SNG 8:8 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) We have a young sister—
⇔ small and without her breasts developed.
⇔ What will we do for our sister
⇔ on the day when she is spoken for?

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
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 Ἀδελφή ἡμῶν μικρὰ καὶ μαστοὺς οὐκ ἔχει· τί ποιήσωμεν τῇ ἀδελφῇ ἡμῶν, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐὰν λαληθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ;
(Adelfaʸ haʸmōn mikra kai mastous ouk eⱪei; ti poiaʸsōmen taʸ adelfaʸ haʸmōn, en haʸmera haʸ ean lalaʸthaʸ en autaʸ; )

BrTr Our sister is little, and has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister, in the day wherein she shall be spoken for?

ULT A sister belongs to us—a little one—
⇔ and breasts there are not for her.
⇔ What will we do for our sister
⇔ on the day when it is spoken for her?

UST We have a young sister,
⇔ and her breasts are not large yet.
⇔ What should we do for her at the time that we promise some young man that he can marry her?

OEB No OEB SNG book available

WEBBE We have a little sister.
⇔ She has no breasts.
⇔ What shall we do for our sister
⇔ in the day when she is to be spoken for?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET We have a little sister,
⇔ and as yet she has no breasts.
⇔ What shall we do for our sister
⇔ on the day when she is spoken for?

LSV We have a little sister, and she does not have breasts,
What do we do for our sister,
In the day that it is told of her?

FBV We have a younger sister whose breasts are still small. What shall we do for our sister when someone asks to marry her?

T4T We have a younger sister,
⇔ and her breasts are still small.
⇔ So this is [RHQ] what we should do for her on the day that we promise some young man that he can marry her:

LEB • We have a little sister ,[fn] and she does not yet have any breasts .[fn]
• What should we do for our sister
• on the day when she is betrothed ?[fn][fn]

8:? Literally “a little sister for us”

8:? Literally “and there is no breast for her”

8:? Literally “on the day when it is spoken of her”

8:? Or “on the day when she is spoken for”

BBE We have a young sister, and she has no breasts; what are we to do for our sister in the day when she is given to a man?

Moff “We have a young sister,
⇔ and she has no breasts yet
⇔ but what shall we do with our sister,
⇔ when her wooers come?

JPS We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

ASV ⇔ We have a little sister,
⇔ And she hath no breasts:
⇔ What shall we do for our sister
⇔ In the day when she shall be spoken for?

DRA Our sister is little, and hath no breasts. What shall we do to our sister in the day when she is to be spoken to?

YLT We have a little sister, and breasts she hath not, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?

Drby We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for? —

RV We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
(We have a little sister, and she hath/has no breast/chests: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? )

SLT A little sister to us, and no breasts to her: what shall we do for our sister in the day it shall be spoken for her?

Wbstr We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

KJB-1769 ¶ We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
(¶ We have a little sister, and she hath/has no breast/chests: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? )

KJB-1611 ¶ We haue a litle sister, and shee hath no breasts: what shall we doe for our sister, in the day when she shall bee spoken for?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Our sister is but young and hath no brestes: what shall we do for our sister when she shalbe spoken for?
(Our sister is but young and hath/has no breast/chests: what shall we do for our sister when she shall be spoken for?)

Gnva Wee haue a litle sister, and she hath no breastes: what shall we do for our sister when she shalbe spoken for?
(We have a little sister, and she hath/has no breast/chests: what shall we do for our sister when she shall be spoken for? )

Cvdl When oure loue is tolde oure yonge sister, whose brestes are not yet growne, what shal we do vnto her?
(When our love is told our young sister, whose breast/chests are not yet grown, what shall we do unto her?)

Wycl Oure sistir is litil, and hath no tetys; what schulen we do to oure sistir, in the dai whanne sche schal be spokun to?
(Our sister is little, and hath/has no teats/nipples; what should we do to our sister, in the day when she shall be spoken to?)

Luth Unsere Schwester ist klein und hat keine Brüste. Was sollen wir unserer Schwester tun, wenn man sie nun soll anreden?
(Our sister is small and has no breasts. What should we/us ours sister do/put, when man they/she/them now should address(v)?)

