SNG 6:10 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) ⇔ “Who is that, the woman who looks down like the dawn,
⇔ beautiful like the moon,
⇔ pure like the sun,
⇔ awe-inspiring like armies marching with banners?”

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 Τίς αὕτη ἡ ἐκκύπτουσα ὡσεὶ ὄρθρος, καλὴ ὡς σελήνη, ἐκλεκτὴ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, θάμβος ὡς τεταγμέναι;
(Tis hautaʸ haʸ ekkuptousa hōsei orthros, kalaʸ hōs selaʸnaʸ, eklektaʸ hōs ho haʸlios, thambos hōs tetagmenai; )

BrTr Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as armies set in array?

ULT “Who is that, the woman who looks down like the dawn,
⇔ beautiful like the moon,
⇔ pure like the sun,
⇔ awe-inspiring like bannered armies?”
⇔ 

UST Look at this woman who appears like the dawn,
⇔ who is as beautiful to look at as the moon,
⇔ who is radiant like the sun,
⇔ who is as exciting and majestic to look at as an army with banners!

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE ⇔ Who is she who looks out as the morning,
⇔ beautiful as the moon,
⇔ clear as the sun,
⇔ and awesome as an army with banners?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “Who is this who appears like the dawn?
⇔ Beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
⇔ awe-inspiring as the stars in procession?”

LSV “Who [is] this that is looking forth as morning,
Beautiful as the moon—clear as the sun,
Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts?”

FBV Who is this who is like the dawn shining down from above, beautiful as the moon, bright as the shining sun? You look stunning![fn]

6:10 The same word is used as in 6:4.

T4T Who is [RHQ] this woman who is as delightful as [SIM] the dawn,
⇔ as fair/delightful to look at as the light of the moon,
⇔ as exciting as a group/battalion of troops holding up their banners?

LEB • “Who is this that looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon,
• bright as the sun ,[fn][fn]
• overwhelming as an army with banners ?”[fn]

6:? Literally “pure as the glow”

6:? Or “bright as the heat of the sun.” The Hebrew term “glow” poetically refers to the bright rays of the sun (Psa 19:7; Isa 24:23 ; 30:26 )

6:? Literally “terrible as the bannered ones”

BBE Who is she, looking down as the morning light, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, who is to be feared like an army with flags?

Moff “Who is this, glowing like the dawn,
⇔ fair as the moon
⇔ clear as the sun
⇔ overawing like an army with banners?”
¶ 

JPS Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?

ASV ⇔ Who is she that looketh forth as the morning,
⇔ Fair as the moon,
⇔ Clear as the sun,
⇔ Terrible as an army with banners?

DRA I went down into the garden of nuts, to see the fruits of the valleys, and to look if the vineyard had flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

YLT 'Who [is] this that is looking forth as morning, Fair as the moon — clear as the sun, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts?'

Drby Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, Terrible as troops with banners?

RV Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?
(Who is she that looketh/looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners? )

SLT Who this looking forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, a terror as those being furnished with banners?

Wbstr Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

KJB-1769 ¶ Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
(¶ Who is she that looketh/looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? )

KJB-1611 ¶ Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, faire as the moone, cleare as the sunne, and terrible as an armie with banners?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps What is she this that loketh foorth as the mornyng, faire as the moone, cleare as the sunne, and fearfull as an armie of men with their banners?
(What is she this that looketh/looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and fearful as an army of men with their banners?)

Gnva I went downe to the garden of nuttes, to see the fruites of the valley, to see if the vine budded, and if the pomegranates flourished.
(I went down to the garden of nuts, to see the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine budded, and if the pomegranates flourished. )

Cvdl What is she this, that pepeth out as the mornynge? fayre as the Moone, excellent as the Sonne, glorious as an armye of men with their banners?
(What is she this, that peepeth/peeps out as the morning? fair as the Moon, excellent as the Son, glorious as an army of men with their banners?)

Wycl Y cam doun in to myn orcherd, to se the applis of grete valeis, and to biholde, if vyneris hadden flourid, and if pumgranate trees hadden buriowned.
(I came down in to mine orchard, to see the apples of great valleys, and to behold, if vineries/vineyards had flowered, and if pomegranate trees had buriowned.)

