From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Note: The Song of Solomon is usually some of the most difficult reading in the Bible, for it is a two-way conversation between a man and a woman separated by the unlikely distance of the private suite of the king and the place of shepherds in the fields. However, to clarify who is speaking, we have placed the woman’s words in Bold Type.

Chapter 1

¹ The song of all songs by Solomon.

² May you kiss me with kisses from your mouth, [for the feel] of your chest is better than wine. ³ And the smell of your scent is much better, than the odor of all the perfumes, which have been poured in your name. Because of this, young women have loved you. ⁴ They are the ones who drew me toward you, and toward the scent of your fragrance we ran.

However; the king has carried me off, into his private apartments. But I shout in joy and am glad over you, for I love your chest more than wine… and the love that I have is [pure].

⁵ O daughters of Jerusalem; I am pretty and tan, like tents in the Valley of Cedars, and as [King] Solomon’s leathers. ⁶ Don’t bother to look for I’m very dark, because [I’ve worked hard] in the sun. The sons of my mother quarreled with me, and made me work in a vineyard; I was a keeper of vineyards, which were never my own.

⁷ O tell me, you who are loved by my life; where indeed do you tend [your sheep]… where are you napping at noon? For, I wish to be wrapped all around you, among your companions of flocks. ⁸ If you aren’t sure, O fair one, follow at the heels of the flocks, and tend your kids near the shepherd’s tents.

⁹ As my horse from the chariots of Pharaoh, that’s how I [view] you my dear one. ¹⁰ Your cheeks are as pretty as doves, and your neck’s like the pendant ¹¹ that I’ll make you, out of gold tinged with silver.

¹² When the king came to lie down, the oil I was wearing gave off its smell. ¹³ But to me the man that I love, is like a bundle of balsam, and between my breasts he will stay. ¹⁴ But [my true] love is a cluster of cypress; he’s like the vineyards of EnGedi.

¹⁵ {Look!} You’re so pretty my dear one; your eyes are as those of a dove.

¹⁶ {Look!} You’re so handsome my dearly-loved man; and pretty [will be] our bed in the shade, ¹⁷ where the beams of our house [will be] made out of cedars, and the barns [will be made] out of cypress.

Chapter 2

¹ I am a flower of the fields… a lily of the valley is what I am.

² As a lily in the midst of thorn bushes, is my dear one among many daughters.

³And as an apple among all the trees in the groves, is my beloved amidst other sons. To be in his shadow I’ve desired, and I’ve found his fruit to be sweet.

⁴ Bring me into the tavern, and therein order me love! ⁵ Fill me with perfumes and pile me with apples, for I’ve been pierced through with love. ⁶ His left hand is under my head, and he holds me close with his right hand.

⁷ O daughters of Jerusalem I want you to swear, by all the powers and strengths of the fields: Don’t arise and awaken your love, until [the time] that you want it.

⁸ Hear the voice of my beloved man. {Look!} He comes springing over the mountains, and leaping over the hills, ⁹ for my dearly loved man is like [a deer], or like a fawn among all the hinds!

{Look!} He’s standing outside of my window, peeking in through the shades. ¹⁰ The man that I love answers and tells me, ‘Get up and come here my dear one… O my fair one and my [sweet] dove; ¹¹ for look, the winter has passed, and the rains have poured down then [passed]. ¹² Flowers have appeared in the land, and the time for pruning has come. The voice of the dove is now heard in our land; ¹³ the fig tree is budding its fruit; and you can smell the blossoms of grapevines.

‘Get up and come here my dear one… my fair one! Yes, get up and come here my dove! ¹⁴ Come, my dove, to the protection of the rocks, which are piled in the place ‘round the wall. Let me see what you look like, and [once again] hear your voice; for I [love] the sound of your voice, and I [love to look at] your beauty. ¹⁵ Grab hold of the foxes destroying the vineyards, for our grapevines are now in full bloom!’

