The Song of Songs, more correctly called the Song of Solomon, is one of two books in the Bible that do not mention God. The other is the Book of Esther. King Solomon is generally acknowledged as the author.
Written approximately 940-960 B.C., it is today believed to be intended for married couples and singles contemplating marriage. Not too surprisingly, it is rarely used as fodder for church sermons primarily, I suppose, because it is a stretch to consider it the word of God.
In short, the plot is about the courtship and marriage of a maiden referred to as the Shulammite and takes place in ancient Israel, in the woman's garden of the king's palace. Some interpreters think this young woman may have been Abishag, who nursed King David in the last days of his life. Although she slept with David to keep him warm, she remained a virgin. After David's death, his son Adonijah wanted Abishag for his wife, which would have implied he had a claim to be king. Solomon, the true heir to the throne, had Adonijah killed and took Abishag for himself.
Early in his reign, King Solomon found love a thrilling experience, as reflected in this piece of work. Later, however, he ruined the mystique by taking hundreds of wives and concubines. His despair is a central theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
The Song of Songs is a sensuous expression of spiritual and sexual love between a future husband and wife. While some of its metaphors and descriptions may seem odd to us today, in ancient times they were considered elegant.
Because of the passionate allusions, ancient interpreters insisted it contained a deeper, symbolic meaning, such as God's love for Old Testament Israel or Christ's love for the church. It is true the reader can find verses in Song of Songs to support those ideas, but modern Bible scholars say the book has a simpler, practical application -- how a husband and wife should react to each other.
Now there are some people who consider the Song of Solomon no more than just an erotic, oriental love song and feel that it has no place in the scriptures. But others have found tremendous inspiration in the Song of Solomon by seeing it as a spiritual allegory.
The basic interpretation of the Song of Solomon is that this is a young Shulamite girl that Solomon has fallen deeply in love with. And he addresses himself to her declaring his love, embellishing her beauty and prompting the object of his affections to respond rather coyly to him.
Actually, again, it's a song so you see it in a dramatic kind of opera setting. You have Solomon standing there singing in his rich baritone voice of his love for his intended bride. And she with her high soprano answering him by singing, "Come, my beloved into my garden and drink. Taste of its fruits." And then you have the women's chorus interjecting, "Tell us of thy beloved. Where is he grazing his flocks at this time?"
There is another basic interpretation of the Song of Solomon in the Amplified Bible. And that is, that here is the same beautiful young Shulamite girl that Solomon has fallen madly in love with and he is seeking to make her a part of his harem which was second to none. He seeks by his wealth, by his grandeur, by all of the gifts and wealth to woo and seduce her to become a part of his vast harem. She is brought in with the other virgins and she is telling them that she has a true love, a shepherd. And she doesn't really respond to Solomon's love because her heart is with another, her shepherd lover who she longs for, who she seeks after.
In the spiritual allegories to this other way of looking at it, Solomon represents the world and the Shulamite woman, the Christian, whom the world is seeking to lure away from her love for her Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And she has this deep fervent commitment to her "shepherd" and cannot be enticed by all of the wealth, glory and grandeur of Solomon.
The basic problem of spiritualizing the text and seeing it in an allegorical sense, is because as you go through the book, either interpretation fits. But surely they are diametrically opposed as far as an interpretation goes. Either Solomon is the one she loves and they are expressing their love for each other, or she is sort of rejecting the love of Solomon because of her true love for her shepherd lover.
There is another basic interpretation of the Song of Solomon in the Amplified Bible. And that is, that here is the same beautiful young Shulamite girl that Solomon has fallen madly in love with and he is seeking to make her a part of his harem which was second to none. He seeks by his wealth, by his grandeur, by all of the gifts and wealth to woo and seduce her to become a part of his vast harem. She is brought in with the other virgins and she is telling them that she has a true love, a shepherd. And she doesn't really respond to Solomon's love because her heart is with another, her shepherd lover who she longs for, who she seeks after.
