SNG 4:2 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.)

OET (OET-RV) Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep that have come up from the washing,
⇔ all of which have identical pairs and none of them have been lost.

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
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 Ὀδόντες σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν κεκαρμένων, αἳ ἀνέβησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ λουτροῦ, αἱ πᾶσαι διδυμεύουσαι, καὶ ἀτεκνοῦσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς.
(Odontes sou hōs agelai tōn kekarmenōn, hai anebaʸsan apo tou loutrou, hai pasai didumeuousai, kai ateknousa ouk estin en autais. )

BrTr Thy teeth are as flocks of shorn sheep, that have gone up from the washing; all of them bearing twins, and there is not a barren one among them.

ULT Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep that have come up from the washing,
⇔ all of which bear twins,
⇔ and there is not among them one which is bereaved.

UST Your teeth are very white,
⇔ white like a flock of sheep whose wool people have just cut off
⇔ and which have just come up from washing in a stream.
⇔ You have all of your teeth on both sides of your mouth;
⇔ none of them is missing.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE Your teeth are like a newly shorn flock,
⇔ which have come up from the washing,
⇔ where every one of them has twins.
⇔ None is bereaved amongst them.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep
⇔ coming up from the washing place;
⇔ each of them has a twin,
⇔ and not one of them is missing.

LSV Your teeth as a row of the shorn ones that have come up from the washing,
For all of them are forming twins,
And a bereaved one is not among them.

FBV Your teeth are as white as a flock of sheep that are just shorn and washed. None of them are missing—they are all perfectly matched.[fn]

4:2 In other words, each upper tooth is matched by a lower tooth.

T4T Your teeth are very white
⇔ like [SIM] a flock of sheep whose wool has just been ◄shorn/cut off►
⇔ and that have come up from being washed in a stream.
⇔ You have all of your teeth;
⇔ none of them is missing.

LEB • Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that came up from the washing,
• all of them bearing twins,
• and there is none bereaved among them.

BBE Your teeth are like a flock of sheep whose wool is newly cut, which come up from the washing; every one has two lambs, and there is not one without young.

Moff your teeth are like shorn ewe
⇔ fresh from the dipping,
⇔ paired together in rows,
⇔ not one a-wanting;

JPS Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes all shaped alike, which are come up from the washing; whereof all are paired, and none faileth among them.

ASV Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn,
⇔ Which are come up from the washing,
⇔ Whereof every one hath twins,
⇔ And none is bereaved among them.

DRA Thy teeth as flocks of sheep, that are shorn which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.

YLT Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

Drby Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.

RV Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn, which are come up from the washing; whereof every one hath twins, and none is bereaved among them.
(Thy/Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn, which are come up from the washing; whereof every one hath/has twins, and none is bereaved among them. )

SLT Thy teeth as a herd of the shorn which came up from the washing; all of them bearing twins, and none barren among them.

Wbstr Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; all of which bear twins, and none is barren among them.

KJB-1769 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
(Thy/Your teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. )

KJB-1611 Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe that are euen shorne, which came vp from the washing: whereof euery one beare twinnes, and none is barren among them.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe of the same bignesse whiche went vp from the washing place, where euery one beareth two twinnes, and not one vnfruitfull among them.
(Thy/Your teeth are like a flock of sheep of the same bigness which went up from the washing place, where every one beareth/bears two twins, and not one unfruitful among them.)

Gnva Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe in good order, which go vp from the washing: which euery one bring out twinnes, and none is barren among them.
(Thy/Your teeth are like a flock of sheep in good order, which go up from the washing: which every one bring out twins, and none is barren among them. )

Cvdl Thy hayrie lockes are like a flocke of shepe that be clypped, which go first vp from the washinge place: where euery one beareth two twyns, and not one vnfrutefull amoge them.
(Thy/Your hairy locks are like a flock of sheep that be clipped, which go first up from the washing place: where every one beareth/bears two twins, and not one unfruitful among them.)

Wycl Thi teeth ben as the flockis of clippid sheep, that stieden fro waischyng; alle ben with double lambren, and no bareyn is among tho.
(Thy/Your teeth been as the flocks of clipped sheep, that stayed from washing; all been with double lambs, and no barren is among those.)

