SNG 5:16 Parallel Verse View

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

5:16 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

5:16 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

5:16 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

Key: .
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 Φάρυγξ αὐτοῦ γλυκασμοὶ καὶ ὅλος ἐπιθυμία· οὗτος ἀδελφιδός μου καὶ οὗτος πλησίον μου, θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλήμ.
(Farugx autou glukasmoi kai holos epithumia; houtos adelfidos mou kai houtos plaʸsion mou, thugateres Hierousalaʸm. )

BrTr His throat is most sweet, and altogether desirable. This is my kinsman, and this is my companion, O daughters of Jerusalem.

ULT His mouth is most sweet,
⇔ and all of him is most desirable.
⇔ This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
⇔ daughters of Jerusalem.

UST His kisses are very sweet;
⇔ he is completely attractive.
⇔ You young women of Jerusalem,
⇔ this is what the man I love, who is my friend, is like, and this is why he is better than all other men.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

CSB His mouth is sweetness. He is absolutely desirable. This is my love, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem.

NLT His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.

NIV His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.

CEV His kisses are sweet. I desire him so much! Young women of Jerusalem, he is my lover and friend.

ESV His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

NASB “His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”

LSB His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”

WEBBE His mouth is sweetness;
⇔ yes, he is altogether lovely.
⇔ This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
⇔ daughters of Jerusalem.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(10-16)My dear lover glows with health—
  red-blooded, radiant!
He’s one in a million.
  There’s no one quite like him!
My golden one, pure and untarnished,
  with raven black curls tumbling across his shoulders.
His eyes are like doves, soft and bright,
  but deep-set, brimming with meaning, like wells of water.
His face is rugged, his beard smells like sage,
  His voice, his words, warm and reassuring.
Fine muscles ripple beneath his skin,
  quiet and beautiful.
His torso is the work of a sculptor,
  hard and smooth as ivory.
He stands tall, like a cedar,
  strong and deep-rooted,
A rugged mountain of a man,
  aromatic with wood and stone.
His words are kisses, his kisses words.
  Everything about him delights me, thrills me
through and through!
  That’s my lover, that’s my man,
  dear Jerusalem sisters.

NET His mouth is very sweet;
⇔ he is totally desirable.
⇔ This is my beloved!
⇔ This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!

LSV His mouth is sweetness—and all of him desirable,
This [is] my beloved, and this my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!

FBV His mouth is the sweetest ever; he is totally desirable! This is my love, my friend, women of Jerusalem.

T4T His kisses [MTY] are extremely sweet;
⇔ he is very handsome.
⇔ You young women of Jerusalem,
⇔ all that tells you why the one who loves me and who is my friend is better than other men.

LEB • His mouth[fn] is sweet, and he is altogether desirable.
• This is my beloved;
• this is my friend, O young women of Jerusalem .[fn]

5:? Or “his palate”

5:? Literally “O daughters of Jerusalem”

NRSV His speech is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

NKJV His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

NAB His mouth is sweetness itself; he is delightful in every way. Such is my lover, and such my friend, Daughters of Jerusalem!

BBE His mouth is most sweet; yes, he is all beautiful. This is my loved one, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Moff his kisses are utterly sweet--
⇔ he is all a delight!
⇔ And that is my darling, my dear,
⇔ O maidens of Jerusalem!

JPS His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.'

ASV His mouth is most sweet;
⇔ Yea, he is altogether lovely.
⇔ This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
⇔ O daughters of Jerusalem.

DRA His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.

YLT His mouth is sweetness — and all of him desirable, This [is] my beloved, and this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

Drby His mouth is most sweet: Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, yea, this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

RV His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
(His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, Oh daughters of Yerusalem. )

SLT His palate, sweetness: he is all loveliness. This my beloved, and this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Wbstr His mouth is most sweet: yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

KJB-1769 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.[fn]
(His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, Oh daughters of Yerusalem. )

5.16 mouth: Heb. palate

KJB-1611 [fn]His mouth is most sweete, yea he is altogether louely. This is my beloued, and this is my friend, O daughters of Ierusalem.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

5:16 Heb. his palate.

