Song of Solomon 6 notes

¹tn The phrase “Tell us!” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
²tn Heb “And we may seek him with you.” The vav-consecutive on WNv#q=b^n+W (Heb “and we may seek him with you”) denotes purpose/result.
³ sn/The term “garden” (/G^) is used six other times in the Song. In five cases, it is used figuratively (hypocatastasis) to describe her body or the sexual love of the couple (4:12, 15, 16a, 16b; 5:1). There is only one usage in which it might refer to a real garden . Thus, this usage of “garden” might be figuratively or literal. Options: (1) Solomon went to a real garden for repose. Solomon did, in fact, own a great many gardens (Eccl 2:4-7; 1 Chr 27:27). (2) The “garden” is a figurative description referring either to: (a) the young woman, (b) their sexual love, or (c) Solomon’s harem.
⁴sn The phrase “flower-beds of balsam” (<c#B)h^ tg^Wru&K^) is used elsewhere in the Song only in 5:13 where it is a simile comparing Solomon’s cheeks to a flower-bed of balsam yielding perfumed spices. The term “balsam-spice” (<c#B)h^) by itself appears five times in the Song, each time as a figure for sexual love (4:10, 14, 16; 5:1; 8:14). Thus, the two options are: (1) the term refers to a real flower-bed of balsam to which Solomon had gone or (2) this term is a figure for sexual love.
⁵tn The verb tour+l! (“to browse” NIV) is from the root hu*r` (“to feed, graze”) which is used seven times in the Song (1:7, 8a, 8b; 2:16; 4:5; 6:2, 3). All its uses appear to be either literal or figurative descriptions of sheep grazing. The verb is used twice in reference to sheep “grazing” in a pasture (1:7, 8). The participle is used once to designate “shepherds” , once in reference to two fawns which “which browse among the lilies” as a figurative description of her breasts , and twice as a figurative description of Solomon as “the one who browses among the lilies” which is probably also a comparison of Solomon to a grazing sheep (2:16; 6:3). Therefore, it is likely that the usage of the term tour+l! (“to browse”) in 6:2 is also a figurative comparison of Solomon to a sheep grazing among garden flowers. Thus, there are two options: (1) nuance the term tour+l! as “to browse” and take this as a literal action of Solomon walking through a real garden or (2) nuance the term tour+l! as “to graze” and take this as a figure in which Solomon is pictured as a gazelle grazing on the flowers in a garden.
⁶sn The term “lily” (hN`v^ov) or “lilies” (<yn]v^ov) appears eight times in the Song (2:1, 2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2, 3; 7:2). Of these five are unequivocally used figuratively as descriptions of a woman or women (2:1, 2), the color and softness of her breasts , the attractiveness of Solomon’s lips , and her waist . The closest parallel to 6:2 is the description “the one who grazes among the lilies” (2:16; 6:3) which is a figurative expression comparing Solomon’s romancing of his Beloved with a sheep feeding on lilies. However, this still leaves a question as to what the lilies represent in 2:16; 6:2, 3. The phrase “to gather lilies” itself appears only here in the Song. However, the synonymous phrase “to gather myrrh and balsam spice” is used in 5:1 as a figure (euphemistic hypocatastasis) for sexual consummation by the man of the woman. There are three basic options as to how “lilies” may be taken: (1) The lilies are real flowers; Solomon has gone to a real garden in which to repose and she is picking real lilies. (2) The term “lilies” is a figure for the young woman; Solomon is romancing her just as he had in 2:16 and 5:1. Solomon is kissing her mouth just as a sheep would graze among lilies. (3) The term “lilies” is a figure expression referring to other women, such as his harem (e.g., 6:8-9). Several factors support the “harem” interpretation: (1) Solomon had recently departed from her, and she was desperate to find him after she refused him. (2) Solomon’s harem is mentioned explicitly in 6:8-9. However, several other factors support the Beloved interpretation: (1) She expresses her confidence in 6:3 that Solomon is devoted to her. (2) The immediately following use of “lilies” in 6:3 appears to refer to her, as in 2:16 and 5:1. (3) Solomon praises her in 6:4-7, suggesting that he was romancing her in 6:2-3. (4) Although Solomon’s harem is mentioned in 6:8-10, all these women acknowledge that Solomon is disinterested in them and only loves her. (5) Her’s exultation “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; the one who browses among the lilies” is a statement of assurance in their relationship and this would seem quite strange if Solomon was cavorting with his harem while she said this.
