- Cf. Fox, Song of Songs, 250: ‘‘How then did a song of this sort become holy scripture? We do
not know.’’ Fox goes on to suggest, ‘‘It may be enough to postulate that the Song, though not intrin- sically religious, was sung as part of the entertainment and merrymaking at feasts and celebrations, which would naturally take place for the most part on holidays in the religious calendar. . . . When (according to this hypothesis) the Song had worked its way into the people’s religious life and had thus acquired a certain aura of sanctity, the religious leadership legitimized that association by means of allegorical interpretation’’ (252)
Cf. Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (NAC; Nashville: Broadman, 1993), 365: ‘‘The best interpretation of Song of Songs is that it is what it appears to be: a love song.’’ I would stress that the instructions for human love are to be derived from the Song’s picture of the messianic king. The picture of the ideal messianic king who overcomes the curses does have the secondary effect of inspiring others to pursue the kind of relationship depicted in the Song, but in my view the Song’s primary purpose is to celebrate the glory of the Davidic king. This focus will naturally also benefit those who are blessed to behold this picture of the beauty of the consumma- tion of God’s promises.
One authors comments:
-
Another Author
“If a manuscript of this little book were found alone, detached from the biblical context and tradition, it undoubtedly would be viewed as secular. The book has no obvious religious content.” (Kinlaw)
My opinion
- This has got to be funny if you understand allegories then you have to somewhat laugh at this statement. Because the definition of a religious allegory is that the purpose of the allegory is to reveal underlying spiritual truth that otherwise would not be made known. So you won’t see any “obvious religious content” You won’t see it obviously, that is the whole point of an allegory. As of the time of me writing this, I believe in a parabolic approach illustrating God’s Love to His enemies in the context of a marriage in the kingdom of God. Since the book is highly metaphoric all the way through then of course “no obvious religious content” will be seen. It will not be obvious to the legalistic mind. You have this feeling and the text helps you understand it. Its subjective. The way the Song transforms is by a communication of Truth. You received more of the Spirit, therefore any parable that held spiritual truth in it deep enough for only the mature to understand would be concealed to the Babe in Christ. Like “Eating and drinking the Blood of Christ for eternal life” if this is offensive to you then you will not understand any of the parabolic language of the Song from 3:6 and forward. But to those whom parables are difficult. They will know, feel and understand the first half of chapter one if they have a desire for a closer relationship with God, if no desire like Song 1:2-4 then your not saved. Learn Chapter 1 at some level and feel Song 3:1-3 to some degree.
One author about “no theological message” unless allegorized
One reason for the rise of the allegorical interpretation of the Song is that many felt that a simple love song had no place in the Bible and that, unless it was allegorized, no theological message could be found in it. This concern, however, is misguided. Song of Songs conveys important meaning if left as it is, a love song, and not turned into something it is not.
My opinion
This is just absolutely false!! Many theological truths are in the Song even from a strictly literal sense. Take Song 8:6 for example. Here is an explanation of the quality or aspects of the love they share. Obviously all love comes from God. “We love because He first loved us.” The NASB translates it
Song of Solomon 8:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 “Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of the Lord.
Dockery, D. S., Butler, T. C., Church, C. L., Scott, L. L., Ellis Smith, M. A., White, J. E., & Holman Bible Publishers (Nashville, T. . (1992). Holman Bible Handbook (p. 370). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Growth through 5 stages
- Babe phase 1:2-1:17
- Child phase 2-3:5
- Young man 3:6-5:1
- Strong young man 5:2-8:4
- Father/Mother fully adorned 8:5-8:14
Thank you for your response. ✨
The traditional interpretation by both the synagogue and church found in the Song another level of meaning: the love between God and his people, i.e., the Lord and Israel, Christ and the Church or the individual person. Such an interpretation can become arbitrary when individual details are interpreted in allegorical fashion. But if the work as a whole is interpreted in the light of the prophetic understanding of the covenant as a marriage relationship (e.g., Hos. 1-3; Isa. 62:5), this level of meaning can be defended. R.E.M.
