complete verse (Song of Solomon 6:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 6:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “Oh, you beautiful (maiden),
    where is your beloved?
    And tell us, which road did he take
    so that we can go and search for (him) for you?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “O, most charming among women,
    Where has your beloved gone?
    Which way has your beloved gone?
    We will help you to search for him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “O most-beautiful woman, where (is) your (sing.) beloved now? Where did- he -go for we (excl.) will-help you (sing.) to look-for/search-for him?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You who are the most beautiful of all the women,
    where has the one who loves you gone?
    If you tell us which direction he went,
    we will go with you to search for him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("go/travel")

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, mukaw-are-ru (向かわれる) or “go/travel” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("go")

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, ik-are-ru (行かれる) or “go” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 6:1

This verse is patterned very closely on 5.9. Two parallel questions are followed by a purpose clause. The young woman is again called the fairest among women. However, in place of the interrogative “How?” here we have a “Where?” question. Just as 5.9 leads into the description of the young man (5.10-16), here verse 1 leads into the young woman’s reflections on her lover.

Whither has your beloved gone: this question links back to an earlier section of this poem. The daughters know that the young man is missing (5.6, 8). Even though the answer in verse 2 is not what we expect, this is a true question, not a rhetorical one. We can say “Where did your lover go?” or “Where is your lover now?” Note that this clause refers to a past event that has present relevance. In many languages a perfect tense such as English “has gone” will be appropriate.

O fairest among women: on this form of address see comments on 1.8 and 5.9, but especially in 5.9, since the same sense is present there and here. Note again that this vocative phrase may occur at the beginning of a sentence rather than in second position.

Whither has your beloved turned is parallel to the first question. The verb turned parallels gone, but this time the question seeks more information. The daughters want to search in the right direction. If a literal translation using the verb turn is not acceptable, we may say “Which way did he go?” The repetition of the question may convey urgency, but it may also express sympathy. In some languages this repetition will be appreciated, but if not, the two questions can be combined.

That we may seek him with you: this clause gives the reason for the daughters’ questions. They want to help the young woman find her lover. Here the theme of “seek and find” is repeated.

This passage presents some challenges for interpreters. Why are the daughters here? What is the motive for their willingness to help? Are they sincere? Or are they mocking and teasing the young woman? Are they perhaps jealous, longing to have her lover for themselves?

The situation is complicated by the young woman’s answer. In verse 2 it suddenly appears that the young man is not lost at all; rather, he is making love to her! Note that the lover is “in the garden,” “gathering lilies”; these are metaphors for lovemaking. This leads us to conclude that the conversation between the young woman and the daughters is indeed an imaginary one. It does not describe an actual scene but enables the audience to feel the young woman’s emotions. It would be wrong to imagine that the intimate meeting described in verses 2 and 3 is actually being observed by a group of young women!

Probably the best way to translate the present phrase is to say “… so that we can look for him together.” Translators may find it necessary to supply a command, “Tell us,” or the verb “help”: “Tell us, so we can help you….” The dependent clause can be made independent if need be: “We will help you find him” or “We want to look for him with you.”

The whole verse can be translated:

• Where has your lover gone,
Most beautiful of women?
Which way did he go?
Tell us, and we will help you look for him.

• Most beautiful of all women,
Where has your lover gone?
Where has he gone?
Tell us, so we can help you find him.

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 6:1

6:1–3 The man was in his garden

In 5:10–16 the woman answered the women’s question by describing the man. Here in 6:1, the women responded with another question. They asked the woman where the man went, and they offered to help her find him (6:1). When she responded in 6:2–3, she said that her beloved was in his garden. (He was not missing.) Maybe she realized where he was when she praised him to the women. She realized that she and her beloved were still committed to each other, as she said in 6:3, “I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me.”

The “garden” in 6:2 is probably a metaphor for the woman. In 4:12–5:1 the man described the woman as a “garden.” In 4:16–5:1 she described herself as “his garden.”

Although 6:1 begins a new chapter, the poetic section continues until 6:3. It is helpful to show in some way that the chapter division does not indicate the end of the poetic section. This may be done with section headings, line breaks, or a footnote.

6:1 The women of Jerusalem questioned the woman

As in 5:9, in this verse the Jerusalem women asked two similar questions. The second question repeats the first one and adds a phrase. The use of two questions with similar meanings may emphasize that the women are serious about wanting to know the answer. The Hebrew text is literally:

1a Where ⌊has⌋ your beloved gone, most beautiful among women? 1b Where ⌊has⌋ your beloved gone so we may seek him with you?

In some languages it is more natural to translate the first part of the question (“Where has your beloved gone”) only once. For example:

Most beautiful among women, where has your beloved gone ? ⌊Tell us⌋ so that we may seek him with you.

Notice that the example changes the word order in the sentence by beginning it with “Most beautiful of women.”

6:1a

Where has your beloved gone: In 5:8 the woman asked the other women to give her beloved a message if they saw him. Because of what she said, the other women thought that she did not know where he was. So in 6:1 they offered to help her find him. They asked her where he went, because they wanted to know where to start their search. This clause is parallel to 6:1c. Some other ways to translate the question are:

where has your lover gone? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Which way did your beloved turn (Revised English Bible)
-or-
tell us where he has gone (Contemporary English Version)

6:1b

O most beautiful among women: The phrase most beautiful among women also occurred in 1:8 and 5:9, and you should translate it the same way in all three verses. For more information, see the notes on 5:9a–b.

6:1c–d

Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you: In 6:1c–d the Jerusalem women repeated the question that they asked in 6:1a, and then they told their purpose for the question: They wanted to help the woman search for her beloved. They implied that she should tell them which way he went when he left her. Some other ways to translate 6:1c–d are:

Where has your beloved turned? Tell us, that we may seek him with you. (NET Bible)
-or-
What direction did he go/take? We want to help you search for him.

Which way has he turned: The clause Which way has he turned is parallel to 6:1a and has a similar meaning. It means “in which direction” or “which way did your beloved go?” Some other ways to translate the clause are:

Tell us which way your lover went (Good News Translation)
-or-
Which way did he turn…? (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 6:1

Scholars have different ideas about why the Jerusalem women wanted to help the woman search for the man. Some scholars think that their motives were good, and they wanted to help their friend find him. Other scholars think that they were teasing or mocking her. Others think that they were jealous, or that they only wanted to look at this handsome man. In the context, it seems most likely that their motives were pure and they really wanted to help the woman.

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