# His locks are like clusters of dates



## A. Satar

His head is like gold, pure gold; His locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven

I spotted this verse in the Song of Solomon and it totally absorbed my attention for the past couple of days. My question is about verse* 5: 11 Song of Solomon*, the one right above. 


The various language translations of this verse -including English- gave opposing definitions for the description of this person's hair. They translate it as: wavy, bushy, flowing, thick, curly, like clusters of date, like palm tree branches.


From where did all these contradicting -other times antonymous- translations come? I am quite enthusiastic to know in clear explanations how the original word/s is written in Hebrew and what its/their meaning is (_*literal *meaning please_). 

Thanks Hebrew forum on Wordreference


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## ks20495

רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז קְוּצּוֹתָיו *תַּלְתַּלִּים* שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב

"רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז" clearly means "His head is gold and gold." כֶּתֶם and פָּז are two Biblical words for gold. 


To me, the rest of the verse (קְוּצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב) says "...his locks are curls and black as a raven."

תַּלְתַּלִּים means "curls". I've never seen that word used as "clusters of dates". But, maybe that was an ancient meaning? 

"Black" (שחורות) is feminine and therefore is modifying "locks" (קווצותיו) and not "curls" (תלתלים). 

I hope that answers your question.


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## A. Satar

Thanks. I have two questions:

1. Does this word mean that he had braids or just curls? 

2. Does *תַּלְתַּלִּים* mean curls in the sense we know today? Or does it suggest in any way that his hair was just wavy or otherwise frizzy?


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## A. Satar

ks20495 said:


> רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז קְוּצּוֹתָיו *תַּלְתַּלִּים* שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב
> 
> "רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז" clearly means "His head is gold and gold." כֶּתֶם and פָּז are two Biblical words for gold.




Please let me know the significance of using these two synonymous words together.


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## ks20495

In Modern Hebrew, תלתלים means solely "curls". 
This is the only time the word is used in the Hebrew Bible. There may be another interpretation that Biblical scholars have created.

The use of the two synonyms together does not signify much. It is very common in the Tanach.


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## origumi

A. Satar said:


> Please let me know the significance of using these two synonymous words together.


These are not exact synonyms. The forrmer, כתם, is most likely derived from Akkadian "kutimu" = goldsmith, which in turn is derived from Sumerian "kudim" = goldsmith. Therefore כתם פז is something like "wrought gold".

kù-dím: goldsmith, silversmith, metal worker ('noble metal' + 'to fashion').
http://www.sumerian.org/sumerian.pdf


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## ks20495

Do you also know what the origin of תלתלים might be?


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## origumi

ks20495 said:


> Do you also know what the origin of תלתלים might be?


Literally “his locks [of hair] are curls.” The Hebrew adjective תַּלְתָּל (taltal) is a _hapax_ _legomenon_ whose meaning is somewhat unclear. BDB suggests that תַּלְתָּל is from the root תּלל (“mound, heap”; BDB 1068 s.v. I תּלל) which is related to Arabic _tl_ “mound, hill, top” (E. W. Lane, _Arabic-English Dictionary,_ 311) and Akkadian _tilu_ “hill, mound” (_AHw_ 3:1358). On the other hand, _HALOT_ suggests that תַּלְתָּל means “date-panicle” and that it is related to the Akkadian noun _taltallu_ “pollen of date-palm” (_HALOT_ 1741 s.v. תַּלְתַּלִּים). The term occurs in Mishnaic Hebrew as תַּלְתָּל “curls, locks” (Jastrow 1674 s.v. תַּלְתָּל). It is used in the same way in the Song. The form _tltl_ is a reduplicated pattern used for adjectives denoting an intense characteristic (S. Moscati, _Comparative Grammar_, 78-79, §12.9-13). It functions as a predicate adjective to the subjective nominative קוּצוֹתָיו (qutsotav, “his locks of hair”).

http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Sos&chapter=5&verse=11


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