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 3:1:
Kupsabiny: “I was filled with longing until morning while lying in bed! My head went to search for the one my stomach loves! I searched and I searched, but I did not find (him).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “At night when I lay in my bed I longed for my lover. So I went searching for him but I was unable to find him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “At night, while I lay-down, I yearned/longed for my beloved. I miss him, but he (is) not (here).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “All through the night while I lay on my bed, I longed for the one whom I love. I desired for him to come, but he did not come.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 choice of a third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
Upon my bed: the young woman speaks. Although this is a semi-independent unit, there is no need to add a marginal note to identify her as speaker. We already have that in 2.8. She describes herself as being Upon my bed. This we can convey as “In bed,” or “As I lay on my bed.” These are better renderings than Good News Translation “Asleep on my bed,” which leaves no choice but to conclude that the young woman is dreaming. As noted above, the text does not require the interpretation that she was asleep.
The adverbial phrase by night uses a Hebrew plural form that probably means “regularly at night” as in Psa 16.7. Good News Translation renders it as “night after night” and New English Bible supports that. Pope, however, disagrees, saying that the plural means merely “at night.” A similar phrase in 3.8 seems to support Pope’s view. However, the expression “at night” can also mean “regularly each night,” so we may still think of it as “often at night.”
I sought: this is the first use in this section of the key verb “seek,” with a primary meaning “look for” and a secondary meaning “long for.” Almost unanimously commentators interpret the meaning here to be figurative. Alone in bed the young woman longs for her lover. This interpretation combines well with our proposal for “by night”: “Night after night I longed for my lover.” Goulder, however, prefers a nonfigurative usage. He sees the young woman reaching across the bed to touch her lover, only to find him gone.
If we follow the majority and agree that “seek” is being used figuratively here, this leaves us with an important decision about the style of the translation we use. Should we use verbs such as “long for” or “desire”? Or alternatively should we try to maintain the key verb “seek” (and “find”), and so preserve the literary style of the original? The theme of “seeking” and “finding” is a dominant one, not just in this passage but throughout the Song. Because of this translators may wish to retain the original form in order to highlight these key terms.
Him whom my soul loves: see comments in 1.7. It can be translated also as “the one I love” or “my lover.”
I sought him, but found him not: this is the second occurrence of the verb “seek.” Note how repeating the previous line expresses the disappointment the young woman feels. In most languages this stylistic feature can be preserved. In others repeating the verb may be preferred: “I longed and longed for him” or “I looked and looked for him.” However, in some languages the two clauses will have to be reduced to one, in which case some adverb or word indicating intensity can be added to convey her strong emotion: “I longed for my lover so much, but I could not find him” or “I looked in vain for the one I love.”
Found him not: found is the second part of the word pair “seek”—“find.” Again, it is probably used figuratively, meaning here that, because she could not find him, her longing was not fulfilled.
For the entire verse we can say:
• Often at night in bed I longed for my lover; I longed for him to come, but he did not [or, but I was disappointed].
Alternatively the line can be rendered as a disappointing discovery:
• At night on my bed,
I longed for my lover.
I longed for him
But he was not there.
In English an idiom using the verb “find” is a possibility: “… he was nowhere to be found.”
I called him, but he gave no answer: translators of the Septuagint added this phrase, no doubt because they assumed that it was omitted by the Hebrew copyists. They apparently considered that the text here should read the same as 5.6. Some translations retain the Septuagint addition (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible), but there is no adequate reason to do so, even though the Song frequently repeats phrases. We recommend omitting this clause, as it was probably not part of the original Hebrew text.
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 .
Poem 3:1–5 The woman described searching for her beloved at night
In the preceding poem (2:8–17) the author described the man and woman as they were together on a beautiful spring day. Here in Poem 3:1–5 the woman was alone in her bed at night, and she longed to be with her beloved again. Her joy in 2:8–17 changed to being troubled in 3:1–5 as she searched for her beloved and then clung to him when she found him.
Bible scholars are not sure whether this poem tells about a dream, the woman’s feelings, or an actual event. It seems more like a dream than an actual event. In that culture it would not be likely for a woman to go out into the city at night, as the author described in 3:1–5, but in a dream almost anything is possible.
