SNG 6:11 Parallel Verse View

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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 Εἰς κῆπον καρύας κατέβην ἰδεῖν ἐν γεννήμασι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου, ἰδεῖν εἰ ἤνθησεν ἡ ἄμπελος, ἐξήνθησαν αἱ ῥοαί·
(Eis kaʸpon karuas katebaʸn idein en gennaʸmasi tou ⱪeimaɽɽou, idein ei aʸnthaʸsen haʸ ampelos, exaʸnthaʸsan hai ɽoai; )

BrTr I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine flowered, if the pomegranates blossomed.

ULT To the garden of the nut tree I went down,
⇔ to look at the green shoots of the valley,
⇔ to see—had the vine budded?
⇔ Had the pomegranates bloomed?

UST I went down to the walnut tree orchard
⇔ to look at the new plants that were growing in the valley.
⇔ I wanted to see if the grapevines had budded
⇔ and if the pomegranate trees were blooming.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE ⇔ I went down into the nut tree grove,
⇔ to see the green plants of the valley,
⇔ to see whether the vine budded,
⇔ and the pomegranates were in flower.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I went down to the orchard of walnut trees,
⇔ to look for the blossoms of the valley,
⇔ to see if the vines had budded
⇔ or if the pomegranates were in bloom.

LSV To a garden of nuts I went down,
To look on the buds of the valley,
To see to where the vine had flourished,
The pomegranates had blossomed—

FBV I went down to the walnut orchard to see if the trees were in leaf in the valley, to find out whether the grapevines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.

T4T I went down to some walnut trees
⇔ to look at the new plants that were growing in the valley.
⇔ I wanted to see if the grapevines had budded
⇔ or if the pomegranate trees were blooming.

LEB • I went down to the orchard of the walnut trees to look at the blossoms of the valley,
• to see whether the vines have sprouted,
• whether the pomegranates have blossomed.

BBE I went down into the garden of nuts to see the green plants of the valley, and to see if the vine was in bud, and the pomegranate-trees were in flower.

Moff Down I went to the walnut-bower,
⇔ to see the green plants of the dale,
⇔ to see if the vines were a-bud- ding,
⇔ and the pomegranates in flower.

JPS I went down into the garden of nuts, to look at the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.

ASV ⇔ I went down into the garden of nuts,
⇔ To see the green plants of the valley,
⇔ To see whether the vine budded,
⇔ And the pomegranates were in flower.

DRA I knew not: my soul troubled me for the chariots of Aminadab.

YLT Unto a garden of nuts I went down, To look on the buds of the valley, To see whither the vine had flourished, The pomegranates had blossomed —

Drby I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the verdure of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, Whether the pomegranates blossomed.

RV I went down into the garden of nuts, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.

SLT I went down into the garden of nuts to look upon the greens of the valley, to see whether the vine was fruitful, whether the pomegranates blossomed.

Wbstr I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

KJB-1769 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

KJB-1611 I went downe into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranats budded.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps I went downe into the nut garden to see what grewe by the brookes, and to loke yf the vineyarde florished, or yf the pomegranates were not foorth.
(I went down into the nut garden to see what grew by the brooks, and to look if the vineyard flourished, or if the pomegranates were not forth.)

Gnva I knewe nothing, my soule set me as the charets of my noble people.
(I knew nothing, my soul set me as the chariots of my noble people. )

Cvdl I wente downe in to the nutt garden, to se what grew by the brokes, to loke yf the vynyarde florished, and yf the pomgranates were shot forth.
(I went down in to the nut garden, to see what grew by the brooks, to look if the vineyard flourished, and if the pomegranates were shot forth.)

Wycl Y knew not; my soule disturblide me, for the charis of Amynadab.
(I knew not; my soul disturbed me, for the chariots of Amynadab.)

Luth Ich bin hinab in den Nußgarten gegangen, zu schauen die Sträuchlein am Bach, zu schauen, ob der Weinstock blühete, ob die Granatäpfel grüneten.
(I am down in the nut_garden went/gone, to/for look the bushes in/at/on_the stream(n), to/for look, if/whether the/of_the vine bloomed, if/whether the pomegranates greened.)

ClVg Nescivi: anima mea conturbavit me, propter quadrigas Aminadab.[fn]
(Nescivi: the_soul my conturbavit me, because quadrigas Aminadab. )

6.11 Nescivi, anima mea. Dum sic spon sus, vel ipsa Ecclesia, labores suos evangelicos Synagogæ miranti prædicat: illa salubri pœnitudine compuncta, profitetur se causa profanæ cæcitatis diutius aberrasse. Conturbavit me. Propter evangelicam Ecclesiæ prædicationem, per quatuor mundi partes velociter discurrentem, et quatuor rotis fidei innitentem: unde et a quatuor personis scriptum fuit; sed illi quatuor equi eodem spiritu ad bellum unum currum trahunt.

