opobalsamum (balsam; balm)

The Hebrew word bosem, which is often rendered “balm” (derived from “balsam”), can refer to any type of aromatic healing substance, but it also designates the product of a particular tree, the balsam or opobalsamum Commiphora gileadensis. Arabs call it balasam or balasham. In the Talmud it is called afarsimon. Excavations near En Gedi have uncovered an ancient processing plant for balsam oil.

The opobalsamum tree likes a desert or semi-desert climate. It grows to 2‑3 meters (7‑10 feet) tall and has small, wrinkled, three-part leaves, white flowers, and pea-sized red berries that have a fragrant yellow seed inside. The bark of younger branches is gray, turning brown with age. The resin appears by itself in green droplets from the stems and branches, but collectors also make cuts in the branches to speed the process. The droplets turn from green to brown, clump together, and fall to the ground, where they are collected.

In Bible times, balsam oil was used in holy anointing oil, as medicine, and as an ingredient of perfume.

A generic word or phrase for sweet-smelling substances is appropriate to render bosem, although where a specific name for the balsam tree is available, as in southwestern Arabia and Somalia, this could also be used. At least one hundred species of the genus Commiphora are spread throughout dry areas of the world. Translators in some areas will know the plants; others may know only the dried resin of Commiphora sold in spice markets.

Balsam tree, Photo by Nigel Hepper

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

fat, oil

The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Song of Solomon 4:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 4:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “How very sweet is that love you have, oh, my child, my maiden?
    Yes! You are delicious more than wine,
    and you smell sweet
    more than anything that smells sweet.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “How delightful is your love,
    my darling, my bride!
    Your loving is much more pleasing than wine,
    and Your perfume smells better than any spice.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “How sweet (is) your (sing.) love, my beloved girlfriend. This (is) even sweeter than delicious drink. Your (sing.) perfume/[what-causes-nice-fragrance] (is) even more fragrant than any kind of perfume.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “My bride, your love for me is delightful!
    It more delightful than wine!
    And the fragrance of your perfume
    is more pleasing than any spice!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 4:10

The young man continues his praise, with growing intensity. We note that his speech repeats two key expressions from the young woman’s first declaration of love (1.2-3), “love better than wine” and “fragrance of your oils.” Translators should use the same wording to translate in both places so as to highlight the similarity.

Parallel lines are also featured. Two lines begin with the exclamation How…! each time referring to your love. Parallelism also occurs in the last two lines of the comparison. This can be seen if we set out a more literal translation:

How sweet is your love,
my sister, my bride
How good is your love
more than wine
And the fragrance of your oils
more than any spice

Similar Hebrew sounds are also evident in this passage, involving repetition of the sounds a, u, and m. In the last line the two words your oils and spice sound somewhat alike in Hebrew. It will certainly be impossible to imitate these sounds in translation, but there may be some sounds or ideophones that can help portray either the sweetness of the fragrances or the ecstasy of the young man.

How sweet is your love: the young man exclaims in praise of the woman’s beauty. Sweet is from the root “be beautiful,” as in 1.15, 16. As we are dealing with lovemaking, it may be more appropriate to use an adjective like “wonderful.” Some languages may use “delightful,” “charming,” or “delicious,” while many, in fact, use “sweet.” Jerusalem Bible translates “What spells lie in your love.” Though effective in English this can easily lead the translator astray, and so it is not a good model. Our word choice here will certainly be dictated by how we translate the word love below.

Your love: this word was first used in 1.2 by the young woman in addressing her lover. See comments there. But here it is the young man speaking to her. We noted above in the discussion that love is a general word; while it includes emotions, it further refers to every demonstration of love, including sexual activity. Many versions translate your love abstractly, while others refer to particular expressions of love such as “your caresses.” In 1.2 the young woman referred to the young man’s kisses. This is certainly included in the meaning. Certain other languages will only be able to say something like “I love the way you hold me.”

In the Hebrew text the form of the word rendered love is dual rather than the normal plural. Early translations like the Septuagint have taken the text to mean “your breasts,” a phrase with the same Hebrew consonants but slightly different vowels. This probably accounts for the Revised English Bible rendering “how beautiful are your breasts.” We recommend against this interpretation and translation.

The word love occurs twice, once in each of the first two lines, so we have the option of repeating the word or of rendering it by two different words. It may be possible, for example, to use a more general term with a more particular one:

• How wonderful your love is, my sister, my bride!
Your kisses are sweeter ….

• How wonderful are your caresses, my darling, my bride!
Your love is sweeter ….

My sister, my bride: see notes on the previous verse.

How much better is your love than wine: this is similar to the expression used in 1.2. Refer to comments there. Here the adjective better presumably refers to the sweetness of the wine. For wine see 1.2.

