SNG 5:3 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) “I’ve already undressed—do I have to get dressed again?
⇔ I’ve washed my feet—won’t I get them dirty now?”

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 Ἐξεδυσάμην τὸν χιτῶνά μου, πῶς ἐνδύοσμαι αὐτόν; ἐνιψάμην τοὺς πόδας μου, πῶς μολυνῶ αὐτούς;
(Exedusamaʸn ton ⱪitōna mou, pōs enduosmai auton; enipsamaʸn tous podas mou, pōs molunō autous; )

BrTr I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?

ULT “I have taken off my robe; how will I put it on?
⇔ I have washed my feet; how could I get them dirty?”

UST But I had already taken my robe off;
⇔ I did not want to put it on again to open the door.
⇔ I had already washed my feet;
⇔ so I did not want them to get dirty again by answering the door.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on?
⇔ I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “I have already taken off my robe – must I put it on again?
⇔ I have already washed my feet – must I soil them again?”

LSV I have put off my coat, how do I put it on? I have washed my feet, how do I defile them?

FBV I replied,[fn] “I've already got undressed. I don't have to get dressed again, do I? I've already washed my feet. I don't have to make them dirty again, do I?”

5:3 Implied.

T4T But I had already taken off my robe;
⇔ I did not [RHQ] want to put it on again to open the door.
⇔ I had already washed my feet;
⇔ I did not [RHQ] want them to become dirty again.

LEB • I have taken off my tunic, must I put it on ?[fn] I have bathed my feet, must I soil them ?[fn]

5:? Literally “How will I put it on?”

5:? Literally “How will I soil them?”

BBE I have put off my coat; how may I put it on? My feet are washed; how may I make them unclean?

Moff “But I have doffed my robe
⇔ why should I don it?
⇔ My feet are bathed;
⇔ why should I soil them?”

JPS I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

ASV I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on?
⇔ I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

DRA I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?

YLT I have put off my coat, how do I put it on? I have washed my feet, how do I defile them?

Drby — I have put off my tunic, how should I put it on? I have washed my feet, how should I pollute them? —

RV I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

SLT I put off my tunic, and how shall I put it on? I washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

Wbstr I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

KJB-1769 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

KJB-1611 I haue put off my coate, how shall I put it on? I haue washed my feete, how shall I defile them?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps I haue put of my coate, howe can I do it on agayne? I haue washed my feete, howe shall I fyle them agayne?
(I have put of my coat, how can I do it on again? I have washed my feet, how shall I fyle them again?)

Gnva I haue put off my coate, howe shall I put it on? I haue washed my feete, howe shall I defile them?
(I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? )

Cvdl I haue put off my cote, how ca I do it on agayne? I haue washed my fete, how shal I fyle them agayne?
(I have put off my coat, how can I do it on again? I have washed my feet, how shall I fyle them again?)

Wycl I have vnclothid me of my coote; hou schal Y be clothid ther ynne? I haue waische my feet; hou schal Y defoule tho?
(I have unclothed me of my coote; how shall I be clothed therein? I have wash my feet; how shall I defile tho?)

Luth Ich habe meinen Rock ausgezogen, wie soll ich ihn wieder anziehen? Ich habe meine Füße gewaschen, wie soll ich sie wieder besudeln?
(I have my Rock pulled_out, as/like should I him/it again put_on? I have my feet washed, as/like should I they/she/them again defile?)

ClVg Sponsa Expoliavi me tunica mea: quomodo induar illa? lavi pedes meos: quomodo inquinabo illos?[fn]
(The_bride I_stripped me tunica my: how put_on that? I_washed feet mine: how I_will_pollute those? )

5.3 Exspoliavi me. Ecclesia non inobediens de injuncto officio, sed metuens in assumenda fratrum cura, ne corruat in peccata, sine quibus non transigitur hæc vita, respondet: Exspoliavi me. Quomodo fieri potest ut de culmine contemplationis egrediens, rursus mundi sordibus polluar, quia recepta sollicitudine temporalium subsidiorum, quamlibet eximius doctor, difficile vitat peccatum. GREG. Qui ad sollicitudinem regendarum animarum se accingit, restat ut quibus æterna prædicat, ad providenda quoque eis temporalium necessitatum subsidia invigilet.

5.3 Exspoliavi me. Assembly/Church not/no inobediens from/about inyuncto officio, but with_fearens in/into/on assumenda brothers care, not corruat in/into/on sins, without to_whom not/no transigitur these_things life, responds: Exspoliavi me. How/In_what_manner to_be_done can as from/about culmine contemplation going_out, again world dirt polluar, because received anxiety temporal subsidiorum, however eximius doctor, difficult vitat sin. GREG. Who to anxietym kingndarum of_souls himself accingit, remains as to_whom eternal preach, to providenda too to_them temporal necessitatum subsidia invigilet.

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 5:2–8 The woman spoke to the women of Jerusalem

There are different ways to interpret what the woman said in 5:2–8:

She told about something that she dreamed or imagined. She described her feelings for the man in a poetic way.
She told what happened when the man actually came to her. She was sleeping, but she woke up when she heard him knocking on her door.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The verses probably describe something that the woman dreamed or imagined, since some of the descriptions seem unreal or dreamlike. They are a poetic way to express the woman’s feelings for the man.

Does 5:2–8 describe sexual relations between the woman and man?

