5:16
This verse is a climax to the woman’s long description of the man. She answered the teasing question that the Jerusalem women asked in 5:9.
5:16a
In 5:15c–d the woman summarized her description of the man’s body. Now in 5:16 she again described the man’s mouth.
His mouth is most sweet: There are different ways to interpret the word mouth and the whole clause here:
(1) His “sweet mouth” refers to his kisses. For example:
His mouth is sweet to kiss (Good News Translation)
(2) His “sweet mouth” refers to his speech. For example:
His conversation is sweetness itself (New Jerusalem Bible)
Most English versions translate literally and do not make the meaning of “sweet mouth” explicit. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). His “sweet mouth” probably refers to his kisses, since that fits with his physical description better than interpretation (2).
Some ways to translate this meaning are:
• Use a figure of speech in your language that implies kissing. For example:
His mouth is delicious… (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
His mouth is delightful…
• Make the meaning explicit. For example:
His mouth is sweet to kiss (New Century Version)
-or-
His kisses are sweet/delightful
Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.
most sweet: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as most sweet is a figure of speech. Here it indicates that the man’s kisses are delightful. It implies that it is sweet when the man kisses the woman or when she kisses him. Those kisses give great pleasure.
General Comment on “mouth” and “kisses”
The author refers to the theme of the couple’s mouths and their implied kisses often throughout the book. The first time was in 1:2, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” Since the woman began the book with the theme of kisses, it is not surprising that she focused here on her beloved’s mouth as she described his body. (Also see 8:1, and possibly 2:3.) The man referred to her mouth and kisses in 4:3, 4:11, and 7:9.
5:16b
he is altogether lovely: This clause indicates that the woman considered her beloved to be precious and wonderful in every way. It is similar to what the man said to her in 4:7 : “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.” Some other ways to say this are:
everything about him enchants me (Good News Translation)
-or-
he is altogether lovable (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
he is desirable in every way (New Living Translation (2004))
5:16c–e
The clause “This is my beloved” here in 5:16c and the phrase “My beloved” in 5:10a form an inclusio. They occur at the beginning and the end of the woman’s description of the man (5:10–16). The woman emphasized that in 5:10–16 she answered the question that the Jerusalem women asked her in 5:9.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem: The two clauses in 5:16c–d, This is my beloved and this is my friend, have almost the same meaning in this context. The two clauses show that the woman has now answered the question that the Jerusalem women asked in 5:9—“How is your beloved better than others?” Indicate in a natural way that this clause answers that question. For example:
That is what my beloved and friend is like, women of Jerusalem.
-or-
Now I have told you what my beloved and friend is like, Jerusalem women.
Some other ways to translate 5:16c–e are:
• Change the order of phrases in 5:16c–e. For example:
O women of Jerusalem, now I have told you about my lover. That is what my dear one is like.
• Translate the similar meanings of 5:16c and 5:16d only once. For example:
This is what my lover is like, women of Jerusalem. (Good News Translation)
5:16d
and this is my friend: This is the only place in the Song where the woman (or the man) used the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as friend to describe their relationship. The plural form “friends” was used in 5:1 to refer to the wedding guests.
The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as friend can have different meanings, depending on the context. It can be used to describe different types of friendly relationships. Here the meaning is similar to the meaning of the word “beloved.” In some languages it may be more natural to translate this meaning only once. For example, the Good News Translation translates the two statements in 5:16c–d as:
This is what my lover is like (Good News Translation)
Other ways to translate friend here are:
darling (Revised English Bible)
-or-
companion (NET Bible)
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