SNG 6:1 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) Where did he go, your dearest, most beautiful woman among women?
⇔ Where did he turn, your dearest—let us join you in looking for him.

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 Ποῦ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφιδός σου ἡ καλὴ ἐν γυναιξὶ; ποῦ ἀπέβλεψεν ὁ ἀδελφιδός σου; καὶ ζητήσομεν αὐτὸν μετὰ σοῦ.
(Pou apaʸlthen ho adelfidos sou haʸ kalaʸ en gunaixi; pou apeblepsen ho adelfidos sou; kai zaʸtaʸsomen auton meta sou. )

BrTr Whither is thy kinsman gone, thou beautiful among women? whither has thy kinsman turned aside? tell us, and we will seek him with thee.

ULT Where did he go, your beloved,
⇔ most beautiful woman among women?
⇔ Where did he turn, your beloved,
⇔ and let us seek him with you?
⇔ 

UST You who are the most beautiful of the women,
⇔ where has the man you love gone?
⇔ Tell us which direction he went,
⇔ and we will go with you to search for him.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE Where has your beloved gone, you fairest amongst women?
⇔ Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Where has your beloved gone,
⇔ O most beautiful among women?
⇔ Where has your beloved turned?
⇔ Tell us, that we may seek him with you.

LSV To where has your beloved gone,
O beautiful among women? To where has your beloved turned,
And we seek him with you?

FBV So where has your love gone, most beautiful of women? Which direction did he go so we can look for him with you?

T4T You who are the most beautiful of all the women,
⇔ where has the one who loves you gone?
⇔ If you tell us which [RHQ] direction he went,
⇔ we will go with you to search for him.

LEB No LEB SNG 6:1 verse available

BBE Where is your loved one gone, O most fair among women? Where is your loved one turned away, that we may go looking for him with you?

Moff “And where has your darling gone,
⇔ O fairest of women
⇔ where has your darling wandered,
⇔ that we may look for him too?”
¶ 

JPS 'Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, that we may seek him with thee?'

ASV Whither is thy beloved gone,
⇔ O thou fairest among women?
⇔ Whither hath thy beloved turned him,
⇔ That we may seek him with thee?

DRA My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the bed of aromatical spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

YLT Whither hath thy beloved gone, O fair among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned, And we seek him with thee?

Drby Whither is thy beloved gone, Thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? And we will seek him with thee.

RV Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither hath thy beloved turned him, that we may seek him with thee?
(Whither/Where is thy/your beloved gone, Oh thou/you fairest among women? whither/where hath/has thy/your beloved turned him, that we may seek him with thee/you? )

SLT Where went thy beloved, O beautiful one among women? where turned away thy beloved, and we will seek him with thee.

Wbstr Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

KJB-1769 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
(Whither/Where is thy/your beloved gone, Oh thou/you fairest among women? whither/where is thy/your beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee/you. )

KJB-1611 ¶ Whither is thy beloued gone? O thou fairest among women, whither is thy beloued turned aside? that we may seeke him with thee.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Whyther is thy loue gone then O thou fairest among women? whyther is thy loue departed, and we wyll seke hym with thee?
(Whither/Where is thy/your love gone then Oh thou/you fairest among women? whither/where is thy/your love departed, and we will seek him with thee/you?)

Gnva My welbeloued is gone downe into his garden to the beds of spices, to feede in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
(My well-beloved is gone down into his garden to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. )

Cvdl Whither is thy loue gone the (o thou fayrest amonge weme) whither is thy loue departed, that we maye seke him with the?
(Whither/Where is thy/your love gone the (o thou/you fairest among spot/blemishe) whither/where is thy/your love departed, that we may seek him with the?)

Wycl My derlyng yede doun in to his orcherd, to the gardyn of swete smellynge spices, that he be fed there in orcherdis, and gadere lilyes.
(My darling went down in to his orchard, to the garden of sweet smelling spices, that he be fed there in orchards, and gather lilies.)

Luth Wo ist denn dein Freund hingegangen, o du Schönste unter den Weibern? Wo hat sich dein Freund hingewandt? So wollen wir mit dir ihn suchen.
(Where is because/than your(s) friend went_there, o you(sg) most_beautiful_(one) under the women? Where has itself/yourself/themselves your(s) friend hingewandt? So want we/us with you/to_you(sg) him/it search_for.)

ClVg [Sponsa Dilectus meus descendit in hortum suum ad areolam aromatum, ut pascatur in hortis, et lilia colligat.[fn]
([The_bride Beloved mine came_down in/into/on hortum his_own to areolam spices, as feedur in/into/on the_garden, and lilies neckgat. )

6.1 Dilectus meus. Descendit irrigans fonte baptismi, de alto veniens in humili positos visitavit. Ut nos sursum ascenderemus, Dominus in montem descendit, Moyses in montem ascendit. Cum dixisset. Descendit in hortum, addit qualiter sit idem hortus constitutus, qua fruge fecundus, cum dicit, ad areolam aromatum. Hortus Ecclesia: hortus quælibet fidelis anima. Areola est mens fidelis, quæ disciplina rectæ fidei edocta, quasi æquis lateribus hinc inde est composita: et quasi solerti fossorio creberrime reversata, et a superfluis graminibus expurgata. Respondet piis sanctorum desideriis ac fructuosis operibus eum delectari, ac perfectos quosque castimoniæ virtutibus ad æterna gaudia colligere. Lilia colligit, dum ad perfectorum meritorum candorem pervenientes, de statu ubi erant prius, educit et ad cœlestia regna perducit.