⁷sn This is the second occurrence of the poetic refrain that occurs elsewhere in 2:16 and 7:11. The order of the first two cola are reversed from 2:16: “My beloved is mine and I am his” but “I am my beloved’s and he is mine” . The significance of this shift depends on whether the parallelism is synonymous or climactic. This might merely be a literary variation with no rhetorical significance. On the other hand, it might signal a shift in her view of their relationship: Originally, she focused on her possession of him, now she focused on his possession of her.
⁸tn Or “I belong to my beloved, and my lover belongs to me.” Alternately, “I am devoted to my beloved, and my lover is devoted to me.”
⁹tn Solomon compares her beauty to two of the most beautiful and important cities in the United Kingdom, namely, Jerusalem and Tirzah. The beauty of Jerusalem was legendary; it is twice called “the perfection of beauty” (Ps. 50:2; Lam. 2:15). Tirzah was beautiful as well—in fact, the name means “pleasure, beauty” (BDB 953c). So beautiful was Tirzah that it would be chosen by Jeroboam as the original capital of the northern kingdom (1 Kings 15:33; 16:8, 15, 23). The ancient city Tirzah has been identified as Tel el-Far`ah near Nablus: B. S. J. Isserlin, “Song of Songs IV, 4: An Archaeological Note,” PEQ 90 (1958): 60; R. de Vaux, “Le premiere campagne de fouilles a Tell el-Far`ah,” RB 54 (1947): 394-433.
¹⁰sn The literary unity of 6:4-10 and boundaries of Solomon’s praise are indicated by the repetition of the phrase “majestic as bannered armies/stars in procession…” (tolG*d=N]K^ hM*y|a&) in 6:4 and 6:10 which creates an inclusion. His praise includes his own personal statements (6:4-9a) as well as his report of the praise given to her by the maidens, queens, and concubines (6:9b-10). His praise indicates that he had forgiven any ingratitude on her part.
¹¹tn The verb bh^r` should be nuanced “overwhelm” or “arouse” rather than “storm against,” “make proud,” “confuse,” “dazzle,” or “overcome” (BDB 923).
¹²tn Alternately, “your cheeks.”
¹³sn The sequence “sixty…eighty…beyond number” is an example of a graded numerical sequence and is not intended to be an exact numeration. See: W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament: A Form-Critical Study. VTSup 13 (Leiden: Brill, 1965); “The Numerical Sequence x/x+1 in the Old Testament,” VT 12 (1962): 300-11; M. Haran, “The Graded Numerical Sequence and the Phenomenon of ‘Automatism’ in Biblical Poetry,” VT 22 (1971): 238-67; P. J. Nel, “The Genres of Biblical Wisdom Literature,” JNSL 9 (1981): 134-35; W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to its Techniques JSOTSup 26 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 144-50.
¹⁴sn The term “maiden” (hm*l=u^) refers to a young woman who is sexually mature, that is, a young woman who is of marriageable age or a newly married young woman, usually before the birth of her first child (HALOT 835-36; BDB 761c) (e.g., Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Ps 68:26; Prov 30:19; Song 1:3; 6:8; Isa 7:14). This use of the term “maidens” (toml*u&) refers to the young women of Solomon’s harem, possibly virgins and not yet concubines. The root <lu III denotes the basic idea of “youthful, strong, passionate” (HALOT 835) or “sexually ripe, vigorous” (BDB 761). While the term hm*l=u^ (“maiden”) may be used in reference to a young woman who is a virgin, the term itself does not explicitly denote “virgin.” The Hebrew term which explicitly denotes “virgin” is hl*WtB= which refers to a mature young woman without any sexual experience with men (e.g., Gen 24:16; Exod 22:15-16; Lev 21:3; Deut 22:23, 28; 32:25; Judg 12:12; 19:24; 2 Sam 13:2, 18; 1 Kgs 1:2; 2 Chr 36:17; Esth 2:2-3, 17, 19; Job 31:1; Pss 45:15; 78:63; 148:12; Isa 23:4; 62:5; Jer 2:32; 31:3; 51:22; Lam 1:4, 18; 2:10, 21; 5:11; Ezek 9:6; Joel 1:8; Amos 9:13; Zech 9:17 (HALOT 167; BDB 143d). The related noun <yl!WtB= means “state of virginity” (Lev 21:13; Judg 11:37-38; Ezek 23:3, 8; Sir 42:10) and “evidence of virginity” (Deut 22:14-15, 17.20) (HALOT 167).
