SNG 6:3 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=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) I belong to my dearest, and my dearest belongs to me.
⇔ He grazes among the lilies.

6:3 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

6:3 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

6:3 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

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 Ἐγὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου, καὶ ἀδελφιδός μου ἐμοί, ὁ ποιμαίνων ἐν τοῖς κρίνοις.
(Egō tōi adelfidōi mou, kai adelfidos mou emoi, ho poimainōn en tois krinois. )

ULT I belong to my beloved, and my beloved belongs to me;
⇔ he grazes among the lilies.
⇔ 

UST I belong to the man I love, and he belongs to me.
⇔ He feels pleasure when he is near me,
⇔ as a gazelle does when eating among lilies.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

CSB I am my love’s and my love is mine; he feeds among the lilies. Man

NLT I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies. Young Man

NIV I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies.

CEV I am his, and he is mine, as he feeds his sheep among the lilies.

ESV I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies.

NASB “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”

LSB I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who shepherds his flock among the lilies.”

WEBBE I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
⇔ He browses amongst the lilies.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(2-3)Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden,
to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms.
I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.
He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers.

NET I am my lover’s and my lover is mine;
⇔ he grazes among the lilies.

LSV I [am] my beloved’s, and my beloved [is] mine,
Who is delighting himself among the lilies.

FBV I am my love's, and my love is mine! He is the one who feeds among the lilies.

T4T I belong to the one who loves me, and the one who loves me belongs to me;
⇔ he enjoys kissing my lips
⇔ like [MET] a shepherd enjoys taking care of his sheep.

LEB • I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me ;[fn] he pastures his flock among the lilies.

6:? Literally “I for my beloved and he for me”

NRSV I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he pastures his flock among the lilies.

NKJV I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

NAB I belong to my lover, and my lover belongs to me; he feeds among the lilies.

BBE I am for my loved one, and my loved one is for me; he takes food among the lilies.

Moff For I am my darling’s, my darling ie mine,
⇔ he feeds among my lilies.
¶ 

JPS I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that feedeth among the lilies.'

ASV I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:
⇔ He feedeth his flock among the lilies.

DRA Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely as Jerusalem: terrible as an army set in array.

YLT I [am] my beloved's, and my beloved [is] mine, Who is delighting himself among the lilies.

Drby I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

RV I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth his flock among the lilies.
(I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth/feeds his flock among the lilies. )

SLT I to my beloved, and my beloved to me: he feeding among the lilies.

Wbstr I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

KJB-1769 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
(I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth/feeds among the lilies. )

KJB-1611 I am my beloueds, & my beloued is mine: he feedeth among the lillies.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps My loue is myne, and I am his, which feedeth among the lilies.
(My love is mine, and I am his, which feedeth/feeds among the lilies.)

Gnva Thou art beautifull, my loue, as Tirzah, comely as Ierusale, terrible as an army with baners.
(Thou/You art beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, comely as Yerusalem, terrible as an army with baners. )

Cvdl My loue is myne, and I am his, which fedeth amonge the lilies.
(My love is mine, and I am his, which feedeth/feeds among the lilies.)

Wycl Mi frendesse, thou art fair, swete and schappli as Jerusalem, thou art ferdful as the scheltrun of oostis set in good ordre.
(My friends, thou/you art fair, sweet and shapely as Yerusalem, thou/you art fearful as the scheltrun of hosts/armies set in good order.)

Luth Mein Freund ist mein, und ich bin sein, der unter den Rosen sich weidet.
(My friend is my, and I am be, the/of_the under the roses itself/yourself/themselves grazes.)

