“Navajo (Dinė) distinguishes between a man’s son or daughter and a woman’s son or daughter by the use of different terms for each. So the gender of Zion had to be determined. The problem was settled when a friend called to our attention a number of verses in the Old Testament where Zion is referred to as “she” or “her”, e.g. Ps. 87:5, 48:12, Is. 4:5, 66:8. The term for a woman’s daughter is biché’é, so the “daughter of Zion” became Záiyon biché’é ‘Zion her-daughter’.” (Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. .)
In the English translation by Goldingay (2018) it is translated as Miss Tsiyyon (or: Zion).
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 3:11:
Kupsabiny: “Please come outside oh, you/our girls of Zion! Look at king Solomon. He has a hat/crown that his mother placed on his head on this his wedding day. This is a day for his stomach to be happy.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Come out O daughters of Zion, and gaze at king Solomon, wearing the crown his mother crowned him with on the day of his wedding, the day of his heart rejoicing.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “[You (plur.)] women of Jerusalem come-out, and [you (plur.)] look at King Solomon who is-wearing a crown. This was-placed-upon him by his mother on the day that he (was) full of joy — the day of his wedding.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You women of Jerusalem, come and look at King Solomon wearing the headdress that his mother put on his head on the day when he was married, the day when he was very happy.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Go forth, O daughters of Zion: the address is directed to the women (daughters) of Zion. In poetry Zion is usually parallel to or an alternative to the word “Jerusalem.” Strictly speaking Zion is only a small part of the city of Jerusalem; it is the citadel, the location of the Temple and royal palace. If we accept the proposal made for verse 10, daughters of Zion here forms a chiastic structure with “daughters of Jerusalem” at the end of that verse. We should try to retain this form. If that cannot be done, then it may be possible to combine the two lines into one statement, “daughters of Zion [or, Jerusalem], come out, look….”
The imperative Go forth or “Come out” introduces the invitation to these other women to view the advancing procession.
And behold King Solomon: behold is not the same word as occurs in 3.7. Here we have the verb “see” followed by a particle often used in polite requests. The Hebrew phrase is a forceful one, namely “gaze at,” “look closely at,” or more colloquially “feast your eyes on.” If we agree there is a chiastic structure in the verse as suggested above, we may want to add an additional verb to carry this emphasis:
• Daughters of Jerusalem, come out!
Look, daughters of Zion!
Feast your eyes on King Solomon!
With the crown with which his mother crowned him: the second object of the Jerusalem women’s gaze is the royal crown. It may have been that in Israelite custom the groom wore a “crown” on his wedding day. However, we have no evidence this was so. If there was such a custom, it probably was a headdress made of leaves such as appears on some Egyptian paintings of wedding scenes. It was a way of honoring the groom with “royal” significance.
For crown, translators may need to use a descriptive phrase because of the different cultural background. We can say “he is wearing a wedding headdress” or “he wears a wedding hat.” Again, however, the point is not to give such a detailed description that we lose the poetic effect. We must find a phrase that expresses the idea without drawing attention to itself.
With which his mother crowned him: most commentators do not comment on this phrase except to note that nothing is known about such a practice.
We can say “See, he wears a crown [or, wedding hat], the one his mother gave him.”
On the day of his wedding is included in the above description of “wedding hat” and so may not need to be rendered quite so literally. On the other hand, if we use “crown” or “wreath,” then we may need to render this phrase as “when he got married” or “on his wedding day.”
This verse should make it clear that the description in verses 6-11 cannot be of a wedding procession on Solomon’s wedding day as some have suggested, because the poem refers back to the time of that event. The young woman likens her own lover to Solomon on his wedding day; she describes her own room as similar to what Solomon, the actual king, enjoyed when he got married. The Hebrew term for wedding found here is not used anywhere else in the Old Testament.
On the day of the gladness of his heart is the rather literal rendering of this Hebrew phrase. It is parallel to on the day of his wedding, describing what a day of joy that was. Most languages will want to avoid the string of noun phrases used here, preferring verbs instead. We can say “on the day he was so happy” or “on the day his heart was filled with joy.” Not even a king, and not even the great king Solomon, could be any happier than the young woman is now with her lover.
We can translate this passage as:
• on his wedding day, the day of his great joy.
• on the happy occasion of his marriage.
Note that the parallel lines and the repetition of the expression on the day form a proper ending to this beautiful poem.
• Daughters of Jerusalem, come out!
Daughters of Zion, look!
Look at King Solomon, wearing his wedding crown,
The crown his mother gave him on the day he was wed—
The day of his great joy! [or, That happy day!]
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 .
It is recommended that you imagine 3:11 in the following way: The man was waiting in Jerusalem for his bride to arrive in the royal wedding procession. She was coming in a luxurious carriage, which was surrounded by many armed guards. The young women of Jerusalem were called to come and join the king and participate in the wedding celebration.
