Do you know why the Book of Songs is considered a poem? Get to know the beauty expressed by its lines, exalting above all love
Book of Songs
El Book of Songs of Solomon or as others call them "The songs of Solomon" is a canonical book belonging to the Old Testament, it deals with pure love in a woman and a man.
It is a biblical book with a poetic literary genre. Solomon highlights the beauty and purity of that love that borders on the sacred. This relationship is compared to the relationship of the Lord and his church. The main idea of this book is the story of the love between the husband (who would represent King Solomon) and his wife. His intention is to reaffirm the sanctity of marriage and compare it with the Lord's love for his people and church.
According to the approaches made by specialists in literature, the treatment that Solomon gives to this story has no poetic opponent. During the development of the book, it can be seen how Solomon frequently resorts to changing the setting and characters. This resource makes it difficult to understand reading it.
The interpretation that some have given to the singing of songs is the relationship that Jesus has with his church, who in some biblical passages is identified as his bride. For others, it is about Maria. However, of these perspectives, the one that has gained the greatest strength is the relationship between Jesus and his church.
Ephesians 5: 27
27 that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5: 32
32 Great is this mystery; but I say this concerning Christ and the church.
Etymology
The name of this poetic book, song of songs, comes from the Hebrew שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים, Shir Hashirim, and its translation means "the song par excellence" or "the most beautiful of songs". As noted above, the book deals with the pure and sacred love between a man and a woman, who express their love through poems full of metaphors and images.
Author and date of song of songs
By scrutinizing the scriptures we can see in the book 1 Samuel 4:32 we can identify the author of the song of songs. If we read the whole context we know that it is about Solomon. As this king asked the Lord for wisdom to guide his people. Likewise, he is credited with the authorship of five thousand songs, in addition to Ecclesiastes and the book of Proverbs.
1 Samuel 4: 32
32 And he composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
Song of Solomon 1:1
Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
As for the date of writing, this poetic book is roughly considered to have been written in the XNUMXth century BC.
In the Christian, Catholic Bible we can find these songs of songs between the book of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.
center verse
When reading the song of songs we can appreciate that it deals with the pure, faithful, true and even sacred love of a marriage. The verse that encloses all these qualities is:
Songs 6.3
3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine;
He feeds among the lilies.
Contents of the Book of Song of Songs
To study the content of the book of songs of songs, it is necessary to touch three aspects such as the structure, the scheme and the content itself.
Modular
Currently, the Christian and/or Catholic Bible contains eight chapters of the song of songs. This structure is the one that has gained the greatest strength in the Christian world.
Scheme
To study the book of the song of songs, it is necessary to take into consideration the five sections, as well as the five songs. In addition to considering the six scenes that will be found in the seven poems that are translated into twenty-three songs.
To summarize, we present the sections that are currently most applicable to the study of this poetic book.
As you will appreciate, it is made up of a prologue, five beautiful poems and two appendices, which are structured as follows:
- The prologue (1, 2-4)
- First song (1 – 5)
- Second chant (2, 8 – 3, 5)
- Third canto (3, 6 – 5, 1)
- Fourth canto (5, 2 – 6, 3)
- Fifth canto (6, 4 – 8, 7)
- There are two appendices added later (8, 8-14)
general content
The general content of the song of songs deals with God's view of love within a marriage. The purity and beauty of love between a husband and his wife stand out in the songs. They enhance the principles of male loyalty to women and vice versa. This perspective is from Genesis 2:24.
Genesis 2:24
24 Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
In its content, the story focuses on two main characters, King Solomon (Song 1:4, 12; 3:9, 11; 7:5) and the young Shulamite (Song 6:13). The historical context of the book is when Solomon ascended the throne of David in 971 BC. He falls in love with this young girl as soon as he assumes her reign.
As we have noticed, this song highlights the purity and beauty of love in a marriage. It highlights the principles of loyalty and fidelity of both.
Despite this wisdom and convictions of Solomon we know that he turned away from this way of life. He led a promiscuous life. However, after the journey of his life, when analyzing his experiences, he knew that this life was only vanity and he concludes:
Ecclesiastes 9:9
9 Enjoy life with the woman you love, all the days of the life of your vanity that are given to you under the sun, all the days of your vanity; because this is your part in life, and in your work with which you toil under the sun.
The literary resources that Solomon uses are the description, the dialogue and he develops his narrative in stanzas and images.
Among the five books that the Jews read on their annual festivals, this is the first that they read, especially on the Feast of Passover.
During all the songs we can appreciate that the central axis of the song of songs is the love between a man and a woman, expressed in the field, in the midst of the flock of shepherds (Song of 1:8), as well as in the midst of the vineyards, houses and gardens (Song 1:16; 2:4; 7:12) or in the city (Song 3:2).
The words between lovers and their actions are determined by the impulse of love that exists between them.
We can appreciate that in addition to the young man, the maiden also expresses her emotions and feelings (Song 8:14 and 1:2, 4). There is no doubt that these songs seek to highlight the beauty and purity of human love. However, this idea is dismissed by both Jews and Christians (Song 8:14; 1:2-4).
To understand a little more about this Book, we invite you to watch the following video
Interpretations
As we have previously noted, the idea of considering as a central theme highlighting the beauty and purity of human love is a meaning that has been discarded by both Jews and Christians.
For these groups the reason is simple. Such a sacred book with the Bible cannot contain profane songs exclusively dedicated to highlighting the carnal passions of a man and a woman.
The Word of God warns that the carnal and the spiritual are opposed to each other. Therefore, this book is a symbol of God's love for his people, as well as for his Church (Galatians 5:17).
pure love in marriage
The song of songs can be seen from the perspective of pure, faithful, honest love that should exist in a marriage. Well, since the creation of the world God has given importance to marriage as a sacred institution.
Within God's divine plan is love between a man and a woman. We can see in the passage of the Word of God how God is giving relevance to love within marriage. If you want to know tips that help us within this institution, we invite you to enter the following link advice for christian marriages
Likewise, it has been a book associated with weddings that used to take place in the context where the book was written. During these celebrations the bride and groom sang songs of love and joy (Jeremiah 33:11). Since ancient times, weddings have lasted seven days. An example is the length of the wedding between Jacob and Leah:
Jeremías 25: 10
10 And I will make the voice of joy and the voice of joy disappear from among them, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, noise of mill and light of lamp.
Genesis 29: 27-28
27 Fulfill the week of this one, and the other will be given to you also, for the service you do with me another seven years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled the week of that one; and he gave Rachel her daughter to wife.
Judges 14:12
12 And Samson said to them: I will now propose a riddle to you, and if in the seven days of the banquet you tell me and decipher it, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festive garments.
In the context of pure love in a couple, unbreakable, faithful love between the spouses prevails over carnal passions and therefore the commitment that both have assumed (Proverbs 15:-19).
God's love for his people
Another interpretation that has been given to this book is the love of God for his people. When searching the Old Testament we find biblical passages that address this theme.
Likewise, when we review the New Testament we find the love that Jesus professes for his church. From this perspective, the book of song of songs has been taken as a metaphor or parable of the love of God for his people Israel, of the Lord Jesus for his church and even of the church towards Jesus (Ezekiel 16:6-14; Ephesians 2:22-23: Revelation 22:1).
Jeremiah 2: 1-3
The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the Lord: I have remembered you, the faithfulness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you followed me in the desert, in a land not sown.
3 Holy was Israel to the Lord, the firstfruits of his new fruits. All who devoured him were guilty; evil was coming upon them, saith the Lord.
No evidence exists for such interpretations, but the language that occurs in the Bible is symbolic. The meaning is not of human interpretation. Therefore, when considering the love between a man and a woman, it is easy to deduce that it is about the love of Jesus for his bride the church.
