Reference	ID	Tags	SupportReference	Quote	Occurrence	Note
front:intro	an3g				0	# Introduction to the Song of Songs\n\n## Part 1: General Introduction\n\n### Outline of the Song of Songs\n\n1. The bride longs for the bridegroom to arrive (1:1–2:7)\n1. The bridegroom praises the woman he loves (2:8–3:5)\n1. The bridegroom arrives and praises the bride (3:6–5:1)\n1. The bride longs for the bridegroom (5:2–6:9)\n1. The bridegroom praises the beauty of his bride (6:1–8:4)\n1. Final thoughts about love between a man and a woman (8:5–14)\n\n### What is the Song of Songs about?\n\nThe Song of Songs is a poem or a series of poems that celebrate love and intimacy between a man and a woman. Jews traditionally have interpreted the book as a picture of God’s love for his people Israel. In the same way, many Christians interpret it as a picture of love between Christ and his bride, the church of all believers.\n\n### Who wrote the Song of Songs?\n\nThe first verse of the book (“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s”) gives the idea that King Solomon of Israel wrote it. However, people have interpreted this verse in different ways, so not everyone is persuaded that Solomon wrote it.\n\n### How should the title of this book be translated?\n\nThis book is traditionally titled “Song of Songs,” which means the very best song, or “Song of Solomon.” It may also be called “Songs of Love,” “Great Poems of Love,” or “The Love Songs of Solomon.” (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])\n\n## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts\n\n### What place do the descriptions of sexual behavior have in the Song of Songs?\n\nThe Song of Songs approves of sexual behavior expressing love between a husband his wife.\n\n## Part 3: Important Translation Issues\n\n### How many characters are in the Song of Songs?\n\nThe two main characters in this book are the man and the woman, who love each other. The woman also speaks to a group of women called the “daughters of Jerusalem,” and these women make comments. However, it is possible that the group of women is not real and the woman is only imagining them.\n\nSome interpreters believe there may be more characters than these, but this is not certain. The ULT and UST versions recognize only the man, the woman, and the group of women.\n\n### What are the lines about people speaking?\n\nThe Song of Songs is a poem that shows the thoughts and words of a man, a woman, and the woman’s friends. Throughout the poem, the author does not identify the speakers and their audience. So to help readers understand the poem, some translations attempt to identify the speaker and the audience. It is not always certain who the speaker is, so sometimes translations disagree about who is speaking.\n\nBefore each speech, the ULT identifies the speaker and the audience like this: “The woman speaking to the other women,” “The woman speaking to the man,” “The man speaking to the woman,” or “The woman speaking to herself.” Translators are encouraged to include these ways of identifying the speaker and the audience, and to format them differently from the scripture text. The translators should also include a note explaining that these explanations are not actually part of the scripture.\n\n### How should one translate the Song of Songs if the readers will view certain terms as coarse, vulgar, or improper?\n\nReaders might consider many images or forms appearing in the Song of Songs as improper when translated. The translator should try to avoid offensive language if possible, by using expressions that will not cause offense. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism]])\n\n### How do I translate metaphors and similes in this book?\n\nThere are many metaphors and similes in this book. These figures of speech are often unclear. If they have sexual meanings, figures of speech describing feelings or emotions are often used to avoid offense by hiding their meaning. However, since their meanings are often unclear, ambiguity in translation is encouraged. You can translate the words as they are written in order to avoid committing to a specific meaning. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n\n### Translating terms of endearment\n\n\nThe terms “my beloved” and “my darling” appear frequently throughout this book. These terms should be translated the same consistently throughout the book.
1:intro	xrm2				0	# Song of Songs 1 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Kisses\n\nThe kisses in this chapter are a type of kiss that was only done between a husband a wife. It is an intimate kiss. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])\n\n### Love and affection\n\nThis chapter is centered on the feelings of love, affection, and attraction. Different cultural standards may make translation difficult and the translator may use euphemisms to avoid offending people. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism]])\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\nIn the ancient Near East, it was common to describe a woman using metaphors involving animals. In many cultures today, this can be considered offensive. Different metaphors of beauty are used in different cultures. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### “I am dark”\nIn the ancient Near East, rich people usually had lighter skin because they did not need to work outside in the sun. This young woman had to work out in the sun, and her skin became darker than it was when she was younger.
1:1	dsf1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	שִׁ֥יר הַ⁠שִּׁירִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לִ⁠שְׁלֹמֹֽה	1	This verse is the title of this book. Use whatever formatting convention is most natural in your language for indicating that something is the title of a poem or song. The ULT places this line further to the left than the other lines in this book to indicate that this verse is the title of the book.
1:1	qbe2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	שִׁ֥יר הַ⁠שִּׁירִ֖ים	1	The possessive form is being used here to indicate a comparison with other **songs** and to show that this **song** is the best or greatest of all **songs**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use another form to indicate this. Alternate translation: “The best song” or “The most excellent song” or “The greatest song”
1:1	r5ns			לִ⁠שְׁלֹמֹֽה	1	The phrase **of Solomon** could mean: (1) Solomon wrote this song. Alternate translation: “Solomon wrote” (2) this song was dedicated to Solomon. Alternate translation: “is dedicated to Solomon” (3) this song was about Solomon. Alternate translation: “is about Solomon” 
1:2-4	fna4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	יִשָּׁקֵ֨⁠נִי֙ מִ⁠נְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔י⁠הוּ כִּֽי־טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖י⁠ךָ מִ⁠יָּֽיִן׃ לְ⁠רֵ֨יחַ֙ שְׁמָנֶ֣י⁠ךָ טוֹבִ֔ים שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑⁠ךָ עַל־כֵּ֖ן עֲלָמ֥וֹת אֲהֵבֽוּ⁠ךָ׃ 	1	These lines of poetry most likely indicate thoughts or words that the woman is speaking or thinking to herself while she is alone. Your language may have a way of indicating speech that is expressed toward a person who is not present to hear what is being said.
1:2	tulv		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	יִשָּׁקֵ֨⁠נִי֙ מִ⁠נְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔י⁠הוּ	1	The author is using an emphatic form to indicate the fervor and intensity of the desired kisses. Consider using a natural way in your language to indicate this. Alternate translation: “Let him kiss me again and again with the kisses of his mouth” or “Let him cover my face with the kisses of his mouth”
1:2	d9mu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular	דֹּדֶ֖י⁠ךָ	1	In this book every occurrence of the words **you** and **your** are singular. Your language may require you to mark these forms.
1:2	th64		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖י⁠ךָ מִ⁠יָּֽיִן	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verbal form or in another way. Alternate translation: “the way you love me is better than wine” or “your loving is better than wine”
1:2	nze7			טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖י⁠ךָ מִ⁠יָּֽיִן	1	Alternate translation: “I enjoy having you near me more than I enjoy drinking wine” or “your love is more pleasant than wine”
1:3	j5ka			לְ⁠רֵ֨יחַ֙	1	The Hebrew word which the ULT translates as **As for** could: (1) indicate reference, in which case it should be translated as the ULT translates it or with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “In reference to the smell of” or (2) indicate emphasis or be making an assertion. Alternate translation: “Truly, the smell of” or “Indeed, the smell of”  
1:3	si36		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שְׁמָנֶ֣י⁠ךָ טוֹבִ֔ים	1	Here, **oils** refers to colognes or perfumes. In the authors culture pleasant smelling spices were mixed into olive oil in order to make a pleasant smelling perfume which was then put on the skin. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. If men do not put pleasant smelling things on their skin in your culture you could say that the man being spoken of here smells pleasant. Alternate translation: “your colognes—they are good” or “your scented oils—they are good” or “your skin—it is good” or “your body—it is good”
1:3	z9t3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑⁠ךָ	1	The woman is describing the man she loves and his reputation by association with his **name**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “oil poured out is your reputation” or “oil poured out is the honor that people give to you”
1:3	ijen		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑⁠ךָ	1	The woman makes a comparison between the man’s reputation (which she refers to as his **name**) and scented oil that is poured out after which the good smell of the oil spreads as the air moves. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the comparison. Alternate translation: “your reputation spreads more and more like the scent of perfume which spreads after it has been poured out”
1:3	pj62		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result	עַל־כֵּ֖ן	1	The words translated as **Therefore** indicate that what follows is a result of what came before. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a result of what came before. Alternate translation: “As a result”
1:4	gec8			מָשְׁכֵ֖⁠נִי	1	Alternate translation: “Lead me”
1:4	v83t		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-you	אַחֲרֶ֣י⁠ךָ	1	The word **you** refers to the man and so is singular. Your language may require you to mark this form. In this book every occurrence of the words **you** and **your** are singular.
1:4	ty2p		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive	נָּר֑וּצָה	1	The word **us** refers to the young woman and the man that she is addressing so **us** is inclusive. Your language may require you to mark these forms. Alternate translation: “let you and I run” 
1:4	xpoe		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	נָּר֑וּצָה	1	Here, the woman uses **run** as a poetic way of expressing her desire that she and the man she loves hurry and go away together. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “let us hurry”
1:4	vpdi		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	הַ⁠מֶּ֜לֶךְ	1	Here, the woman speaks of the man she loves as if he were **The king**. Here, the term **king** is a term of endearment and is an affectionate way for the woman to refer to the man she loves. The woman is not speaking of an actual king but rather this is a poetic way of speaking. The woman is still speaking of the same man that she was speaking of in [1:2-3](../01/02.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning by using a simile. Alternate translation: “He whom I love is like a king to me and” or “He who is like a king to me”
1:4	ieqb		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הֱבִיאַ֨⁠נִי הַ⁠מֶּ֜לֶךְ	1	The original language word which the ULT translates as **he has brought me** could be describing: (1) a request or wish that the woman has. Alternate translation: “May the king bring me” (2) an action that has already happened. Alternate translation: “The king brought me” 
1:4	aoaz		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	הֱבִיאַ֨⁠נִי	1	Your language may say “taken” rather than **brought** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “has taken me” 
1:4	at7l			נָגִ֤ילָה וְ⁠נִשְׂמְחָה֙ בָּ֔⁠ךְ נַזְכִּ֤ירָה דֹדֶ֨י⁠ךָ֙ מִ⁠יַּ֔יִן	1	The **us** in these two lines could: (1) be a group of young women speaking about the man. Alternate translation: “We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will profess your love more than wine” (2) be the woman continuing to speak to the man she loves and using **us** to refer to herself. Alternate translation: “May I be glad and rejoice in you. May I profess your love more than wine” (3) be the woman continuing to speak and using **us** to refer to herself and the man. Alternate translation: “Let you and I be glad and rejoice in you. Let you and I profess your love more than wine”\n 
1:4	isr6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive	נָּר֑וּצָה…נָגִ֤ילָה…נַזְכִּ֤ירָה	1	The word **us** is inclusive all three times that it occurs in this verse. Your language may require you to mark these forms.
1:4	ku0t		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet	נָגִ֤ילָה וְ⁠נִשְׂמְחָה֙	1	The terms **glad** and **rejoice** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “Let us greatly rejoice” or “Let us rejoice greatly”
1:4	geq4			נַזְכִּ֤ירָה	1	Alternate translation: “Let us praise”
1:4	rc0e			מִ⁠יַּ֔יִן	1	The phrase **more than wine** could mean: (1) that the women would **profess** the man’s **love** as **more** delightful **than wine**. Alternate translation: “as being more delightful than wine” (2) that the women would **profess** the delightfulness of the man’s **love more than** they would **profess** the delightfulness of **wine**. Alternate translation: “more than we profess wine”  
1:4	pmvq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	דֹדֶ֨י⁠ךָ֙ מִ⁠יַּ֔יִן	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verbal form or in another way. Alternate translation: “the way you love is better than wine” or “the way you love me is better than wine”
1:4	so9x			מֵישָׁרִ֖ים אֲהֵבֽוּ⁠ךָ	1	Here the speaker could be: (1) the woman speaking to the man about the young women who admire him. Alternate translation: “rightly do the young women love you” (2) the young women speaking of other women who admire the man. Alternate translation: “rightly do the other young women love you” or “rightly do the young women love you”. You may wish to indicate who the presumed speaker is here by placing a heading above this section as modeled by the UST.
1:4	gxfw			אֲהֵבֽוּ⁠ךָ	1	Alternate translation: “do they admire you” 
1:4	ag8r			מֵישָׁרִ֖ים אֲהֵבֽוּ⁠ךָ	1	Alternate translation: “it is right that other young women adore you” or “no wonder other young women adore you” 
1:5	ez2x		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שְׁחוֹרָ֤ה אֲנִי֙	1	Here, **I am black** means “My skin is black” or “My skin is very dark.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “My skin is black” or “My skin is very dark”
1:5	jpj9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast	וְֽ⁠נָאוָ֔ה	1	Here, the word **but** is introducing a contrast. What follows the word **but** is in contrast to what was expected, because in the author’s culture it was not considered attractive for a woman to have skin that was dark as a result of much exposure to the sun. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: “yet lovely” or “but still lovely” 
1:5	ck9k		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם	1	The woman is using the possessive form to poetically describe where the young women (whom she calls **daughters**) live. The phrase **daughters of Jerusalem** refers to the young women who were from the city of Jerusalem (These are probably the same women as the “marriageable women” in [1:3](../01/03.md) and the women referred to as “they” in [1:4](../01/04.md)). If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could indicate the association between these young women and **Jerusalem** in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “daughters from Jerusalem” or “young women from Jerusalem” 
1:5	rbb3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠אָהֳלֵ֣י קֵדָ֔ר כִּ⁠ירִיע֖וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה	1	The Kedar were a tribe of people who used black goat skins to make their tents, thus their tents were dark in color. The woman is comparing her skin to these tents which were dark in color. The phrase **the curtains of Solomon** refers to the curtains in Solomon’s palace which were very beautiful. The point of the first comparison is that the woman’s skin was dark (referring back to and further describing the word **black**) and the point of the second comparison is that the woman was beautiful (referring back to and further describing the word **lovely**). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent comparisons from your culture or you could retain these similes and express these meanings as plainly as possible. Alternate translation: “like the dark color of the tents of the people of the tribe Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon’s palace” or “as dark as the color of the tents of Kedar, as beautiful as the curtains in Solomon’s palace” 
1:6	avcq			אַל־ תִּרְא֨וּ⁠נִי֙	1	The phrase **Do not look at me** could mean: (1) that the woman does not want people to look at her with contempt. Alternate translation: “Do not look at me with contempt” or “Do not look down on me” or “Do not look at me disapprovingly” (2) that the woman does not want people to stare at her in admiration of her beauty. Alternate translation: “Do not stare at me because I am so beautiful”  
1:6	gy5l		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result	שֶׁ⁠אֲנִ֣י	1	The word **that** indicates that what follows is a reason for what came before. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a reason for what came before. Alternate translation: “because I” 
1:6	nqqb		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שֶׁ⁠אֲנִ֣י שְׁחַרְחֹ֔רֶת	1	Here, **I am black** means “my skin is black” or “my skin is very dark” as it did in [1:5](../01/05.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “that my skin is black” or “that my skin is very dark”
1:6	im6w		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result	שֶׁ⁠שֱּׁזָפַ֖תְ⁠נִי הַ⁠שָּׁ֑מֶשׁ	1	The word **that** indicates that what follows is a reason for what came before. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a reason for what came before. Alternate translation: “because the sun scorched me” 
1:6	thz7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שֶׁ⁠שֱּׁזָפַ֖תְ⁠נִי הַ⁠שָּׁ֑מֶשׁ	1	The phrase **the sun scorched me** refers to sunlight shining on the skin and means “the sun burned me” or “the sun tanned my skin dark.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “that the sun burned me” or “that the sun turned my skin brown” or “that the sun tanned my skin”
1:6	v86f			נֹטֵרָ֣ה אֶת־הַ⁠כְּרָמִ֔ים כַּרְמִ֥⁠י שֶׁ⁠לִּ֖⁠י לֹ֥א נָטָֽרְתִּי	1	Alternate translation: “as caretaker of the vineyards—my vineyard that is mine, I have not taken care of”
1:6	w18k		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	כַּרְמִ֥⁠י שֶׁ⁠לִּ֖⁠י לֹ֥א נָטָֽרְתִּי	1	The woman is probably using the phrase **my vineyard** to refer to her complexion. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “my skin, I have not protected from the sun” or “my complexion, I have not protected from the sun” 
1:7	f9hi		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	שֶׁ֤⁠אָהֲבָה֙ נַפְשִׁ֔⁠י	1	The woman is using one part of herself, her **soul**, to represent all of her. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you whom I love” 
1:7	mpbu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	אֵיכָ֣ה תִרְעֶ֔ה	1	The woman is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: “where do you graze your flock” or “where do you graze your sheep”
1:7	wsmm		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	אֵיכָ֣ה תִרְעֶ֔ה אֵיכָ֖ה תַּרְבִּ֣יץ בַּֽ⁠צָּהֳרָ֑יִם	1	The phrase **where do you graze** and the phrase **Where do you make your flocks lie down at noontime** mean basically the same thing. The second phrase emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if saying very similar things twice might confuse your readers, you could combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: “Where do you pasture your flocks in the middle of the day”  
1:7	v54w		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	שַׁ⁠לָּ⁠מָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ	1	The woman is not asking for information, but is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate her words as a statement, a request, or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “I do not want to be like a woman who covers herself beside the flocks of your companions” or “Please do not let me be like a woman who covers herself beside the flocks of your companions” or “Tell me so that I will not be like a woman who covers herself beside the flocks of your companions”
1:7	f5eb		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ	1	The phrase **covers herself** means **covers herself with a veil** and the phrase **your companions** refers to the other shepherds who pastured their animals near the flocks of the man and were probably his friends. If it would help your readers, you could express these phrases explicitly. Alternate translation: “like a woman who covers herself with a veil beside the flocks of the other shepherds”
1:7	v6rs		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שַׁ⁠לָּ⁠מָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּ⁠עֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽי⁠ךָ	1	In the authors culture women who were prostitutes often covered their faces with a veil so that people would not recognize them. It would not be normal for a young unmarried woman to be wandering among shepherds and the woman did not want to be mistaken for a prostitute. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “Tell me where you pasture your flocks so that I will not need to wander around among the flocks of your companions like a prostitute when I am looking for you” or “For why should I be like a prostitute who covers herself with a veil and wanders about beside the flocks of your companions”
1:8	lc64		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical	אִם־ לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ לָ֔⁠ךְ הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים צְֽאִי־ לָ֞⁠ךְ	1	If it would help your readers to see that this is a conditional statement then you could supply a word like “then” in your translation. Alternate translation: “If you do not know, most beautiful among women, then go out”
1:8	fu4f		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	אִם־ לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ לָ֔⁠ךְ הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים	1	If it would be more natural in your language you could begin this verse with the phrase **most beautiful among women**. Alternate translation: “Most beautiful among women, if you do not know”
1:8	nky4			הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים	1	Alternate translation: “you who are the most beautiful of all women”
1:8	sy7k		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	צְֽאִי־ לָ֞⁠ךְ	1	Your language may say “come” rather than **go** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “come out”
1:8	al9c			וּ⁠רְעִי֙ אֶת־ גְּדִיֹּתַ֔יִ⁠ךְ	1	Alternate translation: “and let your young goats graze” or “and graze your young goats” 
1:8	fis9			וּ⁠רְעִי֙ אֶת־ גְּדִיֹּתַ֔יִ⁠ךְ	1	Alternate translation: “and graze your young goats” or “and let your young goats eat”
1:9	j8xv		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	לְ⁠סֻסָתִ⁠י֙ בְּ⁠רִכְבֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה דִּמִּיתִ֖י⁠ךְ רַעְיָתִֽ⁠י	1	If it would be more natural in your language you could begin this verse with the phrase **my darling**. Alternate translation: “My darling, I liken you to a mare among the chariots of Pharaoh” 
1:9	gw76		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	לְ⁠סֻסָתִ⁠י֙ בְּ⁠רִכְבֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה דִּמִּיתִ֖י⁠ךְ	1	Here, it is implied that the man is comparing the woman to the beauty of a mare and not to other other qualities of a horse. The king of Egypt’s horses were known to be the best in the world and so they would have been very beautiful. If it would help your readers you could explain the point of this comparison. Alternate translation: “Your beauty is like the beauty of Pharaoh’s chariot horses” or “I compare your beauty to the beauty of Pharaoh’s chariot horses” 
1:9	zyj5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	בְּ⁠רִכְבֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה	1	The man is using the phrase **the chariots** to mean “the horses that pull the chariots.”  If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “among the horses that pull Pharaoh’s chariots” or “among the horses that pull the chariots of Pharaoh”
1:9	lnbo		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	פַרְעֹ֔ה	1	Here, the term **Pharaoh** does not refer to a specific Egyptian king but is a title used to designate the acting king of Egypt. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “the king of Egypt”
1:10	hrjd		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠תֹּרִ֔ים	1	The term the man uses, which the ULT translates as **earrings**, is a term which refers to strings of small ornaments or jewels which apparently hung down the side of one’s face. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of jewelry you could use a more general term and, if you are using footnotes, you could make a footnote explaining this type of jewelry. Alternate translation: “with neck ornaments” or “with strings of jewels” 
1:10	u7h9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠חֲרוּזִֽים	1	**necklaces** are a type of jewelry worn around the neck in order to make a person look more attractive. If your readers would not be familiar with **necklaces**, you could use the name of something similar in your area worn around the neck for the purpose of looking nice or you could use a more general term and, if it would help your readers, you could make a footnote explaining what a necklace is if you are using footnotes. Alternate translation: “with neck ornaments” or “with strings of jewels” 
1:11	yuyp		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	תּוֹרֵ֤י	1	See how you translated the term “earrings” in the previous verse.
