2:11–13

In these verses the man spoke about the beautiful season of springtime after the cold time ended. The plants were growing again and were fruitful. He implied to the woman that it was also the season for their love to grow. It was the “time of singing,” and he wanted her to come with him.

Notice that 2:13d is exactly the same as 2:10b, making 2:10–13 a chiasm that emphasizes the man’s invitation. Translate 2:10b and 2:13d in the same way in your language.

2:11

The two parts of this verse are parallel to each other. In some languages it may be more natural to combine 2:11a and 2:11b. See the General Comment on 2:11 at the end of the notes for 2:11b for an example.

2:11a

For now the winter is past: In this verse the man began to talk about the weather to persuade the woman to come out with him. He implied that in winter she might not want to come out. The winter is the cold time, when many plants die or stop blooming. Animals try to find a covered place to hide from the cold weather. That cold time was over.

Some other ways to translate For now the winter is past are:

for the cold season/time is already over
-or-
Look, the cold/bad weather is gone!

For now: The phrase For now introduces the man’s statements in 2:11–13c in an emphatic way. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as now indicates that what comes after it is especially important or interesting. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

for lo (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
For see (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages it is not necessary to have a word like For because it is already clear that in 2:11–13 the man gave reasons why the woman should come away with him. Here is another way to translate this:

Look! The winter is past. (God’s Word)

In other languages it may also not be natural to use extra emphasis. Here is another way to translate this:

Winter is past (Contemporary English Version)

Translate the invitation in a way that is natural and poetic in your language.

winter: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as winter is used only here in the OT. In Palestine, winter is a cold and rainy season of the year, which extends from October to March. Some other ways to translate winter are:

wintertime
-or-
rainy season

2:11b

the rain is over and gone: The clause the rain is over and gone has a similar meaning to “the winter is past” in 2:11a. In Palestine the heavy rains occurred in winter. The man implied that if the woman comes out with him now, she will enjoy nice weather. Another way to translate the clause is:

the rains have stopped (Good News Translation)
-or-
the winter rains are over and gone (NET Bible)

Translate the clause in a way that will appeal to a woman in your culture.

is over and gone: In Hebrew the phrase is over and gone is more literally “⌊it⌋ has passed away, ⌊it⌋ has gone.” Using two verbs adds emphasis to the change of season. The man implied that there was no rain now, so it was fine weather for the woman to join him outside.

In some languages it may be more natural to add emphasis in a different way. For example:

the rains are completely gone.
-or-
the rainy time has ended.

General Comment on 2:11

The two clauses in this verse have almost the same meaning. In some languages it may be more natural to combine the clauses. For example:

The cold rainy season has definitely ended.

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