The interconfessional Chichewa translation (publ. 1999) translates this phrase as “why should I be left wandering all around” and uses the ideophone zunguliruzunguliru in Song of Songs 1:7. Zunguliruzunguliru is a reduplication of zungulira (“go around in circles”) and is used for the notion of aimless circling or restlessly drifting. It conveys embarrassment and vulnerability (“left roaming about like a stray girl”) as well as confusion. (Source: Ernst Wendland)
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 1:7:
Kupsabiny: “Tell me, oh, my beloved, Where are you going to graze your sheep? Under which shade will they go and rest when the midday sun is burning? Why should I go round and look for you? Or do you really want for me to go round and ask your friends?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Tell me, dear, where do you let your flock graze? Where do you let them rest at noon? Why do I need to be like a veiled woman near the flocks of your friends?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Tell me, my beloved, where will- you (sing.) -graze your (sing.) sheep? Where will- you (sing.) -have-them-rest at noon? Tell me so-that I do- not -search-for/look-for you (sing.) there among your (sing.) friends who are- also -grazing sheep. For maybe they will-mistake me (to be) a woman who sells her body.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You whom I love, where will you take your flock of sheep today? Where will you allow them to rest at noontime? I want to know because it is not right for me to wander around like a prostitute looking for you among the flocks that belong to your friends.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, katteo-rare-ru (飼っておられる) or “feed/keep (animals)” is used.
Also, oshiete (教えて) or “inform” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
Tell me …: with this inquiry the young woman again abruptly changes to second person; she speaks directly to her lover, and he responds in verse 8. We presume he is present with her.
You whom my soul loves: in terms of Hebrew grammar it appears as though this relative clause, “the one my soul loves,” may be the object of the imperative tell. However, that form makes little sense. For this reason many translations take this clause to be vocative, expressing direct address, you whom my soul loves or “the one my soul loves.” Good News Translation renders the clause with a term of endearment, “Tell me, my love.” Of course, if this is a direct address, many languages will prefer to move the vocative clause to the beginning, “My love, tell me…” or “You whom I love, tell me….”
My soul: the Hebrew word translated as soul includes the whole person, as in Gen 2.7, where it relates to the newly-created human as a living person; see also Psa 103.1. We can therefore render my soul with the pronoun “I.” Good News Translation “my love” in the sense of “my beloved” is briefer than “you whom I love” and is a good model.
There are two parallel questions here, each one beginning with the interrogative where…? The first contains only the verb “are shepherding,” but of course your flock is understood as its object and can be supplied, as in Revised Standard Version. The second question asks for more information: where he “gives rest” at midday. Again the Hebrew has no object, but it can be supplied. Revised Standard Version says where you make it lie down, and New International Version “tell me … where you rest your sheep.” Noon can be rendered by any natural equivalent, or we can say “midday,” or even perhaps, in some cultures, “siesta time.” What is in focus is not an exact time (twelve o’clock) but rather the time of day that is hottest.
The two clauses ask basically the same question. Though we wish to preserve the poetic flavor of this passage, the repetition may not be acceptable in some languages. It may even suggest two different items of information. If so, the two clauses can be combined into one: “Where do you pasture your sheep at midday?” Good News Translation retains the two questions but introduces variety by making the sheep the subject of the second clause, “Where will they rest from the noonday sun?” This is acceptable, though it may give the false impression that the young woman is more interested in the sheep than in the young man. It is not unusual for her to inquire where he will be; the semi-nomadic life of the Israelite shepherd meant that she needed directions as to where he might be at that time of the day.
For why should I be like one who wanders…?: for why should I can also be given as “lest” (Dan 1.10 and the Aramaic of Ezra 7.23 have a similar expression). Note that, while the two previous questions are true requests for information, this one is a rhetorical question. The meaning is “I don’t want to be like someone who….”
