Song of Songs 8:8

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

We have a little sister, and breasts she hath not, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

אָח֥וֹת לָ֙נוּ֙ קְטַנָּ֔ה וְשָׁדַ֖יִם אֵ֣ין לָ֑הּ מַֽה־נַּעֲשֶׂה֙ לַאֲחֹתֵ֔נוּ בַּיּ֖וֹם שֶׁיְּדֻבַּר־בָּֽהּ׃

Transliteration

ʾāḥôt to-us qĕṭannâ and-šādayim ʾên to-her what-naʿăśeh for-ʾăḥōtēnû in-the-yôm šeyyĕdubbar-in-her

Grammar Details

• *ʾāḥôt*: feminine singular noun - sister
• *lānû*: preposition + 1st person plural suffix - to us/we have
• *qĕṭannâ*: adjective feminine singular - little/young/small
• *šādayim*: masculine dual noun - breasts
• *ʾên*: particle of negation - there are not
• *lāh*: preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix - to her/she has
• *naʿăśeh*: qal imperfect 1st person plural - we will do
• *ʾăḥōtēnû*: feminine singular noun + 1st person plural suffix - our sister
• *yôm*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the day
• *šeyyĕdubbar*: conjunction + pual imperfect 3rd masculine singular - when it is spoken
• *bāh*: preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix - about her

Word Meanings

• *ʾāḥôt lānû*: we have a sister/our sister
• *qĕṭannâ*: little/young/small
• *šādayim ʾên lāh*: she has no breasts/her breasts are not developed
• *yôm šeyyĕdubbar-bāh*: day when she is spoken for/day when she is sought in marriage

