SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 2017

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 1:16

1:16–17 The woman replied to the man

There are two views about who spoke in 1:16–17.

(1) The woman spoke in both verses. For example, the New Living Translation (2004) has the heading “Young Woman” for 1:16–17.

(2) The woman spoke in 1:16 or 1:16a and the man spoke in 1:17 or 1:16b–17. For example, the Revised English Bible has the heading “Bride” for 1:16a and “Bridegroom” for 1:16b–17.

It is recommended that you follow option (1). There is no clear indication that the speaker changes after or during verse 16.

1:16a

How handsome you are, my beloved!: The woman’s reply to the man here is very similar to his words in 1:15a.

How: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as How is the same Hebrew word translated as Oh in 1:15a–b.

handsome: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as handsome is the same Hebrew word translated as beautiful in 1:15. Here, it is used to describe the man.

my beloved: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beloved is the most common way that the woman referred to the man in the Song. Translate it with an appropriate term of affection that a woman would use to speak to the man whom she loves. For example:

my love
-or-
darling

In some languages, you may need to put the direct address, my beloved, first in the sentence. For example:

My beloved, how handsome you are!

For more information, see the note on my beloved in 1:13a–b.

1:16b

Oh, how delightful!: There is an ellipsis here. The words in 1:16a, “you are” are understood after the phrase how delightful. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as delightful can refer to pleasing physical appearance or to excellent character. Because 1:15 and 1:16 have similar structures, it is likely that in 1:16b the woman referred to the man’s appearance. Two other ways to translate the verse are:

• In 1:16b use a word or phrase that has a similar meaning as the word used in 1:16a for physical beauty. For example:

16a How handsome you are my love,

16b how very good looking!

• Use a more general word or phrase that can include physical beauty. For example:

16a How handsome you are, my dearest; (Good News Translation)

16b how you delight me!

• Repeat the word in 1:16a, making it emphatic. For example:

16a My love, you are handsome, (Contemporary English Version)

16b truly handsome…

Use an option that is natural in your language.

1:16c–17b

These verses describe a secret meeting place. There are two ways to interpret the type of meeting place that it describes:

(1) It refers to an actual or imaginary place in a forest. For example:

The green grass will be our bed; the cedars will be the beams of our house, and the cypress trees the ceiling. (Good News Translation)

(2) It refers figuratively to a real bedroom with beams made of cedar planks. English versions that may follow this interpretation are ambiguous.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The context implies that the author wants readers to imagine a forest scene.

1:16c

The soft grass is our bed: The clause The soft grass is our bed is figurative. It implies that the man and woman rested together in a garden or forest. The point is not that the color of their bed is green.

grass: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as grass means “lush.” In the OT it generally refers to foliage of trees. In this context, it is possible that it refers to the grass where the couple made their bed under the green trees. In 1:17 the author mentioned the green roof of their forest “house.”

bed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bed refers to any place used for lying down, such as a couch (Revised Standard Version).

There are at least three ways to translate “The soft grass is our bed”:

• Refer to grass or other plants as the bed or resting place. For example:

Our bed is the grass. (New Century Version)

• Refer to the leaves of the trees over the bed. For example:

Our couch is shaded with branches. (Revised English Bible)

• Use a more general phrase that can refer to either the grass or the green leaves of the surrounding trees. For example:

Our resting/sleeping place is a verdant place ⌊in the forest⌋.

Any of these options are acceptable. It is probably more important in this passage to maintain poetic quality than to give an exact description of the place.

© 2017 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 4:3

4:3a

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon: Here the author compares the woman’s lips to a scarlet ribbon. The word scarlet refers to a bright red color. In ancient Palestine red lips were considered beautiful, so the woman probably put something on her lips to make them a bright red color.

In some cultures people do not consider red lips to be beautiful, or red lips may imply something bad about a woman. If that is true in your language, you may translate in a more general way. For example:

Your lips are a glorious color.
-or-
Your lips are beautiful.
-or-
Your lips shine.

scarlet thread: scarlet ribbon: The phrase scarlet ribbon probably emphasizes the color scarlet, which is bright red. The phrase does not imply that the woman’s lips were thin like some ribbon may be. In your translation you may need to compare her lips to something thick. For example:

Your lips are as ⌊beautiful as⌋ fine scarlet cord

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 6:3

6:3a–b

I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me: The sentence, I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me is similar to 2:16a (“My beloved is mine and I am his”), except that there the order is reversed.

