SNG 4:6 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 ἕως οὗ διαπνεύσῃ ἡμέρα καὶ κινηθῶσιν αἱ σκιαί· πορεύσομαι ἐμαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῆς σμύρνης καὶ πρὸς τὸν βουνὸν τοῦ λιβάνου.
(heōs hou diapneusaʸ haʸmera kai kinaʸthōsin hai skiai; poreusomai emautōi pros to oros taʸs smurnaʸs kai pros ton bounon tou libanou. )

BrTr Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, I will betake me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

ULT Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
⇔ I myself will go to the mountain of myrrh
⇔ and to the hill of frankincense.

UST Until the evening breeze blows
⇔ and the sun sets,
⇔ I will go to your breasts
⇔ because they are like two hills that smell like pleasant spices.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE ⇔ Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away,
⇔ I will go to the mountain of myrrh,
⇔ to the hill of frankincense.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(6-7)The sweet, fragrant curves of your body,
  the soft, spiced contours of your flesh
Invite me, and I come. I stay
  until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.
You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love,
  beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.

NET Until the dawn arrives
⇔ and the shadows flee,
⇔ I will go up to the mountain of myrrh,
⇔ and to the hill of frankincense.

LSV Until the day breaks forth,
And the shadows have fled away,
I go for myself to the mountain of myrrh,
And to the hill of frankincense.

FBV Before the morning breezes blow and the shadows disappear, I must hurry to those mountains of myrrh[fn] and frankincense.

4:6 See 1:13.

T4T Until dawn tomorrow morning
⇔ and the nighttime shadows/darkness disappear,
⇔ I will lie close to your breasts
⇔ that are like [MET] hills that are covered with incense [DOU].

LEB • Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of the myrrh,
• to the hill of the frankincense.

BBE Till the evening comes, and the sky slowly becomes dark, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Moff Yes, till the cool of the dawn,
⇔ till the shadows depart,

JPS Until the day breathe, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

ASV ⇔ Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away,
⇔ I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,
⇔ And to the hill of frankincense.

DRA Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

YLT Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense.

Drby Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.

RV Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

SLT Till the day shall breathe, and the shadows fled away, I will go for myself to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of Lebanon.

Wbstr Until the day shall break, and the shadows flee away, I will repair to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

KJB-1769 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.[fn]

4.6 break: Heb. breathe

KJB-1611 [fn]Untill the day breake, and the shadowes flee away, I will get mee to the mountaines of myrrhe, and to the hill of frankincense.
(Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountains of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.)

4:6 Hebr. breathe.

Bshps O that I might go to the mountaine of myrre, and to the hil of frankencense, til the day breake, and til the shadowes be past away.
(Oh that I might go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense, till the day break, and till the shadows be past away.)

Gnva Vntill the day breake, and the shadowes flie away, I wil go into the mountaine of myrrhe and to the mountaine of incense.
(Until the day break, and the shadows fly away, I will go into the mountain of myrrh and to the mountain of incense. )

Cvdl O that I might go to the mountayne of Myrre, and to the hyll of frankynsense: till the daye breake, and till the shadowes be past awaye.
(Oh that I might go to the mountain of Myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense: till the day break, and till the shadows be past away.)

Wycl til the dai sprynge, and shadewis ben bowid doun. Y schal go to the mounteyn of myrre, and to the litil hil of encense.
(till the day spring, and shadows been bowed down. I shall go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the little hill of incense.)

Luth bis der Tag kühle werde und der Schatten weiche. Ich will zum Myrrhenberge gehen und zum Weihrauchhügel.
(until the/of_the day cool become and the/of_the shadow/shade soft/switch(v). I will for_the Myrrhenberge go and for_the incense_hill.)

ClVg Donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbræ, vadam ad montem myrrhæ, et ad collem thuris.[fn]
(Until he_aspires days, and they_are_inclined/leaing shadows, I_will_go to mountain myrrh, and to hill incenses. )

4.6 Donec aspiret dies illa. Postquam, nec docendi ultra nec discendi tempus erit, sed consummatis omnibus hujus mundi tenebris, omnes fulgebunt sicut sol. Vadam ad montem. Et quia Ecclesia per singula talis est. Vadam, id est, addam gratiam, tam inferioribus quam majoribus. Vadam. Quia novos populos quotidie congregabo. Et quia sermo est ad Ecclesiam de gentibus, potest non incongrue videri promissa vocatio Synagogæ, quæ in fine mundi est futura: seu vocatio quarumcunque gentium. Unde mox de amplissima pulchritudine unius ejusdemque Ecclesiæ, quæ vel de Judæis vel quibuscunque gentibus per totum orbem est congreganda, subditur, Tota pulchra es.

4.6 Until he_aspires days that. Postquam, but_not to_teach beyond/besides but_not discendi time/season will_be, but finishis to_all of_this world darkness, everyone fulgebunt like the_sun. I_will_go to mountain. And because Assembly/Church through each such it_is. I_will_go, that it_is, addam grace, tam lower_ones how to_the_elders. I_will_go. Because news to_the_peoples daily I_will_gather. And because speech it_is to assembly/church from/about nations, can not/no incongrue to_seem promises calling Synagogæ, which in/into/on fine world it_is the_future: seu calling whosecunque nations. From_where/who soon from/about amplissima beautifultudine of_one of_the_sameque Assemblies/Churches, which or from/about To_the_Jews or to_whomcunque nations through whole the_world it_is congreganda, is_added, The_whole beautiful you_are.

