SNG 1:7 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 1:7–8 The woman spoke and the man replied

There are some difficult interpretation issues in 1:7–8. One issue is the attitude of the man and woman. In 1:7, did the woman ask for information in a serious manner or did she speak in a flirting way? In 1:8, did the man scold the woman or did he reply in a flirting way? Possibly, the woman was more serious in 1:7, while the man replied in a flirting way in 1:8.

The Song uses several figurative themes that occur at different places in the book. The theme of 1:5–6 was the vineyard. In 1:7–8 the focus shifts to the theme of shepherds and pastures.

1:7a–c

There are parallel parts in 1:7a–c. The woman asked her beloved where he pastured his flock and where he made them lie down at noon. The Hebrew text is more literally:

^7aTell me…

^7bwhere you pasture your flock

^7cwhere you cause it/them to rest at noon?

Other ways to translate this request are:

My love, please tell me where you take your sheep to graze and where you will let them rest at noon.

Tell me, my love, where will you lead your flock to graze? Where will they rest from the noonday sun?

1:7a

Tell me, O one I love,

Tell^(sing) me, you^(sing) whom I love,
Darling/Beloved, tell me

Tell me, O one I love: Here the woman used the phrase O one I love like a name for her beloved. In Hebrew the phrase is only two words which sound poetic together. In some languages it may be more natural to put the direct address first in the sentence. For example:

O one I love, tell me

In some languages it may be more natural not to use direct address. For example:

You are the one I love. Tell me

Tell me: The phrase Tell me is a request and an indirect question. Some other ways to translate it are:

Please tell me (GW)

I would like you to let me know

O one I love: The phrase O one I love is a term of affection that the woman used as she spoke to the man. Languages often have a special term of affection that is natural for the woman to use in this context. For example:

my love (GNT)

My darling (CEV)

sweetheart (NJB)

1:7b

where do you pasture your sheep?

where do you^(sing) pasture your flock of sheep?
where are you^(sing) going to feed your sheep today?
where you take your^(sing) animals to graze,

where do you pasture your sheep: This phrase refers to the place where the man usually led his flock to graze. On some days he might lead them to a different place, so the woman wanted to be sure exactly where her beloved planned to be. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

Where will you lead your flock to graze (GNT)

where do you feed your sheep (NCV)

where you plan to lead your flock to eat today?

pasture your sheep: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as pasture refers to caring for animals like sheep and goats. It especially refers to leading them to areas where they will be able to eat grass or other plants. The BSB supplies the implied phrase your sheep, which is not in the Hebrew text.

Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

feed your sheep (CEV)

take your animals to graze/eat

1:7c

Where do you rest them at midday?

Where do you^(sing) let them rest at noontime?
Where will they/your^(sing) sheep lie down today during the noontime heat?
and where you^(sing) let them rest at noon.

Where do you rest them at midday: This clause is parallel to the clause in 1:7b. It has basically the same meaning. The woman was still asking the man where he would take his flock (them). However, it adds the meaning rest and the time of day (midday). Some other ways to translate the clause are:

At noon, where will you make your sheep lie down?

Where do you let them rest at noon? (NCV)

In this verse it is important to understand that the woman was not primarily interested in the sheep. She asked the question because she wanted to know where her beloved planned to be.

1:7d

Why should I be like a veiled woman

Why should I have to walk around like a prostitute
Why should I have to walk aimlessly around
Tell^(sing) me so that I will not wander

1:7d–e

In 1:7a–c, the woman asked the man to tell her where he usually led his flock to graze. Here in 1:7d–e, she gave her reason for wanting to know where he will be. She wanted to know so that she did not need to search for him near the other shepherds. If she wandered around the shepherds’ tents, they might think that she was an immoral woman looking for pleasure.

