3:11
It is recommended that you imagine 3:11 in the following way: The man was waiting in Jerusalem for his bride to arrive in the royal wedding procession. She was coming in a luxurious carriage, which was surrounded by many armed guards. The young women of Jerusalem were called to come and join the king and participate in the wedding celebration.
3:11a
Come out, O daughters of Zion: Here an unknown person, possibly the author, spoke to the women of Zion. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of phrases in 3:11a. For example:
Women of Zion, come… (Good News Translation)
-or-
Young women of Zion, come out (God’s Word)
Come out: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come out means “go out” or “come out.” In many languages the choice of verb depends on the location of the speaker. In this verse, the author did not reveal the speaker’s location. However, he invites the young women to be outside where the wedding celebration will happen. Some ways to translate this invitation are:
come (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
go out (New Century Version)
Translate the invitation in a clear way in your language.
daughters of Zion: The phrase, daughters of Zion, has the same meaning as daughters of Jerusalem in 3:10. Both phrases refer to the same group of young women. Zion is the name of a specific part of Jerusalem where the temple and royal palace were located. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
You women who live on Zion’s ⌊mountain⌋
-or-
You women in Zion
3:11b
and gaze at King Solomon: In Hebrew this clause is more literally, “and see the king Solomon.” In this context the phrase King Solomon refers to the man who is about to be married. Some other ways to translate this invitation :
Go out and behold “King Solomon.”
-or-
Come gaze at ⌊the groom⌋, ⌊as splendid as⌋ King Solomon!
In some languages there is a figure of speech to describe the way someone gazes at a beautiful or unusual sight. For example:
feast your eyes on King Solomon
-or-
drink in ⌊the glory/splendor of⌋ this “King Solomon”
King Solomon: Here King Solomon is a symbol of royal majesty. The author implied that the man on his wedding day was as majestic and splendid as King Solomon. King Solomon himself is not a character in the story.
3:11b–d
wearing the crown his mother bestowed on the day of his wedding: There are two ways to interpret the custom of crowning that is mentioned here:
(1) It was a wedding custom. The mother of the groom put a wreath made of vines or flowers on her son’s head to honor him at his wedding.
(2) It was a custom at the ceremony when a new king began to reign. He was crowned with an expensive royal crown, which was often made of gold and adorned with precious jewels.
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The wedding is mentioned, not the crowning of a king. This fits the context of the Song. In the Song, Solomon is not an actor. He is a symbol of power and splendor.
the crown…bestowed: The crown in this context was probably a wreath that was woven of flowers and greenery. It was a symbol that the man to be married is powerful and majestic like a king. Some scholars mention that this feeling of majesty is common for a man when he marries the woman he loves. The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bestowed means “put a crown on his head.” Other ways to translate the action here are:
Wearing the crown that his mother gave him… (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
wearing the crown that his mother placed on his head… (Good News Translation)
-or-
with the crown with which his mother crowned him (Revised Standard Version)
In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote to explain the custom of wearing a wedding crown or wreath. For example:
In that culture it was customary for a man’s mother to put a crown or wreath on his head to honor him at his wedding.
Some other ways to translate the word crown in this context are:
crown/wreath ⌊for the wedding⌋
-or-
the ⌊decorated⌋ ⌊wedding⌋ hat
his mother bestowed on the day of his wedding: This phrase refers to a wedding custom in that culture. The mother put a crown or wreath on her son’s head to honor him at his wedding. In some cultures men do not wear crowns or wreaths, so that custom may imply a wrong meaning. Some other options for translation are:
• Refer to a gift that a mother gives a son at his wedding. For example:
with the special gift/clothing that his mother gave him to honor him on his marriage
• Use a more general expression. For example:
how his mother honored him on his wedding day.
on the day of his wedding: This is the only verse in the Song of Songs where the word wedding occurs. However, the whole section (3:6–5:1) should probably be understood as the wedding celebration. In 3:6–11 the text implies in several ways that it describes a wedding procession. Then in chapters 4–5 the man often referred to the woman as “my bride” (4:8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 5:1).
Cultures have different wedding customs. In some cultures there is more than one public ceremony that a couple can consider as their wedding. In other cultures there is no public ceremony when a couple marries. If that is true in your culture, you may need to use a descriptive phrase. For example:
on the day when they celebrated/began their marriage
-or-
on their wedding day
-or-
on the day when they married
3:11e
the day of his heart’s rejoicing: This phrase is parallel to 3:11d. Both 3:11d and 3:11e refer to the same day and event, but the phrase here in 3:11e adds a comment about the groom’s joy on that day (his wedding day). In some languages it is more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:
On that day he was filled with joy.
-or-
That was the happiest day of his life.
his heart’s rejoicing: The phrase his heart’s rejoicing is an idiom that describes great joy. The phrase his heart’s rejoicing emphasizes that the man’s joy was strong and fervent. This is the only reference to rejoicing in the Song, but it is important because it comes at a climax in the book. It indicates that the man was happy and excited that he was marrying his beloved.
The bridal procession arrived! The author implied that the bride was beautiful and mysterious. Until she arrived, she was veiled by the curtains of the palanquin. When she arrived, the man was excited and joyful, and he showed that joy as he described her in chapter 4. In some languages there may be a figure of speech to describe this joy. For example:
the day when his joy overflowed
Some other ways to translate his heart’s rejoicing are:
his…joyful delight (God’s Word)
-or-
his most joyous day (New Living Translation (2004))
Describe his joy in a natural way in your language.
General Comment on 3:6–11
The author used hyperbole as he described the wedding procession in 3:6–11. Solomon himself was mentioned as part of the royal imagery, but he was not actually a part of the celebration. These verses are a “wedding song” that describes the joy that the bride and groom felt on their wedding day. That day was their special day when they were as happy as a king and queen.
© 2017 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.