SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 2017 – Page 4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 6:13

6:13–7:13

The verse numberings were added to the Hebrew text by men who copied it hundreds of years after the text itself was first written. In this verse the numbering is different from the numbering in most English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible. The Hebrew text numbers this verse as 7:1, but the Berean Standard Bible numbers it as 6:13. Because of that, each Hebrew verse in chapter 7 is one number higher than the Berean Standard Bible text. The Berean Standard Bible’s 6:13–7:13 are 7:1–14 in Hebrew. The Notes continues to use the numbering of the Berean Standard Bible.

6:13a–b Friends spoke to the woman

Most English versions indicate that friends (probably consisting of Jerusalem women or other friends) speak in 6:13a–b.

6:13a

Come back, come back, O Shulammite!: This line is parallel to 6:13b. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come back occurs twice here and twice in 6:13b for emphasis. There are different ways to interpret the word in this context:

(1) It means “return, come back.” For example:

Come back! Come back, young girl from Shulam… (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means “dance.” For example:

Dance, dance, girl of Shulam. (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But interpretation (2) is also acceptable. Although 6:13d refers to a dance, the text does not explicitly say that the woman actually danced. Interpretation (1) implies that the women were asking her to return to them and not to go away.

In some languages, repeating the phrase Come back may not emphasize it, or the repetition may not be natural. If that is true in your language, use a different type of emphasis. For example:

• Use punctuation for emphasis. For example, the New Revised Standard Version has an exclamation mark:

Return, return, O Shulammite! (New Revised Standard Version)

• Use a word or phrase that adds emphasis. For example:

Please return, O Shulammite!
-or-
Oh return to us, woman from Shulam!

• Use two different words or phrases. For example:

Come back, Shulam woman, return to us!

In some languages it may be more natural to begin the verse with the direct address to the woman. Use a natural way in your language to address her. Some other ways to translate 6:13a are:

Shulam woman, come back!
-or-
Please return, lady from Shulam!
-or-
Come back, return, Shulam girl!

O: The exclamation O in the Berean Standard Bible indicates that the women spoke directly to the Shulammite. It also adds emphasis to the women’s request that she return. Use a natural way in your language to emphasize the request. See the examples in the preceding note.

Shulammite: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Shulammite probably indicates that the woman is from the town of Shulam. (Shulammite is not her name.) For example:

Come back! Come back, young girl from Shulam… (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is possible that the word Shulam is derived from the Hebrew root meaning “whole,” “complete” or “perfect.” However, in this context the word has the definite article, so it is more likely that it is a title indicating that she is from Shulam.

6:13b

Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you: This line is parallel to 6:13a. It adds the new phrase that we may gaze upon you. The author repeated the friends’ request (Come back, come back) from 6:13a, so that the phrase come back occurs four times. This repetition emphasizes that the Jerusalem women really wanted the woman to return. They wanted to look at her and enjoy her beauty.

In some languages it may not be natural to repeat the phrase come back so many times. Use a natural way in your language to emphasize it. For example:

Please come back! We really want to look at you.

come back, that we may gaze upon you: The reason that the friends want the woman to return is so that they can look at her or “gaze at” her again. Some other ways to translate the reason for the request are:

please return so that we may enjoy/gaze-at ⌊your great beauty⌋.
-or-
come back to us, so that we may gaze at you.
-or-
please return and let us ⌊have the pleasure of⌋ seeing you

6:13c–d The woman replied to the friends

Scholars differ about who spoke in 6:13c–d.

(1) The woman spoke in 6:13c–d. For example, the Good News Translation has the heading:

The Woman (Good News Translation)

(2) The man spoke in 6:13c–d. For example, the English Standard Version has the heading:

He (English Standard Version)

(3) The chorus continued to speak in 6:13c–d. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible has the heading:

Chorus (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). About half the English versions and several commentaries follow this option. The chorus spoke to the woman, so it makes sense for her to be the one who responded.

It may seem odd that the woman did not say “me” but just spoke of herself as “the Shulammite.” It is possible that she did that to express modesty or uncertainty about why they wanted to look at her. In the Song she was usually the one who spoke to the women of Jerusalem or to another group of friends. (For example, see 1:5–6; 2:7; 3:5; 5:8–16; 6:2–3; 8:4.)

6:13c–d

Why do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?: Here the woman asked a rhetorical question. Scholars are not sure about what the question implies, but the meaning is probably similar to the meaning of her statement in 1:6a, “Do not stare at me.” In 6:4–9 the man praised her, and in 6:10 the women praised her. In that culture, it often made a moral woman feel uneasy if she received too much praise.

In some languages a rhetorical question with Why may wrongly imply that the woman was angry with the other women. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

• Use a different type of rhetorical question. For example:

Should you look at this girl from Shulam, as though I were an entertainer?

• Make the meaning more explicit with a statement and a question. For example:

What pleasure will you get from looking at me? I am only ⌊an ordinary⌋ girl from Shulam.
-or-
I’m only a girl from Shulam. Why do you look at me as if I were an entertaining dancer?

• Use a statement. For example:

There is no reason to keep looking at me, since I am just a young girl from Shulam.
-or-
You should not gaze at me as though I were a camp dancer. I am only a girl from Shulam.

Use a natural way in your language to communicate the meaning that the woman implied.

as on the dance of Mahanaim?: There is an ellipsis in this part of the verse. The full form is:

as ⌊though you are looking⌋ upon a dance before two armies

The woman used the phrase to describe the way the other women looked at her. The meaning of the Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as on the dance of Mahanaim is uncertain. Some ways to interpret it are:

(1) It means “a dance before two armies.” This implies performing a dance for soldiers. For example:

as upon a dance before two armies (English Standard Version)

(2) The word “Mahanaim” refers to the name of a place. Although the place name means “two groups,” the whole phrase means “the dance of Mahanaim.” For example:

as on the dance of Mahanaim (New International Version)

(3) It means “two groups of dancers.” It refers to dancing with other people in two groups. (or to two rows of people watching the dance). For example:

as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, it is not possible to be certain about the correct option, and any of the three options is acceptable. In some languages interpretation (1) may be confusing, and a literal translation of 6:13c–d may imply an immoral action. If that is true in your language, you may follow interpretation (2) or (3) instead.

The dance that the woman referred to was probably beautiful and entertaining. But the woman did not want the other women to look at her as though she were an entertainer.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 1:5

1:5–6 The woman spoke about herself to the young women of Jerusalem

In these two verses, the woman spoke to the women of Jerusalem. They were the same women who spoke in 1:3–4. She asked the women not to disapprove of her because her skin was darkened by the sun. Then she explained that her brothers became angry with her and made her work in the vineyards.

1:5a

I am dark: The word translated dark is literally “black” in Hebrew. It describes the color of the woman’s skin after she worked in the sun for some time, as 1:6 explains. It does not describe the natural color of her skin. The women who worked in the fields often had darker skin than other people, because the hot sun darkened it. The woman implied here that she did not think that her darkened skin was a sign of beauty.

Use a natural way in your language to describe skin that has been darkened by the sun.

yet lovely:
The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lovely means “beautiful,” and it refers to beauty that is especially appropriate. When it describes a beautiful woman, as it does here, it implies that she is just what a man desires.

The word yet in the Berean Standard Bible translates the Hebrew conjunction w -. It connects the two descriptions “dark” and lovely. Scholars have two different views about the connection between the descriptions:

(1) The descriptions contrast with each other. The woman implied that even though she was dark, she was still attractive. In that culture, people did not normally consider dark skin to be beautiful. For example:

I am dark, but comely… (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(2) The second description adds to the first. The woman meant that she was both dark and beautiful. Her darkness added to her beauty. For example:

My skin is dark and beautiful… (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The majority of versions and many commentaries follow this option. It seems to be the best interpretation in the context of 1:6 and the way the woman explained why her skin was dark.

1:5b

O daughters of Jerusalem: Here the phrase daughters of Jerusalem probably refers to the same women who were already mentioned as “the maidens” in 1:3c and in 1:4e in the phrase “they adore you.” You should refer to them in a clear way here, so that readers will know that the text refers to the same group of women.

