virgin

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew and Greek that is mostly translated as “virgin” in English can be translated as “woman that is untouched” in Batak Toba or “a woman with a whole (i.e. unopened) body” in Uab Meto.

“Similar words for ‘girl,’unmarried young woman,’ suggesting virginity without explicitly stating it, are found in Marathi, Apache, or Kituba. Cultural features naturally influence connotations of possible renderings, for instance, the child marriage customs in some Tboli areas, where the boy and girl are made to sleep together at the initial marriage, but after that do not live together and may not see each other again for years. Hence, the closest attainable equivalent, ‘female adolescent,’ does not imply that a young girl is not living with her husband, and that she never had a child, but leaves uncertain whether she has ever slept with a male person or not. Accordingly, in Luke one has to depend on Luke 1:34 to make clear that Mary and Joseph had not had sexual intercourse. A different problem is encountered in Pampanga, where birhen (an adaptation of Spanish virgen — ‘virgin’), when standing alone, is a name of the ‘Virgin Mary.’ To exclude this meaning the version uses “marriageable birhen,” thus at the same time indicating that Mary was relatively young.” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel, see here)

In Navajo (Dinė), the term that is used is “no husband yet” (Source: Wallis, p. 106) and in Gola the expression “trouser girl.” “In the distant past young women who were virgins wore trousers. Those who were not virgins wore dresses. That doesn’t hold true anymore, but the expression is still there in the language.” (Source: Don Slager)

The term in Djimini Senoufo is katogo jo — “village-dance-woman” (women who have been promised but who are still allowed to go to dances with unmarried women). (Source: Übersetzung heute 3/1995)

In Igbo translations, typically a newly-created, multi-word phrase is used that very explicitly states that there has not been any sexual relations and that translates as “a woman (or: maiden) who does not know a man.” This is in spite of the fact that there is a term (agb͕ọghọ) that means “young woman” and has the connotation of her not having had sexual relations (this is for instance used by the Standard Igbo Bible of the Bible Society of Nigeria for Isaiah 7:14). Incidentally, the euphemistic expression “know” (ma in Igbo) for “having sex” has become a well-known euphemism outside of Bible translation. (Source: Uchenna Oyali in Sociolinguistic Studies Vol. 17 No. 1-3 (2023): Special Issue: Gender and sexuality in African discourses )

In Chichewa, it is translated as namwali which is used to refer to a girl who has reached puberty stage and is ready to get married. Apart from the physical aspect, the word also has social implications in the sense that it is used to recognize the fact that the girl has become responsible enough to make informed decisions and take care of herself and others. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also virgins (Revelation 14:4) and complete verse (Matthew 1:23).

concubine

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married” and similarly in Makonde, “a slave who is/was a wife.”

In Kwere it is translated as “small wife.” This is the term for subsequent wives when polygamy is practiced among the Kwere. While they enjoy most of the same rights and privileges as the first wife, their status is not necessarily the same. In Kalanga it is likewise translated with balongwana or “small wife.” (Source for all: project-specific notes in Paratext)

In Newari it is translated as “illegitimate wife” (source: Newari Back Translation).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Concubine .

dove / pigeon

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “dove” or “pigeon” in English is translated in Pijin with the onomatopoeia kurrukurru. (Source: Bob Carter)

In Matumbi is is translated as ngunda, a kind of dove that has the reputation to be monogamous. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

 

In the fifteenth century the English word “pigeon” meant a young dove, the word “dove” being reserved for the adult birds. In modern English the words are used almost interchangeably. As a general rule, “pigeon” is used for domesticated forms of these birds, and for the larger variety of wild forms, while “dove” is used mainly for wild varieties. However, there are many exceptions to this general rule.

Pigeons and doves are both included in a bird family known scientifically as the Colombidae, consisting of well over two hundred species. In Israel and the Middle East are found the true Colombidae, which are easily distinguished from the genus Stretopelia, that is, the turtle doves.