¹⁵tn Alternately, “She alone is my dove, my perfect one.” The term tj^a^ is used here as an adjective of quality: “unique, singular, the only one” (DCH 1:180). The masculine form is used elsewhere to describe Yahweh as the “only” or “unique” God of Israel who demands exclusive love and loyalty (Deut 6:4; Zech 14:9). Although Solomon possessed a large harem, she was the only woman for him.
¹⁶tn Heb “the only daughter of her mother.” The phrase HM*a!l= tj^a^ is sometimes translated as “the only daughter of her mother” (NIV, NASB) or “the only one of her mother” (KJV). Delitzsch suggests that she was not her mother’s only daughter, but her most special daughter (F. Delitzsch, “The Song of Solomon,” K&D, 112). This is supported by the parallelism with hr`B* (“favorite”) in the following line. Similarly, Gen 22:2 and Prov 4:3 use the masculine term dj*a# (“the only one”) to refer to the specially favored son, that is, the heir.
¹⁷tn The term hr`B* is sometimes nuanced “pure” (NASB) because the root rrb I denotes “to purify, purge out” (BDB 140-41). However, the root rr`B* II denotes “to choose, select” (BDB 141) (Neh. 5:18; 1 Chr. 7:40; 9:22; 16:41). Most translations adopt the second root, e.g., “the choice one” (KJV), “the favorite” (NIV), “favorite” (JB). This is supported by the exegetical tradition of LXX, which translates hr`B* as ejklekthv (“the chosen one”).
¹⁸tn Heb “daughters.”
¹⁹tn The verb “to call blessed” (rv^a*) is used of people whom others consider fortunate because they have prospered or are to be commended (Gen 30:13; Ps 72:17; Mal 3:12, 15). Likewise, the verb “to praise” (ll^h*) is used elsewhere of people who are held in high esteem by others either due to a commendable moral quality (Prov 31:28, 31) or due to one’s physical beauty (Gen 12:15; 2 Sam 14:25). The actual content of their praise of her appears in Song 6:10 in which they compare her beauty to that of the dawn, moon, sun, and stars.
²⁰sn For the use of rhetorical questions in Hebrew see: R. Gordis, “A Rhetorical Use of Interrogative Questions in Biblical Hebrew,” AJSL 49 (1932-33): 212-17; M. Held, “Rhetorical Questions in Ugaritic and Hebrew,” ErIsr 9 (1969): 71-79; W. Brueggemann, “Jeremiah’s Use of Rhetorical Questions,” JBL 92 (1973): 358-74; W. G. E. Watson, “Rhetorical Questions,” in Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to Its Techniques (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 338-42. This rhetorical question emphasizes her position among women (e.g., Micah 2:7; Joel 2:1).
²¹tn Alternately, “rises” or “looks forth.” Delitzsch renders hp*q*v=N]h^ as “who rises,” while NIV opts for “who appears.” The verb means “to look down upon [something] from a height” and is derived from the related noun “ceiling, roof, sky” (BDB 1054; HALOT 1009). The verb is used of looking down over a plain or valley from the vantage point of a mountain-top (Num 21:20; 23:28; 1 Sam 13:18); of God looking down from heaven (Ps 14:2); or of a person looking down below out of an upper window (Judg 5:28; 2 Sam 6:16; Prov 7:6). Pope suggests that this verb implies the idea of her superiority over the other women (M. H. Pope, The Song of Songs, AB7C (Garden City: Doubleday & Co., 1977), pp. 571-72). That is, she occupies a “higher” position over them due to Solomon’s choice of her. Carr questions whether such an intimation is actually present. The verb creates personification (i.e., the dawn is attributed with the human action of looking). Just as the dawn is the focus of attention during the morning hours and looks down upon the earth, so too she is the focus of Solomon’s attention and is in the privileged position over all the other women.