The meaning behind the participial phrase one who wanders is not immediately obvious. The Revised Standard Version translation is based on a slightly different text in some of the old versions like the Syriac. But the Hebrew participle is actually from a root “wear the veil” or “wrap oneself” so as to hide one’s identity. Prostitutes used to veil themselves for fear of being identified by others (see the story of Tamar in Gen 38.14). The young woman is asking where her lover might be because she does not want to have to hide her identity like a prostitute in order to spend time with him.
It will not be easy to find a good translation that will convey the various senses of the Hebrew. Good News Translation “Why should I need to look for you…” is rather weak. We may say “Why should I have to hide myself [put on a veil, or wrap myself up] to go out to look for you?” or “Otherwise I shall have to wear a veil and wander about looking for you.”
Beside the flocks of your companions suggests that there are many other shepherds in the same vicinity, and also that there is some link of friendship between the young man and them. The preposition beside translates Hebrew ʿal, which normally means “upon,” or “over.” Pope believes it means “among.” One other possible interpretation is that ʿal means “because,” “on account of.” If this were so here, it would give a translation in which the young woman wears the veil “because of” the other shepherds tending their flocks nearby. This seems a consistent and likely interpretation.
The flocks of your companions follows the Hebrew original. Companions simply means friends or comrades. However, the young woman’s object is to find her lover, and she will do that by first finding his flock. She is not looking for the other shepherds. We can simply say “your companions and their flocks.” Note that Good News Translation renders “flocks of the other shepherds,” thus eliminating the possessive your. However, the point is that the young man belongs to a group of shepherds, and she does not want them to know she is coming. Therefore it is better to retain “your companions,” or to put it another way, “your companions and their flocks.”
The young woman’s last question may have a slight teasing note: “Do you want me to have to hide myself from your friends when I come to see you?” On the other hand perhaps she is trying to make him jealous by mentioning his shepherd friends: “You don’t want your friends to see me, do you? (Otherwise, they might be attracted to me!)”
For translation, then, there is a range of possibilities:
• … otherwise I shall have to wear a veil because of your companions and their flocks.
• Why should I have to hide who I am from the other shepherds tending their flocks?
A rendering as a clear statement is:
• I don’t want [to be forced] to wear a veil to hide myself from your shepherd friends.
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 .
There are some difficult interpretation issues in 1:7–8. One issue is the attitude of the man and woman. In 1:7, did the woman ask for information in a serious manner or did she speak in a flirting way? In 1:8, did the man scold the woman or did he reply in a flirting way? Possibly, the woman was more serious in 1:7, while the man replied in a flirting way in 1:8.
The Song uses several figurative themes that occur at different places in the book. The theme of 1:5–6 was the vineyard. In 1:7–8 the focus shifts to the theme of shepherds and pastures.
1:7a–e The woman spoke to the man
In this verse the woman asked the man where he pastured his sheep. There are two slightly different ways to understand and translate the time that she referred to:
• Maybe she referred to the place where the man usually pastured his sheep. For example:
Tell me…where you graze your flock… (New International Version)
• Maybe she referred to the place where the man planned to pasture his flock on that day (or in the near future). For example:
Where will you lead your flock to graze… (New Jerusalem Bible)
It is uncertain which option is more likely. However, either option has almost the same result in this context. The main point is that the woman wanted to know where to find her beloved when she went out to look for him. Translate in a way that is natural in your language.
1:7a–c
There are parallel parts in 1:7a–c. The woman asked her beloved where he pastured his flock and where he made them lie down at noon. The Hebrew text is more literally:
7a Tell me…
7b where you pasture ⌊your flock⌋
7c where you cause ⌊it/them⌋ to rest at noon?
Other ways to translate this request are:
My love, please tell me where you take your sheep to graze and where you will let them rest at noon. -or-
Tell me, my love, where will you lead your flock to graze? Where will they rest from the noonday sun?