As in 2:16a, the woman probably spoke directly to her beloved here. However, the sentence sounds as though she spoke to someone else. In Hebrew poetry it is common to speak indirectly like that. In some languages it is more natural to indicate that the woman spoke directly to the man. For example:

My beloved, I am yours and you are mine.

Her words indicate that she and the man were strongly committed to each other. She implied that they have romantic love only for each other (and for no one else). It does not imply that they owned each other, but it implies that they were loyal to each other. Other ways to translate this sentence are:

I belong to my beloved, and he belongs to me.
-or-
My love, I am your own, and you are my own.

6:3c

he pastures his flock among the lilies: The clause he pastures his flock among the lilies is identical to 2:16b. As in 2:16b, the interpretation issue is the same. This issue is also similar to the one in 6:2c. As in these previous verses, there are two ways to interpret the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he pastures :

(1) It means “he grazes” or “browses,” implying that he feeds himself. For example:

he grazes among the lilies. (NET Bible)

(2) It means “he pastures (his flock),” implying that he feeds his flock. For example:

he pastures his flock among the lilies. (Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as in 6:2c and 2:16b. This probably continues the gazelle theme as in 2:16. Because the Berean Standard Bible follows interpretation (2), the NET Bible will be used as the source line for 6:3c.

(NET Bible) he grazes among the lilies: As in 2:16b, this phrase literally means that the man stands among the lilies. It probably also implies that he eats them. Here the phrase has a figurative meaning, not a literal one. It may be helpful to include a footnote here to make the figurative meaning clear. It should be somewhat different from the footnote in 2:16 because of the context. An example of a possible footnote is:

“Browsing/grazing among the lilies” has a figurative meaning here. The lilies are a symbol for the woman, especially for the ways that she delights the man.

(NET Bible) among the lilies: The phrase among the lilies indicates literally that the man was located among the lilies in his garden. The garden and the lilies both refer figuratively to the woman. This figure of speech indicates that the man loves the woman and delights in her.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 8:9

8:9a–d

If she is a wall, we will build a tower of silver upon her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar: In this verse the woman’s brothers discussed what to do for her when a man wants to marry her. They used two parallel figures of speech to describe what they planned to do. The parallel phrases in these figures are indicated with similar typing:

9a
If she is a wall, 9b we will build a tower of silver

9c
If she is a door, 9d we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

There are different ways to interpret these figures of speech. The Notes for 8:9 will discuss how to interpret and translate them.

8:9a

If she is a wall: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as If she is a wall is more literally “if a wall she.” There is no verb like is. The woman’s brothers used the word wall here as a figure of speech to describe the woman. It implies that the woman had not had sexual relations with anyone.

The figure of a wall contrasts with the figure of a door in 8:9c. A wall blocks people from entering a room, but a door allows them to enter. In that culture a wall was often built around a city to protect the people there from enemies.

Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a simile. For example:

If she is like a wall/barrier
-or-
If a wall is what she resembles

• Use a figure of speech and indicate the meaning. For example:

If she ⌊protects her purity⌋ like a wall ⌊protects a city/home⌋

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

If she is chaste/pure
-or-
If she has kept/protected herself from having sexual relations ⌊with anyone⌋

8:9b

we will build a tower of silver upon her: A tower was a type of barrier that was placed on top of a city wall. It gave extra protection to the city. silver is a precious metal, and a battlement made of silver would be expensive and beautiful.

The phrase tower of silver is used in a figurative way here. The woman’s brothers implied that they planned to reward the woman for being sexually pure and to continue to protect her. They would decorate her with silver so that she would be very appealing and beautiful to any man who wanted to marry her. A man would see the silver and also realize that she was precious to her family.

Some ways to translate the figure of speech in 8:9b are:

• Keep the figure of speech of a silver barrier and indicate its purpose to protect a city or a person. For example:

we will build a silver barrier around her. (God’s Word)
-or-
we will give her a silver shield to defend her.
-or-
we will protect her with a silver tower. (New Living Translation (2004))

• Translate the meaning more directly without the figure of speech of a tower. For example:

we will decorate her with silver jewelry ⌊to show that she is precious and guarded⌋
-or-
If she is chaste, we will strengthen and encourage her. (New Living Translation (1996))

8:9c–d

If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar: Here the brothers used a door and panels of cedar as metaphors to contrast with the metaphor of a wall in 8:9a–b. A woman who is like a door is too willing to allow men to be intimate with her. If the woman was like a door, she would need even more protection.

