This is the first direct address in this unit. As reflected in the Revised Standard Version translation, this verse presents two strictly parallel clauses consisting of imperatives followed by prepositional phrases, and one reason clause. The last line in Hebrew ends with the emphatic form of the pronoun “I,” forming a bracket or inclusio with verse 1.

This verse presents us with several problems. The first is to discover who the young woman is talking to. The opening verb is a second person masculine plural form, which has been explained in several ways. She may be addressing the “daughters of Jerusalem,” since masculine endings can be used in the imperative when addressing women. In favor of this interpretation is the fact that in verse 7 she calls out to this group by name. Another possibility is that the young woman is so moved that she is simply crying out to her lover.

There may be ways for us to retain the ambiguity of who it is that is being addressed. In English imperative forms, for example, singular and plural are not distinguished, so the ambiguity remains. In many languages, however, singular and plural must be distinguished, so a decision must be made. Given the context it seems more likely that the young woman is addressing her lover, so this is the approach we recommend.

There are other difficult problems as well. The meaning of the two verbs sustain and refresh, as well as the identity of the two fruits raisins and apples, are uncertain. The opening verb may mean “strengthen” (similar to Revised Standard Version sustain); but Fox argues that the Hebrew verb form here means “to put to bed.” This is supported by the noun meaning “blanket,” “rug” in Judges 4.18, which has a root with sounds similar to this verb. He also suggests that the second verb, which Revised Standard Version renders as refresh, really means “spread one’s bed,” so the two lines would be parallel in meaning. He interprets the preposition with as “among.” This leaves us with a translation something like:
Put me to bed among fruit clusters,
Spread my bed among the apricot trees.

This rendering is quite appropriate to the context. Few translations follow this interpretation, however, and because of the uncertainty of the meanings of the verb sustain, it is perhaps wiser to retain the traditional reading in the text and make a footnote in which the alternative meaning is recorded. We recommend then “give strength” as the translation of the first verb.

Raisins: the dried fruit of the grape vine. The Hebrew word here appears to refer to some kind of food, possibly raisin cakes, or blocks of dried raisins pressed together (Hos 3.1). Raisins are figurative for love, as are apples in the following phrase. They both are figures associated with the garden imagery. If raisins are known they can be used in the translation. Otherwise we may say “sweet fruit” or “cakes made from fruit.” Again the translator should avoid long explanations, since this is poetry.

The second imperative, refresh me [with apples], is parallel to the first “sustain me.” The term apples was discussed above in verse 3. In this case also, translators may find that a general term “fruit” is in order. Since these parallel lines are similar in meaning, and the identity of the two fruits is not certain, we may want to simply combine clauses: “Revive me, strengthen me with sweet fruit.”

The young woman may be talking about real fruit or about lovemaking in general (verse 3). It is very likely, in fact, that the author meant there to be double meanings. However, this phrase will still require something more, at least in the form of a footnote, to make it clear that the metaphor has a second meaning—it refers to making love. In view of these double meanings, it seems likely that the young woman is talking directly to the young man rather than to the “daughters.”

Translation suggestions are:

• Revive me with raisins [fruit], refresh me with apples [or, apricots].

• Revive me with the sweet fruit of your love.

Verse 5 closes with a motive clause introduced by for. It is this closing portion that makes more obvious the connection between the metaphors and lovemaking. For I am sick with love is the Revised Standard Version rendering, though this sentence may be easily misunderstood. Love has not made her feel sick; rather, she longs for more of the young man’s love. She says she feels sick because this is the effect of her deep longing for him. Good News Translation “I am weary from passion” implies that she is weary as a result of so much passion, which is not the case. We need a translation that makes clear how desperately she longs for more of his love. We may say “For I long for more love,” or “I will be sick if I cannot have more of your love,” or even “I’m dying for more of your love!”

For the whole verse we can suggest the following model:

• Sustain me with raisins!*
Revive me with fruits!
I am dying for more of your love!

An example of a footnote may be:
* raisins, fruits: the meaning of the Hebrew words is uncertain. Many versions translate the second term as “apples.”

