Song of Songs 8 | |
---|---|
Isaiah 1 → | |
French tapestry with the text of Song 8:6 in Latin: "Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum" (English: "Set me as a seal upon thine heart"). Palais du Tau, Reims,
Hauteville, Aisne (17th century). | |
Book | Song of Songs |
Category | Ketuvim |
Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 22 |
Song of Songs 8 (abbreviated [ where?] as Song 8) is the eighth (and the final) chapter of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. [1] [2] This book is one of the Five Megillot, a collection of short books, together with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther, within the Ketuvim, the third and the last part of the Hebrew Bible. [3] Jewish tradition views Solomon as the author of this book (although this is now largely disputed), and this attribution influences the acceptance of this book as a canonical text. [3]
This chapter contains dialogues between the woman and the daughters of Jerusalem, the woman and her brothers, then finally, the woman and the man, [4] the "bride" and the "bridegroom". [5]
The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 14 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Leningradensis (1008). [6] [a]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). [8]
The Modern English Version (MEV) identifies the speakers in this chapter as:
Kugler and Hartin treat verses 5 onwards as an appendix. [9] The Jerusalem Bible treats verse 7b onwards (from Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love ...) as "appendices". [10]
This female passage is the last part of a long section concerning the desire and love in the country which runs from chapter 6 until verse 4 here. [11] It consists probably or possibly of more than a single song, describing the woman's wish that her lover to be her brother, so that they can be together in her 'mother's house' (verses 1–2; cf. Song 3:4); they embrace (verse 3; cf. Song 2:6) and another appeal to the daughters of Jerusalem ( verse 4). [4]
For "like my brother", or "as my brother" in the King James Version, [13] the International Standard Version notes that the Hebrew text lacks the preposition " like". [14] Andrew Harper argues that the word 'as' "should probably be omitted, as the accidental repetition of the last letter of the preceding word". [5]
The names of God are apparently substituted with similar sounding phrases depicting 'female gazelles' (צְבָא֔וֹת, tseḇā’ōṯ) for [God of] hosts (צבאות tseḇā’ōṯ), and 'does of the field'/'wild does/female deer' (אילות השדה, ’ay-lōṯ ha- śā-ḏeh) for God Almighty (אל שדי, ’êl shaddai). [18]
Verse 5 opens the last section or epilogue of the book, speaking about the power of love which continues to verse 14 (the end of the book). [11]
[Friends of the Woman]
[The Woman]
There are two fragments of the female voice in this part ( verse 5; cf. 3:6–12, 2:3) and verses 6-7 containing her declaration of love which 'might have constituted a suitable end for the whole book'. [4]
These two verses form a part describing how the woman's maternal brothers decide to keep their sister's virginity, when necessary. [4] However, they do that in disparaging way, which recalls their maligning attitude in chapter 1. [28]
As a response, the woman answers her brothers mockingly. [4] When in Song 1:5– 6 she "ineffectually complained" about her brothers' antagonism towards her, here she can stand up for herself and has found her peace. [28]
No doubt that this part contains the words of the man addressing the bride that 'it is delightful to him to hear her voice'. [31]
The man (or the bridegroom) calls upon his bride (the Shulammite) to let his companions, that is 'his friends who may have come to congratulate him on his bride's safe return', hear her voice. [5]
In the community of Sephardic and Oriental Jews, the congregation in traditional synagogues goes back and recites verse 13 after reciting verse 14 to avoid ending a reading in a negative note. [b] [33]
The very last verse: the woman's voice calls to her male lover to run, like a gazelle or deer, to “the distant nevernever land of the perfume hills”. With that, ‘the love's game can begin afresh, suspended in timelessness and moving cyclically’. [4]
This verse is almost identical to Song 2:17 and just like in the situation of the earlier verse, it implies another meeting and prolongs "indefinitely the moment of young and love". [35]
Song of Songs 8 | |
---|---|
Isaiah 1 → | |
French tapestry with the text of Song 8:6 in Latin: "Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum" (English: "Set me as a seal upon thine heart"). Palais du Tau, Reims,
Hauteville, Aisne (17th century). | |
Book | Song of Songs |
Category | Ketuvim |
Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 22 |
Song of Songs 8 (abbreviated [ where?] as Song 8) is the eighth (and the final) chapter of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. [1] [2] This book is one of the Five Megillot, a collection of short books, together with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther, within the Ketuvim, the third and the last part of the Hebrew Bible. [3] Jewish tradition views Solomon as the author of this book (although this is now largely disputed), and this attribution influences the acceptance of this book as a canonical text. [3]
This chapter contains dialogues between the woman and the daughters of Jerusalem, the woman and her brothers, then finally, the woman and the man, [4] the "bride" and the "bridegroom". [5]
The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 14 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Leningradensis (1008). [6] [a]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). [8]
The Modern English Version (MEV) identifies the speakers in this chapter as:
Kugler and Hartin treat verses 5 onwards as an appendix. [9] The Jerusalem Bible treats verse 7b onwards (from Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love ...) as "appendices". [10]
This female passage is the last part of a long section concerning the desire and love in the country which runs from chapter 6 until verse 4 here. [11] It consists probably or possibly of more than a single song, describing the woman's wish that her lover to be her brother, so that they can be together in her 'mother's house' (verses 1–2; cf. Song 3:4); they embrace (verse 3; cf. Song 2:6) and another appeal to the daughters of Jerusalem ( verse 4). [4]
For "like my brother", or "as my brother" in the King James Version, [13] the International Standard Version notes that the Hebrew text lacks the preposition " like". [14] Andrew Harper argues that the word 'as' "should probably be omitted, as the accidental repetition of the last letter of the preceding word". [5]
The names of God are apparently substituted with similar sounding phrases depicting 'female gazelles' (צְבָא֔וֹת, tseḇā’ōṯ) for [God of] hosts (צבאות tseḇā’ōṯ), and 'does of the field'/'wild does/female deer' (אילות השדה, ’ay-lōṯ ha- śā-ḏeh) for God Almighty (אל שדי, ’êl shaddai). [18]
Verse 5 opens the last section or epilogue of the book, speaking about the power of love which continues to verse 14 (the end of the book). [11]
[Friends of the Woman]
[The Woman]
There are two fragments of the female voice in this part ( verse 5; cf. 3:6–12, 2:3) and verses 6-7 containing her declaration of love which 'might have constituted a suitable end for the whole book'. [4]
These two verses form a part describing how the woman's maternal brothers decide to keep their sister's virginity, when necessary. [4] However, they do that in disparaging way, which recalls their maligning attitude in chapter 1. [28]
As a response, the woman answers her brothers mockingly. [4] When in Song 1:5– 6 she "ineffectually complained" about her brothers' antagonism towards her, here she can stand up for herself and has found her peace. [28]
No doubt that this part contains the words of the man addressing the bride that 'it is delightful to him to hear her voice'. [31]
The man (or the bridegroom) calls upon his bride (the Shulammite) to let his companions, that is 'his friends who may have come to congratulate him on his bride's safe return', hear her voice. [5]
In the community of Sephardic and Oriental Jews, the congregation in traditional synagogues goes back and recites verse 13 after reciting verse 14 to avoid ending a reading in a negative note. [b] [33]
The very last verse: the woman's voice calls to her male lover to run, like a gazelle or deer, to “the distant nevernever land of the perfume hills”. With that, ‘the love's game can begin afresh, suspended in timelessness and moving cyclically’. [4]
This verse is almost identical to Song 2:17 and just like in the situation of the earlier verse, it implies another meeting and prolongs "indefinitely the moment of young and love". [35]