The most common of the true Colombidae in the Middle East is most certainly the Asiatic Rock Dove Columba livia. This bird was first domesticated around 4500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. By 2500 B.C. it was kept as a domestic bird in Egypt, and by 1200 B.C. there is evidence that its homing abilities were already well known. It is this bird that is the ancestor of the domestic homing pigeons that people keep, some of which have escaped, returned to the wild, and now populate city streets all over the world. The ledges of modern buildings are a good substitute for the rock ledges that were its original nesting sites. It is likely that the Canaanites and the Israelites also kept these birds for both food and sacrifice. It is this bird that is called yonah in the Hebrew Bible and peristera in the Greek New Testament.

There are also three types of turtledove found in the land of Israel, two of which are resident species; the third is a migrant that arrives in spring and spends the summer in Israel. This migrant, the true Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur, and one of the species now resident, the Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto, are what the Bible writers called tor in Hebrew and trugōn in Greek. (Both the Hebrew and Greek names are based on the sound the turtledove makes.)

In biblical Hebrew the word gozal generally refers to a nestling of any bird species. In Genesis 15:9 it obviously refers specifically to a young pigeon. Nestling rock pigeons were collected from the rock ledges. Pigeons and doves were kept in cages and dovecotes, and wild ones were trapped in nets. This enabled the Jews to have a handy stock of birds for sacrificial purposes.

The rock pigeon is a blue-gray color with a pinkish sheen to the neck feathers. It has a black tip on its tail. Its call is a repeated moaning oom (the Hebrew name yonah is related to a verb meaning “to moan”) or a rapid cooing coo-ROO-coo-coo, usually repeated two or three times. The call is uttered with the beak closed, into the chest. The male’s sexual display starts with flying wing claps, and then when it lands next to the female, it begins bowing and turning with chest puffed and tail spread.

This type of pigeon lives in large colonies, and when a group is in flight, they maneuver as a single unit, often gliding short distances together with their wings held in a V shape.
The turtledove is a smaller blue-gray bird with a pinkish chest. It arrives in Israel in April, and its rhythmic call yoo-ROO-coo, yoo-ROO-coo, yoo-ROO-coo, repeated for two or three minutes at a time on sunny days, can be heard all over.

Doves are seed eaters, and this fact may be significant in the Flood narrative. The raven, a carrion eater, does not return to the ark, since food is available. The dove returns at first, and when it finally stays away, this is an indication that seeds of some sort are once again available to it, and the earth is again dry.

As seed-eaters, doves and pigeons are ritually clean birds for Jews. Their swift flight means that they are symbolic of speed in some biblical contexts, especially in Psalms. The fact that these birds court, mate, and nest repeatedly throughout the year resulted in their being a symbol of affection, sexuality, and fertility in the ancient Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew cultures. This symbolism is important in the Song of Solomon.

A very ancient belief that the dove has no bile and is therefore devoid of anger led to its becoming a symbol of peace and gentleness. (In actual fact doves and pigeons are aggressive, often attacking other birds, especially at food sources.)

The name yonah for the pigeon and dove is associated with moaning and groaning in pain or sorrow. This is often the symbolism in prophetic poetry.

Pigeons and doves are found worldwide, except in some snow-bound regions and on some remote islands. Almost everywhere they live there is more than one species, and in almost all locations the domestic pigeon is one of these species. As a general rule, the word for the smaller wild dove should be used wherever possible, but in those contexts where both pigeons and doves are mentioned in connection with sacrifices, the word for the domestic pigeon can be used as well as the one for the wild dove.

In 2 Kings 6:25 there is a Hebrew expression that literally means “dove’s dung”. This seems to be a reference to some kind of food that is eaten only in emergencies. Suggestions about what this may refer to have varied from “chickpeas” (which do look somewhat like a dove’s droppings) to “locust-beans”, “wild onions”, and the roots of certain wild flowers. In view of the lack of certainty, it is probably best to translate it literally as “dove’s dung” and include the footnote, “This is probably some kind of wild food eaten only in emergencies.”

