`~` Mentions of the beloved being a sister in Song of songs 4:9 and onwards?

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sidetrack

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I’m use a “New international version” b/c the specifically Catholic one is in Spanish.I was reading the Song of songs and while it seems like courtship btw a couple by 4:9 it says

“You have stolen my heart,my sister,my bride;milk and honey are under your tongue.The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon”

before the lover goes on continuing this seeming courtship with the beloved who I’m guessing is also his sister :confused::ehh: ?.I’m strongly feel I’m missing something fairly obvious here like maybe “sister” is being used as a term of endearment even if it’s referring to someone who isn’t an immediate relative.
 
The NAB’s footnote says, “Sister: a term of endearment; brother-sister language forms part of the conventional language of love used in this canticle, the Book of Tobit, and elsewhere in poetry from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syro-Palestine.”
 
Gorgias said:
The NAB’s footnote says, “Sister: a term of endearment; brother-sister language forms part of the conventional language of love used in this canticle, the Book of Tobit, and elsewhere in poetry from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syro-Palestine.”
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Absolutely. 👍 This is especially common in Egyptian love-poems, where “Sister” = “lover”, “spouse”. Not all translations of Tobit use this, but the recent ones (New Jerusalem, NAB) certainly have Tobit address Anna (who is clearly his wife) as “sister”.

Also, Dr. Joel Hoffman, an Old Testament scholar, suggests that the word would best be translated “equal” (= “part of the family”, “my other half”, “my better half”).
 
sidetrack said:
I’m use a “New international version” b/c the specifically Catholic one is in Spanish.I was reading the Song of songs and while it seems like courtship btw a couple by 4:9 it says

“You have stolen my heart,my sister,my bride;milk and honey are under your tongue.The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon”

before the lover goes on continuing this seeming courtship with the beloved who I’m guessing is also his sister :confused::ehh: ?.I’m strongly feel I’m missing something fairly obvious here like maybe “sister” is being used as a term of endearment even if it’s referring to someone who isn’t an immediate relative.
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I believe this might be a reference to Jesus and Mary; Mary is the new Eve and Jesus the new Adam. 🤷
 
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