Search / H7474
H7474 H7474
N-fsc | 1cs  |  9× in 1 sense
A female companion or beloved; term of intimate endearment used almost exclusively in Song of Solomon for the bride.
A tender noun of address meaning 'my companion' or 'my darling,' reserved almost entirely for the beloved woman in the Song of Solomon. The lover uses this word nine times to address his bride with warm intimacy, pairing it with declarations of beauty and longing ('Behold, you are beautiful, my darling,' Song 1:15; 4:1). Spanish renders it 'amada mía' (my beloved) and 'amiga mía' (my dear friend), capturing both the romantic and companionate dimensions. French 'ma bien-aimée' and German 'meine Freundin' similarly reflect the double register of passionate love and deep friendship.
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Senses
1. sense 1 — A beloved female companion, used as a term of intimate address from the male lover to the woman he cherishes. All nine Song of Solomon occurrences (1:9, 1:15, 2:2, 2:10, 2:13, 4:1, 4:7, 5:2, 6:4) appear in the lover's direct speech, framing the woman not merely as an object of desire but as a partner and equal. The multilingual evidence is revealing: Spanish oscillates between 'amada mía' (beloved) and 'amiga mía' (friend), while German 'meine Freundin' foregrounds companionship, suggesting a semantic range spanning from romantic devotion to deep relational intimacy. 9×
EMOTION_ATTITUDE › Attitudes and Emotions › Beloved and Precious
AR["رَعْيَتِي"]·ben["আমার-প্রিয়া", "হে-আমার-প্রিয়া", "হে-আমার-প্রিয়া।"]·DE["meine-Freundin"]·EN["my-darling"]·FR["ma-bien-aimée", "ma-bien-aimée,", "ma-bien-aimée."]·heb["רעייתי"]·HI["मेरी-प्रिये"]·ID["kekasihku"]·IT["amica-mia-mio"]·jav["kekasih-kula"]·KO["내-사랑하는-자-가", "내-사랑하는-자여"]·PT["minha-amada"]·RU["подруга-моя", "подруга-моя."]·ES["amada-mía", "amiga-mía", "mi-amada"]·SW["mpenzi-wangu"]·TR["sevgilim"]·urd["اے-میری-پیاری", "میری-پیاری"]
Song 1:9, Song 1:15, Song 2:2, Song 2:10, Song 2:13, Song 4:1, Song 4:7, Song 5:2, Song 6:4
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [רַעְיָה] n.f. companion;—of beloved bride, sf. רַעְיָתִי Ct 1:9, 15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4; so of attendant maidens Ju 11:37 Kt, but v. foregoing.