The NRSV, on the other hand, says:

I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

Is there a Hebrew scholar in the house?



I certainly hope there IS a hebrew scholar, because I have wondered about that phrase myself.

But what about "black sheep of the family"? That seems to connote both a nonconformist attitude, and a resultant scapegoating or shunning by the family. Is this true to sheep life? Do sheep pick on a sheep of a different color? I'm fairly sure that black sheep are less common than white sheep - easier to dye the wool, for one thing.