SNG 1:16 Interlinear View

1:16 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently from BHQ.

1:16 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:2–2:7: The woman and man admired each other

In Section 1:2–2:7, the woman and man praised each other, and they became more confident that they loved each other. In the introduction (1:2–4) the woman spoke about her desire for the man. Then she spoke of her humble life working in the family vineyard (1:5–6), and she seemed to question whether she was worthy for him to love her. Then he praised her, and she praised him. When she spoke at the end of the section (2:3–6), she felt secure that he loved her.

In this section, the woman used several comparisons to speak of her feelings about the man. She spoke as though he were a shepherd (1:7–8) or a king (1:4; 1:12), implying that he was like a shepherd or king to her in certain ways. He was also like a bag of myrrh (1:13), henna blossoms (1:14), and an apple tree (2:3–4) to her. The woman compared herself to “a rose of Sharon,” and “a lily of the valleys” (2:1). The man compared her to “a mare of Pharaoh’s chariots” (1:9). The Notes will discuss the meaning of each of these comparisons as it occurs in its section.

Lines 1:2–4 are the introduction to Section 1:2–2:7. In these lines, the poet summarizes the Song’s message and introduces its main characters: the woman, the man, and a group of young women. In the Song the woman spoke more often than the man spoke. After the title (1:1), she began the Song by saying that she wanted him to kiss her. She referred to him only as “him” or “you.” In Hebrew poetry, the authors do not introduce their characters as they do in stories, but in some languages it may be more natural to introduce them and identify them. Some ways to do this are:

Provide headings to identify the characters. Some headings may apply only to a verse or part of a verse. For example:
1:4e The Woman commented about the young women of Jerusalem You may need to use a different form the first time a character is introduced. For example:
1:2–4b A woman speaks to the man she loves
Use a speech introducer in the first part of the verse. If you use this option, you may want to indicate in some way that the speech introducer is not in the text itself. For example:
1:4e (The woman said to her beloved,) “Rightly do they love you.”
1:2a [There were a certain woman and man. She said to/about him,] “Let him kiss me…

Choose an option that fits your situation, and use it consistently throughout the book. You should also decide how you will refer to the speakers in the headings. Some ways to do that are:

woman, man, women (GNT)

beloved, lover, friends (NIV)

bride, groom, companions (REB)

she, he, others (ESV)

The woman often referred to the man as “my beloved” (RSV), and she also called him “the one whom my soul loves,” “the king,” and “my friend.” The man often referred to her as “my love” and also as “fairest among women,” “my dove,” “my sister,” “my bride,” and “queenly maiden.”

1:16a

How handsome you are, my beloved!

Oh, how handsome you^(sing) are, my dear one,
My love, you^(sing) are very handsome.

How handsome you are, my beloved!: The woman’s reply to the man here is very similar to his words in 1:15a.

How: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as How is the same Hebrew word translated as Oh in 1:15a–b.

handsome: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as handsome is the same Hebrew word translated as beautiful in 1:15. Here, it is used to describe the man.In 1:15a, the form was feminine, yapah. But here in 1:16a, the form is masculine, yapeh.

my beloved: The Hebrew worddodiy that the BSB translates as beloved is the most common way that the woman referred to the man in the Song. Translate it with an appropriate term of affection that a woman would use to speak to the man whom she loves. For example:

my love

darling

In some languages, you may need to put the direct address, my beloved, first in the sentence. For example:

My beloved, how handsome you are!

For more information, see the note on my beloved in 1:13a–b.

1:16b

Oh, how delightful!

really handsome!
You^(sing) are truly pleasing.

