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 3:9:
Kupsabiny: “Solomon has arranged/prepared a chair, which is made of boards from the trees of Lebanon.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “King Solomon had the carriage made for himself with wood brought from Lebanon.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “This chariot which King Solomon had-made was-made of wood[s] from Lebanon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “King Solomon commanded his servants to make that portable chair for him; it was made with wood from Lebanon.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This verse is probably best considered as an aside or independent comment. The Hebrew word rendered palanquin in Revised Standard Version occurs only here and is not the same word as “bed” in verse 7, but it seems to have the same meaning. The word may come from Sanskrit or Iranian, though some think it is related to the Aramaic word for “bed.” Others think it refers to a building or throne room, but most consider it to be a portable seat of some kind. We can say “sedan chair” or more generally “[covered] seat carried by servants [or, porters].” New English Bible has “carriage.” We must be careful, however, that the term used does not mean a carriage with wheels.
King Solomon made himself …: on the nature and significance of references to Solomon, see comments on 1.1 and 3.7. When the poet says the king made himself a palanquin, it does not mean the king actually built one himself. He would have had servants make it for him to use. Good News Translation avoids the expression altogether with “King Solomon is carried on a throne…,” but this does not give a faithful rendering of the text.
From the wood of Lebanon: the mountains of Lebanon produced cedar and cypress trees of great size and fame. They were used widely in the ancient world in building projects, especially by Solomon (1 Kgs 5–7). To convey the idea that this was the best wood available, Good News Translation suggests “made of the finest wood.” Alternatively we can suggest “made of Lebanon’s famous wood [timber].”
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 3:9–10 the author describes Solomon’s carriage (litter, couch). Some of the Hebrew words in 3:9–10 are rare, and their meanings are uncertain. There are several ways to interpret these verses. However, the main point of this description is the excellent quality of the materials used to build the carriage. The overall purpose is to emphasize the magnificence of the bride.
3:9a
King Solomon has made his carriage: This clause probably implies that King Solomon hired craftsmen to make a carriage for him. It probably does not indicate that King Solomon himself made it. The context seems to imply that he intended to send the carriage for his bride so that she could travel in it to Jerusalem for their wedding.
The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as carriage is different from the Hebrew word for “carriage” in 3:7. The Notes interprets the two words to refer to the same couch. Some other ways to translate it here are:
King Solomon caused a ⌊portable⌋ couch to be made for him. -or-
King Solomon made himself a palanquin (Revised Standard Version)
In some languages a word like carriage may imply a vehicle with wheels, and the couch here did not have wheels. Men carried it on their shoulders. Use an appropriate word in your language to describe it. For more information, see the note on carriage later in this verse.
King Solomon: In this context King Solomon is probably a symbol for the man who is about to be married. For more information about the author’s use of King Solomon as a poetic symbol, see the section on Solomon in the introduction to 3:6–11. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate in some way that the name King Solomon is used figuratively here to refer to the woman’s beloved. For example:
⌊ her beloved⌋“King Solomon”
carriage:
The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as carriage occurs only here in the OT. It probably refers to the same couch that the author mentioned in 3:7. In that verse he used a more general word that can refer to any kind of bed or couch. Here in 3:9 the word is more specific. It refers to a bed or chair that was carried on poles by several strong men. Such a carriage is also called a “litter,” “sedan chair,” or “palanquin.”
In this context the couch probably had a small roof and curtains. It is likely that the curtains could be closed to hide the woman as she rode in it. It may have had small walls that could hide her when she lay down. When she was seated with the curtains open, people could see her.
Some ways to translate carriage (3:9a) and “carriage” (3:7a) are:
• Use the same word in your language to translate carriage (3:9a) and “carriage” (3:7a). For example, the New International Version uses “carriage” in both 3:7 and 3:9:
It is Solomon’s carriage… (3:7)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage… (3:9)
• Use two different words in your language to translate carriage (3:9a) and “carriage” (3:7a). The word that you use in 3:7 can be more general than the one in 3:9. For example, the God’s Word has:
sedan chair (3:7)
carriage (3:9)
Translate these words in a clear way in your language.
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