What is that…?: the Hebrew interrogative is “Who,” not What, so Revised Standard Version changes the focus of the question. That (Hebrew zoth) is actually a feminine singular demonstrative, which many commentators understand as a reference to the bride, or at least to the bride’s group, arriving for her marriage to King Solomon. However, there is no other term suggesting the presence of a young woman in the carriage, let alone a bride. Furthermore verse 7 provides a very straightforward answer: “It is Solomon’s litter!” The Hebrew noun “litter” is feminine, so we prefer to understand that to refer to the carriage and those traveling inside or alongside it.

Many versions adopting this interpretation translate the opening interrogative as “what” instead of the literal “who?” The form we choose will vary according to the needs of our own language. In some languages “Who?” is general enough to cover a group of people or a caravan seen in the distance.

Coming up from the wilderness describes the caravan as it appears on the horizon. Coming up is a participle, and although it can be used of movement from a southerly direction, the context does not give any indication of where the group is traveling from or where it is headed. We suggest a general translation, “traveling from” or “coming out of.”

Wilderness: the sparsely vegetated area east of Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as the drier region south of Hebron. It is a dry area with little rain and is where sheep and goats are kept. “Desert” (Good News Translation and others) is a term to be reserved for truly desert areas. “Uninhabited” is one of the components of meaning of the term wilderness, but the fact that there is only limited and seasonal vegetation is also important. Translators may use something like “dry areas where sheep are pastured,” “sparsely vegetated country,” or “the area where nobody lives.” However, it is important to remember the nature of this passage. It is poetic. The emphasis is not so much on geographic detail but rather on the picture this word paints. Some have even suggested that there is a deeper level of meaning in these images, namely the young woman watching her lover from afar as he brings his flocks in.

Like a column of smoke: the caravan approaches. But does its appearance “look like” columns of smoke, or are they advancing “in” columns of smoke? Many commentators change the preposition k- (“like”) to b- (“in”), but no clearer meaning results. Normally a large group of people, a caravan, or a flock of animals approaching across a dry area will raise lots of dust. In fact at first this is usually all that is visible, the sign that something is approaching. Therefore we prefer to retain the word “like.” Joel 2.30 is the only other place where this Hebrew word is used of a column or pillar. It refers to a column of smoke from fires. Here the simile borrows the cloud imagery to speak of the advancing group.

Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense: this phrase begins an extended simile that continues on to the end of the verse. The verb perfumed is a passive participle from a root that normally means “to send sacrifices up in smoke.” It is given by Revised English Bible as “from the burning of….” Good News Translation “fragrant with” is not as acceptable, because the point of the analogy seems to be the cloud effect rather than the aroma. New American Bible “laden with” assumes that the advancing caravan is carrying spices and other goods for trade. We consider this inadequate, while Jerusalem Bible “breathing of myrrh…” is even more obscure.

The two spices referred to are myrrh (see comments on 1.13) and frankincense. This latter comes from the bark of a tree native to India. Where these kinds of spices are not known or not used in this way, translators may use a descriptive phrase such as “like [clouds of] smoke from the burning of sweet smelling shrubs.” Otherwise we can say “[like] rising clouds of incense.”

There is yet another level of meaning probable here, for throughout this book spices and their aromas are associated with sexual activity. The poem not only describes a fragrant smell but suggests anticipated lovemaking. Compare Pro 7.15-17 for a similar description of a love bed. This gives another level of interpretation to this passage, namely that the detailed description reminds us not only of the regal quality of the young woman’s lover, but of the delights of their “love nest” as well.

With all the fragrant powders of the merchant: the word rendered by Revised Standard Version as fragrant powders occurs only once in the entire Old Testament, but its masculine equivalent does occur in Deut 28.24 and Exo 9.9, where it means “dust.” Powders is a general term with many senses, so we probably need some narrower definition like “spices.” New American Bible “every exotic dust” is a strange expression and should not be followed. When Revised Standard Version adds the adjective fragrant, it is probably justified in this context.

Merchant or “trader” indicates that the powders were being carried by the caravan from another region along the trade route. Though singular in form, merchant is collective; we can translate as either singular or plural. We can render this as “spices imported by merchants”; in fact the simple expression “imported spices” is sufficient to express the meaning of the text.

Good News Translation expands powders of the merchant to state that it was incense “sold by” the traders. In the present context, however, the reference is not to trading activity as such, so we should not follow that example.