3:11a
Come out, O daughters of Zion: Here an unknown person, possibly the author, spoke to the women of Zion. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of phrases in 3:11a. For example:
Women of Zion, come… (Good News Translation) -or-
Young women of Zion, come out (God’s Word)
Come out: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come out means “go out” or “come out.” In many languages the choice of verb depends on the location of the speaker. In this verse, the author did not reveal the speaker’s location. However, he invites the young women to be outside where the wedding celebration will happen. Some ways to translate this invitation are:
come (Contemporary English Version) -or-
go out (New Century Version)
Translate the invitation in a clear way in your language.
daughters of Zion: The phrase, daughters of Zion, has the same meaning as daughters of Jerusalem in 3:10. Both phrases refer to the same group of young women. Zion is the name of a specific part of Jerusalem where the temple and royal palace were located. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
You women who live on Zion’s ⌊mountain⌋ -or-
You women in Zion
3:11b
and gaze at King Solomon: In Hebrew this clause is more literally, “and see the king Solomon.” In this context the phrase King Solomon refers to the man who is about to be married. Some other ways to translate this invitation :
Go out and behold “King Solomon.” -or-
Come gaze at ⌊the groom⌋, ⌊as splendid as⌋ King Solomon!
In some languages there is a figure of speech to describe the way someone gazes at a beautiful or unusual sight. For example:
feast your eyes on King Solomon -or-
drink in ⌊the glory/splendor of⌋ this “King Solomon”
King Solomon: Here King Solomon is a symbol of royal majesty. The author implied that the man on his wedding day was as majestic and splendid as King Solomon. King Solomon himself is not a character in the story.
3:11b–d
wearing the crown his mother bestowed on the day of his wedding: There are two ways to interpret the custom of crowning that is mentioned here:
(1) It was a wedding custom. The mother of the groom put a wreath made of vines or flowers on her son’s head to honor him at his wedding.
(2) It was a custom at the ceremony when a new king began to reign. He was crowned with an expensive royal crown, which was often made of gold and adorned with precious jewels.
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The wedding is mentioned, not the crowning of a king. This fits the context of the Song. In the Song, Solomon is not an actor. He is a symbol of power and splendor.
the crown…bestowed: The crown in this context was probably a wreath that was woven of flowers and greenery. It was a symbol that the man to be married is powerful and majestic like a king. Some scholars mention that this feeling of majesty is common for a man when he marries the woman he loves. The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bestowed means “put a crown on his head.” Other ways to translate the action here are:
Wearing the crown that his mother gave him… (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures) -or-
wearing the crown that his mother placed on his head… (Good News Translation) -or-
with the crown with which his mother crowned him (Revised Standard Version)
In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote to explain the custom of wearing a wedding crown or wreath. For example:
In that culture it was customary for a man’s mother to put a crown or wreath on his head to honor him at his wedding.
Some other ways to translate the word crown in this context are:
crown/wreath ⌊for the wedding⌋ -or-
the ⌊decorated⌋ ⌊wedding⌋ hat
his mother bestowed on the day of his wedding: This phrase refers to a wedding custom in that culture. The mother put a crown or wreath on her son’s head to honor him at his wedding. In some cultures men do not wear crowns or wreaths, so that custom may imply a wrong meaning. Some other options for translation are:
• Refer to a gift that a mother gives a son at his wedding. For example:
with the special gift/clothing that his mother gave him to honor him on his marriage
• Use a more general expression. For example:
how his mother honored him on his wedding day.
on the day of his wedding: This is the only verse in the Song of Songs where the word wedding occurs. However, the whole section (3:6–5:1) should probably be understood as the wedding celebration. In 3:6–11 the text implies in several ways that it describes a wedding procession. Then in chapters 4–5 the man often referred to the woman as “my bride” (4:8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 5:1).
Cultures have different wedding customs. In some cultures there is more than one public ceremony that a couple can consider as their wedding. In other cultures there is no public ceremony when a couple marries. If that is true in your culture, you may need to use a descriptive phrase. For example:
on the day when they celebrated/began their marriage -or-
on their wedding day -or-
on the day when they married
3:11e
the day of his heart’s rejoicing: This phrase is parallel to 3:11d. Both 3:11d and 3:11e refer to the same day and event, but the phrase here in 3:11e adds a comment about the groom’s joy on that day (his wedding day). In some languages it is more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:
On that day he was filled with joy. -or-
That was the happiest day of his life.
his heart’s rejoicing: The phrase his heart’s rejoicing is an idiom that describes great joy. The phrase his heart’s rejoicing emphasizes that the man’s joy was strong and fervent. This is the only reference to rejoicing in the Song, but it is important because it comes at a climax in the book. It indicates that the man was happy and excited that he was marrying his beloved.
The bridal procession arrived! The author implied that the bride was beautiful and mysterious. Until she arrived, she was veiled by the curtains of the palanquin. When she arrived, the man was excited and joyful, and he showed that joy as he described her in chapter 4. In some languages there may be a figure of speech to describe this joy. For example:
the day when his joy overflowed
Some other ways to translate his heart’s rejoicing are:
his…joyful delight (God’s Word) -or-
his most joyous day (New Living Translation (2004))
Describe his joy in a natural way in your language.
General Comment on 3:6–11
The author used hyperbole as he described the wedding procession in 3:6–11. Solomon himself was mentioned as part of the royal imagery, but he was not actually a part of the celebration. These verses are a “wedding song” that describes the joy that the bride and groom felt on their wedding day. That day was their special day when they were as happy as a king and queen.
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