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

complete verse (Song of Solomon 6:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 6:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “my calf is amazing,
    a girl whom the mother gave birth to and kissed,
    an ideal daughter of man.
    The other girls praise her, calling her the blessed one.
    Also the wives of the king and the concubines praise here.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “But my dove is unique and perfect
    she is the favorite of her mother, her special one
    All the women say that she is blessed,
    The queens and the king’s concubines also praise her.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “only one (is) my beloved. She (is) very beautiful and has-no defects. She (is) the only female child of her mother and she (is) the favorite of her mother. When women see her they honor her, and even the queens and wives praise her.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “none of them would be like my dove, who is perfect,
    you who are your mother’s only daughter,
    whom your mother considers to be very precious.
    Other young women who see you say that you are fortunate,
    and the queens and concubines recognize that you are very beautiful.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 6:9

This verse draws a sharp contrast. Note how the inclusio surrounds the main point of the passage.

Thus in a very graphic way this passage shows how poetic devices combine to emphasize the message of the text. Here we see the young woman surrounded on all sides by many women, but she outshines them all.

My dove, my perfect one, is only one: the young man has called his beloved dove and perfect one on a previous occasion. See notes on 5.2. Only one does not mean that she is the only child in the family. The contrast between the large number of women in the previous verse and his beloved is to show that his lover is unique and special. Though he is exaggerating, he is stressing how wonderful he thinks she is.

The darling is literally “she is one” and repeats the clause as it appears in the first line; this shows where the focus in this verse lies. It speaks powerfully of her unique beauty. The term “one” should be presented in such as way as to draw attention to it. Some languages can follow the Hebrew order by beginning the sentence with the word “one” or “unique,” although this is somewhat awkward in English. New Jerusalem Bible has “Only one is my dove….” If this is not possible the use of the conjunction “but” may help to draw out the contrast. Revised English Bible has a good suggestion: “But there is one alone….” New International Version “But my dove, my perfect one is unique” is also a good model.

The darling of her mother is literally “she is one to her mother.” Good News Translation and New English Bible suggest that she is the only child or only daughter of the mother, but this is not necessarily correct. The numeral “one” contrasts with the previous numbers “sixty” and “eighty” representing vast numbers; so “one” indicates uniqueness. We suggest that the focus is on the woman being without equal, and on the fact that her mother regards her as very special.

Flawless to her that bore her: the young man describes his beloved using a term whose meaning is not obvious. For some versions (for example Septuagint, Syriac) and some commentators the adjective is regarded as coming from the root meaning “choose,” hence it means “chosen,” and thus “favorite.” Others treat the adjective as coming from the root “pure,” “clean,” as in Isa 52.11 and Jer 4.11. In the context of a love poem, the idea of “favorite” is preferred.

Her that bore her provides a neat parallel to her mother from the previous clause. If such repetition is not appreciated, it can be eliminated. However, a better method is to link the phrase closely to its parallel mother: “her mother, the one that bore her, considers her precious.”

Good News Translation has a different view of the meaning here when it says “But I love only one, and she is lovely as a dove.” Bible en français courant agrees: “For me, there is only one woman in the world; it’s my dove, my treasure….” Both of these are quite poetic but focus more on the young man’s feelings about his lover than on her own uniqueness. We recommend a translation that follows the original a little more closely: “But my dove, my perfect one is without equal; she is unique to her mother, favored by the one who gave birth to her,” or “Unique is my beloved, my dove who is perfect; to her mother who bore her, she is also truly special, her favorite.”

The maidens saw her and called her happy: in Hebrew the noun “girls” (or “daughters”) is used here for maidens. We presume they are the same young women identified as the “maidens” in verse 8. This kind of general expression really means “every girl” or “all women” as in Good News Translation. The point here is to indicate that it is not only the young man who thinks his beloved is outstandingly beautiful, but that even other women have the same opinion. We can follow Good News Translation or use the same term or one similar to that used in verse 8; for example, “young women,” “maidens.”

