Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 8:3:
Kupsabiny: “I rested the head on his left arm and he curved/put his right arm/hand around me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand is embracing me.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I would-use- your (sing.) left arm/hand – as-a-pillow and your (sing.) right (arm/hand)to-embraces me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You would put your left arm under my head and with your right arm hold me close.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, daite (抱いて) or “embrace” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
This verse brings us to the end of the Fifth Poem. As elsewhere at the end of major sections, we find the lovers locked in embrace before the concluding “I adjure you” refrain.
For the meaning see comments on 2.6. Under our discussion there we noted that this sentence, expressed as a wish or a longing in Revised Standard Version, can also be translated as a simple indicative, following Good News Translation.
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 .
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 choice of a third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
Here the author repeated what he said in 2:6 and 2:7. You should translate in the same way here. See the notes on 2:6–7 for translation advice.
This repetition suggests that the author carefully planned the Song to have a special structure called a “chiasm.” It is not arranged like a story, which tells events in the order they happened.
8:3a
His left hand is under my head: As in the Hebrew text for 2:6a, there is no verb in 8:3a. It is literally “his left hand under my head.” This clause probably indicates that the man supported the woman’s head with his left arm as she lay in his arms. Some other ways to translate it are:
His left arm/hand is the place where I rest my head -or-
His left arm pillows my head
8:3b
and his right arm embraces me: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as embraces can refer generally to any embrace or specifically to a sexual caress. Most English versions translate it in a general way. Use an appropriate expression in your language. Some other ways to translate it are:
his right arm is round me. (Revised English Bible) -or-
he holds me ⌊lovingly⌋ with his right arm.
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