Victoria Beckham’s Hebrew Tattoo Patiently Explained
The
net overflows with pictures of Victoria’s tattooed neck and back. But
no one has explained the Hebrew words, how one pronounces them, what the
imagery means. Those who tried got it wrong (see below)! A picture of Victoria’s tattoo is reproduced below.
Hebrew
is a gorgeous language, and the Song of Solomon is magnificent love
poetry. For a short introduction and sample poetic translation, go here.
If
you are thinking about learning Hebrew, find a teacher and go for it!
You will not be disappointed. Some tips for those who wish to pursue
Hebrew are available here.
This
is the Hebrew on Victoria’s back (from top to bottom across her neck
and back, read from right to left here; I subdivide the text into three
thoughts):
אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי
וְדוֹדִי לִי
הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים
It’s a quote from Song of Solomon 6:3.
This is how one pronounces it, phrase-by-phrase (capitalized syllables receive stress):
אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי
Ah-NEE le-doh-DEE
וְדוֹדִי לִי
Ve-doh-DEE LEE
הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים
Ha-roh-EY ba-shoh-sha-NEEM
Here is a translation (a girl speaks):
I am my love’s
and my love is mine,
who browses among the lilies.
(Song of Solomon 6:3 - my translation)
What
does it mean? That’s pretty obvious, except for the last phrase.
Ancient Hebrew can be very roundabout in its erotic expressions. The
lover who grazes, or browses, among the lilies, is elsewhere described
in these terms (once again, a girl speaks):
A sachet of myrrh
is my love to me;
between my breasts he lodges.
is my love to me;
between my breasts he lodges.
(Song of Solomon 1:13 - my translation)
By now the meaning of the imagery should be clear.
Victoria
Beckham has excellent taste in love poetry. Did you know the Bible has
love poetry in it? It does, some of the best ever written.
In
another way, the Bible is an exchange of love letters between God and
humanity. The letters are full of desire and wrath and sweetness. A
stormy love, in which God’s faithfulness saves the day against all odds
more than once.
The
Bible will always be worth reading. Here are links to translations that
are accurate but not too difficult to follow, with introductions and
notes to each book:
Jewish Study Bible
HarperCollins Study Bible with New Testament and Apocrypha
By the way, when it comes to Hebrew Tattoos, Buyers Beware!
As an aid to some of my friends who always have
their nose in a book, Victoria Beckham, born Victoria Caroline Adams, is
best-known as "Posh Spice" of the famous Spice Girls.
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John, have you ever read "The Greatest Song" by Calvin Seerveld?
Seerveld examines The Song of Songs and retranslates it literally for
musical chorus and solo voices. The most interesting critique to me was
that he finds two male solo voices instead of the traditional one. As a
result, in addition to the erotic love relationship between the maiden
and her lover, he also finds a thread of lust by an older, lecherous
Solomon toward the maiden. The maiden rebuffs Solomon’s efforts to “know
her” and remains faithful to her real lover. It's a fascinating
treatment of the text and a real contrast to the translation we normally
see.
ElShaddai
ElShaddai
This tattoo would have been
more suitable for Princess Diana, given the name of her beloved! The
connection is not by chance, for I think "Dodi" means "my beloved" in
Arabic as well as Hebrew. But then if Victoria had left the tattoo
unpointed, she could have explained and pronounced this word as davidi "my David".
Does anyone know what Hebrew words David Beckham has tattooed on his left arm?
Does anyone know what Hebrew words David Beckham has tattooed on his left arm?
