6:9a
but my dove, my perfect one, is unique: In the previous verse the man compared his beloved with many other women. Here he declared that there was no other woman as beautiful as his beloved. She was unique. Some other ways to translate this statement are:
There is only one for me. She is ⌊like a gentle⌋ dove, and she is perfect.
-or-
But no one is like my perfect dove.
-or-
You would be my only choice, my flawless dove. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
For me, there is only one woman ⌊in the world⌋. She is like a perfect dove.
my dove: The phrase my dove is an affectionate nickname for the woman. A dove is a beautiful and gentle bird that was a symbol for love. The phrase was also used in 2:14, where the man spoke directly to the woman. For more information, see the Notes on 2:14a–b.
my perfect one: The expression my perfect one is also found in 5:2. The meaning is also similar to 4:7, “You are all fair my love, there is no flaw in you.” It indicates that the woman was so beautiful that she seemed perfect to the man. To him, she seemed to have no defect or flaw. Translate this phrase in the same way as you did in 5:2.
is unique: Here the Berean Standard Bible uses the phrase is unique to translate the word that means “one” in Hebrew. In this context it indicates that there was no one like the woman. Here is another way to translate this:
is unique (New International Version)
For more translation examples, see the first note on 6:9a.
6:9b
the favorite of the mother: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the favorite of the mother is literally “one she to her mother.” There are different ways to interpret this phrase:
(1) She is her mother’s favorite daughter. For example:
She is the special daughter of her mother… (NET Bible)
(2) She is the only daughter or child of her mother. For example:
the only daughter of her mother… (New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this context, being an only daughter is not in focus. It is more significant that her mother considered her special and unique. Its meaning is similar to the way the author used the word “one” in 6:9a to mean “unique.”
who bore her: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bore means “gave birth to.” In some languages it may be more natural to refer back to her mother in a different way, as in the Display.
6:9c-d
In 6:8 the man compared the woman’s beauty to three groups of women in the royal court: queens, concubines, and maidens. Here in 6:9c–d, those same three groups of women also praised the woman. Here he began with the maidens before mentioning the queens and concubines:
9d The maidens see her and call her blessed
9e the queens and concubines sing her praises
Notice that the two lines, 6:9d and 6:9e, are parallel. The two phrases call her blessed and sing her praises have similar meanings.
6:9c
The maidens see her and call her blessed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as maidens is literally “daughters.” However, here it refers to the same women as in 6:8, where they were called “maidens.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:
The maidens saw her and complimented her… (NET Bible)
-or-
Girls have seen her and proclaimed her blessed… (New Jerusalem Bible)
6:9d
the queens and concubines sing her praises: The phrase the queens and concubines indicates that they also saw the woman, just as the maidens did (6:9c). In some languages it is necessary to make it explicit that queens and concubines saw her. For example:
The queens and concubines also ⌊see her⌋, and sing her praises.
(See 6:8a and 6:8b for a discussion of queens and concubines.)
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