SONG OF SOLOMON

1. SONG OF SOLOMON

2. The Hebrew name for the book is “The Song of Songs,” meaning that it is the best of all songs, presumably the best of out of the 1005 songs the Solomon wrote (1 Kgs. 4:32).

3. There are three main divisions in this book: • Before the marriage • The marriage itself • After the marriage.

4. Though this is a short book (only 117 verses), it has a large number of uncommon words. It contains 470 different Hebrew words (which is unusually high for this size of book). Of those words, 47 are unique to the book itself, 51 words occur in other parts of the Old Testament five times or less, 45 words occur between six and ten times, and an additional 27 words occur between eleven and twenty times. This leaves about 300 common words in the Song of Solomon. What compounds this problem is that there are only eighteen verses which include words that are all familiar to Hebrew experts.

5. Lloyd Carr notes concerning this point: In other words, more than one third of the words in the Song occur so infrequently that there is little context from which accurate meanings can be deduced, and two thirds of the verses of the Song have uncommon words. Hence, many of the proposals made in the various translations and commentaries are, at best, educated guesses; particularly in the case of those words which are unique to the Song, they may well be incorrect (Carr, The Song of Solomon, IVP, p. 41).

6. Some of the speakers you will see in this song, is the Bride sometimes called the Beloved or the Shulammite, The king also called her Beloved, and a chorus of palace ladies called, Daughters of Jerusalem and there are a few other people that are referred to as well.

7. Song of Solomon 6:8 There are sixty queens And eighty concubines, And virgins without number.

8. Proverbs 5:18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun,

9. The very first verse claims that he wrote it. Song of Solomon 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's. • The writer had an extensive knowledge and love for nature as used in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. • The writer had an accurate knowledge of the different places in Israel, which a king would certainly know well. • There are couple references to the king and that the king was Solomon (Song. 1:12; 3:6-11).

10. This is the only book of the Bible entirely made up of speeches, composed mostly of monologues with practically no dialogue. • There is a continued appreciation of the beauties of nature. Vines, vineyards, gardens, and orchards are mentioned at least twenty times in the book. • The name of God is never mentioned in the book.

11. 1. Some view it as drama. Origen (250 A.D.) was the first to suggest this view and some commentators think this might be the correct view.

12. Has definite beginning, middle and end; • Has logical progression to the story; • Clearly develops a theme and/or characters; • Provides technical information for the director, such as who is speaking and various stage directions

13. The text of the Song of Solomon must be radically changed to fit the criteria of a drama. • “Considerable experience in theatrical productions and direction has persuaded me that the Song, as it now stands, is unactable. It would be virtually impossible to stage effectively without major rewriting, and it lacks the dramatic impact to hold an audience” (Carr, The Song of Solomon, IVP, p. 34).

14. 2. The style of drama is unknown to Hebrew literature.

15. A second more popular way that people approach this book is that it is allegory or an extended metaphor used to teach deeper spiritual message.

16. After all the O.T. does call Israel God’s wife (Jer. 3:1; Ezek. 16; 31).

17. After all the church is called the bride of Christ (Mt. 9:15; Jn. 3:29; Eph. 5:23).

18. It strains the text. The book is too physically intimate to assume that it depicts Christ and the church’s relationship. Even though Eph. 5:23ff talks about “the bride of Christ” this book is simply too much on the intimate side to mean this in my opinion. • The book is never alluded to in the New Testament let alone applied to the church. It just seems logical if it was talking about the relationship of Jesus and His church that at least one inspired writer would have referred to it as being such. • Works that are allegorical usually give some indication or hint that they are allegories (cf. G. Lloyd Carr, The Song of Solomon, IVP, p. 23) but The Song of Solomon gives no indication that an allegory is being made.

19. The third approach to this book is the literal didactic moral view.

20. Walter notes: “The book then was intended as a commentary on Genesis 2:24 and a manual on the blessing and reward of intimate married love once Yahweh had lit the flame and given the capability of enjoyment” (Walter C. Kaiser,Toward an Old Testament Theology, Zondervan, 1978, p. 180).

21. Also notice Carr said about this: “A frequent Old Testament term for the sexual union of a man and a woman is the verb ‘know’ (e.g., Gen. 4:1, etc.). It is worthy to note that the most intimate knowledge of another person is not on the basis of intellectual exchange or the discussion of theological ideas, but in the intimate, sexual union of male and female. In this light it should not be considered obscene that at least one book of the Bible be dedicated to the celebration of one of the central realities of our creature hood. The song does celebrate the dignity and purity of human love. This is a fact that has not always been sufficiently stressed.

22. The Song, therefore, is didactic and moral in its purpose. It comes to us in this world of sin, where lust and passion are on every hand, where fierce temptations assail us and try to turn us aside from the God- given standard of marriage. And it reminds us, in particularly beautiful fashion, how pure and noble true love is.” (Carr, The Song of Solomon, IVP, p. 34).

23. 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

24. Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

25. Song of Solomon 8:4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

26. Chapter 1 The Bride’s love for the King. Mostly words of her own devotion, with brief replies by the King and Chorus. Chapter 2 The Bride’s delight in the King’s love. Mostly her own words spoken to herself about the King’s embraces. Chapter 3: 1-5 The Bride’s dream of her lover’s disappearance, and her joy of finding him again. Chapter 3: 6-11 The Bridal procession. Greetings, in the palace garden, of the nuptial chariot, and by the palace ladies. Chapter 4 The King adores his bride. She replies, inviting him to her garden of martial delights.

27. Chapter 5 Another dream of her lover’s disappearance, following their nuptial union; and her devotion to him. Chapter 6 The Shulammite is recognized by the king and the 140 beauties of the palace as being the loveliest among them. Chapter 7 Their mutual devotion, told each to the other in a profusion of spring-song metaphors. Chapter 8 The love unquenchable, and their union indissoluble; words partly from bride and partly from the chorus.

28. Song of Solomon 4:1 Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove's eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, Going down from Mount Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep Which have come up from the washing, Every one of which bears twins, And none is barren among them. 3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil Are like a piece of pomegranate. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men. 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.

29. 6 Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh And to the hill of frankincense. 7 You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, With me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards. 9 You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. 10 How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!

30. 11 Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed. 13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates With pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard, 14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, With all the chief spices -- 15 A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.

31. Song of Solomon 5:10 My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand. 11 His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set. 13 His cheeks are like a bed of spices, Banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, Dripping liquid myrrh. 14 His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl. His body is carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are pillars of marble Set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!