SNG 2:17 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

2:17 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently from BHQ.

2:17 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

Key: khaki:verbs.
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 Ἕως οὗ διαπνεύσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ κινηθῶσιν αἱ σκιαί· ἀπόστρεψον, ὁμοιώθητι σὺ ἀδελφιδε μου τῷ δόρκωνι ἢ νεβρῷ ἐλάφων ἐπὶ ὄρη κοιλωμάτων.
(Heōs hou diapneusaʸ haʸ haʸmera, kai kinaʸthōsin hai skiai; apostrepson, homoiōthaʸti su adelfide mou tōi dorkōni aʸ nebrōi elafōn epi oraʸ koilōmatōn. )

BrTr Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, turn, my kinsman, be thou like to a roe or young hart on the mountains of the ravines.

ULT Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
⇔ turn; resemble, my beloved, a gazelle or a young stag
⇔ on the mountains of Bether.

UST You whom I love, come and be like a gazelle or a young male deer on the mountains in Bether,
⇔ until the evening breeze blows and the sun sets.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away,
⇔ turn, my beloved,
⇔ and be like a roe or a young deer on the mountains of Bether.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(16-17)My lover is mine, and I am his.
  Nightly he strolls in our garden,
Delighting in the flowers
  until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.
  Turn to me, dear lover.
  Come like a gazelle.
Leap like a wild stag
  on delectable mountains!

NET Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee,
⇔ turn, my beloved –
⇔ be like a gazelle or a young stag
⇔ on the mountain gorges.

LSV Until the day breaks forth,
And the shadows have fled away,
Turn, be like, my beloved,
To a roe, or to a young one of the harts,
On the mountains of separation!

FBV until the morning breezes blow and the shadows disappear. Come back to me, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young deer on the split mountains.[fn]

2:17 Literally, “the mountains of Bether.” However, there is no such place name known. Bether means split or cleft, indicating two mountains with a ravine dividing them.

T4T You who love me, come and be like [SIM] a gazelle or like a young deer on the hills of Bether,
⇔ and then flee like a deer at dawn tomorrow morning,
⇔ when the darkness fades.

LEB • Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved!
• Be like[fn] a gazelle[fn] or young stag[fn] on the cleft mountains.[fn]

2:? Literally “Be like for you”

2:? Or “a buck gazelle”

2:? Literally “the fawn of the stag”

2:? Or “the mountains of Bether”

BBE Till the evening comes, and the sky slowly becomes dark, come, my loved one, and be like a roe on the mountains of Bether.

Moff Till the cool of the dawn,
⇔ till the shadows depart
⇔ oh turn to me, darling
⇔ and play like a roe or a har
⇔ on my perfumed slopes!

JPS Until the day breathe, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a gazelle or a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

ASV Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away,
⇔ Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart
⇔ Upon the mountains of Bether.

DRA Till the day break, and the shadows retire. Return: be like, my beloved, to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

YLT Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation!

Drby Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved: be thou like a gazelle or a young hart, Upon the mountains of Bether.

RV Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
(Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou/you like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. )

SLT Until the day shall breathe and the shadows fled away, turn, thou, it being likened to thee, my beloved, to the roe, or to the fawn of the hind upon the mountains of section.

Wbstr Until the day shall break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

KJB-1769 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.[fn]
(Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou/you like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. )

2.17 of Bether: or, of division

KJB-1611 Untill the day breake, and the shadowes flee away: turne my beloued and be thou like a Roe, or a yong Hart, vpon the mountaines [fn]of Bether.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

2:17 Or, of diuision.

Bshps Come agayne O my beloued, and be lyke as a roe or a young hart vpon the wyde mountaines.
(Come again Oh my beloved, and be like as a roe or a young hart upon the wide mountains.)

Gnva Vntil the day breake, and the shadowes flee away: returne, my welbeloued, and be like a roe, or a yong hart vpon the mountaines of Bether.
(Until the day break, and the shadows flee away: return, my well-beloved, and be like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. )

Cvdl vntill the daye breake, and till the shadowes be gone. Come agayne preuely (o my beloued) like as a Roo or a yonge harte vnto the mountaynes.
(until the day break, and till the shadows be gone. Come again privily/secretly (o my beloved) like as a Roe/Gazelle or a young hart unto the mountains.)

Wycl til the dai sprynge, and schadewis be bowid doun. My derlyng, turne thou ayen; be thou lijk a capret, and a calf of hertis, on the hillis of Betel.
(till the day spring, and shadows be bowed down. My darling, turn thou/you again; be thou/you like a she-goat, and a calf of hearts, on the hills of Betel.)

