gazelle

Both the Hebrew and Greek names are probably general terms for gazelle. At least two types of gazelle the Dorcas Gazelle Gazella dorcas and the Palestine or Arabian Gazelle Gazella arabica were found in the Middle East. They are still to be found in secluded areas.

Gazelles are small to medium sized plains antelopes, inhabiting savannah plains and semideserts. Both sexes have horns, except for the female impala, which is without horns. The horns of the gazelle species mentioned above are lyre-shaped about 25-50 centimeters (10-20 inches) in length. Gazelles are reddish brown with almost white underparts. They are long-legged and graceful and are expert jumpers. They live in small herds of up to about thirty. Females become sexually active at one year and bear young every year. This high rate of reproduction ensures their survival. They feed on both grass and the leaves of acacia and other bushes.

A breeding herd consists of one dominant breeding male and a group of females. The other males are chased from the herd when they become sexually active and they then form bachelor herds. These bachelor herds are the prime target for human and animal hunters since they provide a convenient source of meat while leaving the breeding cycle intact. In biblical times gazelles were trapped in nets or snares or were shot with bows and arrows.

The gazelle was seen as the cleanest of game animals since it met all the requirements of the Law concerning cloven hooves and cud-chewing. It was also a symbol of speed grace and beauty (the Hebrew root means beauty) and of female sexuality and fertility.

Where a language distinguishes between male and female animals, tsvi should be translated by the male form and tsviyah by the female form.

In East Africa where gazelles are well-known, a generic word for gazelles or the specific word for one of the smaller gazelles, such as the Thompson’s Gazelle Gazella thompsonii, is suitable. Elsewhere in Africa where the impala is known, the word for this antelope can be used.

Elsewhere, the word for a small antelope or deer that lives in herds can be used for the references that are literal, and the word for some swift, graceful antelope or deer can be used in the contexts where speed, grace, or beauty are being symbolized. As usual, in areas where gazelles, antelopes, and deer are unknown, a transliteration from the dominant international language or from the Hebrew original can be used. In such cases a description should be given in the glossary.

Gazella dorcas, Wikimedia Commons

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

complete verse (Song of Solomon 4:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 4:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “Your breasts are like two twin gazelles,
    and they are like two antelopes who are equal
    who are grazing in the midst of flowers.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Your breasts are like two young deer,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle that graze among the lilies.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Your (sing.) two breasts (are) just like twin fawns of deer that graze among the lilies/[liryo].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Your breasts are as beautiful as two fawns/young gazelles
    that eat grass among lilies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 4:5

Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle: as in Revised Standard Version, the Hebrew original has two breasts. In many languages this detail may be humorous, since the young woman certainly has no more than two! In Hebrew two is repeated for poetic effect. The words breasts and two give a repetitive sh sound. In many languages it will be more natural to omit the number two and simply say, “your breasts.”

The young woman’s breasts remind him of two fawns, the young of a gazelle. The point may be to stress her youthfulness, or the expression may suggest that her breasts are small and delicate. Twins has been suggested as a figure for their symmetry. The gazelle was commented on in 2.7, 9. It is a symbol for grace and beauty, so that is the sense here. The phrases two fawns and twins of a gazelle are almost synonymous and so can be combined in translation if necessary. Again we can make the basis of the comparison obvious. We can introduce the adjectives “beautiful” or “lovely” and say “Your breasts are as beautiful as two young gazelles,” or “your breasts are as lovely as two fawns, twins of a gazelle.”

That feed among the lilies: on lilies see comments on 2.1. There are a number of difficulties within this short phrase. Elsewhere (2.9, 17) it is the young man himself who is compared to a gazelle feeding among the lilies, a description that has a figurative reference to lovemaking. However, here the breasts are compared to these fawns feeding among lilies. Some take this to mean that her breasts are sweet-smelling or covered in perfume (compare 1.13). However, there seems to be no direct link between the breasts themselves and the lilies; rather, this simply tells us where the fawns are. Perhaps we are to take this as a picture of natural beauty.

We have already noted that there is considerable alliteration (the use of similar sounds) and repetition in the verse. The Hebrew word two, which occurs twice, begins with the sound sh, as does breast and lilies. Sound repetition can account in part for the choice of words here.

Even though it is difficult to determine the precise meaning of the phrase feed among the lilies, we recognize that it is an important expression which is repeated. We therefore recommend translating these lines rather literally. There is absolutely no basis for leaving them out as New English Bible does.

For translation we suggest:

• Your breasts, so small and beautiful,
Like two fawns feeding in the lilies.

• Your breasts are like twin deer
feeding in the lilies.

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 4:5

4:5

In 4:5 the man compared the woman’s breasts to two gazelles grazing among lilies. In some cultures it may not be appropriate to describe a woman’s breasts openly, but in the author’s culture it was an acceptable and common part of love poetry. For more information, see the comments on “Respectable speech and actions in the Song” in the introduction to 4:1–7.

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies: In this phrase the man praised the woman. He implied that he felt strong love for her as he looked at her. Her breasts made him feel as happy as if he were in a beautiful place where fawns grazed among sweet-smelling lilies. Translate in a beautiful, poetic way that will express the feelings of the man as he spoke to the woman.

Some ways to do this in English are:

Your breasts remind me of twin fawns of a gazelle grazing in ⌊a field of⌋ lilies.
-or-
When I see your breasts, I think of young gazelle twins feeding on ⌊sweet-smelling⌋ lilies.

It is likely that in this statement, the man described some characteristics of the woman that the gazelles and lilies suggested. He described how she affected him, rather than what she looked like.

4:5a

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle: In this phrase the man compared the woman’s breasts to two young gazelles (fawns). He describes her breasts as being like twins born to the same mother. This figure of speech implies that her breasts are identical, just as twin fawns are identical. Another way to translate this comparison is:

Your two breasts are like young twins of a gazelle

Your breasts: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as breasts is literally, “your two breasts.” It’s possible the Hebrew includes the word two because it begins with the same sound as the word for breasts. In many languages the word two is not needed here, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

like two fawns, twins: The word, twins, implies that the woman’s breasts are exactly alike, but the text does not explicitly say how they are like fawns. The fawns that the man referred to here are young gazelles. In Israel people considered them to be graceful, gentle, beautiful, shy, and quick. It is uncertain which specific quality the author referred to here, but it is clear that the woman’s breasts were beautiful and pleasing to the man. Consider how to communicate this meaning in a poetic way.

In some languages it may seem insulting to compare the woman’s breasts to fawns, or it may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a more general description. Since the man described his feelings about her breasts, it may be helpful to indicate that he considered them to be beautiful. For example:

Your breasts are as ⌊lovely⌋ as two ⌊beautiful⌋ twin fawns

4:5c

grazing among the lilies: The phrase grazing among the lilies describes the place where the fawns were feeding. It also implies that the man had strong loving feelings as he looked at the woman. He felt happy when he was with her. Here the beautiful fawns among the lilies represent the woman’s breasts and the woman herself.

Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

that feed in the midst of lilies.
-or-
that eat where lily flowers grow.

lilies: lilies smell sweet, and they may be associated with romance. The lilies are part of the description of the woman’s breasts. The text may imply that her breasts were like lilies because they were perfumed.

© 2017 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.