In Gbaya, the notion of the scent of an apple (in Gbaya here: “good fruit”) in Song of Songs 7:8 is emphasized with sut, an ideophone used to describe pleasant fragrances.
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)
The Wild Apple (or Crab Apple) Malus sylvestris is the ancestor of the sweet fruit we know today Malus domestica. The domestication may have occurred in what is now Iran, Armenia, Turkey, or Syria. Apples have grown in Europe, in western Asia, and probably in Turkey and Lebanon, for several thousand years. The question for Bible scholars is whether the puny, rather tart fruit of the wild apple merits the glowing description we find in Proverbs 25:11: “. . . like apples of silver in a set-ting of gold,” and in Song of Songs 2:5: “Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples; for I am sick with love.” With that doubt in mind, some scholars have suggested that the tapuach, whose pleasant smell is noted in Song of Songs 7:8, is the apricot. Zohary (Plants of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 1982) favors the apple on linguistic grounds, citing the Arabic cognate tuffach, which refers to the apple, and Egyptian records from 1298–1235 B.C. that refer to taph (probably the same as tapuach) growing in the Nile Valley. It is possible that improved varieties had already been developed in biblical times. Zohary points out that the apricot appeared in the region much later than the apple.
The apple tree reaches to 5-10 meters (17-33 feet), has a rounded crown, and bears a round fruit about the size of an orange. In the spring the tree is completely covered with pink flowers, which gradually give way to the green of the leaves as they develop. The fruit can be greenish, yellow, or red.
Apples grow well only in temperate climates where the tree is frozen part of the year, so there are no close native relatives in tropical Africa or Asia. However, fruits grown in Europe and South Africa are being shipped to many African countries, and so have become well-known, at least in the cities, usually by a name from a major international language. We recommend transliteration from a well-known language (for example, tufa [Arabic], pom/pomier [French], manzano [Spanish], masa/masiyera [Portuguese], and apel [English]), although translators seeking literary equivalence may wish to find a cultural substitute in the Proverbs and Song of Songs passages.
More than forty types of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) are found in dry tropical countries all the way from the Canary Islands, across Africa to India. They probably originated in the Middle East, where they are still found in abundance. In Leviticus 23:40 we read that the branches of date palms were to be used for the Festival of Shelters, and in John 12:13 people welcomed Jesus with date palm leaves. In the latter case there is a legitimate question of where they got the leaves, since Jerusalem is rather too high and cold for date palms. But the same could be asked about the prophetess Deborah’s palm (Judges 4:5), which was located between Ramah and Bethel, scarcely lower than Jerusalem. Jericho was known as the “city of palm trees” (temarim in Hebrew). Date fruits were eaten fresh or dried and pressed into “cakes,” and they were sometimes made into a drink. It is possible that in Deuteronomy 8:8 the Hebrew word devash that we normally take as “honey” refers to a syrup made from dates. The leaves were and are used for mats, baskets, fences, and roofs. Date palms are now cultivated intensively in the Jordan and Aravah valleys, around the Dead Sea, and on the coastal plain of Israel. The word “date” entered English from Latin dactylus via Old Frenchdatil. Latin got it from Greek daktylos, meaning “finger.”
The date palm typically grows to a height of 10-20 meters (33-66 feet) and has a cluster of immense leaves at the top. Each year, old leaves wither and droop, and people who own palms cut the old branches off. The tightly packed bunch of immature leaves is called lulav in Hebrew. Date palms start bearing fruit at around five to eight years of age. The sweet fruits, a little smaller than a human thumb, grow in large bunches. Inside the soft fruit is a very hard seed about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long. Date palm trees are either male or female, and there are places where the trees of one sex grow but no fruit is seen, because they lack pollination. Farmers prefer to propagate them by cultivating the suckers that grow at the base of the tree, rather than from seeds, which would produce too many male trees. The fruit appears on the female tree in the summer (June-August).
In Song of Songs 7:7 we find the palm used as a symbol of elegance and grace. In Psalm 92:12–14 we are told that the righteous will flourish like the palm tree, but Job 15:32 says the wicked will wither like a dry palm branch. In 1 Maccabees 13:37 the palm branch is a symbol of peace, but in 1 Maccabees 13:51 it is a symbol of victory (so also John 12.13; Rev 7.9; 2 Macc 10.7).