ClVg Chorus Fratrum Soror nostra parva, et ubera non habet; quid faciemus sorori nostræ in die quando alloquenda est?[fn]
(Chorus Fratrum Sister our small, and breasts not/no has; what we_will_do sisteri our in/into/on day when to_address it_is? )

8.8 Soror nostra, etc. O vos ministri et commilitones mei, nova est hæc Ecclesia et tenera ad novam dilectionem retinendam. Soror nostra parva. Ecclesia, antequam crescat per incrementa virtutum, infirmis auditoribus non potest præbere ubera prædicationis; adulta dicitur, quando verbo Dei copulata, sancto repleta Spiritu, per prædicationis ministerium in filiorum conceptione fœdatur, quos exhortando parturit, convertendo parit. Quid faciemus sorori, etc. Ac si aperte dicat: Parva quidem numero est Ecclesia gentium, et necdum ad subeundum verbi ministerium sufficit. Quid ergo tibi videtur, o Synagoga, erga curam ejus, sororis videlicet nostræ, esse faciendum tempore illo, quo illam per apostolos meos, apostolorumque successores alloqui cœpero? Utrum quasi parvulæ adhuc, parva illi secretorum cœlestium arcana committamus, an jam majorem eam per augmenta reddamus, quatenus bene proficiens, perfectiorum possit capax esse virtutum? Cui tacenti, et quid ipse velit potius auscultanti, continuo quid fieri deceat aperit, ita subjiciens:

8.8 Sister our, etc. O you(pl) ministers and commilitones my/mine, new it_is these_things Assembly/Church and tenera to new love retinendam. Sister our small. Assembly/Church, before crescat through growth virtues, infirmis to_the_listeners not/no can to_provide breasts preaching; adulta it_is_said, when word of_God copulata, holy filled By_Spirit, through preaching ministry in/into/on of_children conceptione fœdatur, which exhortando parturit, by_converting parit. What we_will_do sisteri, etc. Ac when/but_if openly let_him_say: Parva indeed number it_is Assembly/Church nations, and not_yet to subeundum words ministry enough. What therefore to_you it_seems, o Synagoga, towards care his, sister's that_is/namely our, to_be to_be_done at_the_time that/there, where her through apostles mine, of_the_apostlesque successores alloqui cœpero? Utrum as_if parvulæ still, small them secrets heavenly secrets committamus, an already greater her through augmenta I_will_payus, quatenus well proficiens, perfectiorum can capax to_be virtues? To_whom be_silentnti, and what exactly_that/himself wants rather they_listeni, continuously what to_be_done deceat opens, so/thus subyiciens:

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 8:5–14: Love has great power

In this final section, there are many key words and statements that repeat themes from earlier parts of the Song. For example, 8:5a mentions the woman coming up from the wilderness, as in 3:6. The author also repeats the themes of vineyard (8:12; 1:6), orchard (8:5; 2:3), and garden (8:13; 4:12–5:1). In the final verse of the Song, the author repeats the theme of a gazelle on the mountains, which was mentioned in 2:17. This final section also contains what many scholars consider a climax of the Song in 8:6–7.

Some other headings for this section are:

Homecoming (NRSV)

The Young Woman’s Love for Her Beloved

Paragraph 8:8–10

In these verses the young woman and her brothers had a conversation about her physical maturity. Her brothers said that she was young, physically immature, and not ready to be married. They referred to a wall and a door, which symbolize that she was chaste (a virgin). In 8:10 she responded to their comments, agreeing that she was chaste and saying that she was also mature and ready for marriage. She referred to the man whom she loved as one to whom she was bringing peace. The quoted speech of her brothers here forms a possible book-level inclusio with 1:6, where her brothers were also mentioned.

8:8a

We have a little sister,

We have a young sister,
Our sister is still young,
You know that our sister is not yet mature,

8:8b

and her breasts are not yet grown.

and her breasts are not very large yet.
and her breasts are still small.