Luth Wer ist, die hervorbricht wie die Morgenröte, schön wie der Mond, auserwählt wie die Sonne, schrecklich wie die Heerspitzen?
(Who is, the erupts as/like the dawn, beautiful as/like the/of_the moon, chosen as/like the sun, terrible as/like the army_leaders?)

ClVg Sponsa Descendi in hortum nucum, ut viderem poma convallium, et inspicerem si floruisset vinea, et germinassent mala punica.[fn]
(The_bride I_went_down in/into/on hortum nucum, as I_would_see apples fallow, and inspicerem when/but_if floruisset vineyard, and germinassent evil punica. )

6.10 Descendi in hortum nucum, etc. Judæa admirante agones Ecclesiæ, et inquirente; ipse sponsus perhibet testimonium Ecclesiæ. Vel, dicantur esse verba Ecclesiæ, quæ annuit Synagogæ se laudanti, et continuo insinuat, quæ sit sibi causa apparatus militaris, respondens ex voce doctorum, ducum videlicet suæ spiritualis militiæ.

6.10 I_went_down in/into/on hortum nucum, etc. Yudea admirante agones Assemblies/Churches, and inquirente; exactly_that/himself groom perhibet testimony Assemblies/Churches. Or, let_them_be_called to_be words Assemblies/Churches, which annuit Synagogæ himself they_praisei, and continuously suggests, which be to_himself cause apparatus militaris, responding from voice of_teachers, ducum that_is/namely his/her_own spiritual military.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:4–8:4: The man praised the woman and sang about springtime

In this section the man described the woman in two separate speeches (6:4–10 and 7:1–10). Some verses are difficult to understand, especially 6:11–13, and it is important to think about them carefully. The woman responded to the man in 7:11 and continued to speak to the end of the section at 8:4.

The verse numbering in the Hebrew text is different from the BSB and a majority of English versions. The Hebrew text begins chapter 7 where the BSB begins 6:13, so in chapter 7 the verses in the Hebrew text are one number higher than the verse numbers in the BSB. For example, 6:13–7:13 in the BSB is 7:1–14 in the Hebrew text (and also in the NJB and NJPS). It is helpful to be aware that some commentaries follow the Hebrew verse numbering. The Notes will follow the verse numbers in the BSB (along with the majority of English versions).

Paragraph 6:4–10 The man described the woman

In 6:4–10, the man spoke to the woman. In 6:4–7, he spoke directly to her with forms like “you” and “your.” But in 6:8–10, he spoke about her, using forms like “she” and “her.” In 6:10 the man probably quoted what the other women said to praise her beauty.

This section begins and ends with the same phrase. The BSB translates the phrase in 6:4c as “as majestic as troops with banners,” and in 6:10 it repeats this phrase. However, the context is different, so scholars are not certain whether the meaning of the phrase is the same or different in the two verses. The notes for 6:10 will discuss this issue.

In 6:4–10 the man sang his second praise song to describe the woman. This song is similar in some ways to his first praise song in 4:1–5, and it repeats some portions of that song. However, here his words seem less intimate. In 4:9 the man indicated that she is superior to all other women.

6:10

This verse is a rhetorical question. Scholars differ about who asked the question. (Some versions indicate the speaker by punctuation or by headings, and some do not indicate the speaker.) The main views about who asked the question are:

The “maidens,” “queens” and “concubines” (6:9) asked the question. For example, the NCV has the heading:
The Young Women Praise the Woman (NCV) Other versions introduce the question with a colon or with a comma and quotation marks after mentioning the women as the speaker. For example:
queens and…concubines sing her praises: “Who is this, arising like the dawn…” (NLT) (CEV, NASB, NET, NJB, NLT ESV, RSV)
The man asked the question. For example, the GNT has a heading in 6:4 that indicates that the man speaks in 6:4–12. The heading says:
The Man (REB, GNT)
A chorus or friends asked the question. For example, the GW has the heading (4:10):
The chorus of young women (GW) (BSB, GW, NCV, NIV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with a majority of English versions. Since 6:9 mentioned that the women praised the bride, it is natural for 6:10 to tell what they said when they praised her. Some versions that follow interpretation (1) indicate that the man speaks in 4–10, but in verse 10 he quoted what the women said to praise the woman.

