SNG 5:8 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 adjure you, young women of Yerushalem:
⇔ if you find my dearest, what will you tell him?
⇔ Tell him that I’m sick with love.

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 Ὥρκισα ὑμᾶς θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσι καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ· ἐὰν εὕρητε τὸν ἀδελφιδόν μου, τί ἀπαγγείλητε αὐτῷ; ὅτι τετρωμένη ἀγάπης ἐγώ εἰμι.
(Hōrkisa humas thugateres Hierousalaʸm en tais dunamesi kai en tais isⱪusesi tou agrou; ean heuraʸte ton adelfidon mou, ti apangeilaʸte autōi; hoti tetrōmenaʸ agapaʸs egō eimi. )

BrTr I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and the virtues of the field: if ye should find my kinsman, what are ye to say to him? That I am wounded with love.

ULT I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
⇔ if you find my beloved,
⇔ what will you declare to him?
⇔ Declare to him that sick with love am I.
⇔ 

UST You young women of Jerusalem,
⇔ if you see the man I love, what will you tell him?
⇔ I want you to solemnly promise me that if you see him,
⇔ you will tell him that the way he loves me makes me feel lovesick.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE ⇔ I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
⇔ If you find my beloved,
⇔ that you tell him that I am faint with love.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET O maidens of Jerusalem, I command you –
⇔ If you find my beloved, what will you tell him?
⇔ Tell him that I am lovesick!

LSV I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved—What do you tell him? That I [am] sick with love!

FBV Women of Jerusalem, promise me if you find my love and wonder what you should tell him, tell him I am weak with love.

T4T You young women of Jerusalem,
⇔ I plead with you,
⇔ if you see the man who loves me,
⇔ tell him [DOU] that I am very disappointed that we did not make love.

LEB • I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem ,[fn] if you find my beloved, what will you tell him?
• Tell him that I am lovesick ![fn]

5:? Literally “O daughters of Jerusalem”

5:? Literally “sick with love”

BBE I say to you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you see my loved one, what will you say to him? That I am overcome with love.

Moff O maidens of Jerusalem, I charge you
⇔ if you find my darling
⇔ tell my darling this
⇔ that I am lovesick.

JPS 'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, what will ye tell him? that I am love-sick.'

ASV I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
⇔ If ye find my beloved,
⇔ That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.

DRA I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.

YLT I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved — What do ye tell him? that I [am] sick with love!

Drby I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, ...What will ye tell him? — That I am sick of love.

RV I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
(I adjure you, Oh daughters of Yerusalem, if ye/you_all find my beloved, that ye/you_all tell him, that I am sick of love. )

SLT I adjured you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye shall find my beloved, what ye shall announce to him: I am pierced by love.

Wbstr I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick with love.

KJB-1769 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.[fn]
(I charge you, Oh daughters of Yerusalem, if ye/you_all find my beloved, that ye/you_all tell him, that I am sick of love. )

5.8 that ye: Heb. what, etc

KJB-1611 [fn]I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, if ye find my beloued, that yee tell him, that I am sicke of loue.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

5:8 Heb. what.

Bshps I charge you therfore O ye daughters of Hierusalem, yf ye fynde my beloued, that ye tell hym howe that I am sicke for loue.
(I charge you therefore Oh ye/you_all daughters of Yerusalem, if ye/you_all find my beloved, that ye/you_all tell him how that I am sick for love.)

Gnva I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, if you finde my welbeloued, that you tell him that I am sicke of loue.
(I charge you, Oh daughters of Yerusalem, if you find my well-beloved, that you tell him that I am sick of love. )

Cvdl I charge you therfore (o ye doughters of Ierusalem) yf ye fynde my beloued, that ye tell him, how that I am sick for loue.
(I charge you therefore (o ye/you_all daughters of Yerusalem) if ye/you_all find my beloved, that ye/you_all tell him, how that I am sick for love.)

Wycl Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y biseche you bi an hooli thing, if ye han founde my derlyng, that ye telle to hym, that Y am sijk for loue.
(Ye/You_all daughters of Yerusalem, I beseech/implore you by an holy thing, if ye/you_all have found my darling, that ye/you_all tell to him, that I am sick for love.)

