SNG 1:2 Interlinear View

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.”

Paragraph 1:2–4b The woman said that she desired her beloved

In the Hebrew text of 1:2–4b, the woman spoke about the man, using forms like “him” and “his.” Then she seemed to speak to him with forms like “you” and “your.” In 1:4b she spoke about him again, calling him “the king.” Most scholars agree that the phrase “the king” refers to the same man whom she loved, not to a different man.

In Hebrew poetry it is common to have such changes in the way people refer to each other. These changes can have different functions.See “Shifting persons” in Zogbo and Wendland, pages 50–53 for more discussion of such changes. This change of person reference is one type of grammatical substitution called “enallage.” This type of enallage may also function as: 1) an indication of the poem’s structure (e.g., the beginning or end of a poem); 2) morphologic parallelism; 3) movement from distance to proximity; 4) expressing awe or respect (3^rd person). One possible explanation of the enallage in this context is that in 1:2 the change from “him” to “your” indicates an increase of emotion and intimacy. In 1:3–4 it changes back from “your” to third person “king.” This indicates a decrease in intimacy as she comes to realize in her dream how unlikely it is that this wonderful man could choose to love her. Assis, pages 34–37. Here the changes probably emphasize that the woman desired the man. In some languages such changes may be confusing or imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate the verses are:

Make the changes clear by introducing them in some way. For example, notice the phrases in brackets:
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
I want to tell him,
“For your love is more delightful than wine.
The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.”
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
He is like a king, my king.
May the king bring me to his chambers.
Translate all the woman’s words in 1:2–4b as spoken directly to the man. For example:
Your lips cover me with kisses; (GNT)
your love is better than wine,
There is a fragrance about you;
the sound of your name recalls it.
No woman could keep from loving you.
Take me with you,
and we’ll run away;
be my king
and take me to your room.

Probably these verses tell the woman’s private thoughts and desires.Jensen (page 16) says, “The woman’s shifts between third person and second person reference to her lover are initially disconcerting, but we should probably think of verses 2–3 as soliloquy spoken in the physical absence of the lover, and so as encompassing both absence and imagined presence….” The poet did not imply that the man was actually with her while she was saying these things. In some languages there are ways to indicate that a person is talking to someone who is not there to listen to what is said.

1:2a–b

This verse (1:2a–b) begins immediately with words that the woman spoke. There is no introduction to tell who spoke or who was spoken to. In Hebrew, the forms of the words often indicate this information. In many languages it is necessary to indicate it more explicitly. The headings in the Display give one clear model for indicating who speaks and who is spoken to throughout the Song.

1:2a

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!

I yearn/hunger for your^(sing)/his kisses on my lips!
Kiss^(sing) me again and again, my love!
The woman said/exclaimed, Oh, I wish that the man I love would kiss me tenderly/passionately!

Let him kiss me: The verb here expresses strong desire or longing. This emotion of desire continues throughout the Prologue. For this reason, the Prologue heading speaks of “desire.” The Hebrew verb form that the BSB translates as Let him kiss me is more literally “he will kiss me.” In this context most Bible scholars interpret the form as a wish or desire.It has been traditionally translated as a jussive form. See Garrett, page 125, note 2.a. It may also imply that the action is intense or repeated.

Some English versions express the wish with the verb “let” or “may.” However, such verbs may wrongly imply a request for permission. Your translation should clearly indicate that the woman wanted the man to kiss her.

Some ways to translate this meaning are:

As a wish or desire. For example:
How I long for him to kiss me…!
Oh, I wish that he would kiss me…
As a request. For example:
Kiss me again and again (NLT96)
Bathe/Shower me with kissesHiligaynon back translation.
As a statement or exclamation. For example:
Your lips cover me with kisses (GNT)
O that you would kiss me (RSV)

Translate the verb form in a natural way in your language.

with the kisses of his mouth: The phrase kisses of his mouth refers to romantic kisses in which the lips or mouth of the man and woman come together. In ancient Israel, “kissing” with the noseThey would rub their noses together to express affection. was also common. Kissing with the mouth is a more intimate kind of kissing.

In some languages the phrase kisses of his mouth is not natural or it does not communicate the right meaning. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

Use a more general phrase with an emphatic sense. For example:
How I wish he would kiss me passionately!
Oh that he would show how much he loves me!UBS, page 12.
Use a more specific phrase. For example:
How I long for him to kiss my lips/mouth!

