SNG 1:3 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.

1:3a

The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;

The scent of your^(sing)/his ointments is pleasing/sweet,
You have anointed your skin with perfumed oil that smells wonderful,
His skin is rubbed with sweet-smelling oils,

The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing: In Hebrew this clause more literally says, “For fragrance, your oils are good.” The phrase “for fragrance” is emphatic. It indicates that the odor of the oils was very pleasing. The word “good” was also used to describe the man’s name in 1:3b.

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

The smell of your perfume is pleasant (NCV)

The fragrance of your cologne is delightful (NET)

Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance (NJPS)

perfume: In Israel and nearby countries at that time, people added sweet-smelling spices to olive oil to make perfume. Some of the spices were expensive, and both men and women used these fragrances. Your translation should emphasize the wonderful fragrance of the perfume, rather than how the oils were made.

In some cultures men do not use scented oil, spices or other types of scent on their bodies. If that is true in your language, you may focus on the pleasing odor of the man himself. For example:

You smell so sweet (CEV)

You have a good fragrance

1:3b

your name is like perfume poured out.

your^(sing)/his name/reputation is like the spreading fragrance of your^(sing)/his ointments.
and your^(sing) character is as good as the scent of that perfumed oil when it spills.
and his good name/reputation spreads like scented oil spilling/pouring from its container.

In 1:3b there are special features of Hebrew poetic style. For example, in Hebrew the words for “perfume” (shemen) and “name” (shem) sound similar. This helps to show the connection between 1:3a and 1:3b.

Such use of similar sounds is common throughout the Song. However, these similar sounds usually cannot be translated into another language, so the Notes will not usually focus on them.If you are especially interested in Hebrew poetic features, you may learn about them from other commentaries that discuss them. See especially the commentary by Richard Hess. However, it is good for you to consider special ways in your own language that could make your translation poetic or beautiful like a song.

your name is like perfume poured out: This statement is a simile. It indicates that the man’s name was as pleasing as the smell of the fragrant oil when it was poured from a container. In some languages this metaphor may be hard to understand. Other ways to translate it are:

Use a metaphor. For example:
your name is oil poured out. (RSV)
Include the meaning of the comparison in the simile. For example:
your name is pleasant like expensive perfume. (NCV)
Translate the comparison without using a figure of speech. This option can be used when a metaphor or simile would give a wrong meaning. For example:
How fragrant your cologne, and how pleasing your name! (NLT96)

Use an appropriate option for your language.

your name: In Hebrew, the word name often represents the person himself, including the person’s character and reputation. So when the woman praised her beloved’s name here, she praised his wonderful character. She compared his good character to the good fragrance of cologne. Some other ways to translate your name here are:

your good reputation

your fine character

the good things you do and say

perfume poured out: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as perfume poured out is difficult to interpret.Some scholars think there is a problem with interpreting the Hebrew word Turaq as a verb meaning “poured out.” The grammatical gender of poured out is feminine. But the gender of “perfume” is masculine. Since they are used together here, we would normally expect the gender of the two words to be the same. So, some of these scholars say that the word may be a place called “Turaq” where costly perfumes were made. Other scholars think that the Hebrew text needs to be corrected on the basis of the Greek Septuagint to read tamruq, which means “purification.” So they think the word means “purified oil.” But many scholars say that unmatched gender is fairly common in Hebrew. So they say it really is not a problem, and they understand turaq as a verb meaning “poured out.” (This interpretation is reflected in options 1 and 2.) Some different interpretations are based on how scholars understand the Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as poured out. Here are the two main options:

The phrase refers to the spreading fragrance of the oil. For example:
your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils. (NLT) (BSB, CEV, ESV, NIV, NJB, NLT,For 1:3a–b, the NLT96 translates in a more general way: “How fragrant your cologne, and how pleasing your name!” REB, RSV, GNT)
The phrase refers to the quality of the oil. For example:
your name is like the finest perfume. (NET) (NASB, NCV, NET, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as more English versions do.

1:3c

No wonder the maidens adore you.

That is why the young women love you^(sing)/him.
For this, girls adore/admire you!^(sing)
It is no surprise that all women love him.

No wonder: The phrase No wonder refers back to what the woman said about the man in 1:3b. It was because of his wonderful character and reputation that maidens loved him.

the maidens: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as maidens refers to young women who were old enough to be married. In the context of the Song, it probably refers to young women who were still virgins.

adore: The Hebrew word adore here is different from the word translated “love” in 1:2b. Here it means that the young women admired the man and were attracted to him. Express this type of admiration in a natural way in your language. Other ways to translate it are:

No woman could keep from loving you. (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

לְ⁠רֵ֨יחַ֙

to,odor

The Hebrew word which the ULT translates as As for could: (1) indicate reference, in which case it should be translated with an equivalent phrase or as the ULT translates it. Alternate translation: [In reference to the scent of] (2) indicate emphasis or be making an assertion. Alternate translation: [Truly, the scent of] or [Indeed, the scent of]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שְׁמָנֶ֣י⁠ךָ טוֹבִ֔ים

oils_of,your intoxicating

Here, oils refers to colognes or perfumes. The author is assuming the reader knows that pleasant-smelling spices were mixed into olive oil in order to make a pleasant-smelling perfume, which was then applied to the skin. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. If men do not put pleasant-smelling things on their skin in your culture, you could say that the scent of the man being spoken of here is pleasant. Alternate translation: [your colognes—they are good] or [your scented oils—they are good] or [your skin—it is good] or [your body—it is good]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑⁠ךָ

perfume poured_out your(ms)=name

Here, your name represents her beloved’s reputation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [oil poured out is your reputation] or [your name is pleasant like good perfume is pleasant]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑⁠ךָ

perfume poured_out your(ms)=name

The woman makes a comparison between the man’s reputation (which she refers to as his name) and scented oil that is poured out, after which the good smell of the oil spreads as the air moves. If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain the comparison. Alternate translation: [your reputation spreads like the fragrance of scented oil spreads after it has been poured out] or [your reputation spreads like the scent of perfumed oil after it has been poured out]

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

עַל־כֵּ֖ן

on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in yes/correct/thus/so

The Hebrew words translated as Therefore indicate that what follows is a result of what came before. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a result of what came before. Alternate translation: [As a result]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

עֲלָמ֥וֹת

maidens

Here, marriageable women refers to young women who are old enough to be married or who have been recently married but not yet given birth to a child. Your language may have a term for women during this stage of life that you could use here, or you could use a more general term.

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.