Referenced Verses

• Ezek 16:55-56 : 55 And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, Do turn back to their former state, And Samaria and her daughters Do turn back to their former state, And thou and thy daughters do turn back to your former state. 56 And thy sister Sodom hath not been for a report in thy mouth, In the day of thine arrogancy,
• Ps 2:8 : 8 Ask of Me and I give nations -- thy inheritance, And thy possession -- the ends of earth.
• 1 Pet 2:12 : 12 having your behaviour among the nations right, that in that which they speak against you as evil-doers, of the good works having beheld, they may glorify God in a day of inspection.
• Ps 72:17-19 : 17 His name is to the age, Before the sun is his name continued, And they bless themselves in him, All nations do pronounce him happy. 18 Blessed is Jehovah God, God of Israel, He alone is doing wonders, 19 And blessed `is' the Name of His honour to the age, And the whole earth is filled `with' His honour. Amen, and amen!
• Ps 147:19-20 : 19 Declaring His words to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. 20 He hath not done so to any nation, As to judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye Jah!
• Song 4:5 : 5 Thy two breasts `are' as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies.
• Song 7:3 : 3 Thy two breasts as two young ones, twins of a roe,
• Song 8:10 : 10 I `am' a wall, and my breasts as towers, Then I have been in his eyes as one finding peace.
• Isa 49:6 : 6 And He saith, `It hath been a light thing That thou art to Me for a servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And the preserved of Israel to bring back, And I have given thee for a light of nations, To be My salvation unto the end of the earth.'
• Isa 60:1-5 : 1 Arise, be bright, for come hath thy light, And the honour of Jehovah hath risen on thee. 2 For, lo, the darkness doth cover the earth, And thick darkness the peoples, And on thee rise doth Jehovah, And His honour on thee is seen. 3 And come have nations to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, they have come to thee, Thy sons from afar do come, And thy daughters on the side are supported. 5 Then thou seest, and hast become bright, And thine heart hath been afraid and enlarged, For turn unto thee doth the multitude of the sea, The forces of nations do come to thee.
• Isa 60:10-11 : 10 And sons of a stranger have built thy walls, And their kings do serve thee, For in My wrath I have smitten thee, And in My good pleasure I have pitied thee. 11 And opened have thy gates continually, By day and by night they are not shut, To bring unto thee the force of nations, Even their kings are led.
• Ezek 16:7 : 7 A myriad -- as the shoot of the field I have made thee, And thou art multiplied, and art great, And comest in with an excellent adornment, Breasts have been formed, and thy hair hath grown -- And thou, naked and bare!
• Ezek 16:46 : 46 And thine elder sister `is' Samaria, she and her daughters, Who is dwelling at thy left hand, And thy younger sister, who is dwelling on thy right hand, `is' Sodom and her daughters.
• Ezek 16:61 : 61 And thou hast remembered thy ways, And thou hast been ashamed, In thy receiving thy sisters -- Thine elder with thy younger, And I have given them to thee for daughters, And not by thy covenant.
• Ezek 23:33 : 33 With drunkenness and sorrow thou art filled, A cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of thy sister Samaria.
• Luke 19:44 : 44 and lay thee low, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou didst not know the time of thy inspection.'
• John 10:16 : 16 and other sheep I have that are not of this fold, these also it behoveth me to bring, and my voice they will hear, and there shall become one flock -- one shepherd.
• Acts 7:38 : 38 `This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us;
• Acts 10:1-11:18 : 1 And there was a certain man in Cesarea, by name Cornelius, a centurion from a band called Italian, 2 pious, and fearing God with all his house, doing also many kind acts to the people, and beseeching God always, 3 he saw in a vision manifestly, as it were the ninth hour of the day, a messenger of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, `Cornelius;' 4 and he having looked earnestly on him, and becoming afraid, said, `What is it, Lord?' And he said to him, `Thy prayers and thy kind acts came up for a memorial before God, 5 and now send men to Joppa, and send for a certain one Simon, who is surnamed Peter, 6 this one doth lodge with a certain Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea; this one shall speak to thee what it behoveth thee to do.' 7 And when the messenger who is speaking to Cornelius went away, having called two of his domestics, and a pious soldier of those waiting on him continually, 8 and having declared to them all things, he sent them to Joppa. 9 And on the morrow, as these are proceeding on the way, and are drawing nigh to the city, Peter went up upon the house-top to pray, about the sixth hour, 10 and he became very hungry, and wished to eat; and they making ready, there fell upon him a trance, 11 and he doth behold the heaven opened, and descending unto him a certain vessel, as a great sheet, bound at the four corners, and let down upon the earth, 12 in which were all the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven, 13 and there came a voice unto him: `Having risen, Peter, slay and eat.' 14 And Peter said, `Not so, Lord; because at no time did I eat anything common or unclean;' 15 and `there is' a voice again a second time unto him: `What God did cleanse, thou, declare not thou common;' 16 and this was done thrice, and again was the vessel received up to the heaven. 17 And as Peter was perplexed in himself what the vision that he saw might be, then, lo, the men who have been sent from Cornelius, having made inquiry for the house of Simon, stood at the gate, 18 and having called, they were asking if Simon, who is surnamed Peter, doth lodge here? 19 And Peter thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, `Lo, three men do seek thee; 20 but having risen, go down and go on with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them;' 21 and Peter having come down unto the men who have been sent from Cornelius unto him, said, `Lo, I am he whom ye seek, what `is' the cause for which ye are present?' 22 And they said, `Cornelius, a centurion, a man righteous and fearing God, well testified to, also, by all the nation of the Jews, was divinely warned by a holy messenger to send for thee, to his house, and to hear sayings from thee.' 23 Having called them in, therefore, he lodged them, and on the morrow Peter went forth with them, and certain of the brethren from Joppa went with him, 24 and on the morrow they did enter into Cesarea; and Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his kindred and near friends, 25 and as it came that Peter entered in, Cornelius having met him, having fallen at `his' feet, did bow before `him'; 26 and Peter raised him, saying, `Stand up; I also myself am a man;' 27 and talking with him he went in, and doth find many having come together. 