Song of Songs 5

More literally, “I was asleep, but my mind was awake.” To which some scholars say, “What?” Was she dreaming or in a light sleep or trying to fall asleep? Who knows but God and the poet?

Washing feet before going to bed makes sense. But scholars say writers in Bible times often used “feet” as a euphemism, a polite way of referring to private parts.

Myrrh comes from dried sap of an evergreen shrub, Commiphora abyssinica, which grew in parts of Egypt and neighboring nations in Africa. People mixed it with olive oil and other scents and spices, to create perfume. People used these scented oils in place of soap and deodorant, neither of which seems to have been invented in King Solomon’s day, some 3,000 years ago.

Balsam is a fragrant sap from trees and shrubs. Perfumers used it as a base for aromatic scents mixed with olive oil, to produce perfume. People also burned hardened sap as incense.

Emeralds are one of many forms of beryl, a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate.

Alabaster is a fine-grained stone, typically white, and often used to make statues.