SNG 3:10 Parallel Verse View

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

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 Στύλους αὐτοῦ ἐποίησεν ἀργύριον, καὶ ἀνάκλιτον αὐτοῦ χρύσεον· ἐπίβασις αὐτοῦ πορφυρᾶ, ἐντὸς αὐτοῦ λιθόστρωτον, ἀγάπην ἀπὸ θυγατέρων Ἱερουσαλήμ.
(Stulous autou epoiaʸsen argurion, kai anakliton autou ⱪruseon; epibasis autou porfura, entos autou lithostrōton, agapaʸn apo thugaterōn Hierousalaʸm. )

BrTr He made the pillars of it silver, the bottom of it gold, the covering of it scarlet, in the midst of it a pavement of love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

ULT He made its posts out of silver;
⇔ its back, gold;
⇔ its seat, purple cloth.
⇔ Its interior was fitted with love
⇔ from the daughters of Jerusalem.

UST The canopy that covered it was held up by posts made with silver,
⇔ and the base of the palanquin was made with gold.
⇔ The seat was covered with purple cloth,
⇔ and the inside of the palanquin was lovingly decorated by the women of Jerusalem.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE He made its pillars of silver,
⇔ its bottom of gold, its seat of purple,
⇔ the middle of it being paved with love,
⇔ from the daughters of Jerusalem.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Its posts were made of silver;
⇔ its back was made of gold.
⇔ Its seat was upholstered with purple wool;
⇔ its interior was inlaid with leather by the maidens of Jerusalem.

LSV Its pillars he made of silver,
Its bottom of gold, its seat of purple,
Its midst lined [with] love,
By the daughters of Jerusalem.

FBV Its posts were covered in silver, and the back was covered in gold. The seat cushion was purple. The interior was lovingly decorated.[fn])
¶ Women of Jerusalem,

3:10 The meaning of the last part of this verse is unclear. Possibly “The interior was inlaid with ivory.”

T4T The canopy that covered it was ◄held up/supported► by posts made of silver,
⇔ and the back of the chair was embroidered with gold.
⇔ The seat/cushion was covered with purple cloth
⇔ lovingly made/woven by the women of Jerusalem.

LEB • He made its column of silver, its back[fn] of gold, its seat of purple; its interior is inlaid with leather[fn] by the maidens of Jerusalem .[fn]

3:? Or “its support,” “its base,” “its headrest,” “its litter,” “its cover”

3:? Or “love.” The Hebrew term here translated “leather” is spelled the same as the term for “love.” Most likely this is an example of a word play that puns on the intentional ambiguity: “Its interior was inlaid with leather//love by the maidens of Jerusalem”

3:? Literally “by the daughters of Jerusalem”

BBE He made its pillars of silver, its base of gold, its seat of purple, the middle of it of ebony.

Moff silver the feet of it,
⇔ golden the back of it
⇔ purple the seat of it
⇔ inlaid with ebony.

JPS He made the pillars thereof of silver, the top thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, the inside thereof being inlaid with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.

ASV He made the pillars thereof of silver,
⇔ The bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple,
⇔ The midst thereof being paved with love,
⇔ From the daughters of Jerusalem.

DRA The pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem.

YLT Its pillars he made of silver, Its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, Its midst lined [with] love, By the daughters of Jerusalem.

Drby Its pillars he made of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of purple; The midst thereof was paved [with] love By the daughters of Jerusalem.

RV He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.
(He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, from the daughters of Yerusalem. )

SLT Its pillars he made silver, its support gold, its seat reddish purple, its midst tesselated with love from the daughters of Jerusalem.

Wbstr He made its pillars of silver, the bottom of it of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst of it being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

KJB-1769 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
(He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Yerusalem. )

KJB-1611 He made the pillars thereof of siluer, the bottome thereof of gold, the couering of it, of purple; the midst thereof being paued with loue, for the daughters of Ierusalem.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps the pillers are of siluer, the couering of golde, the seate of purple, the grounde is pleasauntly paued with loue for the daughters of Hierusalem.
(the pillars are of silver, the covering of gold, the seat of purple, the ground is pleasantly paved with love for the daughters of Yerusalem.)