If we are preparing a Study Bible, then we can also point out that apples as we know them did not exist in that part of the world at that time.

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 .

Most likely this verse intends to explain why the young man longs for his lover to come to him. He is thoroughly captivated by her beauty.

Again poetic features are prominent. The first line is repeated and then its sense is developed in the second line—a poetic device called heightening. This draws attention to the line, adds emphasis, and creates a beautiful rhythm. In the last two lines there is also repetition of phrases and grammatical parallelism, so that the structure of the verse is quite neat:

You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride
You have ravished my heart
With one look from your eyes
With one jewel from your necklace

You have ravished my heart features a Hebrew verb whose meaning has been uncertain since the very earliest of the ancient translations into Syriac and Latin. The Hebrew root may mean “aroused.” Pope considers this to be the correct sense, based on a usage in the Jewish Mishnah. The same root can mean “inflame” as in Exo 3.2, while other scholars render it “capture.” This latter is similar to usage in Egyptian poems. In view of evidence from other love poems we accept this latter sense, “captured,” as giving the meaning best. Good News Translation is similar with “… have stolen my heart.”

The heart is the center of a person’s being, so the phrase means that the young woman has won the man’s love and affection. Idiomatic phrases in various languages will express this sense appropriately.

My sister, my bride are parallel terms for his beloved. They do not indicate family relationship or married state; both are terms of affection. Note how often the terms are used together in this section—in verses 9, 10, and 12, and in 5.1. In some cultures and social settings, it is possible to refer to a lover as a sister, but in others this is unnatural or even forbidden. If the term will be misunderstood in this context, another term of endearment can be substituted, or the original can be maintained, with a footnote explaining its use in Hebrew culture. For bride see 4.9.

With a glance of your eyes is literally “with one of your eyes” (so Revised English Bible). However, the expression seems very idiomatic, probably meaning something like “with just one glance.” In 1.15 and 4.1 the young man has spoken of the gentleness of his lover’s eyes and their dove-like quality. Here he speaks of the effect these eyes have on him. The idiom itself is very brief, and so we cannot determine exactly what kind of a look she gives him. A more general form is to say “the way you look at me.”

With one jewel of your necklace is linked to the statement about her eyes and shares with it the numeral one. Based on Aramaic usage, we can determine that one jewel actually refers to one strand of beads rather than one bead on a strand. This fits well with the figure in verse 4 about the necklace of many strands, which the young woman is wearing.

We can take a more meaning-based approach in translating this:

• My sister, my bride, the way you look at me, the necklace you wear, these make me love you.

Or we can remain closer to the form of the Hebrew text and say:

• You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride!
You have captured it with just one glance,
With just one strand of your necklace.

• You have stolen my heart, my dearest, my bride
You have stolen my heart,
With one look from your eyes
With one bead from your necklace.

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 .

This verse draws a sharp contrast. Note how the inclusio surrounds the main point of the passage.

Thus in a very graphic way this passage shows how poetic devices combine to emphasize the message of the text. Here we see the young woman surrounded on all sides by many women, but she outshines them all.

My dove, my perfect one, is only one: the young man has called his beloved dove and perfect one on a previous occasion. See notes on 5.2. Only one does not mean that she is the only child in the family. The contrast between the large number of women in the previous verse and his beloved is to show that his lover is unique and special. Though he is exaggerating, he is stressing how wonderful he thinks she is.

The darling is literally “she is one” and repeats the clause as it appears in the first line; this shows where the focus in this verse lies. It speaks powerfully of her unique beauty. The term “one” should be presented in such as way as to draw attention to it. Some languages can follow the Hebrew order by beginning the sentence with the word “one” or “unique,” although this is somewhat awkward in English. New Jerusalem Bible has “Only one is my dove….” If this is not possible the use of the conjunction “but” may help to draw out the contrast. Revised English Bible has a good suggestion: “But there is one alone….” New International Version “But my dove, my perfect one is unique” is also a good model.

The darling of her mother is literally “she is one to her mother.” Good News Translation and New English Bible suggest that she is the only child or only daughter of the mother, but this is not necessarily correct. The numeral “one” contrasts with the previous numbers “sixty” and “eighty” representing vast numbers; so “one” indicates uniqueness. We suggest that the focus is on the woman being without equal, and on the fact that her mother regards her as very special.

