Song of Songs 8
Legacy Standard Bible
The Power and Preciousness of Love
8 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 I would lead you and (A)bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to teach me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the sweet wine of my pomegranates.
3 Let (B)his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”
4 “[a](C)I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
[b]Why should you arouse or awaken my love
Until [c]she pleases?”
5 “[d](D)Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning on her beloved?”
“[e]Beneath the [f](E)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother was in labor with you;
There she was in labor and gave you birth.
6 Put me like a [g]seal over your heart,
Like a (F)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[h](G)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[i]The very flame of [j]Yah.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
(H)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
8 “[k]We have a little sister,
And she (I)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with (J)planks of cedar.”
10 “[l]I was a wall, and (K)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a (L)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (M)gave the vineyard to (N)caretakers.
Each one was to bring [m]one (O)thousand shekels of silver for its (P)fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is before me;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
13 “[n]O you who sit in the gardens,
My (Q)companions are giving heed to your voice—
(R)Let me hear it!”
14 “[o][p]Hurry, my beloved,
And be (S)like a gazelle or a young [q]stag
On the (T)mountains of spices.”
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 8:4 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Songs 8:4 Or Do not arouse
- Song of Songs 8:4 Or it
- Song of Songs 8:5 CHORUS
- Song of Songs 8:5 BRIDE
- Song of Songs 8:5 Or apricot
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or signet
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or Its ardor is as inflexible
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or A vehement flame
- Song of Songs 8:6 The shortened form of Yahweh, found in poetry and praise (e.g. Hallelujah), and in names (e.g. Zechariah)
- Song of Songs 8:8 CHORUS
- Song of Songs 8:10 BRIDE
- Song of Songs 8:11 Approx. 25 lb. or 11.3 kg, a shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
- Song of Songs 8:13 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Songs 8:14 BRIDE
- Song of Songs 8:14 Lit Flee
- Song of Songs 8:14 Lit of the stags
Song of Solomon 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[a]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(A) who taught me.[b]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
3 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(B)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(C)
5 Y Who is this(D) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
W I awakened you under the apricot tree.(E)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(F)
For love is as strong as death;(G)
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(H)—
the fiercest of all.[c]
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[d] for love,(I)
it would be utterly scorned.
8 B Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(J)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver parapet on it.
If she is a door,
we will enclose it with cedar planks.[e](K)
10 W I am[f] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.[g]
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(L)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(M)
Each was to bring for his fruit
1,000 pieces of silver.(N)
12 I have my own vineyard.[h](O)
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.
14 W Hurry to me, my love,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.(R)
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me
- Song of Solomon 8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore me
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Lit all the wealth of his house
- Song of Solomon 8:9 Vv. 8-9 may record what the girl’s brothers used to say.
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or was
- Song of Solomon 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; Sg 1:6
- Song of Solomon 8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine.
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