5:6a

I opened for my beloved: In this context the phrase I opened for my beloved probably indicates that the woman opened the door for the man to enter her room. It may also imply that she opened herself to welcome him. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

I opened the door for my lover (New Century Version)
-or-
I opened the door for the one I love ⌊to enter⌋
-or-
I opened to/for my beloved

5:6b

but he had turned and gone: This clause tells what the woman realized when she opened the door. She saw that her beloved was not there. The text implies that he went away after the woman hesitated to open the door. He was gone when she finally opened the door.

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

but my beloved had turned away. He was gone! (God’s Word)
-or-
but my beloved had left; he was not there!

had turned and gone: The phrase had turned and gone indicates that the man left, and he was gone by the time the woman came to the door. In some languages it may be natural to use only one verb. For example:

but he was gone! (New Living Translation (2004))

5:6c

My heart sank at his departure: Scholars differ about what caused the woman’s heart to sink. There is a textual issue concerning the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at his departure. The difference of one vowel changes the meaning of the word.

(1) The word means “when he left.” For example:

My heart sank at his departure… (New International Version)

(2) The word means “when he spoke.” For example:

My soul failed me when he spoke… (English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The meaning “when he left” makes better sense in this context. The woman wanted the man. In 5:6c–d she searched desperately for him. She had no reason to say “my soul failed me when he spoke,” as in interpretation (2). He spoke only to ask her to open the door (5:2), which should not distress her. She was distressed because he left, and she feared that he might stop loving her.

My heart sank: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as My heart sank is more literally “my-soul/breath went-out.” This phrase is a figure of speech to indicate that the woman felt distressed and desperate. She feared that the man had left her, and that he might not return. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

When he left, I felt ⌊terrible⌋ distress
-or-
I was ⌊very⌋ lonely when he left

In some languages there is a figure of speech to translate this meaning. For example:

I fell into despair when he departed. (NET Bible)

Notice also that the Berean Standard Bible uses the figure of speech “my heart sank.” Use a natural way in your language to describe this feeling.

5:6d–5:7b

What the woman said in 5:6d–5:7b uses the theme of searching that occurs often in the Song. Her statements here repeat statements in 3:1b and 3:3a–b. In chapter 3 and here in chapter 5 the woman searched for the man. She described her search in similar ways in both chapters. Try to keep these similarities in your own translation.

5:6d

I sought him, but did not find him: The phrase I sought him, but did not find him is the same as the phrase in 3:1b. Here it indicates that the woman left her house and went to search for the man in the streets of the town. She searched for him because she loved him and longed to be with him. She was distressed until she could see him again, but when she looked for him, she could not see him anywhere.

You should translate the phrase in the same way or a similar way as you did in 3:1b. Some ways to translate it are:

I searched for him but could not find him anywhere (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I looked for him but did not find him (NET Bible)
-or-
I went around trying to find him, but I did not see him anywhere.

but did not find him: The woman could not find the man when she searched for him, so she felt sadder and even more afraid. The author emphasized her sorrow to cause readers to sympathize with her and to want her to be happy again.

Use a natural way in your language to translate this emphasis. In some languages a word like “find” may imply that a person accidently discovered something that he was not searching for. That meaning does not fit this context. If that is true in your language, you should translate in a different way. For example:

but I did not see him anywhere.

5:6e

I called, but he did not answer: Here the woman called to the man because she hoped that he would hear her and respond to her. However, he did not hear her, so he did not respond. In some languages it may be helpful to use a direct quote and include the implied words that she said to call him. For example:

She called to him, ⌊“My beloved, where are you?”⌋ but ⌊she did⌋ not ⌊hear⌋ him answer.

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