1:11	dza7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns	נַעֲשֶׂה	1	The man speaks as if he were many people. Some versions change this to singular “I.” Other versions take these to be the words of the woman’s friends.
1:11	bp6l			עִ֖ם נְקֻדּ֥וֹת הַ⁠כָּֽסֶף	1	Alternate translation: “with beads of silver” or “that are decorated with silver”
1:12	kec9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	שֶׁ֤⁠הַ⁠מֶּ֨לֶךְ֙	1	See how you translated the phrase “The king” in [1:4](../01/04.md) where it is used with the same meaning.
1:12	zt7d			בִּ⁠מְסִבּ֔⁠וֹ	1	The word which the ULT translates as **couch** could: (1) refer to a couch and be translated as **couch** as modeled by the ULT. (2) refer to a table. Alternate translation: “was at his table” 
1:12	ur66		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	נִרְדִּ֖⁠י	1	The term **nard** refers to pleasant smelling perfumed oil that was made from the roots of the **nard** plant. If your readers would not be familiar with **nard** plants, you could use a general expression or describe what **nard** is. Alternate translation: “my perfumed oil” or “my pleasant smelling perfume made from the nard plant”
1:12	lp8f			נָתַ֥ן רֵיחֽ⁠וֹ	1	Alternate translation: “gave off its good smell” or “spread its pleasant smell” 
1:13	vc5v		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	צְר֨וֹר הַ⁠מֹּ֤ר ׀ דּוֹדִ⁠י֙ לִ֔⁠י בֵּ֥ין שָׁדַ֖⁠י יָלִֽין	1	In the author’s culture women would sometimes place a small bag or pouch of myrrh on a necklace so it would hang on their neck and they could enjoy its pleasant smell. The woman makes a comparison between the enjoyable experience of having a bag of myrrh near her and the enjoyable experience of having the man she loves near her. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a simile to show the comparison. Alternate translation: “I enjoy having my beloved near me throughout the night like I enjoy the smell of a bag of myrrh”
1:13	d77b		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	הַ⁠מֹּ֤ר	1	**myrrh** was a pleasant smelling incense that was made from resin taken from the bark of a certain kind of tree. One of the things it was used for was to make a person smell good. If your readers would not be familiar with **myrrh**, you could use the name of something pleasant smelling in your area that might be used for this purpose or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “pleasant smelling perfume”
1:13	bzs7			דּוֹדִ⁠י֙	1	Alternate translation: “is my lover”
1:13	f8y8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism	צְר֨וֹר הַ⁠מֹּ֤ר ׀ דּוֹדִ⁠י֙ לִ֔⁠י בֵּ֥ין שָׁדַ֖⁠י יָלִֽין	1	If using the word **breasts** would offend your readers, you could use an appropriate euphemism for **breasts** or state the meaning of the phrase **between my breasts it stays** using a more general expression. Alternate translation: “My beloved stays very close to me during the night, like a bundle of myrrh hanging near my chest”
1:13	bl0z			יָלִֽין	1	Here, the original language word that the ULT translates with the phrase **it stays** is ambiguous regarding what it is that **stays**. This word could: (1) indicate that the **bundle of myrrh** is what **stays**, in which case it should be translated as something similar to **it stays** as modeled by the ULT.  (2) mean that the man **stays**. Alternate translation: “he stays”  
1:13	jw0u			יָלִֽין	1	Here, the word **stays** could: (1) refer to staying in one place for a prolonged period of time in which case you could translate this word with something similar to **stays** as modeled by the ULT. (2) refer to lying down. Alternate translation: “it lies”
1:14	a6jk		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	הַ⁠כֹּ֤פֶר	1	The phrase **henna blossoms** refers to **blossoms** from the **henna** plant which produces clusters of flower blossoms which have a pleasant smell. If your readers would not be familiar with this plant, you could use the name of a plant in your area that has a pleasant smell, you could explain in your translation that henna is a plant that produces fragrant blossoms, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “fragrant flowers” or “fragrant blossoms from the henna plant” 
1:14	zh75		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֶשְׁכֹּ֨ל הַ⁠כֹּ֤פֶר ׀ דּוֹדִ⁠י֙ לִ֔⁠י בְּ⁠כַרְמֵ֖י עֵ֥ין גֶּֽדִי	1	Here, **vineyards of En Gedi** is probably a reference to the woman’s body because at that time **vineyards** were often used to convey a sexual meaning and because the phrase **in the vineyards of Engedi** is in parallel to the phrase in the previous verse in which the woman refers to her body by saying that her “beloved” is like a “bundle of myrrh“ which “stays” (the night) “between” her “breasts.” In this verse the woman makes a comparison between the pleasurable experience of the smell of henna blossoms and her enjoyment of having the man she loves near her body. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a simile to show the comparison. Because the woman describes her body in a poetic way with images, it is recommended that you either maintain these images or select images from your context and language that communicate the same concepts. Alternate translation: “I enjoy being near my beloved’s body like I enjoy the smell of the henna flowers in the vineyards of Engedi” or “I delight in my beloved being near my body like I enjoy the smell of the henna flowers in the vineyards of Engedi”
1:15	tae6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנָּ֤⁠ךְ…הִנָּ֥⁠ךְ	1	The man is using the term **Behold** to focus attention on what he is about to say. Your language may have a comparable expression that you could use in your translation.  Alternate translation: “Look at you! … Look at you!”
1:15	x2d5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	הִנָּ֤⁠ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔⁠י הִנָּ֥⁠ךְ יָפָ֖ה עֵינַ֥יִ⁠ךְ יוֹנִֽים	1	The man uses the phrase **Behold you—you are beautiful** two times for emphasis.  If saying the same thing twice might be confusing for your readers, you can combine the phrases into one and provide emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Behold you—you are beautiful, my darling. Your eyes are doves”  
1:15	m114			רַעְיָתִ֔⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my darling** in [1:9](../01/09.md) 
1:15	fb4x		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	עֵינַ֥יִ⁠ךְ יוֹנִֽים	1	The man makes a comparison between the beauty and gentleness of doves and the woman’s eyes. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a simile to show the comparison or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your eyes are like doves” or “your eyes are gentle and beautiful”
1:16	sbi4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנְּ⁠ךָ֨	1	The woman is using the term **Behold** to focus attention on what she is about to say. Your language may have a comparable expression that you could use in your translation. Alternate translation: “Look at you”
1:16	febl		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	הִנְּ⁠ךָ֨ יָפֶ֤ה דוֹדִ⁠י֙ אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים אַף־ עַרְשֵׂ֖⁠נוּ רַעֲנָנָֽה	1	If it would be more natural in your language you could either begin or end this verse with the phrase **my beloved**. 
1:16	x3pr			דוֹדִ⁠י֙ 	1	See how you translated the phrase **my beloved** in [1:13](../01/13.md). Alternate translation: “my lover”
1:16	km29		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים	1	The woman is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: “you are truly pleasant”
1:16	q43e		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	עַרְשֵׂ֖⁠נוּ	1	Here, **couch** does not refer to a literal couch but rather to the place where the couple would lie down in the forest. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “the place where we lie down is” or “the place we lie down on like a bed is”
1:16	xed8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	רַעֲנָנָֽה	1	Here, the word that the ULT translates as **leafy** refers to plants that are a green color. You could translate **leafy** in a general way such as “green” or if it would help your readers you could indicate specifically what vegetation the word **leafy** refers to. Here, **leafy** could refer to: (1) the grass that the couple laied down on. Alternate translation: “grass” (2) the branches above their meeting place in the forest. Alternate translation: “under the cover of branches” or “shaded by branches”
1:17	v14z		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	קֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֨י⁠נוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים	1	Here the woman is speaking of the forest as though it were a **house**, the cedar trees as if they were the **beams** of the **house** and **pine** trees as if they were the **rafters** of the **house**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly or use a simile as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “Our meeting place is shaded by cedar and pine trees” or “Branches of cedar and pine trees will be a canopy over our meeting place”
1:17	c3e5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בְּרוֹתִֽים	1	**pine** is a type of tree that grows tall and close to other trees so that they provide shade from the sun. If your readers would not be familiar with **pine** trees, you could use general phrase describing them or use the name of a tree that grows tall and densely in your area. Alternate translation: “tall leafy trees” 
2:intro	u8uv				0	# Song of Songs 2 General Notes\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Metaphor\n\nWomen are compared to flowers in this chapter. This metaphor may describe a woman’s beauty and delicacy. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n### Euphemisms\n\nIt is possible that some of the metaphors used in this chapter are actually euphemisms. These euphemisms would refer to sex or the physical love between a husband a wife. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism]])
2:1	cne2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	 אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָ⁠עֲמָקִֽים	1	The woman is speaking of herself as if she is two different types of flowers in order to make a comparison between herself and these flowers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly, explain the comparison, or use a simile as modeled by the UST. The reason the woman compares herself to these wildflowers is to express that she thinks she has only common beauty and is no more attractive than other young women her age. Alternate translation: “I am as common as a wildflower of Sharon or a lily of the valleys” or “My beauty is as common as a wildflower in Sharon or a lily of the valleys”
2:1	ps9x		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת	1	The original word which the ULT translates as **flower** refers to a specific type of flower which grows on the ground. The exact type of flower that the original word refers to cannot be known with certainty so you could use the name of a pretty wildflower in your area or you could use a general term as modeled by the ULT.
2:1	gh6w		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן	1	**Sharon** was the name of a specific plain (a flat area) and the word itself refers to a flat, wide area and so by using the word **Sharon** the woman is probably referring to “plains” in general and expressing that she is like a wildflower that grows on the plains. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly as modeled by the UST.
2:1	bw25		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַ⁠שָּׁר֔וֹן שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָ⁠עֲמָקִֽים	1	The phrase **a flower of Sharon** and the phrase **a lily of the valleys** mean very similar things. The second phrase emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if saying very similar things twice might confuse your readers, you could combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: “I am a wildflower that grows in the plains and the valleys”
2:1	cxaq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת	1	The woman is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: “I am a lily of”
2:1	ni5p		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת	1	A **lily** is a type of flower. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of flower, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “a flower of” 
2:2	ibi6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠שֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙ בֵּ֣ין הַ⁠חוֹחִ֔ים כֵּ֥ן רַעְיָתִ֖⁠י בֵּ֥ין הַ⁠בָּנֽוֹת	1	The man compares the woman he loves to **a lily among thorns**. The point of this comparison is that in the same way that **a lily** is much more beautiful than **thorns** so the woman is much more beautiful than the other young women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent comparison or express this meaning in plain language. Alternate translation: “You my darling, are much more beautiful than all other women” 
2:2	l00i		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	כְּ⁠שֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙	1	See how you translated the word **lily** in [2:1](../02/01.md) 
2:2	bi45			רַעְיָתִ֖⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my darling** in [1:9](../01/09.md). 
2:2	y9bu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הַ⁠בָּנֽוֹת	1	Here, the phrase **the daughters** refers to the **daughters of Jerusalem** mentioned in [1:5](../01/05.md) and probably refers not just to the young women of Jerusalem but also to all women. If it would help your readers you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “the young women of Jerusalem” or “the other young women”
2:3	xz7y		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠תַפּ֨וּחַ֙ בַּ⁠עֲצֵ֣י הַ⁠יַּ֔עַר כֵּ֥ן דּוֹדִ֖⁠י בֵּ֣ין הַ⁠בָּנִ֑ים	1	The woman is saying that the man is like an **apple tree** because in the same way that **an apple tree** is more pleasant than the other **trees of the forest**, so the man she loves is more pleasant than other men. If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “As apple trees are more pleasant than other trees, so you my beloved are more pleasant than other men”
2:3	jjo5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	כְּ⁠תַפּ֨וּחַ֙ בַּ⁠עֲצֵ֣י הַ⁠יַּ֔עַר כֵּ֥ן דּוֹדִ֖⁠י בֵּ֣ין הַ⁠בָּנִ֑ים	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “Among the other young men my beloved is like an apple tree among the trees of the forest” or “Compared to other men my beloved is like an apple tree among the trees of the forest”
2:3	yr6x		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	כְּ⁠תַפּ֨וּחַ֙	1	An **apple tree** is a tree that produces pleasant tasting fruit and has a pleasant smell. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of tree, you could use the name of a similar tree in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “Like a tree that produces pleasant tasting fruit”
2:3	qtmu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בַּ⁠עֲצֵ֣י הַ⁠יַּ֔עַר	1	The phrase **the trees of the forest** refers to the other trees of the forest which were considered common when compared to an apple tree. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “among the other trees of the forest” or “compared to the common trees of the forest” 
2:3	q7kl			דּוֹדִ֖⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my beloved** in [1:13](../01/13.md).
2:3	eogn		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בֵּ֣ין הַ⁠בָּנִ֑ים	1	Here, the phrase **the sons** refers to the other young men. In the previous verse the man compared the woman to the other “daughters” (young women). Here the woman compares the man she loves to the other young men, whom she calls **the sons**. If it would help your readers you could indicate explicitly what **the sons** means here. Alternate translation: “among the other young men” or “when compared to all the other men”
2:3	pii3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	בְּ⁠צִלּ⁠וֹ֙ חִמַּ֣דְתִּי וְ⁠יָשַׁ֔בְתִּי וּ⁠פִרְי֖⁠וֹ מָת֥וֹק לְ⁠חִכִּֽ⁠י	1	Here the woman continues speaking of the man as if he were **an apple tree**. The word **shadow** refers to the shade of an apple tree which would give protection from the sun and refreshment. To **sit** represents being near or in the presence of the man. The phrase **his fruit is sweet** means that he causes the woman to experience pleasurable feelings in a way that is comparable to eating sweet fruit. If it is possible in your language you should try to retain the images used here, or substitute a comparable image if needed. If you are not able to retain the metaphors without causing misunderstanding, you could use similes or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He provides me with refreshment and protection when I am in his presence, he gives me great pleasure” or “I sit in his presence and he refreshes and protects me. He is delightful to me like sweet fruit”
2:3	fkm3			בְּ⁠צִלּ⁠וֹ֙	1	Alternate translation: “In his shade” 
2:3	bfja			חִמַּ֣דְתִּי	1	Alternate translation: “I passionately desired”
2:4	o9vh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הֱבִיאַ֨⁠נִי֙	1	See how you translated the phrase “has brought me” in [1:4](../01/04.md). The original language word which the ULT translates here as **He brought me** could be describing: (1) a request or wish that the woman has and not something that has already happened. Alternate translation: “May he bring me” or ”I desire him to bring me” (2) an action that has already happened. Alternate translation: “He has brought me” 
2:4	f7e2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	הֱבִיאַ֨⁠נִי֙	1	Your language may say “took” rather than **brought** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “He took me” 
2:4	ift6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בֵּ֣ית הַ⁠יָּ֔יִן	1	In the author’s culture the phrase **house of wine** was used to refer to a location that people went for the purpose of drinking wine. The phrase does not necessarily indicate a **house** or building so here it could be referring a private location that the couple used as their meeting place, possibly the “house” (location) where they spent time together in the forest (described in [1:17](../01/17.md)). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly or use a general expression that allows for either meaning. Alternate translation: “the place where wine is drunk” or ”the place where wine is served” or ”our meeting place”
2:4	hxuz		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism	בֵּ֣ית הַ⁠יָּ֔יִן	1	Here, **house of wine** most likely does not refer to a literal **house of wine** but instead the woman is probably using this phrase to poetically describe a private meeting place where they could enjoy expressing their love for each other. She is describing their meeting place by using an image that was meaningful in that culture. If it would be helpful in your language, you could retain the literal translation **house of wine** and explain the meaning in a footnote (if you are using them), or you could express the meaning using a different expression that is meaningful in your culture, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “our meeting place so that we could enjoy our love” or ”the place where we could celebrate our love for each other” or ”the place where we could consummate our love”
2:4	rp8q		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	וְ⁠דִגְל֥⁠וֹ עָלַ֖⁠י אַהֲבָֽה	1	The woman is speaking of the man’s **love** for her as if it were a **banner**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he publicly displays his love for me and his intention is to protect me” or “and he covers me with his love”
2:4	jgbx		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	וְ⁠דִגְל֥⁠וֹ	1	A **banner** is a flag made out of a large piece of cloth that is attached to the top of a long wooden pole. People groups and kings had their own unique banners by which they identified themselves. If your readers would not be familiar with this term, you could use the name of something used for a similar purpose in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “and his flag”
2:4	cms6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	וְ⁠דִגְל֥⁠וֹ עָלַ֖⁠י אַהֲבָֽה	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verbal form as modeled by the UST.
