MY SHORT REPORT PROVERBS 30 - ISAIAH 8
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report. Internal links provide additional information.
BIBLE READING—WEEK 30—PROVERBS 30 - ISAIAH 8: Last week’s report focused on three terms found in chapters 10-29 of Proverbs: tree of life, abomination, and fear of the Lord. In addition, a chart was provided that compared how the term fear of the lord is used in 8 versions of the Bible. This week’s Short Report considers one of the shortest and the most unique books of the Old Testament, the Song of Solomon.
It is common to refer to the Song of Solomon by the name presented in the first verse, “The Song of Songs.” Most commentaries are quick to point out that Song of Songs is a superlative similar to Lord of lords and holy of holies, meaning, in turn, the best song, the greatest Lord, and the holiest place. It makes good sense to get to know the song the Word of God calls the best.
Start reading the Song of Songs and you are bound to wonder what you are reading. Start reading a commentary on the Song of Songs and you’ll gain perspective. However, you will also learn of the wide-ranging views of the book, especially when reading additional commentaries—there you will see many points of view on this short love story.
Lessing (Prepare the Way of the Lord, 342-346) list some of these views as Allegory, A love Poem, Drama, Wedding Songs, Near Eastern Fertility Cult Poems, and Analogy. He presents each overview as an observer, rather than a participant in any of the interpretations. It would seem that modern Christians would take the Analogy perspective where on the surface the love story is just what it appears to be, a love poem, “while maintaining that this love between a man and a woman in marriage is also to be understood as analogous to God’s love for his people and their love for him.” He also cites several places in Scripture, including Ephesians 5:22-33, where the same type of analogy is employed.
In Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs Edward Curtis explains that some suggest the that Song of Songs is only an allegory used to show the relationship between God and His chosen people, while others state the book expresses real events that do not distract from the author’s main intention of showing “God’s relationship with His people. Both of the approaches agree that the plain sense of the text is not its primary meaning” (pp. 113-114).
In the People’s Bible Commentary Roland Ehlke presents the three main ways of understanding the Song of Songs and also tells his readers there are “many variations on these three” (p. 137). The first way, literal, is also called the secular view where the story only relates an actual event. It is obvious that a story with such a view does not belong in the Bible (pp. 138-139). He calls the second perspective typical, which holds in view the actual event while also seeing the event or a person involved is one that foreshadows a person or event in the New Testament. However, he also says, “Solomon does not fit the poem’s description of a shepherd” (p. 139).
According to Ehlke’s explanation the third way of understanding the Song of Songs, allegorical, involves spiritual interpretation. In this perspective the actual story fades from view while teaching the lesson of the story comes into sharp focus. Thus, “a spiritual meaning is read into the Song from beginning to end” (pp. 139-140). By using the allegorical method and placing the focus on the spiritual meaning, complications with the literal and typical method are avoided (p. 140). But there is a downside to the allegorical method of interpretation. “Interpreters who follow this approach have tended to ignore the actual text and to read almost anything into it.” Rather than trying to squeeze the Song of Songs into one of these methods of interpretation, Ehlke suggests it is “best to let the book speak for itself in the light of the rest of Scripture” (p. 141).
Even so, Ehlke sees in a double meaning built into the text, because the book deals with love and marriage and because Christians are used to seeing God, who established marriage, and Christ, the Bridegroom, at the center of this subject. Thus, the Song of Solomon speaks of love “from Solomon’s personal experience. But it also points to another love, that of Christ and His people” (pp. 141-142).
A tricky part of understanding the book is its lack of structure. Lessing tells his readers “the Song of Songs is notoriously difficult to discern, and there is no consensus among scholars as to even the major divisions of the book” (p. 348). Ehlke agrees, telling his readers, “Almost every commentator has his own idea of how to divide the poem” (p. 142).
This is easy to see by placing two or more Bible translations side by side. The King James Version (KJV) only provides the text; it does not provide any labels to help the reader distinguish which person or group is speaking, and few pointers naturally exist within the translated text. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) places a single upper case, bold type letter beside the text where a different speaker is indicated. The New International Version 1984 (NIV-84) uses 3 simple labels: Beloved, Lover, and Friends to indicate a change in speaker.
Taking the help provided by the translator a step further, the English Standard Version (ESV) uses headers like, The Bride Searches for Her Beloved and The Bride Praises Her Beloved, along with simple labels, such as He, She, and Others to help the reader through the text. The New King James Version (NKJV) also uses labels, such as The Beloved’s Request and A Troubled Night together with fuller labels like, The Daughters of Jerusalem, The Shulamite, The Beloved, and The Beloved and His Friends.