¹⁶ My dearly-loved man is for me, and for him I’m the one. He’ll be [outside] tending the lilies, ¹⁷ until a new day when the clouds will be gone. ² O my dearly-loved man; Be like the buck, or like a fawn among hinds, and [stay nearby] in the mountains.

Chapter 3

¹ During the nights on my bed, I searched for the one that I love with my life; I searched but I didn’t find him; I called to him but he didn’t reply. ² So, I’ll get up and go through the city; I’ll search the markets and squares, for the one that I love with my life.

Well, I searched but I didn’t find him. ³ Then they found me… the ones keeping guard… those who walk ‘round in the city. [And I asked], ‘Have you seen the love of my life?’

⁴ It was shortly after I passed them, that I found the love of my life. I grabbed onto him and wouldn’t let go, and I took him to the house of my mother… to the bedroom of she who conceived me.

⁵ O daughters of Jerusalem, I want you to swear, by all the powers and strengths of the fields: Don’t arise and awaken your love, until [the time] that you want it.

⁶ Who is this woman ascending from the desert, like smoke arising from the incense, of myrrh, frankincense, and all the powders of perfumers?

⁷ Look, there is Solomon’s bed, with sixty mighty men standing ‘round it, from among all of Israel’s great ones… ⁸ all are brandishing broadswords, and all are trained in ways of war. Each wears his sword on his thigh, [to keep watch] through the nights.

⁹ King Solomon has made a carriage for himself, out of Lebanon’s trees. ¹⁰ He’s made columns of silver; his couch is made of pure gold; and the steps up to it are covered with purple… a gift of love from Jerusalem’s daughters.

¹¹ Come and behold, O daughters of Zion; see Solomon and the crown he received from his mother, on the day he was married… the day when his heart was so merry!

Chapter 4

¹ {Look!} You’re so pretty my dear one… see how pretty you are! Your eyes look like doves from outside your veil; your hair is as herds of Gilead’s goats; ² your teeth [are as white] as freshly-sheared sheep, after they’ve come from the bath… all of whom have born twins, and there’s none that are childless among them.

³ Your lips are as scarlet thread, and the way that you talk is so pretty. Your cheeks, when they’re outside your veil, are as red as pomegranate skins. ⁴ Your neck is like the tower of David, the one that was built for protection; where a thousand shields hang within it, and all the arrows of the mighty. ⁵ And your breasts are like twin fawns, feeding among the lilies.

⁶ Until it comes a new day, and all the shadows are gone, I’ll go to the mountain of myrrh, and at the hill of frankincense stay.

⁷ Entirely fair is my dear one, and there is no defect in you. ⁸ Come from Lebanon O bride; from Lebanon come back to me. Come and go through the Archway of Trust, from the peaks of Shinar and Hermon… from the lairs of lions and the mountains of leopards.

⁹ You have captured my heart, O my sister and bride; you’ve captured my heart with your eyes, and with the garland of your neck. ¹⁰ How beautiful are your breasts, O my sister and bride. Your breasts are better than wine, and the scent of your clothes is above all perfumes.

¹¹ Your lips are like honey dripped from the comb, for honey and milk are under your tongue, and like frankincense is the scent of your clothes. ¹² But you’re locked in a garden, my sister and bride… like a well that’s been sealed up tight.

¹³ The messages you send are as pomegranate gardens… they’re like fruit from the trees… they’re as cypress mingled with nard… ¹⁴ cypress and nard, saffron and calamus, as well as cinnamon and Lebanese cedars, and aloes and the best of perfumes. ¹⁵ They’re like a spring of life in the garden, and a well of living water that gurgles from Lebanon.

¹⁶ Awaken, O you north wind, and [you must] come now, O south wind! Refresh my garden and let its scents flow!

Chapter 5

¹ May my loved man go down to his garden, and may he eat the fruit from his trees!

I went to my garden, my sister, O bride, and gathered my harvest of spices and myrrh. I’ve eaten my bread with my honey, and I’ve drunk my milk and my wine.