Flawless to her that bore her: the young man describes his beloved using a term whose meaning is not obvious. For some versions (for example Septuagint, Syriac) and some commentators the adjective is regarded as coming from the root meaning “choose,” hence it means “chosen,” and thus “favorite.” Others treat the adjective as coming from the root “pure,” “clean,” as in Isa 52.11 and Jer 4.11. In the context of a love poem, the idea of “favorite” is preferred.

Her that bore her provides a neat parallel to her mother from the previous clause. If such repetition is not appreciated, it can be eliminated. However, a better method is to link the phrase closely to its parallel mother: “her mother, the one that bore her, considers her precious.”

Good News Translation has a different view of the meaning here when it says “But I love only one, and she is lovely as a dove.” Bible en français courant agrees: “For me, there is only one woman in the world; it’s my dove, my treasure….” Both of these are quite poetic but focus more on the young man’s feelings about his lover than on her own uniqueness. We recommend a translation that follows the original a little more closely: “But my dove, my perfect one is without equal; she is unique to her mother, favored by the one who gave birth to her,” or “Unique is my beloved, my dove who is perfect; to her mother who bore her, she is also truly special, her favorite.”

The maidens saw her and called her happy: in Hebrew the noun “girls” (or “daughters”) is used here for maidens. We presume they are the same young women identified as the “maidens” in verse 8. This kind of general expression really means “every girl” or “all women” as in Good News Translation. The point here is to indicate that it is not only the young man who thinks his beloved is outstandingly beautiful, but that even other women have the same opinion. We can follow Good News Translation or use the same term or one similar to that used in verse 8; for example, “young women,” “maidens.”

Called her happy is a phrase used in Pro 31.28 (“call her blessed”), where it is also in parallel to the verb “praise.” The use of an imperfect verb form means they regularly “pronounced her to be happy.” They recognized how happy and blessed she was, and certainly envied her. Translating literally will probably convey little meaning, so an alternative may need to be found. Good News Translation simply uses “praise” in this line and “sing her praises” in the second. This is acceptable. We can also turn the phrase into direct speech: “And they said, ‘How lucky [or, fortunate] she is!’ ”

The queens and concubines also, and they praised her: this repeats the thought of the previous line and concludes the inclusio. Their praise of the young woman meant they acknowledged how beautiful or wonderful she was. This same verb describes how Sarah was commended to Pharaoh in Gen 12.15. When using the verb “praise” it may be necessary to supply an object in some languages. The most natural one here is “her beauty.” In a freer translation we may say “they recognized how beautiful she was!”

We suggest rendering verses 8 and 9 in a way that will bring out the beauty and message of the passage. The translator will have to consider which poetic features can be transferred and which must be replaced by others. The verses may look like this:

• Yes, there may be sixty queens, eighty concubines,
and young women without number!
Yet, my dove is perfect, she stands alone!
Her mother’s favorite, her special one!
Yes, the young women saw her and said,
“How fortunate she is!”
The queens and concubines praised her beauty too.

By combining the two verses we make sure the inclusio is clearly seen.

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 .

Here there is no doubt as to who is speaking—it is clearly the young woman. If we accept the interpretation of verse 15 suggested above, where the young woman is asking her lover to defend her from other men, then verse 16 flows directly from verse 15. Note, however, that most versions see a break here, in subject matter as well as in speaker.

Verses 16 and 17 are typically grouped together, but there is little evidence for doing so. Though both verses refer to My beloved, verse 16 is a declaration of mutual love, referring to him in the third person, while verse 17 is a call to him. What is clear is that verse 17 recalls the beginning of this poem (2.8-9). One possibility is to group verses 15 and 16 together and to set verse 17 apart as the closing end of the inclusio or bracket. Jerusalem Bible considers verses 15, 16, and 17 as each being semi-independent and separates them from each other.