Bshps The wordes of his mouth are sweete: yea he is altogether louely: Such a one is my loue O ye daughters of Hierusalem, such a one is my loue.
(The words of his mouth are sweet: yea he is altogether lovely: Such a one is my love Oh ye/you_all daughters of Yerusalem, such a one is my love.)

Gnva His mouth is as sweete thinges, and hee is wholy delectable: this is my welbeloued, and this is my louer, O daughters of Ierusalem.
(His mouth is as sweet things, and he is wholly delectable: this is my well-beloved, and this is my lover, Oh daughters of Yerusalem. )

Cvdl His throte is swete, yee he is alltogether louely. Soch one is my loue (o ye doughters of Ierusalem) soch one is my loue.
(His throat is sweet, ye/you_all he is altogether lovely. Such one is my love (o ye/you_all daughters of Yerusalem) such one is my love.)

Wycl His throte is moost swete, and he is al desirable. Ye douytris of Jerusalem, siche is my derlyng, and this is my freend.
(His throat is most sweet, and he is all desirable. Ye/You_all daughters of Yerusalem, such is my darling, and this is my friend.)

Luth Seine Kehle ist süß und ganz lieblich. Ein solcher ist mein Freund; mein Freund ist ein solcher, ihr Töchter Jerusalems!
(His throat is sweet/cute and all lovely/delightful. A such is my friend; my friend is a such, you(pl)/their/her daughters Yerusalems!)

ClVg Guttur illius suavissimum, et totus desiderabilis. Talis est dilectus meus, et ipse est amicus meus, filiæ Jerusalem.[fn]
(Throat of_that the_sweetest, and the_whole desirable. Such it_is beloved mine, and exactly_that/himself it_is a_friend mine, daughters Yerusalem. )

5.16 Guttur illius suavissimum, etc. Id est, internus sapor et dulcedo verborum Christi, quam pauci gustant: qui autem gustant, amplius esuriunt, Aliter: Sicut per guttur ad labia vitalis flatus, ut loqui valeant, procedit, sic in labiis Domini verba quæ dicebat. In gutture vero potest occulta dispositio bonitatis ejus intelligi, qua factum est, ut nobis foras loqueretur. Totus, id est Deus et homo; desideralibis, non solum secundum divinitatem, sed etiam secundum humanitatem ab ipso initio conceptionis, usque ad triumphum passionis, resurrectionis, ascensionis. Talis est dilectus. Quasi: Et necesse est si amas eum, et vis ab eo amari, ut eum intelligas talem, et tali affectione ei cohæreas. Filiæ Jerusalem. Pro decore carminis variantur personæ colloquentium: sed eadem Christi Ecclesia notatur et nomine sponsæ, et nomine filiarum. Cum ad patriam cœlestem suspirat, filia: cum nihil nisi Deum curat audire vel loqui, sponsa dicitur.

5.16 Throat of_that the_sweetest, etc. That it_is, internus sapor and sweet/pleasantlydo of_words Christi, how a_few gustant: who/which however gustant, more esuriunt, Aliter: Like through throat to lips vitalis flatus, as to_speak valeant, proceeds, so in/into/on lips Master words which he_said. In throat indeed/however can hidden dispositio goodtatis his to_be_understood, which done it_is, as us outside would_speak. Totus, that it_is God and human; desideralibis, not/no only after/second divinity, but also after/second humanity away himself at_first/in_the_beginning conceptionis, until to triumphum passion, resurrection, ascensionis. Such it_is beloved. Quasi: And necessary it_is when/but_if amas him, and you_want away by_him amari, as him intelligas such_a_one, and such affectione to_him cohæreas. Daughters Yerusalem. For beautifully/gracefully carminis variantur personæ neckquentium: but the_same of_Christ Assembly/Church is_noted and by_name brides, and by_name daughters. Since to homeland heavenly suspirat, daughter: when/with nothing except God caret to_hear or to_speak, bride it_is_said.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:2–6:3: At night the woman searched for the man and praised him

