Song of Songs 3:8

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

They all handle the sword, [and] are expert in war: Every man hath his sword upon his thigh, Because of fear in the night.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כֻּלָּם֙ אֲחֻ֣זֵי חֶ֔רֶב מְלֻמְּדֵ֖י מִלְחָמָ֑ה אִ֤ישׁ חַרְבּוֹ֙ עַל־יְרֵכ֔וֹ מִפַּ֖חַד בַּלֵּילּֽוֹת׃

Transliteration

All-of-them ʾăḥuzê ḥereḇ, məlummədê milḥāmâ; ʾîsh ḥarbô upon-yərēḵô from-paḥaḏ in-the-lêlôṯ.

Grammar Details

*ʾăḥuzê*: verb, Qal passive participle, masculine plural construct - holders of
*ḥereḇ*: noun, feminine, singular - sword
*məlummədê*: verb, Pual participle, masculine plural construct - trained in
*milḥāmâ*: noun, feminine, singular - war/battle
*ʾîsh*: noun, masculine, singular - man/each
*ḥarbô*: noun, feminine, singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his sword
*yərēḵô*: noun, feminine, singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his thigh
*paḥaḏ*: noun, masculine, singular - fear/dread
*lêlôṯ*: noun, masculine, plural with definite article - the nights

Word Meanings

*ʾăḥuzê*: holders of/graspers of/wielders of
*ḥereḇ*: sword/knife/dagger
*məlummədê*: trained in/taught/skilled in
*milḥāmâ*: war/battle/fighting
*yərēḵô*: his thigh/hip/side
*paḥaḏ*: fear/dread/terror

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

🔄 Compare with

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Ps 45:3 : 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one, Thy glory and thy majesty.
Ps 91:5 : 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Ps 149:5-9 : 5 Let the saints exult in glory: Let them sing for joy upon their beds. 6 [ Let] the high praises of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples; 8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.
Isa 27:3 : 3 I Jehovah am its keeper; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
Eph 6:16-18 : 16 withal {G3956} taking up the shield of faith, wherewith {G3739} ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 with all prayer {G1722} {G2540} {G3956} and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching {G846} thereunto {G5124} in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,
1 Thess 5:6-8 : 6 so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Neh 4:21-22 : 21 So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Song 3:7
77%
7Behold, it is the litter Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty men of Israel.
Ps 45:3
72%
3Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one, Thy glory and thy majesty.
1 Sam 25:13
71%
13And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.
Jer 5:16
71%
16Their quiver is an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
Joel 2:7-8
2 verses
71%
7They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and they break not their ranks.
8Neither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off [their course].
Nah 3:3
71%
3the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies; they stumble upon their bodies;—
Isa 13:15
71%
15Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.
Isa 21:15
70%
15For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
Jer 6:23
70%
23They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion.
Joel 3:9-10
2 verses
70%
9Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.
10Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Isa 3:2
70%
2the mighty man, and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder;
Deut 32:25
69%
25[Without] [shall the sword] [bereave, And in the chambers] [terror;] [It shall destroy] both young man and virgin, The suckling with the man of gray hairs.
Jer 6:25
69%
25Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, [and] terror, are on every side.
2 Kgs 11:8
69%
8And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that cometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he goeth out, and when he cometh in.
Neh 4:17-18
2 verses
69%
17They all builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves; every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
18and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
Nah 2:3
69%
3The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the cypress [spears] are brandished.
Jer 50:36-37
2 verses
69%
36A sword is upon the boasters, and they shall become fools; a sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed.
37A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed.
Ezek 21:11
69%
11And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
Job 41:26
69%
26If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
Isa 3:25
69%
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Neh 4:22
68%
22Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.
Job 39:23
68%
23The quiver rattleth against him, The flashing spear and the javelin.
Exod 32:27
68%
27And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
Ezek 11:8
68%
8Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Ps 76:5
68%
5The stouthearted are made a spoil, They have slept their sleep; And none of the men of might have found their hands.
Ezek 32:20
68%
20They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword; draw her away and all her multitudes.
Ezek 21:9
68%
9Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;
Ps 59:7
68%
7Behold, they belch out with their mouth; Swords are in their lips: For who, [say they], doth hear?
Jer 46:4
68%
4Harness the horses, and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail.
Nah 2:5
68%
5He remembereth his nobles: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared.
Ps 149:6
68%
6[ Let] the high praises of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand;
Job 19:29
67%
29Be ye afraid of the sword: For wrath [bringeth] the punishments of the sword, That ye may know there is a judgment.
Jer 50:42
67%
42They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
Lev 26:7
67%
7And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
Judg 20:17
67%
17And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
2 Sam 17:10
67%
10And even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.
1 Chr 12:24
67%
24The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war.
Luke 22:36
67%
36And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, {G59} let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword.
Ezek 32:10
67%
10Yea, I will make many peoples amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
Ps 27:3
67%
3Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, Even then will I be confident.
1 Sam 21:8
67%
8And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
Ezek 7:15
67%
15The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword: and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
1 Sam 13:21
67%
21yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads.
Isa 5:28
67%
28whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind: