SNG 8:9 Interlinear View

8:9 Some consider these analogies to refer to her (still young) flat chest, others to a wall/door protecting her virginity.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:5–14: Love has great power

In this final section, there are many key words and statements that repeat themes from earlier parts of the Song. For example, 8:5a mentions the woman coming up from the wilderness, as in 3:6. The author also repeats the themes of vineyard (8:12; 1:6), orchard (8:5; 2:3), and garden (8:13; 4:12–5:1). In the final verse of the Song, the author repeats the theme of a gazelle on the mountains, which was mentioned in 2:17. This final section also contains what many scholars consider a climax of the Song in 8:6–7.

Some other headings for this section are:

Homecoming (NRSV)

The Young Woman’s Love for Her Beloved

Paragraph 8:8–10

In these verses the young woman and her brothers had a conversation about her physical maturity. Her brothers said that she was young, physically immature, and not ready to be married. They referred to a wall and a door, which symbolize that she was chaste (a virgin). In 8:10 she responded to their comments, agreeing that she was chaste and saying that she was also mature and ready for marriage. She referred to the man whom she loved as one to whom she was bringing peace. The quoted speech of her brothers here forms a possible book-level inclusio with 1:6, where her brothers were also mentioned.

8:9a–d

If she is a wall, we will build a tower of silver upon her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar: In this verse the woman’s brothers discussed what to do for her when a man wants to marry her. They used two parallel figures of speech to describe what they planned to do. The parallel phrases in these figures are indicated with similar typing:

^9a If she is a wall, ^9bwe will build a tower of silver

^9c If she is a door, ^9dwe will enclose her with panels of cedar.

There are different ways to interpret these figures of speech. The Notes for 8:9 will discuss how to interpret and translate them.

8:9a

If she is a wall,

If she is like a wall,
If she guards/protects herself like a city with a wall around it,
If she is chaste, (NLT96)

If she is a wall: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as If she is a wall is more literally “if a wall she.” There is no verb like is. The woman’s brothers used the word wall here as a figure of speech to describe the woman. It implies that the woman had not had sexual relations with anyone.

The figure of a wall contrasts with the figure of a door in 8:9c. A wall blocks people from entering a room, but a door allows them to enter. In that culture a wall was often built around a city to protect the people there from enemies.In other places people build walls around their houses and land to protect their families and possessions.

Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

Use a simile. For example:
If she is like a wall/barrier
If a wall is what she resembles
Use a figure of speech and indicate the meaning. For example:
If she protects her purity like a wall protects a city/home
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
If she is chaste/pure
If she has kept/protected herself from having sexual relations with anyone

8:9b

we will build a tower of silver upon her.

we will build towers of silver on her. (NIV)
we will reward her like people who build a silver tower on their city wall.
we will reward her.

we will build a tower of silver upon her: A tower was a type of barrier that was placed on top of a city wall. It gave extra protection to the city. silver is a precious metal, and a battlement made of silver would be expensive and beautiful.

The phrase tower of silver is used in a figurative way here. The woman’s brothers implied that they planned to reward the woman for being sexually pure and to continue to protect her. They would decorate her with silver so that she would be very appealing and beautiful to any man who wanted to marry her. A man would see the silver and also realize that she was precious to her family.

Some ways to translate the figure of speech in 8:9b are:

Keep the figure of speech of a silver barrier and indicate its purpose to protect a city or a person. For example:
we will build a silver barrier around her. (GW)
we will give her a silver shield to defend her.
we will protect her with a silver tower. (NLT)
Translate the meaning more directly without the figure of speech of a tower. For example:
we will decorate her with silver jewelry to show that she is precious and guarded
If she is chaste, we will strengthen and encourage her. (NLT96)

8:9c

If she is a door,

However, if she is like a door,
But if she is as welcoming as a gate that is open for people to enter,

8:9d

we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

we will barricade her with cedar boards. (GW)
we will protect her like people who make a fine cedar/wooden fence around a beautiful house.

8:9c–d

If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar: Here the brothers used a door and panels of cedar as metaphors to contrast with the metaphor of a wall in 8:9a–b. A woman who is like a door is too willing to allow men to be intimate with her. If the woman was like a door, she would need even more protection.

Some ways to translate the metaphor here are:

Keep the metaphor. For example:
But if she is a gate, we will protect her with panels of cedar. (GNT)
if she is a door, we shall bar it with a plank of cedarwood. (REB)
Use a simile. For example:
But if she is like a door that opens to men too freely, we will prevent them from entering, as though we blocked the door with cedar panels.
If it is a gate that she resembles, we will prevent men from entering, as though we blocked a gate with fine wooden boards.
Translate the meaning more directly without the figure of speech. For example:
But if she welcomes men too freely, we will protect her by preventing them from coming.

In 8:10 the woman affirmed that she was like a wall by saying clearly, “I am a wall.” She did not compare herself to a door.

we will enclose her with panels of cedar: The clause we will enclose her with panels of cedar implies that the brothers would block the woman’s doorway with wooden boards to protect her against intruders. It does not indicate that the brothers would imprison her.

panels of cedar: cedar wood is a hard wood which was beautiful and expensive in Israel. It may imply here that the brothers wanted to enhance the woman’s beauty, in addition to protecting her. It may also imply that the brothers wanted to attract a rich man who would bring wealth to the family when he married their sister.

In some areas cedar trees are not known or are not common. If that is true in your area, you may use a more general term. For example:

beautiful, expensive wood

the beautiful wood called “cedar”

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אִם־חוֹמָ֣ה הִ֔יא נִבְנֶ֥ה עָלֶ֖י⁠הָ טִ֣ירַת כָּ֑סֶף

if wall she/it let_us_build on/upon=it(f) battlement_of silver

Here the woman’s brothers are speaking of their sister as if she were a wall that they would protect by building a battlement of silver on it. The meaning could be: (1) that they would protect her virginity by guarding her, like a wall that has a battlement can be guarded. Alternate translation: [We will protect her virginity like we would protect a wall by building a battlement of silver on it] (2) that her chest was flat because her breasts were not fully formed, and they would try to make her attractive for the man she was going to marry by adorning her with silver jewels. Alternate translation: [If her chest is flat like a wall, we will decorate it by putting silver jewels that are like towers on it]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠אִם־דֶּ֣לֶת הִ֔יא נָצ֥וּר עָלֶ֖י⁠הָ ל֥וּחַ אָֽרֶז

and=if door she/it enclose on/upon=it(f) boards_of cedar

Here the woman’s brothers are speaking of their sister as if she were a door that they would enclose with boards of cedar. The meaning could be: (1) that they would make an effort to protect her virginity. Alternate translation: [We will protect her virginity like we would enclose a door with boards of cedar] (2) that her chest was flat because her breasts were not fully formed, and so they would try to make her more attractive for the man she was going to marry by adorning her the way they would decorate a door with cedar wood. (The word the ULT translates as enclose is identical in form to another word which means “decorate” so “decorate” could be the intended meaning here.) Alternate translation: [And if she is flat like a door, we will decorate her like we would decorate a door with planks of cedar wood]

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