Keel interprets the “seal” on the heart of the lover as the woman herself (“set me as a seal”) and connects this to ANE beliefs about death-warding and life-giving amulets. The bride is the one who stands between death and chaos and her lover. That’s a stretch, . . . . Continue Reading »
Robert Jenson notes in his comments on the Song of Songs 8:1-2 that the lovers long for public recognition of their love. The bride wants to be able to kiss her lover in the street like a brother. Jensonn contrasts this to the contemporary claim that sex is a purely private matter . . . . Continue Reading »
Richard Davidson’s structural analysis of the Song is particularly helpful in showing the coherence of the last section of the Song, often viewed as a collection of disconnected fragments. 8:5-14 matches 1:2-2:7 in that both are arranged in seven speeches, alternating between female and . . . . Continue Reading »
Gordon Johnston’s aforementioned article reviews and evaluates a number of structural analyses of the Song. He doesn’t find any of the following persuasive, but they provide some helpful pointers to the shape of the Song. The Targum and many Jewish commentators see the Song as an . . . . Continue Reading »
In a 2006 Vetus Testamentum article, Hector Patmore takes aim at Michael Fox’s claims about strong parallels between the Song of Songs and Egyptian love lyrics. He points out that even Fox recognizes significant differences: Egyptian love poems are monologues not dialogs (reminds me of . . . . Continue Reading »
All three-character versions play with smoke and mirrors to create the illusion of a love triangle. Nowhere does the Song have a poem in which more than two main characters appear or speak. The only direct mention of a shepherd figure occurs in 1:7–8, but this is hardly adequate to create a . . . . Continue Reading »
Song of Songs 7:11-12 contains a neat little allegory of redemptive history. It begins with an invitation from the bride to the lover to “lodge the night” in the field. The NASB’s “in the villages” in 7:11 might be translated “in the coverings,” . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh breathed into Adam’s nostrils and he became a living soul. According to the Song, it’s the fruity breath of the beloved that enlivens the lover (7:8). Keel notes that apples were considered an aphrodisiac in the ancient world. Soul is desire in Scripture. Having . . . . Continue Reading »
Song of Songs 7 contains a number of references to the conquest. The bride’s eyes are like “pools in Heshbon” (7:4), and Heshbon is the capital city of Sihon of the Amorites (Numbers 21:26), who was one of the first kings conquered by the Hebrews as they came to the . . . . Continue Reading »
The romantic approach in the Song of Songs mimics the liturgical approach of Bride Israel to her Husband in sacrificial worship. She is spiced and fragrant, so the King can delight in her aroma. He inspects her and finds her “flawless” (4:7), and draws her near to taste her . . . . Continue Reading »
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