Song of Solomon
(i) Title
– It is an argument of modern critics that Ecclesiastes was not written by Solomon because his name is not used within the book. However, when it comes to the Song of Solomon his name occurs 7 times, the first being Ch 1:1 “The Song of Songs which is Solomon’s” (see 1:5; 3:7,9,11; 8:11-12). Despite this evidence modern ‘scholars’ still question Solomonic authorship (some folks you just can’t please!).
– Song of Solomon can be abbreviated to S.O.S, God’s inspired S.O.S to safeguard true love within the marriage bond. It gets its title from Ch 1:1, the Song of Songs par excellence (like the holy of holies), the greatest song Solomon ever wrote (he wrote 1005 1 Kings 4:32). In support of Solomon’s authorship we find “the king” referred to in Ch 1:4,12; 3:9,11; 7:5. He has an expensive carriage (3:7-10) and royal chariots (6:12), things consistent with a king’s life. We know of Solomon’s keen interest in outdoor life, nature, animals and vegetation (1 Kings 4:33) things constantly mentioned throughout the Song. Some complain that his having 700 wives and 300 concubines prevents him writing such love poetry, yet surely it could have been written as a result of his one and only true love before unfaithfulness. A possible date during Solomon’s reign and before he fell into the sin of polygamy might be 971-931 B.C.
(ii) Interpretation
– A. S. Agler has said this little book of 117 verses “holds without question the first place among the puzzles of literature.” But that has not meant people have ignored it. One writer lists as many as 1000 books and commentaries written on it over the years.
– A minor problem (compared to others) is found in a straightforward reading because sudden changes occur from speaker to speaker throughout. The scenes change too and no explanation is offered so it is hard to know who is speaking and where. In Hebrew the change of speaker is indicated by gender and number e.g. 1:4 “Lead me away! We will run after YOU [masculine singular]. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in YOU [feminine singular]. We will remember YOUR [masculine singular] love more than wine.”
– The major problem with the Song (which the above affects) is that of interpretation. There are basically three main interpretations: allegory, typology, literalism
– (a) the allegorical approach is really spiritualising of the entire book. The normal meaning of the words is unimportant in this scheme. From the Jews perspective it depicted the love of God for Israel. From the Christian viewpoint it was a picture of Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. Sadly (because it is hard to fix rules in this approach), others have drawn their own conclusions as to the picture e.g. one person read the history of the Reformation into it – John Wycliffe is “terrible as an army with banners”, Martin Luther’s “noise is like a tower of Lebanon” (6:4;7:4); others have said “the voice of the turtle-dove” (2:12) was the preaching of the apostles, “I have come into my garden” equals the incarnation and “Eat, O friends!” is the Lord’s Supper (5:1); Roman Catholic theologians have even found the allegorical approach useful supporting the doctrine of the Immaculate Virgin – “You are all fair, my love; there is no flaw in you” (4:7). Fanciful ideas like these abound in a system of interpretation that is far from reliable;
– (b) Others see the story of the book as a type of the relationship of God and Israel, Christ and the Church. The difference here is that the actual historical account is accepted. The story of which the book speaks took place, is real. The only problem with this is the fact that Scripture nowhere uses the Song in this way, as a type. Some only see the type and forget the story!
– (c) The best way to interpret the book is naturally, literally, by taking it at face value. It is a book about Solomon and a Shulamite woman he loves and marries. Human love and marriage are extolled. There is a deliberate and honest description of two people in love. There is no shame or embarrassment about their experience nor in their vivid descriptions of each other. Although readers may see the perfect spiritual fulfilment of such a loving relationship in Christ’s love for the Church (and this is legitimate) we must never forget the book’s primary purpose (or primary interpretation). Our God by His Spirit inspired the writer and saw to it that this book became part of Scripture. The reason? Clear: the God Who created man and woman established and sanctified marriage. The beauty and purity of such an estate is held forth in this book. Since the world views sex in a sordid and perverted way, we do well to read the Song that sings the health and wholesomeness of true love, commitment, and devotion in marriage.
(iii) Outline
Ch 1 – bride’s love of the king
Ch 2 – bride’s delight in the king’s love
Ch 3 – v1-5 bride’s fears to lose her love; joy in finding him
Ch 3 – v6-11 the bridal procession
Ch 4 – the king adores his bride and she responds
Ch 5 – bride experiences the loss of her beloved and searches
Ch 6 – the king describes his bride’s beauty
Ch 7 – the bride and groom express mutual love
Ch 8 – true love unquenchable, their union indissoluble.