Song of Songs 3:6-11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Young Man and His Party Approach
6 Who is that coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?(A)
7 Look, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men
of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all equipped with swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh
because of alarms by night.(B)
9 King Solomon made himself a palanquin
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with stone.
Daughters[a] of Jerusalem,(C)
11 come out and look[b]
at King Solomon,
at the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Song of Solomon 3:6-11
Lexham English Bible
Royal Wedding Procession
6 What is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense
from all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s portable couch![a]
Sixty mighty men surround it,[b]
the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them wield swords;[c]
they are trained in warfare,[d]
each with his sword at his thigh
to guard against terror[e] in the night.
9 King Solomon[f] made for himself a sedan chair
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its column of silver, its back[g] of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior is inlaid with leather[h] by the maidens of Jerusalem.[i]
11 Come out and look, O maidens of Zion,[j] at King Solomon,[k]
at the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the joy of his heart!
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 3:7 Literally “couch” or “portable sedan chair”
- Song of Solomon 3:7 Literally “her”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “holders of sword”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “learnt of war”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “because of the fear”
- Song of Solomon 3:9 Literally “The king, Solomon”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or “its support,” “its base,” “its headrest,” “its litter,” “its cover”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or “love.” The Hebrew term here translated “leather” is spelled the same as the term for “love.” Most likely this is an example of a word play that puns on the intentional ambiguity: “Its interior was inlaid with leather//love by the maidens of Jerusalem”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Literally “by the daughters of Jerusalem”
- Song of Solomon 3:11 Literally “O daughters of Zion”
- Song of Solomon 3:11 Literally “the king, Solomon”
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