SNG 1:17 Interlinear View

1:17 OSHB variant note: רחיט/נו: (x-qere) ’רַהִיטֵ֖/נוּ’: lemma_7351 n_0.0 morph_HNcmsc/Sp1cp id_222Kt רַהִיטֵ֖/נוּ

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.”

1:17a

The beams of our house are cedars;

the roof beams of our^(incl) house are made of cedar branches,
The roof of our^(incl) house is supported by branches of cedar trees,
and fragrant/sweet-smelling tree branches are the beams of our^(incl) house,

The beams of our house are cedars: The Hebrew form of this word is plural, “houses.” But in this context it probably has a singular meaning, “house.” This clause continues the figurative description of the couple’s forest house. The trees surround the man and woman, providing protection and privacy. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Branches of cedar trees are the “roof” of our house

Branches of cedar trees are like the roof of a house for us

Our roof is the sky, and the cedar trees are like its frame/supports

The beams: The word beams refers to large pieces of wood that support the roof of a house. In this context, the branches of the cedar trees are like these large pieces of wood in a house. The man and woman looked up at these branches of the trees, as though they were in a forest “house” looking up at the beams that support the roof.

cedars: The word “cedar” is a kind of evergreen tree that grows large and tall. Its wood is hard and smells sweet, and it is valuable for building.

1:17b

our rafters are fragrant firs.

and the rafters are made of fragrant fir branches.
and its roof is covered by boughs of fragrant fir trees.
pine branches are its roof.

our rafters are fragrant firs: This line is parallel to 1:17a, and the rafters here refer to the rafters of their “house,” that was mentioned there. The full form is:

the rafters of our house are fragrant firs.

In both lines the beams and rafters are figurative. In some languages you may need to make this clear. For example:

and the fragrant fir trees are like rafters for it.

rafters: The meaning of the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as rafters is uncertain. Another possible translation is “roof.” This also fits the parallel structure of the verse.

fragrant firs: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as fragrant firs is another variety of tall evergreen tree. The exact type is uncertain, and English versions translate it in different ways. For example:

cypress trees (GNT)

pine (RSV)

juniper wood (NCV)

Since the exact type of evergreen tree is uncertain, you may use a general term for “tree” or the word for a tree that is common in your area.

General Comment on 1:16c–17b

In these verses it is important to use a poetic way to describe a place where the man and woman could be together privately. The woman described that place as their “bed,” because the beautiful trees that surrounded them were like the walls and roof of a bedroom.

It is not necessary to find words in your language that refer exactly to “beams,” “cedar,” “rafters” and “pine.” It is more important to use a poetic way to compare a beautiful place in the forest to a private “bedroom.” The Notes follows the “forest” interpretation of 1:17, but it is also possible that the verse is a figurative description of an indoor bedroom. If people in your culture consider making love in the forest as taboo or sinful, you may follow the “indoor” interpretation.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

קֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֨י⁠נוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים

beams_of (Some words not found in UHB: beams_of our_houses_of,our cedars rafters_of,our cypresses )

Here the woman is speaking of the forest as if it were a house, the cedar trees as if they were the beams of the house, and the pine trees as if they were the rafters of the house. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [Our meeting place is shaded by cedar and pine trees] or [Branches of cedar and pine trees will be a canopy over our meeting place]

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

בְּרוֹתִֽים

(Some words not found in UHB: beams_of our_houses_of,our cedars rafters_of,our cypresses )

The Hebrew word that the ULT translates as pine refers to a tall evergreen tree that is either a fir or a pine. This tree would provide a dense covering that would act like the rafters of a roof. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of tree, you could use the name of a similar tree in your area, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [are tall leafy trees]

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

1:17 OSHB variant note: רחיט/נו: (x-qere) ’רַהִיטֵ֖/נוּ’: lemma_7351 n_0.0 morph_HNcmsc/Sp1cp id_222Kt רַהִיטֵ֖/נוּ

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.

OET interlinear SNG 1:17

Hebrew word order

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

1:17a

1:17b

General Comment on 1:16c–17b

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