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.

4:6

Verse 6 clearly refers back to 2:17. In 2:17, the woman spoke to the man. Here in 4:6, the man speaks to the woman. He repeats what she said about the time of day and mountains in 2:17, but he changes it slightly to express his desire for her.

4:6a

Before the day breaks

When the evening breeze blows
When the cool evening breeze arises

4:6b

and the shadows flee,

and the shadows lengthen,
and the shadows begin to disappear,

4:6a–b

In 4:6a–b the author repeats exactly what he said in 2:17a–b. See the discussion under 2:17a–b. As in 2:17, the phrase “the day breaks” probably refers to the cool breezes that often come in the late afternoon in that region. The phrase “shadows flee” probably refers to the disappearing of shadows at the end of day. So both 2:17a–b and 4:6a–b refer to late afternoon or evening. You should translate these two passages in the same way.

Before the day breaks and the shadows flee: The Hebrew wordʿad. that the BSB translates as Before can be translated in different ways depending on the context. In 2:17a–b, the Notes suggested the translation “until” because the man and woman were together. Here in 4:6 the man wanted to hurry and go to her (4:6c), so it may be more natural to translate the Hebrew word in a different way like “when” or “as soon as.” For example:

As soon as the evening breeze cools the day and the shadows disappear, I will hurry…

When the day brings a cool breeze and the shadows flee, I will go… (GW)

4:6c

I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh

I will hurry to the mountain that is scented with myrrh,
I will go to my darling, who is as delightful to me as mountains of myrrh

4:6d

and to the hill of frankincense.

to the hill that smells like frankincense.
and frankincense.

4:6c–d

I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense: The phrase I will make my way means “I will go” or “I will hurry.” In this statement the man indicated that he was eager to be with his bride. He wanted to hurry to her.

The phrases the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense are parallel metaphors. They probably refer to either the woman herself (including her body, as in 3:6c) or specifically to her breasts (mentioned in 4:5).Both options (1) and (2) allude to anticipated intimate relations of the man with the woman. But it is recommended that you follow option (1) for the following reasons:(a) The metaphor probably alludes to 3:6 where the woman (not just her breasts) is “scented with myrrh and frankincense.”(b) Although the metaphor has two lines with similar items—“mountain of myrrh” and “hill of frankincense”—such parallelism may imply intensification or subtle differences rather than perfect synonymy. Here a suggestion that her breasts were slightly different sizes and perfumed differently may contradict the idea of “twin” (4:5a), which suggests that her breasts were the same. It also seems to undermine 4:7b that says “in you there is no flaw.”(c) The metaphor may point ahead to the list of fragrances in 4:14 where myrrh and frankincense are two of the many spices mentioned to describe the woman. In 4:12–14 the fragrances refer in a general way to the woman, who is compared to a fragrant garden.(d) In 4:5a, the Notes suggest that the point of similarity with the “fawns” refers to some personal qualities of the woman, and not literally to her breasts. 4:6 continues the more general reference to the woman, not to specific body parts. The next verse will also describe her beauty in a general way (“you are altogether beautiful…”). She was like mountains that were covered with sweet-smelling myrrh and frankincense. By saying this, the man was using a delicate way to express his desire to have intimate relations with her.

Some ways to translate this statement are:

Keep the metaphor of sweet-smelling spices. For example:
I will hurry to the sweet-smelling mountains of myrrh and frankincense.
I will go to enjoy the fragrant hills.
Use a simile. For example:
I will hurry to my love who is as sweet-smelling/delightful as the best perfume.
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
I will hurry to my sweet-smelling bride.

Translate the figures of speech in a natural way in your language.

myrrh: myrrh was an expensive imported perfume that is not native to Israel. For more information, see the note on 3:6c. You should probably translate myrrh in the same way here.

frankincense: frankincense is a kind of fragrant incense that is not native to Israel. For more information, see the note on frankincense in 3:6c. You should probably translate frankincense in the same way here.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

עַ֤ד שֶׁ⁠יָּפ֨וּחַ֙ הַ⁠יּ֔וֹם וְ⁠נָ֖סוּ הַ⁠צְּלָלִ֑ים

until that,it_will_breathe the=day and,they_will_flee the,shadows

See how you translated the phrase Until the day breathes and the shadows flee in [2:17](../02/17.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / go

אֵ֤לֶךְ לִ⁠י֙

go to=me

Your language may say “come” rather than go in a context such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: [I myself will come]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

הַ⁠מּ֔וֹר

of_(the),myrrh

See how you translated myrrh in [1:13](../01/13.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֵ֤לֶךְ לִ⁠י֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר הַ⁠מּ֔וֹר וְ⁠אֶל־גִּבְעַ֖ת הַ⁠לְּבוֹנָֽה

go to=me to/towards mountain_of of_(the),myrrh and=near/to hill_of of_(the),frankincense

Here the writer is speaking of the woman’s breasts as if they are the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. The man is discreetly indicating that his bride’s breasts are pleasant smelling and that he wants to enjoy them. It would be good to retain this discreet and beautiful poetic imagery if possible. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly or use a comparison. Alternate translation: [I myself will go to your breasts, which are like two sweet-smelling mountains] or [I myself will be close to your breasts, which are like two pleasant-smelling hills]

Parallel SNG 4:6