Albert Barnes Commentary Song Of Solomon 5:12

"His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, [and] fitly set." — Song Of Solomon 5:12 (ASV)

Or, his eyes are like doves. The comparison is to doves seen by streams of water, washing in milk (that is, milk-white), and sitting in fullness (that is, in the full or abundant flood of water).

Fitly set—This rendering suggests that the eyes within their sockets are compared to precious stones set in the foil of a ring, but the other interpretation is preferable. The milk-white doves themselves, sitting by full streams of water or reflected as they flit across the glassy surface, present images of the calm repose and vivid glances of the beloved’s full, pure, lustrous eyes.