Revised by Monica Melanchthon (10/23)
1. The Song of Songs (Song of SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. 1:1)
In its title, the book identifies itself as a “song of songs” (that is, a superlative song) and points to a relationship between the book and Solomon.
2. The Two Lovers Appear (Song of Songs 1:2—2:7)
The young woman expresses her desire for her lover (1:2-4) and introduces herself to the daughters of Jerusalem likening her dark skin tone to the tents of Kedar and the tent curtains of Solomon (1:5). Her skin is dark because she was assigned work in the vineyard by her brothers (1:6). This is followed by a dialog between the two lovers in which the woman seeks to know her lover’s location (1:7). The man instructs her to follow the tracks of the sheep to where the shepherds have set their tents (1:8). The young man and the woman then speak admiringly, describing each other with the use of metaphors and similes. The man describes her as a mare among the chariots of the Pharaoh, bejeweled while the woman speaks of him as a sachet of myrrh nestling between her breasts and as a cluster of henna flowers. They use imagery drawn from nature. For example he says, “As a lily among brambles, is my love among maidens” (2:2) and she replies, “As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the young men,” (2:3) She cautions the daughters of Jerusalem to not awaken the kind of love she experiences, “until it is ready” (2:7).
3. Seeking the Beloved (Song of Songs 2:8—3:5)
In verses 8 to 17 of chapter two, thewoman remembers the visit of her lover. The lover comes leaping toward her like a gazelle and standing outside her wall and peering through the windows (2:9). She tells us that he is beckoning her to join him. He is reminding her that the winter has gone and so have the rains; the flowers are in bloom, alluding to spring, a time of renewal, new birth, and regrowth and hence, new life (2:8-15).
She then declares her love and allegiance to him, rising from her bed to seek the one “whom my soul loves” (2:16; 3:2). Her love is strong and counters social convention. She goes looking for him in the streets and in the city (3:2). She is found by the guards and inquires of them about her lover’s whereabouts (3:3) and she soon finds him and clings to him and brings him to her mother’s house (3:4). She once again cautions the daughters of Jerusalem against arousing love until it is ready (3:5).
4. A Royal Wedding (Song of Songs 3:6-11)
The woman envisions a royal wedding procession, perhaps fantasizing about her own wedding to come. She doesn’t speak directly but describes this procession as coming from the wilderness. The aroma of her perfume comprised of myrrh and frankincense precedes her (3:6). The procession/wedding party is accompanied by armed men–60 of them, skilled in warfare (3:7). Solomon is mentioned by name, and he has prepared a canopied couch, a palanquin, made of silver, wood, gold, cloth of purple and its “interior inlaid with love” (3:10). The section ends with an appeal to the daughters of Jerusalem to come and see the scene with Solomon wearing the crown, with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding (3:11),
5. The Man in Praise of His Lover (Song of Songs 4:1—5:1)
The man sings the praises of his beloved, describing her in vivid poetic imagery. In the first 11 verses of chapter 4, the man describes the woman elaborately and her beauty from her face down to her breasts. Her eyes are like doves peeking from behind the veil of her hair. Her hair is pictured as a flock of goats coming down Mount Gilead (4:1); her teeth are like ewes freshly washed and cleaned and perfectly matched (4:2); her lips are like a crimson red ribbon and her smile is lovely and like a slice of a pomegranate (4:3). Her neck is like a “tower of DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms.,” expertly built with a thousand army shields and weapons of war hung on it (4:4); Her breasts are likened to fawns—twins birthed by a gazelle doe that grazes among the lilies (4:5); she smells wonderful—a mixture of frankincense and myrrh—a woman without a flaw (4:6). The man is captivated by her beauty, and he summons her to come down from the mountains of Lebanon (Amana, Senir, and Hermon) from the dens and lairs of lions and leopards for she has captured his heart with a single glance (4:8-9), her love more potent than wine and her fragrance better than any perfume (4:10). Sweetness drips from her lips, with honey and milk under her tongue; the fragrance of her clothes is like the scent of Lebanon (4:11).
Verses 12-15 of this chapter have been termed a “a garden poem” because of the many metaphors drawn from horticulture. She is described as an “enclosed garden,” an “enclosed pool,” and a “sealed spring”—thereby hinting that she is “chaste,” which some might render “virginal,“‘(4:12). Her limbs are like a pomegranate orchard, laden and heavy with fruit, with spices, and sugar cane, and scents and perfumes (4:13-14). The section hints at the notion that this woman is life-bearing and life-sustaining—like a garden spring, a source of fresh water, a stream from Lebanon (4;15). The winds are summoned to blow over this garden so her perfume might waft in the air (4:16).