Translators living along the West African coast often substitute the oil palm or the coconut palm for the date palm, which is found normally in desert areas. Others are familiar with the fan palm (Borassus, “ruhn palm”) but they should note that the shape of the leaf of the fan palm is quite different from that of the date palm. I am not aware of a non-European language that has a generic word for palm. Since the function of palm branches in the Festival of Shelters is to build rough shelters, the type of palm tree does not make a lot of difference. The same is true for references where the image of the palm is used as a decoration, as in the description of the Temple (see 1 Kings 6:29 et al.). In cases where the fruit is mentioned, a transliteration is recommended, either from the Hebrew word tamar or from a major language.
In locations where oil and coconut palm trees are found, but no date palms, the oil palm is to be preferred. In places where no palms are found, it is still possible that the date fruit is found in markets, particularly in Muslim-dominated areas, where it may be a popular item for breaking the fast during Ramadan. In northern Nigeria, a dwarf species of date palm (Phoenix reclinata) grows in ravines and bears small edible fruits much like the big palm. At least one translation there (Berom) makes use of the local name.
It would seem then that if the date palm is not known at all, the options here are:
1. use the word for oil or coconut palm (and consider writing a footnote that indicates that the Hebrew words tamar and tomer and the Greek word phoinix refer to a similar tree that has a quite different fruit);
2. transliterate from Hebrew (tomera, tamara) and Greek (fonis, fowinik);
3. transliterate from a major language, for example, nakhal/temer (Arabic), dattier (French), datil/palmera (Spanish), mtende (Swahili), khajoor (खजूर) (Hindi), and hǎizǎo (海枣 / 海棗) (Chinese);
4. use a generic phrase appropriate to the context, for example, “beautiful tree.”
In Chichewa, gwalanga, the word for the local fan palm is used for translation. In rural areas people use the leaves for vegetables. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 7:8:
Kupsabiny: “I will climb that tree and pick its fruits. Your breasts are like the fruits of the vine. Your breath is sweet like a guava.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I said, ‘I’m going to climb a palm tree and pick its fruit." Your breasts are like bunches of grapes. Your breath is like a fragrant apple.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I said, ‘I will-climb-up the palm and will-take-hold-of its fruits.’ O, your (sing.) breasts (are) just like/as-if a bundle/clusters of grapes and the smell of your (sing.) breath (is) just like an apple.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I said to myself, ‘I will climb that palm tree and take hold of those clusters of dates.’ To me, your breasts are like clusters of grapes that I can feel and your breath is like the sweet fragrance of apples” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated in English typically as “vine” is translated in Lak as къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра: “the (grape-) cluster tree.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story: “Laks (who live in the mountainous regions of Dagestan) historically have had no experience with planting and tending vineyards. They buy grapes at the market or the store, but that’s about all they know of grape growing. Thus, in field testing, none of the readers could picture the primary image of this chapter. The translator’s initial attempt of rendering ‘vine’ as ‘grape stalk’ met with complete non-understanding. After much discussion of the problem and potential solutions, we settled on what one of the field testing respondents suggested to remedy the problem: ‘vine’ was rendered as ‘the (grape-)cluster tree’ (къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра). Technically grapes of course don’t grow on trees, but something had to be put in the text, and it had to be said in a way that the average reader/hearer could understand it. The Lak team could have borrowed the Russian word for ‘vine’ (лоза), but since this is a very low-frequency word in the Russian language, it’s likely that many Laks wouldn’t know the Russian word either. So the team settled for a reduction of accuracy in order to achieve greater clarity. After all, the primary point of importance in this passage is not a horticultural analysis, but a metaphorical comparison to the spiritual world, to the relationship between the Father, His Son, and the followers of Jesus. This rendering allows readers to get to the core of this meaning without getting tangled up in unknown terms.”
The Common Grape Vine Vitis vinifera is mentioned more often than any other plant or tree in the Bible. Excavations in Greece have discovered grape seeds dating to 4500 B.C. Egyptian records document the existence of cultivated vines in Canaan as early as 2375 B.C., and subsequent records report trade in vine products around 1360 B.C. and many times thereafter.