My beloved is mine and I am his expresses the close relationship of the lovers, the sense that they belong exclusively to one another. A similar but not identical statement is found in 6.3. In Hebrew this line is very poetic. There are only four words, “my-lover to-me and-I to-him,” with a kind of point-counterpoint rhythm, heightened by the repeated sounds i and o.

The Hebrew expresses the young couple’s relationship in terms of “possession” or “ownership,” but this may not be the natural way to express a love relationship in other languages. If necessary we may have to be more specific, “I love my beloved and he loves me,” though this certainly loses some of the impact of the expression. In any event we should try to follow the example of the original, which shows that their love is mutual. Every effort should be made to retain the poetic flavor of this crucial line. For example, the rhythmic “My lover belongs to me and I belong to him” better captures the feeling of their mutual love than “My lover and I belong to each other.”

He pastures his flock among the lilies: there is considerable ambiguity in this brief phrase. Opening the statement is the Hebrew word haroʿeh, which may be a noun with the definite article, “the shepherd,” or a participial phrase, “he who shepherds.” Part of our difficulty is in deciding the meaning of the verb rʿh, for apart from the “shepherding” notion it can also mean “to find pleasure,” “to delight in.” We can also render the meaning as “he delights in,” and New English Bible offers this translation, though Revised English Bible has chosen to use the verb “grazes.” His flock is added by those translations that understand the root to be talking about caring for the sheep, in which case the phrase is contained in the sense of the verb. Thus the root rʿh probably has a double meaning.

On lilies refer to comments on 2.1. It is clear from 5.13 that lilies are symbolic for a woman’s lips, and thus for sexual activity. We can conclude that the more probable meaning of this statement is that the young man delights in feeding on her lips, the “lilies” of her “garden.” The advantage of this interpretation is that it gives a clearer reason for linking the two parts of the verse together; it explains in what way they belong to each other.

Suggested translations are:

• My lover is mine and I am his; he [alone] feeds among the lilies.

• My lover belongs to me and I belong to him; he finds pleasure among the lilies.

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 .

The young woman hears her lover apparently trying to enter the room. The phrase put his hand to is the regular Hebrew expression “to stretch out one’s hand.” Normally this is followed by the preposition “on, by,” but in this case we find the preposition min, meaning “from.” With the woman inside the room, the preposition must here mean “in through.” The noun latch is actually “hole” in Hebrew and can refer literally to the window or opening in the wall referred to in 2.9. The meaning then is “my beloved put his hand through the opening” as in New American Bible. He put his hand inside either to beckon her or to touch her.

However, it is widely recognized that hand (yad) has a secondary meaning “penis” (as in the lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs [BDB], for instance); and at least some commentators think the word “hole” has a double meaning as well. The two meanings would be recognized by any Israelite who heard and read these poems. These facts may be included in a footnote, though some readers may be able to catch the secondary meanings of this passage without these helps.

And my heart was thrilled within me: knowing that he is so close makes her anxious; her heart is now pounding wildly. Heart is not the same Hebrew noun as used in verse 2 but is the same noun used in verse 14, where it is translated “body.” The Hebrew actually refers to a person’s internal organs (New English Bible “my bowels”; Jerusalem Bible “the core of my being”), with the sense that this is where emotions originate. Good News Translation merely describes the response as “I was thrilled” without identifying any part of the body. This is quite acceptable.

The translation was thrilled within me depends on a slight alteration to the text, which would give “my insides growled inside because of him.” This colorful description can also be given as “I yearned for him,” as in Jer 31.20. Though the textual change followed by Revised Standard Version and some others does have minor manuscript support, we prefer to follow the original Hebrew text: “I [or, my whole being] longed for him.” If the Revised Standard Version text is followed, then perhaps a footnote indicating the alternative meaning is advisable.

For translation we may suggest:

• My lover put his hand through the opening,
And I was moved in the innermost part of my being.

• My beloved put his hand through the latch,
And my whole being longed for him.*
Footnote: * Some manuscripts have “I was thrilled [or, moved] within me.”

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 .

