Lectionary Calendar
Friday, November 29th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Song of Solomon 3:3

The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, "Have you seen the one I love?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Seekers;   Watchman;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities;   Watchmen;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Watchmen;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Watches of the Night;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Song of Solomon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - City;   Song of Songs;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - City;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Street;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Song of Songs;   Watchman;   Wisdom of Solomon, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Police Laws;   Simeon (Ben Gamaliel Ii.);   Tagin;  

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds, and I asked, "Have you seen the one I love?"
Update Bible Version
The watchmen that go about the city found me; [To whom I said], Did you see him whom my soul loves?
New Century Version
The watchmen found me as they patrolled the city, so I asked, "Have you seen the one I love?"
New English Translation
The night watchmen found me—the ones who guard the city walls. "Have you seen my beloved?"
Webster's Bible Translation
The watchmen that go about the city found me: [to whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
World English Bible
The watchmen who go about the city found me; "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Amplified Bible
"The watchmen who go around the city found me, And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
English Standard Version
The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wakeris, that kepen the citee, founden me. Whether ye sien hym, whom my soule loueth?
English Revised Version
The watchmen that go about the city found me: [to whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
Berean Standard Bible
I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city: "Have you seen the one I love?"
Contemporary English Version
I even asked the guards patrolling the town, "Have you seen the one I love so much?"
American Standard Version
The watchmen that go about the city found me; To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
Bible in Basic English
The watchmen who go about the town came by me; to them I said, Have you seen him who is my heart's desire?
Complete Jewish Bible
The guards roaming the city found me. "Have you seen the man I love?"
Darby Translation
The watchmen that go about the city found me:—Have ye seen him whom my soul loveth?
Easy-to-Read Version
The guards patrolling the city found me. I asked them, "Have you seen the man I love?"
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The watchmen that go about the city found me: 'Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?'
King James Version (1611)
The watchmen that goe about the citie, found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soule loueth?
New Life Bible
The men who watch over the city found me, and I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
New Revised Standard
The sentinels found me, as they went about in the city. "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
The watchmen that went about the citie, found mee: to whome I said, Haue you seene him, whome my soule loueth?
George Lamsa Translation
The watchmen that go about the city found me; I asked them, Have you seen him whom my soul loves?
Good News Translation
The sentries patrolling the city saw me. I asked them, "Have you found my lover?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The watchmen that go round in the city, found me, The beloved of my soul, have ye seen?
Douay-Rheims Bible
The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth?
Revised Standard Version
The watchmen found me, as they went about in the city. "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The watchmen also that go about the citie, founde me [to whom I sayde] Sawe ye not hym whom my soule loueth?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The watchmen who go their rounds in the city found me. I said, Have ye seen him whom my soul loves?
Christian Standard Bible®
The guards who go about the city found me.I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”
Hebrew Names Version
The watchmen who go about the city found me; "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
King James Version
The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
Lexham English Bible
The sentinels who go about in the city found me. "Have you seen the one whom my heart loves?"
Literal Translation
The one watching going about in the city found me. I said , Have you seen Him whom my soul loves?
Young's Literal Translation
The watchmen have found me, (Who are going round about the city), `Him whom my soul have loved saw ye?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The watchmen that go aboute ye cite, founde me. Sawe ye not him, whom my soule loueth?
New American Standard Bible
"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
Legacy Standard Bible
The watchmen who go about the city found me,And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'

Contextual Overview

1 By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him. 2 "I will rise now," I said, "And go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love." I sought him, but I did not find him. 3 The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, "Have you seen the one I love?" 4 Scarcely had I passed by them, When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go, Until I had brought him to the house of my mother, And into the chamber of her who conceived me. 5 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

watchmen: Song of Solomon 5:7, Isaiah 21:6-8, Isaiah 21:11, Isaiah 21:12, Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 62:6, Ezekiel 3:17, Ezekiel 33:2-9, Hebrews 13:17

Saw: John 20:15

Reciprocal: Psalms 127:1 - the watchman Isaiah 52:8 - Thy Ezekiel 33:7 - I have Hosea 9:8 - watchman Matthew 28:9 - and held John 20:14 - and saw

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
Genesis 20:6
And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
1 Chronicles 16:22
Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones,And do My prophets no harm." 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 with Psalms 105:1-15 ">[fn]
Job 1:11
But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
Job 2:5
But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
Job 19:21
"Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me!
1 Corinthians 7:1
Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The watchmen that go about the city found me,.... By whom are meant the ministers of the Gospel; who are called watchmen, as the prophets were under the Old Testament, Isaiah 52:8; in allusion to watchmen in cities; and are so called in regard to themselves, it being their duty to watch over themselves; and to their doctrine, and all opportunities to preach it, and the success of it: their business with respect to others is to give the time of night; to point out the state and condition of the church; to give notice of danger to sinners in the broad road to destruction; and to saints, through the prevalence of error, heresy, and immorality; all which require sobriety, vigilance, prudence, courage, and faithfulness; and show the necessity and utility of the Gospel ministry, and the awfulness of it; and the care Christ takes of his churches, in providing such officers in them. These are said to "go about the city", denoting their industry and diligence; and being in the way of their duty, they "found" the church, fell upon her case in their ministry, and hit it exactly; which shows the efficacy of the word under a divine direction; which finds out sinners, and their sins; saints, and their particular cases, unknown to ministers; and the church, having met with something suitable to her case under their ministry,

[to whom I said], took an opportunity privately to discourse with them, and put this question to them,

Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? meaning Christ; who was still the object of her love, and uppermost in her thoughts; whom she thus describes, without mentioning his name, as if he was the only "Him" in the world worthy of any regard; which shows how much he was in her mind, how much the desires and affections of her soul were towards him, and that these ministers needed no other description of him. No answer is returned to her question that is recorded; not because they were not able to give one, nor because they did not; and if they did not, it might be owing to her haste, not waiting for one; and if they did, she not being able to apply it to her case, no notice is taken of it: however, though she did not find immediate relief by them, yet she met with something from them that was of use to her afterwards, as appears by what follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The city - One near the bride’s native home, possibly Shunem.


 
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