Scholars differ about the meaning of this section and how it relates to the rest of the Song. In 5:2–7 the woman told the Jerusalem women that the man came to her door at night but went away. She told them that now she longed to see him and was searching for him. Then she asked them to give him a message if they saw him (5:8). They asked why she was so attracted to him (5:9), and she replied by describing him (5:10–16). Then they asked her where he went (6:1), and she told them that he went down to his garden (6:2–3).

The section contains several interpretation issues:

In 5:2–7 did the woman describe a dream or a real event, or is 5:2–7 a poetic way to describe her feelings and thoughts about the man? The woman described one type of event (probably dreamed or imagined) as she and the man related to each other. The author did not always tell about events in order, and he repeated certain themes to examine them from different points of view. The Song is not a simple story but a poem, and it uses various ways to describe the romantic love.
Section 3:6–5:1 told about the wedding of the man and woman. Does Section 5:2–6:3 tell about a time after they married? Although 3:6–5:1 told about the wedding of the man and woman, 5:2–6:3 may not refer to a time after the wedding. It may describe something they experienced more than once. In other sections also, the man and woman were apart at the beginning but together at the end (as in 1:2–2:7). If 5:2–6:3 refers to a time before their wedding,Some scholars view the whole book, Song of Songs, as a large chiasm. (For example, Dorsey suggests abcdcʹbʹaʹ, (1999, p.200.)) So, the section, 3:6–5:1 is the central and climactic part of the chiasm, and what comes before and after are related to the center, not chronologically but thematically. So, the material both before and after, may be pointing to the grand central climax, the wedding. What follows the wedding, 5:2–8:14, may actually repeat much of the material in 1:2–3:5. Again, this is more of a cyclical rather than chronological way of understanding the book. it describes the woman’s hopes and fears as she imagined her future with the man (as in 3:1–4). The dream might indicate that she feared that he had stopped loving her, but at the end of 6:2–3, she realized that he continued to love her faithfully.Some scholars believe that this section follows chronologically after the wedding. Some of these scholars interpret it as describing a time of conflict for the newly married couple. But the theme of marital conflict does not seem to fit the overall message or tone of the Song.
How should a translator interpret the figures of speech in this section? Some scholars interpret these figures as euphemisms for sexual organs and sexual activity. However, such interpretations may cause a translator to refer more explicitly to sexual matters than is normal or justified in the Song. (For more information, see “Standards for respectful speech and actions in the Song” in POEM 4:1–7.)

Paragraph 5:9–16 The woman described her beloved

In 5:9 the Jerusalem women asked the woman in what ways the man was so much better than other men. In 5:10–16 the woman answered with a poetic description of her beloved that uses many metaphors and hyperbole. Some verses describe the man as though he were a statue.

These verses are similar to 4:1–7 in which the man described the woman’s body. Here in 5:9–16 she described his body. It was rare in ancient Israel for a woman to describe a man’s body in detail like this. In 4:1–7 where the man described the woman, he spoke directly to her. However, in this section where the woman described him, she did not speak directly to him. She spoke to the women of Jerusalem about him.

The description in 5:9–16 has the similar phrases My beloved (5:10) and This is my beloved (5:16) near its beginning and end, forming an inclusio. It also mentions his golden head (5:11) near the beginning and his legs on bases of gold (5:15) near the end. The woman began by describing his head, then the rest of his body, and ended by mentioning his head again. In the description (5:11–16), four of the six verses describe parts of the man’s head (5:11–13, 16), which shows that the woman focused especially on his head. Her description of him may seem strange to modern readers, but she intended her description to show that he was completely desirable.

5:16

This verse is a climax to the woman’s long description of the man. She answered the teasing question that the Jerusalem women asked in 5:9.

