SNG 1:5 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 1:5–6 The woman spoke about herself to the young women of Jerusalem

In these two verses, the woman spoke to the women of Jerusalem. They were the same women who spoke in 1:3–4. She asked the women not to disapprove of her because her skin was darkened by the sun. Then she explained that her brothers became angry with her and made her work in the vineyards.

1:5a

I am dark, yet lovely,

I am dark/black, but I am still beautiful,
She said to the young women of Jerusalem, My skin is darkened/tanned, and yet I am lovely.

I am dark: The word translated dark is literally “black” in Hebrew. It describes the color of the woman’s skin after she worked in the sun for some time, as 1:6 explains. It does not describe the natural color of her skin. The women who worked in the fields often had darker skin than other people, because the hot sun darkened it. The woman implied here that she did not think that her darkened skin was a sign of beauty.

Use a natural way in your language to describe skin that has been darkened by the sun.

yet lovely: A major interpretation question involves the woman’s attitude in verses 5–6. Was she being humble and apologetic about her appearance? Or was she making a positive statement about her beauty? How we interpret her attitude depends partly on how we understand the Hebrew conjunction. This conjunction has different meanings, which depend on context. Some scholars think that in this context it means “but” while others think it means “and.” Scholars who say the conjunction means “and” think that the woman is expressing how beautiful she is. In other words, she is both dark and beautiful. Her darkness is part of her beauty. Most other scholars, who say the word means “but” think that the woman made a modest statement about her beauty. But they do not think that she expressed pride in her beauty. In verse 6 where she told the daughters of Jerusalem not to stare at her, she seemed embarrassed by her dark color, not proud of it. She felt she needed to explain how she became so dark. But even though she was so dark and of lower social status, she was still attractive, at least to her man. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as lovely means “beautiful,” and it refers to beauty that is especially appropriate. When it describes a beautiful woman, as it does here, it implies that she is just what a man desires.

The word yet in the BSB translates the Hebrew conjunction w-. It connects the two descriptions “dark” and lovely. Scholars have two different views about the connection between the descriptions:

The descriptions contrast with each other. The woman implied that even though she was dark, she was still attractive. In that culture, people did not normally consider dark skin to be beautiful. For example:
I am dark, but comely… (NJPS) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, RSV, GNT)
The second description adds to the first. The woman meant that she was both dark and beautiful. Her darkness added to her beauty. For example:
My skin is dark and beautiful… (CEV) (CEV, GW, NRSV, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The majority of versions and many commentaries follow this option. It seems to be the best interpretation in the context of 1:6 and the way the woman explained why her skin was dark.

1:5b

O daughters of Jerusalem,

women of Jerusalem.
I tell you,^(plur) Jerusalem women/girls,

O daughters of Jerusalem: Here the phrase daughters of Jerusalem probably refers to the same women who were already mentioned as “the maidens” in 1:3c and in 1:4e in the phrase “they adore you.” You should refer to them in a clear way here, so that readers will know that the text refers to the same group of women.

The word O is not in the Hebrew text here. It is a way to indicate in English that the woman spoke directly to the Jerusalem women. Use a natural way in your language to speak directly to a group of women. Some other ways to translate this in English are:

Young women of Jerusalem (GW)

I tell you, Jerusalem girls

In some languages it is more natural to put the phrase daughters of Jerusalem in a different place in the sentence. See the General Comment on 1:5a–d at the end of the notes for 1:5c–d for examples.

General Comment on 1:5a–b

In some languages, a direct address comes first or last in a sentence, or it may come in a different place in the sentence. Put it in a natural place in your language. For example:

^5bO daughters of Jerusalem,

^5aI am dark, yet lovely.

Though I have dark skin, I am beautiful, you Jerusalem women.

I have dark skin, daughters of Jerusalem, but I am beautiful.

