OET interlinear SNG 2:14

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

יוֹנָתִ֞⁠י

dove_of,my

Here the phrase My dove could be: (1) the man speaking directly to the woman. Alternate translation: [O my dove] (2) the man speaking about the woman rather than speaking to her directly. Alternate translation: [The woman I love is a dove]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יוֹנָתִ֞⁠י בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע בְּ⁠סֵ֨תֶר֙ הַ⁠מַּדְרֵגָ֔ה

dove_of,my in/on/at/with,clefts_of the,rock in/on/at/with,covert_of the,cliff

Here the man speaks to the woman he loves as if she were his dove. He then tells her the way in which she is like a dove. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [O my one who is like a dove. You are like a gentle and timid dove which hides in the clefts of the rock and in the hiding places of the cliff] or [You are like a dove, like a gentle and shy dove which hides in the clefts of the rock and in the hiding places of the cliff] or [You are like a dove, far away in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the cliff]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע בְּ⁠סֵ֨תֶר֙ הַ⁠מַּדְרֵגָ֔ה

in/on/at/with,clefts_of the,rock in/on/at/with,covert_of the,cliff

These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second 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 connect the phrases with a word such as “yes” in order to show that the second phrase is repeating a similar idea to the first one, not saying something additional. You could also combine the two lines as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: [in the clefts of the rock, yes, in the hiding places of the cliff]

בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע

in/on/at/with,clefts_of the,rock

Alternate translation: [in the cracks of the rock]

Note 4 topic: writing-poetry

הַרְאִ֨י⁠נִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִ⁠ךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖י⁠נִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑⁠ךְ כִּי־קוֹלֵ֥⁠ךְ עָרֵ֖ב וּ⁠מַרְאֵ֥י⁠ךְ נָאוֶֽה

see,me אֶתּ face_of,your hear,me DOM voice_of,your that/for/because/then/when voice_of,your sweet and,face_of,your lovely

Here two ideas are presented and then they are further explained in reverse order. This is called a chiasm. Biblical Hebrew sometimes uses this literary device. If possible, try to follow this AB-BA sequence of presenting the information here. See the chapter introduction for more information regarding chiasms.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

הַרְאִ֨י⁠נִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִ⁠ךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖י⁠נִי

see,me אֶתּ face_of,your hear,me

The phrases show me and make me hear are imperatives, but they communicate a polite request rather than a command. Use a form in your language that communicates a polite request. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” or “let” to make this clear. Alternate translation: [please let me see your appearance, please let me hear] or [let me see you, let me hear]

קוֹלֵ֥⁠ךְ עָרֵ֖ב

voice_of,your sweet

Alternate translation: [your voice is sweet-sounding] or [your voice sounds beautiful]