6:10a–d

Who is this who shines like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as the stars in procession?: This verse is a long rhetorical question that has four parts. It functions as an exclamation to praise the woman and her beauty. Some ways to translate this long rhetorical question are:

Translate it as a question and a response. For example:
Who is this young woman? She looks like the dawn. She is beautiful like the moon, pure like the sun, awe-inspiring like those heavenly bodies. (GW)
Translate it as an exclamation and one or more statements. For example:
This lovely woman is amazing! She is glorious like the dawn, lovely as the moon, bright like the sun, and majestic like the stars arranged in the sky.

Translate the verse in a natural way in your language. In the question the Jerusalem women used four figures of speech to describe the woman. They compared her beauty to the dawn, the sun, the moon, and the stars arranged in the sky. They did this to indicate how glorious the woman was. They did not intend to give a realistic description.

For another example of how to translate this verse, see the General Comment on 6:10 at the end of the notes for 6:10d.

6:10a

Who is this who shines like the dawn,

“Who is this woman who appears like the dawn,
“She shines like the dawn!

Who is this who shines like the dawn: This is a rhetorical question. The first part of the question, Who is this, is also used to begin the rhetorical questions in 3:6 and 8:5. The form of the word this obviously refers to the woman. In 3:6 and 8:5 she came up from the wilderness.

Here the women praised her by comparing her to the way the dawn comes and shines in the sky. In some languages people do not say that the dawn “shines” or “looks down (forth)” from the sky. They use other ways to describe the dawn. For example:

like the sun brightening the sky in the early morning

glows/shines like the dawning day

brings light/whiteness to the earth

like the dawn: The dawn is the time of day before the sun rises. There is glowing light and color in the sky which show that the sun is about to come up. Languages have different ways to describe this time of day. There may be poetic ways to describe the brightness and colors in the sky at this time.

Refer to the dawn in a natural and poetic way. See the preceding note for more translation examples.

6:10b

as fair as the moon,

beautiful as the moon,
She is as beautiful as the moon,

as fair as the moon: The expression fair as the moon indicates that the woman is as beautiful as the moon (probably a full moon). Some other ways to translate this comparison are:

glorious as the moon (CEV)

as lovely as the moon

As beautiful as the full moon (NASB)

6:10c

as bright as the sun,

brilliant like the sun,
and as radiant as the sun!

as bright as the sun: The phrase bright as the sun is a figure of speech. It compares the woman to the way the sun shines with strong light. It implies that she was beautiful and majestic like the sun.

The comparison does not imply that the woman really shone with a bright light or that she looked like the sun. It implies that she was like the sun that blesses people. The man felt blessed when he was with her.

Some other ways to translate the comparison are:

bringing light/blessing like the sun does

as radiant/dazzling as the sun

bright: The word that the BSB translates as bright is literally “pure” in Hebrew. But when it is used to describe the sun, it refers to a radiant light.

6:10d

as majestic as the stars in procession?

majestic like the stars that fill the heavens/skies?”
She is as awesome as the starry hosts!”

In the Hebrew text the phrase in 6:10d is identical to the phrase in 6:4c. The two phrases form an inclusio for 6:4–10. In Hebrew the phrase in both verses is literally “majestic as hosts with banners.” However, the contexts are different, and many scholars interpret the phrase in a different way here: There are different ways to interpret both the word “terrible” and the phrase “an army with banners:”

as majestic as the stars in procession: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as as majestic as the stars in procession is literally “hosts with banners.” The author also used it in 6:4, but he uses it a different way here. In 6:4 it referred to an army, but here it refers to the sun, moon, and stars. (For information on how it is used in 6:4, see the note on 6:4c.)

In Hebrew the same word is used to refer to many soldiers and to the many stars in the sky. In this context the author has already mentioned the dawn, the sun, and the moon, so it is best to translate “hosts” here as referring to the stars. In the OT when the sun and moon occur with another noun, that noun usually refers to the “stars.”