Introducing this phrase is a Hebrew word rendered with all. There is no agreement as to its meaning and function in this context. Generally commentators agree with Revised Standard Version with all, though New English Bible suggests “from all.” Since this will have little bearing on the meaning, Revised Standard Version can be followed. We may wish to make the all clearer by saying “all kinds of spices brought by merchants.”

A suggestion for translation is “It looks like columns of smoke, like clouds of incense and all kinds of [imported] spices brought by traders.”

We noted that this verse is in the form of a question, and this question sets the scene for the verses that follow. Thus it has an important role in the structure of the poem. The translator should decide whether a question can be used with this function in a poetic context in the translation.

At the same time we recall the setting of this speech. We can imagine the scene and hear one person both asking and answering the question: “Who is that? … Why, it’s Solomon’s carriage…!” If a question cannot be used in such a setting as this, translators can use an exclamation, “Look, someone is coming out of the wilderness…!” Verse 7 will reveal who or what is coming. Thus the question needs to be translated in such a way as to show how it introduces what follows, draws attention, and generates excitement. We are reminded that this is the excitement of a young woman as she sees her lover approaching.

The entire verse can be worded:

• Who is that, emerging on the horizon,
Raising dust, like columns of smoke,
Clouds of incense and myrrh arising,
With every other kind of spice that merchants bring?

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 .

From the general description in verse 10, the young woman continues by picturing her lover in detail. She starts, as these songs traditionally do, by describing his head.

His head is the finest gold: although the Hebrew clearly says “his head,” Good News Translation considers this to mean his face. This view comes no doubt from the fact that if his head were gold his hair would hardly be black. In Dan 2.32 the king saw in his dreams a statue whose head was made of gold, so there is some significance in the young woman’s description, especially as several parts of his body are likened to gold. Perhaps the point of comparing him to gold is to express something of great beauty. Whether it refers to his head or just his face is difficult to determine, but, as in many poems, being so specific is not always uppermost in the poet’s mind.

Finest gold renders the Hebrew combination of two different and unusual nouns for gold (similar apparently to Dan 10.5; 1 Kgs 10.18). The combination is generally thought to indicate the finest quality gold. Good News Translation “bronzed and smooth” understands the nouns to refer to the young man’s color and complexion rather than his beauty. If the description is of his head, then the precise meaning of the phrase finest gold is unclear. We may have to accept the Good News Translation interpretation and understand it to refer to his face; it is beautiful and bronzed. The problem of determining the precise meaning of the phrase goes as far back as the Septuagint period. We suggest that the metaphor intends to say something like “his head is beautiful like fine gold” or “his face is beautiful and bronzed.”

His locks are wavy: the term locks occurs above in verse 2. Refer there for comments. Wavy is the translation given for the Hebrew adjective, which is also used to describe part of the palm tree. In rabbinic literature it describes something like “waves” or “curls.” This seems to be an appropriate rendering, so we suggest rendering it as “his hair is curly.”

Black as a raven: the adjective black was used in 1.5, 6 and is a standard term. It may indicate that the lover is a young man with no gray hair or, perhaps more likely, that his hair was shiny and beautiful. Elsewhere in the Old Testament raven, or “crow,” represents an unclean scavenger bird (Lev 11.15; Pro 30.17). Here, however, we can safely assume the bird symbolizes blackness. Where this bird is not known or is associated with something negative, we can refer to another black bird or use a local idiom for blackness; for example, “black as coal,” “black as pitch,” or “black as night.”

Translation of the last part of the verse can be “his hair is wavy, and black as a raven.” The entire verse can then be:

• His face is bronzed and beautiful,
his hair wavy, [and] black as a raven.

• His head is finely shaped,
as from purest gold.
His hair is curly, and
as dark as night.

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 .

O that you were like a brother to me: the opening words in Hebrew express a longing or wish. The expression is usually translated “Oh, that…” in Revised Standard Version and is found often in Job (6.8; 11.5; 13.5; 14.4, 13) and occasionally in Psalms (53.6; 55.6). The translator may be able to find an idiomatic expression for this notion, or we can simply say “If only…” or “I wish that you were….” Note that in English the phrase “wish that you were…” is used to show that the young man is not actually her brother. In many languages there are special verb forms that must be used to communicate a wish that things were different than they actually are.