²²sn The common point in these four comparisons is that all are luminaries. In all four cases, each respective luminary is the focus or center of attention at the hour at hand because it dwarfs its celestial surroundings in majesty and in sheer brilliance. All other celestial objects pale into insignificance in their presence. This would be an appropriate description of her because she alone was the center and focus of Solomon’s attention. All the other women paled into the background when she was present. Her beauty captured the attention of all that saw her, especially Solomon.
²³tn The term hn`b*l= literally means “the white one” (BDB 526) and is always used in reference to the moon. It is only used elsewhere in the OT in parallelism with the term which is used to designate the sun (Isa. 24:23; 30:26), which likewise is not the ordinary term, but literally means “the hot one,” which emphasizes the heat of the sun (Job 30:28; Ps. 19:6). Both of these terms, “the white one” and “the hot one,” are metonymies of adjunct in which an attribute (i.e., color and heat) are substituted for the subject itself. The white moon in contrast to the dark night sky captures one’s attention, just as the red-hot sun in the afternoon sky is the center of attention during the day. The use of the figurative comparisons of her beauty to that of the dawn, sun, moon, and stars is strikingly similar to the Hebrews’ figurative comparison of Simon the high priest coming out of the sanctuary to the morning star, moon, sun, and rainbow: “How glorious he was when the people gathered round him as he came out of the inner sanctuary! Like the morning star among the clouds, like the moon when it is full; like the sun shining upon the temple of the Most High, and like the rainbow gleaming in glorious clouds” (See G. Gerleman, Das Hohelied (2nd ed.) BKAT 18 (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener, 1981), 171.
²⁴tn Heb “pure as the sun.”
²⁵tn The adjective <y{a*) has been nuanced “terrible” (KJV, RSV), “frightful, fear-inspiring” (Delitzsch), “majestic” (NIV), “awesome” (NASB). In the light of its parallelism with hp*y` (“beautiful”) and hw`an` (“lovely”) in 6:4, and hp*y` (“fair”) and hr`B* (“bright”) in 6:10, it should be nuanced “awe-inspiring” or “unnervingly beautiful.”
²⁶tn Heb “as bannered armies.” The term tolG*d=N]K^ (“as bannered armies”) is used figuratively (hypocatastasis) in reference to stars which are often compared to the heavenly armies. This nuance is clear in the light of the parallelism with the dawn, moon, and sun.
²⁷sn It is difficult to determine whether the speaker in 6:11-12 is Solomon (Gordis) or the Beloved (Delitzsch, Glickman, Deere, Carr).
²⁸tn The term zoga$ (“nut”) probably refers to the “walnut” or “walnut tree” (juglans regia) (DCH 1:116). The singular form is used collectively here to refer to a grove of walnut trees.
²⁹sn It is not clear whether the “valley” in 6:12 is a physical valley (Jezreel Valley?), a figurative description of their love relationship, or a double entendre.
³⁰tn Most scholars agree that the Hebrew text of 6:12 is the most elusive in the entire Song. The syntax is enigmatic and the textual reading is uncertain. R. Murphy laments, “[It] has resisted all attempts at translation,” while Pope simply says “[It is] completely incomprehensible.” The difficulty of this verse has generated a plethora of different translations: “Or ever I was aware, my soul made me [like] the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (KJV), “Before I knew it, my soul made me like the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (AV), “Before I knew it, my fancy set me in a chariot beside my prince” (AT), “Before I knew…my desire hurled me on the chariots of my people, as their prince” (JB), “Before I knew it, my desire set me mid the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (JPSV), “I did not know myself, she made me feel more than a prince reigning over the myriads of his people” (NEB), “Before I knew it, my heart had made me the blessed one of my kins-women” (NAB), “Before I was aware, my soul set me [over] the chariots of my noble people” (NASB), “Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people” (NIV), “…among the chariots of Amminadab” (NIV margin), “…among the chariots of the people of the prince” (NIV margin), and “Before I realized it, I was stricken with a terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people” (NLT). For discussion, see N. H. Tur-Sinai, The Tongue and the Book (Ha-Lashon WeHa-Sepher) (Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1951), 2:385-86; idem, Peshuto shel Miqra (Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1968), 4:2:130-31; R. Gordis, “The Song of Songs,” in Mordecai M. Kaplan Jubilee Volume (New York: KTAV, 1953), 373-74; idem, The Song of Songs and Lamentations (New York: KTAV, 1974), 95; R. Tournay, “Les Chariots d’Aminadab (Cant. VI 12): Israel, Peuple Theophore,” VT 9 (1959): 288-309; M. H. Pope, Song of Songs, AB7C (Garden City: Doubleday, 1977), 584-92; R. Murphy, “Towards a Commentary on the Song of Songs,” CBQ 39 (1977): 491-92; S. M. Paul, “An Unrecognized Medical Idiom in Canticles 6,12 and Job 9,21,” Bib 59 (1978): 545-47; G. L. Carr, The Song of Solomon, Tyndale Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 151-53; W. Fields, “Solomon’s Most Excellent Song,” unpublished Th.D. dissertation (Winona Lake: Grace Theological Seminary, 1979), 408-09; J. S. Deere, “The Meaning of the Song of Songs,” unpublished Th.D. dissertation (Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1984), 194-96.