Eat, O dear one and drink! Let’s both get drunk, O my loved one! ² I [want to] sleep but my heart is so restless, for the voice of my loved one knocks on my door, saying: ‘Open to me, my sister and dear one… my dove, the one who’s so very perfect, for my head is covered with dew, and my curls [are wet] with the mist of the night. ³ My underclothes I’ve removed, and now should I put them back on? And I have washed off my feet, so must I run and get them dirty once more?’

⁴ Through the crack in [my door], my dearly-loved man stuck his hand, and [the touch of my skin] aroused him. ⁵ So, I got up and opened to him, as my hands were dripping with myrrh, and my fingers dripped with myrrh upon the handle of the lock. ⁶ Then I opened to my dearly-loved man, but the man that I love wasn’t there.

I yearned for his words with my life, so I searched but I couldn’t find him; I called to him but he couldn’t hear me. ⁷ Then they found me (the guards who walk ‘round the city). They struck me and hurt me, and took away my wrap… those who keep watch at the walls.

⁸ So, Jerusalem’s daughters I ask you to swear, by the powers and strengths of the fields: Please tell me if you find my dearly-loved man, for I’ve been pierced through by love!

⁹ But who is this man that you love among men, O you pretty one among women? Who is this man you so love, that you have bound us with such an oath?

¹⁰ My loved man has white skin and red cheeks; he is choice and one in a [million]. ¹¹ His head is like gold from Kefaz, his curls are flowing like fir trees, and they are as black as a crow. ¹² His eyes are like doves near deep pools of water; as though bathed in milk and sitting on water. ¹³ His mouth is like a bowl of spices, which is set out to give a fresh smell. His lips are also like lilies, dripping with full-bodied myrrh, ¹⁴ and his hands are just like spun gold, filled with the gems of Tharsis. His belly is a tablet of ivory, mounted on a gem of sapphire. ¹⁵ His legs are like columns of marble, resting on bases of gold. He looks like the finest of Lebanese cedars, ¹⁶ and his [voice] is desirable and sweet. This is the man that I love and my dear one, O you daughters of Jerusalem.

Chapter 6

¹ O you pretty one among women; Where has he gone… where has he wandered, so we can go search on your behalf?

² My loved man has gone to his garden, to gather bowls filled up with spices. He’s gone off to tend to his garden, and to collect [bouquets of] lilies.

³ To my dearly-loved man I belong, and my dearly-loved man is [just] mine… he who is tending among the lilies.

⁴ You’re so pretty, O dear one… as pleasing and beautiful as Jerusalem, but you’re also as disturbing as [men] who are ready for war. ⁵ Turn your eyes from before me, because they excite me so much. For, the hair on your head is as herds of goats, which from Gilead have just ascended. ⁶ Your teeth [are as white] as sheep that are sheared… those that just came from the bath. They’re all bearing twins, and none is childless among them. Your lips are like strings of scarlet, and the way that you talk is so pretty. ⁷ Your cheeks that show through your veil, are as red as pomegranate skins.

⁸ But there are now sixty queens! There are eighty concubines more, and young women of which there’s no number! ⁹ Yet, one of them is my perfect dove… she’s the only daughter of her mother… the favored one of she who gave birth. The daughters and queens call her blest, and the concubines all [sing] her praises. ¹⁰ ‘Who is she, this one that looks like the dawn, who’s as fair as the moon and as chosen as the sun, but as disturbing as men who are ready for war?’

¹¹ I went to the grove of walnuts; I went down to see the fruits, that are near the stream in the valley, just to see if the grapevines had flowered, and to see the pomegranate blossoms. ¹² But the man that I am didn’t know, that this would make me like AminAdab’s chariot.

¹³ Return, return, O Shulamite! Return, return, for I’m searching for you! How would you notice the Shulamite? She arrives like an army in the camps.