Luth Deine Zähne sind wie die Herde mit beschnittener Wolle, die aus der Schwemme kommen, die allzumal Zwillinge tragen, und ist keine unter ihnen unfruchtbar.
(Your teeth are as/like the herd with circumciseder wool, the out_of the/of_the flood(n) coming, the all_the_time twins bear/carry, and is no under to_them barren.)

ClVg Dentes tui sicut greges tonsarum quæ ascenderunt de lavacro; omnes gemellis fœtibus, et sterilis non est inter eas.[fn]
(Dentes yours(sg) like flocks tonsarum which they_went_up from/about lavacro; everyone gemellis fœtibus, and barren not/no it_is between them. )

4.2 Dentes tui sicut greges tonsarum. Sicut in capillis, fragiliores Ecclesiæ populi, qui numerositatem præstant, signantur: sic in dentibus fortiores quique et ad regendam Ecclesiam apti, qui firmitate prævalent. De lavacro, omnes. Omnium est, baptismo purificari: perfectorum est, et maxime eorum, quibus cura ovium est commissa, renuntiare omnibus quæ possident. Gemellis fetibus. Id est consimilibus fetibus, quia tales alios reddunt quales ipsi sunt. Vel, duplices fetus, opera geminæ charitatis, ut fideles conversi de utroque populo. Vel, fides et opus. Et sterilis non est. Nec illi inter steriles deputantur, qui abluti statim ex hac vita rapiuntur. Habuerunt enim sobolem fidei quam vel ipsi pro se, vel alii pro ipsis confessi sunt. Habuerunt etiam votum bonæ operationis, quod inter oves Christi, si exspectati fuissent, socialiter exercerent, unde dicitur: Consummatus in brevi explevit tempora multa Sap. 4..

4.2 Dentes yours(sg) like flocks tonsarum. Like in/into/on hairs, fragiliores Assemblies/Churches of_the_people, who/which numbersitatem beforestant, are_signed: so in/into/on teeth strongeres quique and to kingndam assembly/church apti, who/which firmitate beforevalent. From/About lavacro, everyone. Of_all it_is, baptism purificari: perfectorum it_is, and especially/most their, to_whom care sheep it_is commissa, renuntiare to_all which get_itnt. Gemellis fetibus. That it_is consimilibus fetibus, because tales others they_return what_kind themselves are. Or, duplices fetus, works geminæ of_charity, as faithful converted from/about both to_the_people. Or, faith and opus. And barren not/no it_is. Neither them between steriles deputantur, who/which abluti immediately from this_way life rapiuntur. Habuerunt because sobolem of_faith how or themselves for himself, or others for themselves confessi are. Habuerunt also vow good operation, that between sheep Christi, when/but_if is_waitingi they_would_have_been, socialiter exercerent, from_where/who it_is_said: Consummatus in/into/on shortly explevit times fine Sap. 4..

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.

4:2

In this verse there is a visual contrast with 4:1. In 4:1 a flock of black goats are descending the mountains. In 4:2 there is a flock of white sheep that have just been washed. There are some interpretation issues in 4:2, but the main point is fairly clear: The man described the woman’s beautiful teeth. They were white, and none were missing. Her white teeth were striking in their contrast to her black hair.

This verse is repeated in almost identical form in 6:6a–b.

4:2a

Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep

Your teeth are like female sheep after their dirty wool is removed
Your teeth are as white as a flock of sheep after someone cuts off their old wool/hair

Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep: In this clause the man praised the woman by comparing her teeth to a flock of newly shorn sheep. The comparison means that her teeth were white and smooth, like a group of sheep when their wool has just been cut off (shorn). (Sheep in Palestine were usually white.) The woman’s white teeth also imply that she was young, since teeth become more yellow as a person ages.

In some languages it is necessary to make this comparison more explicit. For example:

Your teeth are as white as sheep that have just been shorn and washed. (GNT)

Your teeth are white like newly sheared sheep just coming from their bath. (NCV)

teeth…like a flock of newly shorn sheep: In this phrase the author focuses on all of the woman’s teeth together. They are like a group (flock) of sheep, not like only one sheep. In some languages the plural form of the word sheep already implies a group of sheep, so a word like flock may not be needed.

newly shorn sheep: Scholars disagree about whether the phrase shorn sheep implies that the sheep had already been shorn or were about to be shorn:

The sheep were already shorn. For example:
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn… (NIV) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, RSV, GNT)
The sheep were not yet shorn. For example:
a flock of sheep to be shorn… (NJB) (GW, NAB, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This seems to be the most likely interpretation and most versions follow it.