The vine is a creeping plant that develops a woody stem when it matures. It grows along the ground until it finds a tree or other object to climb, using tendrils. It bears bunches of small round fruit that are sweet and juicy. Today farmers grow them commercially throughout the Mediterranean area, in South Africa, in North America, and in many other countries. The first reference to the vine in the Bible (Genesis 9:20) tells us that Noah planted a vineyard (Hebrew kerem) and that he made an alcoholic drink from the fruit. Farmers since then have improved on the size, color, and quality of the fruit by careful pruning and selection until now there are at least 65 kinds of grapevines. Like many other plants in temperate areas, the vine has leaves that appear in early spring. After the fruit is picked and the weather gets cold, the leaves drop off and the plant is bare until the following spring. A typical vineyard in Bible times was surrounded by a stone fence. It had a stone tower from which the owner could watch for predators, and a place to squeeze the juice out of the fruits.
The vine is the most frequently cited plant in the Bible, and that alone makes it special. Vines, grapes, raisins, and wine were a major element of Jewish life, so it is not a surprise that the vine and its products are used figuratively probably more than any other Bible plant. After the flood purified the earth at the time of Noah, the vine became the means by which the human race was plunged again into sin (Genesis 9:20). We know from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:11f. and other passages that the vine was the symbol of blessing, prosperity, and happiness. The fact that there were groups like the Nazirites and Rechabites who abstained from drinking wine simply shows the radical self-denial that these people imposed on themselves. A drink offering of wine was an important part of worship (Exodus 29:40), and the image of contentment was “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Jotham includes the vine in his well-known Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:7ff.). In the New Testament, Jesus rescued a man from humiliation at a wedding party by miraculously providing a fresh supply of wine (John 2:1ff.). Wine becomes a major symbol in the Christian community when Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion by comparing the wine poured out in the Passover celebration to his blood (Matthew 26:27f. et al.). He speaks of the need for Christians to be like the branches of the vine, drawing their nourishment from him, the True Vine (John 15.:1ff.). Nearly every New Testament writer makes some metaphorical reference to the vine or its products.
There are around 65 kinds of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) found in the Northern Hemisphere. They belong to a larger family of creeping plants called Vitaceae, which has over 800 species throughout the world including many in the tropical and warm climates of the world.
Grapevines have occasionally been grown in West Africa (for example, in The Gambia and in northern Nigeria) but are not well known even where they are grown commercially. Attempts at substituting a local tree name have not been entirely successful because the species chosen is usually not cultivated and/or does not have the same economic or social function that the grape had in Israel.
Thus it is probably best to use a transliteration from a major language. However, in parts of Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere, the word grep refers to “grapefruit” and should be avoided in translation. A transliteration from “vine” or “wine” is preferred, although a translator needs to be careful. The English word “vine” refers to any creeping plant, but it also refers to a particular kind of vine that produces grapes (Vitis vinifera). This can be confusing. Furthermore, translators in English-speaking countries should think carefully about what they are going to do with the word “wine.” In The Gambia, Mandinka translators first used “wayini tree” but later concluded that it may be better to have a word for “vine” that is not necessarily identical with “wine.” Bine, from binekaro (“vinegar”), was considered, as was inabi (“grape”) from Arabic.
Languages that borrow the Arabic word inabi must deal with the fact that this word bears an unfortunate resemblance to annabi (“prophet”) and new readers reading “water of inabi” in a context of prophecy may associate it, for better or worse, with prophets and prophecy. In northern Nigeria church people have gotten used to inabi in the New Testament even though many of them don’t know what it is. Basa in Nigeria uses a wild grape-like plant (afwafwa), and Igala has used the same species (achiwebetema) for years. Likewise, two translations in Mali and Burkina Faso use their local name for a wild vine (Lannea microcarpa) for the biblical vine. There is a species (Rhoicissus tridentata) in southern and eastern Africa known as “African grape” (locally called “bobbejaantou”). In such cases translators should write a footnote (or glossary item) stating that the grapes of Bible times were larger and sweeter than the local variety, and that they were cultivated extensively as a source for producing beverages. Other possibilities for transliteration are: vinyola/videra (Portuguese), vitis (Latin), and inab (Arabic).
Fruit of the vine (Hebrew ‘enav; Greek botrus, staphulē): There is some evidence that botrus refers to a bunch of grapes, while staphulē refers to individual grapes. According to Louw and Nida (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, 1988), however, both words may refer to individual grapes as well as bunches of grapes. The Hebrew word tirosh is equivalent to the word “vintage” in English, that is, the grape harvest and possibly the first squeezing of the grapes. It is normally used along with the words referring to the olive harvest (yitshar) and grain harvest (dagan).