2:5	ddvu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	סַמְּכ֨וּ⁠נִי֙ בָּֽ⁠אֲשִׁישׁ֔וֹת רַפְּד֖וּ⁠נִי בַּ⁠תַּפּוּחִ֑ים	1	These two phrases mean very similar things. In the author’s culture both raisins and **apples** were believed to give people strength for love.The second phrase emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if your readers are unfamiliar with raisins and/or **apples** and you do not have an equivalent food or foods that you could substitute for them here you could combine these two phrases into one and use a general expression. Alternate translation: “Sustain and refresh me with fruit” or “strengthen me with fruit” or “strengthen me for love with fruit” 
2:5	ukb7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural	סַמְּכ֨וּ⁠נִי֙…רַפְּד֖וּ⁠נִי	1	The phrases **Sustain me** and **refresh me** are plural imperative forms in the original language. The woman is addressing the man using plural forms to show the intensity of her feelings. Your language may allow you to do the same thing. The ULT indicates the intensity that these two plural forms indicate by placing an exclamation point at the end of this verse. Use a natural form in your language for showing intensity of emotion. 
2:5	t16z		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result	סַמְּכ֨וּ⁠נִי֙ בָּֽ⁠אֲשִׁישׁ֔וֹת רַפְּד֖וּ⁠נִי בַּ⁠תַּפּוּחִ֑ים כִּי־ חוֹלַ֥ת אַהֲבָ֖ה אָֽנִי	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of the phrases in this verse, since the second part gives the reason for the result that the first part describes. Alternate translation: “Because I am sick with love, sustain me with raisin cakes and refresh me with apples”
2:5	khc1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בָּֽ⁠אֲשִׁישׁ֔וֹת	1	A **raisin** is a dried grape. Raisin cakes were cakes made of dried grapes pressed together. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of fruit, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “with cakes made of dried fruit”
2:5	gs2a		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠תַּפּוּחִ֑ים	1	An **apple** is a round pleasant tasting fruit that grows on a tree and is about the size of an adult human’s fist. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of fruit, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “with fruit”
2:5	y4qy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole	כִּי־חוֹלַ֥ת אַהֲבָ֖ה אָֽנִי	1	The woman speaks of feeling **sick with love** because her feelings of love are so strong for the man that they overwhelm her body as if they were a kind of sickness. She is exaggerating in order to emphasize the strength of her feelings for the man. Alternate translation: “for my love for you is so strong that I feel as if I were sick with love” or “because my love for you overwhelms me like a sickness”
2:5	ijwy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	אַהֲבָ֖ה	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verbal form as modeled by the UST.
2:6	m6ys			שְׂמֹאל⁠וֹ֙ תַּ֣חַת לְ⁠רֹאשִׁ֔⁠י וִ⁠ימִינ֖⁠וֹ תְּחַבְּקֵֽ⁠נִי	1	This verse could be describing: (1) an action that the man was doing in which case it should be translated in a similar way to the way that the ULT translates it. (2) a request or wish that the woman has and not something that has already happened. Alternate translation: “I hope he puts his left arm under my head and holds me close with his right arm” or ”I want him to put his left arm under my head and hold me close with his right arm”
2:7	l67b		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe	הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְ⁠כֶ֜ם בְּנ֤וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙	1	Here, the author portrays the woman speaking to the **daughters of Jerusalem** as if they were present and could hear her but most likely they are not present but rather the author is depicting the woman as addressing the **daughters of Jerusalem** as a poetic way of giving voice to the woman’s feelings. Because the author does this intentionally for poetic effect it is suggested that you do the same. If it would be helpful in your language, you could indicate this in a footnote if you are using them.
2:7	f8kj		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-oathformula	הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְ⁠כֶ֜ם…בִּ⁠צְבָא֔וֹת א֖וֹ בְּ⁠אַיְל֣וֹת הַ⁠שָּׂדֶ֑ה	1	**I adjure you** and the word **by** are both parts of Hebrew oath or promise formulas. You can use a natural way of making a promise in your culture that would be appropriate in this context. Alternate translation: “I urge you to promise me … with the female gazelles or the does of the field as our witnesses” or “Please, promise me … with the female gazelles or the does of the field as our witnesses” or “I want you to make an oath … with the female gazelles or the does of the field listening” 
2:7	to30		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	בְּנ֤וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙	1	See how you translated the phrase **daughters of Jerusalem** in [1:5](../01/05.md).
2:7	n4wq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	בִּ⁠צְבָא֔וֹת א֖וֹ בְּ⁠אַיְל֣וֹת הַ⁠שָּׂדֶ֑ה	1	Here, the woman is using the possessive form to indicate that **female gazelles** and **does** live in **the field** and therefore are wild rather than domesticated animals. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could explain the meaning of the phrase **of the field** in your translation. Alternate translation: “by the wild female gazelles and does” or “by the wild female gazelles or the wild does” or “by the female gazelles or the does that live in the wild” 
2:7	sz5c		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בִּ⁠צְבָא֔וֹת א֖וֹ בְּ⁠אַיְל֣וֹת	1	A gazelle is an animal that is a small antelope and looks like a deer, moves quickly like a deer, and is very similar in size to a deer. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of animal, you could use the name of something similar in your area or if you do not have two deer-like animals in your area or if your language does not have two different words for deer-like animals you could combine the terms **female gazelles** and **does** into one term. Alternate translation: “by the female deer of” or “by the female gazelles of”
2:7	nt79		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בְּ⁠אַיְל֣וֹת	1	The term **does** refers to female deer. If it would be helpful to your readers you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “the female deer of”
2:7	ekc3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification	אִם־ תָּעִ֧ירוּ ׀ וְֽ⁠אִם־ תְּעֽוֹרְר֛וּ אֶת־ הָ⁠אַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁ⁠תֶּחְפָּֽץ	1	Here **love** is spoken of as if it were a person who could sleep and be awakened and as if it were a person who could have **desires**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “do not encourage people to love romantically until the appropriate time” or “do not encourage people to have romantic feelings until the appropriate time” 
2:7	fz3j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet	אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ ׀ וְֽ⁠אִם־ תְּעֽוֹרְר֛וּ	1	Here, the words **awaken** and **stir** mean basically the same thing. The repetition is used for emphasis. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you could use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “do not awaken” or “do not stir up feeling of” 
2:7	z2xm		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	הָ⁠אַהֲבָ֖ה	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verbal form as modeled by the UST.
2:8	fq0o		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	 ק֣וֹל דּוֹדִ֔⁠י	1	Here the original language word which the ULT translates as **voice** is being used to get the readers attention. If it would help your readers you can indicate that explicitly in your translation. Alternate translation: “Listen, I hear my beloved speaking” or “Listen, I hear my beloved approaching” 
2:8	okuh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנֵּה	1	**Behold** is an exclamation word that is used to bring attention to something. Here it is used to bring attention to the man’s approach. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language for communicating this. See how you translated “Behold” in [1:15](../01/015.md). Alternate translation: “Look” 
2:8	happ		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	בָּ֑א	1	Your language may say “going” rather than **coming** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “is going” 
2:8	tymi		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	מְדַלֵּג֙ עַל־ הֶ֣⁠הָרִ֔ים מְקַפֵּ֖ץ עַל־ הַ⁠גְּבָעֽוֹת	1	These two phrases mean the same thing. The woman says the same thing twice, in slightly different ways, to give emphasis to what she is saying. If saying the same thing twice might be confusing in your language, or if you do not have two words for steeply elevated inclines you could combine these two phrases and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “jumping over the mountains!” or “leaping over the hills!” 
2:8-9	fr67 		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	מְדַלֵּג֙ עַל־הֶ֣⁠הָרִ֔ים מְקַפֵּ֖ץ עַל־הַ⁠גְּבָעֽוֹת & דּוֹמֶ֤ה דוֹדִ⁠י֙ לִ⁠צְבִ֔י א֖וֹ לְ⁠עֹ֣פֶר	1	The woman speaks of the man as if he were **a gazelle or a young stag**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “leaping over the mountains, jumping over the hills. My beloved is agile and fast and he exudes freedom and strength like a gazelle or young stag”
2:8-9	gatn5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	מְדַלֵּג֙ עַל־הֶ֣⁠הָרִ֔ים מְקַפֵּ֖ץ עַל־הַ⁠גְּבָעֽוֹת & דּוֹמֶ֤ה דוֹדִ⁠י֙ לִ⁠צְבִ֔י א֖וֹ לְ⁠עֹ֣פֶר	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “My beloved resembles a gazelle or a young stag, leaping over the mountains, jumping over the hills” or “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag, leaping over the mountains, jumping over the hills” 
2:9	kq5f		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	לִ⁠צְבִ֔י	1	See how you translated the plural form “gazelles” in [2:7](../02/07.md) and translate this word as the singular of “gazelles.” 
2:9	qbs9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הָֽ⁠אַיָּלִ֑ים	1	A **stag** is a male deer. If it would help your readers you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “male deer”
2:9	s6z4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנֵּה־זֶ֤ה עוֹמֵד֙	1	**Behold** is an exclamation word that is used to bring attention to something. Here it is used to draw attention to the man’s arrival. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language in this context. Alternate translation: “Look! Here he is! Standing”  
2:9	pppj		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	זֶ֤ה	1	Here, the phrase **this one** refers to the man who the woman calls **My beloved** in the first part of this verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “this man” or “my beloved” 
2:9	umf5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive	אַחַ֣ר כָּתְלֵ֔⁠נוּ	1	Here, the word **our** refers to the woman and her family and does not include the man, so use the exclusive form of that word in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Alternate translation: “behind the wall of my house” or “on the other side of the wall of my family’s house”
2:9	kf9u		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	מַשְׁגִּ֨יחַ֙ מִן־הַֽ⁠חֲלֹּנ֔וֹת מֵצִ֖יץ מִן־הַֽ⁠חֲרַכִּֽים	1	These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than **and** in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “gazing through the windows, yes, looking through the lattice”
2:9	nuxr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural	הַֽ⁠חֲלֹּנ֔וֹת…הַֽ⁠חֲרַכִּֽים	1	Here, the words **windows** and **lattices** are plural forms and could: (1) have a plural meaning here indicating that the man was walking around the house and looking into the house through different windows and lattices. If you decide that these two terms have a plural meaning here you can translate them in a similar way to the ULT. (2) be used with singular meanings here. Alternate translation: “the window … the lattice”
2:9	s9xt		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	הַֽ⁠חֲרַכִּֽים	1	A “lattice” is a cover inside a window frame that is made by weaving strips of wood together. **lattices** have holes that people can look through. If your readers would not be familiar with **lattices**, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could describe **lattices** as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “the screen” 
2:10	gr22		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	וּ⁠לְכִי־לָֽ⁠ךְ	1	Your language may say “go” rather than **come** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “and go” 
2:11	yv91		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנֵּ֥ה ה⁠סתו	1	The man is using the term **Behold** to focus attention on what he is about to say. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language for communicating this. Alternate translation: “see that the winter”
2:11	jmbh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result	כִּֽי	1	Here, the word **for** indicates that what follows is the motivation or reason for what came before. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a reason for what came before. Alternate translation: “because” 
2:11	e658		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	ה⁠סתו	1	In Israel **winter** is the time of year when it is cold and rains more heavily than during other seasons. If the seasons do not vary much in your location, you could explain this with a general expression such as “the cold season” as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “the cold rainy season” or “the cold wet season” 
2:11	asu3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	ה⁠סתו עָבָ֑ר הַ⁠גֶּ֕שֶׁם חָלַ֖ף	1	These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word that shows that the second clause is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “the winter has gone; yes, the rain has passed”
2:11	qxz4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	עָבָ֑ר	1	Your language may not say **gone** in contexts such as this. Alternate translation: “is finished” or “is over”  
2:11	b8gp		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	הָלַ֥ךְ לֽ⁠וֹ	1	Your language may not say **went** in contexts such as this. Alternate translation: “it ended” or “it left” 
2:11	eh4t		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet	חָלַ֖ף הָלַ֥ךְ לֽ⁠וֹ	1	The terms **passed** and **went away** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “is over and gone” or “has gone away” 
2:12	j8f3			בָ⁠אָ֔רֶץ	1	Alternate translation: “throughout the land”
2:12	zmw4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive	וְ⁠ק֥וֹל הַ⁠תּ֖וֹר נִשְׁמַ֥ע	1	If your language does not use the passive form, you could express the idea of the phrase **the turtledove is heard** in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who did the action, it is clear from the context that it is people. Alternate translation: “and people hear the voice of the turtledove” or “and people hear the turtledove cooing”
2:13	mk2y		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-collectivenouns	הַ⁠תְּאֵנָה֙ חָֽנְטָ֣ה פַגֶּ֔י⁠הָ	1	The word **tree** is a singular noun that refers to all the fig trees in that region. If your language does not use singular nouns in that way, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “The fig trees are ripening their green figs” or “The figs on the trees are becoming ripe”
2:13	ef3j			וְ⁠הַ⁠גְּפָנִ֥ים ׀ סְמָדַ֖ר	1	Alternate translation: “and the grapevines are flowering” or “and the grapevines are blossoming”
2:13	xg4l		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	נָ֣תְנוּ רֵ֑יחַ	1	Here, the word **they** refers to blossoms on the grapevines. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “their flowers give off a pleasant smell” or “their blossoms have a sweet smell” 
2:13	xhn3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	ק֥וּמִי לכי\n \nרַעְיָתִ֥⁠י יָפָתִ֖⁠י וּ⁠לְכִי־לָֽ⁠ךְ	1	See how you translated the similar phrase in [2:10](../02/10.md). Alternate translation: “Get up, go, my darling, my beauty, and go” 
2:14	m3n1			יוֹנָתִ֞⁠י	1	Here, the phrase **My dove** could be: (1) a form of address in which the man is speaking directly to the woman. Alternate translation: “O my dove” (2) the man speaking about the woman rather than addressing her directly. Alternate translation: “The woman I love is a dove” 
2:14	wv7q		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	יוֹנָתִ֞⁠י בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע בְּ⁠סֵ֨תֶר֙ הַ⁠מַּדְרֵגָ֔ה	1	Here, the man uses a term of affection for the woman, speaking of her as if she were a **dove**. He then explains the way in which she is like a dove. If it would be helpful in your language, you could turn this metaphor into a simile and explain the basis of the comparison. Alternate translation: “O my one who is like a dove. You are like a gentle and timid dove which hides in the clefts of the rock and in the hiding places of the cliff” or “You are like a dove. You are like a gentle and shy dove which hides in the clefts of the rock and in the hiding places of the cliff” or “You are like a dove. Far away in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the cliff” 
2:14	y6rv		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע בְּ⁠סֵ֨תֶר֙ הַ⁠מַּדְרֵגָ֔ה	1	These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea (that the woman seems difficult to reach and far away) with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word such as “yes” in order to show that the second phrase is repeating a similar idea to the first one, not saying something additional. However, if saying similar things twice would confuse your readers you could combine the two lines as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “in the clefts of the rock, yes, in the hiding places of the cliff” 
2:14	zje5			בְּ⁠חַגְוֵ֣י הַ⁠סֶּ֗לַע	1	Alternate translation: “in the cracks of the rock” or “in the cracks of the rock cliff”
2:14	kkup		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	הַרְאִ֨י⁠נִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִ⁠ךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖י⁠נִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑⁠ךְ כִּי־קוֹלֵ֥⁠ךְ עָרֵ֖ב וּ⁠מַרְאֵ֥י⁠ךְ נָאוֶֽה	1	Here two ideas are presented and then they are further explained in reverse order. This is called a chiasm. Biblical Hebrew sometimes uses this literary device. If possible, try to follow this AB-BA sequence of presenting the information here. See the [book introduction](../front/intro.md) for more information regarding chiasms. 
2:14	be0w		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative	הַרְאִ֨י⁠נִי֙ אֶתּ־ מַרְאַ֔יִ⁠ךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖י⁠נִי	1	The phrases **show me** and **make me hear** are imperatives, but they communicate a polite request rather than a command. Use forms in your language that communicate a polite request. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” or “let” to make this clear. Alternate translation: “please let me see your appearance, please make me hear” or “let me see you, let me hear” 
2:14	datu			קוֹלֵ֥⁠ךְ עָרֵ֖ב	1	Alternate translation: “your voice is sweet-sounding” or “your voice sounds beautiful” 
2:15	xns5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֶֽחֱזוּ־לָ֨⁠נוּ֙ שֽׁוּעָלִ֔ים שֽׁוּעָלִ֥ים קְטַנִּ֖ים מְחַבְּלִ֣ים כְּרָמִ֑ים וּ⁠כְרָמֵ֖י⁠נוּ סְמָדַֽר	1	Here, **the foxes** represent things that could harm the man and woman’s developing love relationship with each other. One interpretation is that the harmful things which **the foxes** symbolize are other men. Catching **the foxes** represents removing these harmful things or protecting against them. The term **vineyards** represents the love the man and woman have for each other. The phrase **in blossom** means that the love they have for each other is developing positively and growing, similar to how a plant blossoms and grows. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning of this verse plainly. Alternate translation: “Get rid of the harmful things that hinder and ruin our relationship, for our relationship is blossoming” or “Remove the little things that destroy our growing relationship” or “There are other men who are like little foxes that ruin vineyards; do not allow those men to attack me”
2:15	dac9			לָ֨⁠נוּ֙ שֽׁוּעָלִ֔ים שֽׁוּעָלִ֥ים קְטַנִּ֖ים	1	The original language word that the ULT translates as **foxes** could refer to: (1) **foxes** in which case you could translate the term as the ULT does. (2) “jackals” which are a wild dogs that resemble wolves and coyotes. Alternate translation: “the jackals for us, the little jackals” 
2:15	170A		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	לָ֨⁠נוּ֙ שֽׁוּעָלִ֔ים שֽׁוּעָלִ֥ים קְטַנִּ֖ים	1	Both **foxes** and jackals are land animals that are similar to small dogs and would ruin vineyards by digging up and eating the budding blossoms that could eventually produce grapes. If your readers would not be familiar with these animals and their habits, you could describe the animal you chose to use in your translation (a fox or a jackal) in general terms or use the name of something similar in your area. Alternate translation: “the dog-like animals for us, the little dog-like animals”
2:15	v31m		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive	לָ֨⁠נוּ֙ & וּ⁠כְרָמֵ֖י⁠נוּ	1	Here, the words **us** and **our** refer to the woman and the man, so use the exclusive forms of these words if your language marks that distinction.
2:15	kg0i			וּ⁠כְרָמֵ֖י⁠נוּ סְמָדַֽר	1	Alternate translation: “because the grapevines in our vineyards are blooming” or “because our grapevines are in bloom”  
2:16	zb2r		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person	דּוֹדִ֥⁠י לִ⁠י֙ וַ⁠אֲנִ֣י ל֔⁠וֹ	1	The woman is speaking as if she is talking about the man to another person even though she is most likely speaking directly to the man. This is common in Hebrew poetry. If this would not be natural in your language you can translate this in a way that indicates that the woman is speaking directly to the man. Alternate translation: “My beloved, you belong to me, and I belong to you”
2:16	lxy4			הָ⁠רֹעֶ֖ה בַּ⁠שּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	The phrase **the man grazing among the lilies** could mean: (1) that the man himself is grazing among the lilies in which case you can translate this phrase as the ULT does. (2) that the man grazes his flock of animals among the lilies. Alternate translation: “the man grazing his flock among the lilies” 
2:16	n6c3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	הָ⁠רֹעֶ֖ה בַּ⁠שּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	The woman is speaking of the man as if he were “a gazelle or a young stag” ([2:9](../02/09.md)) that eats **among the lilies**. She is using **lilies** to represent herself as she did in [2:1](../02/01.md). Here, **the lilies** probably specifically represent the woman’s lips. The meaning here is that the man finds sustenance and enjoyment through being with the woman and kissing her lips. If it would help your readers, you could state the meaning plainly as modeled by the UST or you could explain the meaning in a footnote if you are using footnotes in your translation. Alternate translation: “my beloved gets pleasure grazing among the lilies” or “my beloved gets pleasure as he grazes among the lilies” 
2:16	x5db		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠שּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	See how you translated “lily” (the singular form of **lilies**) in [2:1](../02/01.md). 
