SNG 2:1 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 2:1–7 The man and woman praised each other

Lines 2:1–7 are the end of the first poetic section in the Song. In them, the man and woman praised each other. He brought her to his banquet room and embraced her. In 2:7 she cautioned the women of Jerusalem not to awaken love before the right time.

2:1a

I am a rose of Sharon,

I am a crocus on the plains of Sharon,
I am like a wild flower on the Sharon plains,
I’m just a common wild flower on the Sharon plains,

I am a rose of Sharon: This verse was mistakenly thought by some early scholars to be spoken by the man (who was allegorically considered to be Christ). In the sixteenth century, English versions began to translate the wildflower in 2:1a incorrectly as “the rose of Sharon” (probably based on Aquila and Origen) and the verse found its way into Christian hymns, for example, calling Christ the “Rose of Sharon” (and “Lily of the valleys”). However, the context makes it clear that it is the woman speaking here to describe herself, not the man. Nearly all modern scholars and versions acknowledge this. The statement I am a rose of Sharon is a metaphor. The woman compared herself to a flower on the plains of Sharon. There are three ways to interpret this statement:

She was being humble. She implied that she was only an ordinary girl, and she had a common beauty like many other girls. For example:
I am only a wild flower in Sharon… (GNT) (CEV, NEB, NET, GNT)
She was being proud or self-confident. She implied that she was unusually beautiful. For example:
I am the rose of Sharon.In this context the use of the English definite article “the” seems to imply that there are no other roses in Sharon worth looking at beside her, that is, she is the most beautiful rose or flower in Sharon. (NJB) (KJV, NASB, NJB, NLT)
The statement does not indicate clearly whether she was humble or proud. For example:
I am a rose of Sharon. (NIV) (BSB, GW, NCV, NIV, NJPS, REB, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). She implied that she was pretty like a common flower, but she was not unusually beautiful.Some scholars who follow this interpretation include: Carr, Delitzsch, Elliott, Estes, Fox, Gledhill, Longman, Mitchell, Murphy, Ogden & Zogbo, Pope, and Snaith. In 2:2 the man responded by reassuring her that she was indeed very beautiful and not common. The discussion in 1:5–6 also suggests that the woman was humble about her appearance. Some other ways to translate 2:1a are:

I am only a wild flower in Sharon… (GNT)

I am a meadow flower from Sharon… (NET)

I am an asphodel in Sharon… (NEB)

rose: The exact meaning of the Hebrew word that the BSB translates rose is uncertain.The word is used only one other place in the OT, in Isaiah 35:1, where most English versions translate it “crocus” or “flower.” Many English versions translate it as “rose,”These versions follow an early tradition of English Bible translation from the sixteenth century. but nearly all Bible scholars agree that the flower was not a rose.Most modern versions include a footnote such as “Hebrew crocus” or “probably a member of the crocus family.” Roses were unknown in ancient Israel. The Hebrew word more likely refers to a “crocus,” “asphodel” or “narcissus.”Versions that use an expression other than the traditional “rose” include the NAB, NLT, NEB, NET, and GNT. Some ways to translate the word are:

Use a general term for a common flower that grows naturally without being cultivated. For example:
wildflower
meadow flower
Use a specific word that refers to a beautiful wildflower that grows in your area. Some examples of wildflowers that grow in Israel are:
crocus
asphodel
narcissus

Here the woman described herself in a humble way, so it is probably best not to use a flower that is grown for its special beauty.

Sharon: Sharon was the name of a large level plain in Israel. It was located between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains. In some languages it may be helpful to indicate what the name Sharon refers to. For example:

the plain of Sharon

You may also choose to include a footnote with more information. For example:

The name Sharon refers to a large plain beside the coast. It is a well-watered and fertile land, and many wild flowers grow there.

2:1b

a lily of the valley.

I am just a valley lily.
I am like a common lily of the valley.

In this part of the verse the woman gave another example of a common wild flower to which she compared herself. In some languages it may be more natural to connect 2:1a and 2:1b with a conjunction.

a lily of the valley: There is an ellipsis here. In the phrase a lily of the valley the woman gave another example of a wild flower that she was like. The full form is “I am a lily of the valley.” This lily is a common flower that is usually red or purple.

Here the phrase is a metaphor like the one in 2:1a. The woman used it to indicate that she was as ordinary as one of the many lilies that grow in the valleys. Some other ways to translate the metaphor are:

Use a simile. For example:
I am like a lily of the valley.
like a lily growing in the valley.
Indicate how the woman was like a lily of the valley. For example:
as common as a lily in the valley.

Translate the metaphor in a natural way in your language.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָ⁠עֲמָקִֽים

I rose_of of_(the),Sharon lily_of of,the_valleys

Here the woman is speaking of herself as if she is a type of wildflower. She compares herself to these common wildflowers to express that she thinks she is no more attractive than other young women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [I am as common as a wildflower of Sharon or a lily of the valleys] or [My beauty is as common as a wildflower of Sharon or a lily of the valleys]

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת

rose_of

The original word which the ULT translates as wildflower refers to a specific type of flower which grows on the ground. The exact type of flower that the original word refers to cannot be known with certainty, so you could use the name of a pretty wildflower in your area, or you could use a more general term.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן

I rose_of of_(the),Sharon

The writer assumes that the reader will know that Sharon was the name of a specific plain (a flat area) and that the word itself refers to a flat, wide area. Here the woman is probably referring to “plains” in general and expressing that she is like a wildflower that grows on the plains. You could include this information if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [I am a flower that grows on the plain of Sharon] or [I am a flower that grows on the plains]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָ⁠עֲמָקִֽים

I rose_of of_(the),Sharon lily_of of,the_valleys

These two phrases a flower of Sharon and a lily of the valleys mean basically the same thing. The second phrase emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: [I am a wildflower that grows in the plains and the valleys]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת

lily_of

The woman is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. If it would be clearer in your language, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: [I am a lily of]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת

lily_of

The Hebrew word that the ULT translates as lily is a type of flower which grows as a wildflower. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of flower, you could use the name of something similar in your area, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [a wildflower of]

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 2:1

Hebrew word order

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

Paragraph 2:1–7 The man and woman praised each other

2:1a

2:1b

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