locked garden

The Hebrew in Song of Songs 4:12 that is translated as “locked garden” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “fenced garden” because of naturalness and clarity. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

sealed

The Hebrew in Song of Songs 4:12 that is translated as “sealed” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “covered” because of naturalness. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also set his seal.

fountain

In Gbaya, the sound and motion of the fountain’s water is emphasized with kput-kput, an ideophone used to describe the sound and motion of bubbling water as in a fresh water spring.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. Since the subject matter of Songs of Songs is particularly conducive to the use of ideophones, there are a total of 30 ideophones in the Gbaya Bible in that short biblical book alone. (Source: Philip Noss)

See also liquid gushing forth.

complete verse (Song of Solomon 4:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 4:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “You are like a hidden garden, oh my maiden,
    and you are like someone’s closed off well.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You are like a garden with a fence, my darling, my bride.
    Like a covered-up spring,
    like private spring.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “O my beloved girlfriend, you (sing.) (are) like an enclosed field that has a spring.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “My bride, you who are dearer to me than my sister, you are like a garden that is locked
    in order that other men cannot enter it;
    you are like a spring or a fountain that is covered
    in order that others may not drink from it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 4:12

The first thing we notice in verse 12 is that in the Revised Standard Version text there is a change in person. The young woman is referred to indirectly, in the third person, though note how New International Version, New American Bible, and many other translations use second person. The sense can be conveyed adequately using either form.

A garden locked: though a new metaphor is used, the locked garden continues the theme that the young woman is not accessible or available. In the case of young lovers not yet married but meeting secretly, this description is appropriate. Garden is a term used in 4.15, 16; 5.1; 6.2, 11 to refer to the woman. The fact that she is locked suggests that she is protected in some way, like a walled or enclosed garden that her lover is unable to enter. Most commentators agree that this is a veiled reference to the young woman’s virginity. Others, however, see it as a reference to an exclusive relationship; she belongs only to her lover and no one else. Good News Translation “a secret garden” seems inaccurate. The practice of “locking” a garden may not be understood in some languages, so it may be best to describe it as “private.” Another possibility is to say “a closed garden” or “an enclosed garden” (Jerusalem Bible).

This metaphor may have to be expressed as a simile. However, in doing this we may lessen the impact of the passage considerably. We must keep in mind as well that this metaphor extends throughout the passage (through 5.1). So we recommend staying as close to the original as possible, within the limits of naturalness and comprehensibility.

My sister, my bride: see comments on 4.9.

A garden locked seems to be a repetition of the phrase occurring in the first line. However, there is a textual problem here, since the Hebrew text does not have gan garden but the word gal. This word may refer to a spring or fountain, but this is not certain. In Eccl 12.6, for example, the same root means “bowl.” Since there is a tendency in the Song for phrases occurring at the beginning of lines to be repeated (see verses 8 and 9 above, and 1.15), it is likely that the original text was gan garden. So the Revised Standard Version rendering can be followed here.

In most languages the repetition of a garden locked will be appreciated. Good News Translation tries to vary the expressions: “a secret garden … A walled garden.” If repetition is not appreciated in the language of translation, varying expressions may be used, or the repetitive phrase may be eliminated.

A fountain sealed employs another sexually-loaded term, fountain (see Pro 5.15-20). That the young woman is sealed parallels the phrase locked in the first phrase of the verse. Sealed presumably means that the well is covered, preventing persons from reaching the water. In both cases the idea of sole ownership is present. Both garden and fountain contain the thought of fertility, giving a very clear sexual sense. In East Africa “a sealed well” is an appropriate idiom for a virgin.

The word order of Revised Standard Version translates the Hebrew rather closely. If we accept the figurative sense, we can express it as:

• My sister, my bride, is a protected garden,
a protected garden, a covered spring.

Adopting the second person form, we can say:

• You are a garden enclosed, my sister, my bride,
a garden enclosed, a sealed spring.

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 4:12

4:12–15

In 4:12–15 the man described the woman as an ideal garden with abundant water. The description uses hyperbole, since no real garden in ancient Israel had such a variety of plants growing together in one place. When the author describes the garden, he probably implies the effect that the woman herself had on the man. The author probably does not refer here to the effects of specific body parts related to sexual intimacy.

The author related these verses to the previous ones by using common themes and words. In 4:12 he repeated the phrase, my sister, my bride, that was used twice in the preceding verses. He also continued to speak of fragrances, and he concluded 4:15 with the Lebanon theme.

4:12a

In 4:12 the man continued his theme of the woman being hard to reach, which he described in 4:8. But here the man used the metaphors of a “locked garden” and a “sealed fountain” to describe her.

My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up: Here the man described the woman with the metaphor of a beautiful garden that is locked up. No one was able to enter and come to her. Some scholars think that her beloved already came to her and had sexual relations with her. However, it is more likely that she was still a virgin. As in 2:14 and 4:8, the man again gently encouraged her to give herself totally to him. In 4:16 she will respond and invite him to “enter her garden” to be intimate with her.

In some languages it is more natural to change the order of the words in this sentence. For example:

My bride, my sister is a garden that is locked.

This statement is a metaphor. Other ways to translate the metaphor are:

• Use a simile. For example:

My sister, my bride, you are like a garden that is locked.

• Use a simile and indicate the implied meaning. For example:

My sister, my bride, you are as ⌊private⌋ as a locked garden.

My sister, my bride: The phrases My sister and my bride are parallel terms that the man used to express affection to his bride. The word bride also implies a marriage celebration. For a more detailed discussion of My sister, my bride, see the note on this phrase in 4:10a.

garden: In the land where the man and woman lived, a garden was like a park that had trees and flowers. The man did not refer here to a small garden with a few vegetables. The type of garden to which the man compared his bride was unusually beautiful. The trees in the garden were filled with delicious fruit, and its flowers included fragrant herbs. It was an imaginary garden, where everything was ideal. Use an appropriate word in your language for such a garden.

In 4:12 the man referred to the woman as if he were talking about her to others. But in 4:13 it is clear that he spoke directly to her when he said “your shoots.” In many languages it is more natural to indicate in both verses that the man spoke directly to her. For example:

You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride…

4:12b–c

a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed: The phrases a spring enclosed and a fountain sealed have similar meanings. Literally, they indicate that no one but the owner of the spring or fountain can take any of its water. Figuratively, they indicate that the woman was private. No one could come to her without permission. She was the source of refreshment for the man, and he was the only one who had a right to enjoy lovemaking with her.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the figure of speech about the private spring and fountain only once. For example:

You are like a spring that is only for me.

a spring enclosed: There is a textual issue here with the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spring :

(1) The Hebrew text has the word gal, which means “spring” or “pool.” For example:

you are a spring enclosed… (New International Version)

(2) Other ancient versions have a word that means “garden.” For example:

a walled garden… (Good News Translation)

The decision about which text to follow is difficult, since either approach makes sense in the context. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which follows the Hebrew text. It fits both the sounds of the poetry and its meaning especially well.

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