Song of Solomon

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Tanakh
Torah | Nevi'im | Ketuvim
Books of Ketuvim
Three Poetic Books
1. Psalms
2. Proverbs
3. Job
Five Megillot
4. Song of Songs
5. Ruth
6. Lamentations
7. Ecclesiastes
8. Esther
Other Books
9. Daniel
10. Ezra-Nehemiah
11. Chronicles
Books of the Old Testament
(For details see Biblical canon)
Hebrew Bible or Tanakh
Common to Judaism
and Christianity
Included by Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but excluded by Jews, Protestants, and other Christian denominations:
Included by Orthodox (Synod of Jerusalem):
Included by Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox:
Included by Ethiopian Orthodox:
Included by Syriac Peshitta Bible:
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The Song of Solomon or Song of Songs (Hebrew title שיר השירים, Shir ha-Shirim) is a book of the Hebrew Bible—Tanakh or Old Testament—one of the five megillot (scrolls). According to Ashkenazi tradition, it is read on the Sabbath that falls during the intermediate days of Passover. In the Sephardi Jewish community it is recited every Friday night. It is known as Asma in the Septuagint, which is short for aisma asmaton, "Song of Songs" in Greek.[1] Likewise it is known as "Canticles", shortened and anglicized from the Vulgate Canticum Canticorum, which is "Song of Songs" in Latin.[1]

The Song of Songs is a collection of love poems historically frequently believed to be symbolic, on the grounds of explicit metaphors for the relationship of God and Israel as husband and wife in the Hebrew Bible.[2] Literally in the Song, however, the main characters are simply a woman and a man, and the poem suggests movement from courtship to consummation.

The Song of Songs is one of the shortest books in the Bible, consisting of only 117 verses. [3]

Contents

[edit] Title

The name of the book comes from the first verse, "The Song of songs, by Solomon."

"Song of songs" is a Hebrew idiom using the same grammatical construction as "holy of holies". This kind of repetition denotes the superlative; that is, the title "song of songs" attests to the greatness of the song. Rabbi Akiba declared, "Heaven forbid that any man in Israel ever disputed that the Song of Songs is holy. For the whole world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the Writings are holy and the Song of Songs is holy of holies. (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5). Similarly, Martin Luther called it das Hohelied (the high song).[2] This is still its name in German.

Some interpret the Hebrew construction differently, a song of several songs, and argue for a degree of independence between sections within the Song.

[edit] Authorship

Some people translate the first clause of the title as "which is of Solomon," meaning that the book is authored by Solomon. Rabbi Hiyya the Great said Solomon first wrote Proverbs, then The Song of Songs, and afterward Ecclesiastes. Rabbi Jonathan said Solomon first wrote The Song of Songs, then Proverbs, then Ecclesiastes. The Talmud, however, states the order of the canon, listing Proverbs first, then Ecclesiastes, and then The Song of Songs.

Others translate the first clause as "which is for Solomon," meaning that the book is dedicated to Solomon. It was common practice in ancient times for an anonymous writer seeking recognition for his work to write eponymously in the name of someone more famous. Some read the book as contrasting the nobility of monogamous love with the debased nature of promiscuous love, and suggest that the book is actually a veiled criticism of Solomon, who, according to 1 Kings 11:3, had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines[3].

Another approach to the authorship is that offered by Rashi [4], consistent with allegorical interpretations, rendering the narrator "he to whom peace belongs", i.e: God. The Hebrew name of Solomon, shlomo, can also be inflected to mean the constructed form of the noun shalom, peace, which through noun declension can be possessive [5]. This means that the author is in fact Solomon, but he narrates the book from the perspective of God, who is conversing with the Jewish people, his allegorical bride.

[edit] Characters

The text, read without allegory as a celebration of sexual love, alternates between the speeches of a woman and her lover. A series of antiphonal remarks are provided by the "daughters of Jerusalem." The woman's brothers have a few lines near the conclusion of the Song. Most scholars also see some verses as the voice of a narrator.

Scholars vary in their views regarding authorship and composition of the Song. A female writer, a series of editors, or a male writer, other than Solomon, are all popular alternatives. Some have suggested the Song is composed from a collection of originally more independent poetry.

