6:13–7:13
The verse numberings were added to the Hebrew text by men who copied it hundreds of years after the text itself was first written. In this verse the numbering is different from the numbering in most English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible. The Hebrew text numbers this verse as 7:1, but the Berean Standard Bible numbers it as 6:13. Because of that, each Hebrew verse in chapter 7 is one number higher than the Berean Standard Bible text. The Berean Standard Bible’s 6:13–7:13 are 7:1–14 in Hebrew. The Notes continues to use the numbering of the Berean Standard Bible.
6:13a–b Friends spoke to the woman
Most English versions indicate that friends (probably consisting of Jerusalem women or other friends) speak in 6:13a–b.
6:13a
Come back, come back, O Shulammite!: This line is parallel to 6:13b. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come back occurs twice here and twice in 6:13b for emphasis. There are different ways to interpret the word in this context:
(1) It means “return, come back.” For example:
Come back! Come back, young girl from Shulam… (New Jerusalem Bible)
(2) It means “dance.” For example:
Dance, dance, girl of Shulam. (Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But interpretation (2) is also acceptable. Although 6:13d refers to a dance, the text does not explicitly say that the woman actually danced. Interpretation (1) implies that the women were asking her to return to them and not to go away.
In some languages, repeating the phrase Come back may not emphasize it, or the repetition may not be natural. If that is true in your language, use a different type of emphasis. For example:
• Use punctuation for emphasis. For example, the New Revised Standard Version has an exclamation mark:
Return, return, O Shulammite! (New Revised Standard Version)
• Use a word or phrase that adds emphasis. For example:
Please return, O Shulammite!
-or-
Oh return to us, woman from Shulam!
• Use two different words or phrases. For example:
Come back, Shulam woman, return to us!
In some languages it may be more natural to begin the verse with the direct address to the woman. Use a natural way in your language to address her. Some other ways to translate 6:13a are:
Shulam woman, come back!
-or-
Please return, lady from Shulam!
-or-
Come back, return, Shulam girl!
O: The exclamation O in the Berean Standard Bible indicates that the women spoke directly to the Shulammite. It also adds emphasis to the women’s request that she return. Use a natural way in your language to emphasize the request. See the examples in the preceding note.
Shulammite: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Shulammite probably indicates that the woman is from the town of Shulam. (Shulammite is not her name.) For example:
Come back! Come back, young girl from Shulam… (New Jerusalem Bible)
It is possible that the word Shulam is derived from the Hebrew root meaning “whole,” “complete” or “perfect.” However, in this context the word has the definite article, so it is more likely that it is a title indicating that she is from Shulam.
6:13b
Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you: This line is parallel to 6:13a. It adds the new phrase that we may gaze upon you. The author repeated the friends’ request (Come back, come back) from 6:13a, so that the phrase come back occurs four times. This repetition emphasizes that the Jerusalem women really wanted the woman to return. They wanted to look at her and enjoy her beauty.
In some languages it may not be natural to repeat the phrase come back so many times. Use a natural way in your language to emphasize it. For example:
Please come back! We really want to look at you.
come back, that we may gaze upon you: The reason that the friends want the woman to return is so that they can look at her or “gaze at” her again. Some other ways to translate the reason for the request are:
please return so that we may enjoy/gaze-at ⌊your great beauty⌋.
-or-
come back to us, so that we may gaze at you.
-or-
please return and let us ⌊have the pleasure of⌋ seeing you
6:13c–d The woman replied to the friends
Scholars differ about who spoke in 6:13c–d.
(1) The woman spoke in 6:13c–d. For example, the Good News Translation has the heading:
The Woman (Good News Translation)
(2) The man spoke in 6:13c–d. For example, the English Standard Version has the heading:
He (English Standard Version)
(3) The chorus continued to speak in 6:13c–d. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible has the heading:
Chorus (New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). About half the English versions and several commentaries follow this option. The chorus spoke to the woman, so it makes sense for her to be the one who responded.
It may seem odd that the woman did not say “me” but just spoke of herself as “the Shulammite.” It is possible that she did that to express modesty or uncertainty about why they wanted to look at her. In the Song she was usually the one who spoke to the women of Jerusalem or to another group of friends. (For example, see 1:5–6; 2:7; 3:5; 5:8–16; 6:2–3; 8:4.)
6:13c–d
Why do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?: Here the woman asked a rhetorical question. Scholars are not sure about what the question implies, but the meaning is probably similar to the meaning of her statement in 1:6a, “Do not stare at me.” In 6:4–9 the man praised her, and in 6:10 the women praised her. In that culture, it often made a moral woman feel uneasy if she received too much praise.
In some languages a rhetorical question with Why may wrongly imply that the woman was angry with the other women. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:
• Use a different type of rhetorical question. For example:
Should you look at this girl from Shulam, as though I were an entertainer?
• Make the meaning more explicit with a statement and a question. For example:
What pleasure will you get from looking at me? I am only ⌊an ordinary⌋ girl from Shulam.
-or-
I’m only a girl from Shulam. Why do you look at me as if I were an entertaining dancer?
• Use a statement. For example:
There is no reason to keep looking at me, since I am just a young girl from Shulam.
-or-
You should not gaze at me as though I were a camp dancer. I am only a girl from Shulam.
Use a natural way in your language to communicate the meaning that the woman implied.
as on the dance of Mahanaim?: There is an ellipsis in this part of the verse. The full form is:
as ⌊though you are looking⌋ upon a dance before two armies
The woman used the phrase to describe the way the other women looked at her. The meaning of the Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as on the dance of Mahanaim is uncertain. Some ways to interpret it are:
(1) It means “a dance before two armies.” This implies performing a dance for soldiers. For example:
as upon a dance before two armies (English Standard Version)
(2) The word “Mahanaim” refers to the name of a place. Although the place name means “two groups,” the whole phrase means “the dance of Mahanaim.” For example:
as on the dance of Mahanaim (New International Version)
(3) It means “two groups of dancers.” It refers to dancing with other people in two groups. (or to two rows of people watching the dance). For example:
as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers (New Living Translation (2004))
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, it is not possible to be certain about the correct option, and any of the three options is acceptable. In some languages interpretation (1) may be confusing, and a literal translation of 6:13c–d may imply an immoral action. If that is true in your language, you may follow interpretation (2) or (3) instead.
The dance that the woman referred to was probably beautiful and entertaining. But the woman did not want the other women to look at her as though she were an entertainer.
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