The author of these poems has used trees (cedars) and plants (vines, flowers) as images of the two lovers. Here we find another. The young woman is likened to a palm tree. This almost certainly is a date palm rather than a coconut or other kind of palm, but in translation we may have to use a general term “palm tree” if there is no other, or use the actual name of a type of palm if there is no general term. If palm trees are unknown, then “tree” may be all that we can say. The most likely reason for using the palm tree model is that palms grow tall and slender, like a beautiful woman. This aspect of beauty is conveyed in the word stately, describing stature or height. In Hebrew the noun “your stature” has the demonstrative “this” attached, so it is rather emphatic, literally “this your stature is like….” In some languages a noun exists to refer to a person’s height, but in other languages a verbal or adjectival form will have to be used: “You stand tall like…” or “You are as tall as….”

Good News Translation suggests we give the meaning as “you are as graceful as…,” but the more accurate rendering is “you are as tall and graceful as….”

Your breasts are like its clusters: the fruit of the palm tree hangs in clusters just under its branches at the top of the tall trunk. The young man compares his lover to the palm tree by likening her breasts to these clusters. Of course the analogy cannot be carried too far. The woman has only two breasts. What he probably has in mind is that her breasts are round and full. In many parts of the world, palm trees will be a familiar item, and comparing women to these trees may be common. Where the palm is unknown we can call the clusters “fruit”: “Your breasts are like its [bunches of] fruit.”

In translation we can make the comparison clear if need be: “Your breasts are full and round like the [clusters of the] fruit of the palm,” or following on from the previous line, “Your breasts are full and round like its fruit.”

A possible translation of the whole verse is:

• You are as tall and graceful as a palm.
Your breasts are like its clusters of fruit.

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 .

The young man seems to want to add to his lover’s beauty by offering her more jewelry.

We will make: in verse 9 the young man began his comparison with the words “I will compare you,” but here we have a first person plural We. Who does this We refer to? We note there is a close resemblance between this passage and the one in 1.4. There also the text shifted from first person singular to first person plural, and we saw that the “we” could refer to the young woman and her group of friends, to the young woman herself, or to the couple. What is the case here? Is the young man including his friends, or is he speaking on his own? Or is he possibly using a form of endearing speech? The context, we believe, indicates he is speaking of himself. In English there are contexts in which we may use first person plural where the meaning is clearly “I.” If there is a similar use of “we” in the translator’s language, we can certainly retain it here. Otherwise we can translate with a singular “I.”

It may also be possible that this expression means that the young man will not be the one making the jewelry. In some languages people make a distinction between ordering something to be done and actually doing that action themselves. If this is the case it is probably the first sense that is in view. In such languages we may need to include this idea in the translation: “Let’s have some [more] jewelry made for you….”

The ornaments are the same as those described in verse 10. Whether he will give her more of the same or will provide other kinds of jewelry is not clear. Jerusalem Bible here uses “earrings,” distinguishing it from the other trinkets she wears. Perhaps it is wisest to retain the same translation of ornaments that was used in the previous verse, though translators may feel it best to use a more particular term in place of the general one. Gold, a rare and highly valued metal, symbolizes the measure of his love for her.

Studded with silver describes the additional decorations. Studded is the Revised Standard Version attempt to render a rare term whose meaning is not fully clear. The root appears to mean spotted or marked in some fashion, so the term itself may well mean that the gold is inlaid with silver. Some translations understand the silver objects to be separate from the gold ones; so Jerusalem Bible has “beads of silver” as a separate item, and New American Bible “silver ornaments.” The text allows both possibilities, but the root of the participle studded seems to suggest that the gold objects are further decorated with silver. While most languages have a word for gold, some may not have a word for silver. If this is the case we can stress the value or the beauty of the jewelry in a general way: “I will make you the most expensive ornaments, set in the finest metal.”

Possible translations:

• I will make you gold jewelry set in silver.

• I will make gold and silver trinkets for you.

• We will make you more precious jewelry [of the highest value].

Note that Good News Translation sees the verse as contrasting with the previous one. Since the translators of Good News Translation take the description in verse 10 to refer to the young woman’s hair, in this verse they see the young man offering her something to enhance her natural beauty—this time real ornaments: “But we will make for you a chain of gold….” This interpretation does not have much support and so should not be followed.

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 .