“A lovely hind, a graceful doe”: This line seems to be parenthetical, that is, something added about the wife in verse 18. It is outside the regular pattern of two parallel lines to each verse. “A hind” refers to a female deer and is used also in Job 39.1. “Graceful” in reference to a deer calls attention to the beauty of form and movement. “A doe” here refers to a female mountain goat. Good News Translation shows this line to be a comment on the “wife” in verse 18 by its punctuation. Contemporary English Version begins a new sentence with verse 19 “She is beautiful and graceful. . ..”

Whether or not you will apply this description to a woman will depend upon the usage of your language. In some cases other local animals will need to be substituted. If the image of a graceful animal is inappropriate, it may be necessary to say, for example, “a beautiful and graceful woman” or “a woman as beautiful and graceful as a. . .” and supply the appropriate comparison.

We may note that there is a chiastic (A-B-B-A) structure in the remainder of this verse and the next verse. It forms the conclusion of this part and may be set out as follows:

. . with another woman,

“Let her affection fill you at all times with delight”: “Affection fill . . . with delight” is literally “Let her breasts always satisfy you.” A change in the vowels of the Hebrew word for “breasts” gives “love.” However, most translations take “breasts” as a symbol or image of love, affection, or charm. New Jewish Publication Society Version translates literally: “Let her breasts satisfy you at all times.” Good News Translation says “charms.” Bible en français courant takes “breasts” as representing the whole body and says “May her body always fill you with joy.”

The word rendered “fill” means to drink your fill or to be intoxicated. It is used in 7.18, where Revised Standard Version translates “let us take our fill of love.” In this verse Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Her breasts should always intoxicate you.” Traduction Œcuménique de la Bible has “Intoxicate yourself with her love.” Moffatt translates “let her breasts give you rapture,” where “rapture” refers to an intense state of emotion or ecstasy.

“Be infatuated always with her love”: This line closely parallels the previous one, so “infatuated” renders a word that matches the one meaning “intoxicated” in the first line and means to stagger from being drunk. It is used in Isa 28.7, where Revised Standard Version translates “These also reel with wine.” “Infatuated” is misleading in this context because it suggests that the love or emotional attachment is foolish and temporal. If the idea of being drunk with her love is unsatisfactory, we may say, for example, “Let her love excite you” or “Let her love make you happy.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .