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.