The word O is not in the Hebrew text here. It is a way to indicate in English that the woman spoke directly to the Jerusalem women. Use a natural way in your language to speak directly to a group of women. Some other ways to translate this in English are:

Young women of Jerusalem (God’s Word)
-or-

⌊ I tell you,⌋Jerusalem girls

In some languages it is more natural to put the phrase daughters of Jerusalem in a different place in the sentence. See the General Comment on 1:5a–d at the end of the notes for 1:5c–d for examples.

General Comment on 1:5a–b

In some languages, a direct address comes first or last in a sentence, or it may come in a different place in the sentence. Put it in a natural place in your language. For example:

5b O daughters of Jerusalem,

5a I am dark, yet lovely.
-or-
Though I have dark skin, I am beautiful, you Jerusalem women.
-or-
I have dark skin, daughters of Jerusalem, but I am beautiful.

1:5c–d

like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon: Here the woman compared her dark beauty (1:5a) to tents and curtains. Scholars have two views about how the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon are related in this verse:

(1) The tents and curtains are different. For example:

dark as the desert tents of Kedar, but beautiful as the draperies in Solomon’s palace. (Good News Translation)

(2) The tents and curtains are similar : both are dark (and possibly lovely). For example:

dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents. (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Most English versions are ambiguous, but the context suggests a contrast. The woman’s skin was darkened by the sun, yet she was still lovely. See the General Comment on 1:5a–d for another translation suggestion.

1:5c

like the tents of Kedar: The name Kedar refers to one or more nomadic tribes in the Arabian desert. These tribes lived in tents that had a dark color. People used the hair of black goats to weave the tents. The woman thought that her skin was dark and rough like the tents of Kedar. Some other ways to translate the phrase like the tents of Kedar are:

like the tents of the people of Kedar
-or-
like the tents where the Kedar ⌊people⌋ live

1:5d

like the curtains of Solomon: The curtains of Solomon contrast with the dark weather-beaten “tents of Kedar.” The fine curtains that Solomon had (possibly in his palace) were elegant and beautiful. They may also have been dark, as some versions suggest. However, the focus is on the beauty of Solomon’s curtains in contrast to the dark weather-worn tents of Kedar.

Solomon: When the Song was first written, only the Hebrew consonants were written, not the vowels. The consonants of the words Solomon and “Shalmah” were the same. (Shalmah was another tribe that also lived in tents.) Only the context where the name was used indicated whether it referred to Solomon or “Shalmah.” Vowels were later supplied by Hebrew scholars to help people read the text. The vowels in this context identify the name as Solomon. When you spell the name, you should follow the spelling rules of your language.

General Comment on 1:5a–d

Consider how to translate the comparisons in this verse in a natural way in your language. In some languages it may be necessary to reorder some of the information. It may also be necessary to supply some implied information to make complete sentences or clauses. For example:

5b Young women of Jerusalem, 5a I am dark but attractive/lovely. 5c ⌊My skin is dark⌋ like the tents of Kedar, 5d ⌊but I am attractive/lovely⌋ like the curtains of Solomon.

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

3:3a–b

I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city: These watchmen were men who guarded the city. They walked about in it at night to ensure that people were safe from dangers. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some information in this verse. For example:

3b As the people who guard the town walked through it, 3a they saw me.

It also may be helpful in some languages to introduce the city guards more explicitly. For example:

There were some watchmen who guarded the city. They saw me as they walked through the streets.
-or-
The city guards were walking through the streets, and they met/saw me.

encountered: The verb encountered does not imply here that the watchmen were searching for the woman. They probably saw her as they went about in the city to keep people safe from possible dangers. Use an appropriate verb in your language. Notice that some examples in the preceding note use the verb “saw.”

In Hebrew a form of this verb is the last word in 3:2 and the first word here in 3:3. It emphasizes a contrast: In 3:2 the woman did not find her beloved, but here in 3:3 the watchmen found her instead.

on their rounds of the city: This clause implies that the watchmen were doing their regular work of patrolling the city. They walked around in it to make sure that the town and its people were safe from danger. They were going through the city like that when they saw the woman. She was also roaming the city to look for her beloved. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

as they went about in the city (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
while they were guarding the town

3:3c

Have you seen the one I love: This question has no introduction, but the context indicates that the woman asked this question to the watchmen. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce the question with this information. For example:

I asked them, “Have you seen my true love?”

the one I love: This phrase was also used in 3:1a and 3:2c. It refers to the woman’s beloved. Refer to him here in a natural way in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 5:8

5:8a

O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you: The phrase O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, repeats 2:7a–b. It is good to translate it as you did there. For more information, see the Notes on 2:7a–b. This phrase also occurs in 3:5 and 8:4.

