Section 3:6–5:1
The man and woman married and the man praised her
In 3:6 a new section begins. The author indicates this by several obvious changes from (3:1–5):
(a) The scene changes from a nighttime dream to a public daytime event.
(b) There is a change of speaker.
(c) The search theme in the preceding verses changes to a wedding theme in this section.
(d) The mood changes from anxious searching to joyful celebration.
In this section the author describes the couple’s wedding day. The section has several parts:
3:6–11 The man and woman came to their wedding in a grand procession
4:1–15 The man described his beautiful bride
4:16–5:1 The man and woman consummated their marriage
3:6–11 The poet described the wedding procession
There are several questions that translators need to ask about the meaning of 3:6–11:
(a) What does the author imply when he refers to Solomon in the poem?
The name “Solomon” refers figuratively to the man whom the woman loves. It implies that on his wedding day, the man felt as happy, rich, and powerful as King Solomon. Other verses that refer to Solomon figuratively are 1:4–5; 1:12; 3:6–11; 6:12; and 7:1.
(b) Who speaks in this section?
Probably the author speaks. If the woman was in the procession, she probably did not describe herself.
(c) Does this poem describe an event that really happened?
The poem probably does not describe an event that really happened. It uses figurative language, including hyperbole and similes. The poem begins, “Who is this ⌊woman⌋ coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke…?” It probably implies that she was surrounded by the smoke of fragrant incense. Like a queen, the woman also had soldiers around her to protect and honor her.
The woman was carried in luxury to the man, who waited for her in Jerusalem. He was compared to the greatest of kings. This hyperbole may come from a marriage custom where the bride and groom wore royal crowns on their wedding day.
3:6a
In this verse the author describes a magnificent wedding procession. It makes the listeners curious about the woman who was coming from the wilderness. But no one was able to see her as she rode inside a carriage.
Who is this coming up from the wilderness: There are two main ways to interpret this question:
(1) It means “who is this.” The word “this” is feminine and refers to the woman. For example:
Who is this young woman coming up from the wilderness… (God’s Word)
(2) It means “what is that.” The word “that” probably refers to the litter (see 3:7a). For example:
What is that coming up from the wilderness… (Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Who usually refers to a person. Also, in this verse the form of the word is feminine. It probably refers to the woman. Exactly the same question is used in 8:5a, where it obviously refers to the woman.
Who is… coming up from the wilderness: This question probably implies that people were watching the procession as it came from the wilderness. When they saw the litter, they probably assumed that the bride was coming. In some languages it is necessary to indicate that the question refers to the woman. For example:
Who is she that comes up from the desert (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
Who do we see approaching from the desert
This question is probably rhetorical. In some languages it is more natural to translate this rhetorical question as a statement or exclamation. For example:
What a ⌊wonderful⌋ woman/bride this must be who is coming up from the wilderness!
-or-
Look! The bride is coming up from the wilderness!
coming up from the wilderness: Here the text implies that the woman was coming in a formal way with a group of people to honor her. It probably implies that they were coming toward Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was located high in the hill country, and many roads led to it. The procession probably came up from the lower wilderness country on the east side of Jerusalem.
Some other ways to translate the action are:
approaching from the wilderness
-or-
ascending out of the wilderness
-or-
coming toward us from the dry/uninhabited places
coming up: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as coming up indicates that the woman was coming to a place that was higher than the one she came from. Jerusalem was higher than the regions around it. However, the word does not indicate that she was climbing a high mountain. Use an appropriate word in your language.
wilderness: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wilderness refers to a dry region where few people lived. The regions to the south and east of Jerusalem were wilderness like that. However, the land was not as dry as a true desert where very few plants grow and there are large areas of dry sand. Use a word or phrase that is natural in your language to describe such a wilderness region.
3:6b
like a column of smoke: This phrase indicates that the woman’s coming in procession was surrounded by something that looked like smoke from a distance. The phrase may describe a “cloud of dust,” since land near Jerusalem is often dusty. But the poet implies that her coming was like a column (or cloud) of ⌊fragrant⌋ smoke. In some languages it is common to describe sweet-smelling perfume as being like a “cloud” of fragrance. Describe it in a natural way in your language.
Some ways to connect this phrase to the context are:
Who is this young woman coming up from the wilderness like clouds of smoke…She is perfumed… (God’s Word)
-or-
Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, like a fragrant billow of myrrh and frankincense (NET Bible)
column of smoke: In Hebrew, the word column is plural, but some versions translate it as singular, as in the Berean Standard Bible. The phrase column of smoke indicates that the dust of the procession looked like a tall, thick cloud of smoke. Use a natural way in your language to describe it.
3:6c
scented with myrrh and frankincense: The phrase scented with myrrh and frankincense refers to the woman. It indicates that her scent was pleasing. It implies that she wore perfume made of the spices called myrrh and frankincense, so her fragrance was delightful. Some ways to translate this meaning are:
She smells sweet/good with myrrh and incense…
-or-
Her scent is like the best spices…
-or-
there is the fragrance of sweet-smelling sap/perfume