There are two views about whether 5:2–8 implies that they had sexual relations:

The verses indicate romantic feelings, but they do not describe sexual relations between the man and woman. He stood outside her house knocking, but she was already in bed. She delayed in opening her door, and he left before she opened it.
The verses have a double meaning.For example, in 5:4 they interpret the man’s “hand” and the door “latch” (literally “hole” in Hebrew) as referring to male and female sexual organs. Pope and some other modern commentators follow this view. The man was outside the room knocking on the door. He was also outside the woman’s body, wanting to enter and have sexual relations with her.

It is recommended that you follow option (1), which is followed by many reliable commentaries.See, for example, Assis, Barbiero, Bloch and Bloch, Davidson, Delitzsch, Elliott, Estes, Fox, Ginsburg, Gordis, Hess, Mitchell, and Murphy. Michael Fox argues that this view spoils the true romantic impact and beauty of the book (Fox, pages 144–145). The text indicates that the man did not come inside the woman’s house, but he left before she could open the door.

Common themes

This section has similar themes (motifs) that were part of earlier sections. You should translate such themes in a similar way throughout the book. This helps readers understand the unity of the Song. For example, as in 3:1–4, also here in 5:2–8, the author told about the woman having a dream and searching for her beloved in the town at night. Also, in 2:8–14, the young man stood outside the woman’s house, but she was inside behind a locked door. This theme of the woman being hard to reach is also found in 2:9; 2:14; 4:8; and 4:12.

5:3

There are two views about the woman’s words in 5:3:

The words tell what the woman thought when the man came to her. She later told her thoughts to the Jerusalem women. She did not say the words directly to the man. For example:
I had taken off my robe…I had bathed my feet… (NJPS) (BSB, CEV, ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJPS, RSV)
She said the words directly to the man when he asked her to open the door (5:2c–e). Later she told the Jerusalem women what she said. For example:
But I responded, “I have taken off my robe…” (NLT) (NET, NJB, NLT, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with more English versions.Some of these versions use present tense for the woman’s words, but they do not use quotation marks, implying that she did not speak them to the man. The GNT is ambiguous because it uses no quotation marks for either the man’s or the woman’s words.

5:3a–d

There are two similar parts in 5:3 (5:3a–b is similar to 5:3c–d). Each part has a statement and a rhetorical question:

^3aI have taken off my robe—

^3bmust I put it back on?

^3cI have washed my feet—

^3dmust I soil them again?

The two parts have similar meanings. The woman implied that she prepared herself for sleeping and got into bed before the man came. In 5:3a–b she said that she already undressed so she did not want to dress again. In 5:3c–d she said that she already washed her feet, so she did not want to make them dirty again. The author repeats these similar meanings to emphasize them.

Some other ways to translate 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d are:

Translate 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d as similar statements. For example:
I had already taken off my robe,
and I did not want to put it on again.
I had already washed my feet,
and I did not want to soil them again.
Combine the actions in 5:3a–b and 5:3c–d as one explanation. For example:
I had already taken off my robe and washed my feet, and/so I did not want to put my robe on again and soil my feet!
Combine 5:3a–b as one statement and 5:3c–d as one question. For example:
But I had already undressed and bathed my feet. Should I dress again and get my feet dirty? (CEV)

Translate these parallel parts of the verse in an emphatic way in your language.

5:3a

I have taken off my robe—

When I heard him, I thought, “I already removed my robe/clothes.
But I was already undressed for bed,

I have taken off my robe: Here the woman explained to the other women the reason that she did not want to get up to open the door for the man. She explained that when the man arrived, she had already removed her clothes and was ready to sleep. The phrase I have taken off my robe is not something that she said to the man. Some other ways to translate this explanation are:

But I was already undressed

I had put off my garment (RSV)

taken off my robe: The phrase that the BSB translates as taken off my robe refers to removing the robe that a person (either male or female) normally wore under other clothes. It was customary to remove this robe when getting into bed to sleep. Use a natural way in your language to refer to removing clothes to prepare to sleep.

5:3b

must I put it back on?

Should I put it/them on again?
and I did not want to dress again.

must I put it back on?: The clause must I put it back on is a rhetorical question. It implies that the woman did not want to put her clothes on again after taking them off to get into bed. She thought that it was too much effort for her to do that. Some other ways to translate this rhetorical question are:

Use a rhetorical question that implies that meaning in your language. For example:
why should I get dressed again? (GNT)
must I put it on again? (REB)
Use a statement. For example:
I have taken off my garment, and I do not want to put it on again.

Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.

5:3c

I have washed my feet—

I already washed my feet.
My feet were clean, ready for bed,

I have washed my feet: Here the woman indicated that she already washed her feet to get into bed. It was common for people to wash their feet even if they did not bathe the rest of their bodies. People commonly went barefoot or wore open sandals, so their feet got dirty from the dust. Another way to translate 5:3c is:

I had already bathed my feet.

5:3d

must I soil them again?

Should I get them dirty again?”
and I did not want to get them dirty again.

must I soil them again: The rhetorical question must I soil them again implies that the woman did not want to get her feet dirty. It does not imply that she was not able to get them dirty. Another way to translate the rhetorical question is:

I did not want to make them dirty again.

General Comment on 5:3

In this verse, the woman was already in bed. She had already washed her feet and removed her garment to get ready to sleep. She was not prepared for the man’s visit, and she was surprised that he came. (The General Comment on 5:5 about myrrh gives more information about preparing for sleep in that culture.)

Parallel SNG 5:3