Here is what I learned from Song of Songs.
Song of Songs is a play with chorus and solos. Like a musical. It is the story of a bride who is to be married to the king, but she has to learn what it means to be one of the king’s wives.
Title attribution:
(1:1) The Hebrew title "Song of Songs" is derived from the first verse of the book. The entire content is one song (contrary to some critics claim, it is called 'song' of songs, not 'songs' of songs). Scripture itself calls it the "Song of Songs, elevating it to the best song of all songs, and that it is written by Solomon. Solomon wrote a total of 1005 (!) songs (1 King 4:32). One can read this first verse as "this is the best song of all songs written by Solomon," or one can read this verse as "this a the best song of all songs, written by Solomon." (The use of a comma makes a difference).
Traditional approach:
In the Hebrew tradition, Song of Songs is read (sung) at Passover, remembering Israel’s betrothal to Jehovah (Hos 2:14–20). This is an allegorical approach to the song. Similarly, the Christian tradition reads in this song the church's betrothal to Jesus. The following analysis is the grammatical historical approach.
Who are the main characters in this play?
The bride (solo): She is the daughter of a prince (7:1) from Shulem (6:13).
The groom (solo): This is king Solomon himself (3:6-11; 8:10-14).
The daughters of Jerusalem (chorus): These are Solomon's wives. There are several passages that confirm this:
Story line:
The betrothed and her beloved long for one another (Song ch 1–2), to be united at his coming (ch 3) and are looking forward to the consummation of their marriage (ch 4). But when the time has come to be united (4:16–5:1), and her beloved had prepared their wedding feast (5:1) there is a dramatic turn. Solomon came to her door (5:2) but she was naked and not ready (5:3). By the time she could answer and opened the door, her beloved was gone (5:5–6). She called and searched for him, but the watchmen found and offended her; uncovered her veil and wounded her (5:7). She turns to his wives and asks them to tell him that she is lovesick (5:8) and they ask her why he is so special to her, that they help her (5:9–6:1). They test her love for their husband before they help her to their husband. The king expressed how 'special' she is among his wives (6:4–9), and they called her blessed and praised her (6:9–10). The betrothed and her beloved still love one another (ch 7). He looks forward to uncovering her bridal veil (6:8). While Solomon is away for a while having leased his vineyard to keepers (8:11), the bride waits for his return and their marriage, allowing marital intimacy (8:1): “Make haste, my beloved” (8:14).
Interesting details:
(1:4/5) Looking at the Hebrew text (use of person and number) we can identify who is speaking to whom:
(1:8-11) The king declares his love for the bride, telling her she is a beauty among women (not the most beautiful of all women). The king says that her cheeks and neck look beautiful with jewelry. In response, the wives offer their help to the bride "we will make you ornaments of gold with studs of silver."
We see how the king's wives welcome the bride, are happy for her, and help her to be most attractive to their husband. But the bride herself still has to learn what it means to be one of the king's many wives. She claims: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). But after her troubled night, and having become dependent on her future sister-wives for help, she starts to change her view, but still claims the husband as her own, saying: "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (6:3). She correctly changes the order (she being his' in the first place), but still claims him as her own (or her's). When the king declares his love for her (6:4-7), while he has 140 wives and virgins without number (6:8), and that she is 'unique' in her own way and that the other wives praise her (6:9), and that his desire is for her (6:13; 7:1-9), she learns what it means to be one of her husband's many wives, saying: "I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me" (7:10).
Song of Songs is a play with chorus and solos. Like a musical. It is the story of a bride who is to be married to the king, but she has to learn what it means to be one of the king’s wives.
Title attribution:
(1:1) The Hebrew title "Song of Songs" is derived from the first verse of the book. The entire content is one song (contrary to some critics claim, it is called 'song' of songs, not 'songs' of songs). Scripture itself calls it the "Song of Songs, elevating it to the best song of all songs, and that it is written by Solomon. Solomon wrote a total of 1005 (!) songs (1 King 4:32). One can read this first verse as "this is the best song of all songs written by Solomon," or one can read this verse as "this a the best song of all songs, written by Solomon." (The use of a comma makes a difference).
Traditional approach:
In the Hebrew tradition, Song of Songs is read (sung) at Passover, remembering Israel’s betrothal to Jehovah (Hos 2:14–20). This is an allegorical approach to the song. Similarly, the Christian tradition reads in this song the church's betrothal to Jesus. The following analysis is the grammatical historical approach.