Some versions (including Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, and Good News Translation) have a section heading or footnote at 3:1 to indicate that 3:1–5 describes a dream. The Good News Translation mentions in the text that it was a dream, saying, “Asleep on my bed, night after night I dreamed of the one I love…” Other scholars interpret 3:1–5 as a description of the woman’s feelings. The Song is lyric poetry, which often uses such descriptions. It does not necessarily describe actual events. The Notes interpret 3:1–5 as a dream.
It is likely that 3:5 functions as a refrain, probably for the entire section (2:8–3:5). It is identical to the refrain in 2:7.
3:1–4 The woman described searching for her beloved at night
In 3:1–4 the woman was inside her house on her bed at night. In these verses she probably described a specific dream that she had, but the text does not state that she was dreaming. The Good News Translation makes this explicit, but many English versions do not. If you do not make it explicit in the verse, it may be helpful to include a footnote. For example:
In 3:1–4 the text probably implies that the woman was dreaming.
Searching is an important theme in the Song. In 3:1–4, there are four words that refer to searching. This repetition implies that the woman was desperate to find her beloved. It also emphasizes how relieved and happy she felt when she finally found him.
3:1a
On my bed…I sought the one I love: There are different ways to interpret this clause. The two main interpretations are:
(1) It indicates that while the woman was on her bed, she searched for her beloved, probably in a dream. For example:
On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves (English Standard Version)
(2) It is a figurative way to say that she longed for her beloved. For example:
All night long on my bed, I longed for my lover (NET Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits the context, which continues to describe the woman searching. When she did not find her beloved in her bed (3:1), she went out into the city streets to continue searching for him (3:2–4). In some languages it is natural to combine the idea of searching and longing in options (1) and (2). For example:
On my bed at night I ⌊longingly⌋ searched for the one my soul loves.
On my bed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bed is the common word for “bed.” By itself it does not imply anything about sexual relations. Use an appropriate word in your language. For example:
in the place I sleep -or-
as I lay in bed (New Living Translation (2004))
at night: There are different ways to interpret the Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night :
(1) It means “at night,” “during the night.” For example:
On my bed at night (New Jerusalem Bible)
(2) It means “night after night.” For example:
Asleep on my bed, night after night (Good News Translation)
(3) It means “all night long.” For example:
All night long on my bed (New International Version)
the one I love: The phrase the one I love is used four times in 3:1–4. It indicates that the woman loved the man very much. She had strong feelings of love for him. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I is literally “my soul.” It literally refers to the part of a person that feels emotions like love, joy, sorrow, or anger. Figuratively, it refers to the woman herself.
Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:
• Use a figure of speech in your language that refers to strong feelings of love. Some languages use a part of the body such as the “heart,” “liver” or “stomach” or a special idiom. For example:
the one I love with heart and soul (Contemporary English Version) -or-
the one who is in my heart
• Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:
the one I love (Good News Translation) -or-
my true love (Revised English Bible)
3:1b
I sought him, but did not find him: Here the woman repeated the phrase I sought him from 3:1a to emphasize her strong desire to be with the man. In some languages it may be more natural to translate the emphasis in a different way. For example:
Though I searched desperately for him, I could not find him.
Some English versions do not mention “search” and “find” here at all. For example, the New Living Translation (2004) and NET Bible mention only that the woman longed for the man, but he did not come. However, this section emphasizes the woman’s search, and it is important to communicate that in your language.
but did not find him: The woman dreamed that she was searching for her beloved, but she did not find him nearby. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
I did not see him anywhere/nearby. -or-
but he was not there.
Some versions include a statement at the end of 3:1, as in the Revised Standard Version, which says, “I called him, but he gave no answer.” There is a textual issue concerning the statement. Some manuscripts include this statement, and others do not.
(1) The Hebrew text of 3:1 does not include this statement about the woman calling her beloved. For example, in 3:1 the New International Version does not mention that the woman called the man:
All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. (New International Version)
(2) The LXX (Greek translation) of 3:1 includes the statement, “I called him, but he gave no answer.” For example, in the New Revised Standard Version, 3:1 ends with that statement:
Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. (New Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), which does not include the statement about the woman calling the man. The LXX translators probably included it because it is found in 5:6, which is similar to 3:1.
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