28 And he said unto them, `Ye know how it is unlawful for a man, a Jew, to keep company with, or to come unto, one of another race, but to me God did shew to call no man common or unclean; 29 therefore also without gainsaying I came, having been sent for; I ask, therefore, for what matter ye did send for me?' 30 And Cornelius said, `Four days ago till this hour, I was fasting, and `at' the ninth hour praying in my house, and, lo, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and he said, Cornelius, thy prayer was heard, and thy kind acts were remembered before God; 32 send, therefore, to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter; this one doth lodge in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea, who having come, shall speak to thee; 33 at once, therefore, I sent to thee; thou also didst do well, having come; now, therefore, are we all before God present to hear all things that have been commanded thee by God.' 34 And Peter having opened his mouth, said, `Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, 35 but in every nation he who is fearing Him, and is working righteousness, is acceptable to Him; 36 the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming good news -- peace through Jesus Christ (this one is Lord of all,) 37 ye -- ye have known; -- the word that came throughout all Judea, having begun from Galilee, after the baptism that John preached; 38 Jesus who `is' from Nazareth -- how God did anoint him with the Holy Spirit and power; who went through, doing good, and healing all those oppressed by the devil, because God was with him; 39 and we -- we are witnesses of all things that he did, both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem, -- whom they did slay, having hanged upon a tree. 40 `This one God did raise up the third day, and gave him to become manifest, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses, to those having been chosen before by God -- to us who did eat with `him', and did drink with him, after his rising out of the dead; 42 and he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify fully that it is he who hath been ordained by God judge of living and dead -- 43 to this one do all the prophets testify, that through his name every one that is believing in him doth receive remission of sins.' 44 While Peter is yet speaking these sayings, the Holy spirit fell upon all those hearing the word, 45 and those of the circumcision believing were astonished -- as many as came with Peter -- because also upon the nations the gift of the Holy Spirit hath been poured out, 46 for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. 47 Then answered Peter, `The water is any one able to forbid, that these may not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit did receive -- even as also we?' 48 he commanded them also to be baptized in the name of the Lord; then they besought him to remain certain days. 1 And the apostles and the brethren who are in Judea heard that also the nations did receive the word of God, 2 and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision were contending with him, 3 saying -- `Unto men uncircumcised thou didst go in, and didst eat with them!' 4 And Peter having begun, did expound to them in order saying, 5 `I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel coming down, as a great sheet by four corners being let down out of the heaven, and it came unto me; 6 at which having looked stedfastly, I was considering, and I saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of heaven; 7 and I heard a voice saying to me, Having risen, Peter, slay and eat; 8 and I said, Not so, Lord; because anything common or unclean hath at no time entered into my mouth; 9 and a voice did answer me a second time out of the heaven, What God did cleanse, thou -- declare not thou common. 10 `And this happened thrice, and again was all drawn up to the heaven, 11 and, lo, immediately, three men stood at the house in which I was, having been sent from Cesarea unto me, 12 and the Spirit said to me to go with them, nothing doubting, and these six brethren also went with me, and we did enter into the house of the man, 13 he declared also to us how he saw the messenger in his house standing, and saying to him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter, 14 who shall speak sayings by which thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house. 15 `And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in the beginning, 16 and I remembered the saying of the Lord, how he said, John indeed did baptize with water, and ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit; 17 if then the equal gift God did give to them as also to us, having believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, I -- how was I able to withstand God?' 18 And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, `Then, indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.'
• Acts 15:14-17 : 14 Simeon did declare how at first God did look after to take out of the nations a people for His name, 15 and to this agree the words of the prophets, as it hath been written: 16 After these things I will turn back, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, that is fallen down, and its ruins I will build again, and will set it upright -- 17 that the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the nations, upon whom My name hath been called, saith the Lord, who is doing all these things.
• Acts 16:9 : 9 And a vision through the night appeared to Paul -- a certain man of Macedonia was standing, calling upon him, and saying, `Having passed through to Macedonia, help us;' --
• Acts 22:21 : 21 and he said unto me, Go, because to nations far off I will send thee.'
• Acts 26:17-18 : 17 delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee, 18 to open their eyes, to turn `them' from darkness to light, and `from' the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that `is' toward me.
• Rom 3:1-2 : 1 What, then, `is' the superiority of the Jew? or what the profit of the circumcision? 2 much in every way; for first, indeed, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God;
• Rom 10:12-15 : 12 for there is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord of all `is' rich to all those calling upon Him, 13 for every one -- whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.' 14 How then shall they call upon `him' in whom they did not believe? and how shall they believe `on him' of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching? 15 and how shall they preach, if they may not be sent? according as it hath been written, `How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!'
• Rom 15:9-9 : 9 and the nations for kindness to glorify God, according as it hath been written, `Because of this I will confess to Thee among nations, and to Thy name I will sing praise,' 10 and again it saith, `Rejoice ye nations, with His people;' 11 and again, `Praise the Lord, all ye nations; and laud Him, all ye peoples;' 12 and again, Isaiah saith, `There shall be the root of Jesse, and he who is rising to rule nations -- upon him shall nations hope;'
• Eph 2:12-15 : 12 that ye were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world; 13 and now, in Christ Jesus, ye being once afar off became nigh in the blood of the Christ, 14 for he is our peace, who did make both one, and the middle wall of the enclosure did break down, 15 the enmity in his flesh, the law of the commands in ordinances having done away, that the two he might create in himself into one new man, making peace,
• Eph 2:19-22 : 19 Then, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, 20 being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being chief corner-`stone', 21 in whom all the building fitly framed together doth increase to an holy sanctuary in the Lord, 22 in whom also ye are builded together, for a habitation of God in the Spirit.