Arguably the book that I dreaded the most, Songs of Solomon are…one of a kind.
You could compare them to any 90’s R&B song, with equal parts excellent melody and horrifying lyrics.
You could compare them to a Shakespeare sonnet, though I would argue Shakespeare was a little less direct and forefront about his intentions.
The 8 verses of the Song of Solomon are, in fact, a poem of love in the ancient world. Considering I just compared them to a 90’s R&B song, you can probably use that brain of yours to guess what *kind* of love song it is.
Let’s get into it…
A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Sol had a million wives, so he was (?) very wise on this subject.
Or was he? He had a million wives so I would say he was the LEAST wise, but that’s just the Rev. Dr.’s opinion.
Quick Snippet with the Rev. Dr.: It was an incredibly common thing in the ancient world to have too many spouses. This fact is what normally fuels the polyamorist and the polygamist in their arguments. Here’s the deal though: if we had a whole book about Sol jumping off a cliff, would you do that too? Exactly.
It can be argued, like every book in the Bible, “did he actually write this?” Some say that it wasn't Sol and that it was actually someone mocking him (because of his many wives and all that). This kind of makes sense if you read it and notice how each verse is suppose to be from the perspective of different people. This concept turns it into a funny play, almost Monty Python style, which I can’t say I hate. May even make reading it more fun if you think of it that way.
BUT, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter especially for this book. I don’t know a single person who reads this one for fun or considers it their favorite book of the Bible.
Actually…I’m going to be bold here: if you are dating someone and they say their favorite book is Song of Solomon, it’s a red flag. RUN.
- One of the major themes is that marriage is a gift from God.
There are many things that are to be done solely within the confines of marriage. Companionship, yelling at your spouse for eating your leftovers, intimacy, yelling at your spouse for using too much hot water…
Marriage can be a beautiful thing.
Now, I love my marriage, but would I ever write something like this in honor of my husband? Absolutely *censored* NOT.
This idea, that marriage was/is sacred, is one shared with the entirety of the ancient Near East, hence many writings existing that include poetry excerpts all having to do with love.
An Egyptian poem from the 20th dynasty is talking about taking someone on a date in an orchard and says:
“The tree is making sense, we should keep it flattered, so it will be content spending the whole day with us in its shelter.” (“The Orchard” from the Turin Papyrus)
Another example would be this Babylonian poem from the eighteenth century (BC) that says:
My beloved knows my heart, My beloved is sweet as honey. She is as fragrant to the nose as the wine, the fruit of my feelings. (The Shoyen Collection, MS 2866)
*aw* How nice!
- Another theme: purity is cool.
Diving back into the “intimacy” part of the last theme, you know where this is leading.
This book has the sole purpose of why purity is cool. It gives you an inside look at a marriage and shows you what you have to look forward to. In the ancient world, I think reading this really gave some perspective.
However…it makes me, and any Christian with a head on their shoulders, cringe a bit today. Sorry to Sol. He meant well…probably.
A+ for effort though.
- Do not, for the love of God, listen to it on audiobook.
‘Nough said.
- And finally, do not split it up into tiny pieces.
Read it all at once to get it over with.
Now, please don’t go into this thinking “oh my gosh, this is going to suck” because that isn’t necessarily true.
It is a song about love, yes, but it also has many poetic elements that are sweet. You wouldn’t read one verse a day from Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken…you’d read it all at once.
At the end of the day, it’s a poem about love and that’s it. Suck it up and read it. If you enjoy it, nod. If you hated it, move on with your life.
That’s the gist of it. Not so bad, right?
Go read with confidence. Thanks for being here.