8:8a–b

We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown: Here the woman’s brothers referred to her as their little sister.Some scholars believe that this statement about a little sister refers to a younger sister of the woman. The phrase probably implies that they thought of her as though she were still a young girl, yet she was a grown woman. They believed that it was their responsibility to protect her and to make marriage arrangements for her. The phrase her breasts are not yet grown probably implies that they considered her too young for marriage.

Some other ways to translate 8:8a–b are:

Use a natural way in your language to indicate that a woman is still young and her breasts are still developing. For example:
Our sister is still young, and her breasts are not fully developed/grown.
Our sister is young, and her breasts are still small.
Use a more general way to indicate that the woman is not yet ready for marriage. For example:
Our sister is too young to marry.
Our sister is not yet ready for marriage.

a little sister: Here the phrase a little sister refers to the woman in the Song. The brothers implied that she was still a young girl. They implied that she was not an adult and had not yet developed sexually. The brothers probably exaggerated because they did not want her to be married yet.

her breasts are not yet grown: The phrase her breasts are not yet grown indicates that the girl’s breasts were not as large as they would be when she became a little older.Ezekiel 16:7 says, “You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed…” Here, “breasts” are referred to in describing physical maturity in a woman. The reference in the Song seems to be assuming a similar meaning, that is, an indicator of physical (and probably sexual) maturity. In some languages a literal translation of this phrase may wrongly imply that the woman’s breasts were abnormal or deformed. If that is true in your language, it is better to make the meaning more explicit. For example:

her breasts are still small (GNT)

her breasts have not yet fully developed

In some languages it may not be proper to speak of a woman’s breasts in this way. There may be a different way to indicate that a girl is not yet physically ready for marriage. For example:

We have a little sister; she is not yet a grown woman.

We have a sister who is still young.

8:8c

What shall we do for our sister

What will we do for our young sister
What will we do to help her,
What do you^(plur) think that we^(incl) should do for her

8:8d

on the day she is spoken for?

when someone asks to marry her?
when a young man comes to us^(incl) to say that he wants to marry her?

8:8c–d

What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for: The question in 8:8c–d implies that the brothers were responsible for helping to arrange the marriage of their sister. The phrase the day she is spoken for refers to the time when a man will come to the brothers to tell them that he wants to marry their sister.

In that culture a woman’s brothers felt responsible to be sure that their sister was prepared for marriage. They wanted to know that she was ready to be a good wife, and they wanted to protect her from any man who would not be a good husband for her.

Some other ways to translate the question are:

What will we do to help our sister when someone wants/asks to marry her?

What will we do for our sister if someone asks to marry her? (NLT)

In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 8:8c and 8:8d. For example:

^8dWhen a man wants to marry our sister, ^8cwhat shall we do for her?

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

קְטַנָּ֔ה

little

Here the phrase a little one means “a young one” or “a younger one.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [a young one] or [a younger one]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וְ⁠שָׁדַ֖יִם אֵ֣ין לָ֑⁠הּ

and,breasts not to/for=her/it

The phrase and breasts there are not for her is an expression that means the woman’s brothers think she has not reached full physical maturity and is therefore not yet ready for marriage. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use a comparable expression that does have that meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [and she is not yet fully grown] or [and her breasts are still small] or [and she is not yet ready for marriage]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

בַּ⁠יּ֖וֹם

in_the=day

Here, on the day is an expression that means “at the time.” If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use a comparable expression that does have that meaning or state the meaning plainly.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בַּ⁠יּ֖וֹם שֶׁ⁠יְּדֻבַּר־בָּֽ⁠הּ

in_the=day when,it_will_be_spoken for,her

The phrase on the day when it is spoken for her means “at the time when she is betrothed to be married.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [on the day when she is pledged to be married] or [on the day when she is spoken for in marriage]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

שֶׁ⁠יְּדֻבַּר־בָּֽ⁠הּ

when,it_will_be_spoken for,her

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who did the action, the context implies that the brothers are the ones who will do it. Alternate translation: [when we speak for her by promising a man that he can marry her]

Parallel SNG 8:8