SNG 5:6 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:2–6:3: At night the woman searched for the man and praised him

Scholars differ about the meaning of this section and how it relates to the rest of the Song. In 5:2–7 the woman told the Jerusalem women that the man came to her door at night but went away. She told them that now she longed to see him and was searching for him. Then she asked them to give him a message if they saw him (5:8). They asked why she was so attracted to him (5:9), and she replied by describing him (5:10–16). Then they asked her where he went (6:1), and she told them that he went down to his garden (6:2–3).

The section contains several interpretation issues:

In 5:2–7 did the woman describe a dream or a real event, or is 5:2–7 a poetic way to describe her feelings and thoughts about the man? The woman described one type of event (probably dreamed or imagined) as she and the man related to each other. The author did not always tell about events in order, and he repeated certain themes to examine them from different points of view. The Song is not a simple story but a poem, and it uses various ways to describe the romantic love.
Section 3:6–5:1 told about the wedding of the man and woman. Does Section 5:2–6:3 tell about a time after they married? Although 3:6–5:1 told about the wedding of the man and woman, 5:2–6:3 may not refer to a time after the wedding. It may describe something they experienced more than once. In other sections also, the man and woman were apart at the beginning but together at the end (as in 1:2–2:7). If 5:2–6:3 refers to a time before their wedding,Some scholars view the whole book, Song of Songs, as a large chiasm. (For example, Dorsey suggests abcdcʹbʹaʹ, (1999, p.200.)) So, the section, 3:6–5:1 is the central and climactic part of the chiasm, and what comes before and after are related to the center, not chronologically but thematically. So, the material both before and after, may be pointing to the grand central climax, the wedding. What follows the wedding, 5:2–8:14, may actually repeat much of the material in 1:2–3:5. Again, this is more of a cyclical rather than chronological way of understanding the book. it describes the woman’s hopes and fears as she imagined her future with the man (as in 3:1–4). The dream might indicate that she feared that he had stopped loving her, but at the end of 6:2–3, she realized that he continued to love her faithfully.Some scholars believe that this section follows chronologically after the wedding. Some of these scholars interpret it as describing a time of conflict for the newly married couple. But the theme of marital conflict does not seem to fit the overall message or tone of the Song.
How should a translator interpret the figures of speech in this section? Some scholars interpret these figures as euphemisms for sexual organs and sexual activity. However, such interpretations may cause a translator to refer more explicitly to sexual matters than is normal or justified in the Song. (For more information, see “Standards for respectful speech and actions in the Song” in POEM 4:1–7.)

Paragraph 5:2–8 The woman spoke to the women of Jerusalem

There are different ways to interpret what the woman said in 5:2–8:

She told about something that she dreamed or imagined. She described her feelings for the man in a poetic way.
She told what happened when the man actually came to her. She was sleeping, but she woke up when she heard him knocking on her door.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The verses probably describe something that the woman dreamed or imagined, since some of the descriptions seem unreal or dreamlike. They are a poetic way to express the woman’s feelings for the man.

Does 5:2–8 describe sexual relations between the woman and man?

There are two views about whether 5:2–8 implies that they had sexual relations:

The verses indicate romantic feelings, but they do not describe sexual relations between the man and woman. He stood outside her house knocking, but she was already in bed. She delayed in opening her door, and he left before she opened it.
The verses have a double meaning.For example, in 5:4 they interpret the man’s “hand” and the door “latch” (literally “hole” in Hebrew) as referring to male and female sexual organs. Pope and some other modern commentators follow this view. The man was outside the room knocking on the door. He was also outside the woman’s body, wanting to enter and have sexual relations with her.

It is recommended that you follow option (1), which is followed by many reliable commentaries.See, for example, Assis, Barbiero, Bloch and Bloch, Davidson, Delitzsch, Elliott, Estes, Fox, Ginsburg, Gordis, Hess, Mitchell, and Murphy. Michael Fox argues that this view spoils the true romantic impact and beauty of the book (Fox, pages 144–145). The text indicates that the man did not come inside the woman’s house, but he left before she could open the door.

Common themes

This section has similar themes (motifs) that were part of earlier sections. You should translate such themes in a similar way throughout the book. This helps readers understand the unity of the Song. For example, as in 3:1–4, also here in 5:2–8, the author told about the woman having a dream and searching for her beloved in the town at night. Also, in 2:8–14, the young man stood outside the woman’s house, but she was inside behind a locked door. This theme of the woman being hard to reach is also found in 2:9; 2:14; 4:8; and 4:12.

5:6a

I opened for my beloved,

I opened the door for my beloved,
I opened to let my love come in.

I opened for my beloved: In this context the phrase I opened for my beloved probably indicates that the woman opened the door for the man to enter her room. It may also imply that she opened herself to welcome him. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

I opened the door for my lover (NCV)

I opened the door for the one I love to enter

I opened to/for my beloved

5:6b

but he had turned and gone.

but my beloved had turned away and was gone. (RSV)
But my love had gone. He was not there!

but he had turned and gone: This clause tells what the woman realized when she opened the door. She saw that her beloved was not there. The text implies that he went away after the woman hesitated to open the door. He was gone when she finally opened the door.

