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Husbands Be Intoxicated with Satisfaction in the Pleasures of Your Wife’s body, Love, and Affection that She Gives You

Proverbs 5:19 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
¹⁹a loving doe, a graceful mountain goat.
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
be intoxicated always in her love.

A loving doe, a graceful mountain goat: The wife is described as “a loving doe, a graceful mountain goat.” (Prov. 5:18-19) Solomon was an intelligent observer of the wildlife in Israel, so unquestionably, he had a good reason for using this metaphor. To the husband, who has allowed his passions for his wife to continue over the years, she is as desirable and attractive as a female deer, and he is intoxicated with the pleasure she continually brings him, with her body and her love. The husband should reciprocate this to her and her alone. Solomon “characterizes the wife of his youth as a doe or graceful deer, terms that are erotic and reminiscent of Song of Songs 2:9, 17; 8:14.”^[1]

The female wild goat must be tough as well as graceful. As God made clear to Job, the wild mountain goat gives birth in the mountainous peaks and bluffs, in rocky, remote, and difficult places where food may be rare, and temperatures are brutal. (Job 39:1) Notwithstanding these difficulties, she takes care of her offspring and teaches them to climb and leap among the rocks as gracefully, swiftly, and agilely as she does. The wild goat also bravely and fearlessly protects her young from predators. It is nothing to see a female wild goat fighting an eagle for great lengths of time as her young kid hides beneath her for protection.

Women of God, who are wives and mothers, frequently must raise their children under unfavorable conditions. Like the wild female mountain goat, they show commitment, devotion, and unselfishness in caring for their God-given privilege, which is a heavy responsibility at times. And they courageously endeavor to protect their children from physical and spiritual dangers. So, Solomon was not belittling women with this metaphor, rather he was actually bringing attention to a woman’s grace and beauty, her spiritual qualities that radiate through even in the most difficult conditions. In this context, the Hebrew word (חֵן chen), translated as graceful, means ‘grace or elegance of form and appearance that is attractive and draws interest from her husband, pleasing, and stimulating him.’

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times: Here in this context (דַּד dad) breasts, a sexually desired area of the body should be taken as a symbol or image of love, affection, or charm. NJPSV[2] translates literally: “Let her breasts satisfy you at all times.” John H Walton writes, “The wish that the son might be intoxicated by his wife’s breasts and inebriated [intoxicated] by her love is also paralleled in the Song of Songs, where the woman claims that the man’s ‘love is better than wine’ (Song 1:2, 4; 4:10). Love and lovemaking make one lightheaded, similar to the effects of drinking wine.”^[3]

Be intoxicated always in her love: The Hebrew word (שָׁגֵא Shage or שָׁגֵה Shageh), which is rendered intoxicated, is generally used about sin that is committed unintentionally, like our innocent appearing situation that we have spoken about throughout Proverbs chapter five. One reference work reads, “The primary emphasis in the root [shaga] is on sin done inadvertently. This is indicated in several ways. First, the two derivatives from [saga, shegia, and misgeh] indicate an act perpetrated in ignorance, not willfully. Second, in the … The Scripture pinpoints at least three causes for such wandering. The first is wine and strong drink (Isa 28:7; Pro. 20:1). The second is the seductive strange woman (Pro. 5:20, 23) versus the love of one’s wife, which ought to ‘captivate’ one (Pro 5:19). The third is the inability to reject evil instruction (Pro 19:27).”^[4] The wife of your youth is like a loving, tender doe, and the husband should be intoxicated with satisfaction in the pleasures of her body, love, and affection that she gives him.

^[1] John H Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): The Minor Prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 476.

[2] TANAKH (New Jewish Publication Society Version)

^[3] John H Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): The Minor Prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 476.

[4] Victor P. Hamilton, “2325 שָׁגָה”, in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr. and Bruce K. Waltke, electronic ed., 904 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999).