Song of Songs 1:7-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Love’s Inquiry
7 W Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you shepherd,[a] where you give rest at midday.
Why should I be like one wandering
after the flocks of your companions?
8 M If you do not know,
most beautiful among women,
Follow the tracks of the flock
and pasture your lambs[b]
near the shepherds’ tents.
Footnotes
- 1:7 Shepherd: a common metaphor for kings. Here and elsewhere in the Song (3:1; 5:8; 6:1), the woman expresses her desire to be in the company of her lover. The search for the lover and her failure to find him create a degree of tension. Only at the end (8:5–14) do the lovers finally possess each other.
- 1:8 Pasture your lambs: both the woman and the man act as shepherds in the Song.
Song of Songs 1:7-8
New International Version
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep(A) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(B) woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Friends
8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(C)
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
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