Song of Solomon 8:3 — Word Study
WLCשְׂמֹאלוֹ֙ תַּ֣חַת רֹאשִׁ֔י וִֽימִינ֖וֹ תְּחַבְּקֵֽנִי׃
BSAHis left handsᵉmôʼwl [north, as in the direction] is undertachath [beneath, in a position of support] my headrôʼsh [upper part of the body] and his right armyâmîyn [Benjamin, son of Israel, hand, as in the means of embracing] embraces mechâbaq▸ [to clasp tightly, hold closely]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שְׂמֹאלוֹ֙ | left [hand] his | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| תַּ֣חַת | [is] under | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| רֹאשִׁ֔י | head my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וִֽימִינ֖וֹ | and right [hand] his | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| תְּחַבְּקֵֽנִי׃ | it embraces me | Verb piel imperfect third person feminine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. |
| KJV | His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me. |
| ASV | His left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me. |
| YLT | His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me. |
| WEB | His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me. |
| BBE | His left hand would be under my head, and his right hand about me. |
Where they part company is in the details of the embrace and support imagery — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a conjunction and a predicate phrase, creating a clear structure that emphasizes both the support and the embrace.
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Song of Solomon 8:3
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Intimacy of Lovegenerated
Song of Solomon 8:3 illustrates a moment of deep affection, where the beloved's left hand supports the speaker's head while the right arm embraces her. This imagery emphasizes the closeness and tenderness present in their relationship, reflecting the themes of love and intimacy found throughout the Song of Solomon. The surrounding verses also highlight the desire to share love and the importance of timing in romantic relationships, as seen in the preceding and following verses.
The Key Word — תְּחַבְּקֵֽנִי, te.cha.be.Ke.nigenerated
The verb חָבַק (chabaq) means to embrace or clasp tightly. It is a piel imperfect form, indicating an ongoing action of embracing. The use of this verb in the context of love emphasizes the physical and emotional closeness shared between the speaker and her beloved.
This word captures the essence of intimacy, suggesting a deep connection and affection. The parsing indicates that it is a third person feminine singular action, which aligns with the speaker's experience of being embraced by her beloved.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE, all of which agree on the phrasing of the left hand being under the head and the right arm embracing.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The sentence is structured around two main phrases: the first describes the position of the left hand, and the second describes the action of the right arm. The verb תְּחַבְּקֵֽ governs the action of embracing, linking the two phrases together.
The word order emphasizes the physical closeness, with the left hand's supportive position directly preceding the action of embracing, illustrating the intimate relationship between the two subjects.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the Hebrew words into Greek, using ὑπὸ for 'under' and με for 'me' in the context of embracing. This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew, maintaining the imagery of support and closeness.
The Greek translation captures the essence of the Hebrew text while adapting it to the linguistic and cultural context of Greek-speaking audiences.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Song of Solomon 8:3 describes a moment where the beloved supports the speaker's head with his left hand and embraces her with his right arm. This imagery highlights the closeness and tenderness in their relationship, emphasizing the themes of love and intimacy found throughout the Song of Solomon.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies support and care, indicating that the beloved is providing a comforting presence.
The right arm symbolizes strength and protection, emphasizing the beloved's embrace as both tender and secure.
The verse captures the intimacy and affection shared between lovers, highlighting the physical and emotional closeness in their relationship.
It reflects the overarching themes of love, desire, and the beauty of romantic relationships found throughout the text.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I experience support and care in my relationships?
- How can I express affection and closeness to those I love?
- What does it mean to me to be embraced by someone I care about?
- How can I cultivate deeper intimacy in my relationships?
The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.
His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
His left hand caresses my head, and his right hand stimulates me.
Tyndale line
His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
His left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.
His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
His left hand shalbe vnder mine head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
Strictly literal
His left hand would be under my head, And his right hand embrace me.
His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.
His left hand [is] under my head, || And his right embraces me.
Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right hand might embrace me.
His left hand is under my head and his right hand embraces me. The woman speaking to the other women
From the Latin
His left hand under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
Simplified
He supports my head with his left hand, and holds me close with his right.
His left hand would be under my head, and his right hand about me.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words matched between the two texts. This alignment shows consistency in the portrayal of the intimate imagery present in the original Hebrew.
שְׂמֹאלוֹ֙ תַּ֣חַת רֹאשִׁ֔י וִֽימִינ֖וֹ תְּחַבְּקֵֽנִי׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Song of Solomon 8:3
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
שְׂמֹאל (semol) means 'left' and can refer to the left hand or side. It also denotes the direction north when facing east. The word is derived from the idea of darkness or being enveloped, suggesting a connection to the north. The entries consistently highlight these meanings without significant disagreement.
שְׂמֹאל, שְׂמֹאול 54 n.[m.] the left (√ dub.)
left, region on the left
left hand
= north (on left of one facing east)
base
H8040 שְׂמֹאל, שְׂמֹאול the left (√ dub.) . left, region on the left
. left hand
. = north (on left of one facing east)
8040 smo'wl sem-ole'
or smosl {sem-ole'}; a primitive word (rather perhaps from
the same as 8071 (by insertion of the aleph) through the idea
of wrapping up); properly, dark (as enveloped), i.e. the
north; hence (by orientation), the left hand:--left (hand,
side).
see HEBREW for 08071
שְׂמֹאל (se.mo.l) — left.
