Translation
THE PEACEFUL MAN TO THE PEACEFUL WOMAN
Go to footnote numberO SHULAMMITE, Turn back, Turn back.
Go to footnote numberTurn back, turn back,
that I may gaze on you!
THE PEACEFUL WOMAN TO THE PEACEFUL MAN
What do you see in the SHULAMMITE?
Go to footnote numberTHE PEACEFUL MAN TO THE PEACEFUL WOMAN
The dance
of MAHANAIM.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
THE COMPLETE MAN TO THE COMPLETE WOMAN
O PEACEFUL ONE, don’t focus on how uncomfortable you are around certain people, just focus on your relationship with me.
And don’t hide from me;
let me be amazed by you.
THE COMPLETE WOMAN TO THE COMPLETE MAN
What more do you want to know about the PEACEFUL ONE?
THE COMPLETE MAN TO THE COMPLETE WOMAN
Answer: I see a beautiful expression of joy and celebration made by the coming together of TWO LARGE GROUPS.
Footnotes
1: Who is speaking here?
To me it seems most logical that the next few lines come from the lips of Solomon to the Shulammite. Is it “we may gaze at you,” or “I may gaze at you?” The text says “we.” As the NET Bible points out, other love poetry of the Ancient Near East has many uses of plural forms which are meant as singular – possibly for emphasis. It seems to fit best that the Shulammite would, at times, want to shrink back from the overwhelming reality of being swept from the lower class into being the king’s favorite wife. However, she would not shrink away from her own daughters; therefore, placing the words “turn back” on the lips of her daughters is illogical.
2
The most logical way to understand the first “turn back” is to see it as related to what she last mentioned, that she found herself among the nobility. Solomon is saying, “Don’t worry about them and how uncomfortable they make you feel, just focus on our relationship, for that is all that matters.”
3: “What do you see in the Shulammite”
Although a number of modern translations render this question “Why do you gaze at the Shulammite?” doing so presents two problems: The interrogative used here is most often translated “what,” rather than “why;” and the preposition used here can mean “in, with or by,” but it is a stretch to translate it “at or upon” since there is another preposition that serves that purpose. I feel strongly that the question should be stated as, “What do you see in the Shulammite?” There was no punctuation in the original so we cannot be certain where the question mark should be placed. I have chosen to make the question short, placing the comment about Mahanaim on the lips of Solomon as the first part of his response, rather than part of her question.
4: "Mahanaim"
The name means “Two armies,” or “two groups.” From this verse we learn that it was famous for a festival that included dancing. This is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture, and we do read of other towns that also had dances. So it begs the question, is it the meaning of the name or is it the dancing that is in view here. I think it is both. The author chose the name Mahanaim instead of some other town that had a dance, but he obviously emphasized the dancing. I think it is the combination of the two that he was looking for.
Re: the Paraphrase: The reason he mentioned this is the joy he felt at seeing diverse people groups coming together. He was pleased that he had brought her from the lower classes to join the nobility. She was concerned about it not looking appropriate while he said, “It’s a beautiful thing because two groups of people are coming together that usually do not mix.”
Their type of dancing was not erotic or sexually suggestive the way most modern dancing is. They found it enjoyable for reasons related to a community joining together to celebrate, and dancing was one of the expressions used in that celebration.