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 3:7:
Kupsabiny: “Look! But this one is Solomon who is coming, oh my! He is being carried in his chair of rulership and sixty young men are escorting (him) who are the brave men of Israel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Look, it is Solomon’s carriage. Escorted by Sixty best warriors of Israel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “That (is) the chariot of Solomon who is-surrounded by 60 of the best soldiers of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “It is Solomon, sitting in his portable chair surrounded by 60 bodyguards chosen from the strongest/greatest warriors in Israel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
We have seen that verse 6 draws attention to what seems to be an approaching caravan. Now in verse 7 the speaker identifies who it is that is coming.
Behold: an attention-getting word. It is also an emotive term, so the translation should express surprise or excitement. “Look!” or “[Over] There!” are possibilities.
It is the litter of Solomon!: the literal expression here is “his bed which is Solomon’s.” Here the third person suffix “his” looks forward to or anticipates the following proper noun “Solomon”: “It’s his bed, Solomon’s.” This form of expression may be another indication of the excitement of the speaker. Some languages may use a similar style in such circumstances: “It’s him. It’s Solomon’s carriage!”
Litter has several meanings in English; we should not confuse the meaning here with a group of newborn pigs or cats, or with the garbage we throw away! The Hebrew term used can mean “bed” or “couch,” and in this context of travel, it was probably supported on poles resting on the shoulders of a group of men as they walked along. Cultures around the world make use of such “man-powered” carriages to carry royalty. In parts of Asia and Africa, kings are still carried in this way. In such cultures finding an equivalent term will not be too difficult. The portable chair or throne described here was highly decorated and probably private, with curtains that could be closed. Thus we can see it as an effective metaphor for the young couple’s “love nest.”
Solomon is the young woman’s name for her lover. She also calls him her “king.” If we are right in assuming that she is the one speaking, we may insert this into the text: “it is [my king] Solomon’s carriage.”
Good News Translation assumes that Solomon must be inside: “Solomon is coming, carried on his throne.” The text does not actually say this, only that it belongs to Solomon, and it is not called a “throne,” so it is best to avoid this kind of rendering.
About it are sixty mighty men: About means “surrounding.” The figure sixty occurs again in 6.8. Its full significance is unknown. We note, however, that the term occurs directly following Solomon’s name and is probably used because in Hebrew it shares common consonants (“sh” and “m”) with it. The result is a very poetic effect: shellishlomoh shishim gibborim “Solomon’s sixty warriors.”
Mighty men: or “warriors.” The term suggests someone with great strength and courage. It is often used in Old Testament poetry. Here the mighty men are Solomon’s bodyguards. It may be possible to find an equivalent expression that is poetic. “Men of valor,” or “Brave-hearted ones,” are examples in English.
Of the mighty men of Israel renders literally the Hebrew expression. The sixty come from or represent the warrior class, in which case we can suggest a translation “sixty handpicked [Israelite] warriors form a bodyguard.” This is close to New English Bible, “Sixty of Israel’s chosen warriors are his escort.” Jerusalem Bible uses “champions” to render mighty men, but this may be easily misunderstood to mean great athletes. The idea of defending is foremost, so “warrior” is preferred.
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 .
In 3:7–10 the author responded to the rhetorical question in 3:6 (“Who is this…”). People asked that question about the woman and the people coming with her. However, the response in 3:7 does not really answer that question. Instead, it describes the procession. It tells about the guards that surrounded the litter (3:7b–8d) and about how the litter was made (3:9–10).
It may seem strange that the author did not mention the woman again in 3:7–10. However, the way he described the litter and her guards shows that the woman was worthy of royal honor. The author seems to hide her from readers by not describing her until 4:1. She wore a veil, and it was also difficult to see her inside the litter. This mystery makes the woman seem even more interesting.
3:7a
Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage: Scholars interpret this clause in different ways. There are two main views about who is riding in Solomon’s carriage :
(1) The woman was riding in the litter that her beloved Solomon sent. For example:
Look! She is riding in Solomon’s wedding litter!
(2) The woman’s beloved (who is called Solomon here as a praise name) was riding in his litter. For example:
Look! It is Solomon carried in his state litter… (Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Although no English version makes this interpretation explicit, it is supported by many commentaries. It fits the context of 3:6–11 and helps readers understand the poem as a whole. Here the name Solomon is probably used to refer to the woman’s beloved.
Behold: The word Behold means “Look!” Here it indicates that the speaker wanted people to pay attention to what was coming from the wilderness. The bride was coming in Solomon’s litter. In this context the word “Look!” probably indicates excitement. In many languages there are special words or phrases to communicate such excitement. Other ways to translate it in English are:
Look (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
Oh look over there! -or-
Do you see that? It is…
it is Solomon’s carriage: This clause continues to describe the wedding procession, as in 3:6. In this context the author implies that the man sent his own litter and an armed guard to carry the woman from her family home to her new home in Jerusalem. They had to travel through dangerous areas, so he sent soldiers to guard her.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
There is the palanquin that Solomon ⌊sent⌋ -or-
⌊ King⌋Solomon’s litter is coming!
carriage: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as carriage is a general word for “bed.” However, here people carried it in a wedding procession. Use a word in your language that describes a type of bed or couch that can be carried. In this context it may have had curtains around it so that people could not see the bride.
The author refers to the bride only indirectly here. But the elaborate way that the author described the procession and litter (3:6–10) implies that she was magnificent. The carriage was appropriate for a queen to ride in. Some other ways to translate this meaning of carriage are:
litter -or-
couch -or-
⌊ royal⌋seat
Solomon’s: Here the name Solomon is used as a praise name for the woman’s beloved. The word Solomon’s indicates that the litter belonged to her beloved. The context implies that he sent the litter for the woman to ride in as she came to him.
3:7b–c
escorted by sixty of the mightiest men: This clause indicates that sixty strong men were around the carriage on all sides. They surrounded it to protect the woman inside it. They prevented anyone from getting close to her, and they made sure that no one was able to harm her.
Only kings, queens, and their relatives or very rich people were able to pay for so many soldiers to escort them. When the man provided such a large escort for his bride, it emphasized how much he esteemed her. It caused all the people who saw her to know her great status.
Some other ways to translate the clause escorted by sixty of the mightiest men are:
Sixty soldiers are escorting it -or-
Sixty strong men are all around it
sixty of the mightiest men: The sixty of the mightiest men were an elite guard of trained soldiers. It was unusual to have such a large number of guards to escort a person to Jerusalem. The large number of guards emphasizes the security and protection that the man gave his bride. Other ways to translate sixty of the mightiest men here are:
of the mightiest men of Israel: The phrase of the mightiest men of Israel indicates that the sixty men were chosen from among the best soldiers of Israel. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
of Israel’s best soldiers (Contemporary English Version) -or-
the finest soldiers in Israel (Good News Translation) -or-
some of Israel’s mightiest warriors. (NET Bible) -or-
and braver than any other in Israel.
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