In many languages it is necessary to use a different word than you used in 6:4. For example:

awe-inspiring as the stars in procession (NET)

majestic as the stars in procession: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as majestic occurs only three times in the Old Testament. Two of those are in the Song, in 6:4 and here in 6:10. In 6:4 it referred to being as awe-inspiring as an army of soldiers, Here it refers to being as awe-inspiring as the stars as they are arranged in the sky.

It is important to use a word that is appropriate to describe stars. So in many languages it is necessary to use a different word here than you used in 6:4. For example:

majestic as the starry heavens (REB)

awesome as all the stars gathered in the sky

she dazzles like the groups/constellations of stars

Be sure to translate this as a compliment to the woman. The man used the word to indicate that the woman was awe-inspiring, and he respected and loved her.In the other OT context, Habakkuk 1:7, the word is used to describe an enemy army. But in this context it should be translated “awesome” (ESV) or “majestic” (NIV).

As the note on 6:10 explained, this verse is a rhetorical question that functions as an exclamation. It expresses praise and awe that the woman was so beautiful. In some languages it is more natural to translate this as an exclamation. For example:

You glow like the dawn!

You are as beautiful as the moon

and bright as the sun—

You are as awesome as the stars in the sky!

General Comment on 6:10

These comparisons of the woman with the beautiful lights in the sky do not imply that she actually looks like those lights. The comparisons imply that the woman made the man feel the same awe as he felt when he looked at the lights in the sky. Another way to translate this meaning is:

When I look at you, I feel awed/amazed like someone looking at the sunrise, or the beautiful moon, or the brilliant sun, or the amazing/splendid arrangement of stars in the sky.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / extrainfo

מִי־זֹ֥את הַ⁠נִּשְׁקָפָ֖ה כְּמוֹ־שָׁ֑חַר יָפָ֣ה כַ⁠לְּבָנָ֗ה בָּרָה֙ כַּֽ⁠חַמָּ֔ה אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּ⁠נִּדְגָּלֽוֹת

who? this(f) [is]_the,[one_who]_looks_down like dawn beautiful like,moon bright like,sun awesome like_(the)_[hosts],banners

The author does not say who is speaking here so you should not indicate explicitly who is speaking in the text of your translation. However, if you are using section headers, the speaker or speakers could be: (1) the man speaking to the woman he loves. You can follow the example of the UST and include this verse under the section heading for 6:4-10 that indicates the man is speaking. (2) the “daughters,” the “queens,” and the “concubines” mentioned in the previous verse. You can use a phrase for the section header such as “The daughters, the queens, and the concubines praise the woman” or “The other women praise the woman” or something comparable.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

who? this(f) [is]_the,[one_who]_looks_down like dawn beautiful like,moon bright like,sun awesome like_(the)_[hosts],banners

The man is not asking for information but is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [Look at this woman who looks down like the dawn, beautiful like the moon, pure like the sun, terrifying like the bannered army!]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

הַ⁠נִּשְׁקָפָ֖ה כְּמוֹ־שָׁ֑חַר

[is]_the,[one_who]_looks_down like dawn

Here the man speaks of the woman and compares her to the sun as it dawns in the morning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the woman who shines like the sun as it rises early in the morning and brightens the sky] or [the woman who shines like the sun as it rises early in the morning and shines down from the sky]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

הַ⁠נִּשְׁקָפָ֖ה כְּמוֹ־שָׁ֑חַר יָפָ֣ה כַ⁠לְּבָנָ֗ה בָּרָה֙ כַּֽ⁠חַמָּ֔ה

[is]_the,[one_who]_looks_down like dawn beautiful like,moon bright like,sun

Here the man first says that the woman is like the sun in the morning as it dawns. He then says that her beauty is like the beauty of the moon. He then compares the woman’s radiance to the radiance of the sun. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state these comparisons explicitly.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּ⁠נִּדְגָּלֽוֹת

awesome like_(the)_[hosts],banners

See how you translated the identical phrase awe-inspiring like bannered armies in [6:4](../06/04.md).

Parallel SNG 6:10