Fragrance Quote
The Song of Solomon praises love as better than wine and “the smell of thine ointments than all spices.”
In the Text
“How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! … and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.”
— Song of Solomon 4:10–11, King James Version
Essential Details
Song of Songs on Ointments and Spices at a Glance
- Source: Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) 4:10–11, King James Version
- Status: Public domain
- Theme: Ointments, spices and the scent of garments
- Note: Modern translations use “fragrance” in place of “smell”
Why the Quote Resonates
The passage compares the beloved to the ancient world’s most valued scents: ointments and spices, and the scent of Lebanon’s cedar and resin. Later verses in the same chapter name materials directly, including spikenard, saffron, cinnamon, myrrh and frankincense.
Scent in Scripture
Perfumed oils appear throughout the Bible, in ritual and in love poetry. The two uses meet here. Compare how Milton used the same Arabian materials as shorthand for paradise, and read how perfume developed across the region in The History of Perfume.
Why it matters
This is one of the best-known ancient love poems to treat perfume as a measure of desire.