3:10a
He has made its posts of silver: The phrase He has made probably implies that Solomon (the woman’s beloved) hired someone to make the silver posts. It probably does not indicate that Solomon himself made them. (In 3:10d–e, the Jerusalem women helped to make the interior of the carriage.) Some ways to indicate this are:
He had its posts made out of silver (God’s Word)
-or-
Its posts were made of silver (NET Bible)
posts of silver: The palanquin had four posts, one at each of its four corners. These four posts supported the roof (canopy) of the carriage. The posts were of silver. This phrase probably implies that the posts were made of wood that was overlaid with silver. For example:
He overlaid its posts with silver
-or-
Its posts are covered with silver (Good News Translation)
3:10b
its base of gold: The phrase its base of gold indicates that the base of the carriage was made of gold or gold cloth. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as base occurs only here in the OT, and its meaning is uncertain. There are three ways to interpret it here:
(1) It means “the back of (a) chair,” as in the ancient Greek and Latin versions. For example:
its back was made of gold. (NET Bible)
(2) It means “cover,” as in the ancient Syriac version. For example:
the canopy of gold (New Jerusalem Bible)
(3) It means “base” or “foundation.” For example:
its base of gold. (New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) or (2). The exact meaning is uncertain, but both interpretations make good sense. The main point is the luxurious nature of the materials used.
of gold: The phrase of gold tells what the back of the palanquin was made of. Gold was the most valuable of all metals. Some scholars suggest that fabric made of gold thread was used. This material was sometimes used by kings, queens, and other members of their families. The poetic description of the palanquin implies that it was magnificent. Other ways to translate 3:10b are:
the back is gold (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he made its base of gold.
3:10c
its seat of purple fabric: Here the author continues to describe the palanquin and how it was made. The phrase its seat refers to the chair or to the cushion (or cushions) inside the palanquin where the rider sat. The phrase of purple fabric indicates that the seat was made of purple cloth. Purple cloth was expensive, and it was often worn by kings. It was also used in the Temple and in the king’s palace.
If this information about purple cloth is not known in your area, it may be helpful to make it explicit in some way. For example:
Its cushions were covered with ⌊rare⌋ purple cloth.
-or-
The seat was made of ⌊expensive⌋ purple fabric.
In some languages the color purple is not known or implies a wrong meaning, such as mourning or danger. If that is true in your language, you may translate the meaning without mentioning the color. For example:
The seat cushions were covered with expensive cloth.
-or-
The cloth of its cushion was dyed with the color ⌊that kings wear⌋.
3:10d
Its interior is inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem: Scholars are uncertain about whether the phrase daughters of Jerusalem is connected with 3:10d or with 3:11a–b. The Notes connects the phrase with 3:10d and gives details later in 3:10d.
There are two main ways to interpret the phrase inlaid with love :
(1) It describes the manner in which the palanquin’s interior was decorated. It was done lovingly and carefully. For example:
its interior lovingly inlaid (New International Version)
(2) It describes the material that was used to decorate the interior. For example:
fitted out with leather (NET Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). This option has the most support from English versions. The manner, “lovingly,” is an appropriate way to interpret the Hebrew word used about the women’s actions, since the Song is poetry about love. Some other ways to translate this interpretation are:
The women in Jerusalem carefully decorated its interior because of their love ⌊for the bride and groom⌋.
-or-
The beautiful weavings inside the palanquin were lovingly made by the women of Jerusalem.
by the daughters of Jerusalem: Scholars differ about whether this phrase should be part of 3:10 or part of 3:11:
(1) It is part of 3:10. It tells who decorated the inside of the palanquin. For example:
its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem. (English Standard Version)
(2) It is part of 3:11. It is a direct address to the daughters of Jerusalem. This arrangement makes it part of a parallel chiasm (a-b-b’-a’) with the following phrase. For example, the New Revised Standard Version says:
Daughters of Jerusalem, come out. (a-b)
Look, O daughters of Zion… (b’-a’)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions and many Bible scholars. Another way to translate this meaning is:
10a-c He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, and its seat of purple cloth, 10d and the daughters of Jerusalem decorated its interior with loving care.
General Comment on 3:10
It is difficult to know exactly what the carriage looked like from the description in 3:10, because the meanings of several of the words are uncertain. However, it is certain that the carriage was made of the finest materials: cedar from Lebanon, silver, gold, and purple cloth. The women of Jerusalem decorated its interior with loving care. It was a beautiful, luxurious vehicle for bringing the bride to her waiting groom.
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