אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן שׁוֹשַׁנַּת הָעֲמָקִים׃   2:1

Song 2:1   I am the rose of Sharon,

                              a lily of the valleys.

The voice of Israel resumes just for this one verse at this point.

כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים כֵּן רַעְיָתִי בֵּין הַבָּנוֹת׃   2:2

Song 2:2   As a lily among the thorns,

                              so is My beloved among the daughters.

The second English line is likely a reference to Israel and the nations.  Here it is in feminine form; in the next verse in masculine.

כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר כֵּן דּוֹדִי בֵּין הַבָּנִים בְּצִלּוֹ חִמַּדְתִּי וְיָשַׁבְתִּי וּפִרְיוֹ מָתוֹק לְחִכִּי׃   2:3

Song 2:3   As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

                              so is My beloved among the sons.

                     In His shadow I delight and I dwell,

                              and His fruit is sweet to my taste.

The translated phrase so is My beloved among the sons in the second line must be another reference to Israel among the other nations, this time in masculine form.  This verse is one that I believe is split between the Lord and Israel.  The first two lines are from the Lord, and the second two lines are the voice of Israel, which continues for the next seven verses.

הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל־בֵּית הַיָּיִן וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה׃   2:4

Song 2:4   He brings me to the house of wine,

                              and His banner over me is love.

סַמְּכוּנִי בָּאֲשִׁישׁוֹת רַפְּדוּנִי בַּתַּפּוּחִים כִּי־חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי׃   2:5

Song 2:5   Uphold me with raison cakes,

                              support me with apples,

                     for love sick am I.

Here is more support for my thesis.  The first and third Hebrew words are imperative masculine plural verbs, translated as Uphold me, and support me.  Who is being addressed here by the voice of Israel?  It has to be the sons mentioned in v. 3 or the daughters in v. 2.  Either way, the upshot is that Israel seeks support from other nations and peoples for its sustenance.  I see this as a weakness, as she should be seeking sustenance from the Lord alone instead.

שְׂמֹאלֹו תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי וִימִינֹו תְּחַבְּקֵנִי׃   2:6

Song 2:6   His left hand is under my head

                              so His right hand can embrace me.

הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה אִם־תָּעִירוּ וְאִם־תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָה   2:7

עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ׃

Song 2:7   I urge you, daughters of Jerusalem,

                              by the gazelles or by the does of the field,

                    you should not stir up or awaken that love

                              until He would be pleased.

In this verse we find what I believe is a message, hidden in the English, but plain as day in the Hebrew.  And we’ve already encountered similar instances of the same elsewhere in the bible.  The pronoun you in the first line, which is the translation of the second Hebrew word, is masculine plural.  It refers to daughters of Jerusalem, which is feminine plural.  Moreover, two verbs, the tenth and twelfth Hebrew words, appearing in the English in the third line as you should ... stir up and or awaken have masculine plural forms.  I believe the author or scribe is trying to convey a special message about the daughters.  That is they can be referred to as men as well.  Thus I suspect that the nations subservient to Israel or the foreigners who live in Jerusalem are being addressed here.

                                                         [Return to Song 3:5]          [Return to Song 5:8]          [Return to Song 8:4]

קוֹל דּוֹדִי הִנֵּה־זֶה בָּא מְדַלֵּג עַל־הֶהָרִים מְקַפֵּץ עַל־הַגְּבָעוֹת׃   2:8

Song 2:8   The sound of my Beloved!

                              Behold, here He comes,

                      leaping over the mountains,

                              skipping over the hills.

דּוֹמֶה דוֹדִי לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים הִנֵּה־זֶה עוֹמֵד אַחַר כָּתְלֵנוּ מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן־הַחֲלֹּנוֹת מֵצִיץ   2:9

 מִן־הַחֲרַכִּים׃

Song 2:9   My Beloved is comparable to a gazelle

                              or the stag of stags.

                     Behold here He is “standing” behind our wall,

                              gazing from the windows,

                      “eyes” dancing from the lattices.

עָנָה דוֹדִי וְאָמַר לִי קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי וּלְכִי־לָךְ׃   2:10

Song 2:10   My Beloved speaks, and He says to me,

                              “Raise yourself, My beloved companion, My beautiful one,

                       and come away by yourself.

This verse starts the words that Israel attributes to her Beloved.  The words continue until and including v. 13.

כִּי־הִנֵּה (הַסְּתֹו) [הַסְּתָיו] עָבָר הַגֶּשֶׁם חָלַף הָלַךְ לֹו׃   2:11

Song 2:11   For behold, the winter has passed,

                              the rain has gone,

                       it has departed of itself.

Now the word in the parentheses in this verse is another puzzling example of an alleged error that isn’t an error.  The word is spelled correctly and the word in the brackets is not.  How weird, I must say!

הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ׃   2:12

Song 2:12   The blossoms appear throughout the land,

                              the time of song has arrived,

                        and the sound of the turtle dove is heard throughout Our land.

הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ קוּמִי (לְכִי) [לָךְ] רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי וּלְכִי־לָךְ׃   2:13

Song 2:13   The fig tree puts forth its green figs

                              and the vines of the grape blossom produce the fragrance.

                       Arise, come, My beloved companion, My beautiful one,

                              and come away by yourself.”

Wow, another puzzlement!  The word in the parentheses in this verse is a second puzzling example of an alleged error that isn’t an error.  It is the imperative feminine singular form of the verb translated as come, which is completely appropriate in this context.  I admit, I’m truly humbled by this, as I lose confidence too easily.  I need sustenance from the Lord at times like these myself.

יֹונָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַרְאִינִי אֶת־מַרְאַיִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי אֶת־קֹולֵךְ כִּי־קֹולֵךְ עָרֵב   2:14

וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה׃

Song 2:14   My dove in the clefts of the cliff,

                              in the shelter of the steep place,

                       show Me your display, sound aloud your voice,

                              for your voice is sweet and your vision is beautiful.

This verse and the next one are the words of the Lord.  Then the final two verses are from Israel.

אֶחֱזוּ־לָנוּ שׁוּעָלִים שׁוּעָלִים קְטַנִּים מְחַבְּלִים כְּרָמִים וּכְרָמֵינוּ סְמָדַר׃   2:15

Song 2:15   Let us seize the foxes, the young foxes,

                              spoiling the vineyards and our vineyards of blossom.

דּוֹדִי לִי וַאֲנִי לוֹ הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים׃   2:16

Song 2:16   My Beloved is mine

                              and I am His Who tends among the lilies.

עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיֹּום וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים סֹב דְּמֵה־לְךָ דֹודִי לִצְבִי אֹו לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים  עַל־הָרֵי בָתֶר׃   2:17

Song 2:17   While this day will breathe

                              as the shadows take flight,

                        go about, You be comparable, my Beloved,

                              to the gazelle and the stag of stags of the mountains, of a cleft.

[Return to Song Chapters]   [Prev.:  Song 1]   [Next:  Song 3]