In some languages it is more natural to begin the verse with the direct address to the daughters of Jerusalem. For example:

Jerusalem women, I adjure you…

5:8b–c

if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love: When the woman said to the Jerusalem women, if you find my beloved, she implied that she wanted them to help her search for him. She told them a message that they should tell the man if they see him. The words of the message are in 5:8c.

Some other ways to translate 5:8b–c are:

it you find the one I love, please say to him, “She is weak with desire.” (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
if you find my beloved, tell him that I am faint from wanting his love.

tell him I am sick with love: In some languages it may be helpful to translate this indirect quote as a direct quote. For example:

tell him, “The woman you love says that her desire for your love is so strong that she feels faint/sick.”
-or-
Say to him, “Your beloved says that she is faint with desire for you.”

sick with love: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sick can refer to a feeling of weakness or to an actual sickness. In this context the woman indicated that she was so overwhelmed by her feelings of love that she felt weak. She did not imply that she was sick with an illness. She might feel faint or dizzy because of her strong feelings of love. She could be “cured” by seeing her beloved again and enjoying his love.

Some other ways to translate this are:

faint with love (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
lovesick (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
weak with desire (Contemporary English Version)

The phrase sick with love also occurs in 2:5c.

General Comment on 5:8

It is possible that 5:8 is still part of the woman’s dream. The dream may continue to the end of the section in 6:3.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 7:11

7:11–13 The woman invited the man to go with her to the fields and vineyards

In these verses the woman responded to the man’s praise (in 7:1–9a) by inviting him to go out into the fields and vineyards with her to enjoy the springtime. As trees and flowers were blooming, their love for each other was also growing. Here she invited him to go there, as he also invited her in 2:10–13.

In 7:11–13, all the events are probably not arranged in the order that they happened (as is common in poetry). It is also possible that these verses describe the woman’s desires and feelings or a dream that she had before her wedding (3:6–5:1), rather than an event that happened in her life. The exact meaning of 7:11–13 is difficult to determine, but the verses do seem to look forward to the future.

7:11–13 The woman spoke to the man

7:11a

Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside: Here the woman invited the man to go out of the city with her to enjoy the countryside together. He was already with her as she spoke to him, so she was not calling him to come. She wanted him to go with her to the fields.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

Come with me, my love, and let’s go out to the fields
-or-
My darling, let’s go to the fields together

In some languages it is more natural to put the phrase my beloved in a different place in the sentence, as in the second example above. Use a natural way in your language to give an invitation like this.

my beloved: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as my beloved is the most common way that the woman used to address the man. It first occurred in 1:13. It is good to translate this word in the same way in all the verses where she used it to address him.

to the countryside: Here the woman invited/urged her beloved to go with her into the countryside. She wanted to go there to the fields to see the springtime blossoms and to be alone with the man. Other ways to translate this are:

let us go out into the fields… (Revised English Bible)
-or-
let us go to the countryside… (NET Bible)

7:11b

let us spend the night among the wildflowers: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spend the night does not imply that the man and woman wanted to stay longer than one night. Other ways to translate this meaning are:

let us lodge in the villages. (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and stay overnight in ⌊one of⌋ the villages.

among the wildflowers: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wildflowers can also mean “henna bushes,” as in 2:14. Scholars differ about what it means here:

(1) It means “villages.” For example:

let us spend the night in the villages. (New International Version)

(2) It means “henna bushes.” For example:

to lie among the henna bushes (Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), with the majority of English versions. Some scholars think that the meaning “villages” is unlikely, because the man and woman wanted to be alone. However, the villages were not as crowded as the city. The villages were closer to the vineyards and pomegranate trees, so that the man and woman could look at them in the early morning (see the following note in 7:12a).

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.

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.

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