Luth Ich beschwöre euch, ihr Töchter Jerusalems, findet ihr meinen Freund, so saget ihm, daß ich vor Liebe krank liege.
(I invoke/conjure_up you, you(pl)/their/her daughters Yerusalems, finds you(pl)/their/her my friend, so says him, that I before/in_front_of love(n) sick liege.)

ClVg Adjuro vos, filiæ Jerusalem, si inveneritis dilectum meum, ut nuntietis ei quia amore langueo.[fn]
(I_swear/promise you(pl), daughters Yerusalem, when/but_if you(pl)_have_found beloved mine, as news to_him because with_love I_languish. )

5.8 Adjuro vos, filiæ Jerusalem, si inveneritis, etc. Adolescentulæ jam ad aliquam cognitionem promotæ, ad famulos Dei, quos angelicam in terris vitam agere credunt, devote veniunt et eos exorant, ut in tempore suæ orationis Domino se commendent. Vos filiæ Jerusalem supernorum spirituum, qui jam cum Deo regnant. Vel, per filias Jerusalem possumus accipere etiam inferiores in Ecclesia, quos etiam admonent superiores, ut secum quærant: quia quod a pluribus quæritur, quandoque citius reperitur, et, ut ubique charitas dilectionis ostendatur.

5.8 I_swear/promise you(pl), daughters Yerusalem, when/but_if you(pl)_have_found, etc. Adolescentulæ already to some knowledge promotæ, to famulos of_God, which messengers/angelscam in/into/on lands life to_act they_believe, devote they_come and them exorant, as in/into/on at_the_time his/her_own prayers Master himself commendent. You(pl) daughters Yerusalem supernorum of_spirits, who/which already when/with to_God kingdomsnt. Or, through daughters Yerusalem we_can to_receive also inferiores in/into/on Assembly/Church, which also admonent superiores, as with_him they_seek: because that from many is_wanted, sometimes citius findsur, and, as everywhere charity of_love be_shown.

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.

5:8a

O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you,

Women of Jerusalem, “Swear to me
You women of Jerusalem, promise me,
Then I said to the young women of Jerusalem, “Swear/Take an oath that

O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you: The phrase O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, repeats 2:7a–b. It is good to translate it as you did there. For more information, see the Notes on 2:7a–b. This phrase also occurs in 3:5 and 8:4.

In some languages it is more natural to begin the verse with the direct address to the daughters of Jerusalem. For example:

Jerusalem women, I adjure you…

5:8b

if you find my beloved,

that if you find/see my beloved,
if when searching you see my love,

5:8c

tell him I am sick with love.

you will tell him that I feel faint with love.”
tell him that I am lovesick.
you will say to him, ‘Your beloved is overwhelmed with love for you.’ ”

5:8b–c

if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love: When the woman said to the Jerusalem women, if you find my beloved, she implied that she wanted them to help her search for him. She told them a message that they should tell the man if they see him. The words of the message are in 5:8c.

Some other ways to translate 5:8b–c are:

it you find the one I love, please say to him, “She is weak with desire.” (CEV)

if you find my beloved, tell him that I am faint from wanting his love.

tell him I am sick with love: In some languages it may be helpful to translate this indirect quote as a direct quote. For example:

tell him, “The woman you love says that her desire for your love is so strong that she feels faint/sick.”

Say to him, “Your beloved says that she is faint with desire for you.”

sick with love: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as sick can refer to a feeling of weakness or to an actual sickness. In this context the woman indicated that she was so overwhelmed by her feelings of love that she felt weak. She did not imply that she was sick with an illness. She might feel faint or dizzy because of her strong feelings of love. She could be “cured” by seeing her beloved again and enjoying his love.

Some other ways to translate this are:

faint with love (NRSV)

lovesick (NASB)

weak with desire (CEV)

The phrase sick with love also occurs in 2:5c.

General Comment on 5:8

It is possible that 5:8 is still part of the woman’s dream. The dream may continue to the end of the section in 6:3.