Song of Solomon
Book Type
The sixth book of Wisdom; the twenty-second book of the Old Testament; the twenty-second book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Song of Solomon
Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, is a group of poems celebrating romantic love between a man and woman. With extended metaphors—many of which seem odd today but were fitting in the ancient Near East—the book upholds the goodness of all God’s creation, including sexuality (compare Gen 1:31; 2:18). Marriage is celebrated as a full and rich expression of God’s love, meant to be pursued with longing and held onto tightly.
The Song of Songs is romantic poetry at its best. It portrays two passionate lovers who revel in the emotional and physical pleasures of human intimacy. The book was misunderstood in the past as being only an allegory of the relationship between God and the church, but is now accepted as celebrating the profound love between a man and a woman, providing a refreshingly realistic and wholesome treatment of human sexuality without being a how-to manual. The book never mentions God, but it bears witness that the Creator has graciously provided his human creatures with the good gifts of sexuality and intimate love.
The Song of Songs celebrates the love of Solomon and his bride, who is called Shulamith or the Shulammite (6:13). The excitement of courtship, the beauty of the wedding night, the sexuality of the first night and subsequent nights, as well as tender friendship—all of these elements make this book a celebration of romance and marital sensuality as God intended them.
Theme & Overview
This wisdom writer celebrates the sexual union between a man and a woman as a joyful part of marital life in God's good creation.People wonder why Song of Songs, also known as Song of Solomon, is included in the Bible. Some suggest this poem about love and sexual intimacy should only be read symbolically, as an allegory of the love relationship between either God and Israel or Christ and the church. Others take it at face value, seeing it as depicting love in all its spontaneity, beauty, power, and exclusiveness—and experienced in its moments of separation and intimacy, anguish and ecstasy, tension and contentment. There’s value in both approaches. The NIV Quest Study Bible says Song of Songs is a beautiful picture of physical and relational love. Its highly sensuous and suggestive imagery drawn from nature applauds sexuality as a normal part of marital life to be experienced as God intends it in his good creation.Although God is never explicitly mentioned in the Song, the work celebrates God’s work in the world by reflecting on His creation. In this regard, these ancient love poems articulate an ethic for wisely stewarding God’s creation.By recording ancient Near Eastern compliments about the body, the Song affirms the human body as good and worthy of admiration (2:9–10; 4:1–4, 7). The Song affirms intimacy as part of God’s creative work and embraces it as good. From the Bible’s larger perspective, this means intimacy in marriage (Prov 5:18; Eph 5:23–33; Heb 13:4). The Song recognizes the longing a person feels when falling in love, and rather than shunning such emotions, it progresses toward marriage—the intended application of such thoughts (compare 1 Cor 6:12–20).In celebrating love, the Song uses figurative language intended to kindle all of the senses. The Song shows that God cherishes all that He has made and intends romance and sexual love to be good. It affirms this integral aspect of our humanity, calling us to recognize its value and embrace it in marriage when it is our calling (compare 1 Cor 7:8–9).The fallen societies we live in are filled with distorted portrayals of romance and sexuality, reflecting passions that are selfish and exploitative. The love poetry of the Song challenges this broken mindset and celebrates our Creator’s beautiful design: human love as it was meant to be.Key Themes1. God’s covenant, which commands sexual purity, provides just the right framework (marriage) within which his people may properly enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy (cf. Gen. 2:23–24). Thus God’s people honor him and commend him to the world when they demonstrate with their lives that obedience in such matters brings genuine delight.2. Marriage is a gift of God, and is to be founded on loyalty and commitment (see Gen. 2:24, “hold fast”), which allows delight to flourish. As such, it is a fitting image for God’s relationship with his people, in both the OT and the NT.Author
King Solomon, specifically named seven times either as an author (Song of Solomon 1:1) or as the major character (Song of Solomon 1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11, 12)Recipients
Solomon's original audience consisted of those living throughout Israel during his reign. This book was clearly written to adult men and women who recognized the emotional aspects of love and romance. Solomon notes the mutual interest which may exist between a couple prior to marriage. However, sexual intimacy is not discussed until the narrative's central pair share their wedding night.Date