Chapter 7

¹ How pretty are your feet in your sandals, O you daughter of Nabad. Your thighs are shaped like fine pendants… the works of the hands of a craftsman. ² Your navel is like a shaped bowl, not lacking a mixture of wine. Your belly is like a [fine] mound of grain, that’s wrapped within [a field] of lilies. ³ Your breasts are like two young fawns… a pair of twins of the doe. ⁴ Your neck is like an ivory tower, and your eyes as the lakes at Heshbon… those by the Gates of Many Daughters. Your nose is like Lebanon’s Tower… the one overlooking Damascus. ⁵ Your head is like [Mount] Carmel, and the braids on your head are as purple cloth, in which the king wraps himself as you pass.

⁶ How beautiful and delicious you are, O love, in all the luxuries you possess. ⁷ In greatness you’re much like a palm tree, and your breasts are as clusters of grapes. ⁸ I said that I’d climb up that palm tree, and to its top I would cling. For, your breasts are like clusters of grapes on the vine, the scent of your nose is like apples, ⁹ and [the taste] of your [mouth] is as the best wine.

I’m going to my dearly-loved man straight away, for [I need him close] to my lips and my teeth. ¹⁰ I’ll turn to the man that I love, and he will then turn toward me.

¹¹ Come, O man that I love; we’ll run to the fields and lodge in the towns! ¹² We’ll arise early [and go to] the vineyards, to see if the grapevines have blossomed; to see if the flowers have bloomed, and to see if the pomegranates have flowered, for there I’ll give you my breasts.

¹³ The mandrakes have given their odor, and new and old fruit trees are at our doors. O man that I love, I’ve saved them for you.

Chapter 8

¹ O man that I love, who would grant you, to be nursed at the breasts of my mother. If I found you outside I would kiss you, and none would treat me with any disrespect. ² Yes, I will take you… I’ll bring you to the house of my mother, and into the bedroom where I was conceived. Then I’ll allow you to drink the spiced wine, which comes from my pomegranate nectar.

³ His left hand is under my head, and with his right hand he holds me.

⁴ O daughters of Jerusalem I want you to swear, by all the powers and strengths of the fields: Don’t arise and awaken your love, until [the time] that you want it.

⁵ Who is this ascending from the desert, and hanging on to the man that she loves?

From under apple trees I awoke you, and your mother was also there with you… she who through pain gave you birth.

⁶ Set me as a seal on your heart, and as a seal on your arm! For, as strong as death is [my] love for you, and [my] zeal is as hard as the place of the dead. Its sparks and the fire of [love’s] flames, ⁷ cannot be extinguished with water, nor can rivers engulf it. But if a man gave all he owned for his love, [most] men would think him [a fool].

⁸ ‘Our sister is [young] and still has no breasts, so what should we do for our sister, on the day she’s [engaged]? ⁹ If she should be like a wall, should we build parapets of silver upon her? But if she should be like a door, should we surround her with planks of cedar?’

¹⁰ I am a wall and my breasts are like towers; and I was in their eyes as one who’d found peace.

¹¹ In Baal Harmon there once was a vineyard, which was owned by Solomon [the king]. Then he entrusted his vineyard, to others who would maintain it. And all men had to pay for its fruit, with a thousand pieces of silver. [He said:] ¹² ‘My vineyard is mine there before me! So, to Solomon pay up your thousands, and two hundred more to those tending his fruit.’

¹³ O you who now sits in the gardens, my companions have noticed your voice, and the things that you caused me to hear. So, man that I love, you must run away; be like the doe or the fawn of the hinds, and [hide] in the mountain of spices!

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Hades

The Greek word Hades (they pronounced it hah-des) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?

Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop and creep into Christianity, the later-day Greek view of Hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?

An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’ Bible of Jesus’ day). There, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated into Greek as Hades in every instance; yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).

Another revealing application of the word Hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

So, notice that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (Hades) and in other places (thanatos). Therefore, Hades is better translated as grave.

In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian-era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two places. That Greek word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document, Is There a Burning Hell?

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Blest or Happy?

