Song of Solomon 1:1–4
The Lexham English BibleOther versions
English
- LEB The Lexham English Bible
- DARBY 1890 Darby Bible
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- AV 1873 The Cambridge Paragraph Bible of the Authorized English Version
- CSB Christian Standard Bible
- D-R Douay-Rheims Bible
- ESV English Standard Version
- GW GOD’S WORD Translation
- GNB Good News Translation
- HCSB The Holman Christian Standard Bible
- KJV 1900 King James Version
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- NASB95 New American Standard Bible (1995)
- NCV New Century Version
- NIrV New International Reader’s Version (1998)
- NIV New International Version (2011)
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- RSV The Revised Standard Version
- RSVCE The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition
- YLT Young’s Literal Translation
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Title
1The Song of Songs,a which is forb Solomon.
The Maiden’s Soliloquy
2Mayc he kiss me passionately with his lips,d
for your love is better than wine.e
3As fragrance, your perfumesf are delightful;g
your name is poured out perfume;h
therefore young women love you.
4Draw me after you, let us run!
May the king bring me into his chambers!i
Let us be joyful and let us rejoice in you;
let us extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you!
Footnotes
- aThis construction conveys a superlative connotation, e.g., “The most exquisite song”
- bOr “by Solomon” or “about/concerning Solomon”
- cIn the maiden’s soliloquy, she thinks about her beloved in her thoughts (“May he kiss me!”), then poetically speaks to him as if he were in her presence (“for your love is better than wine”). To avoid confusion, the translation uses the second-person form throughout vv. 2–4
- dLiterally “with the kisses of his mouth”
- eThe shift from the third person “he … his” to the second person “you … your” in vv. 2–4 should not be interpreted as suggesting two different referents, that is, one male whom the maiden is addressing as “you,” and another to whom she refers as “he.” Rather, this shift is a poetic device (called “grammatical differentiation”) that is not uncommon in Hebrew poetry (e.g., Gen 49:4; Deut 32:15; Psa 23:2–5; Isa 1:29; 42:20; 54:1; Jer 22:24; Amos 4:1; Mic 7:19; Lam 3:1; Song 4:2; 6:6). This shift is characteristic of a soliloquy, a dramatic or literary form in which a character reveals her thoughts without addressing a listener who is actually present (e.g., 2 Sam 19:4). In this case, the maiden’s private thoughts about her beloved (v. 2a) shift to an imaginary address to her beloved (vv. 2b–4a)
- fLiterally “your oil lotions”
- gLiterally “good”
- hLiterally “oil lotion”
- iOr “The king has brought me into his chambers”
Copyright 2012 Lexham Press
In other versions
ESVEnglish Standard Version
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles
NIVNew International Version (2011)
Solomon’s Song of Songs.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
How right they are to adore you!
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.
CSBChristian Standard Bible
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your caresses are more delightful than wine.
The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating;
your name is perfume poured out.
No wonder young women adore you.
Take me with you—let’s hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers.
We will rejoice and be glad in you;
we will celebrate your caresses more than wine.
It is only right that they adore you.
Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
NLTNew Living Translation
This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other.
Kiss me and kiss me again,
for your love is sweeter than wine.
How pleasing is your fragrance;
your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils.
No wonder all the young women love you!
Take me with you; come, let’s run!
The king has brought me into his bedroom.
How happy we are for you, O king.
We praise your love even more than wine.
How right they are to adore you.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
KJV 1900King James Version
The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:
For thy love is better than wine.
Because of the savour of thy good ointments
Thy name is as ointment poured forth,
Therefore do the virgins love thee.
Draw me, we will run after thee:
The king hath brought me into his chambers:
We will be glad and rejoice in thee,
We will remember thy love more than wine:
The upright love thee.
Public Domain