Some question Solomon’s authorship, a “problem” that appears to be agenda driven. In the People’s Bible Commentary Ehlke states, “The main argument is that the poem contains a number of Aramaic words which supposedly would date the book several centuries after Solomon’s time.” Ehlke also tells his readers this “is part of a general trend to assign many of the books of Scripture later dates than the Bible itself would allow” (p. 135). Ecclesiastes has the same “problem.” There Ehlke reminds the dissenters that Aramaic and Hebrew are both in the Semitic family of languages, and Aramaic was “the international language of trade in the ancient world.” He also mentions the use of some Spanish words by “modern North Americans” (p. 2). Indeed, this language crossover is equally true in large American cities that hold within them small China towns, Italian grottos, or German towns.
Some also question the book’s place in the Canon, but the matter has long been settled for the Church. In addition, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” (2 Timothy 3:16) and we should approach Holy Writ accordingly knowing that every word is there to serve God’s good purpose. At the same time, it is wise to seek God’s will, as appropriate, for each verse, chapter, and book while we read His Holy Word and draw close to God, who responds in kind (James 4:8). That is not to say each verse carries a special message. Many verses and chapters are part of the bigger message of a particular book or the Bible as a whole.
According to Wikipedia, along with the Book of Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther, the Song of Solomon is one of the Five Scrolls (Megilloth) read during festivals on the Jewish calendar. The Song of Solomon is read during Passover. What does this mean? While the Song of Solomon doesn’t get much attention in the Christian world, it has a place of honor in the Jewish world. Jesus listened to it being read in the synagogue every year of His life. Moreover, during His three year ministry Jesus took the time to cleanse the Temple and speak against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (Matthew 21 and 23), but there is no record of Jesus correcting the books of the Old Testament used by the religious leaders in the Temple, because there was no need to do so.
Ehlke (pp. 136-137) adds this perspective about the Passover and the possible Song of Songs connection:
It was during the time of the Passover that Jesus often alluded to the bride and bridegroom theme: the parables of the
marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14) and of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); his discussion concerning marriage and the
resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33); and his words of farewell to his disciples, “I am going to prepare a place for you” (John
14:1-4), This last reference is an allusion to the custom of the bridegroom preparing a place for his bride and then
coming back to take her. Whether all these references spring directly from Song of Songs, which was read at that time of
year, we cannot be certain.
In conclusion, there is much difficulty surrounding the Song of Songs, some of which is easily explained, and some of it is inherent in translating ancient Hebrew into modern English. When viewed from a God-Israel / Jesus and His bride context it fits well with the rest of Scripture. There is no doubt that the Jews saw it as the inspired Word of God and read it each year during the celebration of Passover, which Jesus attended from His youth.
It is common to refer to the Song of Solomon by the name presented in the first verse, “The Song of Songs.” Most commentaries are quick to point out that Song of Songs is a superlative similar to Lord of lords and holy of holies, meaning, in turn, the best song, the greatest Lord, and the holiest place. It makes good sense to get to know the song the Word of God calls the best.
Start reading the Song of Songs and you are bound to wonder what you are reading. Start reading a commentary on the Song of Songs and you’ll gain perspective. However, you will also learn of the wide-ranging views of the book, especially when reading additional commentaries—there you will see many points of view on this short love story.
Lessing (Prepare the Way of the Lord, 342-346) list some of these views as Allegory, A love Poem, Drama, Wedding Songs, Near Eastern Fertility Cult Poems, and Analogy. He presents each overview as an observer, rather than a participant in any of the interpretations. It would seem that modern Christians would take the Analogy perspective where on the surface the love story is just what it appears to be, a love poem, “while maintaining that this love between a man and a woman in marriage is also to be understood as analogous to God’s love for his people and their love for him.” He also cites several places in Scripture, including Ephesians 5:22-33, where the same type of analogy is employed.
In Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs Edward Curtis explains that some suggest the that Song of Songs is only an allegory used to show the relationship between God and His chosen people, while others state the book expresses real events that do not distract from the author’s main intention of showing “God’s relationship with His people. Both of the approaches agree that the plain sense of the text is not its primary meaning” (pp. 113-114).
In the People’s Bible Commentary Roland Ehlke presents the three main ways of understanding the Song of Songs and also tells his readers there are “many variations on these three” (p. 137). The first way, literal, is also called the secular view where the story only relates an actual event. It is obvious that a story with such a view does not belong in the Bible (pp. 138-139). He calls the second perspective typical, which holds in view the actual event while also seeing the event or a person involved is one that foreshadows a person or event in the New Testament. However, he also says, “Solomon does not fit the poem’s description of a shepherd” (p. 139).