Called her happy is a phrase used in Pro 31.28 (“call her blessed”), where it is also in parallel to the verb “praise.” The use of an imperfect verb form means they regularly “pronounced her to be happy.” They recognized how happy and blessed she was, and certainly envied her. Translating literally will probably convey little meaning, so an alternative may need to be found. Good News Translation simply uses “praise” in this line and “sing her praises” in the second. This is acceptable. We can also turn the phrase into direct speech: “And they said, ‘How lucky [or, fortunate] she is!’ ”

The queens and concubines also, and they praised her: this repeats the thought of the previous line and concludes the inclusio. Their praise of the young woman meant they acknowledged how beautiful or wonderful she was. This same verb describes how Sarah was commended to Pharaoh in Gen 12.15. When using the verb “praise” it may be necessary to supply an object in some languages. The most natural one here is “her beauty.” In a freer translation we may say “they recognized how beautiful she was!”

We suggest rendering verses 8 and 9 in a way that will bring out the beauty and message of the passage. The translator will have to consider which poetic features can be transferred and which must be replaced by others. The verses may look like this:

• Yes, there may be sixty queens, eighty concubines,
and young women without number!
Yet, my dove is perfect, she stands alone!
Her mother’s favorite, her special one!
Yes, the young women saw her and said,
“How fortunate she is!”
The queens and concubines praised her beauty too.

By combining the two verses we make sure the inclusio is clearly seen.

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 6:9

6:9a

but my dove, my perfect one, is unique: In the previous verse the man compared his beloved with many other women. Here he declared that there was no other woman as beautiful as his beloved. She was unique. Some other ways to translate this statement are:

There is only one for me. She is ⌊like a gentle⌋ dove, and she is perfect.
-or-
But no one is like my perfect dove.
-or-
You would be my only choice, my flawless dove. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
For me, there is only one woman ⌊in the world⌋. She is like a perfect dove.

my dove: The phrase my dove is an affectionate nickname for the woman. A dove is a beautiful and gentle bird that was a symbol for love. The phrase was also used in 2:14, where the man spoke directly to the woman. For more information, see the Notes on 2:14a–b.

my perfect one: The expression my perfect one is also found in 5:2. The meaning is also similar to 4:7, “You are all fair my love, there is no flaw in you.” It indicates that the woman was so beautiful that she seemed perfect to the man. To him, she seemed to have no defect or flaw. Translate this phrase in the same way as you did in 5:2.

is unique: Here the Berean Standard Bible uses the phrase is unique to translate the word that means “one” in Hebrew. In this context it indicates that there was no one like the woman. Here is another way to translate this:

is unique (New International Version)

For more translation examples, see the first note on 6:9a.

6:9b

the favorite of the mother: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the favorite of the mother is literally “one she to her mother.” There are different ways to interpret this phrase:

(1) She is her mother’s favorite daughter. For example:

She is the special daughter of her mother… (NET Bible)

(2) She is the only daughter or child of her mother. For example:

the only daughter of her mother… (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this context, being an only daughter is not in focus. It is more significant that her mother considered her special and unique. Its meaning is similar to the way the author used the word “one” in 6:9a to mean “unique.”

who bore her: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bore means “gave birth to.” In some languages it may be more natural to refer back to her mother in a different way, as in the Display.

6:9c-d

In 6:8 the man compared the woman’s beauty to three groups of women in the royal court: queens, concubines, and maidens. Here in 6:9c–d, those same three groups of women also praised the woman. Here he began with the maidens before mentioning the queens and concubines:

9d The maidens see her and call her blessed

9e the queens and concubines sing her praises

Notice that the two lines, 6:9d and 6:9e, are parallel. The two phrases call her blessed and sing her praises have similar meanings.

6:9c

The maidens see her and call her blessed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as maidens is literally “daughters.” However, here it refers to the same women as in 6:8, where they were called “maidens.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:

The maidens saw her and complimented her… (NET Bible)
-or-
Girls have seen her and proclaimed her blessed… (New Jerusalem Bible)

6:9d

the queens and concubines sing her praises: The phrase the queens and concubines indicates that they also saw the woman, just as the maidens did (6:9c). In some languages it is necessary to make it explicit that queens and concubines saw her. For example:

The queens and concubines also ⌊see her⌋, and sing her praises.

(See 6:8a and 6:8b for a discussion of queens and concubines.)

© 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.