Song of Songs—also known as Song of Solomon—is a very difficult book to interpret. It represents a unique genre expressed through poetry without any direct historical anchors.
While Solomon is mentioned seven times in four distinct sections of the song, he never speaks directly nor is he spoken to. This suggests the author wants readers to use Solomon’s historical legacy as a launching point for a discussion of marital love.
This can be parallelled with how David is used within the book of Psalms. Just as there are certain sections of the book of Psalms that lead the reader to reflect on David’s life as described in 1-2 Samuel, there are sections of Song of Songs that lead the reader to reflect on Solomon’s life found in 1 Kings.
For example, 1 Kings 1:10–2:9 and Song of Songs 1:1 relate to Solomon’s entrance, 1 Kings 2:12–10:29 and Song of Songs 1:5 and 3:3-11 relate to Solomon’s greatness, and 1 Kings 11:1-8 and Song of Songs 8:10-12 relate to Solomon’s condemnation.
Understanding certain features of Hebrew poetry then lays a foundation for dealing with the purpose of this paralleled connection.
Identifying a poetic referent
Hebrew poetry often compresses a thought as a metaphor, with the expectation the reader will work to identify the historical referent in a “familiar” text. For Song of Songs, the Old Testament canon contains the listing of “familiar” texts.
For example, Song of Songs 1:5 mentions the woman’s beauty is comparable to the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon. The tents of Kedar are mentioned in Psalm 120:5–6, but the Old Testament never mentions any “curtains of Solomon.”
Instead, the reader must infer these curtains are connected to the greatness of Solomon, since he took the ark of the covenant from its “curtains” (see 2 Samuel 7:2), placed it within the temple (see 1 Kings 8:1–11), and created buildings even greater than the temple (see 1 Kings 7:1–12).
Thus, in Song of Songs 1:3, the author pulls together a phrase from the book of Psalms in conjunction with some inferences from 2 Samuel and 1 Kings to signal the woman’s beauty.
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Identifying references is just the first step in seeking to deal with the metaphors found within Song of Songs. Each of these then need to be analyzed considering several other factors I don’t have space to list here.
Almost every modern commentary argues Song of Songs should be understood as a collection of erotic love poems. In various ways, they each provide compelling reasons for why Song of Songs is understood best considering ancient Egyptian love poems.
Still, scholars differ on how the poems of Song of Songs are related to each other and how this relates to the book’s overall message. I would recommend combining the insights of several scholars.
New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Song of Songs by Tremper Longman III
Tremper Longman III’s Song of Songs in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series provides a model for reading Song of Songs as an anthology of disparately connected songs.
Longman’s commentary is very accessible and thorough regarding every important technical and interpretative issue found in Song of Songs. He gives a very good argument for why Song of Songs 1:5 has nothing to do with the modern preoccupation with racism, given that many consider this when they read her saying she is “black and/but lovely.”
Also, Longman’s commentary keeps the ideal of monogamy in view throughout, which is not a frame of reference every commentator sees in Song of Songs.
Still, one fault of Longman’s commentary is he does not always focus on every aspect of the poetic line. In his comments on Song of Songs 1:5, Longman only explains the first part of the verse without really dealing with the second half that refers to Solomon’s curtains.
Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Song of Songs by Richard Hess
Richard Hess’s Song of Songs in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament series contrasts slightly with Longman’s view in that Hess sees Song of Songs as a unified whole that does not follow a structured story.
For Hess, there are some moments in Song of Songs that suggest monogamy is in view, but the focus is more on the nature of proper desire.
In relation to Song of Songs 1:5, Hess comments on all parts of the verse and explains how this entire section (Song of Songs 1:2–7) focuses on the five human senses. Hess highlights how 1:5 emphasizes sight. He then concludes his comments on the entire unit (Song 1:2–2:7) with a “Theological Implications” section. This is something entirely lacking in Longman’s commentary.
In all, Hess’s commentary is much more concise and structurally focused than Longman’s.
Story of God Bible Commentary: Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs by George Athas
George Athas’ Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs in the Story of God Bible Commentary series contrasts with both commentaries mentioned above.
Athas interprets Song of Songs as a unified collection that follows a storyline in the form of a drama—a ballad, to be precise. While Longman and Hess both argue against reading Song of Songs this way, Athas joins in with a host of early and medieval interpreters who identified a drama within Song of Songs. I also fall in this camp.
Athas notes Song of Songs is designed to be read repeatedly, just as one listens to their favorite song on repeat. He understands the reference to Solomon’s curtains in Song of Songs 1:5 to be related to the woman being held in one of Solomon’s chambers.
Final thoughts
In the end, each of these commentaries does well to help the reader understand how God’s design for erotic love helps one return to the paradise of Eden. They each point out how Song of Songs 7:10 reverses the curse pronounced in Genesis 3:16 through the common use of the word “desire” (teshûqâh) in the inverse syntactical order.
They also demonstrate Song of Songs should be treated similarly to the book of Revelation. Christians might not always agree on how to deal with every element of these books, but they always have agreed God’s good design for the world should lead us to honor him as Lord.
Ron Lindo Jr. is assistant professor of Christian ministry at East Texas Baptist University. He received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a specialization in Old Testament studies. He is the author of Literary Allusions in Esther, and he wrote “Introduction to Esther” in The Hebrew Scriptures. He is an active member at Mobberly Baptist Church. The views expressed in this resource article are those of the author.
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