6:5a–b
Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me: In the Song the man often referred to the woman’s eyes (1:15; 4:1; 4:9; 6:5; 7:4). Here he asked the woman not to look directly into his eyes, because that made him feel confused. The sentence is more literally, “Turn your eyes from me which they confuse me.” Her beautiful eyes delighted him, but he could not see their beauty and still think clearly. However, he did not really want her to turn away.
Some other ways to translate 6:5a–b are:
Turn your eyes from me, because they excite me too much. (New Century Version)
-or-
Turn your eyes away from me—I am overcome when you gaze at me!
In some cultures people may not understand the reason for the man’s request. They may think that the woman tried to use spiritual power to enchant him. If that is true in your culture, you should translate in a different way that will not imply that wrong meaning. Other ways to translate it are:
• Add implied information to make the meaning clear. For example:
Your eyes confuse me ⌊with their beauty⌋. Turn them aside ⌊so I can think clearly⌋ !
• Use a saying or figure of speech that has the same meaning in your own language.
Turn your eyes away from me: This clause implies that the woman was looking directly into the man’s eyes. He asked her not to gaze into his eyes, but at the same time, he did not really want her to look away. He implied that when she looked at him like that, he felt weak from love and desire.
In some languages there may be a special way to express this meaning. In other languages there may be a figure of speech to translate it. Translate the meaning in a natural way that will fit this context in your culture.
for they have overcome me: The phrase they have overcome me is similar to the phrase “You have captured my heart” in 4:9. In 4:9 the man felt helpless, but he also felt pleasure. Here in 6:5 the meaning is similar, but his feeling when he looked into her eyes was even stronger. Some other ways to translate it are:
they overwhelm me! (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
they are holding me captive. (Good News Translation)
-or-
they overpower me. (New Living Translation (2004))
6:5c–d
Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down from Gilead: The comparison here is identical to the one in 4:1d–e. Translate it in the same way here. For more information, see the notes on 4:1d–e.
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