The woman then speaks inviting the man to her garden and to partake of its luscious fruit (4:16). The man responds by accepting the invitation and claims that he has gathered the myrrh and spice, eaten honeycomb and drunk the wine and the milk and he or perhaps another individual encourages the couple to eat, drink and get drunk on love! (5:1),
6. Love’s Challenges (Song of Songs 5:2—6:3)
The woman had fallen asleep and was awakened by a knocking on her door and the voice of her beloved requesting her to open the door (5:2). She hesitates. Her hesitation rested on the fact that she had changed and cleaned and had turned in for the night (5:3). Her lover attempts to open the door and she is aroused and rises to open the door (5:4-5). But he has gone and she goes to seek him and cannot find him. She calls to him but receives no response (5:6), The guards of the city find her, and she endures an attack of the city sentinels who strike her and bruise her (5:7). She elicits a promise from her friends, the daughters of Jerusalem, that should they find him, they would tell her lover that she is faint with love for him (5:8).
The daughters of Jerusalem ask her how her lover is different from any other lover, that they should favor him (5:9). The woman then describes her lover and his physique to her friends. Radiant, ruddy, tall, with wavy and raven hair, eyes like doves, cheeks like fragrant plantings, lips like lilies dripping myrrh, arms like gold cylinders, body smooth as ivory, thighs like pillars of whitest stone. His entire appearance is stately, like the cedars of Lebanon; every bit of him is desirable (5:10-16). The daughters of Jerusalem wonder where he has gone, so they may also look for him (6:1). The woman responds, having always known where he was and gives them her lover’s whereabouts (6:2). She then affirms that her lover is hers and she belongs to him, the one “grazing among the lilies” (6:3).
7. Mutual Longings (Song of Songs 6:4-12)
In the soliloquy here, the man returns to a loving description of his beloved, his “only one,” using language, metaphors, and similes similar to those found in 4:1-11 (6:4-7). But he adds that she is unique – “one of a kind,” even when placed among 60 queens and 80 secondary wives and countless young women (6:8-9). The young women are awed by her beauty and inquire after her, for she looks like the morning star, the full moon, radiant as the sun and she is formidable (6:9-10).
The man goes to check on his nut grove and his vineyard and the pomegranates (6:11). Verse 12 in this section of the Hebrew text is unclear and has been variously translated – “Before I was aware, my soul set me over the chariots of my noble people” (New American Standard Bible); “Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib (King James Version); “Before I was aware, my desire set me in a chariot beside my prince” (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition).
8. Love That Lasts Forever (Song of Songs 6:13—8:7)
He calls on the woman, now addressed as “the Shulammite,” to return so she can be admired (6:13). In the dialogue that follows, the man sings his praise and his longing for the woman (7:1-9). He describes again the beauty of her body parts – feet, thighs, hands, navel, belly, breasts, neck, eyes, profile, head, hair. Some of these are likened to places – pools of Heshbon, the gateGates are openings in walls or fences for entrance and departure. In the Bible (as in Ruth and the prophets) the city gate was a commercial center where business and social transactions took place. In Amos the gate is the location of the law court… of Bath-rabbim, the tower of Lebanon, Damascus, and Mount Carmel. He declares that she is very beautiful, a delight to behold (7:6), before he uses horticultural imagery once again to describe her – her form resembles a date palm, her breasts like clustered fruit. He declares his aim to climb the date palm and enjoy its fruits, her breasts as grapes and the scent of her breath like apples (7:8-9).
The woman declares her love and the commitment they have to each other (7;10). She invites the man to a meeting in the fields where she will give her love to him. She sings of the fierce and enduring passionPassion is the theological term used to describe Jesus’ suffering prior to and including his crucifixion. The Passion Narrative (the portions of the Gospels that tell of the Last Supper, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus) are often read in church during Holy Week. of their mutual love (7:11-13).
She then addresses her lover and says she wishes he was her brother so she could kiss him in public and not be chastised for it. She would take him to her mother’s house and would receive instruction from her mother on what to do. She would give him spiced wine and fresh pomegranate juice and would lie in his embrace (8:1-3). She once again warns the daughters of Jerusalem not to arouse love until it is ready (8:4). The daughters of Jerusalem then ask “Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? (8:5).
The woman then responds by saying that she aroused the love of this man at the place where his mother labored to birth him (8:5). She then declares that the power and strength of her love is as strong as death, and passionate and unrelenting as the grave and its darts are like the divine flame (8:6), which cannot be quenched either by rushing waters or rivers (8:7).
9. Concluding Dialogue (Song of Songs 8:8-14)
The closing section of the book contains a series of very brief units which begins with the brothers or perhaps friends claiming that their sister is young and small (no breasts have formed as yet). They say that if she were a city wall they would build a turret of silver on her and if she were a door, they would barricade her with panels made of cedar (8:8-9), The woman seems to counter this and stresses that she is a city wall and her breasts are its towers and she is seen in his eyes, as one who brings peace (8:10).
The man speaks, calling attention to the vineyard of Solomon in Baal-hamon, which was under the care of keepers, and each brought him a thousand pieces of silver in exchange for its fruit (8:11). The man maintains that his vineyard is before him, so Solomon can keep his thousand pieces of silver and he would give two hundred to the keepers. He yearns to hear the voice of his lover along with his companions in the garden (8:12). The woman responds, summoning her lover once again using the words she has used before (2:9, 17), “Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of spices!” (8:14), once more announcing the longing and commitment of the two lovers.