2:17	p2uq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification	שֶׁ⁠יָּפ֨וּחַ֙ הַ⁠יּ֔וֹם וְ⁠נָ֖סוּ הַ⁠צְּלָלִ֑ים	1	The phrases **the day breathes** and **the shadows flee** are parallel ideas which have similar meanings. Together they both either refer to: (1) the evening time when the evening breeze blows (**breathes**) and the shadows cast by the sun disappear (**flee**). Alternate translation: “the evening time when the breeze blows and the shadows cast by the sun disappear” (2) the morning when the light from the sun dawns and the morning breeze blows (**breathes**). Alternate translation: “dawn tomorrow morning, when the darkness disappears”\n
2:17	h2b1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	וְ⁠נָ֖סוּ הַ⁠צְּלָלִ֑ים	1	Here, the author is leaving out the word **until** which in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply this words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and until the shadows flee”
2:17	scgd			סֹב֩ דְּמֵה־לְ⁠ךָ֨ דוֹדִ֜⁠י	1	Alternate translation: “turn; my beloved, and be like” 
2:17	d8mw		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	לִ⁠צְבִ֗י	1	See how you translated the plural form “gazelles” in [2:7](../02/07.md) and translate this word as the singular form of “gazelles.” 
2:17	iwlq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-transliterate	הָ֥רֵי בָֽתֶר	1	The word **Bether** is a transliteration of a Hebrew word which refers to a cleft place with gorges and could: (1) refer to a specific place in Israel. If you choose this option then in your translation you can spell it the way it sounds in your language as modeled by the ULT. (2) be used generically here as a general description for **the mountains**. Alternate translation: “the cleft mountains” or  “the rugged mountains” or “the mountain gorges” 
3:intro	t72h				0	# Song of Songs 3 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Longing\n\n[3:1-3](../03/01.md) describes the feeling of longing that the woman had for the man she loved and it describes her diligently seeking the man loved. [3:4](../03/04.md) describes the woman finding the man that she loved and her response to finding him, holding onto him and bringing him to her mother’s house. \n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n\n### Whether [3:1-4](../03/01.md) describe a dream, a real event or something imagined\n\nBible scholars do not know for certain whether the events described in [3:1-4](../03/01.md) are a real event or something that the woman dreamed in a dream or something that the woman imagined. Many Bible scholars think that [3:1-4](../03/01.md) describe a dream. If you are using footnotes you may wish to explain this in a footnote or you could indicate in a section header whether you think this is a dream, a real event or something that the woman imagined. You could also use a general section header such as “The woman searches for the man she loves at night and finds him” which does not comment on whether this was a dream, a real event or something imagined.
3:1	gagz		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo	עַל־ מִשְׁכָּבִ⁠י֙ בַּ⁠לֵּיל֔וֹת	1	Because Bible scholars do not know if the events described in [3:1-4](../03/01.md) describe real events, things that happened in a dream or things the woman imagined, you should not expand on or explain the phrase **On my bed in the night** in the actual text of your translation (by adding a phrase like “I dreamed I was” or “I imagined I was”) though you may wish to use a header or a footnote. See the section “Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter” in the Introduction to this chapter for more information. 
3:1	eds0		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural	בַּ⁠לֵּיל֔וֹת	1	In the original language the phrase **in the night** uses a plural form of **night** and could mean: (1) that the woman sought the man during the night. Alternate translation: “during the night” (2) that the woman sought the man throughout the night. Alternate translation: “throughout the night” or “all night long” (3) that the woman sought the man on many nights. Alternate translation: “night after night” or “night upon night” 
3:1	ks2u		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	בִּקַּ֕שְׁתִּי אֵ֥ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֖ה נַפְשִׁ֑⁠י בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֖י⁠ו	1	The phrase **I sought him** is repeated for emphasis. Hebrew poetry often uses repetition for emphasis. You may be able to use the same construction in your language to show the emphasis here. Alternatively, your language may have another way of showing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “I desperately sought him whom my soul loves” or “I earnestly sought him whom my soul loves” 
3:1	hu3u		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	אֵ֥ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֖ה נַפְשִׁ֑⁠י	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “you whom my soul loves” in [1:7](../01/07.md). Alternate translation: “him whom I love” 
3:2	zqaa		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	אָק֨וּמָה נָּ֜א	1	The woman is thinking or saying this to herself. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly by beginning this section with an introductory phrase as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “I thought to myself, “I will get up now …’”  
3:2	uyu7			וַ⁠אֲסוֹבְבָ֣ה בָ⁠עִ֗יר	1	Alternate translation: “and walk through the city”
3:2	x9ki		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	וּ⁠בָ֣⁠רְחֹב֔וֹת	1	The word **squares** refers to spacious open places where people gathered to sell things and conduct other business matters and handle legal matters. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of place, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “and in the open plazas” or “and in the wide open places” 
3:2	afu9			אֲבַקְשָׁ֕ה…בִּקַּשְׁתִּ֖י⁠ו	1	Alternate translation: “I will look for … I looked for him”
3:2	tqsh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	אֵ֥ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֖ה נַפְשִׁ֑⁠י	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “you whom my soul loves” in [1:7](../01/07.md). Alternate translation: “him whom I love”
3:3	rdd5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	הַ⁠שֹּׁ֣מְרִ֔ים 	1	Here, the word **guards** refers to men who had the job of walking about the city during the night for the purpose of keeping the people safe. If your readers would not be familiar with this term you could use the name of a similar role in your area or you could use a more general term as modeled by the UST.
3:3	ha13		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	אֵ֛ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖⁠י רְאִיתֶֽם	1	The woman is asking the **guards** a question. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly by introducing this question with words that indicate that this is a question as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “I said to them, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves’” 
3:3	pab8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	אֵ֛ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖⁠י 	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “you whom my soul loves” in [1:7](../01/07.md). Alternate translation: “him whom I love”
3:3	j24q			אֵ֛ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖⁠י רְאִיתֶֽם	1	Alternate translation: “Do you know where the man who I love is?”
3:4	x68x			כִּ⁠מְעַט֙	1	Alternate translation: “Scarcely” 
3:4	frj6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	אֵ֥ת שֶׁ⁠אָהֲבָ֖ה נַפְשִׁ֑⁠י	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “you whom my soul loves” in [1:7](../01/07.md). Alternate translation: “him whom I love” 
3:4	zhgq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	שֶׁ֤⁠הֲבֵיאתִי⁠ו֙	1	Your language may say “taken” rather than **brought** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “I had taken him” 
3:4	xfcj		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	שֶׁ֤⁠הֲבֵיאתִי⁠ו֙ אֶל־ בֵּ֣ית אִמִּ֔⁠י וְ⁠אֶל־ חֶ֖דֶר הוֹרָתִֽ⁠י	1	These two phrases are parallel. The second phrase adds additional information to the first one. This is common in Hebrew poetry and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word such as “then” in order to show that the second phrase is adding additional information. Alternate translation: “I had brought him to the house of my mother\nand then to the room of the woman who had conceived me” 
3:5	a3y1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְ⁠כֶ֜ם בְּנ֤וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בִּ⁠צְבָא֔וֹת א֖וֹ בְּ⁠אַיְל֣וֹת הַ⁠שָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ ׀ וְֽ⁠אִם־תְּעֽוֹרְר֛וּ אֶת־הָ⁠אַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁ⁠תֶּחְפָּֽץ	1	This verse is identical to [Song of Songs 2:7](../02/07.md). Translate this verse exactly as you translated that verse. This verse is a refrain (a repeated phrase). Refrains are a common feature of poetry. This refrain closes section 2:8-3:5.
3:5	t61g		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe		0	“young women of Jerusalem.” These young women could not hear her and were not present, but the woman speaks as if they were present and could hear her.
3:6	c84r		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	מִ֣י זֹ֗את עֹלָה֙ מִן־הַ⁠מִּדְבָּ֔ר כְּ⁠תִֽימֲר֖וֹת עָשָׁ֑ן מְקֻטֶּ֤רֶת מוֹר֙ וּ⁠לְבוֹנָ֔ה מִ⁠כֹּ֖ל אַבְקַ֥ת רוֹכֵֽל	1	Here, the phrase **Who is that** could: (1) be rhetorical question that is used to create a sense of expectation and interest. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate these words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way as modeled by the UST. (2) be a request for information. Alternate translation: “Who is it that I see arising from the wilderness like columns of smoke, fragrant smoke of myrrh and frankincense from all the powders of the merchant? ” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
3:6	y8wr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	עֹלָה֙	1	The word **arising** is used by the author because the group of people described is traveling **from the wilderness** to Jerusalem. They must travel upward in elevation in order to reach Jerusalem because **the wilderness** is low in the Jordan valley and Jerusalem is built on hills and is therefore high. Use a word or phrase that expresses moving upward in elevation. Alternate translation: “moving upward” 
3:6	si0q		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	זֹ֗את עֹלָה֙ מִן־הַ⁠מִּדְבָּ֔ר	1	The word translated as **that** here could refer to: (1) Solomon’s “litter,” which is named in the following verse. Alternate translation: “is that group of people that is arising from the wilderness” (2) the woman. Alternate translation: “is this woman that is arising from the wilderness”
3:6	y4z0		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠תִֽימֲר֖וֹת עָשָׁ֑ן מְקֻטֶּ֤רֶת מוֹר֙ וּ⁠לְבוֹנָ֔ה	1	The word **like** is introducing a comparison. Here, the phrase **a column of smoke** is most likely describing a dust cloud created by a group of people traveling in a dry and dusty area. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate the basis of comparison. Alternate translation: “creating a dust cloud that resembles a column of smoke, which resembles the fragrant smoke of myrrh and frankincense” 
3:6	ej84		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	כְּ⁠תִֽימֲר֖וֹת עָשָׁ֑ן מְקֻטֶּ֤רֶת מוֹר֙ וּ⁠לְבוֹנָ֔ה	1	Here, the phrase **fragrant smoke of myrrh and frankincense** could: (1) be further describing the word **arising**. Alternate translation: “creating dust clouds that resemble rising columns of smoke. Yes, creating dust clouds that resemble the fragrant smoke of myrrh and frankincense” (2) describing the phrase **column of smoke**. Alternate translation: “like a column of smoke, incensed with myrrh and frankincense”
3:6	vbjm		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	מְקֻטֶּ֤רֶת	1	The author is leaving out a word that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply this word from the context. Alternate translation: “like fragrant smoke of” 
3:6	w7kr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	מוֹר֙	1	**myrrh** is a pleasant smelling ointment which is made from resin taken from the myrrh tree. If your readers would not be familiar **myrrh** you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternately, you could describe **myrrh** with a descriptive phrase and/or you could include a footnote explaining what myrrh is. Alternate translation: “the sweet smelling incense made from the resin of a myrrh tree”
3:6	i42j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases	מִ⁠כֹּ֖ל אַבְקַ֥ת רוֹכֵֽל	1	The word translated as **from all** could: (1) be introducing **the powders of the merchant** as additional information about **myrrh and frankincense**. Alternate translation: “which are among the powders of the merchant” (2) indicate that **the powders of the merchant** are being introduced as additional things **the merchant** sells. Alternate translation: “and other powders of the merchants”
3:6	e1ly				0	# General Information:\n\nThe third part of the book begins here. It begins with a description of sixty men carrying Solomon’s bed up from the wilderness to Jerusalem.
3:7	ldh8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	הִנֵּ֗ה	1	**Behold** is an exclamation that is being used to draw people’s attention to what was “arising from the wilderness”. Use an exclamation that would express that meaning in your language as modeled by the UST.
3:7	sa19		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	מִטָּת⁠וֹ֙	1	A **litter** was a portable bed or couch that important people were carried on from place to place. It was carried by wooden poles that were attached to it. This **litter** probably had a canopy on top of it that functioned as a roof and curtains around it that could be opened and closed. If your readers would be unfamiliar with this term you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a descriptive phrase as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “portable couch”
3:7	ui2b		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מִטָּת⁠וֹ֙ שֶׁ⁠לִּ⁠שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה	1	The phrase **his litter, which belongs to Solomon** could mean: (1) that the woman was riding on the **litter** which belonged to **Solomon** and which he had sent for her. The UST models this interpretation. (2) that **Solomon** himself was riding in the **litter**. Alternate translation: “Solomon riding in his royal portable chair” 
3:8	v2yx			מְלֻמְּדֵ֖י מִלְחָמָ֑ה	1	Alternate translation: “all of them have been trained in warfare” or “all of them have been trained to use their swords” 
3:8	cttn		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	אִ֤ישׁ חַרְבּ⁠וֹ֙ עַל־יְרֵכ֔⁠וֹ מִ⁠פַּ֖חַד בַּ⁠לֵּילּֽוֹת׃	1	The phrase **Each one has his sword at his thigh** means that each warrior has his **sword** strapped to his thigh so that it is ready to use to defend **against the terrors in the nights**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “Each warrior has his sword strapped to his thigh so that it is ready to use against the terrors in the nights” or “Each warrior has his sword ready to use to defend\nagainst the terrors in the nights”
3:8	z214		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מִ⁠פַּ֖חַד בַּ⁠לֵּילּֽוֹת	1	The phrase **against the terrors in the nights** means “ready to defend against the terrifying things that could happen on any given night.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “ready to guard against dangers that happen during the night” or “ready to defend against the dangers of the night.”
3:9-10	tq2c		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background	אַפִּרְי֗וֹן עָ֤שָׂה ל⁠וֹ֙ הַ⁠מֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה מֵ⁠עֲצֵ֖י הַ⁠לְּבָנֽוֹן … עַמּוּדָי⁠ו֙ עָ֣שָׂה כֶ֔סֶף רְפִידָת֣⁠וֹ זָהָ֔ב מֶרְכָּב֖⁠וֹ אַרְגָּמָ֑ן תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם\n\n	1	These two verses give background information. Use the natural form in your language for expressing background information.
3:9-10	iko4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	אַפִּרְי֗וֹן עָ֤שָׂה ל⁠וֹ֙  … עַמּוּדָי⁠ו֙ עָ֣שָׂה כֶ֔סֶף 	1	These phrases mean that Solomon had people make **a palanquin** for him. It does not mean that he made the **palanquin** himself. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “He had craftsmen make him a palanquin…He had craftsmen make its post with silver” or “He had a palanquin made for him…He had its posts made with silver” 
3:9	nnm6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	אַפִּרְי֗וֹן	1	Here, the term **palanquin** refers to the same object that the term “litter” referred to in [3:7](../03/07.md). The term **litter** is a general term meaning “couch” or “bed” and the term **palanquin** is a more descriptive word meaning “sedan chair.” You could translate the term **palanquin** the same way you translated “litter” in [3:7](../03/07.md) or you could use a different word or phrase here. Alternate translation: “portable couch” or “sedan chair” 
3:9	hlf4			הַ⁠מֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה מֵ⁠עֲצֵ֖י הַ⁠לְּבָנֽוֹן	1	Alternate translation: “King Solomon\nhad it made from the trees in Lebanon” 
3:10	xnj4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	עַמּוּדָי⁠ו֙ עָ֣שָׂה כֶ֔סֶף	1	The **posts** were made of wood and overlaid with **silver**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “He made its posts of wood that was overlaid with silver” or “He made its posts of wood covered in silver”
3:10	q4nz			רְפִידָת֣⁠וֹ זָהָ֔ב	1	The phrase **its back gold** could mean: (1) that the base or foundation of the “palanquin” was covered in **gold**. Alternate translation: “its foundation of gold” or “its base of gold” (2) the back of the chair was covered in **gold**. Alternate translation: “its back made from gold” 
3:10	akoo			מֶרְכָּב֖⁠וֹ אַרְגָּמָ֑ן	1	Alternate translation: “and covered the cushion with purple cloth” 
3:10	clqf		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive	תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם	1	If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “The daughters of Jerusalem fitted its interior with love”
3:10	m0yx		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with an adverb as modeled by the UST or in some other way that is natural in your language.
3:10	oki8			תּוֹכ⁠וֹ֙ רָצ֣וּף אַהֲבָ֔ה מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם	1	Alternate translation: “The inside of it was lovingly inlaid with decorations by the women of Jerusalem.” 
3:10	bjfn		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	מִ⁠בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם	1	See how you translated the phrase **daughters of Jerusalem** in [1:5](../01/05.md).
3:11	zwp2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	צְאֶ֧ינָה	1	Your language may say “Come out” rather than **Go out** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “Come out” 
3:11	i961			בְּנ֥וֹת צִיּ֖וֹן	1	The possessive form is used here to describe where the young women live. The phrase **daughters of Zion** is a poetic way of referring to the young women who were from the city of Jerusalem (These are probably the same women as the “marriageable women” in [1:3](../01/03.md) and the women referred to as “daughters of Jerusalem” in [2:7](../02/07.md) and [3:5](../03/05.md)). If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could indicate the association between these young women and **Zion** in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “young women from Zion” or “young women from the city of Zion” or “you young women who live in Zion”
3:11	sfn3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	בְּ⁠י֣וֹם חֲתֻנָּת֔⁠וֹ וּ⁠בְ⁠י֖וֹם שִׂמְחַ֥ת לִבּֽ⁠וֹ	1	These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word that shows that the second clause is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “on the day of his wedding, yes, on the day of the joy of his heart”
3:11	zhva		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	וּ⁠בְ⁠י֖וֹם שִׂמְחַ֥ת לִבּֽ⁠וֹ	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **joy**, you could express the same idea with an adjective such as “joyful” or in some other way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “on the day his heart was exceedingly joyful” or “on the day when his heart was very joyful” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]]) 
3:11	ei7z		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	וּ⁠בְ⁠י֖וֹם שִׂמְחַ֥ת לִבּֽ⁠וֹ	1	Solomon’s inner being is being described by association with his **heart**, which the Jews viewed as being the center of a persons being and therefore the center of their mind and inner feelings. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language as modeled by the UST.
3:11	sj76			gaze on King Solomon		“look at King Solomon.” The word “gaze” refers to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with strong emotional feeling.
