SNG 7:10 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.)

Key: .
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 καὶ ὁ λάρυγξ σου ὡς οἶνος ὁ ἀγαθὸς, πορευόμενος τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου εἰς εὐθύτητα, ἱκανούμενος χείλεσί μου καὶ ὀδοῦσιν.
(kai ho larugx sou hōs oinos ho agathos, poreuomenos tōi adelfidōi mou eis euthutaʸta, hikanoumenos ⱪeilesi mou kai odousin. )

BrTr and thy throat as good wine, going well with my kinsman, suiting my lips and teeth.

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE I am my beloved’s.
⇔ His desire is towards me.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(1-12)Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet,
  and queenly your movement—
Your limbs are lithe and elegant,
  the work of a master artist.
Your body is a chalice,
  wine-filled.
Your skin is silken and tawny
  like a field of wheat touched by the breeze.
Your breasts are like fawns,
  twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender.
  Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery.
  Quintessentially feminine!
Your profile turns all heads,
  commanding attention.
The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges
  —stirrings of desire, longings for the heights—
Remind me of you,
  and I’m spoiled for anyone else!
Your beauty, within and without, is absolute,
  dear lover, close companion.
You are tall and supple, like the palm tree,
  and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates.
I say, “I’m going to climb that palm tree!
  I’m going to caress its fruit!”
Oh yes! Your breasts
  will be clusters of sweet fruit to me,
Your breath clean and cool like fresh mint,
  your tongue and lips like the best wine.
The Woman

NET I am my beloved’s,
⇔ and he desires me!

LSV I [am] my beloved’s, and on me [is] his desire.

FBV My love is mine, and I am the one he desires!

T4T I belong to the man who loves me,
⇔ and he desires me.

LEB • I belong to my beloved ,[fn] and he desires me ![fn]

7:? Literally “I am for my beloved”

7:? Literally “and his desire is for me.” Or “and his desire belongs to me”

BBE I am for my loved one, and his desire is for me.

Moff I am my darling’s, and he--
⇔ he is longing for me.

JPS (7-11) I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

ASV ⇔ I am my beloved’s;
⇔ And his desire is toward me.

DRA I to my beloved, and his turning is towards me.

YLT I [am] my beloved's, and on me [is] his desire.

Drby I am my beloved's, And his desire is toward me.

RV I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.

SLT I to my beloved, and upon me his desire.

Wbstr I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me.

KJB-1769 ¶ I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.

KJB-1611 ¶ I am my beloueds, and his desire is towards me.
(¶ I am my beloveds, and his desire is towards me.)

Bshps I am my beloueds, and he shall turne hym vnto me.
(I am my beloveds, and he shall turn him unto me.)

Gnva I am my welbeloueds, and his desire is toward mee.
(I am my well-beloveds, and his desire is toward me. )

Cvdl There wil I turne me vnto my loue, and he shal turne him vnto me.
(There will I turn me unto my love, and he shall turn him unto me.)

Wycl Y schal cleue by loue to my derlyng, and his turnyng schal be to me.
(I shall cleave_or_cling by love to my darling, and his turning shall be to me.)

Luth und deine Kehle wie guter Wein, der meinem Freunde glatt eingehe und rede von fernigem.
(and your throat as/like good wine, the/of_the my friends smooth enter and speak from distant.)

ClVg Sponsa Ego dilecto meo, et ad me conversio ejus.[fn]
(The_bride I beloved mine, and to me conversion his. )

7.10 Ego dilecto. Totum studium meæ servitutis et devotionis ad ipsum refero, et in præsenti vita, ne laborando deficiam, me adjuvat: et in fine secum ad gaudia recipiet. Ego prius exsul a Deo, ab omni errore ad Deum conversa sum, ut civis et domestica, et ipse prius humano generi iratus ad me est conversus, naturam meæ mortalitatis indutus.

7.10 I beloved. Totum study/zeal my of_slavery and devotion to him refero, and in/into/on present life, not workando deficiam, me adyuvat: and in/into/on fine with_him to joys recipiet. I first/before exsul from to_God, away all by_mistake to God converted I_am, as civis and domestica, and exactly_that/himself first/before human to_breed angry to me it_is turned_around, nature my mortalitatis dressed.