Some ways to translate the metaphor here are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

But if she is a gate, we will protect her with panels of cedar. (Good News Translation)
-or-
if she is a door, we shall bar it with a plank of cedarwood. (Revised English Bible)

• Use a simile. For example:

But if she is like a door that opens to men too freely, we will prevent them from entering, as though we blocked the door with cedar panels.
-or-
If it is a gate that she resembles, we will prevent men from entering, as though we blocked a gate with fine wooden boards.

• Translate the meaning more directly without the figure of speech. For example:

But if she welcomes men too freely, we will protect her by preventing them from coming.

In 8:10 the woman affirmed that she was like a wall by saying clearly, “I am a wall.” She did not compare herself to a door.

we will enclose her with panels of cedar: The clause we will enclose her with panels of cedar implies that the brothers would block the woman’s doorway with wooden boards to protect her against intruders. It does not indicate that the brothers would imprison her.

panels of cedar: cedar wood is a hard wood which was beautiful and expensive in Israel. It may imply here that the brothers wanted to enhance the woman’s beauty, in addition to protecting her. It may also imply that the brothers wanted to attract a rich man who would bring wealth to the family when he married their sister.

In some areas cedar trees are not known or are not common. If that is true in your area, you may use a more general term. For example:

beautiful, expensive wood
-or-
the beautiful wood called “cedar”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 2:10

2:10–13

The poem in 2:10–13 begins and ends with the man repeating an invitation to the woman. This identical beginning and ending indicates this section as a poem within the larger poem of the Song. It is one of the most beautiful poems in the Old Testament about the beauty of nature. Look for special ways to translate this portion in a beautiful way in your language.

2:10a

My beloved calls to me: In this verse the woman began to tell what her beloved said to her. In the Hebrew, two speech verbs, speaks and says. are used to introduce his words. It is common in Hebrew to use two verbs to introduce quoted speech. In some languages it may be more natural to use only one verb, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

This quote of what the man said extends from 2:10b–14f. Some ways to indicate the quote are:

• Begin the quote with a quote formula. For example:

My lover spoke to me, saying (NET Bible)
-or-
My beloved says to me
-or-
My love calls to me

• End the quote in 2:14 with a quote formula. For example:

….” That is what my beloved said.

• Indicate the change of speaker with a heading. For example:

The man speaks to the woman

Then in 2:15, indicate that the woman spoke again.

2:10b–14 The woman quoted what the man said to her

2:10b

Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one: Here the man used the phrases my darling and my beautiful one as names for the woman, as he invited her to come with him. The names showed that he loved her and thought that she was beautiful. The Berean Standard Bible puts these names in a different place in the sentence. In some languages it is more natural to put these names in the center. For example:

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away (Revised Standard Version)

Arise…Come away with me: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Arise often adds emphasis to the next action. It implies that the action is important and should be started quickly. The man wanted the woman to leave whatever she was doing and come with him. The verb Arise probably does not imply here that the woman was sitting or lying down.

In some languages it is more natural to use a different way to add emphasis to the action Come away. For example:

Come then…come with me. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Hurry…and come away with me!
-or-
Come away with me, my beautiful darling—please, let’s hurry!

Use a natural way in your language to persuade someone.

my darling: The phrase my darling also occurred in 1:9a–b. See the note there for advice on how to translate it.

Come away with me: The man used the phrase Come away with me to invite the woman to come out with him. She was probably inside her house, and he called her to come out to enjoy the beginning of springtime with him.