4:intro	r3aw				0	# Song of Songs 4 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Beauty\n\nThe man describes the woman he loves as the epitome of beauty and attractiveness in [4:1-4:5](../04/01.md) and in [4:7](../04/07.md). \n\n\n### Feelings of longing to be with one’s lover who seems distant and temporarily inaccessible\n\nIn [4:8](../04/08.md) the man speaks of the woman he loves as if she were far away from him and he invites her to “come with” him and “descend from” the height of three high places and be with him. The woman is not actually dwelling in these places but rather the man is using imaginative and poetic language to describe how he feels about being separated from her and to describe his desire to be with her. In [4:12](../04/12.md) the man uses poetic language to describe the fact that the woman he loves is temporarily inaccessible.\n\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\n\n### The Garden Metaphor \n\n[4:12-5:1](../04/12.md) is an extended metaphor. This metaphor is a conversation between the man and the woman he loves in which the man first compares the woman he loves to “a locked garden” (in [4:12-4:15](../04/12.md)) where many delightful things grow and then the woman responds by inviting the man to come to her garden (in [4:16](../04/16.md)). The man then responds to her invitation in [5:1](../05/1.md). The term **garden** is used as a metaphor for the woman in [4:12](../04/12.md), in [4:16](../04/16.md) (two times), and in [5:1](../05/01.md). You should be consistent in how you translate these terms. In [4:13](../04/13.md) the man speaks of the woman’s body as “an orchard of pomegranate trees with delicious fruits” and then in [4:16](../04/16.md) the woman invites the man to **come to his garden and eat its delicious fruit**. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor]])\n\n### The “sister” metaphor\n\nThe phrase **my sister** is used in 4:9; 4:10, 4:12, 5:1, and 5:2. The man uses this phrase as a term of endearment for the woman he loves. The woman is not actually his sister. You should translate this phrase the same way each of the five times it occurs in this book because the author uses it with the same meaning every time. See the note at the first occurrence of this phrase in 4:9 for more information regarding this phrase.\n\n
4:1	rg3f		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	הִנָּ֨⁠ךְ יָפָ֤ה רַעְיָתִ⁠י֙ הִנָּ֣⁠ךְ יָפָ֔ה	1	See how you translated these two parallel phrases in [1:15](../01/15.md).
4:1	m3g6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	עֵינַ֣יִ⁠ךְ יוֹנִ֔ים מִ⁠בַּ֖עַד לְ⁠צַמָּתֵ֑⁠ךְ	1	See how you translated the phrase **Your eyes are doves** in [1:15](../01/15.md).
4:1	pnn4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שַׂעְרֵ⁠ךְ֙ כְּ⁠עֵ֣דֶר הָֽ⁠עִזִּ֔ים שֶׁ⁠גָּלְשׁ֖וּ מֵ⁠הַ֥ר גִּלְעָֽד	1	Both the color and the motion of the woman’s **hair** is being compared to **a flock of goats that hop down from the slopes of Gilead**. Goats in Israel were black so the original readers would have understood this comparison to mean that the woman’s hair was black. Seen from a distance, a flock of black goats descending down from the high elevation of **Mount Gilead** would have created a majestic visual effect because the goats would have looked like one long flowing mass of black. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly these two points of comparison. Alternate translation: “Your black hair moves in graceful waves like a flock of black goats moving down the slopes of Mount Gilead” or “Your long black hair flows in graceful waves like a flock of black goats coming down the slopes of Mount Gilead” 
4:2	bdg1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שִׁנַּ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ כְּ⁠עֵ֣דֶר הַ⁠קְּצוּב֔וֹת שֶׁ⁠עָל֖וּ מִן־ הָ⁠רַחְצָ֑ה	1	The color (whiteness) of the woman’s teeth is being compared to the color (whiteness) of sheep after they have had their wool cut off and then washed in the water of a stream. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly these two points of comparison as modeled by the UST.
4:2	cj59		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive	הַ⁠קְּצוּב֔וֹת	1	If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who did the action, it is implied that “shepherds” did it. Alternate translation: “sheep whose wool shepherds have cut off” or “sheep whose wool people have cut off”
4:2	cqgq		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מַתְאִימ֔וֹת	1	Alternate translation: “give birth to twins” 
4:2	jw1w		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שֶׁ⁠כֻּלָּ⁠ם֙ מַתְאִימ֔וֹת וְ⁠שַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּ⁠הֶֽם	1	Here the woman’s teeth are being compared to a flock of female sheep which all have birthed twin lambs. The author is saying that in a similar way to how twin lambs have a matching sibling that resembles it so each of the woman’s teeth has a matching tooth on the other side of her mouth. She has not lost any of her teeth. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. If it would help your readers you could also start a new sentence as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “As a flock of female sheep that has born twin lambs without losing any, so your mouth has its teeth, each with a match, and none of them are missing”
4:2	sb14			וְ⁠שַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּ⁠הֶֽם	1	Alternate translation: “and there is not one among them which has died” 
4:3	t9kf		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠ח֤וּט הַ⁠שָּׁנִי֙ שִׂפְתֹתַ֔יִ⁠ךְ	1	**Scarlet** is a term that describes a bright red color. The woman’s lips were a beautiful red color. The woman’s lips are being compared to the color of scarlet thread and not to the thinness of the thread. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Also, if it would help your readers you could use a term for a material that is thicker than **thread** such as ribbon. Alternate translation: “Your lips are a beautiful red like scarlet thread” or “Your lips are a beautiful red like scarlet ribbon” 
4:3	x68e			כְּ⁠פֶ֤לַח הָֽ⁠רִמּוֹן֙ רַקָּתֵ֔⁠ךְ	1	The term translated as **cheeks** could refer to: (1) the **woman’s two cheeks** on the side of her mouth as rendered by the ULT. (2) the woman’s two temples on the side of her forehead. Alternate translation: “Like a slice of pomegranate are your temples” (3) the woman’s forehead. Alternate translation: “Like a slice of pomegranate is your forehead” 
4:3	j2a3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠פֶ֤לַח הָֽ⁠רִמּוֹן֙ רַקָּתֵ֔⁠ךְ	1	This comparison could be comparing: (1) the shape of the woman’s **cheeks** to the shape of a **pomegranate** which has been sliced in half and to the outside color of a **pomegranate** (which is the color red). Alternate translation: “Your cheeks are red and rounded like a slice of pomegranate” or “Your cheeks resemble the color and shape of a slice of pomegranate”  (or if you decided that the term **cheek** refers to the woman’s temples “Your temples are red like a slice of pomegranate”) (2) the way the woman’s cheeks looked through the inside of the veil to the color and pattern of the inside of a pomegranate which has been sliced in half. Alternate translation: “Your cheeks resemble the color and pattern of the inside of a slice of pomegranate” (or if you decided that the term **cheeks** refers to the woman’s temples “Your temples are the color of the inside of a slice of pomegranate”)
4:3	y47i			מִ⁠בַּ֖עַד לְ⁠צַמָּתֵֽ⁠ךְ	1	See how you translated the phrase **from behind your veil** in [4:1](../04/01.md). 
4:4	i3qt		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	כְּ⁠מִגְדַּ֤ל דָּוִיד֙ צַוָּארֵ֔⁠ךְ בָּנ֖וּי לְ⁠תַלְפִּיּ֑וֹת	1	The woman’s **neck** is being compared to **the tower of David** which was a tall fortress **built of layers** or rows. A long neck was considered beautiful in the authors culture. King David built some of his towers of beautiful white marble rock. It is probable that this tower was made from white marble rock since this tower is being used here in comparison with the beauty of the woman’s neck. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “Your neck is long and beautiful like the tower of David” or “Your neck is beautiful like the tower of David” 
4:4	gvns		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	כְּ⁠מִגְדַּ֤ל דָּוִיד֙	1	The **tower of David** was a tall building that was built for defense. Towers were significantly taller than other buildings and often built more narrow so that they were not wide. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of structure, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “Like the tall, narrow defense structure of David is” or “Like David’s tall thin rock defense building is”
4:4	v4ae		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive	בָּנ֖וּי לְ⁠תַלְפִּיּ֑וֹת	1	If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this 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 David instructed men to build it. Alternate translation: “that men built in layers” or “which David instructed men to build of layers” or “that David had men build of layers” 
4:4	vwef			בָּנ֖וּי לְ⁠תַלְפִּיּ֑וֹת	1	Alternate translation: “built using rows of stones” 
4:4	c4nk		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	אֶ֤לֶף הַ⁠מָּגֵן֙ תָּל֣וּי עָלָ֔י⁠ו כֹּ֖ל שִׁלְטֵ֥י הַ⁠גִּבּוֹרִֽים	1	In the authors culture it was a common practice to hang **shields** on walls as decorations. Here, the man compares the beauty of the woman’s neck with shields hanging on the tower. This comparison probably included the decorations of the woman’s necklaces which probably went around her neck many times. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “The beauty of your neck jeweled in necklaces is like a thousand warriors shields hanging from a tower”
4:4	byh2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-numbers	אֶ֤לֶף	1	In the authors culture the number **a thousand** was often used to represent a very large, but not precise, amount. This is how the number is being used here. Alternate translation: “many” or “with many” 
4:4	swd3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	אֶ֤לֶף הַ⁠מָּגֵן֙ תָּל֣וּי עָלָ֔י⁠ו כֹּ֖ל שִׁלְטֵ֥י הַ⁠גִּבּוֹרִֽים	1	The phrase **all the shields of the warriors** is parallel to the statement **a thousand shields hanging on it** and adds the additional information that the **shields** belonged to **warriors**. Hebrew poetry often used this kind of parallel statement, in which the second line gives additional information, so it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect these two parallel phrases with “each of which” or “each one” in order to show that the second phrase is not repeating the first one, but rather is saying something additional. Alternate translation: “a thousand shields hanging on it, each of which belongs to the warriors” or “a thousand shields hanging on it, each one belonging to the warriors”
4:5	ea9j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שְׁנֵ֥י שָׁדַ֛יִ⁠ךְ כִּ⁠שְׁנֵ֥י עֳפָרִ֖ים תְּאוֹמֵ֣י צְבִיָּ֑ה הָ⁠רוֹעִ֖ים בַּ⁠שּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	Here, the man compares the woman’s **two breasts** to two young twin gazelles that are grazing. The context does not explicitly indicate how exactly the woman’s **two breasts** are like two young gazelles so you could simply say that they resemble young gazelles or if it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a general point of comparison such as their beauty as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “Your two breasts resemble two young twin gazelles grazing among lilies” 
4:5	gu86		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	צְבִיָּ֑ה	1	See how you translated the plural form “gazelles” in [2:7](../02/07.md).
4:5	bb93		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠שּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	See how you translated the singular form “lily” in [2:1](../02/01.md).
4:6	y1xu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification	עַ֤ד שֶׁ⁠יָּפ֨וּחַ֙ הַ⁠יּ֔וֹם וְ⁠נָ֖סוּ הַ⁠צְּלָלִ֑ים	1	See how you translated the phrase **Until the day breathes and the shadows flee** in [2:17](../02/17.md).
4:6	xt1n		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	אֵ֤לֶךְ לִ⁠י֙	1	Your language may say “come” rather than **go** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “I myself will come” 
4:6	yze6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	הַ⁠מּ֔וֹר	1	See how you translated **myrrh** in [1:13](../01/13.md). 
4:6	re83		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֵ֤לֶךְ לִ⁠י֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר הַ⁠מּ֔וֹר וְ⁠אֶל־גִּבְעַ֖ת הַ⁠לְּבוֹנָֽה	1	The phrases **the mountain of myrrh** and **the hill of frankincense** are both metaphors that refer to the woman’s “breasts” (mentioned in the previous verse). The man is discreetly indicating that the woman’s breasts are pleasant smelling and that he wants to enjoy them (The man and the woman are now married). It would be good to retain this discreet and beautiful poetic imagery if possible. If you are using footnotes you could indicate what these two metaphors mean there. If you decide that it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning using a simile. Alternate translation: “I myself will go to your breasts which are like two sweet-smelling mountains” or “I myself will be close to your breasts, which are like two pleasant smelling hills”
4:7	wt7k			כֻּלָּ֤⁠ךְ יָפָה֙	1	Alternate translation: “Every part of you is beautiful”
4:8	ojmm		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אִתִּ֤⁠י מִ⁠לְּבָנוֹן֙ כַּלָּ֔ה אִתִּ֖⁠י מִ⁠לְּבָנ֣וֹן תָּב֑וֹאִי תָּשׁ֣וּרִי ׀ מֵ⁠רֹ֣אשׁ אֲמָנָ֗ה מֵ⁠רֹ֤אשׁ שְׂנִיר֙ וְ⁠חֶרְמ֔וֹן מִ⁠מְּעֹנ֣וֹת אֲרָי֔וֹת מֵֽ⁠הַרְרֵ֖י נְמֵרִֽים	1	This entire verse is a metaphor. This is poetry and the author is not literally indicating that the woman is physically in the mountains and near wild and dangerous animals. Rather, the that author is using this metaphor to express the man’s feelings regarding being physically distant from the woman and his strong desire to have the woman near him and away from anything that could harm her. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly using a simile as modeled by the UST.
4:8	h4yw		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	אִתִּ֤⁠י…תָּב֑וֹאִי	1	Your language may say “come” rather than **go** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “Go with me … go”
4:8	hwn4			תָּשׁ֣וּרִי	1	The word translated as **Descend** here could mean: (1 to come down from a height. If you choose this meaning you can follow the model of the ULT and UST. Alternate translation: “Climb down” (2) to bend down and look. Alternate translation: “Bend down and look”
4:8	m2km		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names	מֵ⁠רֹ֣אשׁ אֲמָנָ֗ה מֵ⁠רֹ֤אשׁ שְׂנִיר֙ וְ⁠חֶרְמ֔וֹן	1	**Hermon** is a mountain range in northern Israel and **Amana** and **Senir** are both mountain peaks.
4:8	l03h		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	מִ⁠מְּעֹנ֣וֹת אֲרָי֔וֹת מֵֽ⁠הַרְרֵ֖י נְמֵרִֽים	1	These two phrases mean very similar things. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same general idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if saying the same thing twice might be confusing for your readers, you could combine the phrases into one as modeled by the UST.
4:9	waew		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	לִבַּבְתִּ֖⁠נִי אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּ֑ה לִבַּבְתִּ֨י⁠נִי֙	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases and add the word “yes” to show that the phrase **you have enchanted my heart** is repeated in order to add emphasis. Alternate translation: “My sister, my bride; you have enchanted my heart. Yes, you have enchanted my heart” 
4:9	d7n7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom	לִבַּבְתִּ֖⁠נִי…לִבַּבְתִּ֨י⁠נִי֙	1	The phrase translated as **you have enchanted my heart** is an idiom which could mean: (1) to steal or capture a persons heart. In Jewish thinking the **heart** was the center of a persons thinking. To capture a persons **heart** probably also had the added meaning of causing them to be so in love that they could not think clearly because they were so overcome with feelings of love. Alternate translation: “You have captured my heart … you have captured my heart” or “It is as though you have captured my heart … it is as though you have captured my heart” or “You have made me feel so in love with you that it is as if I have lost my mind … you have made me feel so in love with you that it is as if I have lost my mind“ (2) the the woman had made the man’s **heart** beat faster. Alternate translation: “You have caused my heart to beat fast … you have caused my heart to beat fast” (3) that the woman had encouraged the man’s **heart**. Alternate translation: “You have encouraged my heart … you have encouraged my heart” or “You have given me heart … you have given me heart”
4:9	vdf7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י	1	The man and woman are not actually brother and sister. The phrase **my sister** is a term of endearment which expresses affection between lovers. This phrase indicates that the man and woman have a close companionship and deep emotional bond. If calling a lover **my sister** would be offensive or socially inappropriate in your culture you could use a different term of endearment or indicate the meaning of **my sister** with a footnote. Alternately, you could indicate the meaning explicitly as modeled by the UST.
4:10	qy7v		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamation	מַה־…מַה־	1	Here, the word **How** is used as an exclamation to introduce two statements about how wonderful the woman’s **love** is. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language for communicating this. 
4:10	v1gy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my sister** in [4:9](../04/09.md).
4:10	pb12		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	מַה־יָּפ֥וּ דֹדַ֖יִ⁠ךְ אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּ֑ה מַה־טֹּ֤בוּ דֹדַ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ מִ⁠יַּ֔יִן	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases.  Alternate translation: “My sister, my bride; how your love is beautiful! How your love is better than wine” 
4:10	ibb8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	מַה־יָּפ֥וּ דֹדַ֖יִ⁠ךְ…מַה־טֹּ֤בוּ דֹדַ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ מִ⁠יַּ֔יִן	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verb form as modeled by the UST or in some other way that is natural in your language.
4:10	d1m6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שְׁמָנַ֖יִ⁠ךְ	1	Here, **oils** refers to perfumes. In the authors culture pleasant smelling spices were mixed into olive oil in order to make a pleasant smelling perfume which was then put on the skin. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “your scented oils” or “the perfumed oils on your skin”
4:10	ts8k		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	שְׁמָנַ֖יִ⁠ךְ	1	The author is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply the words “is better” from the context as modeled by the UST.
4:11	fw88		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	נֹ֛פֶת תִּטֹּ֥פְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַ֖יִ⁠ךְ	1	Here the the woman’s **lips** refer to the kisses from her **lips** and the man says that they **drip with nectar** to indicate the pleasantness of her kisses. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a simile or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Your kisses are so pleasant that it is as if your lips drip with nectar” or “Your kisses are delightfully sweet” or “Being kissed by you is as enjoyable as eating honey” 
4:11	l8xe		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	נֹ֛פֶת	1	The word translated as **nectar** refers specifically to honey which drips or flows from honeycomb. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly by translating it as “honey” as modeled by the UST.
4:11	vc6y		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	דְּבַ֤שׁ וְ⁠חָלָב֙ תַּ֣חַת לְשׁוֹנֵ֔⁠ךְ	1	The phrase **honey and milk are under your tongue** could mean: (1) that the taste of the woman’s kisses was as pleasant as milk and honey. Alternate translation: “your kisses are like milk and honey to me” or “your kisses are as pleasant and delightful as milk and honey” (2) that the woman’s words were as pleasant as milk and honey. Alternate translation: “your words are as pleasant as milk and honey” (3) that both the woman’s kisses and her words were as pleasant as milk and honey. Alternate translation: “the kisses from your mouth and your words are as pleasant as milk and honey to me” 
4:11	nyc9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	וְ⁠רֵ֥יחַ שַׂלְמֹתַ֖יִ⁠ךְ כְּ⁠רֵ֥יחַ לְבָנֽוֹן	1	**Lebanon** is known for its forests of cedar trees. Cedar trees have a very pleasant smell. The phrase **the smell of your garments is like the smell of Lebanon** probably means that the woman’s clothes smelled like the smell of cedar wood. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “and the smell of your garments is like the smell of Lebanon’s pleasant smelling cedar” 
4:12	ik5j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	גַּ֥ן ׀ נָע֖וּל אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּ֑ה גַּ֥ל נָע֖וּל מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “My sister, my bride; you are a locked garden, a locked spring, a sealed fountain” 
4:12	j45u		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	גַּ֥ן ׀ נָע֖וּל אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּ֑ה	1	The man is speaking of the woman as if she were a **locked garden**. He uses **garden** as a poetic way of referring to the woman herself and by saying she is a **locked garden** he means that the woman is both beautiful and seemingly inaccessible like a **locked garden**. If it would help your readers you could express the meaning as a simile. Alternate translation: “You are like a locked garden my sister, my bride” 
4:12	nxse		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	גַּ֥ן ׀ נָע֖וּל אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּ֑ה	1	The word translated as **garden** refers to a large enclosed area where bushes, flowers, plants, and trees grow. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of garden, you could use the name of something similar in your area that would fit this context or you could use a descriptive phrase to explain it or explain it in a footnote. Alternate translation: “A locked park where many trees and plants grow is my sister, my bride” 
4:12	whp4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my sister** in [4:9](../04/09.md).