Gnva Hee made the pillars thereof of siluer, and the pauement thereof of gold, the hangings thereof of purple, whose middes was paued with the loue of the daughters of Ierusalem.
(He made the pillars thereof of silver, and the pavement thereof of gold, the hangings thereof of purple, whose midst was paved with the love of the daughters of Yerusalem. )

Cvdl the pilers are of syluer, the coueringe of golde, ye seate of purple, ye grounde pleasauntly paued for the doughters of Ierusalem.
(the pillars are of silver, the covering of gold, ye/you_all seat of purple, ye/you_all ground pleasantly paved for the daughters of Yerusalem.)

Wycl he made the pilers therof of siluer; he made a goldun restyng place, a stiyng of purpur; and he arayede the myddil thingis with charite, for the douytris of Jerusalem.
(he made the pillars thereof of silver; he made a golden resting place, a stiing of purple; and he arrayede the middle things with charity, for the daughters of Yerusalem.)

Luth Derselben Säulen waren silbern, die Decke gülden, der Sitz purpurn, der Boden mitten inne war lieblich gepflastert um der Töchter willen zu Jerusalem.
(Derselben pillars/columns were silver, the ceiling/cover/blanket golden, the/of_the Sitz purpurn, the/of_the floor/ground midway/in_the_middle inside what/which lovely/delightful paved around/by/for the/of_the daughters will to/for Yerusalem.)

ClVg columnas ejus fecit argenteas, reclinatorium aureum, ascensum purpureum; media caritate constravit, propter filias Jerusalem.[fn]
(columns/pillars his he_did silvers, reclinatorium golden, ascent purpureum; media caritate constravit, because daughters Yerusalem. )

3.10 Reclinatorium aureum. Id est, sui speculatores plenos divina sapientia, vel reclinatorium facit in ferculo, cum spem perpetuæ quietis fidelibus promittit. Aureum, quia requiem suæ visionis gloria coruscam præparat. Ascensum purpureum. Ascensus sunt illi, per quos aliquis potest scandere primum ad virtutes, postea ad sancta sanctorum: qui sunt purpurei, id est ad martyrium prompti. Vel, ipsæ virtutes, sunt ascensus, quæ sunt vera purpura: quibus decorantur animæ fideles. Vel, ipse Christus ascensus, per quem et in Ecclesiam et in cœlum intratur. Purpureus, quia lavit nos in sanguine suo: et nullus ingreditur Ecclesiam, nisi sacramentis Dominicæ passionis imbutus. Media charitate constravit. Vel charitate, qua pro nobis passus est. Media, id est, Ecclesiæ corda, instar strati paravit, ubi fideles animæ molliter quiescant: quia totam eam intrinsecus supernorum amore replevit: unde addit: Propter filias Jerusalem. Propter animas cœlestium desiderio æstuantes quia quanto magis nos dilexit, tanto magis ad patiendum pro eo nos accendit. Media GREG. Ecce consolatio. Qui non potest sanguinem pro Domino fundere, diligat proximum propter filias Jerusalem, quia non sunt dicendi filii, id est firmi, sed filiæ, quæ per charitatem a Dei ædificio non alienæ sunt.

3.10 Reclinatorium golden. That it_is, self watchtowertores full divine wisdom, or reclinatorium he_does in/into/on ferculo, when/with hope perpetuæ quiet to_the_faithful promises. Aureum, because rest/repose his/her_own vision glory coruscam beforeparat. Ascensum purpureum. Ascensus are them, through which someone can scandere first to by_virtues, afterwards to holy holy_place: who/which are purpurei, that it_is to martyrium prompti. Or, herself by_virtues, are ascent, which are true purple: to_whom decorantur soul faithful. Or, exactly_that/himself Christ/Messiah ascent, through which and in/into/on assembly/church and in/into/on sky entersur. Purpureus, because lavit us in/into/on blood his_own: and none enters assembly/church, except sacraments Sunday passion imbutus. Media with_love constravit. Or with_love, which for us suffered it_is. Media, that it_is, Assemblies/Churches hearts, instar strati paravit, where faithful soul softenser quiescant: because the_whole her internally/inwards supernorum with_love he_filled: from_where/who adds: Because daughters Yerusalem. Because souls heavenly desire brasstuantes because how_much more us he_loved, so_much more to patiendum for by_him us accendit. Media GREG. Behold consolatio. Who not/no can blood for Master fundere, diligat next_door because daughters Yerusalem, because not/no are sayendi children, that it_is firmi, but daughters, which through charity from of_God ædificio not/no foreign are.

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 3:6–5:1: The man and woman married and the man praised her

In 3:6 a new section begins. The author indicates this by several obvious changes from (3:1–5):

The scene changes from a nighttime dream to a public daytime event.
There is a change of speaker.
The search theme in the preceding verses changes to a wedding theme in this section.
The mood changes from anxious searching to joyful celebration.

In this section the author describes the couple’s wedding day. The section has several parts:

3:6–11 The man and woman came to their wedding in a grand procession

4:1–15 The man described his beautiful bride

4:16–5:1 The man and woman consummated their marriage

Paragraph 3:6–11 The poet described the wedding procession

There are several questions that translators need to ask about the meaning of 3:6–11:

What does the author imply when he refers to Solomon in the poem? The name “Solomon” refers figuratively to the man whom the woman loves.At a literal level 3:6–11 seems to be a historical description of Solomon on his wedding day. But which wedding? He had numerous wives! It is more probable that Solomon was the author of the Song, but not one of the characters in it. (For more information about that, see the discussion in 1:1.) The Song describes a nearly ideal love relationship between one man and one woman in which neither of them had other lovers, and the man had no other wives. Yet Solomon was known for having many wives and for his spiritual failure (see 1 Kings 11:1–3). He was not known for his pure love. New Testament passages that mention Solomon refer to his wisdom (Luke 11:31) and his material splendor (Luke 12:27), but not to his love. Solomon’s personal life did not demonstrate the pure monogamous love that we see in the woman’s beloved. If Solomon did write the book, he did so as Israel’s greatest wise man, not as Israel’s ideal lover. References to Solomon in the Song seem to focus on his royal splendor, rather than on Solomon himself or his love. This is certainly true in 1:5 that speaks of the curtains of Solomon. It implies that on his wedding day, the man felt as happy, rich, and powerful as King Solomon. Other verses that refer to Solomon figuratively are 1:4–5; 1:12; 3:6–11; 6:12; and 7:1.The Song uses other figurative motifs, such as a “shepherd” (1:7–8; 6:2–3), gazelle (2:8–9; 2:16–17; 8:14), dove (1:15; 2:14; 4:1; 5:12), lily (2:2; 2:16), vineyard (1:6; 2:15; 8:11–12) mare (1:9–11) and garden (4:12–5:1; 6:2).
Who speaks in this section? Probably the author speaks. If the woman was in the procession, she probably did not describe herself.Some scholars give other suggestions for the speaker here, for example, the man, the daughters of Jerusalem, a chorus, or an unknown speaker.
Does this poem describe an event that really happened? The poem probably does not describe an event that really happened. It uses figurative language, including hyperbole and similes.Bloch and Bloch make a strong point here. Referring to the three passages using this opening formula, “Who is this (fem)…?” (Song 3:6, 6:10, 8:5), they state, “None of these three scenes is realistic; all are hyperboles, evoking images of the triumphant appearance of a majestic, numinous, even godlike figure.” The rhetorical question here calls attention to the radiant and majestic bride’s approach. Bergant understands this poem in 3:6–11 as a metaphorical characterization rather than a description of an actual event. The UBS Handbook leans toward the poetic, non-historical view, as do Munro, Garrett, Gledhill, Keel, and others. The poem begins, “Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke…?” It probably implies that she was surrounded by the smoke of fragrant incense. Like a queen, the woman also had soldiers around her to protect and honor her. The woman was carried in luxury to the man, who waited for her in Jerusalem. He was compared to the greatest of kings. This hyperbole may come from a marriage custom where the bride and groom wore royal crowns on their wedding day.