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). In Harper’s Bible dictionary (1st ed., p. 979). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
and
Other interpreters either exclude or diminish the erotic aspects in order to find a more symbolic purpose for the book. In this view, the man and woman are symbols of God and his people. The love of the man is compared to the love of God for Israel or to the love of Christ for his church.
But the literal thrust of praising the love between a man and a woman, in this case, king Solomon and one of his wives, is the simplest and most straightforward way to interpret the book.
Hughes, R. B., & Laney, J. C. (2001). Tyndale concise Bible commentary (p. 248). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
and
When she spoke of his love (v. 2b) she was referring to the physical expressions of his love (the Heb. word for “love” is the pl. dōḏîm, also used in 4:10). The statement “your love is more delightful than wine” means that his physical affections were exhilarating, refreshing, and a great source of joy (cf. 1:4).
Deere, J. S. (1985). Song of Songs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1011). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
My understanding (“His love is more delightful”)
“The physical affections were exhilarating”
- Either she has experienced these physical affections in the past
- If she has experienced these physical affections already then somehow they would have touched, lips, hands or bodies at some point prior to Song 1:2-4
- Or they are spiritual blessings
- And or common blessings of being in his kingdom 1 Kings 10:9 Sheba says, “Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
and vineyard as complexion Song 1:6
Her explanation for her dark appearance was almost an apology. Because of hard outdoor work in the vineyards, required of her by her brothers, she was forced to neglect the cultivation of her own vineyard, that is, herself and her appearance (cf. Song 8:12).
Deere, J. S. (1985). Song of Songs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1013). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
My understanding
Song 1:6 “Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.”
If you understand 1:6d “They made me caretaker of the vineyards” to be a literal vineyard that produces grapes then you have to take vineyard in 1:6e as a literal vineyard as well and not her complexion.
Either
- “Vineyard” means a literal vineyard in both or
- “Vineyard” means complexion in both or
- “Vineyard” means something else all together but whatever vineyard is in 1:6d has to be the same in 1:6e because of the “But” There is a transition and vineyard needs to carry the same meaning in both sentences.
1:7 “veiled woman”
If she could not be with him she said she would be like a veiled woman. This enigmatic expression means either that she would be mistaken for a prostitute (cf. Gen. 38:14–15) or, more likely, that without Solomon she would be as sad as a person in mourning (cf. Ezek. 24:17, 22).
Deere, J. S. (1985). Song of Songs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1013). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
My understanding
Common literal meaning with Solomon trying to steal her away from her shepherd lover.
I. The Literal Meaning
We have here a precious love story. It involves three characters: a lovely maiden, forced to work by her family (1:5–6; 2:15); her beloved, undoubtedly a neighbor lad who has won her heart, who is also a shepherd (1:7); and King Solomon, who is known for his attraction to beautiful women (1 Kings 11:3). While on one of his trips to examine his lands, Solomon meets the lovely maiden and takes her to his palace. There she can think only of her beloved back home (1:1–2:7). She tells the women of the harem (“daughters of Jerusalem” in 2:7, 3:5, 8:4) not to try to persuade her to forsake her true love. In 2:8–3:5 she recalls her beloved and even has a dream about him. Solomon visits her (3:6–4:16) to try to win her love, but she cannot forget her beloved back home. Her beloved sees her in a dream (5:1–6:3). Again, the king tries to win her (6:4–7:9), but the maiden refuses (7:10–8:3). She is not impressed with the king’s wealth, spices, lands, or flattery. Finally, true love wins out and the maiden is set free. She flees to her beloved (8:4–14) and is restored to her family again.
Of course, this interpretation does not put Solomon in a very good light. But he was not faithful when it came to marital matters, and certainly it is not wrong to see him as a type of the world, trying to woo the believer away from her true love. This will become clearer as we examine the different interpretations and applications of the story.
The Song of Solomon magnifies and sanctifies married love. God made both male and female and it was He who “invented” sex. The love of a man and wife ought to be a beautiful experience, as described in this book, but sin can destroy this beautiful gift. In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon warns against sexual sins; in Song of Solomon, he extols the beauty and joy of married love.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (So). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Song 1:2 “Kisses” Literal or Not
The “kisses” must be interpreted in a figurative sense, or the sacred character of the whole book must be removed.
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Song of Solomon (p. 2). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
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