4:12	i5nb		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	גַּ֥ל נָע֖וּל מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם	1	The man continues to draw an extended comparison between the woman he loves and a **garden** by speaking of the woman as if she were **a locked spring** and **a sealed fountain** within a **locked garden**. The man means that the woman’s body is beautiful and seemingly inaccessible like a **a locked spring** or **a sealed fountain**. If you translated **A locked garden is my sister, my bride** as a simile then you should also translate these two phrases as similes. Alternate translation: “you are like a locked spring, you are like a sealed fountain” 
4:12	z4b8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	גַּ֥ל נָע֖וּל מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם	1	The phrase **a locked spring** and the phrase **a sealed fountain** mean basically the same thing. The author is saying the same thing twice, in slightly different ways, for emphasis. If saying the same thing twice might be confusing for your readers, you can combine the phrases into one, as modeled by the UST, and show the emphasis in some other way.
4:13	nsr3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	שְׁלָחַ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙	1	The word translated as **shoots** refers to the parts of something that come out from it. Here, the word refers to the stems and roots that come out (shoot out) from trees and plants. The word **shoots** is used here to refer to the woman so if it would help your readers you could translate the phrase **Your shoots** as “You” as modeled by the UST. Alternately, you could translate **shoots** with a general word that your language uses to speak of what grows out of plants and trees. Alternate translation: “Your sprouts” 
4:13-14	unsg		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	שְׁלָחַ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ פַּרְדֵּ֣ס רִמּוֹנִ֔ים עִ֖ם פְּרִ֣י מְגָדִ֑ים כְּפָרִ֖ים עִם־נְרָדִֽים…נֵ֣רְדְּ ׀ וְ⁠כַרְכֹּ֗ם קָנֶה֙ וְ⁠קִנָּמ֔וֹן עִ֖ם כָּל־עֲצֵ֣י לְבוֹנָ֑ה מֹ֚ר וַ⁠אֲהָל֔וֹת עִ֖ם כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֥י בְשָׂמִֽים	1	The man is making a comparison between these things and the woman by speaking of her as if she is **an orchard of pomegranate trees** and as as if she is various other spices and pleasant smelling plants and trees that are in the “locked garden” ([4:12](../04/12.md)). If you translated [4:12](../04/12.md) as a simile you should also translate these two verses as a simile. Alternate translation: “You are like an orchard of pomegranate trees with delicious fruits;\nhenna with nard, nard and saffron;\ncalamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense;\nmyrrh and aloes with all the best spices” 
4:13-14	dju5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	כְּפָרִ֖ים עִם־נְרָדִֽים…נֵ֣רְדְּ	1	See how you translated the word **nard** in [1:12](../01/12.md) and the word **henna** in [1:14](../01/14.md).
4:14	dxj9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	וְ⁠כַרְכֹּ֗ם קָנֶה֙ וְ⁠קִנָּמ֔וֹן…וַ⁠אֲהָל֔וֹת	1	The word **saffron** refers to a beautiful flowering plant that produces purple flowers and the word **calamus** refers to a cane. Both **saffron** and **calamus** were used to make a pleasant smelling oil. The term **cinnamon** refers to a spice made from the bark of the **cinnamon**. The term **aloes** refers to the pleasant smelling resin that comes from specific trees in Asia. If one or more of these plants are unknown in your area you could use use the name of something similar in your area or you could retain the name and use a footnote explaining what the plant is. Alternate translation: “and saffron flowers, calamus canes and cinnamon trees … pleasant smelling resin called aloes” 
4:15	z2an		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	 מַעְיַ֣ן גַּנִּ֔ים בְּאֵ֖ר מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֑ים וְ⁠נֹזְלִ֖ים מִן־לְבָנֽוֹן	1	Here, the man continues the metaphor that he began in [4:12](../04/12.md) and speaks of the woman he loves as if she were **a fountain** in a garden, **a well of living water** and **flowing streams from Lebanon**. If you translated [4:12-14](../04/12.md) as a simile you should also translate this verse as a simile. See how you translated the word “garden” in [4:12](../04/12.md). Alternate translation: “you are like a fountain of gardens,\nlike a well of living water\nand like flowing streams from Lebanon” 
4:15	bj5a		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מַעְיַ֣ן גַּנִּ֔ים	1	The term translated as **fountain** refers to a spring or underground well that is dug in order to be used as a water source. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “a garden spring” or “a garden well”  
4:15	t9ch		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural	מַעְיַ֣ן גַּנִּ֔ים	1	Here, the author could be using the plural form **gardens** to: (1) designate the kind of **fountain** that would be in **gardens**. Alternate translation: “a garden fountain” (2) designate a large garden. Alternate translation: “a fountain in a large garden” 
4:15	ke0n		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֑ים	1	Here, the term **living** means that the water is fresh and flowing. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “fresh water” or “flowing water” 
4:16	jv5g		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe	ע֤וּרִי צָפוֹן֙ וּ⁠ב֣וֹאִי תֵימָ֔ן הָפִ֥יחִי גַנִּ֖⁠י יִזְּל֣וּ בְשָׂמָ֑י⁠ו	1	The woman is speaking to the **wind** which she knows cannot hear her. She is doing this to communicate her strong desire that the pleasant smell of her body will flow through the air and attract the man she loves so that he will come to her. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate these words as a wish or desire. Alternate translation: “I wish that the north wind and south wind would come and blow on my garden and let its spices flow”
4:16	x71g		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	וּ⁠ב֣וֹאִי…יָבֹ֤א דוֹדִ⁠י֙	1	Your language may say “go” rather than **come** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “and go … Let my beloved go” 
4:16	l273		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	ע֤וּרִי צָפוֹן֙ וּ⁠ב֣וֹאִי תֵימָ֔ן הָפִ֥יחִי גַנִּ֖⁠י יִזְּל֣וּ בְשָׂמָ֑י⁠ו יָבֹ֤א דוֹדִ⁠י֙ לְ⁠גַנּ֔⁠וֹ וְ⁠יֹאכַ֖ל פְּרִ֥י מְגָדָֽי⁠ו	1	Here, the woman continues the “garden” metaphor (that the man began in [4:12](../04/12.md)) by referring to her body as **my garden** and then **his garden**. In this verse the woman calls to the wind to blow on her **garden** so that **its spices flow** into the air and attract the man she loves. The woman then offers her body to the man she loves by inviting him to **come to his garden** (a poetic way of inviting him to come to her and enjoy her body). You should translate the term **garden** here the same way you did in [4:12](../04/12.md) because both uses refer to the woman’s body. In [4:13](../04/13.md) the man spoke of the woman’s body as “an orchard of pomegranate trees with delicious fruits” and here the woman invites the man to **come to his garden and eat its delicious fruit**. If you translated [4:12-15](../04/12.md) as a simile, you should also translate the sentence **Let my beloved come to his garden\nand eat its delicious fruit** as a simile.
4:16	kdi9			יִזְּל֣וּ בְשָׂמָ֑י⁠ו	1	Alternate translation: “and carry the pleasant smell of its spices through the air” or “and make the pleasant smell of its spices flow through the air” 
5:intro	kdw4				0	# Song of Songs 5 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\n\n5:1 The conclusion of the garden metaphor\n\n5:2-8 The theme of longing and searching. \n\n5:9 The women of Jerusalem ask the young women why she thinks the man she loves is special\n\n5:10-16 The woman responds to the question the young women of Jerusalem asked her\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### The attractiveness of the man\n\nThe woman describes the man as the epitome of male attractiveness.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\nAs the author has done throughout this book so far, he continues to use metaphors to describe feeling and events that are common to romantic relationships. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Order of events\n\n5:2-8 seems to describe events that would have chronologically and logically occurred before the events described in 3:6-5:1. The solution to this seeming problem is to understand that this book is poetry and that the author is poetically describing emotions and feelings that occur between a man and woman who romantically love each other. Because the author is using poetry to describe the couple’s romantic relationship and its associated feelings, he does not need to follow the conventions of chronological story telling.\n\n### Whether 5:2-8 describes events that really happened or that happened in a dream.\n\nThere are two main views among Bible scholars regarding the events described in 5:2-8. One view is that the events which 5:2-8 describe happened in a dream. The other view is that the events that 5:2-8 describe actually happened after the man awakened the women from sleeping or from being nearly asleep. The vast majority of Bible scholars think that the first view is correct, that the events described in 5:2-8 happened in a dream.\n\n### The “sister” metaphor\n\nThe phrase **my sister** is used in 4:9; 4:10, 4:12, 5:1, and 5:2. The man uses this phrase as a term of endearment for the woman he loves. The woman is not actually his sister. You should translate this phrase in 5:1, and 5:2 the same way as you translated it in 4:9; 4:10, and 4:12 because the author uses it with the same meaning in this chapter. See the note at the first occurrence of this phrase in 4:9 for more information regarding this phrase.\n\n
5:1	f2qr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exmetaphor	בָּ֣אתִי לְ⁠גַנִּ⁠י֮ אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּה֒ אָרִ֤יתִי מוֹרִ⁠י֙ עִם־בְּשָׂמִ֔⁠י אָכַ֤לְתִּי יַעְרִ⁠י֙ עִם־דִּבְשִׁ֔⁠י שָׁתִ֥יתִי יֵינִ֖⁠י עִם־חֲלָבִ֑⁠י	1	The man continues using the “garden” metaphor that he began in [4:12](../04/12.md) by again referring to the woman’s body as a **garden**. Here the man accepts the woman’s invitation (that she gave in the previous verse) to enjoy her body. The lines **I have plucked my myrrh with my spice** and **I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey** and **I have drunk my wine with my milk** are all metaphors for the man enjoying the woman’s body. If you used similes to translate [4:12-16](../04/12.md) you should continue to do so here. Alternate translation: “You who are as dear to me as a sister, my bride, I am ready to go with you and enjoy the delights of your body, it will be as though I will be gathering myrrh with my other spices, and eating my honey and honeycomb, and drinking my wine and my milk” 
5:1	dr7h		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בָּ֣אתִי לְ⁠גַנִּ⁠י֮ אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּה֒ אָרִ֤יתִי מוֹרִ⁠י֙ עִם־בְּשָׂמִ֔⁠י אָכַ֤לְתִּי יַעְרִ⁠י֙ עִם־דִּבְשִׁ֔⁠י שָׁתִ֥יתִי יֵינִ֖⁠י עִם־חֲלָבִ֑⁠י	1	Though the man is speaking as if he has already done these things. He is actually getting ready to do them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “I am going to come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I will pluck my myrrh with my spice.\nI will eat my honeycomb with my honey;\nI will drink my wine with my milk” 
5:1	m575		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	בָּ֣אתִי	1	Your language may say “gone” rather than **come** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “I have gone” 
5:1	jf09		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	בָּ֣אתִי לְ⁠גַנִּ⁠י֮ אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י כַלָּה֒	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “My sister, my bride, I have come to my garden”
5:1	tgd7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אֲחֹתִ֣⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my sister** in [4:9](../04/09.md).
5:1	bxja		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo	אִכְל֣וּ רֵעִ֔ים שְׁת֥וּ וְ⁠שִׁכְר֖וּ דּוֹדִֽים	1	The author does not say who is speaking to the couple here so you should not indicate the speakers explicitly in the text of your translation. However, if you are using section headers to indicate who is speaking, as the UST does, the speakers could be: (1) the “daughters of Jerusalem” who spoke earlier in the book. The daughters of Jerusalem are speaking to the couple at the couple’s wedding. If you are using section headers you can use a phrase such as “The young women of Jerusalem speaking to the couple” or “The young women of Jerusalem speak to the couple at their wedding”  (2) a group of people who are the couple’s. If you are using section headers you can use a phrase such as “The couple’s friends speak ” or “The couple’s wedding guests speak” 
5:1	i16q		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	אִכְל֣וּ רֵעִ֔ים שְׁת֥וּ וְ⁠שִׁכְר֖וּ דּוֹדִֽים	1	Eating and drinking are metaphors which are used to represent the newly married couple enjoying their sexual union. The phrase **be drunk with love** is an encouragement to fully enjoy the delights of their sexual union. If it would help your readers you could express the meaning with a simile. Alternate translation: “Enjoy your marital intimacy and make love until you are fully satisfied as if you are eating food until full and drinking wine freely”
5:1	doim		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns	אִכְל֣וּ רֵעִ֔ים שְׁת֥וּ וְ⁠שִׁכְר֖וּ דּוֹדִֽים	1	If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **love**, you could express the same idea with a verb phrase, as modeled by the UST, or you could translate it in some other way that is natural in your language.
5:2	biy3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	אֲנִ֥י יְשֵׁנָ֖ה וְ⁠לִבִּ֣⁠י עֵ֑ר	1	Here, the term **heart** could represent: (1) the woman’s thoughts and mental awareness in which case the phrase **my heart is awake** means that her mind is alert and dreaming after she had started to sleep. Alternate translation: “I am asleep, but my mind is dreaming” or “I am asleep, but my mind is alert and dreaming” (2) the woman’s entire person in which case the phrase **my heart is awake** means that she had been awakened after falling **asleep** or after she was almost **asleep**. Alternate translation: “I was almost asleep, now I am awakened” or “I was asleep, but now I have been awakened” 
5:2	kri6			ק֣וֹל ׀ דּוֹדִ֣⁠י דוֹפֵ֗ק	1	Alternate translation: “I hear a sound, it is my beloved knocking” or “I hear a sound, it is the sound of my beloved knocking on my door”
5:2	tk43			דּוֹדִ֣⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my beloved** in [1:13](../01/13.md). Alternate translation: “my lover”
5:2	rx38		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom	אֲחֹתִ֤⁠י רַעְיָתִ⁠י֙ יוֹנָתִ֣⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my sister** in [4:9](../04/09.md), **my darling** in [1:9](../01/09.md), and **my dove** in [2:14](../02/14.md).
5:2	yh2r		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom	שֶׁ⁠רֹּאשִׁ⁠י֙ נִמְלָא־טָ֔ל	1	Here, the phrase **full of** is a Hebrew idiom which means “wet with.” If your readers would not understand this, you could use an equivalent idiom or use plain language. Alternate translation: “because my head is with with dew”
5:2	d3gt		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	קְוֻּצּוֹתַ֖⁠י	1	The words “is full of” are understood from the previous phrase. If it would help your readers, they can be repeated here as modeled by the ULT.
5:3	m1u3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotemarks	פָּשַׁ֨טְתִּי֙ אֶת־כֻּתָּנְתִּ֔⁠י אֵיכָ֖כָה אֶלְבָּשֶׁ֑⁠נָּה רָחַ֥צְתִּי אֶת־רַגְלַ֖⁠י אֵיכָ֥כָה אֲטַנְּפֵֽ⁠ם	1	In this verse, the author quotes: (1) what the woman thought to herself. Alternate translation: “I thought to myself; I have taken off my robe; how will I put it on?\nI have washed my feet; how could I get them dirty?” (2) the woman speaking directly to the man. Alternate translation: “I said to the man I love; I have taken off my robe; how will I put it on? I have washed my feet; how could I get them dirty?” 
5:3	g6z2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	אֵיכָ֖כָה אֶלְבָּשֶׁ֑⁠נָּה רָחַ֥צְתִּי אֶת־רַגְלַ֖⁠י אֵיכָ֥כָה אֲטַנְּפֵֽ⁠ם	1	The woman is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation and express the emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “I do not want to put it back on! I have already washed my feet so I do not want to get them dirty again!”
5:4	nns1			דּוֹדִ֗⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my beloved** in [1:13](../01/13.md).
5:4	xks3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	וּ⁠מֵעַ֖⁠י הָמ֥וּ עָלָֽי⁠ו	1	Here, **belly** represents the center of a person’s emotions. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and my feelings for him roared”
5:4	az6q		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	וּ⁠מֵעַ֖⁠י הָמ֥וּ עָלָֽי⁠ו	1	Here, the phrase **my belly roared** means that the woman’s feelings were aroused. The term **belly** represents the woman’s feelings and the woman saying that her feelings **roared** is a poetic way of saying that her feelings were aroused. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning in plain language. Alternate translation: “and my feelings for him were aroused” or “and my concerning him were aroused”
5:5	w3k2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	וְ⁠יָדַ֣⁠י נָֽטְפוּ־מ֗וֹר וְ⁠אֶצְבְּעֹתַ⁠י֙ מ֣וֹר עֹבֵ֔ר	1	The phrase **my hands dripped with myrrh** and the phrase **my fingers dripped with flowing myrrh** mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than **and** in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “and my hands dripped with myrrh, yes, my fingers dripped with flowing myrrh”
5:5	ycr1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מ֣וֹר עֹבֵ֔ר	1	The phrase translated as **flowing myrrh** refers to liquid myrrh. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “liquid myrrh”
5:5	yfag		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	וְ⁠אֶצְבְּעֹתַ⁠י֙	1	The woman is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: “and my fingers dripped with” 
5:6	b7qk			לְ⁠דוֹדִ֔⁠י וְ⁠דוֹדִ֖⁠י	1	See how you translated the phrase **my beloved** in [1:13](../01/13.md). 
5:6	y1yc		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	עָבָ֑ר 	1	Your language may say “went” rather than **gone** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “and went” 
5:6	fxej		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	נַפְשִׁ⁠י֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה	1	Your language may say “gone” rather than **went** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “My soul had gone out” 
5:6	z8na		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom	נַפְשִׁ⁠י֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה	1	Here, **soul** represents the entire person, and the phrase **My soul went out** is a Hebrew idiom that means means to feel extreme despair. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use an idiom from your language that does have this meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My heart sank”
5:6	s6qy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	וְ⁠לֹ֥א עָנָֽ⁠נִי	1	The reason the man did not answer is because he was not there. If your readers might mistakenly think that the phrase **he did not answer me** implies that the man was present and chose not to answer, you could state explicitly that the man was not there or you could use a different phrase. Alternate translation: “but he did not answer me because he was not there” or “but there was no answer”
5:7	a9yk		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	מְצָאֻ֧⁠נִי הַ⁠שֹּׁמְרִ֛ים הַ⁠סֹּבְבִ֥ים בָּ⁠עִ֖יר	1	See how you translated the sentence **The guards going about in the city found me** in [3:3](../03/03.md).
5:7	fr13		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	הִכּ֣וּ⁠נִי פְצָע֑וּ⁠נִי נָשְׂא֤וּ אֶת־רְדִידִ⁠י֙ מֵֽ⁠עָלַ֔⁠י שֹׁמְרֵ֖י הַ⁠חֹמֽוֹת	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “The guards of the walls beat me and wounded me;\nthey lifted my shawl from me” 
5:7	ektd		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	הִכּ֣וּ⁠נִי פְצָע֑וּ⁠נִי	1	The reason that the city watchmen **beat** and **wounded** the woman is because they thought she was a prostitute. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly as modeled by the UST.
5:7	nnql		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	אֶת־רְדִידִ⁠י֙	1	The word translated as **shawl** could refer to: (1) a light article of clothing like a **shawl** or cloak that was worn as an outer garment and wrapped around the body. Alternate translation: “my cloak” (2) a large veil. Alternate translation: “my veil” 
5:7	euu8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שֹׁמְרֵ֖י הַ⁠חֹמֽוֹת	1	The men called **the guards of the walls** are the same men as **The guards going about in the city**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “those guards who were going about in the city guarding the walls”
5:8	czu7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-oathformula	הִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי אֶתְ⁠כֶ֖ם בְּנ֣וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם	1	See how you translated the phrase **I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem** in [2:7](../02/07.md).