Like a brother to me: the significance of this brother-sister relationship comes out in the following half of the verse, and so it must be taken into account in determining the sense here. Some commentators see a possible Canaanite influence in this passage, with the brother and sister representing the god and goddess of fertility. However, in this setting in which the two lovers merely speak to each other, such a view does not seem appropriate. The scene is one in which the two lovers are enjoying one another out in the fields away from public view because their relationship is still secret. The young woman wishes they did not have to meet so secretly. If only they could meet openly and seem like brother and sister, then she would be even happier than she is now.

Her wish that he were like a brother clearly does not mean that she would like him to treat her as a real sister, or that their relationship might be that of actual brother and sister. Her real longing is for their relationship to be publicly acceptable. Therefore those translations that speak in literal terms of a brother-sister relationship, like Good News Translation (“I wish you were my brother”), Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, may be misleading, even suggesting incest. We catch her sense with a translation like “If only you could be seen with me, like a brother could” or “If only you could be with me openly, like a brother could.”

That nursed at my mother’s breast is a phrase modifying brother, a son of her own mother. The point is clear; a brother belongs in the same intimate family setting. Since the two are still secret lovers, she longs for the time when, like brother and sister, they can be together naturally and with the family’s blessing.

The mention of “nursing,” that is, breast-feeding, may present a difficulty for translation in some languages. Views about breast-feeding vary from culture to culture. In most contexts a literal translation of the Hebrew, “one who nursed at my mother’s breast,” will be perfectly acceptable, while in others it may be offensive or may not fit in with the general tone of the Song. If this is the case we can substitute other expressions, such as “raised by the same mother,” “one who was born and raised in the same family,” or “one my own mother fed and raised.”

If I met you: this clause can be rendered as a conditional, If …, or as a time clause, “Whenever I met you….” The young woman is imagining something that could possibly happen. In literary English we may say “Were I to meet you” or “Should I meet you.” The verb is actually “find,” the same keyword we have seen throughout the Song, but especially in the dream scenes (3.1-6; 5.6). When the watchmen “find” the young woman, however, the sense is more “come upon” or even “see,” as though it were a chance meeting. It is hard to know which meaning is intended here. If we decide the woman is actually searching for her lover, we can say “Whenever I come to meet you.” However, many translations are ambiguous: “if I found you outside…” (New International Version); “if I met you out of doors…” (Jerusalem Bible). Since the verb seems to be ambiguous in Hebrew, either interpretation can be adopted. An ambiguous expression such as Jerusalem Bible above will be quite acceptable, but trying to preserve the key verb “find” is important as well.

Though many translations add the conditional marker If at this point, the real condition is contained in the previous phrase, “If only you were my brother, then….” Several versions make this logical relationship clearer by including “then” before the conditional marker; thus “Then, if I met you in the street…” (Good News Translation). We can also say “Then if I were to meet you….” New Jerusalem Bible is similar, though it makes this clause (If I met you) a subordinate clause and places it after the main clause, I would kiss you …. This rearrangement makes the logical relationship between the clauses very clear:
Then I could kiss you
When [If] I met you in the street.

Outside or “in the street” (Good News Translation) has the wider sense of “openly,” “in public.” Thus New American Bible and New English Bible “out of doors” is rather weak, since it includes places like the fields, where no one would see them. The young woman wishes they could meet openly rather than secretly as at present, away from where people can see them.

I would kiss you or Good News Translation “I could…” indicates the new possibility. If only they could openly be lovers, such behavior would be acceptable. On kiss see comments on 1.2. The Hebrew word can also describe one object touching another, or in contact with another; but in this setting kiss is probably the best term to use. However, if kissing in public is not appropriate behavior between brothers and sisters, then this passage will not be understood. In that case we can either put the explanation in a footnote or use a more general expression, “be close to you” or “show you that I love you.”

None would despise me indicates that the young woman would not be breaking Hebrew cultural or social rules or doing something that would cause her and her family to lose face. Despise, or “reproach, scorn,” indicates how people feel about unacceptable behavior. Jerusalem Bible offers “without people thinking ill of me.” Good News Translation suggests “no one would mind,” but this is rather weak. In some contexts the public display of affection, which breaks accepted rules, is punishable under the law, so we may need to use quite a strong word.

Translation possibilities for these clauses are:

• I could touch you and there would be nothing wrong with it.

