complete verse (Song of Solomon 8:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 8:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “There is no water that is able to extinguish love,
    and rivers cannot sweep it away.
    And if a man/person says that he/she has bought love with his/her wealth,
    that one is being abused/scorned.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Flowing waters cannot remove love,
    flooding river cannot sweep love away.
    If any man were to give
    all the wealth of his own house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “This can- not -be-put-out/[lit. can- not -be-killed] even with lots of water. Even if it-floods, still can- not -be-put-out/[lit. can- not -be-killed]. This can- not -be-bought even-if a person pays with all his wealth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Nothing can extinguish our love for each other,
    not even a flood.
    If a man tried to cause a woman to love him by saying he would give her everything that is in his house,
    she would refuse.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 8:7

Two further aspects of true love are listed. The first is that love is unquenchable, and the second that it cannot be bought, for it is beyond price. In the first illustration there is a direct connection with the idea of love as fire in verse 6. Both illustrations are surely familiar in most languages.

The first two lines are grammatically parallel in Hebrew:
Many waters
not

• they can quench love
And rivers
not

• they wash her away

And there are various other features that make the lines poetic. The first two lines contain repetitive l and m sounds in Hebrew, sounds often associated with flowing water. In translation we can use sounds, or ideophones, to give this effect. In the last line, four consecutive words begin with b-, including the repetitive Hebrew root for “scorn,” which follows the emphatic pattern of the final line of verse 6, “Scorn they would scorn him [or, it]!”

Many waters cannot quench love: Revised Standard Version Many waters is a literal translation of the Hebrew; waters may be a collective noun, in which case we can translate it as “much water.” New American Bible reads “deep waters,” but that is not necessarily the sense; it seems the woman is saying only that a large amount of water cannot quench love. We will want to find a poetic equivalent, however. In English “mighty oceans” is a possibility. The verb quench is a high-level word and is best rendered as “extinguish” or “put out.” As for the noun love, it may be clearer if we added the phrase “flames of [love]” to make the figure of speech complete.

Although the Hebrew is literally rendered in Revised Standard Version, we can more simply say “Not even a flood will put out the fire of [our] love” or “[The flames of our] love cannot be extinguished even by the ocean.”

Neither can floods drown it: floods is really the word for “rivers,” and the verb drown refers to its waters overflowing. “Sweep away” is more effective in English than “wash away.” Revised Standard Version drown is also appropriate. Although the Hebrew uses an imperfect verb here, we can translate it as a potential (“can…” or “able to”), following the form “cannot quench” of the previous clause. For translation we suggest “nor can rivers sweep it away” or “rivers can never sweep it away either.”

Again the translator should look for those expressions that can bring out the beauty of the passage. Bible en français courant has decided to repeat the notion of “fire” to bring out the contrast between verses 7 and 8. This gives a striking translation that serves as a very good model:

• All the water of the seas
would not be enough to quench
the fire of love.
And all the water of the rivers
would not be able to drown it.

If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house: a conditional sentence is used in the second illustration to suggest something that can never happen. We catch its meaning better by translating the conditional particle If as “Even if…” or “Even though….” In some languages If may not need to be used at all; the verb form that indicates a situation which might exist is sufficient: “A man could give all….” A man can have the general sense of “anyone,” though with the young woman speaking here it probably does mean “any man” and can be so translated. If a general meaning is desired, we can say “Someone may give…” or “a person….”

Offered for love uses the verb “give,” though it is obvious that the sense is “try to buy” or “thought he could buy.” Offering a woman money or other forms of wealth in return for her love is the possibility the young woman raises. All the wealth of his house can be rendered “all his family wealth,” or even “all his wealth,” as the husband traditionally controlled the family wealth. Wealth is broader than “money” and includes other assets as well. So the young woman is saying that, no matter how much a man wants to offer to win her love, he cannot give enough. Love is priceless, beyond all material value.

When we translate these thoughts we can say:

• Even if anyone thought he could buy love with all his family wealth….

• Even if a man wanted to buy [my] love and was willing to give all his goods for it….

More generally we can say:

• A person may try to give all he has to buy love….

It would be utterly scorned: a passive form, this is literally “they would utterly despise him [or, it].” Scorned is the same verb used in 8.1. The opening it can refer either to the man himself or to his wealth as being despised. Gordis considers it to refer back to the man himself, and this view is reflected in the New American Bible, Good News Translation, and Jerusalem Bible renderings. Fox and others agree with the Revised Standard Version view, that it is the man’s wealth that is rejected. It is our view that, as the illustration has to do more with love than the person, so it is likely that the wealth is rejected rather than the man himself. However, we always have to recognize that the author may have intended a double meaning. In fact we would not be far wrong if in translation we said “the man and his wealth would be utterly rejected.” Using an active form may be more appropriate in some languages, in which case we can suggest “nobody would accept it.” A somewhat freer translation is “Love is not for sale, even to someone offering all his wealth for it. It would be utterly rejected.” Many versions include a footnote explaining the ambiguity, and that certainly would be appropriate here.