5:8	v5m3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole	שֶׁ⁠חוֹלַ֥ת אַהֲבָ֖ה אָֽנִי	1	See how you translated the phrase **sick with love am I** in [2:5](../02/05.md) 
5:8	r20s		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	שֶׁ⁠חוֹלַ֥ת אַהֲבָ֖ה אָֽנִי	1	The woman is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context as modeled by the ULT.
5:9	tgep		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry	מַה־דּוֹדֵ֣⁠ךְ מִ⁠דּ֔וֹד הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים מַה־דּוֹדֵ֣⁠ךְ מִ⁠דּ֔וֹד שֶׁ⁠כָּ֖כָה הִשְׁבַּעְתָּֽ⁠נוּ	1	The phrase **What is your beloved more than another beloved** is repeated for emphasis. This is a common feature of Hebrew poetry, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if asking the same question twice would be confusing to your readers you could combine them into one. Alternate translation: “What is your beloved more than another beloved, most beautiful among women, that thus you adjure us” or “Most beautiful among women, what is your beloved more than another beloved, that thus you adjure us” 
5:9	vbc6			מַה־דּוֹדֵ֣⁠ךְ מִ⁠דּ֔וֹד	1	Alternate translation: “What makes the man you love better than other men” or “What is so special about the man you love” 
5:9	zeav		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure	מַה־דּוֹדֵ֣⁠ךְ מִ⁠דּ֔וֹד הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים	1	If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: “Most beautiful among women, what is your beloved more than another beloved” 
5:9	eap5			הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים	1	See how you translated the phrase **most beautiful among women** in [1:8](../01/08.md).
5:9	sj0b			שֶׁ⁠כָּ֖כָה הִשְׁבַּעְתָּֽ⁠נוּ	1	Alternate translation: “with the result that thus you adjure us” or “with the result that you request us to promise that we tell him that” or “that would make you want to thus adjure us” 
5:9	zp43		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-oathformula	הִשְׁבַּעְתָּֽ⁠נוּ	1	See how you translated the word **adjure** in the previous verse. 
5:10	xuy2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	דּוֹדִ֥⁠י צַח֙ וְ⁠אָד֔וֹם	1	The word translated here as **shimmering** means refers to something that is “radiant” or “glowing” and here it means that the man’s skin had a healthy glow. The word **red** refers to the man’s healthy color of skin that was a brownish red or reddish brown color. These two words are used together to indicate that the man’s skin and complexion looked healthy and handsome. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate explicitly that these two words refer to his skin or you could summarize what they indicate when used together as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “My beloved has radiant and healthy skin” or “My beloved’s skin glows and is a handsome reddish brown” or “My beloved’s skin is radiant and reddish-brown” 
5:10	ie7h		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive	דָּג֖וּל מֵ⁠רְבָבָֽה	1	If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state the phrase **able to be distinguished from** in active form, use an adjective such as “distinguishable” or “outstanding,” or express the meaning in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “he is distinguishable from ten thousand other men” 
5:10	hms2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	דָּג֖וּל מֵ⁠רְבָבָֽה	1	In the Hebrew language **ten thousand** is the highest number that was used when making comparisons so the woman uses this number here to stand for an uncountable number of **other people**. If you have a similar expression in your culture you could use that. Alternately, if it would help your readers, you could state the meaning plainly.  Alternate translation: “better than anyone else” or “there is no one else like him” or “one in a million” 
5:11	s23z		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	רֹאשׁ֖⁠וֹ כֶּ֣תֶם פָּ֑ז	1	The woman is speaking of the man’s **head** as if it were **gold**. Because she speaks of the appearance of the man’s **hairs** in the following line she probably intends to speak of the man’s face in this line and express that his face resembles the dazzling, beautiful appearance of gold. By adding that the **gold** is **refined gold** the woman is indicating that the **gold** is very special and valuable and so by adding the phrase **refined gold** she is probably indicating that the man is special and has great worth. If it would help your readers you could use a simile to express the meaning or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His head is like gold that is refined” or “His face is beautiful and gleams like gold. He is precious and valuable like refined gold” or “His face gleams. He is precious and valuable” 
5:11	mojr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	שְׁחֹר֖וֹת כָּ⁠עוֹרֵֽב	1	A **raven** is a large bird with dark black feathers. Ravens are as big as some hawks and are similar in color and appearance to crows but are larger. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of bird, you could use the name of a similar bird in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “black like a bird with dark black feathers” or “black like a dark black bird” 
5:11	m1w4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	קְוּצּוֹתָי⁠ו֙ תַּלְתַּלִּ֔ים שְׁחֹר֖וֹת כָּ⁠עוֹרֵֽב	1	The point of the comparison **black like the raven** is that the man’s hair is dark black like the color of a raven. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this meaning in plain language. Alternate translation: “his hair is wavy and dark black”\n\n
5:12	m6e7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	עֵינָ֕י⁠ו כְּ⁠יוֹנִ֖ים עַל־אֲפִ֣יקֵי מָ֑יִם רֹֽחֲצוֹת֙ בֶּֽ⁠חָלָ֔ב יֹשְׁב֖וֹת עַל־מִלֵּֽאת	1	In [1:15](../01/15.md) the man said to the woman, “your eyes are doves.” Here, the woman says this to the man and adds the word **like** and extends the comparison between **doves** and **eyes** by adding the phrase **bathing in milk** which explains what color the doves (eyes) are and by adding two parallel phrases, **beside stream beds of water** and **sitting by the pools**, both of which describe the **doves** as being by water. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could add the words “that are” and “and” to show that the comparison continues throughout the verse. Alternately, you could express the meaning in plain language as modeled by the UST. Alternate translation: “His eyes are like doves beside stream beds of water,\nthat are bathing in milk and sitting beside the pools”
5:12	knr8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	עֵינָ֕י⁠ו כְּ⁠יוֹנִ֖ים עַל־אֲפִ֣יקֵי מָ֑יִם רֹֽחֲצוֹת֙ בֶּֽ⁠חָלָ֔ב יֹשְׁב֖וֹת עַל־מִלֵּֽאת	1	The phrases **beside stream beds of water** and **sitting by the pools** mean basically the same thing. They both describe the **doves** as being by water. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “His eyes are like doves beside stream beds of water, bathing in milk” or “His eyes are like doves bathing in milk, sitting by the pools”
5:13	mem2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	לְחָיָ⁠ו֙ כַּ⁠עֲרוּגַ֣ת הַ⁠בֹּ֔שֶׂם מִגְדְּל֖וֹת מֶרְקָחִ֑ים	1	Here, the man’s **cheeks** are compared to a garden, or an area in a garden, used for planting **spices**. The phrase **yielding herbal spices** further describes the first line. The point of this comparison is that the man’s **cheeks** smell **like planters of spices, yielding herbal spices**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the basis of this comparison. Alternate translation: “His cheeks smell like a bed of spices that produce herbal spices”
5:13	h8iu			כַּ⁠עֲרוּגַ֣ת הַ⁠בֹּ֔שֶׂם	1	Here, the term translated as **bed** refers to an area in a garden used for planting. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “like an area for planting spices” or “like a garden bed of spices” or “like planters of spices”
5:13	a4hu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	שִׂפְתוֹתָי⁠ו֙ שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּ֔ים נֹטְפ֖וֹת מ֥וֹר עֹבֵֽר	1	Here, the woman compares the man’s **lips** to **lilies** that are **dripping with flowing myrrh**. The woman probably compares his lips with **lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh** because of the sweet smell of both **lilies** and **myrrh** and because of the beauty and softness of **lilies** and because the man’s kisses are wet like **flowing myrrh**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express the meaning with a simile or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His lips are beautiful, fragrant, and soft. His kisses are sweet sweet-smelling and moist” 
5:13	t4f1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּ֔ים	1	See how you translated **lilies** in [2:16](../02/16.md).
5:13	x8c2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	מ֥וֹר עֹבֵֽר	1	See how you translated the phrase **flowing myrrh** in [5:5](../05/05.md). 
5:14	nl6y		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	יָדָי⁠ו֙ גְּלִילֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב מְמֻלָּאִ֖ים בַּ⁠תַּרְשִׁ֑ישׁ	1	Here, the woman compares the man’s **arms** to **rods of gold mounted with topaz**. **rods of gold** were powerful, had an attractive color, and had a finely rounded shape and **topaz** would have made the **rods of gold** even more nice to look at.  If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express the meaning with a simile or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His arms are powerful, nicely rounded, and beautiful like rods of gold mounted with topaz”
5:14	r9p1			יָדָי⁠ו֙	1	The word that the ULT translates as **arms** could: (1) refer to **arms** in which case you can follow the ULT’s translation. (2) refer to “hands.” Alternate translation: “His hands are” 
5:14	h4kv		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	בַּ⁠תַּרְשִׁ֑ישׁ	1	**topaz** is a beautiful looking gem stone used in jewelry and to add decoration to other things. Bible scholars are not certain exactly what stone the word the ULT translates as **topaz** refers to. Many different stones have been proposed such as **topaz** chrysolite, beryl and others. If you have one of these types of stones in your area you could use it in your translation or you could use a general term Alternate translation: “with beautiful stones” or “with jewels” 
5:14	bg51		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	מֵעָי⁠ו֙ עֶ֣שֶׁת שֵׁ֔ן מְעֻלֶּ֖פֶת סַפִּירִֽים	1	Here, the woman compares the man’s **belly** to **a plate of ivory covered with sapphires**. Both **ivory** and **sapphires** are very beautiful. By comparing the man’s **belly** **a plate of ivory covered with sapphires** she is saying that the man’s belly looks beautiful and is probably also trying to indicate the specialness or uniqueness of his appearance since **ivory** and **sapphires** were rare and costly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express the meaning with a simile or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his belly is beautiful and precious” or “his belly is handsome” 
5:14	xnyk			מֵעָי⁠ו֙	1	Alternate translation: “his stomach is” 
5:14	k5ga		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	שֵׁ֔ן	1	The word **ivory** refers to the tusks of a large animal called an elephant. **ivory** is a white color and is very beautiful and costly. If your readers would not be familiar with **ivory** you could explain this term in a footnote.
5:14	ws92		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	סַפִּירִֽים	1	**sapphires** are a beautiful blue gem stone. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of stone, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “with blue gem stones” or “with beautiful blue gem stones” 
5:15	i1xz		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	שׁוֹקָי⁠ו֙ עַמּ֣וּדֵי שֵׁ֔שׁ מְיֻסָּדִ֖ים עַל־אַדְנֵי־פָ֑ז	1	Here, the woman compares the man’s **thighs** to **pillars of alabaster set on bases of gold**. The woman means that the man’s legs are strong and majestic looking like **pillars of alabaster set on bases of gold**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express the meaning with a simile or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His thighs are strong and majestic like pillars of alabaster set on bases of gold” 
5:15	urlk		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	שׁוֹקָי⁠ו֙	1	The word the ULT translates as **thighs** most likely refers to the entirety of a person’s legs so you could translate this term as **legs** as the UST does, if you desire.
5:15	juu1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	שֵׁ֔שׁ	1	**alabaster** is a type of stone. The word translated as **alabaster** can refer to either **alabaster** or marble. Both **alabaster** and marble are types of strong stone that are nice looking and are used to make large columns, statues and other things. If your readers would not be familiar with one of these types of stone use the name of the other one. If they are not familiar with either you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “marble” or “stone” 
5:15	z75c		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	מַרְאֵ֨⁠הוּ֙ כַּ⁠לְּבָנ֔וֹן בָּח֖וּר כָּ⁠אֲרָזִֽים	1	**Lebanon** was a beautiful mountainous region and the cedar trees that grew there were tall and strong and considered to be the best wood. The word **choice** here means “excellent quality” so the phrase **as choice as the cedars** means that the man is of excellent quality like the **cedars** in **Lebanon**. The point of this comparison is that the man is majestic like the mountainous, wooded area of **Lebanon** and is tall and strong and stately like the **cedars** there and similar to how the **cedars** are better than other trees so he is outstanding in comparison to other men. If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain the point of this comparison or express this meaning in plain language. Alternate translation: “His appearance is tall and strong and stately. He is outstanding among other men” or “His appearance is majestic. He is strong and tall and better than other men” 
5:16	sc8p		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	חִכּ⁠וֹ֙ מַֽמְתַקִּ֔ים	1	Here, **mouth** could refer to: (1) the man’s kisses. Alternate translation: “His kisses are most sweet” (2) the man’s words. Alternate translation: “His speech is most sweet” or “The words from his mouth are most sweet”  
5:16	w3vr			וְ⁠כֻלּ֖⁠וֹ מַחֲמַדִּ֑ים	1	Alternate translation: “and every part of him is very desirable”
5:16	r6zc		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם	1	See how you translated the phrase **daughters of Jerusalem** in [1:5](../01/05.md).
6:intro	fa9a				0	# Song of Songs 6 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Beauty\n\nThe woman is described as the epitome of beauty in ancient Israel. Not all cultures share the same standards of beauty.\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\nIn the ancient Near East, it was common to describe a woman using metaphors involving animals. In many cultures today, this can be considered offensive. Different metaphors of beauty are used in different cultures. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
6:1	xnv3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism	אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דּוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ וּ⁠נְבַקְשֶׁ֖⁠נּוּ עִמָּֽ⁠ךְ	1	The question **Where did he go, your beloved** and the question **Where did he turn, your beloved** have basically the same meaning. This type of repetition is a common feature of Hebrew poetry. This question is asked twice, in slightly different ways, for emphasis and poetic effect. It would be good to retain this repetition if possible but if saying the same thing twice might be confusing for your readers, you can combine the phrases into one. Alternate translation: “Where did he go, your beloved, most beautiful woman among women? Let us seek him with you” or “Most beautiful woman among women, where did he turn your beloved? Let us seek him with you” 
6:1	tgqz			 אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דּוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ & אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ	1	Alternate translation: “Where did your beloved go … Where did your beloved turn” 
6:1	emy4			 הַ⁠יָּפָ֖ה בַּ⁠נָּשִׁ֑ים	1	See how you translated the phrase **most beautiful woman among women** in [1:8](../01/08.md).
6:1	pypx			אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔⁠ךְ	1	Alternate translation: “Which way did your beloved go”
6:1	ise2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	וּ⁠נְבַקְשֶׁ֖⁠נּוּ עִמָּֽ⁠ךְ	1	The women of Jerusalem are leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If your readers might misunderstand this, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: “tell us, so that we can seek him with you” or “tell us, and let us seek him with you” 
6:2	vrq9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	דּוֹדִ⁠י֙ יָרַ֣ד לְ⁠גַנּ֔⁠וֹ לַ⁠עֲרוּג֖וֹת הַ⁠בֹּ֑שֶׂם לִ⁠רְעוֹת֙ בַּ⁠גַּנִּ֔ים וְ⁠לִ⁠לְקֹ֖ט שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	Here, the word **garden** and **gardens** both refer to the woman’s body. The woman is continuing to use the “garden” metaphor that was used in [4:12-5:1](../04/12.md) by again referring to her body as a **garden**. The phrase **graze in the gardens** and **glean lilies** are both metaphors for the man enjoying the woman’s body. If you used similes to translate [4:12-5:1](../04/12.md) you should continue to use similes here. Alternate translation: “My beloved went to me. I am like a garden where beds of spices grow. He came to me in order to enjoy my body like a gazelle grazing in gardens and like a person gleaning lilies” 
6:2	jgeu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	דּוֹדִ⁠י֙ יָרַ֣ד לְ⁠גַנּ֔⁠וֹ לַ⁠עֲרוּג֖וֹת הַ⁠בֹּ֑שֶׂם	1	The phrase **to the beds of spices** explains where in the **garden** the man **went down to** and is not describing a separate location from the **garden** (woman). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “My beloved went down to the beds of spices in his garden” or “My beloved went to me who is like his garden where beds of spices grow” 
6:2	twm5		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-go	יָרַ֣ד	1	Your language may say “gone” rather than **went** in contexts such as this. Use whichever is more natural. Alternate translation: “has gone down” 
6:2	pr3t			לַ⁠עֲרוּג֖וֹת הַ⁠בֹּ֑שֶׂם	1	See how you translated the similar phrase **bed of spices** in [5:13](../05/13.md). 
6:2	uprg		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	בַּ⁠גַּנִּ֔ים	1	Here, the phrase **the gardens** refers to the woman just like the phrase **his garden** earlier in the verse does. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly by translating the phrase **the gardens** as “his gardens” or “his garden.” Alternate translation: “in his gardens” or “in his garden”  
6:3	lr7w			אֲנִ֤י לְ⁠דוֹדִ⁠י֙ וְ⁠דוֹדִ֣⁠י לִ֔⁠י	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him” in [2:16](../02/16.md).
6:3	p4l4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	הָ⁠רֹעֶ֖ה בַּ⁠שׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים	1	See how you translated the similar phrase “the man grazing among the lilies” in [2:16](../02/16.md).
6:4	q66q				0	# General Information:\n\nHere begins Part Five of the book
6:4	xk88		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	as beautiful as Tirzah, my love, as lovely as Jerusalem	0	These cities were famous for being beautiful and pleasant to be in. The man thinks the woman is beautiful, and he takes pleasure in being with her.
6:4	nj8w			my love	0	“you whom I love.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 1:9](../01/09.md).
6:4	rjr5			lovely	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 1:5](../01/05.md).
6:5	lbz1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שַׂעְרֵ⁠ךְ֙ כְּ⁠עֵ֣דֶר הָֽ⁠עִזִּ֔ים שֶׁ⁠גָּלְשׁ֖וּ מִן־הַ⁠גִּלְעָֽד	1	See how you translated the sentence **Your hair is like a flock of goats\nthat hop down from Gilead** in [4:1](../04/01.md).
6:6	lxi1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	שִׁנַּ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ כְּ⁠עֵ֣דֶר הָֽ⁠רְחֵלִ֔ים שֶׁ⁠עָל֖וּ מִן־הָ⁠רַחְצָ֑ה שֶׁ⁠כֻּלָּ⁠ם֙ מַתְאִימ֔וֹת וְ⁠שַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּ⁠הֶֽם	1	 See how you translated the almost identical verse in [4:2](../04/02.md).
6:6	j7se		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	coming up from the washing place	0	The ewes are coming up out of the water. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:2](../04/02.md). Alternate translation: “that are coming up out of the water after people have washed them”
6:6	x7hr		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	Each one has a twin	0	Sheep usually give birth to two lambs at one time. These twin lamb usually look like one another. Each of the woman’s teeth has a matching tooth on the other side of her mouth. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:2](../04/02.md).
6:6	s4qj			none among them is bereaved	0	Each of the woman’s teeth has a matching tooth on the other side of her mouth. She has not lost any of her teeth. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:2](../04/02.md).
6:6	j4u3			bereaved	0	lost a loved one who has died. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:2](../04/02.md).
6:7	zid1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	are like pomegranate halves	0	Pomegranates are smooth, round, and rich red. The man thinks the woman’s cheeks are beautiful and show that she is healthy. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:3](../04/03.md). Alternate translation: “are red and round like two halves of a pomegranate” or “are red and full and healthy”
6:7	z88b			behind your veil	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:1](../04/01.md).
