8:8–10
In these verses the young woman and her brothers had a conversation about her physical maturity. Her brothers said that she was young, physically immature, and not ready to be married. They referred to a wall and a door, which symbolize that she was chaste (a virgin). In 8:10 she responded to their comments, agreeing that she was chaste and saying that she was also mature and ready for marriage. She referred to the man whom she loved as one to whom she was bringing peace. The quoted speech of her brothers here forms a possible book-level inclusio with 1:6, where her brothers were also mentioned.
8:8–9 The woman’s brothers spoke
Scholars have different views about who spoke in 8:8–9:
(1) The brothers spoke (and the woman was probably quoting them). For example, the NET Bible has the heading:
The Beloved’s Brothers (NET Bible)
(2) The woman’s friends or companions spoke. For example, the New International Version has the heading:
Friends (New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with the majority of English versions.
8:8a–b
We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown: Here the woman’s brothers referred to her as their little sister. The phrase probably implies that they thought of her as though she were still a young girl, yet she was a grown woman. They believed that it was their responsibility to protect her and to make marriage arrangements for her. The phrase her breasts are not yet grown probably implies that they considered her too young for marriage.
Some other ways to translate 8:8a–b are:
• Use a natural way in your language to indicate that a woman is still young and her breasts are still developing. For example:
Our sister is still young, and her breasts are not fully developed/grown.
-or-
Our sister is young, and her breasts are still small.
• Use a more general way to indicate that the woman is not yet ready for marriage. For example:
Our sister is too young to marry.
-or-
Our sister is not yet ready for marriage.
a little sister: Here the phrase a little sister refers to the woman in the Song. The brothers implied that she was still a young girl. They implied that she was not an adult and had not yet developed sexually. The brothers probably exaggerated because they did not want her to be married yet.
her breasts are not yet grown: The phrase her breasts are not yet grown indicates that the girl’s breasts were not as large as they would be when she became a little older. In some languages a literal translation of this phrase may wrongly imply that the woman’s breasts were abnormal or deformed. If that is true in your language, it is better to make the meaning more explicit. For example:
her breasts are still small (Good News Translation)
-or-
her breasts have not yet fully developed
In some languages it may not be proper to speak of a woman’s breasts in this way. There may be a different way to indicate that a girl is not yet physically ready for marriage. For example:
We have a little sister; she is not yet a grown woman.
-or-
We have a sister who is still young.
8:8c–d
What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for: The question in 8:8c–d implies that the brothers were responsible for helping to arrange the marriage of their sister. The phrase the day she is spoken for refers to the time when a man will come to the brothers to tell them that he wants to marry their sister.
In that culture a woman’s brothers felt responsible to be sure that their sister was prepared for marriage. They wanted to know that she was ready to be a good wife, and they wanted to protect her from any man who would not be a good husband for her.
Some other ways to translate the question are:
What will we do to help our sister when someone wants/asks to marry her?
-or-
What will we do for our sister if someone asks to marry her? (New Living Translation (2004))
In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 8:8c and 8:8d. For example:
8d When a man wants to marry our sister, 8c what shall we do for her?
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