Luth bis der Tag kühle werde und der Schatten weiche. Kehre um, werde wie ein Reh, mein Freund, oder wie ein junger Hirsch auf den Scheidebergen!
(until the/of_the day cool become and the/of_the shadow/shade soft/switch(v). Sweep um, become as/like a roe/deer, my friend, or as/like a younger deer on/in/to the Scheidebergen!)

ClVg donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbræ. Revertere; similis esto, dilecte mi, capreæ, hinnuloque cervorum super montes Bether.][fn]
(until he_aspires days, and they_are_inclined/leaing shadows. Return; similar be, beloved my, goat, sing deer(sg) over mountains Bether.] )

2.17 Revertere, similis. In excelsis mentibus vestigia pone, et ab illis aliquando etiam condescendendo inferioribus appare, qui in valle sunt. Revertere, similis. Et quia ad ecclesias constituendas, et excolendas, et ad versutias vulpecularum abigendas provocas, et ut faciem meam tibi ostenderem, cum tuam faciem adhuc clare non videam, et per me non sufficiam, obsecro, illustra perfectius cor meum et corda illorum quibus prædicatura sum.

2.17 Return, similar. In high minds footsteps pone, and away to_them sometimes also condescendendo lower_ones appare, who/which in/into/on valley are. Return, similar. And because to assemblies/churches constituendas, and excolendas, and to versutias vulpecularum abigendas provocas, and as face of_mine to_you to_showm, when/with your(sg) face still clearly not/no seeam, and through me not/no sufficiam, I_beg, illustra perfectius heart mine and hearts of_them to_whom is_preacheda I_am.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:8–3:5: The man called the woman, but later she could not find him

The author began this scene at a different place and time from the ending of the preceding section (1:1–2:7). At the end of that section, the woman and man were together, but at the beginning of this section (2:8) the woman was in her room at home, and the man was coming to her over the hills.

There are two poems in Section 2:8–3:5. In the first poem (2:8–17) the man came and stood outside the woman’s room. She quoted what he said as he invited her to come out with him and enjoy a beautiful spring day. The second poem (3:1–5) describes a time when the woman searched for her beloved at night. This second poem has much in common with Section 5:2–6:3. See the discussion of similarities at the beginning of that section.

Both parts of this section (2:8–17 and 3:1–5) may describe what the woman imagined or what she dreamed. The descriptions may not refer to actual events in the poem.

Paragraph 2:8–17

This beautiful poem (2:8–17) describes springtime. In springtime, new plants begin to grow, flowers bloom, and fruit trees begin to blossom. In these lines springtime symbolizes that love was growing between the woman and the man. The woman first spoke to herself, but then she quoted the man as he invited her to come out of her house and go away with him.

This poem begins and ends in a similar way. At the beginning (2:8–9) the man came to the woman over the mountains like a gazelle or stag. At the end (2:17) he again roamed on the mountains like a gazelle or stag.

In these lines the woman spoke. However, from 2:10b through 2:14 she quoted what the man said. Then she continued speaking in 2:15–17.

2:17

This important verse ends the poem that began in 2:8–9. It also prepares readers for the next paragraph (3:1–5). There are different ways to interpret the verse.Bible scholars ask a number of interpretive questions about this verse, including:(a) Was the time of day evening or morning?(b) Did the woman invite the man to stay with her or did she ask him to leave?(c) Were the woman and man married? Were they fulfilling their sexual desires for each other or did they only imagine fulfilling them?(d) In what way did the woman want the man to be like a gazelle or young stag?(e) Does the phrase “mountains of Bether” refer to a place or to the woman’s body?These questions are related to differences of opinion about the meaning of the words and phrases that the BSB translates as “Before,” “day breaks,” “shadows flee,” “turn,” “be like,” and “mountains of Bether.” Some scholars conclude that the woman and man spent the night together at this point. However, it is unlikely that 2:17 describes a night of lovemaking. The poem may imply sexual desires, but it does not indicate that the couple fulfilled their desires at that time. The Notes interprets it to refer to a time before the woman and man had sexual relations. In this section, their love was still like the first blossoms in springtime. The Bible indicates that a couple must wait until they marry to have sexual relations.The author of the Song probably assumes those beliefs, a point which is convincingly argued by Brevard Childs (page 575). Intimate sexual behavior that the unmarried couple is keeping secret would be at odds with Hebrew cultural and biblical norms. This could cast doubt over the book’s inclusion in the canon. See also Garrett’s “Excursus: Virginity in the Bible and the Ancient World,” pages 164–168.