3:10a

He has made its posts of silver,

He overlaid its posts with silver,
Its support posts he covered with silver,

He has made its posts of silver: The phrase He has made probably implies that Solomon (the woman’s beloved) hired someone to make the silver posts. It probably does not indicate that Solomon himself made them. (In 3:10d–e, the Jerusalem women helped to make the interior of the carriage.) Some ways to indicate this are:

He had its posts made out of silver (GW)

Its posts were made of silver (NET)

posts of silver: The palanquin had four posts, one at each of its four corners. These four posts supported the roof (canopy) of the carriage. The posts were of silver. This phrase probably implies that the posts were made of wood that was overlaid with silver. For example:

He overlaid its posts with silver

Its posts are covered with silver (GNT)

3:10b

its base of gold,

the back of the seat he covered with gold,
its canopy he made of gold,

its base of gold: The phrase its base of gold indicates that the base of the carriage was made of gold or gold cloth. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as base occurs only here in the OT, and its meaning is uncertain. There are three ways to interpret it here:

It means “the back of (a) chair,” as in the ancient Greek and Latin versions.The Septuagint and Vulgate. For example:
its back was made of gold. (NET) (RSV, CEV, ESV, NASB, NET, NJPS, REB)
It means “cover,” as in the ancient Syriac version.I.e., the Peshitta version. For example:
the canopy of gold (NJB) (GW, NAB, NJB, NLT, GNT)
It means “base” or “foundation.” For example:
its base of gold. (NIV) (BSB, NCV, NIV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) or (2). The exact meaning is uncertain, but both interpretations make good sense. The main point is the luxurious nature of the materials used.

of gold: The phrase of gold tells what the back of the palanquin was made of. Gold was the most valuable of all metals. Some scholars suggest that fabric made of gold thread was used. This material was sometimes used by kings, queens, and other members of their families.Psalm 45 referred to “gold-woven robes” (RSV). The poetic description of the palanquin implies that it was magnificent. Other ways to translate 3:10b are:

the back is gold (CEV)

he made its base of gold.

3:10c

its seat of purple fabric.

and he made the seat cushion of purple fabric.
he covered its cushion with expensive/beautiful purple cloth.

its seat of purple fabric: Here the author continues to describe the palanquin and how it was made. The phrase its seat refers to the chair or to the cushion (or cushions) inside the palanquin where the rider sat. The phrase of purple fabric indicates that the seat was made of purple cloth. Purple cloth was expensive, and it was often worn by kings. It was also used in the Temple and in the king’s palace.

If this information about purple cloth is not known in your area, it may be helpful to make it explicit in some way. For example:

Its cushions were covered with rare purple cloth.

The seat was made of expensive purple fabric.

In some languages the color purple is not known or implies a wrong meaning, such as mourning or danger. If that is true in your language, you may translate the meaning without mentioning the color. For example:

The seat cushions were covered with expensive cloth.

The cloth of its cushion was dyed with the color that kings wear.

3:10d

Its interior is inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.

Its interior was lovingly arranged by the women of Jerusalem.
The women in Jerusalem decorated its interior with loving care.

Its interior is inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem: Scholars are uncertain about whether the phrase daughters of Jerusalem is connected with 3:10d or with 3:11a–b. The Notes connects the phrase with 3:10d and gives details later in 3:10d.

There are two main ways to interpret the phrase inlaid with love:The meaning of the Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as inlaid is uncertain. It may mean “inlaid,” “decorated” or “woven.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun that the BSB translates as with love is also uncertain here. The two possible meanings are “love” and “leather.” Some scholars interpret this as a double meaning or word play. In other words, it means both “leather” and “love.” The word “love” might be used adverbially as manner, i.e., “lovingly,” or it might be a synecdoche where “love,” which decks out the interior, stands for the beloved. But this would be difficult to express in the translation.

