Fishpool
“Pools (not fish-pools)”
Summary
A term in Song of Solomon 7:4 that actually means simply 'pools' without reference to fish, representing a translation issue in the KJV.
☩Translation Issue
The term 'fishpools' in the King James Version is a mistranslation. The Hebrew word berekhoth (Song of Solomon 7:4) simply means 'pools' without any reference to fish. The Revised Version correctly renders it as 'pools.' This poetic comparison in Song of Solomon likens the beloved's eyes to the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim—calm, clear, and beautiful.
☩Another Mistranslation
In Isaiah 19:10, instead of 'all that make sluices and ponds for fish' (KJV), the Revised Version (British and American) correctly reads, 'All they that work for hire shall be grieved in soul.' This represents an entirely different meaning, showing how significantly the text was misunderstood in earlier translations.
Related Verses1 mention
Song of Solomon· 1 verse
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Fishpools," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).