Parallel Verses

A Conservative Version

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The flashes of it are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.

New American Standard Bible

“Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of the Lord.

King James Version

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Holman Bible

Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death;
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames
the fiercest of all.

International Standard Version

Set me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion as intense as Sheol. The flames of love are flames of fire, a blaze that comes from the LORD.

American Standard Version

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah.

Amplified

(The Shulammite Bride)“Under the apple tree I awakened you [to my love];
There your mother was in labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave you birth.

“Put me like a seal on your heart,
Like a seal on your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead).
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[A most vehement flame] the very flame of the Lord!

Bible in Basic English

Put me as a sign on your heart, as a sign on your arm; love is strong as death, and wrath bitter as the underworld: its coals are coals of fire; violent are its flames.

Darby Translation

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol: The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, Flames of Jah.

Julia Smith Translation

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love was strong as death; jealousy hard as hades: its flames, flames of fire, flames of Jehovah.

King James 2000

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is as strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.

Lexham Expanded Bible

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love [is] strong as death; passion [is] fierce as Sheol; its flashes [are] flashes of fire; [it is] a blazing flame.

Modern King James verseion

Set me as a seal on Your heart, as a seal on Your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a flame of Jehovah.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

O set me as a seal upon thine heart, and as a seal upon thine arm: for love is mighty as the death, and jealousy as the hell. Her coals are of fire, and a very flame of the LORD:

NET Bible

The Beloved to Her Lover: Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart, like a signet on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion is as unrelenting as Sheol. Its flames burst forth, it is a blazing flame.

New Heart English Bible

Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of the LORD.

The Emphasized Bible

SHESet me as a seal, upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm, For, mighty as death, is love, Exacting as hades, is jealousy, - The flames thereof, are flames of fire, The flash of Yah!

Webster

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals of it are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

World English Bible

Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh.

Youngs Literal Translation

Set me as a seal on thy heart, as a seal on thine arm, For strong as death is love, Sharp as Sheol is jealousy, Its burnings are burnings of fire, a flame of Jah!

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
Set
שׂים שׂוּם 
Suwm 
Usage: 580

me as a seal
חתם חותם 
Chowtham 
Usage: 14

as a seal
חתם חותם 
Chowtham 
Usage: 14

זרעה זרועה זרע זרוע 
Z@rowa` 
Usage: 91

אהבה 
'ahabah 
Usage: 36

is strong
עז 
`az 
Usage: 22

as death
מות 
Maveth 
Usage: 156

קנאה 
Qin'ah 
Usage: 43

is cruel
קשׁה 
Qasheh 
Usage: 36

as the grave
שׁאל שׁאול 
Sh@'owl 
Usage: 65

the coals
רשׁף 
Resheph 
Usage: 7

רשׁף 
Resheph 
Usage: 7

of fire
אשׁ 
'esh 
Usage: 378

Context Readings

The Nature Of Genuine Romantic Love

5 Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awoke thee. There thy mother was in travail with thee. There she who brought thee forth was in travail. 6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The flashes of it are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, nor can floods drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.

Cross References

Isaiah 49:16

Behold, I have engraved thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me.

Jeremiah 22:24

As I live, says LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet I would pluck thee from there,

Haggai 2:23

In that day, says LORD of hosts, I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says LORD, and will make thee as a signet. For I have chosen thee, says LORD of hosts.

Numbers 5:14

and the spirit of jealousy comes upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled, or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she is not defiled,

Proverbs 6:34

For jealousy is a man's fury, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

Exodus 28:9-12

And thou shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:

Exodus 28:21

And the stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name; they shall be for the twelve tribes.

Exodus 28:29-30

And Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before LORD continually.

Numbers 25:11

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the sons of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in my jealousy.

Deuteronomy 32:21

They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities, and I will move them to jealousy with a non-nation. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Psalm 42:1-2

As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after thee, O God.

Psalm 63:1

O God, thou are my God. I will earnestly seek thee. My soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee, in a dry and weary land, where is no water.

Psalm 84:2

My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out to the living God.

Psalm 120:4

Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

Proverbs 25:22

For thou will heap coals of fire upon his head, and LORD will reward thee.

Zechariah 3:9

For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua. Upon one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the graving of it, says LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

John 21:15-19

So when they ate breakfast, Jesus says to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do thou love me more than these things? He says to him, Yea, Lord. Thou know that I love thee. He says to him, Feed my lambs.

Acts 20:24

But I make nothing of the matter, nor do I hold my life precious to myself, so as to fully complete my course with joy, and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to solemnly testify the good-news of the grace of God.

Acts 21:13

And Paul answered, What are ye doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I fare ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Romans 12:20

Therefore if thine enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him to drink. For by doing this thou will heap coals of fire upon his head.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ holds us together, having judge this, that if one died for all, then all died.

2 Corinthians 11:2

For I am jealous for you with a jealousy of God. For I betrothed you to one husband, a pure virgin to present to the Christ.

Philippians 1:20-23

according to my eager expectation and hope that I will be shamed in nothing. But with all boldness, now as always, Christ will also be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, Lord knows those who are his, and, Let every man who names the name of Lord keep away from unrighteousness.

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their life to the point of death.

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain