SNG 6:3 Interlinear View

6:3 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

6:3 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

6:3 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

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 6:1–3 The man was in his garden

In 5:10–16 the woman answered the women’s question by describing the man. Here in 6:1, the women responded with another question. They asked the woman where the man went, and they offered to help her find him (6:1). When she responded in 6:2–3, she said that her beloved was in his garden. (He was not missing.) Maybe she realized where he was when she praised him to the women. She realized that she and her beloved were still committed to each other, as she said in 6:3, “I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me.”

The “garden” in 6:2 is probably a metaphor for the woman. In 4:12–5:1 the man described the woman as a “garden.” In 4:16–5:1 she described herself as “his garden.”

Although 6:1 begins a new chapter, the poetic section continues until 6:3. It is helpful to show in some way that the chapter division does not indicate the end of the poetic section. This may be done with section headings, line breaks, or a footnote.

6:3a

I belong to my beloved

I am my beloved’s, (RSV)
My love, I am your^(sing) own,

6:3b

and he belongs to me;

and my beloved is mine. (RSV)
and you^(sing) are my own.

6:3a–b

I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me: The sentence, I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me is similar to 2:16a (“My beloved is mine and I am his”), except that there the order is reversed.

As in 2:16a, the woman probably spoke directly to her beloved here. However, the sentence sounds as though she spoke to someone else. In Hebrew poetry it is common to speak indirectly like that. In some languages it is more natural to indicate that the woman spoke directly to the man. For example:

My beloved, I am yours and you are mine.

Her words indicate that she and the man were strongly committed to each other. She implied that they have romantic love only for each other (and for no one else). It does not imply that they owned each other, but it implies that they were loyal to each other. Other ways to translate this sentence are:

I belong to my beloved, and he belongs to me.

My love, I am your own, and you are my own.

6:3c

he pastures his flock among the lilies.

He grazes in fields of lilies.
You^(sing) feed yourself where the fragrant flowers grow.

he pastures his flock among the lilies: The clause he pastures his flock among the lilies is identical to 2:16b. As in 2:16b, the interpretation issue is the same. This issue is also similar to the one in 6:2c. As in these previous verses, there are two ways to interpret the verb that the BSB translates as he pastures:

It means “he grazes” or “browses,” implying that he feeds himself. For example:
he grazes among the lilies. (NET) (NET, ESV, NAB, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT)
It means “he pastures (his flock),” implying that he feeds his flock. For example:
he pastures his flock among the lilies. (RSV) (BSB, RSV, CEV, GW, NASB, NJB, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as in 6:2c and 2:16b. This probably continues the gazelle theme as in 2:16. Because the BSB follows interpretation (2), the NET will be used as the source line for 6:3c.

(NET) he grazes among the lilies: As in 2:16b, this phrase literally means that the man stands among the lilies. It probably also implies that he eats them. Here the phrase has a figurative meaning, not a literal one. It may be helpful to include a footnote here to make the figurative meaning clear. It should be somewhat different from the footnote in 2:16 because of the context. An example of a possible footnote is:

“Browsing/grazing among the lilies” has a figurative meaning here. The lilies are a symbol for the woman, especially for the ways that she delights the man.

(NET) among the lilies: The phrase among the lilies indicates literally that the man was located among the lilies in his garden. The garden and the lilies both refer figuratively to the woman. This figure of speech indicates that the man loves the woman and delights in her.

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