³¹tn Alternately, “Before I realized it, my soul placed me among the chariots of my princely people.” There is debate whether yv!p=n~ (“my soul” = “I”) belongs with the first or second colon. The MT accentuation connects it with the second colon; thus, the first colon introduces indirect discourse: yT!u=d^y` aO “I did not know” or “Before I realized it….” According to MT accentuation, the fs noun yv!p=n~ (“my soul”) is the subject of yn]t=m^c* (Qal perfect 3fs from <yc! + 1cs suffix “to put”): “my soul placed me….” This approach is followed by several translations (KJV, NASB, AV, AT, JB, JPSV, NAB, NIV). On the other hand, the LXX takes yv!p=n~ (“my soul” = “I”) as the subject of yT!u=d^y` aO and renders the line, “My soul [= I] did not know.” NEB follows suit, taking yv!p=n~ as the subject of yT!u=d^y` aO and renders the line: “I did not know myself.” R. Gordis and S. Paul posit that yv!p=n~ yT!u=d^y` aO (literally “I did not know myself”) is an idiom describing the emotional state of the speaker, either joy or anguish: “I was beside myself” (e.g., Job 9:21; Prov 19:2). S. Paul notes that the semantic equivalent of this Hebrew phrase is found in the Akkadian expression ramansu la ude (“he did not know himself”) which is a medical idiom describing the loss of composure, lucidity, or partial loss of consciousness. He suggests that the speaker in the Song is beside himself/herself with anguish or joy. Selected Bibliography: S. M. Paul, “An Unrecognized Medical Idiom in Canticles 6,12 and Job 9,21,” Bib 59 (1978): 545-47; R. Gordis, The Song of Songs and Lamentations (New York: KTAV, 1974), 95.
³²tc While MT reads tobK=r+m^ “chariots,” some medieval Hebrew mss add the locative preposition B= or comparative particle K= before tobK=r+m^ to produce “in/on/among/like the chariots.” Most translations supply a preposition: “My soul made me [like] the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (KJV, AV); “My fancy set me [in] a chariot beside my prince” (AT); “My soul set me [over] the chariots of my noble people” (NASB); “My desire set me [among] the chariots of Amminadab” (JPS, NJPS, NIV margin); “My desire set me [among] the royal chariots of my people” (NIV); “My desire set me [among] the chariots of the people of the prince” (NIV margin); “My desire hurled me [on] the chariots of my people, [as their] prince” (JB). Gordis and Tur-Sinai offer a creative solution to the enigma of byd!n`-yM!u^ tobK=r+m^ yn]t=m^c* by redividing the text and revocalizing it as byd!n`-yM!u^ tB^ Erm) yn]T@ <v* “There, give me your myrrh, O nobleman’s daughter!” This involves two steps: (1) They redivide the MT’s yn]t=m^c* (“it placed me”) into two words yn]T@ <v* (“There, give me”); and (2) They redivide the MT’s tobC=r+m^ (“chariots”) into tB^ Erm) (“your myrrh, O daughter”). This approach is supported somewhat by the LXX, which had a difficult time with the line: “There I will give my breasts to you!” The approach of Gordis and Tur-Sinai is explained and supported by several factors: (1) They take Erm) (“your myrrh”) as a figure (hypocatastasis) for her love (e.g., 4:6, 14; 5:1, 5, 13). (2) The word-division of byd!n`-yM!u^ tB^ (“O noble kinsman’s daughter”) is paralleled by the nearly identical descriptive byd!n`-tB^ (“O nobleman’s daughter”) in 7:2. (3) Arabs referred to a girl as bint el akbar (“nobleman’s daughter”). (4) The referent of <v* (“there”) is the garden/valley mentioned in 6:11. (5) This fits into the other literary parallels between 6:11-12 and 7:12- 14, listed as follows: (a) “I went down to the nut grove” (6:11a) and “Let us go to the vineyards” (7:12a). (b) “to look for new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded, or if the pomegranates were in bloom” (6:11b) and “Let us see if the vines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom” (7:13a). (c) “There…give me your myrrh = love” (6:12b) and “There I will give you my love” (7:13b). Selected Bibliography: N. H. Tur-Sinai, The Tongue and the Book [Ha-Lashon WeHa-Sepher] (Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1951), 2:385-86; idem, Peshuto shel Miqra (Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1968), 4:2:130- 31; R. Gordis, The Song of Songs and Lamentations (New York: KTAV Publishers, 1974), 95.