These lines should be made to flow from verse 6, and if possible the contrast between flame and water should be drawn out:

• But streams of water cannot quench the fire of love,
Mighty rivers cannot put it out.
If a person wanted to give everything he owned to win another’s love,
The offer* would be totally rejected!
Footnote: * The Hebrew text is ambiguous. Either “the offer” or “he [the suitor]” would be rejected.

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 8:7

8:7a

Mighty waters cannot quench love: The clause Mighty waters cannot quench love is a metaphor. It continues the metaphor in 8:6e–f, which states that love is like fire. The fire of love cannot be quenched even by many waters. Mighty waters represent troubles or difficulties. Just as a huge fire is not overcome even by much water, true lovers do not stop loving each other even if they have many difficulties and troubles.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Keep the metaphor (of water not putting out the fire of love). For example:

Water cannot put it out (Good News Translation)
-or-
Raging water cannot extinguish love… (God’s Word)

• Use similes. For example:

Love is like a big fire. Even if troubles come like many waters, they cannot extinguish the fire of love.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

When a man and woman truly love each other, even many troubles cannot overcome their love.

Mighty waters: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Mighty waters refers to much water. Since 8:7b refers to “rivers” the waters here in 8:7a probably also imply waters that are strong and forceful. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

Even much water (New Century Version)
-or-
Surging waters (NET Bible)

quench: The word quench in this context refers to the way water extinguishes (puts out) a fire. Here is another way to translate this:

Love cannot be drowned by oceans or floods. (Contemporary English Version)

8:7b

rivers cannot sweep it away: The expression rivers cannot sweep it away is parallel to the metaphor in 8:7a and has a similar meaning. Literally, it means that even floodwater cannot overcome love.

In a flood, water rushes in and overcomes people. The author used flood as a figure of speech to refer to the difficulties and dangers that people face when they love each other. The phrase rivers cannot sweep it away indicates that even a flood (or other disaster or difficulty) cannot cause people to stop loving each other. In this context the author referred especially to romantic love.

Some ways to translate the metaphor are:

• Translate the metaphor in a literal way, if it communicates the right meaning in your language. For example:

floods cannot drown love.
-or-
no flood can stop ⌊people from⌋ loving ⌊each other⌋.

• Use a simile. For example:

Even if ⌊troubles come⌋ like a flood, they cannot wash love away.

• Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:

No troubles can cause ⌊a man and a woman to stop loving each other.⌋
-or-
When people love each other, no troubles can destroy that love.

8:7c–d

If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, his offer would be utterly scorned: The statement in 8:7c–d implies that true love is precious. That is why no one can buy it with money or other wealth. There is nothing that a person can offer to get true love in return, because it is worth more than any riches.

Some other ways to translate this statement are:

If a man offered everything in his house for love, people would totally reject it. (New Century Version)
-or-
If someone offered to give everything he owned to buy love, everyone would only laugh at him.

The clause that begins with “If” in the preceding two examples mentions an action that probably would never really happen. It is a condition that is not real. In some languages there is a special way to indicate that an action is unlikely to happen. For example:

Even if someone wanted to buy love with all his wealth, surely he would receive only scorn.
-or-
If someone were to offer all his riches to buy love, people would just ridicule him.

Translate this meaning in a natural and emphatic way in your language.

a man: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a man can be interpreted in two ways.

(1) It means “an adult male.” For example:

Were a man to offer all his family wealth to buy love (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means “a person” (of either gender). For example:

If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love (NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). In this context the woman was thinking about the man. However, either option is a valid translation here.

were to give…for love: The phrase for love means “tried to purchase love.” For example:

But if any tried to buy love with their wealth… (Good News Translation)

all the wealth of his house: In this context the phrase all the wealth of his house emphasizes the fact that there is nothing that a person can give to buy love. It does not refer specifically to the wealth inside his house or to the wealth of his family. The context implies that no amount of wealth could ever buy love. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

everything he owned (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
all his wealth (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
it cannot be bought, no matter what is offered (Contemporary English Version)

his offer would be utterly scorned: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as his offer may refer either to the man himself or to the offer of his wealth.

(1) It refers to the man’s offer and his wealth. For example:

the offer would be utterly despised. (NET Bible)

(2) It refers to the man himself. For example:

he would be utterly despised. (English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). The man’s offer is rejected because he tried to buy love with wealth, showing a wrong attitude. However, both options are acceptable. In some languages option (2) may be more natural. If that is true in your language, it is fine to follow it. Some ways to translate this part of the verse are:

the offer would be utterly despised. (NET Bible)
-or-
people would totally reject the offer.

General Comment on 8:7

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 8:7c and 8:7d. For example:

7d Love is so precious that no one can buy it 7c even if he offers great riches.
-or-

7d it cannot be bought, 7c no matter what is offered. (Contemporary English Version)

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