ClVg Sponsus Pulchra es, amica mea; suavis, et decora sicut Jerusalem; terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata.[fn]
(The_spouse Beautiful you_are, girlfriend my; sweet, and decorative like Yerusalem; terrible as of_the_camp line/array organized. )

6.3 Pulchra es, amica mea. Hactenus vox Ecclesiæ Dominum suum laudantis et quærentis: qui quoniam a suis amatoribus non longe est, sequitur quid quæsitus respondeat: et declarat se illis loquentibus adfuisse, et quid loquerentur audisse; devotionemque erga se remunerat digna illorum laudatione. Terribilis, ut castrorum acies ordinata. Quia per unitatem charitatis compacta, nullum locum aperit per malum discordiæ hostibus, id est, hæreticis vel immundis spiritibus. Castra Romanorum terribilia erant, quia totum mundum premebant: sed non erant suavia, quia veram pacem non habebant. In Ecclesia nec terror suavitatem, nec suavitas terrorem aufert: quæ in terra cœlestem vitam agit, et barbaros diversarum nationum animos ad suum ritum trahere satagit. Quæ tamen quia necdum faciem dilecti, quam maxime quærit, cernere meretur: hic subsequenter audit:

6.3 Beautiful you_are, girlfriend my. Hactenus voice Assemblies/Churches the_Master his_own they_praiseis and to_the_seekers: who/which since/because from to_his_own lovesoribus not/no far_away it_is, follows what whichsitus respondeat: and declarat himself to_them loquentibus adfuisse, and what speakntur audisse; devotionmque towards himself remunerat worthy of_them praise(n)ne. Terribilis, as of_the_camp line/array organized. Because through unity of_charity compacta, none place opens through evil I_learnrdiæ enemies, that it_is, heretics or unclean spirits. Castra Romanorum terribilia they_were, because whole the_world premebant: but not/no they_were suavia, because true peace not/no they_had. In Assembly/Church but_not terror suavitatem, but_not suavitas terror takes_away: which in/into/on earth/land heavenly life acts, and a_barbarians differentrum of_nations in_minds to his_own ritual trahere satagit. Which nevertheless because not_yet face beloved, how especially/most seeks, cernere deserves: this/here subsequenter listens:

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.

6:3a

I belong to my beloved

I am my beloved’s, (RSV)
My love, I am your^(sing) own,

6:3b

and he belongs to me;

and my beloved is mine. (RSV)
and you^(sing) are my own.

6:3a–b

I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me: The sentence, I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me is similar to 2:16a (“My beloved is mine and I am his”), except that there the order is reversed.

As in 2:16a, the woman probably spoke directly to her beloved here. However, the sentence sounds as though she spoke to someone else. In Hebrew poetry it is common to speak indirectly like that. In some languages it is more natural to indicate that the woman spoke directly to the man. For example:

My beloved, I am yours and you are mine.

Her words indicate that she and the man were strongly committed to each other. She implied that they have romantic love only for each other (and for no one else). It does not imply that they owned each other, but it implies that they were loyal to each other. Other ways to translate this sentence are:

I belong to my beloved, and he belongs to me.

My love, I am your own, and you are my own.

6:3c

he pastures his flock among the lilies.

He grazes in fields of lilies.
You^(sing) feed yourself where the fragrant flowers grow.

he pastures his flock among the lilies: The clause he pastures his flock among the lilies is identical to 2:16b. As in 2:16b, the interpretation issue is the same. This issue is also similar to the one in 6:2c. As in these previous verses, there are two ways to interpret the verb that the BSB translates as he pastures:

It means “he grazes” or “browses,” implying that he feeds himself. For example:
he grazes among the lilies. (NET) (NET, ESV, NAB, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT)
It means “he pastures (his flock),” implying that he feeds his flock. For example:
he pastures his flock among the lilies. (RSV) (BSB, RSV, CEV, GW, NASB, NJB, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as in 6:2c and 2:16b. This probably continues the gazelle theme as in 2:16. Because the BSB follows interpretation (2), the NET will be used as the source line for 6:3c.

(NET) he grazes among the lilies: As in 2:16b, this phrase literally means that the man stands among the lilies. It probably also implies that he eats them. Here the phrase has a figurative meaning, not a literal one. It may be helpful to include a footnote here to make the figurative meaning clear. It should be somewhat different from the footnote in 2:16 because of the context. An example of a possible footnote is:

“Browsing/grazing among the lilies” has a figurative meaning here. The lilies are a symbol for the woman, especially for the ways that she delights the man.