Reflections on Song of Solomon 1

 

Song of Solomon 01 (Contemporary English Version)


1. This is Solomon's most beautiful song.
   
2. Kiss me tenderly! Your love is better than wine,
   
3. and you smell so sweet. All the young women adore you; the very mention of your name is like spreading perfume. *
   
4. Hurry, my king! Let's hurry.
   
5. Take me to your home. We are happy for you! And we praise your love even more than wine. Young women of Jerusalem, it is only right that you should adore him. My skin is dark and beautiful, like a tent in the desert or like Solomon's curtains.
   
6. Don't stare at me just because the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they made me work in the vineyard, and so I neglected my complexion. Don't let the other shepherds think badly of me.
   
7. I'm not one of those women who shamelessly follow after shepherds. My darling, I love you! Where do you feed your sheep and let them rest at noon?
   
8. My dearest, if you don't know, just follow the path of the sheep. Then feed your young goats near the shepherds' tents.
   
9. You move as gracefully as the pony that leads the chariot of the king.
   
10. Earrings add to your beauty, and you wear a necklace of precious stones.
    
11. Let's make you some jewelry of gold, woven with silver.
    
12. My king, while you were on your couch, my love was a magic charm.
    
13. My darling, you are perfume between my breasts;
    
14. you are flower blossoms from the gardens of En-Gedi.
    
15. My darling, you are lovely, so very lovely-- your eyes are those of a dove.
    
16. My love, you are handsome, truly handsome-- the fresh green grass will be our wedding bed
    
17. in the shade of cedar and cypress trees.
    

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The Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, could easily be considered the most difficult and mysterious book of the Bible. It is not surprising, therefore, to find a great diversity of opinion among interpreters. It is frequently considered an allegory referring to Christ and the church, but more recent interpreters lean toward it being what it appears to be, a courtship of two lovers which leads to a wedding and then a maturing marriage. This is the understanding with which I approach the book. The reader should understand that I am not a Biblical authority but that these "Reflections" are simply a recording of my reflections on scripture as I spend time each day in God's Word. I have been tempted to omit this book due to its difficulty, my sense of inadequacy in approaching it, and the seeming lack of spiritual application I might be able to draw from it. However, I am committed to learning from all of scripture and will enter into this study with the same openness to learn as with any other book of the Bible.

The book records a two-way exchange between two lovers, the 'lover' possibly being Solomon and the 'beloved' an unidentified woman to whom he is attracted. It begins with comments of the 'beloved', expressing desire to be with her lover, the king. She is self-conscious of her tanned skin which is "dark like the tents of Kedar," and asks that he not stare at her. The style of the day was for women to have white, untanned, skin, but she became tanned because she was forced by her brothers to keep the vineyards, thus working out in the sun. Returning to her desire to be with her lover, the beloved seeks a meeting. Addressing him as if he were a shepherd, possibly in a playful manner, she asks where he pastures his sheep at noon. She does not want to be left like a veiled woman among his companions, which is possibly a reference to being veiled and in mourning at his absence.

In verse 8 there is a reply from the lover, telling her that if she doesn't know where he is to follow the tracks of the flock and they will lead her to him. This may also be a playful response to her playful manner. He goes on to assure her of her attractiveness to him in light of her insecurity in her own dark-skinned appearance. To him, she is a "a mare among Pharaoh's chariots." Today's woman might not consider this much of a compliment. Since Pharaoh's chariots were pulled by stallions and not mares, he was saying to her, however, that to him she was as beautiful as if she were the only woman in a group of men. He goes on to comment on her jewelry and promises to add to her collection.

The chapter closes with a response from the beloved who says that she is so attracted to him that his presence is like perfume to her that continues to release its fragrance even after he is gone. It is like a sachet of myrrh around her neck that continues to cause her to think of him at night even when they are apart.

Love and attraction between a man and a woman is a natural thing - a good and beautiful thing. But it is so often made to be something that is not beautiful or good. I will anticipate the following chapters and the beautiful nature of this love relationship as it evolves and progresses to marriage and beyond.