Who are the main characters in this play?
The bride (solo): She is the daughter of a prince (7:1) from Shulem (6:13).
The groom (solo): This is king Solomon himself (3:6-11; 8:10-14).
The daughters of Jerusalem (chorus): These are Solomon's wives. There are several passages that confirm this:
(6:9) the last two lines are what is called synonymous parallelism in which the second line repeats the first by using synonyms. The first line refers to the 'daughters' who call the bride 'blessed' and the second line repeats it, saying that the 'queens and concubines' who 'praised' the bride. Notice here that in 6:8, there is a mention of 60 queens, 80 concubines, and virgins without number. In the last lines of verse 9, the virgins are not included. The daughters of Jerusalem are the king's 140 wives.
(2:7; 3:5; 8:4) the bride pleads with the daughters not to arouse Solomon's love, but rather save it for the appointed time (the bride's wedding night, the focal point of all the anticipation in this song).
(2:7; 3:5; 8:4) the bride pleads with the daughters not to arouse Solomon's love, but rather save it for the appointed time (the bride's wedding night, the focal point of all the anticipation in this song).
NOTE: The daughters of Jerusalem must not be confused with "the daughters of Zion" (3:11), which are the female citizens of the city of Jerusalem (c.f. Isa 3:16-17; 4:4). In other books the term "Daughters of Jerusalem" may have a different meaning, depending on the context. In this book, it is clear that there is a distinction between the daughters of Jerusalem and of Zion, in which the first know the king intimately.
Story line:
The betrothed and her beloved long for one another (Song ch 1–2), to be united at his coming (ch 3) and are looking forward to the consummation of their marriage (ch 4). But when the time has come to be united (4:16–5:1), and her beloved had prepared their wedding feast (5:1) there is a dramatic turn. Solomon came to her door (5:2) but she was naked and not ready (5:3). By the time she could answer and opened the door, her beloved was gone (5:5–6). She called and searched for him, but the watchmen found and offended her; uncovered her veil and wounded her (5:7). She turns to his wives and asks them to tell him that she is lovesick (5:8) and they ask her why he is so special to her, that they help her (5:9–6:1). They test her love for their husband before they help her to their husband. The king expressed how 'special' she is among his wives (6:4–9), and they called her blessed and praised her (6:9–10). The betrothed and her beloved still love one another (ch 7). He looks forward to uncovering her bridal veil (6:8). While Solomon is away for a while having leased his vineyard to keepers (8:11), the bride waits for his return and their marriage, allowing marital intimacy (8:1): “Make haste, my beloved” (8:14).
Interesting details:
(1:4/5) Looking at the Hebrew text (use of person and number) we can identify who is speaking to whom:
The bride:
"The king has brought me into his chambers.
The king's wives to the bride:
"We will be glad and rejoice in you."
The king's wives to the king:
"We will remember your lovemaking more than wine."
The bride to the king:
"Rightly do they love you."
(In the third line, the wives refer to their husbands 'lovemaking'. In the Hebrew, this word is a noun, which can be translated as beloved or uncle, lover (lots of use in Song of Songs), or lovemaking (see Prov 7:18; Ez 16:8; 23:17). This is different from the verb "love" in the fourth line. In the second line, the wives rejoice in the bride. They are happy for her, because they know the lovemaking of their husband as something more ecstatic and pleasuring than wine .)
(1:8-11) The king declares his love for the bride, telling her she is a beauty among women (not the most beautiful of all women). The king says that her cheeks and neck look beautiful with jewelry. In response, the wives offer their help to the bride "we will make you ornaments of gold with studs of silver."
We see how the king's wives welcome the bride, are happy for her, and help her to be most attractive to their husband. But the bride herself still has to learn what it means to be one of the king's many wives. She claims: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). But after her troubled night, and having become dependent on her future sister-wives for help, she starts to change her view, but still claims the husband as her own, saying: "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (6:3). She correctly changes the order (she being his' in the first place), but still claims him as her own (or her's). When the king declares his love for her (6:4-7), while he has 140 wives and virgins without number (6:8), and that she is 'unique' in her own way and that the other wives praise her (6:9), and that his desire is for her (6:13; 7:1-9), she learns what it means to be one of her husband's many wives, saying: "I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me" (7:10).