1) the left, the left hand, the left side
1a) left
1b) left hand
1c) north (as one faces east)
שְׂמֹאל (se.mo.l) — left: north.
1) the left, the left hand, the left side
1a) left
1b) left hand
1c) north (as one faces east)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3ms
תַּחַת (tachath) refers to the concept of being underneath or below. It can function as a noun meaning 'the under part,' or as an adverb and preposition indicating position or substitution, such as 'instead of' or 'for the sake of.' The word encompasses various uses, including physical placement and metaphorical meanings related to subjection or exchange.
תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
base
H8478 תַּחַת the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
8478 tachath takh'-ath
from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only
adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix
underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat,
in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead
of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore,
with.
see HEBREW for 08430
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: under.
: under/below
1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m
1a) the under part adv accus
1b) beneath prep
1c) under, beneath
1c1) at the foot of (idiom)
1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig)
1c3) of subjection or conquest
1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands
1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun)
1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense)
1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged)
conj
1e) instead of, instead of that
1f) in return for that, because that in compounds
1g) in, under, into the place of (after verbs of motion)
1h) from under, from beneath, from under the hand of, from his place, under, beneath
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: instead.
: instead/in_place/exchange
Prep — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
רֹאשׁ (ro'sh) means 'head' and encompasses various meanings related to position and rank. It can refer to the head of a person or animal, the top of a mountain, or a chief in various contexts, such as a city or nation. The word also signifies beginnings and sums, appearing in phrases related to enumeration. Additionally, it serves as a proper noun for 'Rosh,' a title for a chief or prince.
רֹאשׁ 599 n.m.
(c. 230 t.) head, of human being
head, of animals
top (88 t.)
height, of stars
head = chief (man)
= chief (city)
chief nation
= chief (place, position)
= chief priest
= head of a family
head = front, leader's place
of time, beginning, of night watch
of things, river-heads
chief, choicest, best, of spices
head = division of army, company, band
= sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate
other phr.
base
רֹאשׁ n.pr.gent. Rôsh
base
H7218a רֹאשׁ . . (c. 230 t.) head, of human being
. head, of animals
. . top (88 t.)
. height, of stars
. . head = chief (man)
. = chief (city)
. chief nation
. = chief (place, position)
. = chief priest
. = head of a family
. . head = front, leader's place
. of time, beginning, of night watch
. of things, river-heads
. chief, choicest, best, of spices
. head = division of army, company, band
. = sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate
. other phr.
H7218b רֹאשׁ n. pr. gent. Rôsh
7218 ro'sh roshe
from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as
most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many
applications, of place, time, rank, itc.):--band, beginning,
captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company,
end, X every (man), excellent, first, forefront, ((be-))head,
height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), X lead, X poor,
principal, ruler, sum, top.
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head.
: head
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
1b) top, tip (of mountain)
1c) height (of stars)
1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)
1e) head, front, beginning
1f) chief, choicest, best
1g) head, division, company, band
1h) sum
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — prince.
Rosh, a tite for a chief or prince
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: leader.
: leader
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
1b) top, tip (of mountain)
1c) height (of stars)
1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)
1e) head, front, beginning
1f) chief, choicest, best
1g) head, division, company, band
1h) sum
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: top.
: top/best
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word יָמִין (*yamiyn*) means 'right hand' or 'right side,' and it can also refer to the direction south, as the right hand points south when facing east. It is derived from the root word for 'to be strong' and covers various contexts, including body parts and directional references.
יָמִין 137 n.f. right hand
right hand
of situation on, or direction toward the right
of other parts of the body
= south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
base
H3225 יָמִין right hand . right hand
. of situation on, or direction toward the right
. of other parts of the body
. = south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
3225 yamiyn yaw-meen'
from 3231; the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or
other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally,
the south:--+ left-handed, right (hand, side), south.
see HEBREW for 03231
יָמִין (ya.min) — right.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H)
יָמִין (ya.min) — right: south.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
יָמִין (ya.min) — [Ben]jamin.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);
brother of: Joseph (H3130);
half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
Conj | N-fs | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms
חָבַק (chabaq) is a Hebrew verb meaning to clasp or embrace. It can refer to physically embracing someone or folding one's hands in idleness. The entries indicate its use in both the Qal and Piel stems, which express the action of embracing.
[חָבַק] vb. clasp, embrace
Qal embrace
Pi. embrace
base
H2263 חָבַק clasp, embrace
2263 chabaq khaw-bak'
a primitive root; to clasp (the hands or in
embrace):--embrace, fold.
חָבַק (cha.vaq) — to embrace.
1) to embrace, clasp
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to embrace
1a2) to fold one's hands in idleness (fig.)
1b) (Piel) to embrace
V-Piel-Imperf-3fs | Suff — Verb piel imperfect third person feminine singular · suffixHVpi3fs/Sp1bs