1:7a
Tell me, O one I love: Here the woman used the phrase O one I love like a name for her beloved. In Hebrew the phrase is only two words which sound poetic together. In some languages it may be more natural to put the direct address first in the sentence. For example:
O one I love, tell me
In some languages it may be more natural not to use direct address. For example:
You are the one I love. Tell me
Tell me: The phrase Tell me is a request and an indirect question. Some other ways to translate it are:
Please tell me (God’s Word) -or-
I would like you to let me know
O one I love: The phrase O one I love is a term of affection that the woman used as she spoke to the man. Languages often have a special term of affection that is natural for the woman to use in this context. For example:
my love (Good News Translation) -or-
My darling (Contemporary English Version) -or-
sweetheart (New Jerusalem Bible)
1:7b
where do you pasture your sheep: This phrase refers to the place where the man usually led his flock to graze. On some days he might lead them to a different place, so the woman wanted to be sure exactly where her beloved planned to be. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
Where will you lead your flock to graze (Good News Translation) -or-
where do you feed your sheep (New Century Version) -or-
where you plan to lead your flock to eat today?
pasture your sheep: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pasture refers to caring for animals like sheep and goats. It especially refers to leading them to areas where they will be able to eat grass or other plants. The Berean Standard Bible supplies the implied phrase your sheep, which is not in the Hebrew text.
Some other ways to translate the meaning are:
feed your sheep (Contemporary English Version) -or-
take your animals to graze/eat
1:7c
Where do you rest them at midday: This clause is parallel to the clause in 1:7b. It has basically the same meaning. The woman was still asking the man where he would take his flock (them). However, it adds the meaning rest and the time of day (midday). Some other ways to translate the clause are:
At noon, where will you make your sheep lie down? -or-
Where do you let them rest at noon? (New Century Version)
In this verse it is important to understand that the woman was not primarily interested in the sheep. She asked the question because she wanted to know where her beloved planned to be.
1:7d–e
In 1:7a–c, the woman asked the man to tell her where he usually led his flock to graze. Here in 1:7d–e, she gave her reason for wanting to know where he will be. She wanted to know so that she did not need to search for him near the other shepherds. If she wandered around the shepherds’ tents, they might think that she was an immoral woman looking for pleasure.
In some languages it may be necessary to repeat part of the request from 1:7a to make the connection clear. For example:
Tell me so that I will not have to wander around beside the flocks of your companions! (similarly, the NET Bible)
Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions: Here the woman asked a rhetorical question. The question indicates that she did not want to be like a woman who wanders around the shepherds’ tents. If she did that, others might think that she was a prostitute. In some languages it is necessary to make this explicit in some way. For example:
For why should I wander like a prostitute among your friends and their flocks? (New Living Translation (2004))
Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
• As a rhetorical question:
Why should I need to look for you among the flocks of the other shepherds? (Good News Translation) -or-
Will it be good/proper if I walk here and there looking for you where the other shepherds pasture their flocks?
• As a request:
Let me not be as one who strays
Beside the flocks of your fellows. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures) -or-
Please don’t cause me to wander around looking for you where other men take their sheep.
• As a statement:
I do not want to wander around looking for you where other men take their sheep.
Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.
veiled: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as veiled can also mean “wander.” These two meanings are more similar than they seem. In that culture a prostitute often wore a veil over her face, so the Berean Standard Bible has “like a veiled woman.” However, it is better to translate the meaning “wanders,” since there are other reasons for wearing a veil.
The woman wanted to know where the man was going so that she did not have to wander around searching for him when she came to meet him at noon (1:7c). The theme of searching for a person and finding him is common in the Song.
1:7e
beside the flocks of your companions: The phrase beside the flocks of your companions implies that the man often pastured his flocks near other shepherds. They were probably his friends or a group of shepherds who went out together to graze their flocks. The woman implied here that she did not want to go near those other shepherds to search for her beloved. She was afraid that she might be mistaken for an immoral woman.
Other ways to translate this phrase are:
among your friends and their flocks (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
near your friends’ sheep (New Century Version)
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