Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageI am dark, and I am beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem — dark as the tents of Kedar, splendid as the curtains of Solomon.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GI am dark and beautiful, O daughters of Yerushalayim — like the tents of Qedar, like the curtains of Shlomo.
KJV
King James VersionI am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleI am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Footnotes
The conjunction וְ is simply "and," not "but" — the Shulamite is not apologising for her darkness or contrasting it with beauty; she asserts both simultaneously. Rendering וְ as "but" (as in KJV, NIV) imports a self-deprecation entirely absent from the Hebrew. Qedar (קֵדָר) was an Arabian nomadic tribe known for their striking, iconic black goat-hair tents — the comparison evokes a darkness that is dignified and arresting, not shameful.
