SNG 1:14 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: .
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Βότρυς τῆς κύπρου ἀδελφιδός μου ἐμοὶ, ἐν ἀμπελῶσιν Ἐνγαδδί.
(Botrus taʸs kuprou adelfidos mou emoi, en ampelōsin Engaddi. )

ULT A cluster of henna blossoms is my beloved to me,
⇔ in the vineyards of Engedi.
⇔ 

UST The man whom I love is like a bunch of the fragrant flowers that are in the grape farms of the city of En Gedi.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
⇔ from the vineyards of En Gedi.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms
⇔ in the vineyards of En-Gedi.

LSV A cluster of cypress [is] my beloved to me,
In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

FBV My love is like a bunch of fragrant henna flowers in the vineyards of Engedi.[fn]

1:14 Engedi means “spring of the young goat” and in the context may have a double meaning, together with the “vineyard” symbolism already mentioned.

T4T He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.

LEB • My beloved is to me a cluster of blossoms of henna in the vineyards of En Gedi.

BBE My love is to me as a branch of the cypress-tree in the vine-gardens of En-gedi.

Moff my darling is my bunch of henna-blossom
⇔ from the gardens of Engedi.
¶ 

JPS My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna in the vineyards of En-gedi.

ASV My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna-flowers
⇔ In the vineyards of En-gedi.

DRA Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.

YLT A cluster of cypress [is] my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

Drby My beloved is unto me a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of Engedi.

RV My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna-flowers in the vineyards of En-gedi.

SLT A cluster of cypress my beloved to me in the vineyards of the kids fountain.

Wbstr My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of En-gedi.

KJB-1769 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi.[fn]

1.14 camphire: or, cypress

KJB-1611 My beloued is vnto me, as a cluster of [fn]Camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
(My beloved is unto me, as a cluster of Camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.)

1:14 Or, Cypres.

Bshps a cluster of Camphire in the vineyardes of Engaddi is my loue vnto me.
(a cluster of Camphire in the vineyards of Engaddi is my love unto me.)

Gnva My loue, beholde, thou art faire: beholde, thou art faire: thine eyes are like the doues.
(My love, behold, thou/you art fair: behold, thou/you art fair: thine/your eyes are like the doves. )

Cvdl A cluster of grapes of Cypers, or of the vynyardes of Engaddi, art thou vnto me, O my beloued.
(A cluster of grapes of Cypers, or of the vineyards of Engaddi, art thou/you unto me, Oh my beloved.)

Wycl Lo! my frendesse, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thin iyen ben the iyen of culueris.
(Lo! my friends, thou/you art fair; lo! thou/you art fair, thin eyes been the eyes of culver/pigeons/pigeons.)

Luth Mein Freund ist mir eine Traube Kopher in den Weingärten zu Engeddi.
(My friend is to_me a/one Traube Kopher in the vineyards to/for Engeddi.)

ClVg Sponsus Ecce tu pulchra es, amica mea ! ecce tu pulchra es ! Oculi tui columbarum.[fn]
(The_spouse Behold you(sg) beautiful you_are, girlfriend my ! behold you(sg) beautiful you_are ! The_eyes yours(sg) of_pigeons. )

1.14 Ecce tu pulchra. Hactenus Ecclesia, quæ dilectionis pignora a sponso receperit, testatur, cui ipse mox remunerationis vice respondet: Ecce tu pulchra; quasi, ex hoc quod me diligis, pulchra efficieris. Amica mea. Alia translatio: Proxima mea; hoc est, in hoc quod proxima es speciosa es, et postquam cœperis esse speciosa, sine additamento pulchra es. Oculi tui. Alia laus sponsæ speciosæ, ut et nos laboremus speciosi fieri. Oculi tui columbarum, simpliciter Deum intueris quia nihil aliud nisi ipsum quæris. Qui viderit mulierem ad concupiscendum eam Matth. 5., non habet oculos columbæ; sed qui habet, castis intuetur oculis, et legem et Evangelium spiritualiter intelligit. In cujus columbæ specie Spiritus sanctus apparuit. Ideoque et spiritualis intelligentia, et omnia spiritualia dona nomine columbæ designantur. Columba felle caret, rostro non lædit, in cavernis petrarum nidificat, alienos pullos nutrit, juxta fluenta manet, meliora grana eligit, gemitum pro cantu reddit, gregatim volat, alis se defendit, visum recuperat. Ita sancti juxta fluenta doctrinæ sedentes meliores sententias eligunt, homines a Christo alienos nutriunt Deo, si quas bonas sententias in hæreticis inveniunt, non pervertunt, ira irrationabili carent, in fide plagarum Christi refugium habent, gemunt pro peccatis.

