complete verse (Song of Solomon 5:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 5:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then I responded,
    ‘But I am already undressed!
    Should I put on my clothes again?
    I have washed by feet,
    should I again step on the ground?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I have taken off my dress.
    Should I wear those clothes again?
    I have washed my feet,
    Shall I make them dirty again?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But I said, ‘I have- already -taken-off my clothes, should- I -put- these -on again? I have- already -washed my feet, should- I -make- them -dirty again?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But I had already taken off my robe;
    I did not want to put it on again to open the door.
    I had already washed my feet;
    I did not want them to become dirty again.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 5:3

This text can be interpreted in two ways. Revised Standard Version, along with New Jerusalem Bible, takes it almost as an aside, as if the young woman is talking to herself or giving excuses to her listeners. On the other hand this passage can be part of the reported conversation between herself and her lover. The verse consists of parallel clauses in which the first half describes her state, and the second half uses a rhetorical question.

I had put off my garment describes her state. She is undressed (so Good News Translation). Garment refers to an undergarment, namely a long shirt-like robe worn by both men and women. Having removed it she would have been naked. A general expression, as in English “I have already taken off my clothes,” is quite acceptable. Words for long robes such as were worn at that time are also appropriate (Jerusalem Bible “tunic”; New Jerusalem Bible “robe”). Revised Standard Version had implies that she had gotten undressed before his arrival. In many languages it will be more natural to use the equivalent of a present perfect verb form, as Good News Translation “I have already undressed.”

How could I put it on? is a rhetorical question meaning that she is not willing to put it on again. If she was half asleep, getting dressed may be difficult. She would apparently need to cover herself if she were to get up and let her lover in. We must look behind this question for something other than the obvious meaning. She appears to be teasing her loved one.

I had bathed my feet: foot washing was a regular necessity for those walking the dusty roads of Israel. On entering a home it was customary to wash your feet. So the woman says she has already washed her feet, having prepared to go to bed. However, the word “feet” is a euphemism for the genital region (see 2 Sam 11.8, 11), and it is possible that there is a double meaning here. If this is the case the young woman may mean that she has bathed in preparation for meeting her lover. Note again that a present perfect “have” will probably be more natural than a form like had.

How could I soil them? is the second rhetorical question. The verb soil occurs only here, but it is known in Aramaic with the same meaning.

In translating these questions we want to convey the young woman’s irony. While she appears to say she is unwilling to let him in, the real intent of the words is just the opposite! In some languages these rhetorical questions will be understood perfectly well, while in others they will have to be modified. In English, for example, we can effectively convey the teasing tone of the young woman by saying “I couldn’t possibly soil them again, could I?” In other languages a “Why?” question may be more effective, as in Good News Translation “Why should I get dressed again?” or “Why should I get them dirty again?” Some languages may wish to add “You don’t expect me to get dressed again, do you?” In some cases we may need to eliminate the interrogative form altogether. In Bible en français courant, for example, these questions are rendered as negatives: “I have taken off my clothes. I’m not going to get dressed again! I’ve just washed my feet. I’m not going to dirty them again!”

For the whole verse, we can propose:

• I’ve already undressed.
I can’t get dressed again[, can I?].
I’ve just washed by feet
I can’t get them dirty again[, can I?].

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 5:3

5:3

There are two views about the woman’s words in 5:3:

(1) The words tell what the woman thought when the man came to her. She later told her thoughts to the Jerusalem women. She did not say the words directly to the man. For example:

I had taken off my robe…I had bathed my feet… (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(2) She said the words directly to the man when he asked her to open the door (5:2c–e). Later she told the Jerusalem women what she said. For example:

But I responded, “I have taken off my robe…” (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with more English versions.

5:3a–d

There are two similar parts in 5:3 (5:3a–b is similar to 5:3c–d). Each part has a statement and a rhetorical question:

3a I have taken off my robe—

3b must I put it back on?

3c I have washed my feet—

3d must I soil them again?

The two parts have similar meanings. The woman implied that she prepared herself for sleeping and got into bed before the man came. In 5:3a–b she said that she already undressed so she did not want to dress again. In 5:3c–d she said that she already washed her feet, so she did not want to make them dirty again. The author repeats these similar meanings to emphasize them.

Some other ways to translate 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d are:

• Translate 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d as similar statements. For example:

I had already taken off my robe,

and I did not want to put it on again.

I had already washed my feet,

and I did not want to soil them again.

• Combine the actions in 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d as one explanation. For example:

I had already taken off my robe and washed my feet, and/so I did not want to put my robe on again and soil my feet!

• Combine 5:3a–b as one statement and 5:3c–d as one question. For example:

But I had already undressed and bathed my feet. Should I dress again and get my feet dirty? (Contemporary English Version)

Translate these parallel parts of the verse in an emphatic way in your language.

5:3a

I have taken off my robe: Here the woman explained to the other women the reason that she did not want to get up to open the door for the man. She explained that when the man arrived, she had already removed her clothes and was ready to sleep. The phrase I have taken off my robe is not something that she said to the man. Some other ways to translate this explanation are:

But I was already undressed
-or-
I had put off my garment (Revised Standard Version)

taken off my robe: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as taken off my robe refers to removing the robe that a person (either male or female) normally wore under other clothes. It was customary to remove this robe when getting into bed to sleep. Use a natural way in your language to refer to removing clothes to prepare to sleep.

5:3b

must I put it back on?: The clause must I put it back on is a rhetorical question. It implies that the woman did not want to put her clothes on again after taking them off to get into bed. She thought that it was too much effort for her to do that. Some other ways to translate this rhetorical question are:

• Use a rhetorical question that implies that meaning in your language. For example:

why should I get dressed again? (Good News Translation)
-or-
must I put it on again? (Revised English Bible)

• Use a statement. For example:

I have taken off my garment, and I do not want to put it on again.

Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.

5:3c

I have washed my feet: Here the woman indicated that she already washed her feet to get into bed. It was common for people to wash their feet even if they did not bathe the rest of their bodies. People commonly went barefoot or wore open sandals, so their feet got dirty from the dust. Another way to translate 5:3c is:

I had already bathed my feet.

5:3d

must I soil them again: The rhetorical question must I soil them again implies that the woman did not want to get her feet dirty. It does not imply that she was not able to get them dirty. Another way to translate the rhetorical question is:

I did not want to make them dirty again.

General Comment on 5:3

In this verse, the woman was already in bed. She had already washed her feet and removed her garment to get ready to sleep. She was not prepared for the man’s visit, and she was surprised that he came. (The General Comment on 5:5 about myrrh gives more information about preparing for sleep in that culture.)

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