• I could show you how much I love you and no one would be offended.

• I could kiss you openly and it would not be wrong.

The whole verse can then say:

• If only you were my brother,
a member of my very own family,
Then I could kiss you in the open,
And no one would condemn 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 .

This is her lover’s response to her comment. Since the young man is responding, we should add a marginal note to indicate this change of speaker, as in Good News Translation.

As a lily among brambles: we have suggested that there is an underlying purpose in what the young woman says about herself; she wants her lover to tell her she is no ordinary beauty but something special. Notice how he does exactly that; he takes up her reference to lily and builds his words around that. She is a lily, but an outstanding one. Other women are like brambles in comparison.

Brambles, or “thorns” (Revised English Bible, Good News Translation), represent all other women, perhaps even the women of Jerusalem. The brambles may have flowers, but they also have sharp thorns, whereas the flower is soft, delicate, and pretty. The young man flatters her, just as she hoped he would.

There is a slight problem here in knowing whether the poet is speaking of two plants or one. If they are two different plants, a lily and a thornbush, then the lily is growing alongside the thornbush. It contrasts with the thornbush because of its beautiful and delicate flower. If he is referring to one plant, then the reference is probably to one plant (such as a rose) whose branches are covered with thorns, but from which blossoms a beautiful flower. As we have really no way of knowing which is the case, either view is acceptable. The important point is to contrast a plant with no beauty with one of stunning beauty. For translation, then, we can say “like a lily growing among thorny plants” or “like a flower among thorns.”

The opening phrase in this speech begins with the particle “Like,” “As,” and is balanced in the second half by the adverb “thus,” “so.” These features create an internal parallelism in the verse:
as lily
among the thorns
so my darling
among the maidens

Note again how brief this poetic verse is. Revised Standard Version renders the brief form and balance well, and so can be used as a model. In some languages, however, we may have to state clearly the object of the comparison; so we can say “As a lily stands out among thorns, so does my love among women” or “As a lily exceeds thorns [in beauty], so my love exceeds all other women.”

My love among maidens: in 1.9 we commented on the term of endearment my love. Just as the flower stands out colorfully and beautifully against the thornbush, so is his beloved outstanding among the other women.

Maidens is the Hebrew term “daughters” and is almost certainly a reference to the young women of Jerusalem in 1.5. By using this term the young man shows that he agrees with her earlier comment that, despite being burned by the sun, she is still beautiful. Following the text strictly we can translate “so my love is more beautiful than the daughters of Jerusalem”; but probably a wider sense is in view here: “so my love is more beautiful than other [women].”

Many languages are likely to have an idiom in which the beauty of a flower is contrasted with a thorn plant or something similar. In such a case, if the saying carries the same purpose as the idiom here, we can use it to make our translation culturally more meaningful.

In the verse that follows, the young woman echoes the young man by comparing him to other young men (“sons” in Hebrew). To preserve the poetic structure and impact of this passage, it will be important to use the same expressions in the next verse as those that appear here.

For translation we suggest:

• As a flower is more beautiful than a thorn, so is my darling more beautiful than all other women.

• As a lily stands out among thorns,
So you, my love, stand out among all other women.

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 .

Thus far the poem has been entirely in the second person as the young man addresses the young woman. Suddenly in this verse there is a shift to first person. It is as if the young man is overcome by his own words and wants to find his lover as soon as possible.

On the opening phrase see comments on 2.17. The meaning is “Before morning dawns and the darkness disappears.”

I will hie me: the Hebrew is unusual here. Revised Standard Version and New Jerusalem Bible translate hie, or “go,” with a reflexive verb (New Jerusalem Bible “I will betake me”). There may be urgency in his statement, “I must go…,” or perhaps determination, “I am determined to go….” Contemporary English Version translates “I will hurry.” The young man appears overcome by his lover’s physical beauty. When he says “I shall take myself to…,” he is not thinking of traveling somewhere. The following terms mountain and hill are clearly metaphors for her breasts.

Good News Translation translates the verb “go” by “stay” and reverses the order of the clauses, “I will stay on the hill … until the morning….” This way of putting it suggests, however, that he is already there, and so does not seem to reflect the original meaning faithfully.

The mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense are parallel phrases. On the two spices, myrrh and frankincense, see the comments in 3.6. Reference here is to the young woman’s body, her breasts in particular. This understanding fits with the mention in 1.13 of the young man lying between her breasts like a sachet containing myrrh.