1.14 Behold you(sg) beautiful. Hactenus Assembly/Church, which of_love pignora from sponso received, testifies, to_whom exactly_that/himself soon remunerationis time responds: Behold you(sg) beautiful; as_if, from this that me you_love, beautiful efficieris. Amica my. Alia transfer: Proxima my; this it_is, in/into/on this that next you_are beautiful you_are, and after cœperis to_be beautiful, without addsamento beautiful you_are. The_eyes yours(sg). Alia praise brides speciosæ, as and us workus speciosi to_be_done. The_eyes yours(sg) of_pigeons, simply God intueris because nothing something_else except him whichris. Who see woman to concupiscendum her Matth. 5., not/no has the_eyes pigeons; but who/which has, castis intuetur eyes, and the_law and the_Gospel spiritually understands. In whose pigeons in_appearance Spirit holy appeared. Therefore/For_that_reasonque and spiritual intelligence, and everything spiritual_(things) gifts by_name pigeons are_designated. Columba fell caret, rostro not/no lædit, in/into/on cavernis rockrum nidificat, strangers chickens nutrit, next_to flowing remains, better grana eligit, gemitum for cantu returns, gregatim volat, alis himself defends, sight(n) recuperat. Ita holy next_to flowing doctrines sittings betteres opinions eligunt, people/men from to_Christ/Messiah strangers nutriunt to_God, when/but_if which good(s)s opinions in/into/on heretics I_foundunt, not/no pervertunt, anger/rage irrationabili carent, in/into/on with_faith stroke/woundrum of_Christ refuge they_have, gemunt for sins.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:2–2:7: The woman and man admired each other

In Section 1:2–2:7, the woman and man praised each other, and they became more confident that they loved each other. In the introduction (1:2–4) the woman spoke about her desire for the man. Then she spoke of her humble life working in the family vineyard (1:5–6), and she seemed to question whether she was worthy for him to love her. Then he praised her, and she praised him. When she spoke at the end of the section (2:3–6), she felt secure that he loved her.

In this section, the woman used several comparisons to speak of her feelings about the man. She spoke as though he were a shepherd (1:7–8) or a king (1:4; 1:12), implying that he was like a shepherd or king to her in certain ways. He was also like a bag of myrrh (1:13), henna blossoms (1:14), and an apple tree (2:3–4) to her. The woman compared herself to “a rose of Sharon,” and “a lily of the valleys” (2:1). The man compared her to “a mare of Pharaoh’s chariots” (1:9). The Notes will discuss the meaning of each of these comparisons as it occurs in its section.

Lines 1:2–4 are the introduction to Section 1:2–2:7. In these lines, the poet summarizes the Song’s message and introduces its main characters: the woman, the man, and a group of young women. In the Song the woman spoke more often than the man spoke. After the title (1:1), she began the Song by saying that she wanted him to kiss her. She referred to him only as “him” or “you.” In Hebrew poetry, the authors do not introduce their characters as they do in stories, but in some languages it may be more natural to introduce them and identify them. Some ways to do this are:

Provide headings to identify the characters. Some headings may apply only to a verse or part of a verse. For example:
1:4e The Woman commented about the young women of Jerusalem You may need to use a different form the first time a character is introduced. For example:
1:2–4b A woman speaks to the man she loves
Use a speech introducer in the first part of the verse. If you use this option, you may want to indicate in some way that the speech introducer is not in the text itself. For example:
1:4e (The woman said to her beloved,) “Rightly do they love you.”
1:2a [There were a certain woman and man. She said to/about him,] “Let him kiss me…

Choose an option that fits your situation, and use it consistently throughout the book. You should also decide how you will refer to the speakers in the headings. Some ways to do that are:

woman, man, women (GNT)

beloved, lover, friends (NIV)

bride, groom, companions (REB)

she, he, others (ESV)

The woman often referred to the man as “my beloved” (RSV), and she also called him “the one whom my soul loves,” “the king,” and “my friend.” The man often referred to her as “my love” and also as “fairest among women,” “my dove,” “my sister,” “my bride,” and “queenly maiden.”

