This verse provides a sharp contrast with what has just been said. The nature of the contrast will depend on who is speaking in verses 8-9. If it is the young woman, and if she is referring to her own little sister, then she is contrasting her sister’s physical immaturity with her own full maturity. If it is the brothers addressing their younger sister, then it is the young woman who is defiantly claiming that she is no longer a girl but a fully mature woman.
I was a wall is the way Revised Standard Version presents this noun clause, using a past tense was. In the Hebrew no verb “be” is used here, so either a past tense (Revised Standard Version) or a present (New American Bible, New International Version, Jerusalem Bible) can be understood. How we translate will depend on the interpretation given to wall. We have seen that an interpretation of virginity is not logical in this context, so we conclude that this is a metaphor for being flat-chested. We need to take the following line into consideration before deciding further about the time reference of this clause.
And my breasts were like towers: here we come to the real message of the young woman. She is not immature. She is fully developed. The conjunction (Revised Standard Version and) can be rendered as “and” or as a contrasting “but.” Since there is a clear contrast intended here, “but” or a similar conjunction is the best choice. Again Revised Standard Version has given a past tense reading to this text, but in Hebrew the phrase is ambiguous. Certainly the time reference here is to the present, “my breasts are like towers.” In some languages we may want to provide the basis of the comparison: “my breasts are as tall as towers!”
Thus in translating we can take one of several approaches. If we think the young woman is emphasizing the contrast between the past and the present, we can say “I was a wall, but now my breasts are like towers.” Or if we think she is being ironic, we can say “Yes, I am a wall, a wall with tall towers!” or “Yes, compare me to a wall, but I am rather a wall with beautiful tall towers!”
How we translate will also depend on the way people view such a discussion. In some parts of the world, for example, it is common for people to teasingly comment on the size of a girl’s breasts. If such banter is acceptable, then our translation can be straightforward: “I was like a wall [with no breasts at all], but now, my breasts are big like towers.” But if such talk is shocking, as it may be in some cultural groups, we can use less vivid language, “but I am now mature and ready for marriage,” though obviously this loses the light humor of this passage.
Then I was in his eyes as one who brings peace: the introductory particle then shows the relationship between this clause and the previous one. It is one of logical consequence. Because of her sexual maturity her lover responds in a certain way. The opening particle can be rendered also as “Therefore,” “So,” or “As a result.”
I was in his eyes: the verb is best rendered “have become” rather than with the simple past was. The sense of “have become” is that it marks a change from a past situation to what she now describes. In English, therefore, a present tense “am” or a present perfect “have become” is acceptable.
In his eyes means “as far as he is concerned” or “in his sight,” not “under his eyes” (Jerusalem Bible) in the sense of being under the young man’s protection. We may translate it as “he sees me as” or “he thinks I am….” Some commentators wish to change the pronoun suffix “his” to “your,” while some follow a minor Septuagint text that has “their” eyes. No adequate reason for such a change exists. The young woman need not be speaking directly to her lover. It will probably be necessary to indicate who his refers to, so we suggest “As far as my lover is concerned” or “My lover sees me as….”
As one who brings peace: there are problems with this phrase, as Revised Standard Version points out. The verb in question is either a participial form of the verb “find,” (Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Fox) or a participle of the root meaning “come out.” This latter gives a translation “one who brings out, produces” (followed by New International Version, New English Bible, Gordis). Opinion is clearly divided. However, the problem does not rest there, for how we interpret the phrase determines how we render the fuller sense. Who is it who finds peace? The young woman, or her lover? Who brings or gives peace? The young man, or the woman? New American Bible, Good News Translation, and Jerusalem Bible have the man welcoming the woman; Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New English Bible and others consider it is the young woman who brings well-being to her lover.
Thus there are two problems to be resolved. The first one concerns the subject of the verb brings. As the young woman is the speaker, our conclusion is that she is the subject. What she actually does depends on our interpretation of the verb phrase brings peace. So our other problem has to do with the verb itself; and that is an even more complex problem. Our conclusion is that, because the verb “find” has been used frequently throughout the Song, and the verb “come out” has not, it is more likely that the verb “find” is the one used here. However, in view of the uncertainty, we can put the alternative in a footnote.
A third question now flows from the above: What is it that the young woman finds? Peace is the Hebrew word shalom. It carries various meanings, all having to do with a person’s sense of “well-being.” It is a very positive term and may mean “friendship” or “favor.” New American Bible suggests “one to be welcomed,” while New English Bible thinks it means “contentment.” In the light of the discussion about the young woman’s physical maturity, what does shalom mean here? It may well be some kind of euphemism for sexual fulfillment. However, the root also has the meaning “complete,” so it is our opinion that she is using shalom to portray the fact that she has reached full or complete maturity. Thus the translation of the phrase brings peace is “one who has reached maturity,” “one who is complete [fully mature].”
Translation of the entire clause then becomes “So he thinks of me as one who is now mature,” “He sees me as one who has reached full maturity.” In view of the problem with this text and interpretation, we will need to include a footnote with a reference to the Hebrew idiom used.
The whole verse can say:
• I was a wall, but now my breasts are as tall as towers!
Therefore I have found favor in his eyes.*
Footnote: * Or “Therefore my lover thinks of me as fully mature.”
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .