SNG 4:1 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=none 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 Ἰδοὺ εἶ καλὴ ἡ πλησίον μου, ἰδοὺ εἶ καλή· ὀφθαλμοί σου περιστεραὶ, ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου· τρίχωμά σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν αἰγῶν, αἳ ἀπεκαλύφθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαάδ.
(Idou ei kalaʸ haʸ plaʸsion mou, idou ei kalaʸ; ofthalmoi sou peristerai, ektos taʸs siōpaʸseōs sou; triⱪōma sou hōs agelai tōn aigōn, hai apekalufthaʸsan apo tou Galaʼad. )

BrTr Behold, thou art fair, my companion; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are doves, beside thy veil: thy hair is as flocks of goats, that have appeared from Galaad.

ULT Behold you! You are beautiful, my darling.
⇔ Behold you! You are beautiful.
⇔ Your eyes are doves from behind your veil.
⇔ Your hair is like a flock of goats that hop down from the slopes of Gilead.

UST My dear one, you are beautiful,
⇔ you are very beautiful!
⇔ Beneath your veil, your eyes are as gentle and as beautiful as doves.
⇔ Your long black hair moves from side to side like a flock of black goats
⇔ moving down the slopes of Mount Gilead.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE Behold, you are beautiful, my love.
⇔ Behold, you are beautiful.
⇔ Your eyes are like doves behind your veil.
⇔ Your hair is as a flock of goats,
⇔ that descend from Mount Gilead.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Oh, you are beautiful, my darling!
⇔ Oh, you are beautiful!
⇔ Your eyes behind your veil are like doves.
⇔ Your hair is like a flock of female goats
⇔ descending from Mount Gilead.

LSV Behold, you [are] beautiful, my friend, behold, you [are] beautiful,
Your eyes [are] doves behind your veil,
Your hair as a row of the goats that have shone from Mount Gilead,

FBV How beautiful you look, my darling, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair flows down like a flock of goats[fn] descending Mount Gilead.

4:1 Goats were usually black in color so presumably corresponding to the woman's hair.

T4T My darling, you are beautiful,
⇔ you are very beautiful!
⇔ Underneath your veil, your eyes are as gentle as [MET] doves.
⇔ Your long black hair moves from side to side like [SIM] a flock of black goats
⇔ moving down the slopes of Gilead Mountain.

LEB No LEB SNG 4:1 verse available

BBE See, you are fair, my love, you are fair; you have the eyes of a dove; your hair is as a flock of goats, which take their rest on the side of Gilead.

Moff “Ah, you are fair, my dear, A so fair,
⇔ with dove-like eye
⇔ behind your veil!
⇔ Dark stream the tresses of your hair
⇔ like goats a-down the slopes of Gilead;

JPS Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil; thy hair is as a flock of goats, that trail down from mount Gilead.

ASV Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
⇔ Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil.
⇔ Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
⇔ That lie along the side of mount Gilead.

DRA How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! thy eyes are doves’ eyes, besides what is hid within. Thy hair is as flocks of goats, which Come up from mount Galaad.

YLT Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, lo, thou [art] fair, Thine eyes [are] doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead,

Drby Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, On the slopes of mount Gilead.

RV Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that lie along the side of mount Gilead.
(Behold, thou/you art fair, my love; behold, thou/you art fair; thine/your eyes are as doves behind thy/your veil: thy/your hair is as a flock of goats, that lie along the side of mount Gilead. )

SLT Behold thee beautiful, my friend, behold thee beautiful; thine eyes doves from behind to thy veil: thy hair as a herd of goats which lay down from mount Gilead.

Wbstr Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

KJB-1769 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.[fn]
(Behold, thou/you art fair, my love; behold, thou/you art fair; thou/you hast doves’ eyes within thy/your locks: thy/your hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. )

4.1 that…: or, that eat of, etc

KJB-1611 ¶ [fn]Behold, thou art faire, my loue, behold thou art faire, thou hast doues eyes within thy lockes: thy haire is as a flocke of goats, that appeare from mount Gilead.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

4:1 Or, that eate of, &c.

Bshps O howe fayre art thou my loue, howe fayre art thou? thou hast doues eyes, beside that which lyeth hid within: Thy heerie lockes are lyke the wooll of a flocke of goates that be shorne vpon mount Gilead.
(Oh how fair art thou/you my love, how fair art thou? thou/you hast doves eyes, beside that which lieth/lies hid within: Thy/Your hairy locks are like the wool of a flock of goats that be shorn upon mount Gilead.)

Gnva Behold, thou art faire, my loue: behold, thou art faire: thine eyes are like the doues: among thy lockes thine heare is like the flocke of goates, which looke downe from the mountaine of Gilead.
(Behold, thou/you art fair, my love: behold, thou/you art fair: thine/your eyes are like the doves: among thy/your locks thine/your hear is like the flock of goats, which look down from the mountain of Gilead. )

Cvdl O how fayre art thou (my loue) how fayre art thou? thou hast doues eyes besyde that which lyeth hid within.
(Oh how fair art thou/you (my love) how fair art thou? thou/you hast doves eyes beside that which lieth/lies hid within.)

Wycl Mi frendesse, thou art ful fair; thin iyen ben of culueris, with outen that that is hid with ynne; thin heeris ben as the flockis of geete, that stieden fro the hil of Galaad.
(My friends, thou/you art full fair; thin eyes been of culver/pigeons/pigeons, without that that is hid within; thin hairs been as the flocks of geete, that stayed from the hill of Galaad.)

Luth Siehe, meine Freundin, du bist schön, siehe, schön bist du! Deine Augen sind wie Taubenaugen zwischen deinen Zöpfen. Dein Haar ist wie die Ziegenherden, die beschoren sind auf dem Berge Gilead.
(See/Look, my girlfriend, you(sg) are beautiful, see/look, beautiful are you(sg)! Your eyes are as/like pigeon_eyes between your(s) pigtails/braids. Your hair is as/like the goat_herds, the shaved are on/in/to to_him mountains/hills Gilead.)

ClVg [Sponsus Quam pulchra es, amica mea ! quam pulchra es ! Oculi tui columbarum, absque eo quod intrinsecus latet. Capilli tui sicut greges caprarum quæ ascenderunt de monte Galaad.[fn]
([The_spouse How beautiful you_are, girlfriend my ! how beautiful you_are ! The_eyes yours(sg) of_pigeons, without by_him that internally/inwards latet. Capilli yours(sg) like flocks goatrum which they_went_up from/about mountain Galaad. )

4.1 Quam pulchra es. Cum sponsa de gentibus conversa jam tantæ sit perfectionis, ut Judæis versa vice prædicet et sponsum laudet: ipsa quoque dignam laudis recompensationem a sponso recipit. Hæc descriptio pro Ecclesiæ multiplicitate extenditur. Pulchra actione, quia sicut virgula fumi per desertum ascendit, pulchra prædicatione, quia ad suum consortium proximas attrahit. Oculi. Id est, sensus tui contemplatione spiritualium rerum sunt excellentes et reverendi. Per partes intendit laudare. Absque. Magna est gloria aperti operis, sed longe incomparabiliter æterna retributio, quæ videri non potest. Capilli tui. Ut facilius cuncta liquescant, breviter singula percurramus. Capilli, sunt spontanei pauperes. Genæ, summi prælati. Dentes vero genarum, alii inferiores prælati. Labia, sermocinatores. Capilli tui. Si in oculis acumen spiritualium sensuum accipitur, in capillis potest notari pluralitas cogitationum, quæ omnes ad unum finem cœlestis boni tendunt. Unde capreis æquantur, quæ animalia munda sunt, et ardua rupium quærunt gratia pastus. Quæ ascenderunt. Unam de naturis capreæ ponit, ut sic de aliis intelligatur, et illam magis virtutem prædicat qua auditores magis indigere perspicit. Quæ ascenderunt. De illo, qui est testimonium se imitantibus, sicut ipse promisit: Qui me confessus fuerit coram hominibus, etc. Luc. 12.

4.1 How beautiful you_are. Since bride from/about nations converted already tantæ be perfection, as To_the_Jews versa time beforedicet and groom praiset: herself too worthym of_praise recompensationem from sponso receives. This descriptio for Assemblies/Churches multiplicitate extends/stretches_outur. Beautiful action, because like wand fumi through desert went_up, beautiful preaching, because to his_own consortium next/nearby attrahit. The_eyes. That it_is, sense yours(sg) contemplation spiritual things are excellentes and reverendi. Per parts he_intends to_praise. Absque. Magna it_is glory aperti work, but far_away incomparabiliter eternal retributio, which to_seem not/no can. Capilli yours(sg). As easier everything liquescant, briefly/shortly each percurramus. Capilli, are spontanei the_poor. Genæ, highest prelates. Dentes indeed/however genarum, others inferiores prelates. lips, sermocinatores. Capilli yours(sg). When/But_if in/into/on eyes acumen spiritual of_the_senses accepted, in/into/on hairs can to_be_known morelitas thoughts, which everyone to one the_end heavenly good tendunt. From_where/who capreis equalntur, which animals clean are, and ardua rupium they_seek grace pastus. Which they_went_up. Unam from/about naturis goat puts, as so from/about to_others be_understood, and her more virtue preach which listeners more indigere perspicit. Which they_went_up. From/About that/there, who/which it_is testimony himself imitantibus, like exactly_that/himself promised: Who me confessus has_been before to_humans, etc. Luc. 12.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s 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 4:1–7 The man told his bride how beautiful she is

In 4:1–7 the man used figures of speech to tell his bride how beautiful and majestic she was.Bergant (page 42) explains the two aspects of the description in this way: “It is a descriptive song that uses metaphors and similes both representationally (highlighting physical similarity) and presentationally (eliciting an emotional response).” This type of physical description of one’s beloved is called a “wasf” (an Arabic word). It was a common type of poetry in the ancient Near East. Such figures of speech were common in the love poetry of nearby cultures. The man also describes his bride in 6:4–10 and 7:1–9. In one example (5:10–16) the woman describes the man. He first praised her eyes and hair, then he praised her mouth, lips, and teeth. He described her temples and neck and then her breasts. Paragraph 4:1–7 begins and ends with similar statements that summarize her beauty:

:1 How beautiful you are, my darling—

how very beautiful!

:7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling;

there is no flaw in you.

Cultures have different ideas about what is beautiful. In some cultures the figures of speech that the man used to describe the woman may seem strange or insulting, but in his culture, they were powerful ways to praise her. Sometimes they described the man’s feelings about her instead of describing her appearance. For example, in 4:4 the man compared the woman’s neck (or her necklaces) to the tower of King David. Her neck did not look like the tower, but to him she seemed as majestic as that tower where warriors’ shields hung to represent their power.

Standards for respectful speech and actions in the Song

In 4:1–7 the man often referred to the woman’s body. In most cultures certain parts of the body are “private” or “sexual,” and those parts should not be uncovered in public. In some cultures, women must be covered from the waist to the ankles.In some cultures certain references may embarrass people who read or hear them. It may not be modest to mention a woman’s breasts or her belly or navel (as in some verses of the Song). Other cultures have different standards. Scholars are not sure about the specific standards in Israel when the Song was written, but the Song does not violate the standards of modesty in the OT. Two facts about the Song may help to indicate the standards of modesty in Israel’s culture in OT times:

The Song refers to parts of the female body more than 40 times, but only three of these mention areas below the waist.Two of these references are to the feet, which were usually uncovered. The other is to “rounded thighs” in 7:1. It probably refers to the general shape of the thighs, which may be obvious even when a woman is fully clothed. This may imply that the area below the waist was the “private” area, which must be covered in public.
In 8:8–10 both the woman and her brothers spoke casually about her breasts. This probably indicates that in that culture a woman did not always cover her breasts. For example, it was common to breast-feed babies openly (as in 8:1 and other OT verses).

These two facts imply that the author described the woman’s body in a more modest way than some scholars assume. When the man described the woman’s beauty (as in 4:1–7 and 7:1–9), he did it in a proper way. He did not describe “private sexual” parts. In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote to explain that cultures have different standards of what is proper, decent, and respectful. Translate in a way that does not violate your culture’s standards.

4:1a–c

4:1a–b and the first part of 4:1c are identical to 1:15a–b. The Notes for the two verses are not exactly the same because the context is different. In 4:1 the context is the couple’s wedding day. However, you should translate the similarities in the two verses in the same way (or a very similar way).

4:1a

How beautiful you are, my darling—

How beautiful you are, my love, (NRSV)
My darling, you are so beautiful,

4:1b

how very beautiful!

so very beautiful!
too beautiful to describe.

4:1a–b

How beautiful you are, my darling—how very beautiful!: These phrases also occurred in 1:15. You may translate them as you did there.See also CEV, NASB, NCV, NJB, and GNT. Notice that the phrases here in 4:1a–b are repeated in 4:7 to form an inclusio, which indicates the end of Paragraph 4:1–7.

my darling: See the Notes on 1:9a–b for a discussion of the phrase my darling. You should translate it as you did there and in 1:15. In some languages a direct address like this comes first in the sentence. For example:

My darling, how beautiful you are…

4:1c

Your eyes are like doves behind your veil.