6.11 Nescivi, the_soul my. While so spon sus, or herself Assembly/Church, with_hard_works his_own evangelicos Synagogæ miranti preach: that healthy pœnitudine compuncta, profitetur himself cause profanæ blindness longer/too_long aberrasse. Conturbavit me. Because gospelm Assemblies/Churches preaching, through four world parts quickly discurrentem, and four rotis of_faith innitentem: from_where/who and from four personis written it_was; but them four equi the_same in_spirit to war one currum trahunt.

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 6:11–13 She went to the orchard and imagined her beloved as a prince

It is difficult to be certain about who speaks in 6:11–13. There are also several ways to interpret the verses, and English versions vary greatly. The Notes recommends an interpretation that agrees with the author’s themes throughout the Song, and in general it follows the BSB text. The Notes for these verses include suggestions for footnotes that translators may include to tell readers the different interpretation options.

6:11

The woman went down to the orchard to see if the trees and vines had new buds and blossoms. Buds and blossoms show that the season of new growth was beginning. This season is called by different names in different areas of the world. It may be called “rainy season” or “spring.” It is the time when plants grow quickly. This growth probably symbolizes that the love between the man and woman was growing.

6:11a

I went down to the walnut grove

I went down to the walnut orchard/farm
I walked down to the farm/grove where the nut trees are

I went down to the walnut grove: The woman walked down to the walnut grove. The word down implies that the grove was located on lower ground than the place from which she started walking. Probably a stream or a spring was there to water the garden.

The English phrase went down is one word in Hebrew. In some languages it is not natural to specify that the woman went down. If that is true in your language, it is fine to use a more general word or phrase. For example:

I went to the grove of nut trees

I went out to the farm/place where the nut trees grow

walnut grove: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as walnut grove is literally “garden of nuts.” The author used a Hebrew word for “nut” that occurs only once in the Old Testament. It probably refers specifically to the type of nut called walnut. Here is another way to translate this:

orchard of walnut trees (NET)

If walnuts are not known in your area, you may use a general term. For example:

nut trees

walnut: A walnut is a dry, edible, one-seeded fruit that usually is encased within a woody, hard shell.

6:11b

to see the blossoms of the valley,

in the valley to look at the blossoms,
so that I could see what is blooming there.

to see the blossoms of the valley: The clause to see the blossoms of the valley tells the woman’s purpose for going down to the nut orchard in 6:11a. The text implies that the valley is the same place as the walnut grove in 6:11a. In some languages it may be confusing to use two different words to refer to the place. Other ways to translate the meaning are:

to see what is blooming there

blossoms: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as blossoms refers to “green shoots” or “new growth.” This is a general term for new plant growth that can refer to different types of blooms. It can refer to the type of buds that appear on vines (6:11c) and also to the blooms on pomegranates (6:11d). Some other ways to translate the term are:

new growth (NIV)

plants beginning to blossom

6:11c

to see if the vines were budding

to see if the grape vines had budded,
I wanted to look for buds on the grape vines

to see if the vines were budding: The phrase to see if the vines were budding is similar to 6:11b. It tells more about the woman’s purpose for going to the nut grove. She went to see if buds were already on the grape vines. Such buds indicate that the season of new growth has started. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

to look for buds on the vines (NCV)

to see whether the grapevines were budding

Use a natural way in your language to describe this.

6:11d

or the pomegranates were in bloom.

and if the pomegranate trees/bushes were in bloom.
and blooms/blossoms on the fruit trees.

or the pomegranates were in bloom: This phrase is parallel to 6:11c. It tells something else that the woman wanted to see in the valley. She wanted to see if the pomegranate trees had started to bloom. Some other ways to translate it are:

and if the pomegranate trees were blossoming

and whether the pomegranate trees had flowers

and the blossoms on the pomegranate trees (GNT)

pomegranates: Here the word pomegranates refers to a type of small tree that produces red fruits. Both the tree and the fruits of the tree can be called “pomegranates.” In 4:3 and 6:7 the author compared the woman’s cheeks to this fruit.

Here the author focused on the time when the trees produce blossoms. Later these blossoms develop into fruits. For more information on pomegranate trees and a picture of pomegranates, see the note on 4:3c.

General Comment on 6:11a–d

In some languages it is more natural to combine some parts of this verse or to use more general expressions. For example:

^11a-bI went down to see if blossoms were on the walnut trees, ^11cgrapevines, ^11dand fruit trees. (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

אֶל־גִּנַּ֤ת אֱגוֹז֙ יָרַ֔דְתִּי

to/towards orchard_of nut_trees went_down

The speaker is using the possessive form to describe an area where walnut trees grow. If your language would not use a possessive form for this, you could clarify the relationship for your readers. Alternate translation: [To the nut tree garden I went down] or [To the place where walnut trees grow, I went down]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

אֶל־גִּנַּ֤ת אֱגוֹז֙ יָרַ֔דְתִּי

to/towards orchard_of nut_trees went_down

If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: [I went down to the garden of the nut tree]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / go

יָרַ֔דְתִּי

went_down

Your language may say “gone” rather than went in a context such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: [I had gone down]

Parallel SNG 6:11