The young man seems overcome with emotion. Captivated by the sight of her, he responds. This is marked by a change to first person speech. He tells her he will climb the palm tree and enjoy its fruit. His determination is noted in the verb I say, meaning “I think I will…” or “I want to….” Rather than using these longer expressions, we may use an affirming word like “yes,” “surely,” or “indeed.”
Lay hold of its branches: having climbed to the top of the palm, the lover says he will lay hold of its branches. The verb “take hold of” ought not to present translators with a problem, though there are some translations that give the impression of violently grabbing hold of the tree—compare Jerusalem Bible “seize.” “Hold onto” is a good neutral term to use. Bible en français courant gives the French idiom “put the hand to,” meaning to “touch.” This is quite poetic and blends well with the tone of the poem. Good News Translation “pick its fruit” says more than the text does and so may not be the best solution.
Its branches brings a minor problem as the Hebrew term occurs only here, and so the actual part of the tree indicated is not certain. Several translations give the meaning as branches. Pope notes that in Akkadian a related word refers to the top branches of the palm. This rendering causes a problem, however, as in other contexts (5.11) the fronds of the palm represent hair. Here there seems to be little doubt that the young woman’s breasts are the intended reference. We note that the word “cluster” occurs twice (verses 7 and 8). This term is normally used with grapes, and indeed some commentators feel it is out of place when used with the palm tree. It makes better sense to interpret the word as date clusters rather than as branches. Jerusalem Bible gives “clusters of dates.” This refers to the whole cluster including the fruit and their stems. As the palm is so well known, it is possible that many languages will have a similar term. In some languages it may be difficult to find the vocabulary to cover the specific items mentioned in these two verses. We may be forced to translate them with one single word, “cluster,” or “fruit.” For example:
• Yes, I will climb that palm tree,
and take hold of those clusters.
• I decided to climb the palm tree,
to take hold of its date-clusters.
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine: to express the depth of his longing, the poet uses a very emphatic Hebrew form. The English “Oh, may they be…” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible) or “Let them be…” (New American Bible) sounds rather formal. We can express it better perhaps by saying “Let me enjoy…” or “Oh, let me have….”
Clusters of the vine: whereas in verse 7 the term translated clusters did not mean “grapes,” here that meaning is probably more accurate and fits with the imagery elsewhere of the young woman as a vine. Her breasts are like grapes on a vine. Again we cannot overinterpret the illustration, but certainly the fact that grapes are round, sweet, and delicious gives a basis to this comparison. Of course another connection here is that grapes provide the wine that is such an important part of the imagery of lovemaking.
We have already noted that in some languages it will be hard to find vocabulary for “cluster” here and in verse 7, as well as for the rare term translated “branches” in Revised Standard Version. We may have to use a more neutral word “cluster” in verse 7, “date-cluster” or “fruit” for Revised Standard Version “branches,” and “grape” or “cluster of grapes” in this latter instance.
The scent of your breath like apples: literally “the scent [or, smell] of your nose [is] like apples.” While it may seem odd to speak of “noses” at this point, this may be a reference to the custom of rubbing noses, which exists to this day in some cultures. If this custom is known, then we can give a literal translation. Alternatively Pope suggests that the Hebrew term for “nose” has links with a Ugaritic term meaning “nipple,” so perhaps this is another way of speaking of the fragrance of the young woman’s breasts. This fits the context well. If we accept this interpretation we will have to replace the “nose” idiom with something more general: “Your breasts smell sweet like apples.” This gives an overall translation, “Your breasts are so fragrant; they are like bunches of grapes and like apples.” On the other hand the final phrase “scent of your nose” may be parallel to the following line, “and your mouth like the best wine,” in which case the Revised Standard Version translation scent of your breath can be followed.
Like apples is a noun phrase and can be expanded in translation to draw out the point of the comparison, namely the delicious smell of the apple. Thus Good News Translation says “like the fragrance of apples.” For comments on apples see 2.3, 5.
The entire verse can say:
• I said, “I will climb the palm tree,
and reach out to its clusters.”
May your breasts be as sweet as grapes for me,
may they* be as sweet as apples.
Footnote: * Hebrew has “nose,” a probable euphemism for “nipples.” Many versions have “the fragrance of your breath.”
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 .
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