Pathways through the Bible: Classic Selections from the Tanakh (Third Edition)

The Song of Songs

The Song of Songs Cc The Song of Songs, also called “The Song of Solomon,” is a collection of love lyrics of sheer beauty—tender and exquisite. We walk amidst country scenes where doves hide in the clefts of the rocks, gazelles leap over the hills, trees are clad in varied foliage, and flowers with bright colors and richly scented perfumes are everywhere. The golden sun of the Land of Israel plays over the landscape, and the gentle breezes of spring blow across green meadows and fields. There are two opinions about the Song of Songs. One holds that it is a poetic drama about a country maiden from the village of Shulem, betrothed to a handsome shepherd lad. She is led away by King Solomon to become the favorite of his palace in Jerusalem. The king is in love with her, and woos her with warm feelings . But, the beautiful Shulammite rejects his love and remains faithful to her beloved. The king, unsuccessful in his wooing, restores her to her country lover. And, in the end, the two young lovers are united. The other opinion considers the Song of Songs to be a collection of love and wedding songs sung during the seven-day marriage festivities customary among the ancient Israelites. Even today this custom is practiced by the Arabs of the Land of Israel. The bride and bridegroom are seated upon a make-believe throne and are greeted as king and queen by singers and guests. The bridegroom is extravagantly praised for his manliness, the bride for her charm and beauty. King Solomon, who had composed 1,005 songs (1 Kings 5.12), was, according to tradition, the author of the Song of Songs. He was seen as the most magnificent of all kings. And the Shulammite or Shunammite woman (1 Kings 1.3) was said to be the loveliest of all young women. Hence, whenever men and women married, all bridegrooms were compared to King Solomon, and all brides to the Shulammite. How did such a collection of poems in praise of human love win its ■ 447 ■ way into the Bible? By being explained as an allegory, that is, a story whose language seems to represent one thing, but really means another. The Beloved, in the Song of Songs, represents God; and the Shulammite bride is Israel. The king is the symbol of worldly temptation who sought to lure her away from her faithful Beloved, but without success. Thus, the allegory tells of God’s deep love for Israel, and of Israel’s faithfulness to God, and praises the power of true love to resist the allurement of worldly splendor. Read in this way, we can understand why one of Israel’s greatest sages said: “The whole world does not outweigh the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel; all the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is holiest of them all.” As an allegory, the Song of Songs came to be read while ushering in each Sabbath, and on Pesah . both in synagogues and at the seder table. Its description of springtime, when nature’s awakening brings hope and cheer, symbolizes the spirit of the Festival of Freedom. 448 ■ Pathways Through the Bible 1. LOVE IN SPRINGTIME The beautiful Shulammite is unhappy in the palace of the king. She tells her companions about her beloved, whom she vividly describes as coming for her in the springtime. THE SONG OF SONGS, BY SOLOMON. Hark! My beloved! There he comes, Leaping over mountains, Bounding over hills. My beloved is like a gazelle Or like a young stag. There he stands behind our wall, Gazing through the window, Peering through the lattice. My beloved spoke thus to me, “Arise, my darling; My fair one, come away! For now the winter is past, The rains are over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, The time of pruning has come; The song of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The green figs form on the fig tree, The vines in blossom give off fragrance. Arise, my darling; My fair one, come away! “O my dove, in the cranny of the rocks, Hidden by the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet And your face is comely.” (Song of Songs 1.1; 2.8–14) The Writings: The Song of Songs...