The majority of scholars who believe that Solomon was the author of the work hold that the woman addressed in the Song is his wife Pharaoh's daughter, who is first mentioned at 1 Kings 3:1. One of the points cited for this is the passage at Song 1:9 that states "I have compared thee, O my love, to a steed in Pharaoh's chariots." At Song 1:5 she is reported to say "I am black" and at Song 4:8-12 the woman is described as "my bride".

[edit] Interpretation and use

Although it is commonly held that an allegorical interpretation justified its inclusion in the Biblical canon, scholarly discussion hasn't reached any consensus yet and leaves other possibilities open. [4] According to Jewish tradition in the Midrash and the Targum, it is an allegory of God's love for the Children of Israel. In keeping with this understanding, it is read by Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews on Sabbath eve, to symbolize the love between the Jewish People and God that is also represented by Sabbath. Most traditional Jews also read the book on the Sabbath of Chol HaMoed of Passover, or on the seventh day of the holiday, when the Song of the Sea is also read.

In a Christian tradition that began with Origen, the Song is regarded as an allegory of the relationship of Christ and the Church, or else Christ and the individual believer (see the Sermons on the Song of Songs by Bernard of Clairvaux). This type of allegorical interpretation was applied later to even passing details in parables of Jesus. It is also heavily used in Sufi poetry.

Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) of 2006 refers to the Song of Songs in both its literal and allegorical meaning, stating that erotic love (eros) and self-donating love (agape) is shown there as the two halves of true love, which is both giving and receiving.

The Song of Solomon is not quoted by New Testament writers, but is possibly alluded to on a number of occasions.

(Compare Ps. 45; Isa. 54:4-6; 62:4, 5; Jer. 2:2; 3:1, 20; Ezek. 16; Hos. 2:16, 19, 20. Compare also Matt. 9:15; John 3:29; Eph. 5:23, 27, 29; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2, 9; 22:17.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement, does not recognize the Song of Solomon as authoritative [6], although it is included in the Church's canon and printed in Church-published copies of the Bible.

[edit] References to Song of Solomon in Art, literature, and music

  • Karen Young made an album, with the Latin title of this book, Canticum Canticorum (also known as Oratorio), with 20 songs that covers the whole book. The choregraphy from Canadian dancer Gioconda Barbuto evocating the Song of Solomon based on this album was captured on a film by Pepita Ferrari.
  • Black Madonnas illustrate a line in the Song of Songs 1:5: "I am black, but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem ..." This is inscribed in Latin on some: Nigra sum sed formosa.
  • Kate Bush wrote a song called The Song Of Solomon which appears on her 1993 album The Red Shoes and contains some lines from The Song Of Solomon: 'Comfort me with apples for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me this is the song of solomon.'
  • The 2005 British film Keeping Mum features selected phrases of the Song of Solomon at an important moment of the story.
  • Israeli musician Idan Raichel wrote a song, called Hinach Yaffa, which is largely based on the Song of Songs.
  • The title of the Madline L'Engle novel Many Waters is based on Song of Solomon 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man were to give all his wealth for love, it would be utterly scorned."
  • The title of indie rock band mewithoutYou's album "Catch for Us the Foxes" is taken from the Song of Solomon.
  • Flos Campi by the English composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams is based on the Song of Solomon.
  • The title of melodic metalcore band Killswitch Engage's song "Rose of Sharyn" is a reference to "the rose of Sharon" mentioned in Song of Solomon 2:1.
  • One of Toni Morrison's famous novels is called Song of Solomon
  • Also used in the British film ZARDOZ, a John Boorman film, "and the voice of the turtle was heard in the land".

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rahlfs (ed.), Septuaginta, Volume 2, (Stuttgart: de:Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1979), p. 260.
  2. ^ http://www.schechter.org.il/iyounei_chabate.asp?id=61
  3. ^ http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/barminjon_cantata1_jan06.asp
  4. ^ Garrett, Duane A. Song of Songs. Word Biblical Commentary 23B. Nashville: Nelson, 2004, 15.

[edit] External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Jewish translations and commentary:

Christian translations and commentary:

Music for the Song of Solomon:

Movies that refer to or quote from the Song of Solomon:

[edit] Literature

  • Garrett, Duane A. Song of Songs. Word Biblical Commentary 23B. Nashville: Nelson, 2004.
  • Pope, Marvin H. Song of Songs: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Anchor Bible 7C. 2 volumes. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1977.

This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.

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