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

but my beloved had turned away. He was gone! (GW)

but my beloved had left; he was not there!

had turned and gone: The phrase had turned and gone indicates that the man left, and he was gone by the time the woman came to the door. In some languages it may be natural to use only one verb. For example:

but he was gone! (NLT)

5:6c

My heart sank at his departure.

I almost fainted/died when he left me.
When he went away, I was desperately disappointed.

My heart sank at his departure: Scholars differ about what caused the woman’s heart to sink. There is a textual issue concerning the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as at his departure.This difference is based on a textual issue that involves the Hebrew writing system, which did not originally indicate all the vowel sounds. Symbols for these sounds were supplied many years after the text was written. Scholars have two different proposals for the vowels that should be supplied here. The difference of one vowel changes the meaning of the word.

The word means “when he left.” For example:
My heart sank at his departure… (NIV) (BSB, GW, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB)
The word means “when he spoke.” For example:
My soul failed me when he spoke… (ESV) (RSV, CEV, ESV, NASB, NCV, NJPS, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The meaning “when he left” makes better sense in this context. The woman wanted the man. In 5:6c–d she searched desperately for him. She had no reason to say “my soul failed me when he spoke,” as in interpretation (2). He spoke only to ask her to open the door (5:2), which should not distress her. She was distressed because he left, and she feared that he might stop loving her.

My heart sank: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as My heart sank is more literally “my-soul/breath went-out.” This phrase is a figure of speech to indicate that the woman felt distressed and desperate. She feared that the man had left her, and that he might not return. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

When he left, I felt terrible distress

I was very lonely when he left

In some languages there is a figure of speech to translate this meaning. For example:

I fell into despair when he departed. (NET)

Notice also that the BSB uses the figure of speech “my heart sank.” Use a natural way in your language to describe this feeling.

5:6d–5:7b

What the woman said in 5:6d–5:7b uses the theme of searching that occurs often in the Song. Her statements here repeat statements in 3:1b and 3:3a–b. In chapter 3 and here in chapter 5 the woman searched for the man. She described her search in similar ways in both chapters. Try to keep these similarities in your own translation.

5:6d

I sought him, but did not find him.

I looked for him, but I could not find him.
I went out to try to find/see him, but I did not find/see him anywhere.

I sought him, but did not find him: The phrase I sought him, but did not find him is the same as the phrase in 3:1b. Here it indicates that the woman left her house and went to search for the man in the streets of the town. She searched for him because she loved him and longed to be with him. She was distressed until she could see him again, but when she looked for him, she could not see him anywhere.

You should translate the phrase in the same way or a similar way as you did in 3:1b. Some ways to translate it are:

I searched for him but could not find him anywhere (NLT)

I looked for him but did not find him (NET)

I went around trying to find him, but I did not see him anywhere.

but did not find him: The woman could not find the man when she searched for him, so she felt sadder and even more afraid. The author emphasized her sorrow to cause readers to sympathize with her and to want her to be happy again.

Use a natural way in your language to translate this emphasis. In some languages a word like “find” may imply that a person accidently discovered something that he was not searching for. That meaning does not fit this context. If that is true in your language, you should translate in a different way. For example:

but I did not see him anywhere.

5:6e

I called, but he did not answer.

I called to him, but he did not reply.
I said, “My love, where are you?” but I could not hear him answer me.

I called, but he did not answer: Here the woman called to the man because she hoped that he would hear her and respond to her. However, he did not hear her, so he did not respond. In some languages it may be helpful to use a direct quote and include the implied words that she said to call him. For example:

She called to him, “My beloved, where are you?” but she did not hear him answer.

uW Translation Notes:

לְ⁠דוֹדִ֔⁠י וְ⁠דוֹדִ֖⁠י

to,lover_of,my and,lover_of,my

See how you translated the phrase my beloved in [1:13](../01/13.md).

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / go

עָבָ֑ר

gone

Your language may say “went” rather than gone in a context such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: [and went away]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / go

נַפְשִׁ⁠י֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה

being_of,my sank

Your language may say “gone” rather than went in a context such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: [My soul had gone out]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נַפְשִׁ⁠י֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה

being_of,my sank

Here, soul represents the entire person, and the phrase My soul went out is a Hebrew idiom that means to feel extreme despair. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use a comparable expression from your language that has this meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [My heart sank] or [I felt great despair]

בְ⁠דַבְּר֔⁠וֹ

when,he,turned_aside

Here the word translated as because he departed could mean: (1) when he departed. If you choose this option, use the translation of the ULT. (2) “when he spoke.” Alternate translation: [when he spoke]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠לֹ֥א עָנָֽ⁠נִי

and=not he,answered_me

The implication is that the man did not answer because he was not there. She is not saying that he was present but not answering. You could include this information if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [but he did not answer me, since he was not there].

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 5:6

Hebrew word order