Rejoice and Be Thou Ravished

When interpreting Scripture, we must always keep in mind that the manners and customs, in Bible days, differed greatly from those we have today. For example, when dealing with what some would consider “delicate subjects”, they did so freely; readily discussing sexual and personal matters in mixed company, and often in the presence of their children. Their discussions were done in an open manner; with a frankness and a bluntness that would make many people, in today’s society, blush. We need to keep these things in mind when interpreting verses like those above.Verse 18 begins, “Let thy fountain be blessed.” The Hebrew word for fountain is maw-kore’ and the way it is used here is as a euphemism, for the female pudenda; the female genitals or sexual organs. This verse goes on to say, “and rejoice with” (not apart from, but together with), “the wife of your youth.” This is talking about the sexual act, which is to be a joyous experience for both partners, within a marriage. It is talking here about marriage and marital relationships, not premarital, or extra-marital relationships.Verse 19 says, “Let her be as the loving hind,” (female deer) “and pleasant roe” (wild climbing goat). The Hebrew word for loving is ah’hab, which speaks of affection; sexual or otherwise. Pleasant or khane means well-favored, or gracious; precious, an object of beauty.According to this verse, a husband is to let his wife be affectionate, loving, wild, and playful towards him.The end of verse 19 says, “Let her breasts” in the Hebrew, dad, which is the seat of love, “satisfy thee at all times.” Satisfy, raw-vaw’ means to slake the thirst; this is talking about appetites, make drunk, to take the fill of; to satiate; (abundantly) to satisfy fully. The last part of the verse says, “and be thou ravished” (shaw-gaw’- enraptured; intoxicated), in drunkenness, “always” (taw-meed’- constantly, daily, continually) “with her love”.Husbands are to find complete, continual, satisfaction in their wives alone. It is to be with her love that they are to intoxicate themselves.Many have been raised to believe that the sexual act is something that is to be “endured” and should only be engaged in with thoughts of propagating the human race. God, however (in light of these verses), appears to have thought differently on this subject.While sexual intercourse is, indeed, the means He has given us for bringing forth life, life is not the only reason for which it was given. According to the verses we’ve just studied, we see that the sexual act is meant to be a joyous, thrilling, satisfying, experience within a marriage. It is also meant to be enjoyed by both husbands and wives, with or without propagation in mind.

"Rejoice with the wife of thy youth ...and be thou ravished always with her love."

© by Dot McGinnis

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