Some other ways to translate the phrase Come away with me are:

and come with me. (God’s Word)
-or-
come out ⌊and go⌋ with me!

my beautiful one: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beautiful means “fair.” For example:

my fair one (Revised Standard Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 4:14

4:14a

In 4:14 the man continued to list plants that were found in the beautiful garden that he described. He used the plants in a figurative way to describe his bride.

with nard: The oil of the nard plant is expensive for people in Israel and the Near East. The author repeats nard here (from 4:13) for emphasis. Consider how to emphasize it in a natural way in your language. For example:

even nard plants
-or-

⌊ the expensive⌋nard spice

In some languages it is helpful to have another introduction to the comparisons. For example:

Yes, in the garden are precious nard plants.

and saffron: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saffron is a type of crocus with purple flowers. It was used to produce an oil with a sweet floral fragrance. In some languages it is helpful to indicate what saffron refers to. For example:

saffron ⌊flowers⌋
-or-

⌊ beautiful⌋saffron ⌊flowers⌋

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 7:1

7:1–10 The man praised the woman and she responded

In 7:1–9a the man sang another praise song to the woman, and then she responded in 7:9b–10. Here the man used a different order to describe her beauty. He began with her feet and moved upward to her head as the final focus. In other descriptions (4:1–5, 5:10–16, and 6:4–7) he began with the head and moved downward. Here, he described several parts of her body that he described earlier in the book (neck, eyes, breasts, hair, and head), and he mentioned some other parts for the first time. Notice that 7:3 is identical to 4:5a.

Scholars differ about whether the woman was dancing in this section. In 6:13 the woman said that she did not want spectators to look at her as though she were a dancer. In 7:1–10 the man did not describe her movements, but only her physical features. So, she was probably not dancing in this unit. Some scholars think that she was naked or dressed in transparent clothing, but that idea is not supported in the text.

These verses have many metaphors and similes, and scholars differ about how to interpret some of them. The Notes will discuss each one and give translation suggestions.

7:1–9a The man spoke to the woman

7:1a–b

How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince: Here the man spoke directly to the woman, using the phrase daughter of the prince like a name for her. In some languages it is more natural to begin the verse with this phrase. For example:

Daughter/Child of noblemen, your feet are very beautiful in sandals.

For more information, see the note on 7:1b.

7:1a

How beautiful are your sandaled feet: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as How beautiful are your sandaled feet is an exclamation. It is similar to the exclamation in 4:10. Here the man told the woman that her feet looked beautiful in the sandals that she wore. Some other ways to translate the exclamation are:

Your feet with sandals are so beautiful
-or-
Your sandaled feet are lovely!
-or-
Your feet look beautiful in your sandals

sandaled: The word sandaled indicates that the woman was wearing “sandals.” The word “sandals” refers here to leather footwear held on with straps. Sandals leave most of the top of the foot uncovered, so when the woman wore sandals, the man was able to see much of her foot. The sandals also added to the natural beauty of her feet. In that culture sandals were often decorative, and they were sometimes used in ceremonies.

7:1b

O daughter of the prince: The word O is not in the Hebrew text. It is commonly used for direct address in English poetry, and the Berean Standard Bible and some other versions add it. In most languages it is more natural not to add it. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

noble daughter (God’s Word)
-or-
you are a princess (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
O queenly maiden (Revised Standard Version)

The phrase daughter of the prince is used in a figurative way here. It indicates that the woman was a person of noble character, like a queen should be. It does not literally indicate that the woman was the child of a king and queen, princes, or other noble men and women. This is another example of the royalty theme. Here is another way to translate this:

What a magnificent young woman you are! (Good News Translation)

Use a natural way in your language to describe a woman who is greatly respected for her good character.

7:1c–d

The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master: Here the man compared the woman’s thighs to jewels that were shaped by a skilled artist. The phrase the handiwork of a master describes the jewels, not the woman’s thighs. Jewels that are shaped by an expert are especially beautiful. The woman’s thighs were also beautifully shaped like such fine jewels. Their curves matched perfectly.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

The curve of your thighs is like the work of an artist (Good News Translation)
-or-
Your thighs have beautiful curves. They are like jewels that a master craftsman shaped perfectly.

7:1c

The curves of your thighs are like jewels: The clause The curves of your thighs are like jewels is a simile. It compares the woman’s thighs to jewels. The text does not indicate exactly how the curves of her thighs were like jewels. However, it is likely that curves refers to the roundness of her thighs. Other ways to translate the simile are:

Your rounded thighs are ⌊beautiful⌋ like ⌊smooth/rounded⌋ jewels.
-or-
The curves of your thighs are like ornaments (God’s Word)

The curves of your thighs: The phrase The curves of your thighs can also be translated “rounded thighs,” as in the Good News Translation. The word thighs refers to the upper part of the leg. Here the phrase The curves of your thighs probably refers to the curve of the outer part of the thigh. It does not refer to the whole leg.

