SNG 5:7 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 Εὕροσάν με οἱ φύλακες οἱ κυκλοῦντες ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἐπάταξάν με, ἐτραυμάτισάν με· ᾖραν τὸ θέριστρόν μου ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ φύλακες τῶν τειχέων.
(Heurosan me hoi fulakes hoi kuklountes en taʸ polei, epataxan me, etraumatisan me; aʸran to theristron mou apʼ emou fulakes tōn teiⱪeōn. )

BrTr The watchmen that go their rounds in the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

ULT The guards going about in the city found me.
⇔ They beat me and wounded me;
⇔ they lifted my shawl from me, the guards of the walls.

UST The city watchmen saw me while they were walking around the city.
⇔ They struck me and bruised me
⇔ because they thought I was a prostitute;
⇔ those watchmen who were guarding the city walls took my robe that was on me.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE The watchmen who go about the city found me.
⇔ They beat me.
⇔ They bruised me.
⇔ The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city.
⇔ They beat me, they bruised me;
⇔ they took away my cloak, those watchmen on the walls!

LSV The watchmen who go around the city,
Found me, struck me, wounded me,
Keepers of the walls lifted up my veil from off me.

FBV The watchmen found me as they went through the city. They beat me, they hurt me, and stole my cloak, those watchmen of the walls.

T4T The city watchmen saw me while they were walking around the city.
⇔ They beat me and wounded me
⇔ because they thought I must be a prostitute;
⇔ those men who were guarding the city walls took my robe.

LEB • The sentinels making rounds in the city found me; they beat me, they wounded me;
• they took my cloak[fn] away from me—
• those sentinels on the walls ![fn]

5:? Or “mantle”

5:? Literally “the sentinels of the walls”

BBE The keepers who go about the town overtook me; they gave me blows and wounds; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

Moff The watchmen met me on their rounds,
⇔ struck me and wounded me
⇔ they robbed me of my mantle
⇔ these warders of the walls.

JPS The watchmen that go about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.

ASV The watchmen that go about the city found me,
⇔ They smote me, they wounded me;
⇔ The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.

DRA The keepers that go about the city found me: they struck me: and wounded me: the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

YLT The watchmen who go round about the city, Found me, smote me, wounded me, Keepers of the walls lifted up my veil from off me.

Drby The watchmen that went about the city found me; They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

RV The watchmen that go about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.
(The watchmen that go about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers/watchmen of the walls took away my mantle from me. )

SLT They watching going round about in the city, found me; they struck me, they wounded me: they watching the wall took away my veil from me.

Wbstr The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my vail from me.

KJB-1769 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
(The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers/watchmen of the walls took away my veil from me. )

KJB-1611 The watchmen that went about the citie, found me, they smote me, they wounded me, the keepers of the walles tooke away my vaile from me.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps So the watchmen that went about the citie, founde me, smote me, and wounded me: yea they that kept the walles toke away my kerchaffe from me.
(So the watchmen that went about the city, found me, smote me, and wounded me: yea they that kept the walls took away my kerchaff from me.)

Gnva The watchmen that went about the citie, founde me: they smote me and wounded me: the watchmen of the walles tooke away my vaile from me.
(The watchmen that went about the city, found me: they smote me and wounded me: the watchmen of the walls took away my veil from me. )

Cvdl So the watchmen that wente aboute the cite, foude me, smote me, and wounded me: Yee they that kepte the walles, toke awaye my garmet fro me.
(So the watchmen that went about the city, found me, smote me, and wounded me: Ye/You_all they that kept the walls, took away my garment from me.)

Wycl Keperis that cumpassiden the citee founden me; thei smytiden me, and woundiden me; the keperis of wallis token awey my mentil.
(Keepers/Watchmen that compassed/surrounded the city found me; they smote me, and wounded me; the keepers/watchmen of walls token away my mantle.)

Luth Es fanden mich die Hüter, die in der Stadt umgehen, die schlugen mich wund; die Hüter auf der Mauer nahmen mir meinen Schleier.
(It found me the guardian, the in the/of_the city evade/avoid, the hit/beat(v) me sore/raw; the guardian on/in/to the/of_the wall took to_me my veil.)

ClVg Invenerunt me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem; percusserunt me, et vulneraverunt me. Tulerunt pallium meum mihi custodes murorum.[fn]
(They_found me keepers/guards who/which circumeunt the_city; they_struck me, and vulneraverunt me. Tulerunt cloak mine to_me keepers/guards wallrum. )

5.7 Tulerunt pallium. GREG. Pallium tollunt prædicatores, quando, si quid pompæ sæcularis residuum erat, ab anima auferunt, vel, si quod peccatum per ignorantiam inerat, detegunt.

5.7 Tulerunt pallium. GREG. Pallium tollunt preachers, quando, when/but_if what pompæ secular residuum was, away the_soul auferunt, or, when/but_if that sin through ignorance inerat, detegunt.

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.

5:7a

I encountered the watchmen

The city guards found me,
The sentinels saw me

5:7b

on their rounds of the city.

while they patrolled the city.
while they were walking around to check that the city was safe/secure.

