Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version 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. New Living Translation 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. English Standard Version 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. Berean Standard Bible 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. King James Bible 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. New King James Version 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. New American Standard Bible “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. NASB 1995 “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. NASB 1977 “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. Legacy Standard Bible “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; No one would despise me, either. Amplified Bible “Oh, that you were like a brother to me, Who nursed at the breasts of my mother. If I found you out of doors, I would kiss you; No one would blame me or despise me, either. Christian Standard Bible 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. Holman Christian Standard Bible 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. American Standard Version 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. Contemporary English Version If you were my brother, I could kiss you whenever we happen to meet, and no one would say I did wrong. English Revised Version 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. GOD'S WORD® Translation 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. Good News Translation I wish that you were my brother, that my mother had nursed you at her breast. Then, if I met you in the street, I could kiss you and no one would mind. International Standard Version If only you were like a brother to me, like one who nursed at my mother's breasts. If I found you outside I would kiss you, and no one would view me with contempt. Majority Standard Bible 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. NET Bible Oh, how I wish you were my little brother, nursing at my mother's breasts; if I saw you outside, I could kiss you--surely no one would despise me! New Heart English Bible Oh that you were like my brother, who sucked the breasts of my mother. If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me. Webster's Bible Translation O that thou wert as my brother, that was nourished at the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yes, I should not be despised. World English Bible Oh that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionWho makes you as a brother to me, "" Suckling the breasts of my mother? I find you outside, I kiss you, "" Indeed, they do not despise me, Young's Literal Translation Who doth make thee as a brother to me, Sucking the breasts of my mother? I find thee without, I kiss thee, Yea, they do not despise me, Smith's Literal Translation Who will give thee as a brother to me, sucking the breasts of my mother? I shall find thee without, I shall kiss thee; also they shall not despise me. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleWho shall give thee to me for my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother, that I may find thee without, and kiss thee, and now no man may despise me? Catholic Public Domain Version Bride to Groom: Who will give you to me as my brother, feeding from the breasts of my mother, so that I may discover you outside, and may kiss you, and so that now no one may despise me? New American Bible Would that you were a brother to me, nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I met you out of doors, I would kiss you and none would despise me. New Revised Standard Version 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. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleWHO shall give you to me for my brother that sucked the breasts of my mother? When I should find you in the street, I would kiss you; yea, I should not be despised. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Who shall give you as a brother to me? My breasts nursed my lambs. I will find you in the street. I will kiss you and they will not despise me OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Oh 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. Brenton Septuagint Translation I would that thou, O my kinsman, wert he that sucked the breasts of my mother; when I found thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, they should not despise me. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Longing for Her Beloved1O 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. 2I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.… Cross References Proverbs 5:18-19 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: / A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever. Genesis 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. Ruth 1:9 May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud Isaiah 66:11-12 so that you may nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you may drink deeply and delight yourselves in her glorious abundance. / For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees. John 13:23-25 One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. / So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about. / Leaning back against Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” Matthew 12:46-50 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. / Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.” / But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ... Mark 3:31-35 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him, / and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.” / But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ... Luke 8:19-21 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd. / He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.” / But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.” John 7:3-5 So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. / For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” / For even His own brothers did not believe in Him. 1 Corinthians 9:5 Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Ephesians 5:28-29 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. / Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. 1 Thessalonians 2:7 On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children. Philippians 1:8 God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Genesis 24:67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death. Treasury of Scripture O that you were as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find you without, I would kiss you; yes, I should not be despised. that thou Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Haggai 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. sucked Isaiah 66:11,12 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory… Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. find thee John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. I would Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalm 45:10,11 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; … yea Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 102:16,17 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory… Mark 12:42-44 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing… I should not be despised Jump to Previous Breast Breasts Despise Despised Either Find Found Kiss Mother Mother's Nourished Nursed Outside Sucked WertJump to Next Breast Breasts Despise Despised Either Find Found Kiss Mother Mother's Nourished Nursed Outside Sucked WertSong of Solomon 8 1. The love of the church to Christ6. The vehemence of love 8. The calling of the Gentiles 14. the church prays for Christ's coming O that you were to me like a brother The longing expressed here is deeply rooted in the cultural and familial structures of ancient Israel. In Hebrew society, the bond between siblings, especially brothers and sisters, was one of the most intimate and publicly acceptable relationships. The Hebrew word for "brother" (אָח, 'ach) signifies not only a familial connection but also a sense of protection and closeness. The speaker desires a relationship with her beloved that is as open and accepted as that between siblings, free from societal judgment or constraints. who nursed at my mother’s breasts Then, if I found you outside I would kiss you and no one would despise me (1) O that thou wert as my brother.