In the spiritual allegories to this other way of looking at it, Solomon represents the world and the Shulamite woman, the Christian, whom the world is seeking to lure away from her love for her Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And she has this deep fervent commitment to her "shepherd" and cannot be enticed by all of the wealth, glory and grandeur of Solomon.
The basic problem of spiritualizing the text and seeing it in an allegorical sense, is because as you go through the book, either interpretation fits. But surely they are diametrically opposed as far as an interpretation goes. Either Solomon is the one she loves and they are expressing their love for each other, or she is sort of rejecting the love of Solomon because of her true love for her shepherd lover.
If you want my opinion, I do not see anything of a spiritual nature in any of Solomon's work and certainly nothing inspirational for aspiring newlyweds. At best, King Solomon was a rather kinky creative writer ahead of his time. He would have played well in Playboy Magazine today.
So anyway, ta da, here is a peek at what we have been reviewing! The Song of Songs begins with the first vocalist who is the aforementioned young Shulamite girl, or bridesmaid.
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savor of your good ointments [or your perfume] thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the King hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee." (Solomon 1:2-4)
Now speaking of herself, she adds, "I am black, yet beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, and as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black." (Solomon 1:5-6)
This does not mean that she was an Ethiopian, but she explains, "Because the sun hath looked upon me, my mother's children [my step brothers, actually] were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard (or complexion) I have not kept." (Solomon 1:6)
"Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where you make your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?" (Solomon 1:7)
The opening declaration is really a Cinderella kind of scenario. The wicked sisters made the young woman do all of the work and she wasn't able to keep up her own appearance.
Now the king responds to her. "If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders." (Solomon 1:8-11)
The daughters of Jerusalem, the virginal chorus, responds: "We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver." (Solomon 1:11)
And the maiden responds: "While the King sits at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi." (Solomon 1:12-14)
Imagine here the camphire trees or cypress trees, and just that beautiful smell of the out-of-doors and trees in blossom there in Engedi.
"Behold, thou art fair, [the king answers] my love; behold, thou art fair; you have doves' eyes." (Solomon 1:15)
She replies: "Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir." (Solomon 1:16-1).
So there you have the opening of this ancient love drama, the Song of Songs of Solomon. There are seven additional chapters or scenes in The Song and the language gets even juicier i.e. concluding Chapter 8 begins: 1)"O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised. 2) I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savor of your good ointments [or your perfume] thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the King hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee." (Solomon 1:2-4)
Now speaking of herself, she adds, "I am black, yet beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, and as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black." (Solomon 1:5-6)
This does not mean that she was an Ethiopian, but she explains, "Because the sun hath looked upon me, my mother's children [my step brothers, actually] were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard (or complexion) I have not kept." (Solomon 1:6)
"Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where you make your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?" (Solomon 1:7)
The opening declaration is really a Cinderella kind of scenario. The wicked sisters made the young woman do all of the work and she wasn't able to keep up her own appearance.
Now the king responds to her. "If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders." (Solomon 1:8-11)
The daughters of Jerusalem, the virginal chorus, responds: "We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver." (Solomon 1:11)
And the maiden responds: "While the King sits at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is to me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi." (Solomon 1:12-14)
Imagine here the camphire trees or cypress trees, and just that beautiful smell of the out-of-doors and trees in blossom there in Engedi.
"Behold, thou art fair, [the king answers] my love; behold, thou art fair; you have doves' eyes." (Solomon 1:15)
She replies: "Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir." (Solomon 1:16-1).
So there you have the opening of this ancient love drama, the Song of Songs of Solomon. There are seven additional chapters or scenes in The Song and the language gets even juicier i.e. concluding Chapter 8 begins: 1)"O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised. 2) I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."
If you still have the stomach for it, you can read more by turning to The Song of Solomon in the Old Testament of your family Bible.
This, brought to you belatedly the day after Valentine's Day.
This, brought to you belatedly the day after Valentine's Day.
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