Poem 3:1–5 The woman described searching for her beloved at night

In the preceding poem (2:8–17) the author described the man and woman as they were together on a beautiful spring day. Here in Poem 3:1–5 the woman was alone in her bed at night, and she longed to be with her beloved again. Her joy in 2:8–17 changed to being troubled in 3:1–5 as she searched for her beloved and then clung to him when she found him.

Bible scholars are not sure whether this poem tells about a dream, the woman’s feelings, or an actual event. It seems more like a dream than an actual event. In that culture it would not be likely for a woman to go out into the city at night, as the author described in 3:1–5, but in a dream almost anything is possible.

Some versions (including Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, and Good News Translation) have a section heading or footnote at 3:1 to indicate that 3:1–5 describes a dream. The Good News Translation mentions in the text that it was a dream, saying, “Asleep on my bed, night after night I dreamed of the one I love…” Other scholars interpret 3:1–5 as a description of the woman’s feelings. The Song is lyric poetry, which often uses such descriptions. It does not necessarily describe actual events. The Notes interpret 3:1–5 as a dream.

It is likely that 3:5 functions as a refrain, probably for the entire section (2:8–3:5). It is identical to the refrain in 2:7.

3:1–4 The woman described searching for her beloved at night

In 3:1–4 the woman was inside her house on her bed at night. In these verses she probably described a specific dream that she had, but the text does not state that she was dreaming. The Good News Translation makes this explicit, but many English versions do not. If you do not make it explicit in the verse, it may be helpful to include a footnote. For example:

In 3:1–4 the text probably implies that the woman was dreaming.

Searching is an important theme in the Song. In 3:1–4, there are four words that refer to searching. This repetition implies that the woman was desperate to find her beloved. It also emphasizes how relieved and happy she felt when she finally found him.

3:1a

On my bed…I sought the one I love: There are different ways to interpret this clause. The two main interpretations are:

(1) It indicates that while the woman was on her bed, she searched for her beloved, probably in a dream. For example:

On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves (English Standard Version)

(2) It is a figurative way to say that she longed for her beloved. For example:

All night long on my bed, I longed for my lover (NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits the context, which continues to describe the woman searching. When she did not find her beloved in her bed (3:1), she went out into the city streets to continue searching for him (3:2–4). In some languages it is natural to combine the idea of searching and longing in options (1) and (2). For example:

On my bed at night I ⌊longingly⌋ searched for the one my soul loves.

On my bed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bed is the common word for “bed.” By itself it does not imply anything about sexual relations. Use an appropriate word in your language. For example:

in the place I sleep
-or-
as I lay in bed (New Living Translation (2004))

at night: There are different ways to interpret the Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night :

(1) It means “at night,” “during the night.” For example:

On my bed at night (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means “night after night.” For example:

Asleep on my bed, night after night (Good News Translation)

(3) It means “all night long.” For example:

All night long on my bed (New International Version)

the one I love: The phrase the one I love is used four times in 3:1–4. It indicates that the woman loved the man very much. She had strong feelings of love for him. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I is literally “my soul.” It literally refers to the part of a person that feels emotions like love, joy, sorrow, or anger. Figuratively, it refers to the woman herself.

Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a figure of speech in your language that refers to strong feelings of love. Some languages use a part of the body such as the “heart,” “liver” or “stomach” or a special idiom. For example:

the one I love with heart and soul (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the one who is in my heart

• Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:

the one I love (Good News Translation)
-or-
my true love (Revised English Bible)

3:1b

I sought him, but did not find him: Here the woman repeated the phrase I sought him from 3:1a to emphasize her strong desire to be with the man. In some languages it may be more natural to translate the emphasis in a different way. For example:

Though I searched desperately for him, I could not find him.

Some English versions do not mention “search” and “find” here at all. For example, the New Living Translation (2004) and NET Bible mention only that the woman longed for the man, but he did not come. However, this section emphasizes the woman’s search, and it is important to communicate that in your language.

but did not find him: The woman dreamed that she was searching for her beloved, but she did not find him nearby. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

I did not see him anywhere/nearby.
-or-
but he was not there.

Some versions include a statement at the end of 3:1, as in the Revised Standard Version, which says, “I called him, but he gave no answer.” There is a textual issue concerning the statement. Some manuscripts include this statement, and others do not.

(1) The Hebrew text of 3:1 does not include this statement about the woman calling her beloved. For example, in 3:1 the New International Version does not mention that the woman called the man:

All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. (New International Version)

(2) The LXX (Greek translation) of 3:1 includes the statement, “I called him, but he gave no answer.” For example, in the New Revised Standard Version, 3:1 ends with that statement:

Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), which does not include the statement about the woman calling the man. The LXX translators probably included it because it is found in 5:6, which is similar to 3:1.

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