The Bible Book

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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