5:7a–b

Here in 5:7a–b the author repeated the words in 3:3a–b exactly. It is good to translate them in the same way in both places. The notes here in 5:7a–b are the same as the notes for 3:3a–b except for some minor changes.

I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city: The text indicates that as the woman searched for her beloved around the town at night, the watchmen saw her. The text does not imply that they were searching for her. One way to translate this meaning is:

^7bAs the people who guard the town walked through it, ^7athey saw me.

Notice that this example changes the order of 5:7a and 5:7b. Use a natural order in your language.

watchmen: The watchmen were men who guarded the city. They walked in it at night to ensure that people were safe from dangers. It is uncertain what symbolic meaning the author wanted to imply by the word watchmen here. In this verse they treated the woman differently from the way they treated her in 3:3. In 3:3 they were polite, but here they treated her roughly and hurt her.

In some languages it may be helpful to introduce the watchmen as you did in 3:3. For example:

There were some watchmen who guarded the city. They saw me as they walked through the streets.

The city guards were walking through the streets, and they met/saw me.

However, in other languages, it may not be necessary to introduce the watchmen again, if they were introduced in 3:3a–b.

5:7c

They beat me and bruised me;

They beat me! They injured me!
But they hit me and hurt me.

They beat me and bruised me: The watchmen beat the woman so that she was hurt. The beating caused her to be bruised or wounded. She did not expect the watchmen to do that because their job was to keep the people in the city safe. In 3:4 the watchmen did not help her find her beloved, but here in 5:7 they did worse than that and actually hurt her.Some scholars suggest that the watchmen thought that the woman was a prostitute because she was wandering around town at night. If that is true, the text may imply that they thought that she was a bad person and thought that punishing her was part of their job.

Some other ways to translate 5:7c are:

They beat me, they wounded me (RSV)

They hit me and hurt me (NCV)

In some languages it is more natural to use a single emphatic phrase to translate 5:7c. For example:

they caused me great injury

they hurt me badly

5:7d

they took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls.

They took my coat/robe away from me. That is what those city guards did to me!
Then those men who should guard people in the city took away the veil that covered me.

they took away my cloak: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as cloak occurs only twice in the OT. It refers to an item of clothing that is used to cover a person’s head or body. It is sometimes translated as “mantle,” “robe,” or “veil.” In the woman’s culture it was the custom for women to wear such a cloak or veil in public. By taking it away from her, the watchmen insulted and embarrassed her, in addition to beating her.

Some other ways to translate they took away my cloak are:

and stripped off my cloak (REB)

tore off my veil (NLT96)

those guardians of the walls: The phrase, those guardians of the walls, refers again to the watchmen whom the author introduced in 5:7a. He refers to them again here at the end of the verse to emphasize that their actions were wrong. They were supposed to watch for dangers and keep people safe, but instead they injured a person whom they ought to protect. The repetition emphasizes that such actions by watchmen are unjust. Some other ways to translate 5:7f are:

This is what those watchmen of the city walls did to me!

Emphasize this phrase in a natural way in your language.

General Comment on 5:7

The way that the watchmen treated the woman and the way she responded are probably symbolic actions. They imply that love has power to overcome everything that tries to end it. The watchmen wounded the woman while she searched for her beloved. But she endured danger and pain to search for the man because she loved him. This theme is repeated in 8:6–7, which is part of the Song’s climax.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

מְצָאֻ֧⁠נִי הַ⁠שֹּׁמְרִ֛ים הַ⁠סֹּבְבִ֥ים בָּ⁠עִ֖יר

they,found_me the,watchmen [who]_go,around in,city

See how you translated the sentence The guards going about in the city found me in [3:3](../03/03.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

הִכּ֣וּ⁠נִי פְצָע֑וּ⁠נִי נָשְׂא֤וּ אֶת־רְדִידִ⁠י֙ מֵֽ⁠עָלַ֔⁠י שֹׁמְרֵ֖י הַ⁠חֹמֽוֹת

they,struck_me they,wounded_me took_away DOM shawl_of,my from,on,me sentinels_of of,the_walls

If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: [The guards of the walls beat me and wounded me; they lifted my shawl from me]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הִכּ֣וּ⁠נִי פְצָע֑וּ⁠נִי

they,struck_me they,wounded_me

The reason that the city watchmen beat and wounded the woman is because they thought she was a prostitute. You could include this information if it would be helpful to your readers.

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

אֶת־רְדִידִ⁠י֙

DOM shawl_of,my

The word translated as shawl could refer to: (1) a light article of clothing like a robe or cloak that was worn as an outer garment and wrapped around the body. Alternate translation: [my cloak] (2) a large veil. Alternate translation: [my veil]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שֹׁמְרֵ֖י הַ⁠חֹמֽוֹת

sentinels_of of,the_walls

The men called the guards of the walls are the same men as “The guards going about in the city” mentioned earlier in the verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [those guards who were going about in the city guarding the walls]

Parallel SNG 5:7