--The poet makes his beloved recall the feelings she had for him before the obstacles to their union were removed. She dared not then avow her affection for him as a lover, and wished that their relationship had been such as to allow of their meeting and embracing without reproach. Marg., "They (i.e., her family and friends) should not despise (i.e., reproach) me." Verses 1-3. - Oh that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; and none would despise me. 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. His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me. The meaning seems to be this - Let our relation to one another be the highest and the purest and the most permanent possible. The sisterly relation is not merely one of affection, but one of blood. The bond between husband and wife may be broken by the caprice and weakness of human feeling, but nothing can destroy the bond of blood. "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17); "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). The brotherly bond represents the strength of the blood relationship. When to that is added personal affection, then the tie is perfect. Shulamith means that she would have their love freed from all the uncertainties of human fickleness. As symbolically interpreted, therefore, we take this whole passage to signify that the Church, when it is desiring the closest fellowship with the Saviour, would be lifted above all the temptations of earthly life, which so often lower the standard of Christian feeling and service. The words are specially impressive in the lips of the bride of Solomon. It is a testimony to the inspiration of the whole book that the voluptuous monarch, whose life fell so far below the ideal of a godly king, should yet, indirectly though still powerfully, condemn and rebuke his own departure from God, setting clearly before us the surpassing excellence of pure love and the sanctity of married life. In the Mug's address to his bride he called her "sister" and "sister-bride;" she now virtually returns his own sentiment and calls him "brother."' She shows that she has risen in her love far above the mere fleshly desires - "the lust of the fiesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." She would blend her whole existence with that of her Lord. I would kiss thee; yea, and none would despise me. Nothing can more exquisitely and delicately express the fulness of affection. It is not merely a return for that which is given; it is free and spontaneous. So should our spiritual feelings be. They should be the natural outpouring of the soul towards the Saviour; not a worked up, artificial, spasmodic impulse, not a cold, dead formalism, not an unsympathetic service of conscience; but "doing the will of God from the heart." "Love is the fulfilling of the Law;" "Faith worketh by love." The second verse is differently rendered by some. Jerome, Venetian, and Luther take it as referring to the bride's dependence on her husband's superior wisdom - "Thou wouldest instruct me;" which, of course, is a very suitable sentiment as addressed to the wise King Solomon. The Targum expounds it thus: "I would conduct thee, O King Messiah, and bring thee into the house of my sanctuary; and thou wouldest teach me to fear God and to walk in his ways." Hitzig and our Revisers take the verb as in the third person feminine, and applied to the mother. "She would teach me as a mother teaches a young bride, from her own early experience." The old view that the bride is the personification of wisdom seems quite refuted by this speech of Shulamith's. She desires and waits for instruction. Solomon is wisdom. She is the soul of man, or the Church of God, delighting to sit at his feet and learn of him. Whichever rendering we choose, whether the mother or Solomon be regarded as teacher, the meaning is the same. It is, as Delitzsch has observed, a deep revelation of Shulamith's heart. "She knew how much she yet came short of being to the king all that a wife should be. But in Jerusalem the bustle of court life and the burden of his regal duties did not permit him to devote himself to her; in her mother's house, if he were once there, he would in. struct her, and she would requite him with her spiced wine and with the juice of the pomegranates." The "spiced wine," vinum conditura, aromatic wine, probably grape wine "mixed with fragrant and pungent essences," as in the East. The juice, or pressed juice, of the pomegranate is a delicious drink. There is no allusion to any love symbol. The grains of the pomegranates were said by the Arabians to be from Paradise (cf. the ῤοι'´της, or "vinum de punicis quod roidem vocant" in Dioscorides and Pliny). Perhaps this reference to exchange of gifts may be taken as symbolizing the happy state of the Church when she pours out her treasures in response to the spiritual blessings which she is freely receiving. The meaning is something beautiful and precious. And that is the highest state of religious life when the service we render and the gifts we place on the altar are felt to be the grateful sacrifices of our hearts under a sense of Divine love. When the Church of Christ depends for its support on such fellowship between itself and the Saviour there will be no limits to its attainments, no achievements beyond its powers. "All that see" such a state of the Church "shall acknowledge" the glory of it, "that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed" (see the whole of the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, which breathes the very spirit of Solomon's Song). The rejoicing bride then gives herself up to the thought of her husband's affection. In that beautiful simplicity and purity of her childhood's life she would realize the bliss of her new relation. Delitzsch describes her state of mind thus: "Resigning herself dreamily to the idea that Solomon is her brother, whom she may freely and openly kiss, and her teacher besides, with whom she may sit in confidential intercourse under her mother's eye, she feels herself as if closely embraced by him, and calls from a distance to the daughters of Jerusalem not to disturb this her happy enjoyment." Perhaps the sense of weakness and dependence is meant to be expressed. The bride is conscious that her lord is everything to her. In that identification which the highest love brings vividly into the soul, there is the joy of exultation. "All things are ours; and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's."Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Oמִ֤י (mî) Interrogative Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix that יִתֶּנְךָ֙ (yit·ten·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular Strong's 5414: To give, put, set you [were] to me לִ֔י (lî) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's Hebrew like a brother כְּאָ֣ח (kə·’āḥ) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 251: A brother, ) who nursed יוֹנֵ֖ק (yō·w·nêq) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 3243: To suck, to give milk at my mother’s אִמִּ֑י (’im·mî) Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 517: A mother, ) breasts! שְׁדֵ֣י (šə·ḏê) Noun - mdc Strong's 7699: The breast of a, woman, animal If I found you אֶֽמְצָאֲךָ֤ (’em·ṣā·’ă·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present outdoors, בַחוּץ֙ (ḇa·ḥūṣ) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors I would kiss you, אֶשָׁ֣קְךָ֔ (’eš·šā·qə·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular Strong's 5401: To kiss, to equip with weapons and גַּ֖ם (gam) Conjunction Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and no one לֹא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no would despise me. יָב֥וּזוּ (yā·ḇū·zū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 936: To disrespect Links Song of Solomon 8:1 NIVSong of Solomon 8:1 NLT Song of Solomon 8:1 ESV Song of Solomon 8:1 NASB Song of Solomon 8:1 KJV Song of Solomon 8:1 BibleApps.com Song of Solomon 8:1 Biblia Paralela Song of Solomon 8:1 Chinese Bible Song of Solomon 8:1 French Bible Song of Solomon 8:1 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Song of Solomon 8:1 Oh that you were like my brother (Song Songs SS So Can) |
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