In some languages it may be necessary to repeat part of the request from 1:7a to make the connection clear. For example:

Tell me so that I will not have to wander around beside the flocks of your companions! (similarly, the NET)

Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions: Here the woman asked a rhetorical question. The question indicates that she did not want to be like a woman who wanders around the shepherds’ tents. If she did that, others might think that she was a prostitute. In some languages it is necessary to make this explicit in some way. For example:

For why should I wander like a prostitute among your friends and their flocks? (NLT)

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

As a rhetorical question:
Why should I need to look for you among the flocks of the other shepherds? (GNT)
Will it be good/proper if I walk here and there looking for you where the other shepherds pasture their flocks?
As a request:
Let me not be as one who strays
Beside the flocks of your fellows. (NJPS)
Please don’t cause me to wander around looking for you where other men take their sheep.
As a statement:
I do not want to wander around looking for you where other men take their sheep.

Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.

veiled: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as veiled can also mean “wander.”In ancient Israel, a prostitute sometimes wore a veil. (See Genesis 38:13–15.) That may be a reason for the different interpretation options “veiled” and “like a prostitute” here. There is also a third option which interprets the word as “picking lice.” It is followed by the REB and a few scholars, including Garrett. This interpretation seems unlikely. These two meanings are more similar than they seem. In that culture a prostitute often wore a veil over her face, so the BSB has “like a veiled woman.” However, it is better to translate the meaning “wanders,” since there are other reasons for wearing a veil.

The woman wanted to know where the man was going so that she did not have to wander around searching for him when she came to meet him at noon (1:7c).In 1:7a–c the woman asked where to find the man. She asked this because if she did not know where to find him she might need to wander around looking for him. This might imply that she was an immoral woman, and that would humiliate her. However, the context does not necessarily explain why the woman wanted to avoid being like a “veiled” woman because it was not only prostitutes who wore veils. Women in mourning or women who did not wish to be recognized for some reason often wore veils. It is logical that if the woman does not know where the man is, she must wander around in order to find him. There are several reasons why this might make her feel uneasy, including a fear that the shepherds might think she was an immoral (veiled) woman. The theme of searching for a person and finding him is common in the Song.

1:7e

beside the flocks of your companions?

near the flocks of your^(sing) friends?
around the sheep/animals of the other shepherds.

beside the flocks of your companions: The phrase beside the flocks of your companions implies that the man often pastured his flocks near other shepherds. They were probably his friends or a group of shepherds who went out together to graze their flocks. The woman implied here that she did not want to go near those other shepherds to search for her beloved. She was afraid that she might be mistaken for an immoral woman.

Other ways to translate this phrase are:

among your friends and their flocks (NLT)

near your friends’ sheep (NCV)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

שֶׁ֤⁠אָהֲבָה֙ נַפְשִׁ֔⁠י

O,[the_one]_whom_it_loves self_of,my

The woman is using one part of herself, her soul, to represent all of her. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [you, the man whom I love]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

אֵיכָ֣ה תִרְעֶ֔ה

where pasture

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: [where do you graze your flock] or [where do you graze your sheep]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

שַׁ⁠לָּ⁠מָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ

,which,why? be like,a_veiled_[woman] on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in flocks_of your(pl)_companions_of,your

Here the woman is not asking for information but is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate her words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [I do not want to be like a woman who covers herself beside the flocks of your companions] or [Tell me so that I will not be like a woman who covers herself beside the flocks of your companions]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ

like,a_veiled_[woman] on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in flocks_of your(pl)_companions_of,your

The author assumes that his readers will understand that covers herself means “covers herself with a veil.” The phrase your companions refers to the other shepherds who pastured their animals near the flocks of the man; they were probably his friends. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [like a woman who covers herself with a veil beside the flocks of the other shepherds]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

שַׁ⁠לָּ⁠מָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ

,which,why? be like,a_veiled_[woman] on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in flocks_of your(pl)_companions_of,your

The woman does not want to look like a woman who covers herself because in her culture, prostitutes often covered their faces with a veil so that people would not recognize them. She did not want to be mistaken for a prostitute while attempting to find him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [For why should I be like a prostitute who covers herself with a veil and wanders around among the flocks of your companions]

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 1:7

Hebrew word order