Hebrew word · H7474

רַעְיָה

ra'yati

darling

Female companion, friend, darling. It is the feminine form of rēaʿ, 'friend, neighbour, fellow'. In the Bible it is found only in the Song (nine times, always on the man's lips).

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

attendant maidens, companion

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Song of Songs 5:2

Range of meaning

Female companion, friend, darling. It is the feminine form of rēaʿ, 'friend, neighbour, fellow'. In the Bible it is found only in the Song (nine times, always on the man's lips).

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'my love', BSB and NASB 'my darling', YLT 'my friend'. 'My love' loses the note of companionship. 'My friend' loses the warmth. The Hebrew holds both.

How it drifted

English has no single word for a female beloved who is also a companion and equal.

Used elsewhere in the period

Song 1:9, 15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4. In 5:16 she uses the masculine form back to him: 'this is my beloved, this is my friend (rēʿî)'.

From the study of Song of Songs 1:15

Range of meaning

The feminine of rēaʿ (neighbour, fellow, friend, companion, the person beside you). In the Hebrew Bible this exact form appears only in the Song of Songs, nine times (1:9, 15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4), always in the man's mouth for the woman. It means a beloved companion: dear friend, partner and sweetheart in one word.

Against the English

KJV/ESV/WEB 'my love' and NIV/BSB/NASB/NLT 'my darling' bring out the affection but lose the root idea of companion. YLT's 'my friend' keeps the root but sounds too cool in modern English. No single English word carries both sides.

How it drifted

English romantic endearments ('my love', 'darling') say nothing about companionship, so the friendship side of the Hebrew quietly drops out.

Used elsewhere in the period

The masculine rēaʿ is the 'neighbour' of Lev 19:18 ('love your neighbour'). A related feminine, rēʿâ, means a woman's female companions (Judg 11:37–38; Ps 45:14). The Greek Septuagint translates raʿyāh with plēsion, 'one who is near, neighbour', which shows that ancient translators heard the companion sense. In Song 5:16 the woman answers in kind: 'this is my beloved, and this is my friend (rēʿî).'

From the study of Song of Songs 2:10

Range of meaning

The feminine counterpart of rēaʿ (friend, companion, fellow, neighbour). BDB and HALOT give 'companion, beloved, darling.' The word joins affection to partnership: someone you belong alongside.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and ESV have 'my love'. BSB and NASB have 'my darling'. YLT has 'my friend'. 'Darling' and 'love' carry the tenderness but drop the companionship. 'Friend' keeps the root but sounds too cool for a love song.

How it drifted

No English word holds both 'sweetheart' and 'companion', so translators picked the romantic side. KJV's 'my love' became the familiar wording, and with it the friendship sense dropped out of view.

Used elsewhere in the period

Outside the Song this exact form does not occur. Related forms describe female companions: Jephthah's daughter's friends (Judg 11:37–38) and the bride's attendants (Ps 45:14[15]). The Septuagint translates it hē plēsion mou, 'my neighbour, the one near me'. That is the same Greek word used for 'neighbour' in Lev 19:18, 'love your neighbour'. The Vulgate gives amica mea, 'my (female) friend.' The ancient translators clearly heard 'companion' in it.

Where it appears

Song of Songs · 9

  1. Song of Songs 1:9 רַעְיָתִֽי׃ O friend my

    I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.

  2. Song of Songs 1:15 רַעְיָתִ֔י O friend my

    How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

    Here: 'My companion' or 'my dear friend', the feminine form of the everyday word for neighbour or friend (rēaʿ). In the Song it is his signature name for her: an endearment that also calls her his partner and equal, not only his object of desire.

  3. Song of Songs 2:2 רַעְיָתִ֖י friend my

    Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.

  4. Song of Songs 2:10 רַעְיָתִ֥י O friend my

    My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one.

    Here: The feminine form of rēaʿ, 'friend, companion, neighbour'. In the Bible only the man in the Song uses it, always for her. It is tender, and it also names her as his companion and partner.

  5. Song of Songs 2:13 רַעְיָתִ֥י O friend my

    The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.”

  6. Song of Songs 4:1 רַעְיָתִי֙ O friend my

    How beautiful you are, my darling—how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead.

    Here: 'My companion / my dear friend', the feminine of the everyday word for neighbour or friend. It is his pet name for her throughout the Song, mixing tenderness with partnership.

  7. Song of Songs 4:7 רַעְיָתִ֔י O friend my

    You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.

    Here: 'My companion', 'my friend'. It is the feminine form of the ordinary word for a friend or neighbour, and the Song uses it as the man's pet name for the woman. Desire and companionship are held together in one word.

  8. Song of Songs 5:2 רַעְיָתִי֙ friend my

    I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

    Here: The feminine of the ordinary word for 'friend, neighbour, companion'. In the Bible it occurs only in the Song, always as the man's word for the woman. It stresses companionship as well as romance.

  9. Song of Songs 6:4 רַעְיָתִי֙ O friend my

    You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.

    Here: 'My companion' or 'my friend' (feminine), the man's favourite name for her in the Song. It comes from the ordinary word for a companion or neighbour, so it carries closeness and partnership, not only romance. She uses the masculine form for him in 5:16: 'this is my beloved, this is my friend.'

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.