2:17a

Before the day breaks

When the cooling breeze rises
As the gentle wind blows

2:17b

and shadows flee,

and shadows disappear,
and the shadows of evening lengthen,

2:17a–b

Before the day breaks and shadows flee: The statements in 2:17a and 2:17b are parallel. The subjects and the verbs are also parallel. The similar parts are underlined or written in bold print here:

^17aBefore the day breaks

^17band shadows flee

In 2:17b the word “before” is implied before the phrase shadows flee. The parallel lines, 2:17a and 2:17b refer to the same time of day. Scholars differ about the time of day that the phrases refer to:

The phrases refer to evening. In the evening, breezes cool the land.Keel (page 115) says, “The Hebrew [for “the day breathes”] is literally ‘the blowing of the day,’ which alludes to the daily wind (Gen. 3:8) that begins to blow from the sea in the course of the afternoon. The “fleeing” of the shadows means they are getting longer (cf. Jer. 6:4).” The shadows become longer and then disappear into the darkness of night. For example:
When the day brings a cooling breeze and the shadows flee (GW) (GW, NAB, NJB,Footnotes in both the NAB and NJB make clear that the translators understand the time of day to be evening. possibly NASB)Francais Courant and Parole de Vie also follow this interpretation.
The phrases refer to morning (or specifically to dawn). In the morning or at dawn, cool breezes blow and shadows disappear in the sunlight. For example:
until the morning breezes blow and the darkness disappears (GNT) (BSB, NLT, REB, GNT, CEV, NCV, NET, NIV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), which refers to an evening breeze. Some reasons for this choice are:

In Palestine, the west wind is the breeze that cools the land. It typically blows in the afternoon or evening, not in the morning.The east wind is associated with strong storms, the south wind with desert heat, and the north wind with rain.
Two of three lexicons, as well as several reliable commentaries, support evening.BDB and Holladay (but not HALOT) suggest evening here. Some of the commentaries supporting the evening interpretation are Barbiero, Delitzsch, Elliott, Ginsburg, Snaith, Falk, and Keel.
Evening fits the context of 2:8–16 better than morning. In these verses the woman seemed too shy to come out when the man called, so it is not likely that they spent the night together. As the sun set, the man probably returned home through the “mountains” (2:8).

Use a natural or poetic way in your language to describe a cool, pleasant time toward evening. Some ways to translate it in English are:

When the day brings a cooling breeze and the shadows flee (GW)

As the setting sun causes a cool wind to blow and shadows disappear in the darkness

My love, when the sun sets and you feel the cool air of evening

Before: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as Before can express different meanings depending on the context. English versions translate it in different ways here.The lexicons give a wide range of meanings, which are largely dependent on context. The variations in the versions are largely due to different interpretations of the overall context.

It means “until.” For example:
Until the day breathes (ESV) (ESV, NCV, CEV, NASB, NIV, RSV, GNT, NET)
It means “before.” For example:
Before the day breeze rises (NJB) (BSB, NJB, NLT)
It means “when, while.” For example:
When the day blows gently (NJPS) (NJPS, GW, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this context, the word Before sets a time limit for a particular continuing action. It implies that this action will continue Before the evening breeze blows and shadows begin to lengthen. The text may imply that at evening time, the gazelle (man) would leave.

2:17c

turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle

roam, my love, like a graceful gazelle
return to where you^(sing) came from swiftly like a gazelle

2:17c–d

Notice the parallelism in 2:17c–d:

^17cturn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle,

^17d or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.

turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag: In the Hebrew text 2:17c is more literally “turn, be like, my love, a gazelle.” Notice that the verbs turn and be like occur next to each other.Scholars disagree about which verb is the main verb in the clause. Most English versions are ambiguous about this. The Notes take the view that the main verb is be like, and the verb turn adds to its meaning adverbially. The word turn in this case would mean something like “to go around.” However, most scholars focus on the first verb turn. These scholars usually follow one of two interpretations: Either the woman was inviting the man to turn toward her (stay with her) or to turn away from her (leave). However, these latter interpretations seem a bit awkward when translating the first word “until.” The context seems to need some sort of continuing action whereas “turn towards” or “turn away” are not continuous actions. There are different interpretations of the verbs here. The two main interpretations are:

