10, 11. Beautiful is thy countenance, &c. The flattering praises are followed by enticing promises. “Thou art indeed beautiful,” says the tempting king, “even in humble ornaments, but thou shalt have more costly adornments, which will show off thy beauty to greater advantage.” The mention of the noble steed which was adorned with costly trappings, contributing so much to its stately and elegant appearance, naturally suggested the reference here made to the damsel’s ornaments. The reader will not fail to observe that it is not the shepherd, but the king who is speaking in verses 9–11. The poor shepherd had no prancing steed, no Egyptian chariots; he could not promise the shepherdess such costly ornaments as are here described. ‏תּוֹרים‎ (from ‏תּוּר‎, to go round, hence ‏תּוֹר‎, something round, a circle, Esth. ii. 12, 15,) small rings or beads strung upon threads, worn as a head-dress. It is customary in the East for women to wear strings of beads hanging down from the temples over the cheeks. Rosenmüller, Orient. iv. 942. Niebuhr, Reise nach Arab. i. 163. ‏לְחָיַיִם‎, cheeks (dual of ‏לְחִי‎), by a synecdoche for the whole face. ‏חֲרוּזִים‎ (from ‏חָרַז‎, to pierce, to perforate), little perforated balls, or beads strung upon a thread and worn around the neck; i.q. a necklace. ‏תּוֹרִים‎ and ‏חֲרוּזִים‎ are plurals, because the circlet and necklace consisted of many composite parts. Whether the circlet was of gold or brass, or whether the necklace consisted of real pearls, corals, or steel, the etymology of the words does not at all intimate. The context alone must decide this. The fact that the Shulamite was a humble rustic girl, and that Solomon promises to present to her a golden circlet with silver studs, proves that they were of a common description. This is another proof that the bride was not a prince’s daughter; since her ornaments were not even of gold or silver, notwithstanding the impassionate desire of Eastern ladies for costly adornments. The Sept. and Vulg. have ὡς τρυγόνες, i.e. “thy neck is as beautiful as doves, ‏כַּתּוֹרִים‎; they have also ‏כַּחֲרוּזִים‎, like a necklace; but they have evidently mistaken the ‏ב‎ for ‏כ‎, as well as the meaning of ‏תּוֹר‎.