SNG 3:8 Interlinear View

3:8 OSHB note: We read the punctuation in L differently from BHQ.

3:8 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

3:8 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

3:8 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:6–5:1: The man and woman married and the man praised her

In 3:6 a new section begins. The author indicates this by several obvious changes from (3:1–5):

The scene changes from a nighttime dream to a public daytime event.
There is a change of speaker.
The search theme in the preceding verses changes to a wedding theme in this section.
The mood changes from anxious searching to joyful celebration.

In this section the author describes the couple’s wedding day. The section has several parts:

3:6–11 The man and woman came to their wedding in a grand procession

4:1–15 The man described his beautiful bride

4:16–5:1 The man and woman consummated their marriage

Paragraph 3:6–11 The poet described the wedding procession

There are several questions that translators need to ask about the meaning of 3:6–11:

What does the author imply when he refers to Solomon in the poem? The name “Solomon” refers figuratively to the man whom the woman loves.At a literal level 3:6–11 seems to be a historical description of Solomon on his wedding day. But which wedding? He had numerous wives! It is more probable that Solomon was the author of the Song, but not one of the characters in it. (For more information about that, see the discussion in 1:1.) The Song describes a nearly ideal love relationship between one man and one woman in which neither of them had other lovers, and the man had no other wives. Yet Solomon was known for having many wives and for his spiritual failure (see 1 Kings 11:1–3). He was not known for his pure love. New Testament passages that mention Solomon refer to his wisdom (Luke 11:31) and his material splendor (Luke 12:27), but not to his love. Solomon’s personal life did not demonstrate the pure monogamous love that we see in the woman’s beloved. If Solomon did write the book, he did so as Israel’s greatest wise man, not as Israel’s ideal lover. References to Solomon in the Song seem to focus on his royal splendor, rather than on Solomon himself or his love. This is certainly true in 1:5 that speaks of the curtains of Solomon. It implies that on his wedding day, the man felt as happy, rich, and powerful as King Solomon. Other verses that refer to Solomon figuratively are 1:4–5; 1:12; 3:6–11; 6:12; and 7:1.The Song uses other figurative motifs, such as a “shepherd” (1:7–8; 6:2–3), gazelle (2:8–9; 2:16–17; 8:14), dove (1:15; 2:14; 4:1; 5:12), lily (2:2; 2:16), vineyard (1:6; 2:15; 8:11–12) mare (1:9–11) and garden (4:12–5:1; 6:2).
Who speaks in this section? Probably the author speaks. If the woman was in the procession, she probably did not describe herself.Some scholars give other suggestions for the speaker here, for example, the man, the daughters of Jerusalem, a chorus, or an unknown speaker.
Does this poem describe an event that really happened? The poem probably does not describe an event that really happened. It uses figurative language, including hyperbole and similes.Bloch and Bloch make a strong point here. Referring to the three passages using this opening formula, “Who is this (fem)…?” (Song 3:6, 6:10, 8:5), they state, “None of these three scenes is realistic; all are hyperboles, evoking images of the triumphant appearance of a majestic, numinous, even godlike figure.” The rhetorical question here calls attention to the radiant and majestic bride’s approach. Bergant understands this poem in 3:6–11 as a metaphorical characterization rather than a description of an actual event. The UBS Handbook leans toward the poetic, non-historical view, as do Munro, Garrett, Gledhill, Keel, and others. The poem begins, “Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke…?” It probably implies that she was surrounded by the smoke of fragrant incense. Like a queen, the woman also had soldiers around her to protect and honor her. The woman was carried in luxury to the man, who waited for her in Jerusalem. He was compared to the greatest of kings. This hyperbole may come from a marriage custom where the bride and groom wore royal crowns on their wedding day.

3:8a

All are skilled with the sword,

They are all skilled in fighting with a sword,
and all of them are experts in fighting with long, sharp knives.

All are skilled with the sword: The Hebrew clause that the BSB translates as All are skilled with the sword is literally, “all of them are grasped by a sword.” The exact meaning of this statement is uncertain. There are two main ways to interpret it:

It means that the men were skilled in using a sword. For example:
All of them skilled swordsmen… (REB) (BSB, GW, NAB, NET, NJB, NJPS, NLT, REB, GNT)
It means that each man had a sword with him. For example:
all equipped with swords… (NRSV) (NRSV, CEV, ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits the parallelism, and it is also supported by the parallel passive verbs in 3:8a and 3:8b (“are grasped”This use of “grasped” is probably a figurative expression meaning “experienced” that is common in other ancient languages, Akkadian and Ugaritic, which are related to Hebrew. and “are trained”). Both verbs describe well-trained soldiers.The word sword is probably a metonymy referring to war. One way to translate the parallelismOption 2 may also be acceptable. Here 3:8a would be parallel with 3:8c, and 3:8b would be parallel with 3:8d. This is a type a-b-aʹ-bʹ parallel structure. One way to translate this structure is:8a All of them carry a sword; (a)b They are all trained in war (b)8c Each one has a sword ready for use, (aʹ)d prepared to battle the terrors of night. (bʹ). is:

8a All of them are skilled with the sword;

8b all of them are trained in war.

skilled with the sword: This clause indicates that all the men who guarded the bride were well trained in fighting with a sword. A sword is a long knife that is used as a weapon. A person usually needed to be trained to use a sword well. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Each of them is well trained in fighting with long knives.

All of them are skilled with a sword (NET)

3:8b

experienced in warfare.

and they are all experienced in warfare.
They are well-trained warriors/fighters,

experienced in warfare: The phrase experienced in warfare means “well-trained in battle.” It indicates that the men had been taught the skills that they needed to be good fighters. It also indicates that they were experienced soldiers who had fought in battles. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

trained in combat

experienced soldiers/fighters

3:8c

Each has his sword at his side

Each one has his sword ready at his thigh,
and each man is ready to use his long knife

Each has his sword at his side: In 3:8c the author continued to describe the same group of soldiers whom he described in 3:8a–b. Each of these well-trained soldiers had a sword. The phrase at his side indicates that the sword was easy for him to reach and use. It was right beside him whenever he needed it. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

each of them has his sword right at his thigh

each one has his sword ready

3:8d

prepared for the terror of the night.

to fight against dangers that may come at night.
to fight for her against enemies who attack at night.

prepared for the terror of the night: The phrase, the terror of the night, probably refers to any physical danger that might occur at night. These dangers included anything that could harm the woman or the people who were traveling with her in the procession to Jerusalem.

The procession probably needed more than one day to travel to Jerusalem, so the travelers had to set up camp at night and sleep there. It was dangerous to travel at night. Armed robbers often watched the roads to attack the people who passed by in the darkness.

In some languages it is necessary to make this danger more explicit. For example:

they are ready for anyone who might attack them at night.

they are prepared to defend her against anyone/anything who tries to harm her during the night.

Each of them is prepared to fight against any danger that threatens her in the dark night.

The theme of protection against harm was also found in 2:15 where foxes tried to damage the love between the man and woman.

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