1:5c–d

like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon: Here the woman compared her dark beauty (1:5a) to tents and curtains. Scholars have two views about how the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon are related in this verse:

The tents and curtains are different. For example:
dark as the desert tents of Kedar, but beautiful as the draperies in Solomon’s palace. (GNT) (NET, GNT)
The tents and curtains are similar: both are dark (and possibly lovely). For example:
dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents. (NLT) (NLT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Most English versions are ambiguous, but the context suggests a contrast. The woman’s skin was darkened by the sun, yet she was still lovely.These verses also use a special feature of Hebrew poetic style that takes each part of a contrast as the basis for another contrast. This feature is called “redistribution.” In 1:5a, “dark but comely” contrasts qualities of the woman’s skin. In 1:5c–d it contrasts the dark tents of Kedar with the lovely curtains of Solomon. See the General Comment on 1:5a–d for another translation suggestion.

1:5c

like the tents of Kedar,

I am dark like the tents of the tribe of Kedar,
my skin is darkened like the tents that the Kedar people live in,

like the tents of Kedar: The name Kedar refers to one or more nomadic tribes in the Arabian desert. These tribes lived in tents that had a dark color. People used the hair of black goats to weave the tents. The woman thought that her skin was dark and rough like the tents of Kedar. Some other ways to translate the phrase like the tents of Kedar are:

like the tents of the people of Kedar

like the tents where the Kedar people live

1:5d

like the curtains of Solomon.

but I am beautiful like the curtains in the palace of King Solomon.
yet I am lovely like the draperies in Solomon’s palace.

like the curtains of Solomon: The curtains of Solomon contrast with the dark weather-beaten “tents of Kedar.” The fine curtains that Solomon had (possibly in his palace) were elegant and beautiful. They may also have been dark, as some versions suggest. However, the focus is on the beauty of Solomon’s curtains in contrast to the dark weather-worn tents of Kedar.

Solomon: When the Song was first written, only the Hebrew consonants were written, not the vowels. The consonants of the words Solomon and “Shalmah” were the same. (Shalmah was another tribe that also lived in tents.) Only the context where the name was used indicated whether it referred to Solomon or “Shalmah.” Vowels were later supplied by Hebrew scholars to help people read the text. The vowels in this context identify the name as Solomon. When you spell the name, you should follow the spelling rules of your language.Some modern scholars and versions (NET, NJB, and REB) say that the correct reading should be Shalmah or Salmah. However, since the Hebrew text as we have it favors “Solomon,” it is good to follow that text. On the other hand, translators should remember that the actual spelling of the name should be based on the spelling rules of their language.

General Comment on 1:5a–d

Consider how to translate the comparisons in this verse in a natural way in your language. In some languages it may be necessary to reorder some of the information. It may also be necessary to supply some implied information to make complete sentences or clauses. For example:

^5bYoung women of Jerusalem, ^5aI am dark but attractive/lovely. ^5cMy skin is dark like the tents of Kedar, ^5dbut I am attractive/lovely like the curtains of Solomon.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שְׁחוֹרָ֤ה אֲנִי֙

black I

Solomon assumes that his readers will understand that here, I am black means “my skin is black” or “my skin is very dark.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [My skin is black] or [My skin is very dark]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וְֽ⁠נָאוָ֔ה

and,lovely

Here the word but is introducing a contrast between what was expected and what follows. In the author’s culture, it was not considered attractive for a woman to have skin darkened by the sun. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: [yet lovely] or [but still lovely]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

The woman is using the possessive form to poetically describe where the young women (daughters of Jerusalem) live. The phrase refers to the young women from Jerusalem; probably the same women as the “marriageable women” in [1:3](../01/03.md) and “they” in [1:4](../01/04.md)). If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could indicate the association between them in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [daughters from Jerusalem] or [young women from Jerusalem]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כְּ⁠אָהֳלֵ֣י קֵדָ֔ר כִּ⁠ירִיע֖וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה

like,the_tents_of Qēdār like,the_tent_curtains_of Shəlomoh/(Solomon)

The Kedar people group used black goat skins to make their tents. The woman is comparing her skin to these tents. The phrase the curtains of Solomon refers to the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace. The point of the first comparison is that the woman’s skin was black. The second indicates that the woman was also lovely. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent comparisons from your culture, or you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [like the dark tents of the Kedar people, like the curtains of Solomon’s palace] or [as dark as the tents of Kedar, as beautiful as the curtains in Solomon’s palace]

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 1:5

Hebrew word order