The word “good” (better) appears only once in the Hebrew text of this verse, but it applies to the two comparisons. It says that the young woman’s love is better than the taste of wine, and the aroma of her perfume (or oils) is better than all kinds of spices. If possible the translator can find one verb or adjective that applies equally well to both contexts; for example, “better,” “is sweeter,” or “is more pleasing.” If such a word does not exist, then two separate words must be found: “your love is sweeter than wine … your perfume more fragrant than all kinds of spices.”

We noted that these lines open with an exclamatory How…! in Hebrew. This can be expressed following the Revised Standard Version model How …; or alternatively we can add an intensifier such as “so” to the clause: “Your caresses are so wonderful, my sister, my bride! Your caresses are so much sweeter than wine [or, drink]!”

And the fragrance of your oils than any spice: most of the vocabulary here has been used already in 1.3. Refer to comments there. The aroma of the young woman’s oils is more fragrant than any spice. As the woman anointed herself with spiced oils, the significance of his comment can only be guessed at. Perhaps he means to say that she improved the aroma of the spices, or perhaps your oils has a sexual meaning. In any event, a more or less literal translation will be acceptable. The Septuagint here has “your clothes,” probably under the influence of verse 11. We advise against following this minority view. Any spice, from Hebrew “than all spices,” is of course an exaggeration, but this is not surprising, given the young man’s state of mind! We may have to make the basis of comparison clear: “Your perfume smells better than any spice” or “Your oils are more fragrant than any spice.”

There is a rhythmic repetition in this verse which can be rendered if the Hebrew text is followed rather literally:

• How wonderful is your love,
my sister, my bride
How wonderful are your caresses!
They are sweeter than wine!
And the smell of you,
sweeter than any spice!

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 4:10

4:10a

How delightful is your love: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as How delightful is your love is an exclamation. The man told his bride that her love gave him great pleasure. Some other ways to translate the exclamation are:

Your love delights me (Good News Translation)
-or-
How beautiful are your expressions of love (God’s Word)
-or-
Your love causes me to feel happy

Translate it in a way that fits this context in your language.

delightful is your love: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love is plural. It probably refers to physical ways that the woman showed her love to him. These ways include actions like kissing and touching. The word delightful is often translated as “sweet” or “beautiful.” It indicates that the ways she showed her love were wonderful and delightful to the man. They gave him much pleasure.

your love: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your love is also used in 1:2. See the note on 1:2b for more information.

my sister, my bride: This phrase was also used in 4:9. For information on how to translate the phrase my sister, see the notes on 4:9a. For information on how to translate my bride, see the notes on 4:8a–b.

In some languages it may be necessary to put the phrase my sister, my bride at the beginning of 4:10. For example:

My sister, my bride, how wonderful is your love!

For a discussion of my sister, see the note on 4:9a. For a discussion of my bride, see the note on 4:8a–b.

4:10b

Your love is much better than wine: What the man said here is similar to what the woman said to him in 1:2b.You should translate the two verses in a similar way. The Hebrew identifies 4:10b–c as an exclamation. Other ways to translate the exclamation are:

Your love is sweeter than wine (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
how much better is your love than wine (Revised Standard Version)

Refer to how you translated the similar expression in 1:2b and translate in a similar way.

Your love: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your love is also used in 1:2. See the note on 1:2b for more information.

wine: The word wine refers here to a fermented drink made from grapes. It was a common beverage among the Hebrew people and was often used in celebrations. You should translate it as you did in 1:2b.

4:10c

and the fragrance of your perfume than all spices: Here the phrase the fragrance of your perfume refers to the perfumed oil that the woman rubbed on her body to make her smell sweet. The man also wore perfumed oils. In 1:3a the woman told the man that his oils were fragrant. Here the man praised her oils even more. He said that they smelled better than any spice.

Some other ways to translate this comparison are:

Your perfume smells better than any spice. (New Century Version)
-or-
Your perfumed oil is more fragrant than the best of spices.

perfume: In the ancient Near East olive oil was used as a base for making perfume and cologne. Expensive fragrances were added to the oils. Some of these fragrances were made from costly foreign spices, and both men and women used them. Use appropriate words in your language to describe fragrances that men and women put on their bodies to make them smell good.

General Comment on 4:10b–c

The comparisons in 4:10b and 4:10c are parallel. Both comparisons say that something is better than something else. It is common in Hebrew poetry that part of the comparison is implied in the second parallel line, so it is not stated explicitly. The implied words in the example below are in brackets:

Your love is much better than wine,

and the fragrance of your perfume ⌊is much better⌋ than all spices!

Translate the comparison is a natural way in your language.

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