It describes the manner in which the palanquin’s interior was decorated. It was done lovingly and carefully. For example:
its interior lovingly inlaid (NIV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT, RSV, GNT)
It describes the material that was used to decorate the interior.Several options have been suggested by scholars and versions for this material. Leather seems most likely, but some versions also translate this as “ivory,” “ebony” or “scenes of love.” For example:
fitted out with leather (NET) (NAB, NET, NJB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This option has the most support from English versions. The manner, “lovingly,” is an appropriate way to interpret the Hebrew word used about the women’s actions, since the Song is poetry about love.It is also possible that there is a double meaning here, “loving” and “leather,” but this would be difficult to express artistically in a translation. Some other ways to translate this interpretation are:

The women in Jerusalem carefully decorated its interior because of their love for the bride and groom.

The beautiful weavings inside the palanquin were lovingly made by the women of Jerusalem.

by the daughters of Jerusalem: Scholars differ about whether this phrase should be part of 3:10 or part of 3:11:

It is part of 3:10. It tells who decorated the inside of the palanquin. For example:
its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem. (ESV) (BSB, ESV, GW, NASB, NCV, NET, NLT, RSV, GNT, CEV)
It is part of 3:11. It is a direct address to the daughters of Jerusalem. This arrangement makes it part of a parallel chiasm (a-b-b’-a’) with the following phrase. For example, the NRSV says:
Daughters of Jerusalem, come out. (a-b)
Look, O daughters of Zion… (b’-a’) (NIV11, NRSV, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions and many Bible scholars.It is probably best to interpret the Hebrew prefix m- attached to daughters as the agent marker. In 3:10a–c Solomon is the agent. But in 3:10d the passive verb, “is inlaid,” seems to introduce a new agent, the daughters of Jerusalem (3:10e). This use of the preposition m- (or min) with a passive verb commonly marks agent. Another way to translate this meaning is:

^10a-cHe made its posts of silver, its back of gold, and its seat of purple cloth, ^10dand the daughters of Jerusalem decorated its interior with loving care.

General Comment on 3:10

It is difficult to know exactly what the carriage looked like from the description in 3:10, because the meanings of several of the words are uncertain. However, it is certain that the carriage was made of the finest materials: cedar from Lebanon, silver, gold, and purple cloth. The women of Jerusalem decorated its interior with loving care. It was a beautiful, luxurious vehicle for bringing the bride to her waiting groom.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עַמּוּדָי⁠ו֙ עָ֣שָׂה כֶ֔סֶף

posts_of,its he/it_had_made silver

The writer assumes that the readers will know that the posts were made of wood and overlaid with silver. You could include this information if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [He made its posts of wood that was overlaid with silver] or [He made its posts of wood covered in silver]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

רְפִידָת֣⁠וֹ זָהָ֔ב

back_of,its gold

The writer is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. The phrase its back, gold could mean: (1) that the base or foundation of the palanquin was covered in gold. Alternate translation: [its foundation was covered in gold] or [its base of gold] (2) the back of the chair was covered in gold. Alternate translation: [its back is made from gold]

מֶרְכָּב֖⁠וֹ אַרְגָּמָ֑ן

seat_of,its purple

Alternate translation: [and covered the cushion with purple cloth]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

middle_of,its inlaid love from,the_daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [The daughters of Jerusalem fitted its interior with love]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

middle_of,its inlaid love from,the_daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of love, you could express the same idea in another way that is natural in your language.

תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

middle_of,its inlaid love from,the_daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

Alternate translation: [The inside of it was lovingly inlaid with decorations by the women of Jerusalem]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

from,the_daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

See how you translated the phrase daughters of Jerusalem in [1:5](../01/05.md).

Parallel SNG 3:10

Section 3:6–5:1: The man and woman married and the man praised her

Paragraph 3:6–11 The poet described the wedding procession

3:10a

3:10b

3:10c

3:10d

General Comment on 3:10