SONG OF SONGS, primer

SONG OF SONGS

Why is ancient love poetry included in the Holy Scriptures?
Read this book that describes love as being “more powerful than death.”


What Makes Song of Songs Special
The title of this book means “the most beautiful of songs,” and in some translations it is called “The Song of Solomon” (see 1:1). In the Jewish Scriptures, this book is found in the section known as “The Writings.” Why SONG OF SONGS was included in the Bible at all is a question that has prompted many debates among Jewish and Christian teachers for over two thousand years. Answers to this question have often been based on how the book is interpreted.

Why Was Song of Songs Written?
On the surface, SONG OF SONGS is love poetry that celebrates the love between a man and a woman. Some consider the book to be a unified poem written by one author, while others think it is a collection of love songs or poems put together by an editor. Some people think SONG OF SONGS is a drama, while some scholars point out that parts of the book are very much like ancient Mesopotamian marriage songs or old Egyptians love poems.

The poems seem only to provide a description of human love. But SONG OF SONGS tells of a God who is interested in the entirety of human experience, including love and sexuality. God in his wisdom spoke through the poet(s) to encourage us to celebrate the beauty of love and at the same time warn us of its power. The SONG OF SONGS affirms human love, intimate relationship, sensuality, and sexuality.

If the SONG OF SONGS is simply a collection of poems that express the powerful love that a woman and a man can have for each other, why is it included in the Bible? Jewish teachers said the book symbolized God’s love for the people of Israel. Many Christian interpreters came to a conclusion that SONG OF SONGS symbolizes the kind of relationship that Jesus Christ (the bridegroom) has with the church (the bride). With these interpretations, SONG OF SONGS gained acceptance as part of the Scripture.


Famous Verse: Song of Songs 8: 6 - 7
Always keep me in your heart
and wear this bracelet
to remember me by.
The passion of love
bursting into flame
is more powerful than death,
stronger than the grave.
Love cannot be drowned
by oceans or floods;
it cannot be bought,
no matter what is offered. (CEV)