SNG 6:4 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:4–8:4: The man praised the woman and sang about springtime

In this section the man described the woman in two separate speeches (6:4–10 and 7:1–10). Some verses are difficult to understand, especially 6:11–13, and it is important to think about them carefully. The woman responded to the man in 7:11 and continued to speak to the end of the section at 8:4.

The verse numbering in the Hebrew text is different from the BSB and a majority of English versions. The Hebrew text begins chapter 7 where the BSB begins 6:13, so in chapter 7 the verses in the Hebrew text are one number higher than the verse numbers in the BSB. For example, 6:13–7:13 in the BSB is 7:1–14 in the Hebrew text (and also in the NJB and NJPS). It is helpful to be aware that some commentaries follow the Hebrew verse numbering. The Notes will follow the verse numbers in the BSB (along with the majority of English versions).

Paragraph 6:4–10 The man described the woman

In 6:4–10, the man spoke to the woman. In 6:4–7, he spoke directly to her with forms like “you” and “your.” But in 6:8–10, he spoke about her, using forms like “she” and “her.” In 6:10 the man probably quoted what the other women said to praise her beauty.

This section begins and ends with the same phrase. The BSB translates the phrase in 6:4c as “as majestic as troops with banners,” and in 6:10 it repeats this phrase. However, the context is different, so scholars are not certain whether the meaning of the phrase is the same or different in the two verses. The notes for 6:10 will discuss this issue.

In 6:4–10 the man sang his second praise song to describe the woman. This song is similar in some ways to his first praise song in 4:1–5, and it repeats some portions of that song. However, here his words seem less intimate. In 4:9 the man indicated that she is superior to all other women.

6:4a–c

The two lines, 6:4a and 6:4b, are parallel. In each line the man compared the woman’s beauty to the beauty of an important city. In 6:4a he compared her beauty to Tirzah, and in 6:4b he compared it to Jerusalem. In the third line, he compared the woman to troops carrying banners.

When the man compared the woman to cities and armies, he implied that she was beautiful, grand, splendid, and strong like those cities and armies. He felt awe when he was with her, just as he felt awe when he was in the royal cities or looked at the powerful armies. Be sure that your translation communicates this meaning.

6:4a

You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,

You are beautiful like the city of Tirzah, my darling.
My beloved/love, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah,

You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah: Here the man used the phrase my darling as a loving name for the woman, as he did in 1:9. You can translate it in the same way here. In some languages it is more natural to translate the phrase in a different place in the sentence. For example:

My darling, you are as beautiful as Tirzah (NET)

You are beautiful, my true love, like Tirzah (GW)

You are as beautiful…as Tirzah: Here the man compared the woman’s beauty to an important city called Tirzah. It had beautiful streets and grand buildings. The man implied that the woman was as grand and beautiful as that city. Some other ways to translate this comparison are:

as lovely as the city of Tirzah (GNT)

you are beautiful…like the splendid/magnificent city of Tirzah

beautiful: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as beautiful is a common word that is used often in the Song. It is used in the phrase “most beautiful of women” in 6:1. Here it compares the woman’s beauty to the beauty of a city. In some languages it is natural to use different words to refer to the beauty of a woman and the beauty of a city. For example:

You are as beautiful as the grand city of Tirzah

Tirzah: Tirzah was the name of a city that King Solomon favored. It was known for its royal splendor and beauty. It became the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel soon after Solomon died.The breakup of Israel occurred during the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son. The northern tribes revolted under the leadership of Jeroboam I who made Tirzah his capital. To many people, the name Tirzah is not familiar, so it may be helpful to make explicit that it is the name of a city. For example:

as lovely as the city of Tirzah (GNT)

beautiful like Tirzah city is beautiful

my darling: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as my darling literally means “my friend” or “my companion.” But in a context like the Song, it has a romantic sense. This word is the most common way the man used to refer to the woman in the Song. It was first used in 1:10–11, and you may translate it as you did there.

6:4b

as lovely as Jerusalem,

You are grand/majestic like Jerusalem.
and you are as lovely as the city of Jerusalem.

as lovely as Jerusalem: Here the man compared the woman to the city of Jerusalem. He used a different Hebrew word from the word “beautiful” in 6:4a. This word refers to a type of beauty that is appropriate for what is being described. In this situation it is the kind of beauty that is fitting for the woman and also for those great cities.

This word was also used in Song 1:4, 2:14, and 4:3. Refer to how you translated it in these verses. Some other ways to translate the comparison here are:

you are as comely as Jerusalem

you are awesome/grand like the city of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem: Jerusalem was the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah. It was known for its royal splendor and was famous for its great beauty.

6:4c

as majestic as troops with banners.

You are powerful/terrifying like an army waving its banners.
You are as majestic as troops/soldiers carrying their flags.

as majestic as troops with banners: In this clause the man continued to describe the woman. There are several ways to interpret the clause:

It refers to being as awe-inspiring as an army of soldiers, in which some of the soldiers carried large flags (banners). For example:
as majestic as troops with banners. (NIV) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, RSV)
It refers to being as awe-inspiring as the sky and all its stars.In 6:10 the context suggests this meaning. For example:
more powerful than all of the stars in the heavens. (CEV) (CEV, REB footnote).
It refers to the splendor of these cities without mentioning an army or banners. For example:
as breathtaking as these great cities. (GNT) (GW, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most English versions.

majestic: In this context the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as majestic probably indicates that the woman was awesome and imposing. The man respected her and felt awed by her great beauty. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

awesome as an army with banners. (ESV)

as awe-inspiring as bannered armies! (NET)

In some languages it may be distracting or strange to compare a woman to an army. If that is true in your language, you may be able to compare her to a queen leading her army. For example:

You are as majestic as a queen coming with an army waving flags.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

יָפָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ רַעְיָתִ⁠י֙ כְּ⁠תִרְצָ֔ה נָאוָ֖ה כִּ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

beautiful you my_friend_of,my like,Tirzah lovely like,Jerusalem

The man is saying that the woman is like the city of Tirzah and like the city of Jerusalem because both of these cities were beautiful. These lines are parallel, and both mean basically the same thing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternately, you could combine the lines if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [You are beautiful, my darling, like the beautiful city of Tirzah, lovely like the lovely city of Jerusalem] or [You are beautiful and lovely, my darling, like the cities of Tirzah and Jerusalem]

יָפָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ רַעְיָתִ⁠י֙

beautiful you my_friend_of,my

See how you translated the phrase “you are beautiful, my darling” in [1:15](../01/15.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

יָפָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ רַעְיָתִ⁠י֙ כְּ⁠תִרְצָ֔ה

beautiful you my_friend_of,my like,Tirzah

If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: [My darling, you are beautiful like Tirzah]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

נָאוָ֖ה כִּ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּ⁠נִּדְגָּלֽוֹת

lovely like,Jerusalem awesome like_(the)_[hosts],banners

The man is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [you are lovely like Jerusalem; you are awe-inspiring like bannered armies]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּ⁠נִּדְגָּלֽוֹת

awesome like_(the)_[hosts],banners

The man is saying that the woman is awe-inspiring like bannered armies because looking at her causes the man to feel a sense of awe that is comparable to seeing an army with its banners above it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [and the awe I feel when looking at you is like the awe I would feel if I were to see armies with their banners] or [and the awe I feel when looking at you is like the awe I feel when I see armies with their banners above them]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

כַּ⁠נִּדְגָּלֽוֹת

like_(the)_[hosts],banners

See how you translated the term “banner” in [2:4](../02/04.md).

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 6:4