The Bible Book

152

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Song of Songs 6:3

THEME

God’s love for His people

SETTING

c. 970–930 bce, Solomon’s

kingdom

KEY FIGURES

He An unspecified king.

It could be Solomon himself,

but it is not clear whether

he wrote the poem or if it

is about him.

She A dark-skinned woman

and the king’s new bride,

sometimes referred to as

“Shulammite” – either the

female form of “Solomon”

or possibly a reference to

her place of origin.

Friends An unnamed

chorus of commentators.

S

ong of Songs is one of the

Bible’s sweetest sections:

a paean to marital ardor.

The book opens with the line

“Solomon’s Song of Songs” and

goes on to mention the ancient

Israelite king six more times

(Song of Songs 1:5; 3:7; 3:9; 3:11;

8:11–12), leading some scholars to

believe that the book was penned

by Solomon himself. This theory is

supported by 1 Kings 4:32, which

says that Solomon composed 1,005

songs. Others believe the link with

Solomon is an editorial intervention

to enhance the status of the poems.

Whoever the author was, Song

of Songs is considered to be a

masterpiece of erotic literature

that captures the yearning of

love. It is a conversation between

“He” (the “king”) and “She” (a

woman sometimes referred to

as Shulammite). The couple

are occasionally interrupted by

interjections from “friends,” who

perform the role of an audience.

Celebration of sexuality

Early in the piece, the woman

entreats the king to take her

to his bedchambers. Explicit

Sensuality in Song of Songs

“Let him kiss me with the kisses

of his mouth” (1:1). From the

opening verse of Song of Songs,

sex, love, and the senses are at

its heart. Throughout the book

the narrators—the Beloved

and her companion, the Lover—

convey their love for one another

with sensual imagery: perfumes

incomparable to her smell, his

kisses more delightful than

wine, her breasts like clusters of

fruit, his fruit sweet to her taste.

This tantalizing imagery brings

into vivid clarity the tension and

longing that exists between

the two narrators, while the

multiple references to vineyards

and wine help build the

impression of lovers who are

intoxicated with one another.

The image of the vineyard in

bloom is just one of many

metaphors drawn from nature.

Twenty-five different plants,

many fruit or perfume-bearing,

are mentioned in the Songs,

underlining the relationship

between nature and fertility

and sexual desire.

I AM MY

BELOVED’S ... MY

BELOVED IS MINE.

6:3, SONG OF SONGS

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153

A bride and groom exchange

vows during an Armenian wedding.

Viewed by many as an ode to

physical love within marriage, the

Song of Songs is often chosen as

a reading at weddings.

See also: The Psalms 138–43 ■ Proverbs 148–51 ■ The Way of Love 296–97

WISDOM AND PROPHETS

sexual references follow, with the

woman’s body compared to a palm

tree, her neck a rounded goblet,

her breasts like twin fawns of a

gazelle. Subsequent analogies

and a series of similarly explicit

metaphors make it clear that

sexual love is the principal subject

of discussion. Some of these

comparisons may be amusing

to a modern audience: 6:6, for

example, says: “Your teeth are

like a flock of sheep, coming up

from the washing. Each has its

twin, not one of them is missing.”

In the course of the book, the

woman describes herself to the

“daughters of Jerusalem,” likening

her dark skin to the “tents of Kadar”

and the “curtains of Solomon,”

while the king describes his lover’s

great beauty and her visits to him.

The book is further embellished

by the sighting of a royal wedding

procession and third-party accounts

of the woman’s beauty.

Interpreting the Song

The meaning and purpose of Song

of Songs is a matter of debate. Rabbi

Saadia Gaon al-Fayyumi, a medieval

Jewish commentator, described the

book as resembling “locks to which

the keys have been lost.” God is

not mentioned once in the poem.

However, some commentators

believe that the “king” in the poem

symbolizes God, and the woman the

Israelites, and what appears to be

an erotic ode is an allegorical piece

describing God’s love for Israel.

At the same time, Christians have

viewed the song as a celebration of

the love of Jesus for the Church. ■

As an allegory

for God’s love for the

Israelites expressed in

the covenants.

As a paean to the

universal presence of

love, which is “as strong

as death” (8:6).

As a dramatic script

that was originally intended

to be sung.

As an allegory

anticipating the coming

of Christ, whom

Christians sometimes call

“the bridegroom.”

As a celebration

of marital love, intended

to be recited at

wedding ceremonies.

Different

interpretations of

Song of Songs

Many waters cannot

quench love; rivers

cannot sweep it away.

Song of Songs 8:7

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