6:11–13 She went to the orchard and imagined her beloved as a prince

It is difficult to be certain about who speaks in 6:11–13. There are also several ways to interpret the verses, and English versions vary greatly. The Notes recommends an interpretation that agrees with the author’s themes throughout the Song, and in general it follows the Berean Standard Bible text. The Notes for these verses include suggestions for footnotes that translators may include to tell readers the different interpretation options.

6:11–12 The woman spoke

Scholars have different views about who spoke in 6:11–12.

(1) The woman spoke in 6:11–12. For example, the English Standard Version has this heading:

She (English Standard Version)

(2) The man spoke in 6:11–12. For example, for 6:4–12 the Good News Translation has the heading:

the man (Good News Translation)

(3) The man spoke in 6:11 and the woman spoke in 6:12. Some commentaries follow this option.

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Although more English versions follow option (2), there are also many Bible scholars who recommend option (1). However, it is not certain who speaks in this verse, and any of the three options is acceptable. If a national translation in your area follows interpretation (2) or (3), it may be helpful to follow it. The following notes are written according to option (1).

6:11

The woman went down to the orchard to see if the trees and vines had new buds and blossoms. Buds and blossoms show that the season of new growth was beginning. This season is called by different names in different areas of the world. It may be called “rainy season” or “spring.” It is the time when plants grow quickly. This growth probably symbolizes that the love between the man and woman was growing.

6:11a

I went down to the walnut grove: The woman walked down to the walnut grove. The word down implies that the grove was located on lower ground than the place from which she started walking. Probably a stream or a spring was there to water the garden.

The English phrase went down is one word in Hebrew. In some languages it is not natural to specify that the woman went down. If that is true in your language, it is fine to use a more general word or phrase. For example:

I went to the grove of nut trees
-or-
I went out to the farm/place where the nut trees grow

walnut grove: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as walnut grove is literally “garden of nuts.” The author used a Hebrew word for “nut” that occurs only once in the Old Testament. It probably refers specifically to the type of nut called walnut. Here is another way to translate this:

orchard of walnut trees (NET Bible)

If walnuts are not known in your area, you may use a general term. For example:

nut trees

walnut: A walnut is a dry, edible, one-seeded fruit that usually is encased within a woody, hard shell.

6:11b

to see the blossoms of the valley: The clause to see the blossoms of the valley tells the woman’s purpose for going down to the nut orchard in 6:11a. The text implies that the valley is the same place as the walnut grove in 6:11a. In some languages it may be confusing to use two different words to refer to the place. Other ways to translate the meaning are:

to see what is blooming there

blossoms: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blossoms refers to “green shoots” or “new growth.” This is a general term for new plant growth that can refer to different types of blooms. It can refer to the type of buds that appear on vines (6:11c) and also to the blooms on pomegranates (6:11d). Some other ways to translate the term are:

new growth (New International Version)
-or-
plants beginning to blossom

6:11c

to see if the vines were budding: The phrase to see if the vines were budding is similar to 6:11b. It tells more about the woman’s purpose for going to the nut grove. She went to see if buds were already on the grape vines. Such buds indicate that the season of new growth has started. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

to look for buds on the vines (New Century Version)
-or-
to see whether the grapevines were budding

Use a natural way in your language to describe this.

6:11d

or the pomegranates were in bloom: This phrase is parallel to 6:11c. It tells something else that the woman wanted to see in the valley. She wanted to see if the pomegranate trees had started to bloom. Some other ways to translate it are:

and if the pomegranate trees were blossoming
-or-
and whether the pomegranate trees had flowers
-or-
and the blossoms on the pomegranate trees (Good News Translation)

pomegranates: Here the word pomegranates refers to a type of small tree that produces red fruits. Both the tree and the fruits of the tree can be called “pomegranates.” In 4:3 and 6:7 the author compared the woman’s cheeks to this fruit.

Here the author focused on the time when the trees produce blossoms. Later these blossoms develop into fruits. For more information on pomegranate trees and a picture of pomegranates, see the note on 4:3c.

General Comment on 6:11a–d

In some languages it is more natural to combine some parts of this verse or to use more general expressions. For example:

11a-b I went down to see if blossoms were on the walnut trees, 11c grapevines, 11d and fruit trees. (Contemporary English Version)

© 2017 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.