tn The meaning of MT byd!n`-yM!u^ tobK=r+m^ yn]t=m^c* yv!p=n~ is enigmatic and has spawned numerous translations: “my soul made me [like] the chariots of Ammi-nadib” (KJV, AV); “my soul set me among the chariots of my princely people” (ASV), “my soul had made me as the chariots of my noble people” (NKJV); “my fancy set me [in] a chariot beside my prince” (RSV, NRSV); “my soul set me [over] the chariots of my noble people” (NASB); “my desire set me [among] the chariots of Amminadab” (JPS, NJPS, NIV margin); my soul made me [like] the chariots of Amminadib” (WEB); “my desire set me [among] the royal chariots of my people” (NIV); “my desire set me [among] the chariots of the people of the prince” (NIV margin); “my soul set me over the chariots of my noble people” (NAU); “my desire hurled me [on] the chariots of my people, [as their] prince” (JB); “she made me feel more than a prince reigning over the myriads of his people” (NEB); “my heart had made me the blessed one of my kins-women” (NAB); “my soul troubled me for the chariots of Aminadab” (DRA); “I found myself in my princely bed with my beloved one” (NLT); “I was stricken with a terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people” (LT); “But in my imagination I was suddenly riding on a glorious chariot” (CEV).
³³tc MT vocalizes and divides the text as byd!n`-yM!u^ (“my princely people”); however, several other mss read bd*n`yM!u^ (“Amminadab”). This alternate textual tradition is also reflected in the LXX (Aminadab) and Vulgate.
³⁴sn The chapter division comes one verse earlier in the Hebrew text (BHS) than in the English Bible; 6:13 ET = 7:1 HT, 7:1 ET = 7:2 HT, through 7:13 ET = 7:14 HT. Beginning with 8:1 the verse numbers in the Hebrew Bible and the English Bible are again the same.
³⁵tn Alternately, “Return...Return...!” The imperative yb!Wv (“Turn!”) is repeated four times for emphasis. There are two basic interpretations to the meaning/referent of the imperative yb!Wv (“Turn!”): (1) The villagers of Shunem are beckoning her to return to the garden mentioned in 6:11-12: “Come back! Return!” Gordis nuances these uses of yb!Wv as “halt” or “stay.” (2) In the light of the allusion to her dancing in 7:1 (Heb 7:2), several scholars see a reference to an Arabic bridal dance. Budde emends the MT’s yb!Wv to yb!os (“revolve, spin”) from bb^s* (“to turn around”). Pope also emends the MT to the Hebrew verbal root bs^y` (“to leap, spin around”) which he connects to Arabic yasaba (“to leap”). These emendations are unnecessary to make the connection with some kind of dance because yb!Wv has a wide range of meanings from “turn” to “return.” Selected Bibliography: R. Gordis, “Some Hitherto Unrecognized Meanings of the Verb SHUB,” JBL 52 (1933): 153-62; M. H. Pope, Song of Songs (Garden City: Doubleday, 1983), 595-96.
