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Song of Solomon 8:1–2
| a | Literally “O that he would give you like a brother to me” |
| b | The Hebrew construction (which is somewhat misleading if rendered in a woodenly literal sense) is an idiom expressing one’s fanciful wish |
| c | Literally “at the breast of my mother” |
| d | Literally “I will find you in the street” |
| e | Literally “also they would not despise me” |
| f | Literally “I would lead you and I would bring you” |
| g | The combination of the two verbs creates a hendiadys which may be rendered more cogently as “I would surely bring you …” |
| h | Literally “she will teach me” |
| i | Literally “I would give you to drink from the wine of the spice” |
| j | Or “juice” |
| k | The traditional Hebrew reads the singular “my pomegranate.” However, the plural reading “my pomegranates” is attested in numerous medieval Hebrew manuscripts and is reflected in the ancient versions (Greek Septuagint, Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta). The latter makes the most sense in this context as a euphemistic description of the maiden’s delights |
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New International Version (2011) (NIV)
1 If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — English Standard Version (ESV)
1 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — King James Version (KJV 1900)
1 O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother!
When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;
Yea, I should not be despised.
2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me:
I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New Living Translation (NLT)
1 Oh, I wish you were my brother,
who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching,
and no one would criticize me.
2 I would bring you to my childhood home,
and there you would teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
my sweet pomegranate wine.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — The New King James Version (NKJV)
1 Oh, that you were like my brother,
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I should find you outside,
I would kiss you;
I would not be despised.
2 I would lead you and bring you
Into the house of my mother,
She who used to instruct me.
I would cause you to drink of spiced wine,
Of the juice of my pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New Century Version (NCV)
1 I wish you were like my brother
who fed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would look down on me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
to my mother’s house;
she is the one who taught me.
I would give you a drink of spiced wine
from my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — American Standard Version (ASV)
1 Oh that thou wert as my brother,
That sucked the breasts of my mother!
When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;
Yea, and none would despise me.
2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house,
Who would instruct me;
I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine,
Of the juice of my pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)
1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! Should I find thee without, I would kiss thee; And they would not despise me. 2 I would lead thee, bring thee into my mother’s house; Thou wouldest instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
1 If only you were my brother,
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I saw you on the street,
I would kiss you, and no one would look down on me.
2 I would lead you.
I would bring you into my mother’s house.
(She is the one who was my teacher.)
I would give you some spiced wine to drink,
some juice squeezed from my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 If only I could treat you like my brother,
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother who taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (NRSVue)
1 O that you were like a brother to me,
who nursed at my mother’s breast!
If I met you outside, I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
into my mother’s house
and into the chamber of the one who bore me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
from the juice of my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)
1 “I wish you were like a brother to me.
I wish my mother’s breasts had nursed you.
Then if I found you outside,
I could kiss you.
No one would look down on me.
2 I’d bring you to my mother’s house.
She taught me everything I know.
I’d give you spiced wine to drink.
It’s the juice of my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:1–2 — New American Standard Bible (1995) (NASB95)
1 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 “I would lead you and bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
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