3:2a
I will arise now and go about the city: The verb will goes with both arise and go about. The Hebrew verb forms indicate that the woman made a decision about what she will do. She will get up, leave her room, and walk around in the city. She spoke or thought these things to herself. She did not speak them aloud. Probably she was still dreaming about making this decision.
In some languages it may be necessary to introduce this line with a speech introducer. For example:
So she thought to herself, “I will rise now and roam the city…”
-or-
I said, “I will rise and go the rounds of the city…” (Revised English Bible)
In other languages it may be more natural to introduce the verse as an indirect quote or as a decision. For example:
Then I decided to get up and roam around the city.
I will arise now: The phrase I will arise now indicates that the woman decided to get up out of her bed. In some languages it may be necessary to include the implied information that she intended to leave her house and go outside. For example:
I will go out now
-or-
Now I will leave ⌊my/the house⌋
and go about the city: This phrase is the second part of the woman’s decision. She intended to look all around in the city until she found her beloved. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
and look all around in the city (NET Bible)
-or-
I will walk/⌊search⌋ through the whole city
the city: The city refers to the city where the woman lived.
3:2b
through the streets and squares: This phrase implies that the woman searched throughout the whole city. She went around the city’s streets and other outdoor public places. In some languages it may be helpful to combine 3:2a–b and use a phrase that refers to going throughout the public places in the town. For example:
throughout the town
squares: The squares were broad open public places. These squares were often located near the gates through which people entered the city. Many languages use different words for these public places. For example:
⌊ public/city⌋meeting places
3:2c
I will seek the one I love: This clause tells the woman’s purpose for going throughout the city. She intended to search it for her beloved. This clause is the third time the “search” language is used, and it emphasizes the woman’s search. Other ways to translate 3:2c are:
I will look for the one I love. (God’s Word)
-or-
I shall seek my sweetheart. (New Jerusalem Bible)
the one I love: This same phrase was used in 3:1a. It refers again to the woman’s beloved. In some languages it is not necessary to repeat such a phrase. For example:
searching for him (New Living Translation (1996))
3:2d
So I sought him but did not find him: In this part of the verse, the woman repeated exactly what she said in 3:1b. You should translate both clauses in the same way. Here in 3:2d the woman was probably still dreaming. In her dream she did what she decided to do in 3:2a–c—she searched for her beloved. However, she did not find him. Some other ways to translate 3:2d are:
I sought him, but found him not. (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
I continued to search for him—I did not see him.
I sought him: Here the author repeated the Hebrew verb for “search” for the fourth time in this verse. This repetition implies that as the woman searched, she became more tense. Some other ways to translate the phrase here are:
I kept on searching for him
-or-
I looked and looked for him
Translate the repetition in a natural way in your language.
but did not find him: Although the woman searched so much, she did not see her beloved in any of the places where she looked. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
but I could not find him.
-or-
but I never saw him.
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