["ceylanin"]·urd["غزال-کی", "غزال-کے"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. צְבִיָּה n.f. id.;—תְּאוֹמֵי צ׳ Ct 4:5 = 7:4.