Some ways to translate The curves of your thighs are:

rounded thighs (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Your well-shaped thighs

7:1d

the handiwork of a master: The phrase the handiwork of a master refers to the work that an expert does. Such an expert has the skill to create beautiful art. In this context the text implies that the curves of the woman’s thighs were like beautiful jewels that were shaped by an expert artist. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the work of a skilled craftsman (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that were shaped by an artist

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 1:6

1:6a-b

Do not stare because I am dark: In this verse the woman continued to speak to the young women of Jerusalem. Scholars have different views about the way she interpreted their attitude toward her here:

(1) She thought that they stared at her because they disapproved of her.

(2) She thought that they stared at her because they admired her and were amazed that she was so beautiful.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) for these reasons:

(a) It seems likely that they did not approve of her because in 1:6d–e she explained to them why her skin was dark.

(b) The Hebrew text of 1:6 uses a “play on words” that has three parts:

The women gazed at her (1:6a)

the sun gazed-at/burned her skin (1:6c)

her brothers burned with anger (1:6d)

In 1:6c and 1:6d there is obviously a harsh sense, so it is likely that 1:6a also implies a harsh sense.

It is helpful to translate in a way that implies that the brothers had a harsh attitude toward their sister. Some English versions use an idiom. For example:

Don’t look down on me…. (Good News Translation)

1:6b

because: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for in this verse:

(1) It introduces the reason that the people might stare at the woman. For example:

Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. (New International Version)

(2) It introduces a clause that describes the woman: “Do not stare at me who (I) am dark.” The literal wording is not natural in English, so English versions translate the connection in a different way. For example:

Don’t look at how dark I am, at how dark the sun has made me. (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It is followed by the majority of English versions.

1:6c

for the sun has gazed upon me: This clause tells what caused the woman’s dark skin. The sun burned the woman and made her skin dark. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

for the sun has burned my skin. (NET Bible)
-or-
because I was scorched by the sun. (Revised English Bible)

In some languages there may be a figure of speech to translate this meaning, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

It is important to translate in a way that implies harshness, like “scorched,” as in the Revised Standard Version, or “burned.” A more neutral expression like “tanned” does not imply the right meaning in many cultures.

General Comment on 1:6a–c

In 1:6a–c there are two clauses that begin with a purpose word:

Do not stare at me because I am dark,

⌊ do not stare at me⌋for the sun has gazed upon me.

In some languages it may be difficult to translate two purpose clauses in the same sentence like this. If that is true in your language, you may be able to combine the clauses. (Notice the implied information before the second purpose clause.) For example:

Don’t stare at me just because the sun has darkened my skin. (Contemporary English Version)

1:6d

My mother’s sons were angry with me: In 1:6d-e the woman explained that she was exposed to the sun, not by her own choice, but because her brothers were angry with her. In some languages it may be helpful to make this connection explicit. For example:

That happened because my brothers became angry with me

My mother’s sons: This phrase refers to the woman’s brothers who were sons of her mother. They may have a different father or the same father. Use the appropriate term in your language for this relationship. Some English versions use the more general term “brothers.”

In some languages it is necessary to specify whether the brothers were older or younger than the woman. Probably at least some of her brothers were older because in 8:8a her brothers said that they “have a little sister.”

were angry with me: The reason for the brothers’ anger with the woman is not stated in the text, and the context also does not indicate the reason.

1:6e

they made me a keeper of the vineyards: The word they refers to the woman’s brothers. Their decision to make her keeper of the vineyards was a result of their being angry with her (1:6d). In some languages it may be helpful to make this connection explicit. For example:

so they made me

The context implies that they forced her rather than just appointed her to care for the vineyard. It was because of their decision that she was often in the sun. She had no choice. Here is another way to translate this:

they forced me to care for their vineyards… (New Living Translation (2004))

keeper of the vineyards: The phrase keeper of the vineyards indicates that the woman took care of the family vineyards. Her responsibilities probably included protecting the vineyards, cultivating them, and pruning the vines. To do that work, she had to spend many hours in the hot sun. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

to watch over the vineyards
-or-
work in the vineyard (Contemporary English Version)

vineyards: The word, vineyards, refers to farms where people plant and cultivate grapes. Grapes can be eaten as fruit or used to make wine.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 2017