Song of Songs

Title: The Best of Songs. “Song” refers to a joyful piece of literature with musical accompaniment. Laments, or mournful tunes, were separately identifiable in Hebrew literature. The name Song of Songs could either mean that it is a song composed of several songs (an anthology), or that it is the very best of songs (a superlative piece). On why the latter is preferable, see the paragraph on “Coherence” in Introduction: Theme, Title, and Interpretation.

him … your. The movement from the third to second person may seem odd to modern readers, but such a switch of pronouns is recognized as a poetical device in Hebrew. Wine is an obvious analogy for love—both cause exuberance and lightheadedness.

Name … oil is a wordplay (Hb. shem … shemen). “Name” refers to his reputation, which is as alluring as spilled perfume. Anointing oils were applied on special occasions. They were made from crushed aromatic blossoms or resins mixed with oil and reduced to an ointment by boiling.

The reader cannot take for granted the identity of the “king.” Some commentators suggest the epithet referred to Solomon, while others propose that the royal title “king” reflected wedding festival language, in which the bridegroom was accorded the status of “king.” The “king” could have been an unidentified third party, although this option seems unlikely. An allegorical reading correlates the “king” with God, or Jesus. In a literal reading, the Song is a celebration of the tenderness of marriage which is, after all, a serious biblical concern (e.g., Eph 5:21-33).

a The king is probably a term of endearment, indicating the woman’s high regard for her lover rather than referring to his actual position. (However, many who follow the Shepherd Hypothesis read this as referring to Solomon; see Introduction: Alternative Interpretations.)

b This is the first speech of the “others,” who function like a chorus. They join the shepherdess in her praise for the shepherd (you is masculine) by picking up her words from v. 2. They probably refers back to the “virgins” of v. 3, who are presumably the same as the “daughters of Jerusalem” (v. 5).

Controversy surrounds the identity of the “Daughters of Jerusalem,” mentioned several times in the Song (elsewhere, “young women,” 2:7; 3:5,10; 5:8,16; 8:4). Those who maintain an allegorical approach associate the daughters with followers of the church, the population of Jerusalem, the nations of the world as enemies, or members of the synagogue. The “daughters” could refer to the female members of Israel, to friends of the bride, or, as contemporary scholars suggest, the sheltered, pampered, curious young women of aristocracy. But the Song is a drama, with various spoken (or chanted) parts, and the “daughters” may have been included simply as dramatic foil for the other speakers, especially the bride.

The uncertain meaning of the Hebrew term shechorah, “dark” yields several opinions. The word could have reflected the natural pigment of the bride’s skin, or referred to skin overexposed to the sun as a result of outdoor labor (v. 6). It remains unclear whether the bride was uncomfortable with her darkened complexion or whether she associated the color of her skin with beauty. Most translators render the conjunction as “but,” suggesting that the bride, self-conscious that her skin color identified her with the lower class, affirmed her attractive appearance despite outdoor work. Eager to avoid any racial misunderstandings, other scholars translate the simple conjunction “dark, and beautiful.” Later in the book (5:10), health and beauty are described as white and ruddy skin, further substantiating the possibility that the term shechorah designated a sunburn or tan.

dark, but lovely. The shepherd girl has spent her life working in the sun (in the vineyard, v. 6; caring for the flock, v. 8) and is not dainty like some refined young women. daughters of Jerusalem. See note on v. 4b; cf. 2:7; 3:5, 10; 5:8, 16; 8:4. Only the shepherdess addresses them. tents of Kedar. The black goat-hair tents of the nomadic descendants of Ishmael who lived in the east (cf. Gen. 25:13; Jer. 49:28–29). Between the eighth and fourth centuries B.C. they were the most powerful northern Arabian Bedouin tribe. Curtains of Solomon were no doubt luxuriously splendid (2 Chron. 3:14). The effect of these two parallel lines is to create a picture of the woman that engenders awe.

My own vineyard refers in a poetic image to the woman’s physical appearance that has been marred by the sun as she has tended her family’s vineyard.

Noon is the time to rest, providing an opportunity to meet. whom my soul loves. An all-encompassing love that meets all of her desires (not simply sexual; cf. 1 Sam. 20:17). The woman refers to her lover as a shepherd.

This is the man’s first appearance. Here he offers a playful answer to the woman’s question of where to find him. She cares for a flock, as he does (v. 7).

A mare among Pharaoh’s chariots would be the best of its kind—noble and well-furnished with ornaments—captivating and exciting those around her.

ornaments. Within the Song of Solomon, the use of jewelry to heighten beauty is seen as natural and good (cf. 4:9). In 1:11, the chorus speaks to the woman (you is feminine), picking up from her comment in v. 10.

On the title king, see note on v. 4a. Nard was a fragrance extracted from a plant (cf. 4:13–14). For the erotic effect of a “fragrance,” cf. 7:13.

My beloved is the woman’s most common term of endearment for the man (31 times). sachet of myrrh. A pouch of aromatic resin that comes from various trees and shrubs.

White henna blossoms (which produced a red pigment) smell like roses. Engedi is an oasis of abundant water on the dry and desolate western bank of the Dead Sea—a location with obvious appeal.

The couch, house, and rafters are all likened to a lush woodland location and may indicate that the pair are outdoors.