Paragraph 1:12–14 The woman replied to the man

In 1:12–14 the woman replied to what the man said in 1:9–11 about her beauty. Here in 1:12–14 she also admired him and indicated that she desired him. She mentioned the sweet fragrance that was present when they were together. In 1:12 it was the fragrance of the woman’s perfume that affected the man.A few Bible commentators (e.g., Fox and Murphy) think that “my nard” refers to the king. In other words, they view it as a metaphor describing the king, as in 1:13–14. However, 1:12 does not at all parallel the form of the two comparisons in verses 13–14. It seems more likely that nard in 1:12 refers to the woman’s perfume, not to the king himself.

In 1:13–14 the woman used two metaphors to compare the man with fragrances. The metaphors imply that the man delighted her like a wonderful fragrance. In these lines she probably imagined or dreamed about being with her beloved. She was probably not actually with him.

1:14a

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms

My love is like a cluster of henna blossoms
The one I love is as pleasing/delightful to me as the fragrant flowers

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms: This clause is a metaphor. The woman compares the man to the fragrance of henna blossoms.There is no verb in the Hebrew text, but in English a “to be” verb (is) can be supplied here. He was as pleasing as those sweet-smelling flowers. If a metaphor does not communicate the meaning clearly, some other ways to translate it are:

Use a simile. For example:
My beloved is to me like a cluster of henna blossoms
Indicate explicitly how the man was like the henna blossoms. For example:
My beloved is as delightful to me as the sweet-smelling henna flowers

Translate the metaphor in a way that will communicate clearly in your language.

a cluster of henna blossoms: hennaThe botanical name is Lawsonia inermis. is a large shrub with clusters of fragrant flowers that grows in tropical climates. It may be called by a different name in your area, so you may want to consult an expert on plants to determine the local name.

In some languages it is helpful to mention the fragrant quality of henna in the translation. For example:

My beloved is pleasing like the fragrance of henna flowers…

If henna flowers are unknown or if its fragrance is not considered pleasing, it is better to translate it in a more general way. For example:

My beloved is to me a cluster of sweet-smelling flowers

1:14b

in the vineyards of En-gedi.

in the vineyards of En-gedi/Engedi oasis.
that grow among the grapevines in Engedi.

Here in 1:14b, the vineyards may represent the woman, as in 1:6f. In the Song, vineyards, grapes, and wine often symbolize the pleasure of romantic love.

in the vineyards of En-gedi: There are two ways to interpret the phrase in the vineyards of En-gedi in this context:

It indicates that the henna blossoms were located in vineyards at En-gedi. For example:
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi. (RSV) (BSB, ESV, GW, NASB, NET, NLT, RSV, GNT)
It indicates that the henna blossoms came from vineyards at En-gedi. For example:
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. (NIV) (CEV, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It helps to show that the metaphor in 1:14 is parallel to the one in 1:13 and has a similar meaning. In 1:13 the bag of myrrh is a metaphor for the man lying between the woman’s breasts. In 1:14 the henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi is probably a metaphor for the woman’s fragrant body.

vineyards of En-gedi: The word vineyards refers here to farms where grapes are grown. Grapes were an important fruit in Palestine. They were used to make wine and were also eaten raw. You may want to include a picture of a grape vine or a grape farm in your translation. For example:

En-gedi: En-gedi is a beautiful oasis (a watered area in the midst of a desert). It is located near the western shore of the Dead Sea in a lush valley between barren rocky cliffs. The En-gedi, or Engedi, oasis is a refreshing/beautiful place with a stream and waterfalls that provide water for vineyards and other plants. It is also known for its fragrant spices.

Other ways to translate the phrase “in the vineyards of En-gedi” are:

in the grape farms of beautiful/lush En-gedi

from the gardens in the oasis called En-gedi

Parallel SNG 1:14

Section 1:2–2:7: The woman and man admired each other

Paragraph 1:12–14 The woman replied to the man

1:14a

1:14b