Summary of the book song of songs
The song of songs begins before the wedding takes place. The bride-to-be wants to be with her future husband and she dreams of the moment when they will be together in intimacy.
However, she knows and advises the need for love to develop naturally and it is her time. On the other hand, the king praises the beauty of the Shulammite maiden, who she definitely overcomes her insecurities regarding her physical appearance.
The young maiden dreams that she loses Solomon and in her desperate search she resorts to the city guards who help her. Finding her beloved, she unhesitatingly clings to him. She decides to take him to a place where they will be safe.
When he wakes up from this cumbersome dream, he insists that love must be allowed to develop naturally and never forced.
When the wedding night arrives, her young lover once again highlights the beauty of his bride. Salomón resorts to a language loaded with symbolism, where he expresses the desires of her wife by inviting her husband in what she can offer him.
God blesses their union and they become one flesh.
As time goes by, the spouses mature in their relationship. The marriage goes through difficult tests that are described in another dream.
The Shulamite again when dreaming rejects her beloved husband and he abandons her in the face of this contempt. Burdened with remorse and guilt, she is eager to find him, desperately looking for him in the city. This time her guards do not help her, but rather mistreat her.
Upon meeting both, husband and wife, they reconcile.
Finally, when the spouses meet, they are confident in their feelings. They know that their pure and faithful love is safe. They raise songs to celebrate their true love and do not doubt their desire to be together forever.
Outline of the Book of Songs
The book of songs is characterized by being a moving book that narrates the drama of a couple's love. The story is narrated in the poetic form of the dialogue between the young man (King Solomon) and the woman (the Shulammite).
Throughout the book, the feelings that exist between the two are described in their most intimate details. Their intention was to stay together forever. The dialogues deal with the issues that occur within a marriage from a divine perspective.
As we have noticed throughout the article, there have been several interpretations that have been given to these songs. Some affirm that it is about the pure and sincere love that there should be in a marriage. How should the relationship between the couple evolve?
Others defend the idea that it is about God's love for Israel and his church. However, the wisdom and secret of God are infinite. For both themes, the song of songs is applicable for addressing these issues in the preaching of the church.
From the first perspective, dating, taking care to remain pure until marriage and life as a couple could be addressed. On the other hand, one can speak of the love and fidelity of God with his people and his Church until the Marriage of the Lamb takes place. It only remains to ask the Holy Spirit for direction in order to preach on these aspects.
Outline of the Book of Songs
- Wedding day (Song 1:1 to 2:7)
- Remembrance of courtship (Song 2:8 to 3:5)
- Remembrance of the commitment (Song 3:6 to 5:1)
- The restless sleep (Song 5:2 to 6:3)
- Praise of the beauty of the bride (Song 6:4 to 7:9)
- The tender plea of the wife (Song 7:9 to 8:4)
- The power of love (Song 8:5 to 14)
Practical application of the Book of Songs
Today society has developed a misconception of what marriage means as a sacred institution. We can see how families disintegrate and couples divorce easily.
New visions of how to form a marriage have emerged contradicting what the Bible establishes. Male and female he created them. These new perspectives are contrary to the book of song of songs.
From the point of view of this biblical book, marriage is about being enjoyed, celebrated and revered. In this sense, the Bible offers us some practices that we must implement in our marriage in order to strengthen them. Between them:
It is important that daily time is given to the husband or wife. Let that time be dedicated to getting to know each other.
Likewise, it is important that in the relationship the couple is praised, encouraged in the projects of the couple and their marriage relationship.
The couple should enjoy each other. For this it is recommended that some meetings are planned alone. It is important that they are creative, detailed and even playful. In other words, revel in God's gift of the love of marriage.
Another application that arises from this book is that the commitment to the wife or husband is reaffirmed. One gesture is the renewal of marriage vows.
The word divorce should not have a place in your marriage. God's will is that love within marriage be safe and peaceful.