In some languages a literal translation may be understood to refer to two locations, a high mountain and a low hill. If the real sense of these terms is a reference to the woman’s breasts, such an understanding is inappropriate. Therefore it may be more helpful to reduce the parallelism and say “mountains of myrrh and frankincense.” Contemporary English Version adds a demonstrative, “those hills,” making a direct reference back to “breasts” in verse 5. This shows very clearly the transition between the two verses and gives quite a poetic effect:

• I will hurry to those hills
covered with perfume
and stay there until dawn.

Other possible translations are:

• I shall go to your mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense.

• I shall come to your spiced [or, sweet-smelling] mountains.

For the entire verse, we can suggest:

• Before day breaks and shadows flee,
I will go to your mountains of spice.

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 .

Refer to comments on 4.2 for the meaning of this verse and recommended translation. Rendering the terms appearing in both verses in a consistent way will help indicate the links between them.

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 .

Verse 11 has set the scene for the speaker’s comment here. We note that the focus is on the vineyard and who owns it. The words Solomon, keepers, fruit, and thousand all echo what has been said, tying these two verses together. However, verse 12 is meant to express contrast, so a contrastive conjunction such as “But” will be very appropriate.

My vineyard, my very own, is for myself: this clause is ambiguous and its interpretation depends on who is speaking. If the young woman is speaking, she means that, while Solomon may hire out his vineyard, her “vineyard” is not for hire. My vineyard, my very own forcefully expresses her ownership of it. It echoes 1.6, so see the discussion there. Is for myself is literally “is before my face.” This means that the vineyard is still in her possession, in her care. Jerusalem Bible says “But I look after my own vineyard myself.” New International Version and New English Bible go further: “But my own vineyard is mine to give.” New American Bible is similar: “My vineyard is at my own disposal.” The vineyard is figurative for the young woman, so she is saying she will give her love, that is, herself, to the person she desires. This comment can be linked to verse 7, where we learn that no amount of money can buy a woman’s love. It may also link with verses 8-10, where the woman seems to want to show her independence from her brothers. She owns the vineyard and she will give it to whomever she likes.

But some major translations, including Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, along with Fox, see this entire passage as spoken by the young man. In this case the above clause means, in the words of Good News Translation, “I have a vineyard of my own.” Fox shows the young man’s pride of ownership: “But my vineyard is before me.” While at first the vineyard belongs to the young woman (1.6), this verse announces a change of perspective; the young woman has given the vineyard to him, so it now belongs to him. The young woman he loves is his, so he feels “richer” than Solomon. He tells Solomon to keep his vineyard and his money.

In view of the difficulty of making a decision as to which interpretation is correct, the best we can do is choose one speaker and include a footnote giving the other possible rendering.

You, O Solomon, may have the thousand: there are two basic views of this verse. Either the young man speaks and addresses “Solomon,” or it is a play on words, the young woman addressing her lover as “Solomon.”

Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and Bible en français courant see this as a challenge to a figurative Solomon. (In Good News Translation and Bible en français courant the taunt is made by the young man; in Contemporary English Version by the young woman). Good News Translation and Bible en français courant both place this clause at the beginning of the verse to emphasize that Solomon is not the owner. Bible en français courant says “Solomon, keep your 1,000 pieces of silver, with 200 for the guards! My vineyard belongs to me. I keep it myself.” We can render Solomon as a vocative as in Bible en français courant, or we can make his name part of a wish, “Let Solomon have his 1,000 coins,” or as in Good News Translation, “Solomon is welcome to his 1,000 coins….”

However, the other interpretation considers the term Solomon to be a praise name the young woman uses for her lover. She states that she is the one in charge of her vineyard, and she willingly offers up all its benefits to her beloved. If we adopt this interpretation, we can add the term “my lover,” or say “my Solomon” for greater clarity. In languages where the device can be understood, we can put “Solomon” in inverted commas to highlight this change in usage.

The thousand is the amount to be paid for rent of the vineyard as in verse 11. In this manner the young woman is saying to her lover that she looks after her vineyard herself, she is not hiring it out to others, but the profit she makes she gives to him. Using this kind of imagery she tells her lover that she is offering herself to him and to no other. If we take this approach, we may say “To you, my darling, my Solomon, I give the thousand [silver coins],” or “My lover Solomon, to you [alone] I give a thousand silver coins.”

