Song of Solomon 8

Song of Solomon · Chapter 8

Song of Solomon 8:1

1O 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.2I 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.3His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.4I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.5Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.6Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.7Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.8We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.10I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.11Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.12My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.13Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.14Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1O 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.O that you were to me like a brother who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.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.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
who?מִ֤יmiH4310
who?

מִי (mi) who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever

will he give youיִתֶּנְךָ֙yi-ten-KHAH5414H
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

like a brotherכְּאָ֣חke-'ACHH0251G
brother: male-sibling

אָח (ach) : male-sibling 1) brother 1a) brother of same parents 1b) half-brother (same father) 1c) relative, kinship, same tribe 1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship) 1e) (fig.) of resemblance

[the] suckling-child ofיוֹנֵ֖קyo-NEKH3243J
to suckle

יָנַק (ya.naq) 1) to suckle, nurse, suck 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to suck 1a2) suckling, babe (subst) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to give suck to, nurse 1b2) nursing, nursing woman, nurse (participle)

[the] breasts ofשְׁדֵ֣יshe-DEIH7699A
breast

שַׁד (shad) 1) breast, bosom, (female) breast 1a) breast (of woman) 1b) breast (of animal) 1c) breast (of both human and animal) Also means: shod (שֹׁד "breast" H7699B)

mother myאִמִּ֑י'i-MIH0517
mother

אֵם (em) 1) mother 1a) of humans 1b) of Deborah's relationship to the people (fig.) 1c) of animals 2) point of departure or division

I will find youאֶֽמְצָאֲךָ֤'em-tza-'a-KHAH4672
to find

מָצָא (ma.tsa) 1) to find, attain to 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to find 1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought) 1a1b) to find (what is lost) 1a1c) to meet, encounter 1a1d) to find (a condition) 1a1e) to learn, devise 1a2) to find out 1a2a) to find out 1a2b) to detect 1a2c) to guess 1a3) to come upon, light upon 1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with 1a3b) to hit 1a3c) to befall 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be found 1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered 1b1b) to appear, be recognised 1b1c) to be discovered, be detected 1b1d) to be gained, be secured 1b2) to be, be found 1b2a) to be found in …

on the outsideבַחוּץ֙va-CHUTZH2351
outside

חוּץ (chuts) outside, outward, street, the outside

I will kiss youאֶשָׁ֣קְךָ֔'e-SHA-ke-chaH5401A
to kiss

נָשַׁק (na.shaq) 1) to put together, kiss 1a) (Qal) to kiss 1b) (Piel) to kiss 1c) (Hiphil) to touch gently

alsoגַּ֖םgamH1571
also

גַּם (gam) 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

notלֹא־lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

people will despiseיָב֥וּזוּya-VU-zuH0936
to despise

בּוּז (buz) 1) to despise, hold in contempt, hold as insignificant 1a) (Qal) to despise, show despite toward

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.