There is quite a debate as to whether the Greek word makarios found in many places throughout the Bible should be translated blessed or happy.

Notice that we have chosen to translate it as blest, which is an older spelling of the word blessed, to get rid the affected pronunciation that was likely introduced by early preachers (bless-ed).

According to Zodhiates’ Complete Word Study Dictionary, the word should never translated as happy, because happy is derived from the words happen, happening, or happenstance (luck). His reasoning (which we agree with) is that, when someone suffers for the sake of righteous principles, his/her reward isn’t just happiness (which can come from any source of good luck or fortune), but rather, it is a joy that comes from gaining a better relationship with God.

In other words, there is no exact word in English to use here, but blest seems to be a closer alternative than happy.

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Eroticism of the Bible

While men self-righteously proclaim rules of proper sexual thoughts and conduct between men and women, the Song of Solomon is filled with words that openly describe sexual desires and actions, and with many other words that appear to have a double entendre, and which appear to have no other purpose or meaning.

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Crowns, Turbans, and Diadems

In the Bible, we read of two different types of royal headgear that was worn by Kings… crowns (gr. stephanos) and turbans (gr. diademas). Which did the kings of Israel, such as David and Solomon, wear?

A study of history shows that most kings wore some sort of hat on official occasions, which varied by time and by country. The gold headpiece that was worn by the pharaohs of Egypt, for example, was not referred to as either a crown nor a turban. But in the Middle East, the common headgear for kings was usually a turban that was set with gold and jewels. And this custom remained true, for the most part, throughout history, because crowns were generally thought of by the faithful as representing the rays of the sun (an idol). However, golden crowns were used by pagan kings in many places throughout the world, as their sign of appointment by God.

The first mention of a crown being worn by a king of Israel is found at 1 Samuel 12:30, where King David took the gold crown from the head of the Ammonite king of RabBath, named Malchom, and placed it on his own head. However, it doesn’t appear as though this was the custom of kings of Israel thereafter, for the placing of Malchom’s crown on his head seems to represent David’s victory, not his envy of the Pagan king’s headgear. And the fact that all Israelite men wore turbans can be seen in the depictions of Israelites in war scenes from Assyria that are currently on display at the British Museum.

If you study uses of the word crown in the Bible, you’ll see that most instances are talking about the top portion of the head, not a hat. However, there are notable exceptions to this.

At Revelation 12:3, the dragon is shown as having seven heads and ten horns, and ‘on its heads were seven royal turbans.’ We have translated this verse as saying that they were ‘turbans,’ because the Greek word used there was diadema, or through wraps, indicating that he was seen wearing turbans (although many religious depictions incorrectly show him wearing crowns).

However, there appear to be good uses in the Bible for the word crown as a symbol of athletic victory, not necessarily of kingship. Take for example, the following occurrences:

‘A crown that rots away. However, we receive one that doesn’t rot.’

‘He will receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to all those who love him.’

‘You will walk away with the enduring crown of glory.’

‘But be faithful to death and I’ll give you the crown of life.’

So, if it is true that the crown is more a sign of victory (a garland) in the Bible than of kingship, this gives us a better understanding of verses such as the following:

‘A crown of twelve stars.’

‘He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.’

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Mandrakes

The mandrake is a perennial herb that is part of the potato family. The leaves grow almost directly from the taproot, then fan out in a circle and lie close to the ground. Each grows a single white, blue, or purple flower on a stalk, which develops a yellowish-red fruit that is about the size of a plum, and is described as having the sweet, fresh odor of an apple. The thick, often-forked taproot may resemble a man’s lower limbs, and that (like ginseng) has created superstitious beliefs about the mandrake having magical powers.

In ancient times, mandrake fruit was used as a narcotic. And in some parts of the Middle East, it is still thought to be an aphrodisiac and an aid to human fertility and conception. This is likely the reason why Jacob’s wives RachaEl and Leah, who were unable to bear children, considered this fruit so valuable.

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