8:1–4 The woman longed for more intimacy with the man
In these verses, the woman continued to speak to the man. She told him that she longed to express her love for him openly. She wished that her beloved were like a brother so that she could kiss him in public without shame. The section ends with a refrain that is also found in 2:6–7 and 3:5. Here she was probably thinking of a time before they married.
8:1–4 The woman continued to speak
In 8:1–2 the woman spoke to the man and in 8:3–4 she probably spoke to the daughters of Jerusalem.
8:1
This verse indicates that the woman wanted the freedom to kiss her beloved in public without anyone blaming her. In that culture, it was not proper for a man and woman to kiss in public if they were not related by blood. Even married couples were not supposed to kiss in public. However, it was common for a brother and sister to greet each other with a kiss. So the woman wished that her beloved were like a brother to her so that she could kiss him in public.
The verse does not imply that the woman wanted to greet her own brother with a kiss that implies sexual interest or desire for sexual relations. That would be a sin of incest, which God forbids in the Bible. It is important to translate in a way that refers only to an affectionate public greeting.
O that you were to me like a brother: This clause is an idiom that tells what the woman wished. It is more literally, “Who will make you like a brother to me?” In this context it indicates that the woman wished that the man were like a brother to her so that she could kiss him in public. There are two ways to interpret the clause:
(1) She wished that the man were like a brother to her. For example:
If only you were to me like a brother (New International Version)
(2) She wished that the man actually were her brother. For example:
I wish that you were my brother. (Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). In that culture it was fine for a brother and sister to show affection for each other in public. The woman wanted to have that same freedom to kiss her beloved. She did not wish that the man was really her brother.
Some other ways to translate option (1) are:
If only you were to me like a brother (New International Version)
-or-
If only it could be as with a brother (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
I wish that I could treat you like a brother ⌊in public⌋
8:1b
who nursed at my mother’s breasts: The clause who nursed at my mother’s breasts indicates that the woman referred to a “brother” who had the same mother as she did. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that relationship. For example:
who fed at my mother’s breast (New Century Version)
-or-
who has the same mother as I have
8:1c–e
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me: Here the woman told her reason for what she said to the man in 8:1a–b. She said that she wished he were her brother because she wanted to kiss him when she saw him in public. In that culture it was a custom for a sister to greet her brother with a kiss, but otherwise, a man and woman did not kiss each other in public. If the woman kissed the man, other people would criticize them. In 8:1c–e the woman only desired to kiss him, but she did not do it.
Some other ways to translate 8:1c–e are:
Then, if I met you in the street, I could kiss you and no one would mind.
-or-
If I saw you outside, I could kiss you, and no one would criticize me.
-or-
Then I could kiss you when I saw you in public, and no one would say that I was bad to do it.
outdoors: The word outdoors refers here to a public place where other people may be present. See the translation examples in the preceding note.
and no one would despise me: The phrase and no one would despise me indicates that no person would think or say that the woman should not have kissed the man. They would not think that she was bad because she kissed him in public if he were her brother. However, because he was not her brother and she kissed him in public, they would think that she was wrong to do that. Some other ways to translate 8:1e are:
and no one would say I did wrong. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
without people thinking ill of me. (New Jerusalem Bible)
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