³⁶tn The article on tyM!l^WVh^ functions as a vocative (“O Shulammite”) rather than in a definite sense (“the Shulammite”). The article is often used to mark a definite addressee who is addressed in the vocative (e.g., 1 Sam 17:55, 58; 24:9; 2 Kgs 6:26; 9:5; Prov 6:6; Eccl 11:9; Zech 3:8). For the vocative use of the article, see GKC §126.e; Joüon-Muraoka, Grammar, §137.f; Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §89; Waltke-O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, §13.5.2.c.
³⁷tn Heb “O Perfect One.” Alternately, “O Shunammite” or “O Shulammite.” The term tym!l^WVh^ has been variously translated: “Shulammite maiden” (NEB); “maiden of Shulam” (JB); “O maid of Shulem” (NJPS); “the Shulammite” (KJV; NASB; NIV). The meaning of the name tym!l^WVh^ is enigmatic and debated. LXX renders it hJ Soulamitij (“O Shulamite”) and Vulgate renders it Sulamitis (“O Shulamite”). A few Hebrew mss read the plural toml^WVh^ but the Masoretic tradition reads tym!l^WVh^ as the versions confirm. Eight major views have emerged in the history of interpretation of the Song. They are arranged, as follows, in order from most likely (views 1-2), plausible (views 3-5), unlikely (view 6), to bizarre (views 7-8): (1) tym!l^Wv is a substantival use of the adjectival form qutal <l*Wv (“perfection”) with the Gentilic suffix ty- from the root <l@v* (“to be complete, perfect”): “the perfect, unblemished one” (Fox). This approach is reflected in rabbinic exegesis of the 12th century: “The meaning of the Shulammite is ‘perfect, without spot’” (Midrash Rabbah). (2) tym!l^Wv is Qal passive participle with the feminine adjectival suffix ty- from the root <l@v* (“peace”): “the peaceful one” or “the pacified one” (Andr‚ Robert, Joüon). This is reflected in Vulgate pacificus (“the pacified one”), and Aquila and Quinta hJ ejhruneouvsa “the peaceful one” (Andre Robert, Joüon). (3) tym!l^Wv is alternate form of the Gentilic name “Shunammite” (tym!n~Wv) used to refer to inhabitants of Shunem (1 Kgs 1:15; 2 Kgs 4:12). This is reflected in LXX hJ Soulamitij (“O Shunamite”). This is supported by several factors: (a) Gentilic names are formed by the suffix ty- and the prefixed article to a place-name, e.g., tym!l^v*WrY+h^ (“the Jerusalemite”) is from <]l^v*Wry+ (“Jerusalem”); (b) the interchange between lateral dental l (l) and nasal dental n (n) is common in the Semitic languages (Sabatino Moscati, Comparative Semitic Grammar, §8.26); (c) the town of Shunem was also known as Shulem, due to the common interchange between n (n) and l (l) in Hebrew (Aharoni, 123), as seen in Eusebius’s Onomasticon in which Shunem = Shulem; and (d) later revisions of the LXX read hJ Sounamwtij (“the Shunamite”) instead of the Old Greek hJ Soulamwtij (“the Shulamite”). Shunem was a town in the Jezreel Valley at the foot of Mount Moreh near Mount Tabor and situated about nine miles east of Megiddo, fifteen miles northwest of Beth-shean, and five miles north of Jezreel (Josh 19:18; 1 Sam 28:4; 2 Kgs 4:8). During the Roman period, the town was called Shulem. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979), 24, 152, 172, 442, 308. Some scholars suggest that “Shul/nammite” refers to Abishag, the beautiful virgin from the village of Shunem who warmed elderly King David and was sought by Adonijah (1 Kgs 2:13- 25). Other scholars argue that Abishag has been imported in the Song on too slender grounds. (4) tym!l^Wv is the feminine form of the masculine name hm)Ov= (“Solomon”), just as Judith is the feminine of Judah: “Shulamith” or “Solomonette” or “Solomoness” (Lowth, Goodspeed, Rowley). The feminine ending ty- may be suffixed to masculine personal names to transform them into feminine names. A similar form occurs in the Ugaritic designation of Daniel’s wife as Lady Daniel (e.g., mtt dnty). An anonymous Jewish commentator of the 12th century wrote: “The