2:17

This important verse ends the poem that began in 2:8–9. It also prepares readers for the next paragraph (3:1–5). There are different ways to interpret the verse. The Notes interprets it to refer to a time before the woman and man had sexual relations. In this section, their love was still like the first blossoms in springtime. The Bible indicates that a couple must wait until they marry to have sexual relations.

2:17a–b

Before the day breaks and shadows flee: The statements in 2:17a and 2:17b are parallel. The subjects and the verbs are also parallel. The similar parts are underlined or written in bold print here:

17a Before the day breaks

17b and shadows flee

In 2:17b the word “before” is implied before the phrase shadows flee. The parallel lines, 2:17a and 2:17b refer to the same time of day. Scholars differ about the time of day that the phrases refer to:

(1) The phrases refer to evening. In the evening, breezes cool the land. The shadows become longer and then disappear into the darkness of night. For example:

When the day brings a cooling breeze and the shadows flee (God’s Word)

(2) The phrases refer to morning (or specifically to dawn). In the morning or at dawn, cool breezes blow and shadows disappear in the sunlight. For example:

until the morning breezes blow and the darkness disappears (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), which refers to an evening breeze. Some reasons for this choice are:

(a) In Palestine, the west wind is the breeze that cools the land. It typically blows in the afternoon or evening, not in the morning.

(b) Two of three lexicons, as well as several reliable commentaries, support evening.

(c) Evening fits the context of 2:8–16 better than morning. In these verses the woman seemed too shy to come out when the man called, so it is not likely that they spent the night together. As the sun set, the man probably returned home through the “mountains” (2:8).

Use a natural or poetic way in your language to describe a cool, pleasant time toward evening. Some ways to translate it in English are:

When the day brings a cooling breeze and the shadows flee (God’s Word)
-or-
As the ⌊setting sun causes⌋ a cool wind to blow and shadows disappear ⌊in the darkness⌋
-or-
My love, when the sun sets and you feel the cool air of evening

Before: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Before can express different meanings depending on the context. English versions translate it in different ways here.

(1) It means “until.” For example:

Until the day breathes (English Standard Version)

(2) It means “before.” For example:

Before the day breeze rises (New Jerusalem Bible)

(3) It means “when, while.” For example:

When the day blows gently (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this context, the word Before sets a time limit for a particular continuing action. It implies that this action will continue Before the evening breeze blows and shadows begin to lengthen. The text may imply that at evening time, the gazelle (man) would leave.

2:17c–d

Notice the parallelism in 2:17c–d:

17c turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle,

17d
or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.

turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag: In the Hebrew text 2:17c is more literally “turn, be like, my love, a gazelle.” Notice that the verbs turn and be like occur next to each other. There are different interpretations of the verbs here. The two main interpretations are:

(1) The verb turn means “go around” or “turn about.” Along with be like in this context, it probably indicates that the man should roam/run as a gazelle does. It may also imply that he should turn and return to where he came from. For example:

roam, my lover, like a gazelle or a young stag (New American Bible)
-or-
turn around….Run like a gazelle or a young stag (God’s Word)

(2) It means to “turn towards.” This is an invitation for the man to stay with her (perhaps for the night). For example:

return to me, my love, like a gazelle or a young stag (New Living Translation (2004))

Some English versions are ambiguous or translate in a unique way. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The woman seemed to want the man to behave like a gazelle on the mountains—running and leaping. The context, which refers to evening breezes and shadows (2:17c), may imply that he would return home before dark. This interpretation fits the context well.

be like a gazelle or a young stag: In 2:8–9 the author also compared the man to a gazelle or young stag. There the comparison implied characteristics such as speed, strength, and grace. In 2:16b the author also uses animal imagery to imply calm and contentment (“he pastures his flock among the lilies”).

In 2:17, the gazelle leaping on hills and feeding on flowers may symbolize the man’s happiness about enjoying the beautiful spring day with the woman until sunset. It is similar to his feelings in 2:16b as he fed among the lilies.

2:17d

on the mountains of Bether: The meaning of the Hebrew word beter that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Bether is uncertain. Some ways to interpret it are:

(1) It is related to a similar Hebrew root that means “split” or “divided.” It refers to rugged hills or to a mountain that has more than one peak. For example:

rugged hills (New International Version)
-or-
cleft mountains (New Revised Standard Version)

(2) It is the name of a certain town or of certain mountains located near Jerusalem. Versions that follow this interpretation transliterate the Hebrew name. For example:

on the mountains of Bether (Good News Translation)

(3) It refers to spices, and the phrase means “hills of spices.” For example:

the hills where aromatic spices grow (Revised English Bible)

Both interpretations (1) and (2) have good support, but it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It helps readers picture the man moving over the mountains. You may want to mention interpretation (2) in a footnote.