What makes Song of Songs special?

The title of this book means “the most beautiful of songs,” and in some translations it is called “The Song of Solomon” (see 1.1). In the Jewish Scriptures, this book is found in the section known as “The Writings.”

Why it was included in the Bible at all is a question that has prompted many debates among Jewish and Christian teachers for over two thousand years. Answers to this question have often been based on how the book is interpreted.

Why was Song of Songs written?

On the surface, Song of Songs is love poetry that celebrates the love between a man and a woman. Some consider the book to be a unified poem written by one author, while others think it is a collection of love songs or poems put together by an editor. Some people think Song of Songs is a drama, while some scholars point out that parts of the book are very much like ancient Mesopotamian marriage songs or old Egyptian love poems. God is not mentioned in the book, and the poems seem only to provide a description of human love.

If Song of Songs is simply a collection of poems that express the powerful love that a woman and a man can have for each other, why is it included in the Bible? Even as late as the second century A.D. Jewish rabbis debated whether or not Song of Songs should be considered Holy Scripture. Early Christian writings reveal similar debates. Eventually, however, many Jewish teachers said the book symbolized God’s love for the people of Israel. This interpretation may be based on passages from Hosea (1–3) and Jeremiah (2.20—3.5), which describe the relationship between God and Israel in terms of a marriage. Many Christian interpreters came to a similar conclusion, saying that the book symbolizes the kind of relationship that Jesus Christ (the bridegroom) has with the church (his bride). These interpretations helped the book gain acceptance as part of Scripture.

What’s the story behind the scene?

Scholars do not agree on who wrote this book or when. The first verse of the book (1.1) connects the book with King Solomon, who ruled Israel from 970 to 931 b.c. But the Hebrew in this verse can be translated various ways. The book may be “by,” “according to,” or “for” Solomon; or it may “belong to,” or be “dedicated to” him. All that is clear is that the book was in some way owned by (or connected to) Solomon, who was known in ancient Israel as the author of many wise sayings and poems (1 Kgs 4.32). As in the case of Ecclesiastes, having Solomon’s name connected with the book added to its authority as true Israelite Wisdom.

How is Song of Songs constructed?

If the book is a collection of poems, an editor probably arranged them so that they would relate to each other as a whole. The romance between two lovers is the focus of the poem and provides a kind of connection between its various scenes or sections. But at some points it is hard to know who exactly is speaking, and it is not always easy to see how the sections of the poem relate to one another. When a new poem or speech begins, the CEV and other translations insert a phrase in italics (such as “She speaks” or “He speaks”) as a way of indicating who might be the speaker in the section that follows. The following outline suggests just one of many ways the book’s sections may be grouped:

• Solomon’s Song (1.1)
• Love blossoms (1.2—2.7)
• Love dreams (2.8—3.5)
• Love plans (3.6—6.10)
• Love dances (6.11—8.4)
• Powerful love is not for sale (8.5-14)

Solomon’s Song

Verse 1 provides the book’s title, or “superscript.” The singular and plural forms of the same word (“song of songs”) are combined in Hebrew to produce a phrase that means the “greatest” or “most beautiful” song.

Love Blossoms

A young woman tells about her true love. She calls him her “king” (1.4). Then both the woman and man offer songs of love that are filled with images that excite the senses of sight, smell, and taste.

Love Dreams

The young woman dreams of her lover coming to her window and singing of his love for her. She reaches for him as she lies in bed, but he is not there, so she goes out to the streets to search for him.

Love Plans

Images of a royal wedding begin this section (3.6-11), which continues with the adoring words of the young man (4.1-15). The young woman invites him to enter her “garden” and enjoy its fruits and spices (4.16—5.1) Then she dreams that her lover comes to her room, but when he is not there she has to wander the street in search of him (5.2-8). Her adoring words (5.10-16) include her firm belief that she and her lover belong to each other (6.3). He praises her as the one he desires above all others (6.4-10).

Love Dances

It is not clear whether the poem continues by describing a wedding dance, or if the woman is dancing to attract the eye of her lover. After he praises her beauty, she invites him to take a walk to her mother’s house, where they prepare to fulfill their dreams of love (8.2-4).

Powerful Love Is Not for Sale

The book comes to a close with the young woman’s climactic words about the power of love (8.6,7). This is followed by a scene that seems to make clear why she says her love “cannot be bought”—by the great King Solomon or anyone else. She will give her vineyard (her body) only to the one she loves.

Questions about Song of Songs

1. Song of Songs has been described as a collection of loosely-related love poems, a drama, or a long poem that tells a story. Which of these descriptions, if any, best describes this book for you? Why? How else might this book be described?

2. If Song of Songs is one long poem, who do you imagine the main characters in the poem to be? What can be known about the woman’s relationships to people other than the man she loves? Her mother? Her brothers? The other young women of her town?

3. The man and the woman in this book use many images from nature (plants, animals, hills, etc.) to describe themselves and one another. Which “word pictures” did you find most interesting? Which were difficult for you to understand or relate to? Try describing yourself (or a friend) using “word pictures.”

4. What does Song of Songs have to say about love? About commitment? About God?

5. What does it mean to say that love is “more powerful than death,” “cannot be drowned,” and “cannot be bought”?

6. Some Jews have interpreted Song of Songs as God’s love for the people of Israel, and some Christians have seen it as Jesus’ love for the church (“his bride”). Which verses, if any, seem to support this kind of interpretation? What do you think is the main purpose of this book?