8:6–7
Some scholars consider these two verses to be the climax of the Song. It is different from the rest of the book. Most other parts of the Song focus on the couple’s love for one another, but in 8:6–7 the author praised love itself and described what love is like. He used three comparisons: Love’s power is like the power and persistence of death. Love is also like two other powerful forces in nature: fire and water.
8:6a
Set me as a seal over your heart: The clause Set me as a seal over your heart is a figure of speech. A literal seal was an object that had a mark on it which represented the seal’s owner. (For more information, see the following note on seal.) The figure of speech indicates that the woman wanted the man to always love only her. She wanted to be sure that he would not have a romantic relationship with any other woman.
In many cultures people do not use seals. If that is true in your culture, some other ways to translate the meaning are:
• Use a different figure of speech that has the same meaning. For example:
Write my name on your heart.
-or-
Always keep me in your heart (Contemporary English Version)
• Translate the meaning in another poetic way without the figure of speech. For example:
Close your heart to every love but mine (Good News Translation)
-or-
Promise that you will faithfully love me alone.
seal: A seal was a small object (usually made of stone, wood or metal). It had a special design on it to represent the owner. Sometimes the seal was worn like a ring on a person’s finger or hung around his neck on a cord.
The owner of the seal could mark an object as his by putting clay or wax on the object and pressing his seal into the clay or wax to mark it with his design. The woman wanted to be like a seal on the man’s heart that showed that he was hers. (His romantic love should be given to her alone).
over your heart: This seal may have been hung literally around the neck, and therefore close to the man’s heart. In that culture people spoke of the heart as the part of a person that feels love. In many languages people use a different part of the body to speak of love, or they may not use a part of the body at all. Use a natural way in your language to speak of the feelings and commitment to love another person.
8:6b
as a seal upon your arm: The phrase as a seal upon your arm is parallel to 8:6a. It is also a figure of speech, and it has a similar meaning. Because it is so much like 8:6a, a shorter form is used. The full form is:
⌊ or set me⌋as a seal upon your arm.
The woman said this to emphasize that she wanted the man to be committed to love only her. In some languages this figure of speech may not be natural or it may have a wrong meaning. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:
• Use a different figure of speech that has the same meaning. For example:
hold no one in your arms but me. (Good News Translation)
• Translate the meaning in another poetic way. For example:
Promise that you will faithfully love me alone.
-or-
wear this bracelet to remember me by. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Show everyone that I am the only woman for you.
upon your arm: The phrase upon your arm indicates that the woman wanted the man to wear the symbol of his commitment to her on his arm. This symbol could be worn as a bracelet or armband or in another way that would remind him of his commitment to her. For example:
like the signet ring on your hand.
8:6c
For: The word For introduces the woman’s explanation for her requests in 8:6a–b.
love is as strong as death: The expression love is as strong as death is a simile that compares love to death. In this context love probably refers to romantic love. The statement indicates that romantic love is extremely powerful. It is like the power of death. Death overcomes a person so that the person must die. In a similar way, love can overcome a person so that he must love his beloved. He cannot stop loving by his own will or power.
Other ways to translate this meaning are:
⌊ The passions of⌋love are as powerful as ⌊the approach of⌋ death.
-or-
⌊ Romantic⌋love ⌊can⌋ overpower ⌊a person⌋ as death does.
In many languages it is more natural to translate love and death as verbs or statements. For example:
Loving ⌊someone⌋ is as hard to resist/stop as dying.
-or-
It is as hard to prevent/keep myself from loving ⌊you⌋ as it would be to prevent/keep ⌊myself⌋ from dying.
8:6d
its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol is parallel to 8:6c, but the meaning of the two clauses is not exactly the same. There are two ways to interpret the word jealousy here:
(1) It refers to a lover’s passionate devotion to the person whom he or she loves. He refuses to give up his devotion to his beloved, just as a grave does not let a person leave it. For example:
passion is as unrelenting as Sheol. (NET Bible)
(2) It refers to the feeling of anger and injury that a lover has when his beloved is unfaithful to him. This jealousy will continue, just as the grave continues to hold a dead person. For example:
its jealousy unyielding as the grave. (New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, the interpretations are similar, since jealousy is a specific type of “passion.” Since both interpretations have good support, it is good to include a footnote to mention interpretation (2). For example:
The Hebrew word can also mean “jealousy.”
Since the Berean Standard Bible follows interpretation (2), the God’s Word will be used as the source text for 8:6.
(God’s Word) Devotion is as unyielding as the grave: Here the word Devotion refers to a lover’s strong commitment to his or her beloved. The statement Devotion is as unyielding as the grave is a figure of speech called personification. It speaks of Devotion and the grave as though they were human beings. Here this personification indicates that a person who is devoted to his beloved will continue to be devoted to her, just as a dead person continues to be dead.
Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:
• Keep the personification. For example:
passion is as strong as death itself. (Good News Translation)
-or-
fervent/ardent love does not give up its loved one, just as death does not give up a dead person.
-or-
When a person is devoted to his beloved, he will hold on to her like a grave holds a person buried in it.
• Translate the meaning without the personification. For example:
A person who is devoted to his beloved continues to be devoted, just as a dead person continues to be dead.
8:6e
Its sparks are fiery flames: The phrase Its sparks are fiery flames is a metaphor. The woman compared love to flames. She also continued to use the type of personification that was used in 8:6d. She implied that a man and woman who are devoted to each other as in 8:6d must not show romantic love to anyone else. If they love anyone else in that way, it violates their commitment to each other. Devotion causes a lover to be strongly determined to protect the love between him and his beloved.
Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:
• Keep the personification. For example:
Commitment consumes like a raging fire.
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
I am totally determined to protect our love.
8:6f
the fiercest blaze of all: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the fiercest blaze of all is a compound word that is more literally “flame-of-Yah.” The word “Yah” is sometimes used as a short form of “Yahweh,” which is the Hebrew name for the LORD. Here the phrase the fiercest blaze of all is parallel to 8:6e and emphasizes its meaning. There are two different ways to interpret it.
(1) It refers to a very hot, strong flame. For example:
like a mighty flame. (New International Version)
(2) It refers to the flame of Yahweh (the LORD). For example:
the very flame of the Lord. (English Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with the majority of English versions. However, option (2) is also acceptable. Both options make sense in the context.
Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
and burns like a hot fire. (New Century Version)
-or-
fiercer than any flame. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
with complete determination.
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