Translate the phrase in an natural way in your language.

kisses: In some cultures, kisses on the lips may be unknown. A different way to show romantic love may be appropriate here, such as an intimate hug or touch. In some cultures a man and woman rub their noses together to show love. Use a way that is appropriate in your language.

1:2b–4a

In 1:2b–4a, the woman seemed to speak directly to her beloved, since she referred to him with the words “you” and “your.” However, probably the woman was only thinking about what she wanted to say to him. In Hebrew words like “you” and “your” express her strong desire for him in a more vivid way than using “he” and “his.”The shift to second person is done for poetic reasons or for emphasis, and not because there has been a change in their physical proximity to one another. This division of the Song is a poem of longing or desire, probably not desire fulfilled.

1:2b

For your love is more delightful than wine.

For your^(sing)/his love is more delicious than wine.
Your^(sing) caresses thrill/delight me. No wine thrills/delights like that!
His loving pleases/intoxicates me more than drinking wine.

For: The Hebrew wordḵi that the BSB translates as For is used in different ways in different contexts. There are different ways to interpret it here.

It introduces the reason why the woman desired the man’s kisses. For example:
because your love is better than wine. (NCV) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, RSV)
It indicates an emphatic sense such as “truly” or “indeed.” (Sometimes this sense is only implied in the translation.) For example:
Oh, your loving is sweeter than wine! (CEB) (CEV, GW, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) with the majority of English versions. However, either option fits this context. If a national language version follows option (2), that is also acceptable.

Consider how to express this connection in an appropriate way for poetry. In some languages a conjunction may not be natural or necessary. For example, the CEV does not have a conjunction between 1:2a and 1:2b:

^2aKiss me tenderly! ^2bYour love is better than wine. (CEV)

your love is more delightful than wine: In this clause, the woman did not say how the man’s love was more delightful than wine. Wine is like love in more than one way. Both give pleasure, and both can also make a person behave in unusual ways. Use a description that fits both love and wine. In some languages it is necessary to translate love as an action. The woman was more delighted by the way the man caressed her than by drinking wine.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

Use a statement that does not specify in what way the man’s love was better. For example:
For your love is better than wine… (NRSV)
Wine is good, but his love is very good.
Use a more specific way to refer to pleasure or delight. For example:
For your lovemaking is more delightful than wine. (NET)
Compare the actions of making love and drinking wine. For example:
The way you love me is more intoxicating/blissful than drinking wine.

Use a natural comparison in your language that fits this context. The comparison should imply good effects, not bad effects, because the woman was praising the way the man showed love for her. See the note on wine later in 1:2b.

your love: There may be some translations or commentaries that say “your breasts” rather than “your love.” The reading “your breasts” is based on the ancient Latin Vulgate or Greek Septuagint translations (for example, see the Douay-Rheims version). The Hebrew text has the better reading, your love. There is no reason to follow the LXX here. In this context the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as love refers mainly to physical lovemaking such as kisses, caresses, or sexual intercourse.See especially the detailed lexical discussion in Mitchell, pages 562–569. He says it may also include other aspects of love involving the whole person. This may include affection, friendship, romance, companionship, and acts of kindness or generosity. However, most occurrences in the OT emphasize the physical aspect. Some ways to translate your love in 1:2b are:

Use verbs or phrases to describe these actions. For example:
the ways you love/caress me
Use a term that refers to physical acts of love. For example:
your lovemaking
Use a more general term for “love” or for “expressions of love.” Try to choose a term that implies physical or romantic love in this context. For example:
your love (NIV)
Your expressions of love (GW)

Consider how to translate love here in a way that is poetic and appropriate in your language.

wine: wine is an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine.

In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine. If that is true in your area, some other ways to translate wine are:

Use a general term for an alcoholic drink.
Use a specific term that can also be used to refer to alcoholic drinks in general. For example:
millet beer
palm wine
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
fermented grape juice

At that time wine was a common beverage in areas where people farmed grapes. It was often used in celebrations. In the Song, it is sometimes used in metaphors for love. (For example, see 5:1d.) Wine is mentioned often in the OT. It is used for the first time in Genesis 9:21. You may translate it here in the same way as you translated it there.

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

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 1:2