Title
The “Song of Songs” (1:1) is traditionally named the “Song of Solomon” based on the connection with Solomon (1:1). Like the “Most Holy Place” (the “Holy of Holies” in Hebrew) in the tabernacle (Exod 26:33–34) describes the holiest of holy places, so “Song of Songs” describes the best of all songs. The book consists of 117 verses of love poetry. Most of the verses are dialog between a woman and a man who deeply love one another.
Author and Date
The Song nowhere clearly identifies its author or the date of composition. The mention of Solomon in 1:1 may suggest that Solomon is the author or that someone wrote the book for Solomon. Mention of Tirzah (6:4; cf. 1 Kgs 16:23) may imply a time when Tirzah was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (ca. 925–879 BC), or it may simply suggest Tirzah as an example of a city renowned for its beauty. A few individual words may suggest a later date (fifth–fourth centuries BC), but since linguistic updating could have occurred, later vocabulary is not conclusive for dating the Song’s primary composition. Many word pictures in the Song imply the period of the monarchy.
Interpretation
Perhaps more interpretations have been proposed for the Song than for any other biblical book. An early popular approach was to interpret this book as an allegory. In Judaism, one interpretation is that the man represents God, and the woman symbolizes Israel. In Christianity, the man represents Christ, and the woman symbolizes the church. The absence of any indication of allegory or identification of these symbols and the problematic nature of consistent application argue against this approach. For example, the woman rouses the man (8:5); in what way does the church rouse Christ?
Another popular approach sees the book as a drama. Interpretations adopting this approach suggest that there are three main characters: the poor but noble shepherd, the scheming King Solomon, and the virtuous shepherdess. Several difficulties arise with this interpretation. King Solomon plays no active role; he never speaks. Given the attribution to Solomon in 1:1, why would the Song portray him in such a negative light? Further, there is no agreement on an overall plot for this drama. While some mini-dramas occur (e.g., 3:1–5; 5:2–8), the man and woman start each main section apart and then reunite.
It is preferable to interpret the Song as romantic love poetry. Love poetry does not tell a story but is descriptive. The Song is the most richly metaphoric book in the Bible. Some see the work as an anthology of separate love poems. That seems unlikely given the complex interplay of word pictures, phrases, and themes through every part of the Song. Although Egyptian and other contemporary love poetry tend toward shorter poems than the Song, its 117 verses do not make it too long to form a unified and beautiful romantic poem.
Purpose and Theology
Why is this romantic love poem found in the Bible? The Bible is full of references to sexuality. God created man and woman for one another in the exclusive committed relationship of marriage (Gen 2–3). However, Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God broke apart this harmonious, loving union. The laws of the Pentateuch contain many commands against deviant forms of sex. The historical and prophetic books indict Israel for sexual sins and compare idolatry to adultery. Proverbs warns young men of sexual temptation (Prov 7). Jesus observes that some have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:12), and Paul suggests value in remaining unmarried if possible (1 Cor 7:8). The Song reminds us that romantic love within marriage is one of the good things created by God. It assumes marriage and proceeds to extol the joys of romantic love. The Song places a garden of delights within the fences that the other books of the Bible erect to protect the powerful gift of sexuality.
The key to the Song’s major theological theme appears in 8:5–7: the lovers’ union is as strong as death, fire, and water. The final words of 8:6 provide the Song’s sole mention of God’s name in its “mighty flame” (see NIV text note). This romantic love is a gift from God that he intends us to receive with thanksgiving.
The book is rich in metaphors, chiefly of sexual love. The Greek translators of the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) understood this. They translated the Hebrew word for love that occurs some 18 times in the book with a Greek term (agapē) that, although it can refer to loving the wrong sorts of thing (2 Tim 4:10), is the same word Paul, John, and the other NT writers use to refer to Christ’s love for us and our love for one another (e.g., John 13:35; Rom 8:35; Eph 3:18; 1 Pet 4:8; 1 John 3:16). The Song becomes a metaphor, or signpost, wherein romantic love is not an end in itself. Instead, it provides one of the greatest examples on earth of the love that God had for us in sending his Son to die for us (John 3:16). Human sexual love at its best points toward the much greater love of God that he now gives to us as Christ’s love for the church.
Although much could be said regarding the theme of love in the Song, one of the most important points is the exclusive commitment of the lovers. Again and again they focus on the eyes, as the man and woman have eyes only for each other (1:15; 4:1, 9; 5:12; 6:5; 7:4; 8:10). Neither the daughters of Jerusalem, the woman’s brothers, nor Solomon himself can interfere with this love. Though 1:1 and 8:12 may refer to King Solomon as the author and the owner of vineyards, other references to him (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11, 12) describe how the woman sees her beloved. He is everything she could want; he is her Solomon. The same is true of the woman’s name in 6:13: “Shulammite” is a feminine form of “Solomon,” so the woman is the man’s “Solomon,” providing all that he could want in their loving relationship.
Because of its many metaphors, the Song cannot be taken as a series of literal events. It is instead a collection of pictures, imaginings, and flights of fantasy. In the poem, the man and woman are real, as is their love. However, as is true in love poetry, there is no clear division between fantasy and reality. The same is true of their marriage relationship. Six times in the middle of the Song the man calls the woman his “bride” (4:8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 5:1). However, it is not possible to determine if the couple is already married or if their marriage is a hope and dream that will shortly take place. The many romantic descriptions should not then be taken as a license for premarital sex, which the Bible considers sin (1 Cor 7:1–2). Instead, the Song describes the joys of a sexual relationship within marriage without indicating whether that relationship is reality or fantasy.
Outline
After the title, the Song divides into six sections (in the outline VII and VIII can be considered one single section). Each begins with the lovers apart and ends with them together.
I. Title (1:1)
II. The First Meeting (1:2—2:7)
III. The Second Meeting (2:8—3:5)
IV. The Third Meeting (3:6—5:1)
V. The Fourth Meeting (5:2—6:3)
VI. The Fifth Meeting (6:4—8:4)
VII. The Literary Climax (8:5–7)
VIII. The Conclusion (8:8–14)
