עֲרוּגָה (a.ru.gah)
a.ru.gah
bed
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun arugah refers to a garden bed or terrace, specifically one prepared for planting. It appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times within Song of Solomon. In these poetic contexts, it describes a cultivated space where fragrant plants like henna and nard are arranged with care.
This word highlights the intentional order found in ancient horticulture. Unlike wild growth, an arugah suggests a defined area shaped for beauty and utility. The imagery connects love to the careful tending of a garden, where specific plants are placed to create a pleasing scent and visual harmony.
Translators often render it as "bed" or "garden bed." This choice captures the physical reality of a raised plot in a vineyard or orchard. The term grounds the poem’s romantic metaphors in the tangible world of agriculture, reminding readers that love, like a garden, requires preparation and attention to flourish.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word arugah describes a carefully prepared bed for planting, where specific herbs are arranged to create beauty and fragrance. In Song of Solomon, this image grounds romantic love in the tangible reality of tending a garden. It suggests that meaningful relationships require intentional effort, much like shaping soil so that delicate plants can thrive.
When Scripture uses this term, it reminds us that love is not just a feeling but a cultivated space. Just as a gardener selects the right spots for henna and nard to release their scent, we are invited to tend our connections with care. This preparation allows beauty to emerge naturally over time.
May you find peace in knowing that your relationships, like a well-kept garden, can flourish when given attention and patience. Let this image encourage you to nurture the bonds around you with gentle stewardship.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ [the] beds of1×
- [are] like/ [the] bed of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַ/עֲרוּג֖וֹת1×
- כַּ/עֲרוּגַ֣ת1×
Key Verses
-
Song of Solomon 5:13
His cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes. His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
This verse uses the word to describe the beloved's cheeks, comparing them to a bed of spices to highlight the richness and appeal of his appearance.
-
Song of Solomon 6:2
My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
Here the term refers to the physical beds of spices in the garden where the beloved tends his flock, emphasizing the tangible setting of their love.