Song of Songs

Semitropical vegetation, including henna, grew at the oasis of En Gedi on the western shore of the Dead Sea.

"Eyes are doves" means that they are tranquil in appearance. Her eyes convey feelings of peacefulness.

"Our bed is verdant" means it is lush and luxurious, like a tree thick with foliage.

It was a luxury to have a house paneled with cedar.

The flower mentioned here is not the modern rose of Sharon but probably a crocus, daffodil, or narcissus.

Compared to the groom's beloved, all other women are thorns. True love is exclusive and not distracted by others.

He is "like an apple tree," that is, protective ("shade") and pleasurable ("his fruit").

Despite the endless variety of interpretations that have been heaped upon 2:15, the "little foxes" probably do not represent anything. The man simply invites the woman to join in a chase. This is the kind of childlike play that young lovers often engage in.

The woman concludes the first section of Song of Songs in 2:16-17 and sings a separate solo in 3:1-5. This section is symbolic of the woman's longing for the groom and is not to be read literally. The proverb that says not to arouse love until it desires (3:5; also 2:7 and 8:4) means that sexual love is to be avoided until the proper time and person arrive.

The chorus women call for the Jerusalem girls to come and see Solomon's splendor. This does not mean that Solomon is the singer of the groom's part or a "character" in a story. Instead, the figure of Solomon is more a contrasting poetic symbol here. Every young man in love is a "Solomon in all his glory." The arrival of Solomon stands for the arrival of the groom at the wedding ceremony (see Matt. 25:6). This is a song about a couple just married. But young lovers really do not need the trappings of glory, as Solomon did, since they have each other (see 8:11-12).

The metaphors seem harsh and unnatural to the modern reader because we take them in too literal a sense. What the poet meant was that aspects of the woman's beauty provoke profound emotional responses. Her neck was like the tower of David in that both were statuesque and caused feelings of admiration and wonder. He did not mean that her neck was unusually long. Similarly, he described the pleasures she gave him in terms of fruits and spices.

This, with 5:1, is the high point of the Song of Songs. Using the metaphor of the garden, she invites her groom to come and enjoy her love.

The man responds. He calls her his bride, which again indicates they are newly married. The poetry is discreet and restrained; it conveys the joy of sexual love without vulgarity.

The chorus' brief call ("Eat, O friends") breaks the tension of the previous verses and opens the way for a second solo similar to 3:1-5.

This section is to be read symbolically and not literally. The main point of the text is to describe that the woman experiences pain and not only pleasure in love. The watchmen who beat her represent this.

This verse introduces the bride's next solo, in which she praises her beloved's beauty. There is no rational transition from the previous segment (5:1-8) because, again, it is not meant to be read as a story.

Her beloved is like Lebanon in that he, like it, is majestic. He does not literally look like a forest. Here too the comparisons deal more with emotional response than actual similarity of appearance.

The chorus, following her answer to 5:9, now ask where he has gone.

She answers that he has gone to "his garden" (that is, he has come to her).

He praises his beloved in terms similar to 4:1-15.

The chorus announces the bride's approach and describes her beauty as like that of the moon and sun. See 3:6-11.

Verse 12 seems to be saying that her love for the man swept her away. She is about to depart with the groom, as was apparently the custom after a wedding.

The chorus, representing the bride's friends, long to be with her as they realize they are losing her to her beloved.

He answers the chorus in 6:13b and then moves into another song of praise for the bride's beauty.

Her wish that her lover was her brother seems strange to the modern reader. The point is that she wishes she were free to display her affection openly. In the ancient world this would have been impossible for a woman with any man except a near relative.

Once again the song of the chorus contains the idea of movement. See 6:13a.

In saying that her beloved was born under the apple tree, she is alluding to his romantic character. See 2:3.

The chorus desires that their young sister remain chaste until the proper time for love arrives. This may answer the proverb in 8:4.

The woman says she has reached maturity and found fulfillment (8:10). The thousand shekels Solomon received from his vineyard may be a cryptic reference to Solomon's three hundred concubines and seven hundred wives (1 Kgs. 11:3). The love between the groom and the bride is better than Solomon's sexual extravagance.

He calls on everyone to rejoice with him.

She calls the groom away with her.

Theological Significance. The sexual and emotional aspects of love between a man and a woman are worthy of the Bible's attention. Sexuality and love are fundamental to the human experience. As a book meant to teach readers how to live a happy and good life, the Bible naturally has something to say in this area. The Song of Songs celebrates the joy and passion of married love as God's good gifts. The united love of the man and woman in Song of Songs is a reenactment of the love between the first man and woman. As such it witnesses to the triumph of God's gracious purposes for creation in spite of human sin. Likewise, such faithful love beautifully pictures God's love for and commitment to His people.

Carr, G. Lloyd. The Song of Solomon. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1984.

Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. New American Commentary, 1993.

Glickman, S. Craig. A Song for Lovers. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1976.