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Beauty in Nature

At the end of God’s work of Creation, God declared that everything he had made was “very good” (Gen 1:31). The beauty and wonder of God’s creation is often reflected on in Scripture, particularly in the psalms (see, e.g., Ps 8:3-4; Ps 104:1-35).

Nature—and imagery from nature—also features prominently in the Song of Songs. The man and woman in the Song often express sexual intimacy in the countryside (2:8-17; 4:12–5:1; 6:2-3, 11-12), a place of pleasant fragrances and secluded meeting places. The garden, vineyard, and orchard create intimate and pleasant settings and evoke a romantic mood. The mystique of nature provides them with the environment in which their love is the most rustic, and at the same time the most exotic and exhilarating. Additionally, the couple uses extensive metaphors from nature to describe each other’s physical attributes and their arousing effects. Their portrayal of each other leads them to use illustrations from God’

Nature points people to the Creator, as it contains evidence of his power, goodness, justice, and love (see Ps 19:1-4; Rom 1:18-20). God’s penchant for redemption, restoration, and new creation is also evidenced in many ways through the beauty of nature—for instance, in the changing of seasons, the growth of plants, and the birth of children.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 2:1-9; Pss 8:3-8; 19:1-6; 96:5-6; Song 2:8-17; 4:12–5:1; 6:2-3, 11-12; 7:10-13; Matt 6:26-30

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 7:1–10 The man praised the woman and she responded

In 7:1–9a the man sang another praise song to the woman, and then she responded in 7:9b–10. Here the man used a different order to describe her beauty. He began with her feet and moved upward to her head as the final focus. In other descriptions (4:1–5, 5:10–16, and 6:4–7) he began with the head and moved downward. Here, he described several parts of her body that he described earlier in the book (neck, eyes, breasts, hair, and head), and he mentioned some other parts for the first time. Notice that 7:3 is identical to 4:5a.

Scholars differ about whether the woman was dancing in this section. In 6:13 the woman said that she did not want spectators to look at her as though she were a dancer. In 7:1–10 the man did not describe her movements, but only her physical features. So, she was probably not dancing in this unit. Some scholars think that she was naked or dressed in transparent clothing, but that idea is not supported in the text.

These verses have many metaphors and similes, and scholars differ about how to interpret some of them. The Notes will discuss each one and give translation suggestions.

7:10

I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

I belong to my lover, and he desires me. (GNT)
I am my beloved’s; he longs/thirsts only for me.

I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me: The sentence I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me is a variation of the similar statements in 2:16a and 6:3a–b. All of these statements express the mutual romantic love that the man and woman have for each other, but the statement here in 7:10 focuses on the man’s desire for the woman.

In the phrase I belong to my beloved, the woman did not imply that the man owns her as he owned property. It implies that she committed herself to him to love him. The phrase his desire is for me implies that he desired her romantic love because he also loved her in that committed way.

Some other ways to translate this verse are:

I belong to my lover, and he desires me. (GNT)

I am my beloved’s, his longing is all for me. (REB)

I belong to my lover, and he desires only me. (NCV)

In some languages it may be more natural for the woman to say this directly to the man. For example:

My darling, I am yours, (CEV)

and you desire me.

his desire is for me: In the Hebrew text, this clause is more literally, “for me is his desire.” It emphasizes that his beloved is the only woman for whom the man feels romantic love. He does not desire any other woman in that way. Some other ways to translate this emphasis are:

I am the one whom he desires.

I am the only woman that he wants/loves.

desire: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as desire occurs only three times in the OT. The other times are in Genesis 3:16 and 4:7. In Genesis 4:7 the LORD said that sin desired to dominate Cain. In Genesis 3:16 the LORD told the woman that her desire would be for her husband. She would strongly desire him.

Here in the Song the woman said that the man’s desire was for her. The Hebrew word indicates a strong, urgent longing. She was the one on whom he set his romantic love and desires.

Use a natural way in your language to express this type of romantic love and longing. In some languages there is an idiom or figure of speech to translate this meaning.

Parallel SNG 7:10

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

Paragraph 7:1–10 The man praised the woman and she responded

7:10