6:9	a2hh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	My dove	0	The Israelites considered doves beautiful birds with pleasant voices. The man thinks the woman’s face and voice are beautiful. If calling a woman a “dove” would be offensive, you could leave out the metaphor. See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:14](../02/14.md). Alternate translation: “You beautiful woman”
6:9	dk9e			my undefiled	0	“my perfect one” or “my faithful one” or “my innocent one.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 5:2](../05/02.md).
6:9	tej6			the woman who bore her	0	“the woman who gave birth to her.” This phrase refers to her mother.
6:9	wmx6			young women … queens … concubines	0	the women spoken of in [Song of Songs 6:8](./08.md).
6:9	al8y			called her blessed	0	Alternate translation: “said that things had gone especially well for her”
6:10	cw4k				0	# General Information:\n\nThe ULT understands this to be what the queens and the concubines said about the woman. However, some versions understand these to be the words of the man.
6:10	g6e9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	Who is this who appears like the dawn … banners?	0	They are using this question to say that they think the young woman is amazing. Alternate translation: “This is an amazing woman! She comes into view like the dawn … banners!”
6:10	y3dp		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	who appears like the dawn	0	The dawn is beautiful. The woman is beautiful. Alternate translation: “who comes into view like the dawn”
6:10	vb8c		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners	0	See how you translated the similar phrase “terrifying like bannered armies” in [6:4](../06/04.md).
6:11	xmc2			grove	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 4:13](../04/12.md).
6:11	vs9r			young growth	0	Alternate translation: “young plants” or “new shoots”
6:11	qw4q			had budded	0	“had grown their buds.” Buds are the small round parts of plants which open up into flowers.
6:11	w8xh			were in bloom	0	Alternate translation: “were opening their flowers”
6:12	lt9y		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	I was so happy that I felt I was riding in the chariot of a prince	0	The man uses this image to express how happy he is.
6:13	u681				0	# General Information:\n\nThis is 7:1, the first verse of chapter seven, in some versions. The ULT understands this to be the friends and the woman talking to each other. Some versions understand this to be the man speaking to the woman.
6:13	sm5j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns	Turn back … gaze on you	0	Possible meanings here are: (1) the friends are speaking to the woman or (2) the man is referring to himself in plural.
6:13	x9hk			Turn back, turn back	0	“Come back, come back.” This is repeated for emphasis.
6:13	za54		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns	we may gaze	0	Some versions understand the plural to refer to the man speaking of himself. Alternate translation: “I may gaze”
6:13	c258			gaze	0	look intently for a long time
6:13	e2bm		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns	Why do you gaze on the perfect woman … armies	0	Possible meanings here are: (1) the woman refers to herself as another person and is speaking to the friends or (2) the woman is speaking to the man as if he were many men.
7:intro	hqv7				0	# Song of Songs 7 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Beauty\n\nThe woman is described as the epitome of beauty in ancient Israel. Not all cultures share the same the same standards of beauty.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Similes\n\nThere are many similes in this chapter. Their purpose is to describe the beauty of the woman. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
7:1	z7jk				0	# General Information:\n\nThis is 7:2, the second verse of chapter seven, in some versions.
7:1	k8va			prince’s daughter	0	Another possible interpretation is “you who have a noble character.”
7:1	e9bd		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	The curves of your thighs are like jewels	0	The shape of the woman’s thighs remind the speaker of a beautiful precious stone that a skilled workman has carved. Alternate translation: “The curves of your thighs are beautiful like the beautiful curves of jewel that a skilled craftsman has made”
7:1	fc12		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche	the work of the hands of a master craftsman	0	The hands are a synecdoche for the person. Alternate translation: “the work of a master craftsman” or “something that a master craftsman has made”
7:2	u88e		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	Your navel is like a round bowl	0	A bowl is round. The woman’s navel is round.
7:2	dp5a			navel	0	the spot on the stomach left from the cord that attaches a baby to its mother
7:2	n59p		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	may it never lack mixed wine	0	People used large bowls to mix wine with water or spices at feasts. Drinking wine is a metaphor for enjoying beauty. The litotes can be translated as a positive. Alternate translation: “may it always contain mixed wine” or “may I always enjoy its beauty” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-litotes]])
7:2	q8fy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	Your belly is like a mound of wheat encircled with lilies	0	The Israelites thought mounds of wheat and lilies were pleasant to look at. Much wheat was a sign that there would be much food to eat. They threshed wheat in high, dry places, and lilies grow in low, wet places, so this simile combines beautiful sights that people would not usually see at the same time.
7:2	w6nh		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	Your belly is like a mound of wheat	0	People thought that the color of wheat was the most beautiful color of skin and that round piles of wheat were beautiful. Alternate translation: “Your belly has a beautiful color and is round like a pile of wheat”
7:2	ah1p			a mound of wheat	0	This is a pile of the grains of wheat after people remove the parts of it that they do not use.
7:2	cz8d			encircled with lilies	0	Alternate translation: “with lilies all around it”
7:2	ue5r			lilies	0	sweet-smelling flowers that grow in places where there is much water. Translate as the plural of “lily” in [Song of Songs 2:1](../02/01.md).
7:3	jw6n		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	two breasts	0	See how you translated this in [4:5](../04/05.md).
7:3	wr8t			gazelle	0	
7:4	uv17		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	Your neck is like a tower of ivory	0	A tower is long and straight. Ivory is white. The woman’s neck is long and straight, and her skin is light in color.
7:4	b1sy			a tower of ivory	0	Alternate translation: “a tower that people have decorated with ivory”
7:4	xgt7			ivory	0	the white tusk or tooth of an animal that is similar to bone. People use ivory to make art and to make things look beautiful.
7:4	h4ih		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	your eyes are the pools in Heshbon	0	The woman’s eyes are spoken of as if they are clear pools of water. Pools of water are clear and sparkle in the sunlight and so are pleasant to look at. The woman’s eyes are clear and sparkle and so are pleasant to look at. This can be stated as a simile. Alternate translation: “your eyes are as clear as the pools in Heshbon” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
7:4	md6s		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names	Heshbon	0	This is the name of a city east of the Jordan River
7:4	r1vf		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names	Bath Rabbim	0	This is the name of a city.
7:4	a4vg		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	nose is like the tower in Lebanon	0	A tower is tall and straight, and her nose is tall and straight.
7:4	s23k			that looks toward Damascus	0	Alternate translation: “facing toward Damascus”
7:5	jn22		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	רֹאשֵׁ֤⁠ךְ עָלַ֨יִ⁠ךְ֙ כַּ⁠כַּרְמֶ֔ל וְ⁠דַלַּ֥ת רֹאשֵׁ֖⁠ךְ כָּ⁠אַרְגָּמָ֑ן	1	
7:5	sr83			dark purple	0	Other possible translations are: (1) “dark black” or (2) “dark red.”
7:5	hkk7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	The king is held captive by its tresses	0	This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: “Your hair that hangs down is so beautiful that the king is not able to stop admiring it” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
7:5	l5e5			tresses	0	the clusters of hair that hang down from a woman’s head
7:6	hqx3			my love, with delights	0	Alternate translation: “my love. You delight me”
7:7	jy1s		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	Your height is like that of a date palm tree	0	“You stand up like a date palm tree.” Date palm trees are tall and straight, and their branches are only at the top, with the fruit under the branches.
7:7	f6me			date palm tree	0	a tall, straight tree that produces a sweet, brown, and sticky fruit that grows in groups
7:7	jr1v		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	your breasts like clusters of fruit	0	The dates on a palm tree grow soft and round in large bunches that hang from the tree just below the branches, which are all at the top. The woman’s breasts are soft and round and are just lower than her arms.
7:8	p7ge			I said	0	“I thought” or “I said to myself.” The man said this silently.
7:8	zfb8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	may the fragrance of your nose be like apricots	0	The word “nose” is a metonym for the breath coming out of the nose. Alternate translation: “may the breath coming from your nose smell sweet like apricots”
7:8	f9is			apricots	0	sweet yellow fruit
7:9	yrg1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	May your palate be like the best wine	0	The palate is a metonym for the lips. Wine tastes good. The man wants to kiss the woman’s lips. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
7:9	rq12			flowing smoothly for my beloved	0	“that flows smoothly for the one I love.” The man enjoys the smooth kisses of the woman.
7:9	ed64			gliding over the lips of those who sleep	0	Alternate translation: “that flows over our lips as we sleep”
7:10	k7zq			I am my beloved’s	0	See how you translated a similar phrase in [Song of Songs 6:3](../06/01.md).
7:10	j44v			my beloved’s	0	This phrase refers to the man whom the woman loves. In some languages it may be more natural for her to refer to him as “my lover.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 1:13](./12.md). Alternate translation: “my dear one’s” or “my lover’s”
7:10	a143			he desires me	0	Alternate translation: “he wants to make love to me” or “he wants me”
7:11	bhr6			spend the night in the villages	0	Though the words here translated “spends the night” and “villages” appear together in [Song of Songs 1:13–14](../01/12.md) as “spends the night” and “henna flowers,” and the context both here and there is lovemaking, the ULT chooses this reading because the immediate metaphor is of the man and woman sleeping in the village, rising in the morning, and going out into the vineyards. The word for “henna plants” and the word for “villages” sound exactly the same.
7:12	iii6			rise early	0	Alternate translation: “get up early” or “wake up early”
7:12	cs6n			have budded	0	Alternate translation: “have begun to bloom”
7:12	r952			blossoms	0	flowers when they are open
7:12	ukd9			are in flower	0	Alternate translation: “have flowers open on the plant”
7:12	q3a4			I will give you my love	0	Alternate translation: “I will make love with you”
7:13	v61b		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown	mandrakes	0	This is the name of plants that give off a strong but pleasant scent. The scent is slightly intoxicating and stimulating, which increases the desire to make love.
7:13	alp4			give off their fragrance	0	Alternate translation: “produce their scent” or “smell very nice”
7:13	xbk7		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	at the door	0	The doors belong to their house. Alternate translation: “above the entrances of our house” or “by the doors of our house”
7:13	c2ah			are all sorts of choice fruits, new and old	0	Alternate translation: “is every kind of the best fruit, both old fruit and new fruit”
7:13	jsb8			stored up for you	0	Alternate translation: “saved so I can give to you”
7:13	h8r2			my beloved	0	This phrase refers to the man whom the woman loves. In some languages it may be more natural for her to refer to him as “my lover.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 1:13](./12.md). Alternate translation: “my dear one” or “my lover”
8:intro	d35n				0	# Song of Songs 8 General Notes\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Kisses\n\nThe kisses in this chapter are a type of kiss that was only done between a husband a wife. It is an intimate kiss. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])\n\n### Passion\n\nChapter 8 describes the passion that can exist between a husband a wife. The feeling of strong desire for one another.
8:1	me7m		rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry		0	# General Information:\n\n(See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
8:1	dp21		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	you were like my brother	0	A woman could show affection for her brother in public. This woman wanted to be able to show affection for the man in public.
8:1	v5fh			you outside	0	Alternate translation: “you in public”
8:1	zyd6			I could kiss you	0	A woman would probably kiss her brother on his cheek order to greet him.
8:1	ec82			would despise me	0	Alternate translation: “would think that I am a bad person”
8:2	s68s		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	I would give you spiced wine to drink and some of the juice of my pomegranates	0	The woman uses these images to say that she will give herself to the man and make love with him.
8:3	s92v			His left hand … embraces me	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:6](../02/05.md).
8:3	e5cp			left hand … right hand	0	Alternate translation: “left arm … right arm”
8:3	v65k			embraces me	0	Alternate translation: “holds me”
8:4	z8a4			I want you to swear	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:7](../02/07.md)
8:4	rk33		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession	בְּנ֣וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם	1	See how you translated the phrase **daughters of Jerusalem** in [1:5](../01/05.md).
8:4	qg8i			that you will … until it pleases	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:7](../02/07.md).
8:5	a5w5				0	# General Information:\n\nThe fifth part of the book begins here.
8:5	xxv3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	Who is this who is coming up	0	They are using this question to say that they think the young woman is amazing. A similar phrase was translated in [Song of Songs 6:10](../06/10.md). Alternate translation: “Look at this amazing woman as she comes up”
8:5	p4rr			I awakened you	0	Alternate translation: “I woke you up” or “I aroused you”
8:5	zfa2			the apricot tree	0	a tree that produces a small yellow fruit that is very sweet. If your readers will not know what this is, you could use the word for another fruit tree or the general word “fruit tree.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:3](../02/03.md).
8:5	g9tp			there	0	under the apricot tree
8:5	d4ub			she delivered you	0	Alternate translation: “she bore you”
8:6	jr5m		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	Set me as a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm	0	This could mean: (1) because seals were very important, people always kept them around their neck or on their hand. The woman wants to be with the man constantly like a seal, or (2) a seal shows who owns the thing that has the seal on it, and the woman wants herself as the seal on the man’s heart and arm to show that all of his thoughts, emotions, and actions belong to her. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
8:6	yzj4		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	for love is as strong as death	0	Death is very strong because it overcomes even the most powerful people of the world.
8:6	tci8		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	as unrelenting as Sheol	0	“as tough as Sheol.” Sheol never allows people to come back to life after they have already died. Love is as persistent as Sheol because it never changes.
8:6	fvz9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	its flames burst out … any other fire	0	Love is very powerful like fire.
8:6	tw71			burst out	0	Alternate translation: “burn suddenly”
8:7	baf6		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	Surging waters cannot quench love	0	Love is so strong that it is like a fire that is so hot that it cannot be put out even with an ocean full of water.
8:7	j6mc			Surging waters	0	Alternate translation: “Oceans of water” or “Huge amounts of water”
8:7	dd1i			cannot quench	0	Alternate translation: “cannot extinguish” or “cannot put out”
8:7	e1ej		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	nor can floods sweep it away	0	Love never changes and always stays the same so it is like something that not even a powerful flood can move.
8:7	dju9			floods	0	In Israel, water from the rain flows into deep and narrow valleys. This creates a flood of water so powerful that it can move huge boulders and trees.
8:7	kqk9			sweep it away	0	Alternate translation: “carry it away” or “wash it away”
8:7	jwh1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical	אִם־יִתֵּ֨ן אִ֜ישׁ אֶת־כָּל־ה֤וֹן בֵּית⁠וֹ֙ בָּ⁠אַהֲבָ֔ה בּ֖וֹז יָב֥וּזוּ לֽ⁠וֹ	1	The author is using a hypothetical situation to illustrate a truth. Alternate translation: “Even if a man will give all the wealth of his house in exchange for love,\nthey will utterly despise him” or “Suppose a man will give all the wealth of his house in exchange for love, they will utterly despise him”
8:7	g5ja			gave	0	offered to give
8:7	l4u3			all the possessions in his house	0	Alternate translation: “everything he owns”
8:7	n3pn			for love	0	Alternate translation: “in order to get love” or “in order to buy love”
8:8	au5a			little sister	0	Alternate translation: “young sister”
8:8	t852		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion	What can we do … in marriage?	0	The speaker uses this question to introduce what he wants to say. Alternate translation: “This is what we will do … in marriage.”
8:9	mpf5				0	# General Information:\n\nThe young woman’s brothers continue to speak among themselves.
8:9	x3j1		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	If she is a wall … If she is a door	0	The little sister ([Song of Songs 8:8](./08.md)) has very small breasts that either have not grown or are very small.
8:9	am5u		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	we will build on her a tower of silver … we will adorn her with boards of cedar	0	The brothers decide to decorate the little sister with silver and cedar, symbols of riches, so that she will be more likely to attract a good husband.
8:9	cnw3			will adorn her	0	Alternate translation: “will decorate her”
8:10	n2vy		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	I was a wall	0	The phrase **I was a wall** is a metaphor.
8:10	mc78		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile	my breasts are now like fortress towers	0	Fortress towers are tall.
8:10	rll2		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	I am in his eyes as one	0	Here eyes are a metonym for judgment or value. Alternate translation: “I am in his judgment as one” or “he thinks of me as one”
8:10	b5uu		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit	brings peace	0	You may need to make explicit to whom the woman brings peace. Alternate translation: “brings him peace”
8:10	hi47			peace	0	Alternate translation: “well-being”
8:11	tt74				0	# General Information:\n\nPossible interpretations: (1) The woman contrasts the way she wants to give herself to the man, who will give her his love, to the way Solomon leases out his vineyard to those who will give him money. (2) The man contrasts the woman, whom he will not give to another man, to Solomon’s vineyard, which he gave to other men.
8:11	x2c3		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names	Baal Hamon	0	This is the name of a town in the northern part of Israel.
8:11	mz3u			gave the vineyard	0	leased, agreed to let other people pay him so they could grow grapes in the vineyard
8:11	b1b3			to those who would maintain it	0	Alternate translation: “to people who would take care of it”
8:11	h77m		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis	Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit	0	It may be helpful to state that this payment was for the fruit of the vineyard. Alternate translation: “Each man was supposed to give Solomon a thousand shekels as payment for the fruit of the vineyard”
8:11	t2dp		rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-bmoney	to bring a thousand shekels of silver	0	“to bring 1,000 shekels of silver.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-numbers]])
8:11	e3jp			shekels	0	Alternate translation: “coins”
8:11	mm2j		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe	Solomon	0	Some versions understand the woman to be speaking directly to Solomon. Others understand her to be speaking in an apostrophe to her friends, to the man, or to herself.
8:12	za66		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	My vineyard, my very own	0	The woman refers to herself as a vineyard, as in [Song of Songs 1:6](../01/05.md). Here she emphasizes that she and no one else will decide what she does with the “vineyard.”
8:12	gc75		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom	is before me	0	This is an idiom that means the a person has the right to do what they want with something. Alternate translation: “is at my disposal” or “is mine to do with as I desire”
8:12	tl1c			the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon	0	The woman knows that Solomon has leased out the vineyard so he can get money, but she does not want money.
8:12	t7u1			the two hundred shekels	0	The speaker has not mentioned these before, but the hearer would understand that she is speaking of the money that those who worked the vineyard would have left for their own after they paid Solomon.
8:13	dp6s		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-you	You who live	0	The man is speaking to the woman, so “you” and “live” are feminine singular.
8:13	zm5h		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy	listening for your voice	0	The voice is a metonym for what the person says. If your language has a word for thinking only of what one is listening for, you could use it here. Alternate translation: “waiting to hear you start speaking” or “waiting to hear what you have to say”
8:13	ew6z			let me hear it	0	Alternate translation: “let me hear your voice.”
8:14	vrp7			my beloved	0	This phrase refers to the man whom the woman loves. In some languages it may be more natural for her to refer to him as “my lover.” See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 1:13](./12.md). Alternate translation: “my dear one” or “my lover”
8:14	zh44			like a gazelle or a young stag	0	See how you translated this in [Song of Songs 2:9](../02/08.md).
8:14	yhn7			gazelle	0	a type of slender deer-like animal with long curved horns
8:14	gp9l			stag	0	an adult male deer
8:14	mqx9		rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor	the mountains of spices	0	“the mountains that have spices all over them.” The woman uses this metaphor to invite the man to make love to her. See how the man uses the metaphor of a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense in [Song of Songs 4:6](../04/06.md).