Your eyes are like doves hidden behind your veil.
Your lovely eyes are like shy/gentle birds.

Your eyes are like doves: The phrase Your eyes are like doves is a simile. The man compares the woman’s eyes to a small bird called a “dove.” The man did not mean that her eyes looked like doves. He meant that her eyes had a characteristic that reminded him of doves.

Scholars are uncertain about the exact meaning of this simile. Doves are gentle birds, so the simile probably implies that the woman’s eyes revealed that she was gentle like a dove. In the context of 4:1a–b it also implies that her eyes were beautiful. doves probably symbolize love here.

See 1:15c (which has the identical simile) for a more detailed discussion. You should translate this simile in the same way in both verses. In some languages it may be necessary to make the meaning explicit. For example:

Your lovely eyes show that you are as gentle as a dove

doves: For more information about doves, see the note on 1:15c.

behind your veil: Here in 4:1c the author adds the phrase behind your veil, which was not part of the comparison in 1:15. A veil was a piece of fabric that covered part of the head. In this verse, the author implied that the veil covered the woman’s face.

Probably the veil was partly transparent so that the man could see her eyes through the fabric. Other scholars say that the veil may have covered only the lower part of her face so that her eyes were visible above the veil.It is uncertain whether the veil symbolizes the woman’s modesty or if the veil serves to further enhance her mysterious beauty. Perhaps both are true.

Some other ways to translate behind your veil are:

as you look through your veil (CEV)

inside the cloth that covers your face

4:1d–e

Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead: In 4:1d–e the author describes the way the woman’s hair looks as it moves. It moves in a fascinating way that is constantly changing. He compares it to the way a big group of goats move down mountain slopes in Gilead. Their movements are delightful to watch as they come down the mountain together. A similar simile is found in 6:5.

In many cultures people do not compare a woman’s hair to the movement of goats. If this is true in your language, you may need to make the similarity more explicit. For example:

Your hair dances like a flock of goats bounding down the hills of Gilead. (GNT)

Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. (NCV)

Your dark/black hair moves like a flock of dark/black goats as they leap down the slopes of Gilead.

For more information, see the note on streaming down Mount Gilead in this part of the verse.

4:1d

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Your hair looks like a flock of goats,
Your wavy hair is like a big group of black goats,

flock of goats: The phrase flock of goats refers here to a group of goats that are seen from a distance. The individual goats are not in focus. The author compared the woman’s hair to a flock of goats moving down a mountain to imply that her hair was beautiful as it moved.

In some cultures, people do not think of goats as beautiful or graceful. They may think of them as ugly or even associated with evil customs. If that is true in your culture, you may use a more general term. For example:

like flocks/groups of animals dancing down the slopes of Gilead

4:1e

streaming down Mount Gilead.

as it moves/flows down the slopes of Gilead.
surging down from Gilead heights.

streaming down: Here the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as streaming describes the way the goats move, or how they look as they go down the mountain slopes and hillsides in Gilead. Some other ways to describe this movement are:

flowing/streaming down

bounding/dancing down

Use a poetic way in your language to describe their movement.

Mount Gilead: The name Gilead probably refers here to a plateau region on the east side of the Jordan River.There was also a mountain called “Gilead” on the western side of the Jordan River. That region has many cliffs and mountain slopes. It probably does not refer to a single mountain. However, scholars and English versions differ on this issue. In this context, you may translate the word Mount as either singular or plural, whichever is most natural in your language.Scholars disagree on this issue. There are two main views: (1) It refers generally to the mountainous region of Gilead, possibly where the land slopes down to the Jordan River valley. For example, the ESV has, “surging down the slopes of Gilead.” Versions which follow this view are CEV, ESV, JB, NAB, NLT, RSV, GNT, and NIV11. (2) It refers to a specific mountain. For example, the NIV has, “descending from Mount Gilead.” Versions which follow this view are BSB, GW, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, and REB.In 6:5 the author used a similar expression but without the word “mountain.” The NIV translates it as “descending from Gilead.” Also, in 4:1 the expression lacks the article and so probably means “mountainous Gilead.” A specific mountain does not seem to be in focus in either verse. For example:

the slopes of Gilead (RSV)

Parallel SNG 4:1