Oh, how delightful!: There is an ellipsis here. The words in 1:16a, “you are” are understood after the phrase how delightful. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as delightful can refer to pleasing physical appearance or to excellent character. Because 1:15 and 1:16 have similar structures, it is likely that in 1:16b the woman referred to the man’s appearance. Two other ways to translate the verse are:

In 1:16b use a word or phrase that has a similar meaning as the word used in 1:16a for physical beauty. For example:
^16aHow handsome you are my love,
^16bhow very good looking!
Use a more general word or phrase that can include physical beauty. For example:
^16aHow handsome you are, my dearest; (GNT)
^16bhow you delight me!
Repeat the word in 1:16a, making it emphatic. For example:
^16aMy love, you are handsome, (CEV)
^16btruly handsome…

Use an option that is natural in your language.

1:16c–17b

These verses describe a secret meeting place. There are two ways to interpret the type of meeting place that it describes:

It refers to an actual or imaginary place in a forest. For example:
The green grass will be our bed; the cedars will be the beams of our house, and the cypress trees the ceiling. (GNT) (BSB, GNT, REB, GW, CEV, NCV, NLT, NET)
It refers figuratively to a real bedroom with beams made of cedar planks. English versions that may follow this interpretation are ambiguous.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The context implies that the author wants readers to imagine a forest scene.

1:16c

The soft grass is our bed.

Our^(incl) bed is green plants,
The green grass is our^(incl) couch.
Our^(incl) bed is shaded by leaves,

The soft grass is our bed: The clause The soft grass is our bed is figurative. It implies that the man and woman rested together in a garden or forest. The point is not that the color of their bed is green.

grass: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as grass means “lush.” In the OT it generally refers to foliage of trees. In this context, it is possible that it refers to the grass where the couple made their bed under the green trees. In 1:17 the author mentioned the green roof of their forest “house.”The Song seems to take place in springtime. In the Middle East this would be the time for new green growth.

bed: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as bed refers to any place used for lying down, such as a couch (RSV).

There are at least three ways to translate “The soft grass is our bed”:

Refer to grass or other plants as the bed or resting place. For example:
Our bed is the grass. (NCV)
Refer to the leaves of the trees over the bed. For example:
Our couch is shaded with branches. (REB)
Use a more general phrase that can refer to either the grass or the green leaves of the surrounding trees. For example:
Our resting/sleeping place is a verdant place in the forest.

Any of these options are acceptable. It is probably more important in this passage to maintain poetic quality than to give an exact description of the place.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

הִנְּ⁠ךָ֨

here,you

The woman is using the term Behold to focus the man’s attention on what she is about to say. Your language may have a comparable expression that you could use in your translation. Alternate translation: [Look at you]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

הִנְּ⁠ךָ֨ יָפֶ֤ה דוֹדִ⁠י֙ אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים אַף־עַרְשֵׂ֖⁠נוּ רַעֲנָנָֽה

here,you handsome my_lover_of,my also/though pleasant also/though couch_of,our verdant

If it would be more natural in your language, you could either begin or end this verse with the phrase my beloved. Alternate translation: [My beloved, behold you! You are handsome, truly pleasant. Indeed, our couch is leafy]

דוֹדִ⁠י֙

my_lover_of,my

See how you translated the phrase my beloved in [1:13](../01/13.md). Alternate translation: [my lover]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

דוֹדִ⁠י֙ אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים

my_lover_of,my also/though pleasant

The woman is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [my beloved. You are truly pleasant]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

עַרְשֵׂ֖⁠נוּ

couch_of,our

Here, couch refers to the place where the couple would lie down in the forest. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the place where we lie down is] or [the place on which we lie down like a bed is]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

רַעֲנָנָֽה

verdant

Here the word that the ULT translates as leafy could be translated in a general way such as “green,” or you could indicate a more specific meaning. Here, leafy could refer to: (1) the grass that the couple lay down on. Alternate translation: [grass] (2) the branches above their meeting place in the forest. Alternate translation: [under the cover of branches] or [shaded by branches]. The author assumes that readers will understand that it is not a literal couch. You could include this information if it would be helpful to your readers.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1:16 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently from BHQ.

1:16 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.