Translation Proposal for Song of Solomon 1:5-6a

With the advancement of Black Civil Rights in the latter half of the twentieth century, the interpretation and translation of Song of Solomon 1:5a became a matter of debate. Concerning the adjective “black/dark (שׁחורה) in Song of Solomon 1:5a, it has been argued that translating the conjunction ו as “but” can appear to disparage Black skin color. Accordingly, this study examines whether Song of Solomon 1:5a in fact contains any racist element and, on that basis, seeks to consider an appropriate translation of Song of Songs 1:5–6a. For a proper translation of Song of Solomon 1:5–6a, an understanding of the context and meaning must come first. In verse 5 the woman confidently compares her beauty to “the tents of Kedar” and “the curtains of Solomon.” In verse 6, however, she complains that because of her brothers she had to work in the vineyard and was sunburned. Within this context, scholars who argue that the conjunction ו in v. 5a should be translated as “and” generally do so from a position that emphasizes Black Civil Rights. By contrast, those who argue for translating it as “but” maintain that the passage has nothing to do with race; as verse 6 indicates, the woman is simply tanned from the sun. In this connection, racial discrimination does not appear in the Old Testament; rather, the Cushites, who were known as Black, are portrayed as being respected. Moreover, while light skin was preferred at the time, dark skin also seems to have been valued. Therefore, no racial prejudice appears in v. 5a, and the woman’s statement that her skin is “dark” seems to mean that she was naturally born with darker skin than others. In addition, in the Song she is an enterprising woman who takes the initiative in the relationship and shows great pride in her beauty. A woman like this would not be intimidated simply because her skin is somewhat darker than that of others. Thus, it is appropriate to understand the ו in 1:5a as “and.” Furthermore, the form שׁחרחרת in v. 6a is a reduplicated form of the root of שׁחורה in v. 5a, and the two words are closely related. For this reason, their interrelationship plays an important role in understanding vv. 5–6. Some scholars regard the two as having similar meanings, but it is more persuasive to see the reduplicated form שׁחרחרת as involving either semantic intensification or semantic weakening (a diminutive). If semantic weakening is assumed, the woman would be adopting a defensive or apologetic posture, which conflicts with the confident stance presupposed above. Therefore, it is more appropriate here to see semantic intensification. That is, the woman laments that her brothers made her work in the vineyard, that she was sunburned, and that as a result her skin “became darker.” In light of the foregoing interpretations, Song of Solomon 1:5–6a may be translated as follows:(5a) I am dark and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem,(5b) — like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.(6a) Even if I look darker than usual, do not stare at me like that. I have only been tanned by the sun.