6.1 Beloved mine. I_went_downt irrigans source baptism, from/about high coming in/into/on humble placed visitavit. As us up/above to_ascendmus, Master in/into/on mountain came_down, Moyses in/into/on mountain went_up. Since would_have_said. I_went_downt in/into/on hortum, adds how/as be the_same garden appointed, which fruge fecundus, when/with he_says, to areolam spices. Hortus Assembly/Church: garden whichlibet faithful soul. Areola it_is mind faithful, which discipline rectæ of_faith edocta, as_if equals on_the_sides from_here therefore/from_there it_is composita: and as_if solerti fossorio creberrime returnedta, and from superfluis graminibus expurgata. Respondet piis holy_place desires and fruitosis works him delectari, and perfectos whichque castimoniæ virtues to eternal joys neckgere. Lilia collects, while to perfectorum deservedlyrum whiteness percoming, from/about state where they_were first/before, leads_out and to heaven kingdoms leads.

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 6:1–3 The man was in his garden

In 5:10–16 the woman answered the women’s question by describing the man. Here in 6:1, the women responded with another question. They asked the woman where the man went, and they offered to help her find him (6:1). When she responded in 6:2–3, she said that her beloved was in his garden. (He was not missing.) Maybe she realized where he was when she praised him to the women. She realized that she and her beloved were still committed to each other, as she said in 6:3, “I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me.”

The “garden” in 6:2 is probably a metaphor for the woman. In 4:12–5:1 the man described the woman as a “garden.” In 4:16–5:1 she described herself as “his garden.”

Although 6:1 begins a new chapter, the poetic section continues until 6:3. It is helpful to show in some way that the chapter division does not indicate the end of the poetic section. This may be done with section headings, line breaks, or a footnote.

6:1a

Where has your beloved gone,

Where has your love gone,
Where did your true love go,

Where has your beloved gone: In 5:8 the woman asked the other women to give her beloved a message if they saw him. Because of what she said, the other women thought that she did not know where he was. So in 6:1 they offered to help her find him. They asked her where he went, because they wanted to know where to start their search. This clause is parallel to 6:1c. Some other ways to translate the question are:

where has your lover gone? (GNT)

Which way did your beloved turn (REB)

tell us where he has gone (CEV)

6:1b

O most beautiful among women?

fairest of women?
O woman of rare beauty? (NLT)

O most beautiful among women: The phrase most beautiful among women also occurred in 1:8 and 5:9, and you should translate it the same way in all three verses. For more information, see the notes on 5:9a–b.

6:1c

Which way has he turned?

Tell us which way your true love turned,
Which direction did your love go?

6:1d

We will seek him with you.

so that we may search for him with you?
Tell us, so that we^(excl) can help you find him.

6:1c–d

Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you: In 6:1c–d the Jerusalem women repeated the question that they asked in 6:1a, and then they told their purpose for the question: They wanted to help the woman search for her beloved. They implied that she should tell them which way he went when he left her. Some other ways to translate 6:1c–d are:

Where has your beloved turned? Tell us, that we may seek him with you. (NET)

What direction did he go/take? We want to help you search for him.

Which way has he turned: The clause Which way has he turned is parallel to 6:1a and has a similar meaning. It means “in which direction” or “which way did your beloved go?” Some other ways to translate the clause are:

Tell us which way your lover went (GNT)

Which way did he turn…? (NLT)

General Comment on 6:1

Scholars have different ideas about why the Jerusalem women wanted to help the woman search for the man. Some scholars think that their motives were good, and they wanted to help their friend find him. Other scholars think that they were teasing or mocking her. Others think that they were jealous, or that they only wanted to look at this handsome man. In the context, it seems most likely that their motives were pure and they really wanted to help the woman.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דּוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ וּ⁠נְבַקְשֶׁ֖⁠נּוּ עִמָּֽ⁠ךְ

where gone lover_of,your O,beautiful_[one] among,women where turned lover_of,your so,that,we_may_seek_him with,you

The questions Where did he go, your beloved and Where did he turn, your beloved have basically the same meaning. This question is asked twice, in slightly different ways, for emphasis and poetic effect. This type of repetition is a common feature of Hebrew poetry, and it would be good to retain this repetition if possible. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: [Where did he go, your beloved, most beautiful woman among women? Let us seek him with you] or [Most beautiful woman among women, where did he turn your beloved? Let us seek him with you]

אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דּוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ & אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ

where gone lover_of,your & where turned lover_of,your

Alternate translation: [Where did your beloved go … Where did your beloved turn]

הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים

O,beautiful_[one] among,women

See how you translated the phrase most beautiful woman among women in [1:8](../01/08.md).

אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ

where where turned lover_of,your

Alternate translation: [Which way did your beloved go]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וּ⁠נְבַקְשֶׁ֖⁠נּוּ עִמָּֽ⁠ךְ

so,that,we_may_seek_him with,you

The women of Jerusalem are leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [tell us, so that we can seek him with you] or [tell us, and let us seek him with you]

Parallel SNG 6:1