4:2b

coming up from the washing;

and they have just been washed.
and bathes them in the stream/river.

coming up from the washing: The phrase coming up from the washing modifies the phrase “flock of newly shorn sheep” in 4:2a. After the wool was cut off the sheep (they were “shorn”), the sheep were washed, possibly in a stream. Then the sheep were clean and white. The woman’s teeth also looked clean and white like those freshly washed sheep.

The point of the simile in 4:2a–b is that the woman’s teeth were very white, which implies that they looked beautiful to the man. Here is another way to make this meaning clear:

Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. (NLT)

4:2c

each has its twin,

Your teeth are like twin lambs. Each tooth has its matching one,
Each of your teeth has its twin,

4:2d

and not one of them is lost.

and no single one is missing.
they are all perfectly matched. (GNT)

4:2c–d

each has its twin, and not one of them is lost: The phrase each has its twin, and not one of them is lost is closely connected to the simile in 4:2a–b. However, it is a different simile, which compares the woman’s teeth to twin lambs.Exum makes the point that first the woman’s teeth are identified with the ewes that come up from the wash, but then the twin lambs take over the image and the teeth are now associated with the second part of the simile. She says: “As appealing as it may be to translate the second couplet as “all of them in pairs, none bereft of its twin,” and take the phrase as a reference to the ewes, this does not seem to be the picture that lies behind the metaphor. More likely the poet has in mind two baby lambs, “twins,” lagging behind their mother…In many of the man’s metaphoric descriptions of his lover, the image tends to overshadow its referent in an effort to create a total picture and that is what appears to happen here. In the second couplet, the image of twinning takes over, while the referent (“your teeth”) lags behind. First the teeth are identified with ewes, but once the ewes are said to have twins, then the teeth are identified with the twins and not the ewes with their twins (in which case the woman would have too many teeth).” (pages 162–163)

The phrase each has its refers to the ewes in 4:2a–b. Here in 4:2c–d the author indicates that each tooth on one side of the woman’s mouth had a tooth just like it (a twin) on the other side. None of the teeth has lost its matching tooth on the other side. In the author’s lifetime it was probably unusual for an adult to have a complete set of teeth like that. Another way to translate this meaning is:

they match perfectly, not one is missing. (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

שִׁנַּ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ כְּ⁠עֵ֣דֶר הַ⁠קְּצוּב֔וֹת שֶׁ⁠עָל֖וּ מִן־הָ⁠רַחְצָ֑ה

teeth_of,your [are]_like_(the),flock_of of_(the),shorn_[ewes] which,they_have_come_up from/more_than the,washing

The writer is saying that the white color of the woman’s teeth is being compared to the white color of sheep after they have been shorn and washed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

הַ⁠קְּצוּב֔וֹת

of_(the),shorn_[ewes]

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who did the action, it is implied that “shepherds” did it. Alternate translation: [sheep whose wool shepherds have cut off] or [sheep whose wool people have cut off]

מַתְאִימ֔וֹת

bear_twins

Alternate translation: [give birth to twins]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

שֶׁ⁠כֻּלָּ⁠ם֙ מַתְאִימ֔וֹת וְ⁠שַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּ⁠הֶֽם

which,all_of,of_them bear_twins and_[one],deprived_of_offspring not among,them

The writer is stating that the woman’s teeth are like a flock of female sheep which have all given birth to twin lambs because each of the woman’s teeth has a matching tooth on the other side of her mouth. She has not lost any of her teeth. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [As a flock of female sheep that has born twin lambs without losing any, so your mouth has its teeth, each with a match, and none of them are missing]

וְ⁠שַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּ⁠הֶֽם

and_[one],deprived_of_offspring not among,them

Alternate translation: [and there is not one among them which has died]

Parallel SNG 4:2