The verb turn means “go around” or “turn about.”The issue here is whether or not this is an example of verbal hendiadys (where two verbs occur together and one of the verbs qualifies the other). In Hebrew my beloved does not separate the two verbs “turn” and “be like” as it does in most English versions. The two verbs in Hebrew are juxtaposed: “turn, be like.” This may be similar to the hendiadys in Jonah 1:2, “arise, go.” Both passages have two adjacent qal imperative verbs; the first verbs (“turn” or “arise”) belong to a similar semantic class of directional verbs. In the case of Jonah 1:2, “arise” does not necessarily mean “get up” from a sitting or reclining position, but functions in a more subordinate rather than coordinate way. Some take it as intensive (for example, “go immediately to Nineveh” as in the NET). Others don’t translate it at all (for example, the GNT says: “Go to Nineveh”). See the note in the NET for Jonah 1:2 regarding “verbal hendiadys” and the adverbial function of the first of the two verbs.Othmar Keel states this regarding the interpretation of Song 2:17: “At this time the man is supposed to go his way. The two imperatives, “turn” and “be like” may be an example of hendiadys, that is, a single expression formed from two seemingly unrelated contiguous words. If so, the meaning could be something like: “Be like a gazelle again and again” (cf. Eccl. 1:6).” (p.115)This “hendiadys” option is obscured by most English versions that keep the verbs separate with an intervening “my beloved.” The lexicons all include a possible meaning of “turn” as “to go around on a circuit” (or its equivalent). The NABRE seems to be using “turn” to modify “be like” in this way: “Until the day grows cool and the shadows flee, roam, my lover, like a gazelle or a young stag upon the rugged mountains.” So the similarity of the man to the gazelle is the fact that he roams (or grazes). This is what the NAB seems to express. This continuative action (roaming) fits better with the sense of “until” than “turn/leave” which seems more punctiliar.The effect of this approach is to place the focus on the man “being like” (i.e., acting the part of) a gazelle or young stag for the remainder of the day rather than on whether he remains or leaves. So the verse is a further description of this idyllic spring day, perhaps parallel to 2:16b where he browses among the lilies. It is a highly romantic and exquisite, though non-explicit, statement about their romantic time together. In the textual, as well as cultural and greater biblical context, and assuming that the temporal context is “until evening,” this implies then that he is playing out the “being like” a gazelle until evening. At that time he appropriately (though implicit in the text) leaves for home. Along with be like in this context, it probably indicates that the man should roam/run as a gazelle does. It may also imply that he should turn and return to where he came from. For example:
roam, my lover, like a gazelle or a young stag (NAB)
turn around….Run like a gazelle or a young stag (GW) (BSB, NAB, GW, possibly NJPS, NASB)
It means to “turn towards.” This is an invitation for the man to stay with her (perhaps for the night). For example:
return to me, my love, like a gazelle or a young stag (NLT) (NLT, NCV)

Some English versions are ambiguous or translate in a unique way. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The woman seemed to want the man to behave like a gazelle on the mountains—running and leaping. The context, which refers to evening breezes and shadows (2:17c), may imply that he would return home before dark. This interpretation fits the context well.

be like a gazelle or a young stag: In 2:8–9 the author also compared the man to a gazelle or young stag. There the comparison implied characteristics such as speed, strength, and grace. In 2:16b the author also uses animal imagery to imply calm and contentment (“he pastures his flock among the lilies”).

In 2:17, the gazelle leaping on hills and feeding on flowers may symbolize the man’s happiness about enjoying the beautiful spring day with the woman until sunset. It is similar to his feelings in 2:16b as he fed among the lilies.

2:17d

or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.

or young stag on the rugged hills.
or a young stag over the split/cleft mountains.

on the mountains of Bether: The meaning of the Hebrew word beter that the BSB translates as Bether is uncertain. Some ways to interpret it are:

It is related to a similar Hebrew root that means “split” or “divided.” It refers to rugged hills or to a mountain that has more than one peak. For example:
rugged hills (NIV)
cleft mountains (NRSV) (RSV, NIV, NLT, ESV, NRSV)
It is the name of a certain town or of certain mountains located near Jerusalem. Versions that follow this interpretation transliterate the Hebrew name. For example:
on the mountains of Bether (GNT) (BSB, NAB, NASB, NJB, GNT)
It refers to spices, and the phrase means “hills of spices.”This interpretation is based on an alternate Hebrew textual reading besamiym, “spices,” harmonizing this verse with 8:14. For example:
the hills where aromatic spices grow (REB) (NJPS, REB)

Both interpretations (1) and (2) have good support, but it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It helps readers picture the man moving over the mountains. You may want to mention interpretation (2) in a footnote.It is possible that “Bether” has a figurative meaning here:(a) A similar Hebrew root means “divide, separate.” [0]This meaning symbolizes the man and woman leaving each other at the end of the day. The idea of separation is a theme in 3:1–5.(b) The “gazelle” or “young stag” romping and grazing in the mountains symbolizes the man enjoying the woman’s presence. In a general way the mountains of Bether symbolize the woman.(c) Some scholars agree with the meaning “split mountains” and interpret it as referring to the woman’s breasts. This implies that she invited the man to enjoy sexual intimacy with her. There are several problems with this interpretation, and it conflicts with the standards of the Bible and of Hebrew culture at that time.

Parallel SNG 2:17