5:16a

His mouth is most sweet;

His mouth is delicious/delightful to kiss.
His kisses delight me.

In 5:15c–d the woman summarized her description of the man’s body. Now in 5:16 she again described the man’s mouth.

His mouth is most sweet: There are different ways to interpret the word mouth and the whole clause here:

His “sweet mouth” refers to his kisses. For example:
His mouth is sweet to kiss (GNT) (CEV, NCV, GNT)
His “sweet mouth” refers to his speech. For example:
His conversation is sweetness itself (NJB) (NJB, RSV)

Most English versions translate literally and do not make the meaning of “sweet mouth” explicit.These versions include BSB, ESV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT, and REB. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). His “sweet mouth” probably refers to his kisses, since that fits with his physical description better than interpretation (2).

Some ways to translate this meaning are:

Use a figure of speech in your language that implies kissing. For example:
His mouth is delicious… (NJPS)
His mouth is delightful…
Make the meaning explicit. For example:
His mouth is sweet to kiss (NCV)
His kisses are sweet/delightful

Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.

most sweet: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as most sweet is a figure of speech. Here it indicates that the man’s kisses are delightful. It implies that it is sweet when the man kisses the woman or when she kisses him. Those kisses give great pleasure.

General Comment on “mouth” and “kisses”

The author refers to the theme of the couple’s mouths and their implied kisses often throughout the book. The first time was in 1:2, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” Since the woman began the book with the theme of kisses, it is not surprising that she focused here on her beloved’s mouth as she described his body. (Also see 8:1, and possibly 2:3.) The man referred to her mouth and kisses in 4:3, 4:11, and 7:9.

5:16b

he is altogether lovely.

He is desirable in every way. (NLT)
Everything about him is delightful.

he is altogether lovely: This clause indicates that the woman considered her beloved to be precious and wonderful in every way. It is similar to what the man said to her in 4:7: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.” Some other ways to say this are:

everything about him enchants me (GNT)

he is altogether lovable (NJB)

he is desirable in every way (NLT)

5:16c

This is my beloved,

This is/describes my love.
This is what the one I love is like.

5:16e

O daughters of Jerusalem.

O maidens of Jerusalem. (NJPS)
for you as you asked, young women of Jerusalem.

5:16c–e

The clause “This is my beloved” here in 5:16c and the phrase “My beloved” in 5:10a form an inclusio. They occur at the beginning and the end of the woman’s description of the man (5:10–16). The woman emphasized that in 5:10–16 she answered the question that the Jerusalem women asked her in 5:9.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem: The two clauses in 5:16c–d, This is my beloved and this is my friend, have almost the same meaning in this context. The two clauses show that the woman has now answered the question that the Jerusalem women asked in 5:9—“How is your beloved better than others?” Indicate in a natural way that this clause answers that question. For example:

That is what my beloved and friend is like, women of Jerusalem.

Now I have told you what my beloved and friend is like, Jerusalem women.

Some other ways to translate 5:16c–e are:

Change the order of phrases in 5:16c–e. For example:
O women of Jerusalem, now I have told you about my lover. That is what my dear one is like.
Translate the similar meanings of 5:16c and 5:16d only once. For example:
This is what my lover is like, women of Jerusalem. (GNT)

5:16d

and this is my friend,

I have described my beloved man,
Now I have described this dear one of mine

and this is my friend: This is the only place in the Song where the woman (or the man) used the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as friend to describe their relationship. The plural form “friends” was used in 5:1 to refer to the wedding guests.

The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as friend can have different meanings, depending on the context. It can be used to describe different types of friendly relationships. Here the meaning is similar to the meaning of the word “beloved.” In some languages it may be more natural to translate this meaning only once. For example, the GNT translates the two statements in 5:16c–d as:

This is what my lover is like (GNT)

Other ways to translate friend here are:

darling (REB)

companion (NET)

Parallel SNG 5:16