And the keepers of the fruit two hundred: who are these keepers? We noted that in verse 11 some see Solomon’s “vineyard” as his harem, so the keepers may be his eunuchs. At this point, however, the analogy seems to be breaking down. If the young woman is calling her lover “Solomon,” and her vineyard is her love, the keepers of the fruit can possibly be the young woman herself. We remember that in 1.6 she is a “keeper,” and that even though keepers is a plural, singular reference is a possibility. If we retain this interpretation the sense is “Solomon, my lover, take your 1,000 coins; I, the keeper [or, the owner], will have the 200,” or “I give the 1,000 coins to you, my Solomon; give me only 200.” Thus the young woman willingly gives up the rights to her vineyard.

Keepers of the fruit is literally “keepers of its fruit.” Here “its” refers back to the vineyard.

Two hundred refers to the wages the hired farmers received. We can render it as “two hundred coins.” The number is representative—it contrasts a small amount (two hundred) with the larger amount (one thousand). If the young man is speaking, he refers to his good fortune. While Solomon has to share his benefits with his tenants, the young man has his vineyard (with all its benefits) to himself. If the woman is speaking and referring to herself, this sum shows she is willing to give most of the “benefit” to her “king.”

Good News Translation adds “… and the farmers [are welcome] to two hundred as their share.” This helps to make the relationship between Solomon and the tenants clear and can be added if necessary.

We have said there are two possibilities of interpretation here. We propose both as models, though we prefer the view that the speaker is the young man.

The verse should have a footnote indicating that the identity of the speaker is not certain.

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 burst of new life combines with the description of springtime. The fig tree is one of the three most important fruit trees of the Middle East. It produces two crops each year, but it is the first of those which is the best and sweetest. Our poet describes spring as just beginning, so we presume that he refers to the first crop of sweet figs. This normally is in June. Fig tree is here a singular form but it has collective meaning, so it may be translated as a plural.

There are many parts of the world where the fig tree does not grow. As references to this tree appear many times in the Old and New Testaments, we need to consider a way of handling this problem in translation. Some languages may use a transliterated form, with a note in the glossary explaining more fully what kind of a tree it is. It is helpful if the word chosen for the translation occurs with the word “tree” or otherwise has a marker attached that indicates this sense. An expression such as “the tree they call ‘fig’ ” should be avoided as it is too long and not poetic. In some regions there are trees which look very much like the fig tree, and which do bear fruit. But if the fruit cannot be eaten, such a substitution is not recommended. If no satisfactory solution can be found, we can generalize and indicate only that it is a fruit tree: “the fruit trees are putting forth their fruit.”

Puts forth is actually the verb “sweeten.” The active verb speaks of the tree sweetening itself, so “ripen” may be the best verb to use. This gives a translation “the fig trees ripen their fruit,” or “figs on the trees grow ripe.”

The vines are in blossom: it is the grape vines that are indicated, and they are in blossom. Here we meet a term that may mean either the bud, or the blossom that emerges from the bud. The following reference to their fragrance seems to suggest that the buds have already opened to flower. This we can indicate by “The [grape] vines are flowering.”

They give forth fragrance: the pronoun they indicates the vines, although it can also refer to the figs as well. Perhaps it is more correct, however, to link the phrase with the vines, as it is the nearest subject. We can translate line by line as Revised Standard Version does, or combine the two clauses: “Vine blossoms give forth their fragrance.” A more idiomatic rendering is “they smell so sweet.”

It is also possible that there is a deeper meaning to this passage. As some commentaries point out, traditionally the ripening of figs is a figurative way of speaking of a maturing young woman (though others see the reference to figs as a hidden reference to the young man). Compare the English expression “a ripe young woman.” The figurative meaning of the word “vineyard” has already been discussed. So this verse may have a double meaning; the springtime has come, but the young woman, too, is “ripe,” ready for marriage. Again, these sorts of double meanings can be mentioned in the introduction.

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away: this clause is almost identical to the one in 2.10. See the discussion there. It seems to form a bracket around this short poem on springtime. It is good to use exactly the same words here as in 2.10. Indenting the words may also draw attention to this feature.

We can suggest as a translation:

• Figs [or, Fruit] are ripening on the tree,
And vine blossoms give their sweet fragrance.
Come, my darling, my lovely one,
Come with 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 .