Song of Solomon 6
Lexham English Bible
6 Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned
that we may seek him with you?
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the garden bed of the spice,
to pasture his flock and to gather lilies in the garden.
Mutual Possession Refrain
3 I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me;[a]
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Solomon’s Praise of His Beloved
4 You are beautiful, my beloved, as Tirzah,
lovely as Jerusalem,
overwhelming as an army with banners.[b]
5 Turn away your eyes from before me,
for they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of the goats
that moves down from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of the ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of them bearing twins,
and there is none bereaved among them.
7 Your cheeks behind[c] your veil
are like halves of a pomegranate.
The Maiden’s Beauty Is without Peer
8 Sixty queens there are, eighty concubines,
and maidens beyond number.
9 My dove, she is the one;[d][e]
my perfect, she is the only one;[f][g]
she is the favorite of[h][i] her mother who bore her.
Maidens see her and consider her fortunate;[j]
queens and concubines praise her:
10 “Who is this that looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon,
bright as the sun,[k][l]
overwhelming as an army with banners?”[m]
The Journey to the Valley
11 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.
12 I did not know my heart[n] set me
in a chariot of my princely people.[o]
13 [p] Turn, turn,[q] O Shulammite![r]
Turn, turn[s] so that we may look upon you!
Why do you look upon the Shulammite
as at a dance of the two armies?
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:3 Literally “I for my beloved and he for me”
- Song of Solomon 6:4 Literally “terrible as the bannered ones”
- Song of Solomon 6:7 Literally “from behind”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Literally “she is one”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 The term “one” functions here as an adjective of quality: “unique, singular, the only one”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Literally “she is one”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or “the only daughter of her mother.” Although the latter option is permissible, the term is used elsewhere of the heir as the favored child (e.g., Gen 22:2; Prov 4:3). This nuance is supported by the parallel term “favorite”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or “she is the pure one.” Since there are two Hebrew terms spelled the same way, some relate this to the adjective that means “pure.” Others relate it to the verb that means “to choose, select.” The parallelism favors the latter
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Literally “the favorite for”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or “call her happy” or “call her blessed” or “bless her”
- Song of Solomon 6:10 Literally “pure as the glow”
- Song of Solomon 6:10 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)
- Song of Solomon 6:10 Literally “terrible as the bannered ones”
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Literally “soul”
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or “Before I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib” (KJV, ASV) or “Before I knew it, my desire set me mid the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (JPS) or “Before I was aware, my soul set me over the chariots of my noble people” (NASB) or “Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people” (NIV) or “… among the chariots of Amminadab” (NIV margin) or “… among the chariots of the people of the prince” (NIV margin)
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Song of Songs 6:13–7:13 in the English Bible is 7:1–14 in the Hebrew Bible
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or “Return, return …!”
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or “O perfect one,” “O peaceful one,” “O bride.” Many interpreters take this moniker as suggesting the maiden was from the village of Shulem (alternately called Shunem)
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or “Return, return …!”
Song of Solomon 6
New American Standard Bible
Mutual Delight in Each Other
The Chorus
6 “(A)Where has your beloved gone,
O (B)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
The Bride
2 “My beloved has gone down to his (C)garden,
To the (D)beds of balsam,
To (E)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (F)lilies.
3 (G)I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who (H)pastures his flock among the lilies.”
The Groom
4 “(I)You are as beautiful as (J)Tirzah, my darling,
As (K)lovely as (L)Jerusalem,
As (M)awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
(N)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
6 (O)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
7 (P)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 There are sixty (Q)queens and eighty concubines,
And [a](R)young women without number;
9 But (S)my dove, my perfect one, is [b]unique:
She is her mother’s [c]only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her.
The [d](T)young women saw her and called her [e]blessed,
The (U)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 ‘Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (V)moon,
As pure (W)as the sun,
As (X)awesome as an army with banners?’
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the plants of the valley,
To see whether (Y)the vine had grown
Or the (Z)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 [f]Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of [g]my noble people.”
The Chorus
13 “[h]Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!”
The Groom
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:8 Or virgins
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit daughters
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or happy
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Lit I was not aware, my soul
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or Ammi-nadib
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7:1 in Heb
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or Mahanaim
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