Song of Songs 8:6–7
Love is strong as death, and many waters cannot quench it
Study it word by word6Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm, for strong as death is love, hard as Sheol is jealousy; its flames are flames of fire, a flame of Yah.
7Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers flood it; if a man gave all the wealth of his house for love, with contempt they would despise him.
In its context
4I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem, why would you awaken and why arouse love until it pleases?
5Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.
…
8We have a little sister, and she has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister on the day when one speaks of her?
9If she is a wall, we will build on her battlements of silver; and if she is a door, we will enclose her with a board of cedar.
Its words in the original
- שִׂימֵsime· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint, establish; make something into something.
- חוֹתָםchotam· seal
Seal: an engraved piece that served as a personal signature; it was worn hanging from a cord or as a ring.
- לִבֶּlibe· heart
Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.
- זְרוֹעֶzeroe· arm
Arm; an image of strength.
- עַזָּהaza· strong, fierce
Strong, fierce, harsh; also strength.
- מָּוֶתmavet· death
Death; also the realm of the dead, or a deadly plague.
- אַהֲבָהahava· love
Love: the affection that joins one person to another; also the love of YHWH for his people.
- קָשָׁהkasha· hard, harsh
Hard, harsh, severe; stubborn, difficult.
- שְׁאוֹלsheol· Sheol
Sheol: in the Old Testament, the place of the dead, the grave, where all go down at death.
- קִנְאָהkina· jealousy, zeal
Jealousy; also the burning zeal with which someone defends what is his own.
- רְשָׁפֶיreshafe· flame, burning fever
Flame, burning fever; also lightning or a live coal.
- אֵשׁesh· fire
Fire. In the Bible it often goes with the presence of God (the bush, Sinai).
- שַׁלְהֶבֶתְshalhevet· flame
A flame, a blaze.
- יָהya· Yah
Yah: the short form of the name YHWH. It is the form found in "Hallelujah" ("praise Yah").
- מַיִםmayim· water
Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").
- רַבִּיםrabim· many, great
Many, much, abundant, great; also "elder" or "chief".
- יוּכְלוּyuchlu· be able, can
Be able, can; also prevail, overcome.
- כַבּוֹתchabot· go out, quench
Go out (of fire or a lamp); put out, quench.
- נְהָרוֹתneharot· river
River, stream; above all the Euphrates ("the River") or the Nile.
- יִשְׁטְפוּyishtfu· rinse, overflow
Rinse with plenty of water; in other passages, overflow, sweep away.
- יִתֵּןyiten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- אִישׁish· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- הוֹןhon· wealth
Wealth, goods, possessions; also "enough". "Without wealth" means "for nothing, without pay".
- בֵּיתbet· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- בּוֹזboz· despise
To despise, to think little of; to treat something or someone as worthless.