Introduction to Song of Songs

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.

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.

Structure

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)

Themes

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.

Further Reading

Song of Songs, Book of LBD:I

Megilloth LBD:I