Song of Solomon was written during Solomon's reign between approximately 970—931 BC.Background
King Solomon has been identified as the author of the work because he is named in the book’s inscription. However, like the heading attached to many psalms, the original Hebrew text is ambiguous and might not be identifying the author. Instead, the book could be written about, to, for, or in honor of Solomon. Even if some of the poems in the Song did originate with Solomon, several places in the text refer to him as the subject, not the author (Song 3:6–11; 8:11–12).If the Song was written by or about Solomon, the relationship it describes would have to be his first marriage. As 1 Kings 11 relates, Solomon eventually married 700 wives and had 300 concubines, which would undermine the book’s affirmation of monogamy (compare Song 3:11). Nevertheless, the Song uses so many metaphors related to Solomon’s kingdom—including signs of Israel’s prosperity—some connection to him must be intended, perhaps just for setting.To illustrate God’s point of view, the Song uses cultural references and imagery that occur in other ancient Near Eastern literature—similar to much of the Old Testament. There are also linguistic parallels to poetry of the second century BC. This means the Song could date as late as the second century BC or as early as Solomon’s era, the 10th century BC (with later editing or development of the content being involved).The Song was likely meant to be sung aloud and could have functioned like a play—there are multiple speakers. It could also be an allegory or simply poetry. The allegory viewpoint usually designates the man as God and the woman as Israel, as the husband-wife metaphor for God and His people occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament (e.g., Isa 54:5; Hos 2:16). In Christian interpretation, the man is sometimes described as Christ and the woman the Church, based on New Testament usage of similar metaphors (e.g., 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:24, 32; Rev 19:7; 22:17). But the sexual language of the Song makes this application difficult and often problematic, and nothing within the text itself indicates that such an interpretation is intended.The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Many people have questioned whether the Song of Songs, with its overtly sensual imagery, belongs in Holy Scripture, but this poem is a wonderful celebration of one of God’s good and holy gifts. The Bible does not envision human beings as intangible souls temporarily encased in a body; rather, body and soul are two terms that emphasize different aspects of a single entity. The body is important, and sexuality is good and precious when enjoyed within marriage.God’s action of creating us as sexual beings was no accident or compromise.… It should not be considered obscene that at least one book of the Bible be dedicated to the celebration of one of the central realities of our creaturehood.
G. LLOYD CARR
The Song of Solomon
Human Intimacy. Intense love and the appropriateness of voicing that love in words of physical attraction and fulfillment is the central theme of the song. Yet it is clear that the lovers’ relationship is not only physical. They are friends and desire to be with each other for more than sexual reasons. Their total relationship includes their sensual enjoyment of each other.Sexual intimacy has always been a critical issue for individuals and for the community. Numerous biblical passages recount the beauty and dangers of sex, as well as the practical implications of its appropriate and inappropriate expressions. As human love poetry, the Song plays a crucial role in the Bible. Love and its physical expression are major aspects of the human experience, and God has spoken through the Song to encourage us and warn us about the power of sexuality in our lives. Here we have wonderful wisdom from God describing the beauty of a wholesome sexual relationship between a woman and a man. According to the Song, marital love should be mutual, exclusive, complete, and beautiful. The book encourages intimate, passionate love between a man and a woman who have committed themselves to each other.The central theme of the Song of Songs is a celebration of the goodness and beauty of romantic love. The Song’s romantic ideals are as captivating as its imagery: emotional intimacy, sensitive communication, delightful sexuality, profound companionship, common perspective, willing forgiveness, respect, integrity, security, love’s devotion through bleak seasons of winter, and love’s renewal in new seasons of spring.Since the Song portrays a perfect love, it is natural for the songwriter to compare it to the love of God for Israel. Solomon’s love is like God’s love for his people, and Shulamith’s love is like a response from those people to God. If the NT will later tell us that a man’s love for his wife should emulate Christ’s love for his bride (Eph 5:22–33), Solomon’s song shows such a marriage patterned after divine love.Since the Song captures ideal love in its reflection of God’s love for Israel, its romance also reflects the ideal love that God intended for a husband and wife. We see a return to paradise in a courtship that blossomed in the uncluttered beauty of nature (1:15–2:3; 2:8–14), in a wedding night consummated with allusions to the garden of paradise (4:12–5:1), and in a marriage that delights in innocent lovemaking (4:1–5:1; 7:1–8:3).The Song’s last praise of love captures all of this (8:5–7). The flames of love are like the fire of the Lord. In Genesis, God ruled over the waters of chaos to make the heavens and earth, creating in his image Adam and Eve to reflect his love in their union. In Exodus, God ruled over the deathly waters of the Red Sea to establish a new nation for his people. Since God’s love is like fire (Dt 4:24; 32:21–22), and since the love of Solomon and Shulamith recovers the innocence of Adam and Eve and reflects God’s love for Israel, the Song compares the power of romantic love to the eternal fire of God that no waters or rivers can quench.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEA beautiful love song inspires us like grace, creating within us a desire for its beauty. Like such an enchanting love song, Solomon’s Song inspires a pursuit of the love it portrays. This romantic delight is not a modern fairytale or fantasy from the past but reflects God’s desire to form within us a pure and devoted love. We discover that there is a bliss in married love that is reflective of the greater love believers experience as the bride of Christ. As this book’s imagery informs us of romantic love, it also helps us anticipate the full consummation of our relationship with Christ when he returns for his bride.Key Verses (ESV)
Song of Solomon 2:7: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." Song of Solomon 5:1: "I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. | Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love!"Song of Solomon 8:6–7: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised."Key Passages (NLT)
So 1:1–7 This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other. Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How pleasing is your fragrance; your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils. No wonder all the young women love you! Take me with you;…So 3:5–11Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right. Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke? Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice? Look...Structure & Outline 1
The Song contains several poems, perhaps six in all (Song 1:2–2:7; 2:8–3:5; 3:6–5:1; 5:2–6:3; 6:4–8:4; 8:5–14). However, the precise number of poems is difficult to trace, as is the precise number of characters. Like a play, the text switches speakers, develops over a series of dramatic scenes, and includes refrains. To make these transitions easier, English translations often add headings that indicate the speaker, but these headings are not part of the original Hebrew text and represent the interpretation of modern translators.The poems seem to trace the development of the two main characters’ relationship—from courtship, to wedding, to marriage. The work concludes with an epilogue that functions as a summary of the love between the couple.Outline • Courtship (1:1–3:5) • Wedding (3:6–5:1) • Marriage (5:2–8:4) • Epilogue (8:5–14)Outline 2
Song of Solomon includes eight chapters that can be organized in three major sections. The first section addresses the courtship between the man and woman (Song of Solomon 1:1—3:5). The woman confesses her love (Song of Solomon 1:2–7), while Solomon and the woman speak romantically toward one another (Song of Solomon 1:8—2:7). The woman expresses adoration regarding Solomon (Song of Solomon 2:8—3:5), describing a vivid dream she has regarding their relationship (3:1—5).
The second section involves the wedding of the two lovers (Song of Solomon 3:6—5:1). The groom arrives in great splendor (Song of Solomon 3:6–11). The wedding takes place and the discussion escalates to the first night of the married couple together (Song of Solomon 4:1—5:1).
The third section focuses on various aspects of married life, addressing three major areas. First, the couple experiences an argument (Song of Solomon 5:2—6:3). Second, the lovers work through their conflict and promptly restore their desires for one another (Song of Solomon 6:4—8:4). The final verses speak of additional areas where the married couple can grow together (Song of Solomon 8:5–14).
Historically, some interpreters have taken a non-literal approach to this book due to its emphasis on romance and sexuality. Jewish scholars have sometimes seen the account as highlighting the love between God and His chosen people. Christians have often suggested an allegorical interpretation to represent the relationship of Christ's love for the church, the bride of Christ.
Though some applications may exist in these attempts, it is not necessary to take such an allegorical approach in order to understand the message of Song of Solomon. A straightforward reading of the text highlights the importance of intimate love between a husband and wife, within the context of a natural, God-designed marriage, as God originally intended.