Shulammite was beloved of Solomon, for she was called after the name of her beloved.” The 16th century commentator Joseph Ibn Yahya wrote: “And the calling of her ‘Shulammite’ was determined by reason of her devotion to the Holy One (Blessed be He) who is called Shelomoh.” (5) As a combination of views 1-2, tym!l^Wv is a wordplay formed by the combination of the feminine name tym!Ov= (“Shelomite”) from hm)Ov= (“Solomon”) and the Gentilic name tym!n~WVh^ (“the Shunammite”) denoting a woman from Shunem: “Solomoness/Shunammite.” (6) tym!l^Wv is related to the Arabic root salama “consummation gift” (given to a bride the morning after the wedding): “O Consummated One” or “O Bride” (Hirschberg). (7) Those espousing a cultic interpretation of Canticles take tym!l^Wv as the name or epithet of the Canaanite moon goddess Ishtar, designated by the feminine form of the name Shelem, the name of her lover Tammuz, called Dod or Shelem (T. J. Meek). (8) An alternate cultic interpretation takes tym!l^Wv as a conflation of the name of the Assyrian war-goddess “Shulmanith” (Ishtar) and the Gentilic name “the Shunammite” for a woman from Shunem (Albright). For further discussion see: R. Andr‚ “La paix eschatologique dans le Cantique des Cantiques,” in Actas del XXXV Congresso Eucaristico Internacional (Paris: Cerf, 1954), 1:335-37; P. Joüon, Le Cantique des Cantiques: Commentaire philogique et exegetique (Paris: Cerf, 1909), 274; M. V. Fox, The Song of Songs and the Egyptian Love Songs (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), 157-58); T. J. Meek, “Canticles and the Tammuz Cult,”AJSL 39 (1922-23): 1-14; E. J. Goodspeed, “The Shulammite,” AJSL 50 (1933): 102-104; H. H. Rowley, “The Meaning of ‘The Shulammite’,”AJSL 56 (1938): 84-91; W. F. Albright, “The Syro-Mesopotamian God Sulman-Esmun and Related Figures,” AfO 7 (1931-32): 164-69; idem, “Archaic Survivals in the Text of Canticles,” in Hebrew and Semitic Studies Presented to Geoffrey Rolles Driver, edited by D. W. Thomas and W. D. McHardy (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963), 5; H. H. Hirschberg, “Some Additional Arabic Etymologies in Old Testament Lexicography,” VT 11 (1961): 373-85; M. H. Pope, Song of Songs (Garden City: Doubleday, 1982), 596-600.
³⁸tn Heb “we.” In ancient Near Eastern love literature, plural verbs and plural pronouns are often used in reference to singular individuals. See note on Song 2:15.
³⁹tn Alternately, “What do you see in…?” or “Why should you look upon…?” The interrogative pronoun hm^ normally denotes “what?” or “why?” (BDB 552; HALOT 550-52). However, Gesenius suggests that the phrase Wzj$T#-hm^ is the idiom “Look now!” on the analogy of Arabic ma tara (“Look now!”) (GKC 137.b note 1).
⁴⁰tc The MT reads tl^j)m=K! (“like the dance”), while other Hebrew mss read tolj)m=B! (“in the dances”). The LXX’s wj coroiV (“like the dances”) reflects tolj)m=K! and Symmachus’ ejn trwvsesin (“in the injury”) reflects the locative preposition but a confusion of the noun.

tn Alternately, “like a dance or two camps” or “like a dance in two lines.” The phrase <y]n`j&M^h^ tl^j)m=K! is difficult to translate: “as it were the company of two armies” (KJV), “as at the dance of the two companies” (NASB), “as at the dance of Mahanaim” (NIV), “in the Mahanaim dance” (NJPS). The meaning of the individual terms is clear: The noun hl*j)m= denotes “dance in a ring” (Exod 15:20; 32:19; Judg 11:34; 21:21; 1 Sam 21:12; 29:5) (HALOT 569). The noun hn\j&m^ denotes “encampment, camp, army” and the dual form probably means “two armies” (HALOT 570). However, the meaning of the genitive-construct <y]n`j&M^h^ tl^j)m= is unclear: “dance of the two camps/armies”[?]. Rudolph suggests “dance in two lines,” while Albright proposed “the dance of the Mahanaim” (Driver Festschrift 5:4). LXX translates wj coroiV tw'n parembolw'n (“like the dances before the camps”).