According to Ehlke’s explanation the third way of understanding the Song of Songs, allegorical, involves spiritual interpretation. In this perspective the actual story fades from view while teaching the lesson of the story comes into sharp focus. Thus, “a spiritual meaning is read into the Song from beginning to end” (pp. 139-140). By using the allegorical method and placing the focus on the spiritual meaning, complications with the literal and typical method are avoided (p. 140). But there is a downside to the allegorical method of interpretation. “Interpreters who follow this approach have tended to ignore the actual text and to read almost anything into it.” Rather than trying to squeeze the Song of Songs into one of these methods of interpretation, Ehlke suggests it is “best to let the book speak for itself in the light of the rest of Scripture” (p. 141).
Even so, Ehlke sees in a double meaning built into the text, because the book deals with love and marriage and because Christians are used to seeing God, who established marriage, and Christ, the Bridegroom, at the center of this subject. Thus, the Song of Solomon speaks of love “from Solomon’s personal experience. But it also points to another love, that of Christ and His people” (pp. 141-142).
A tricky part of understanding the book is its lack of structure. Lessing tells his readers “the Song of Songs is notoriously difficult to discern, and there is no consensus among scholars as to even the major divisions of the book” (p. 348). Ehlke agrees, telling his readers, “Almost every commentator has his own idea of how to divide the poem” (p. 142).
This is easy to see by placing two or more Bible translations side by side. The King James Version (KJV) only provides the text; it does not provide any labels to help the reader distinguish which person or group is speaking, and few pointers naturally exist within the translated text. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) places a single upper case, bold type letter beside the text where a different speaker is indicated. The New International Version 1984 (NIV-84) uses 3 simple labels: Beloved, Lover, and Friends to indicate a change in speaker.
Taking the help provided by the translator a step further, the English Standard Version (ESV) uses headers like, The Bride Searches for Her Beloved and The Bride Praises Her Beloved, along with simple labels, such as He, She, and Others to help the reader through the text. The New King James Version (NKJV) also uses labels, such as The Beloved’s Request and A Troubled Night together with fuller labels like, The Daughters of Jerusalem, The Shulamite, The Beloved, and The Beloved and His Friends.
Some question Solomon’s authorship, a “problem” that appears to be agenda driven. In the People’s Bible Commentary Ehlke states, “The main argument is that the poem contains a number of Aramaic words which supposedly would date the book several centuries after Solomon’s time.” Ehlke also tells his readers this “is part of a general trend to assign many of the books of Scripture later dates than the Bible itself would allow” (p. 135). Ecclesiastes has the same “problem.” There Ehlke reminds the dissenters that Aramaic and Hebrew are both in the Semitic family of languages, and Aramaic was “the international language of trade in the ancient world.” He also mentions the use of some Spanish words by “modern North Americans” (p. 2). Indeed, this language crossover is equally true in large American cities that hold within them small China towns, Italian grottos, or German towns.
Some also question the book’s place in the Canon, but the matter has long been settled for the Church. In addition, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” (2 Timothy 3:16) and we should approach Holy Writ accordingly knowing that every word is there to serve God’s good purpose. At the same time, it is wise to seek God’s will, as appropriate, for each verse, chapter, and book while we read His Holy Word and draw close to God, who responds in kind (James 4:8). That is not to say each verse carries a special message. Many verses and chapters are part of the bigger message of a particular book or the Bible as a whole.
According to Wikipedia, along with the Book of Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther, the Song of Solomon is one of the Five Scrolls (Megilloth) read during festivals on the Jewish calendar. The Song of Solomon is read during Passover. What does this mean? While the Song of Solomon doesn’t get much attention in the Christian world, it has a place of honor in the Jewish world. Jesus listened to it being read in the synagogue every year of His life. Moreover, during His three year ministry Jesus took the time to cleanse the Temple and speak against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (Matthew 21 and 23), but there is no record of Jesus correcting the books of the Old Testament used by the religious leaders in the Temple, because there was no need to do so.
Ehlke (pp. 136-137) adds this perspective about the Passover and the possible Song of Songs connection:
It was during the time of the Passover that Jesus often alluded to the bride and bridegroom theme: the parables of the
marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14) and of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); his discussion concerning marriage and the
resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33); and his words of farewell to his disciples, “I am going to prepare a place for you” (John
14:1-4), This last reference is an allusion to the custom of the bridegroom preparing a place for his bride and then
coming back to take her. Whether all these references spring directly from Song of Songs, which was read at that time of
year, we cannot be certain.
In conclusion, there is much difficulty surrounding the Song of Songs, some of which is easily explained, and some of it is inherent in translating ancient Hebrew into modern English. When viewed from a God-Israel / Jesus and His bride context it fits well with the rest of Scripture. There is no doubt that the Jews saw it as the inspired Word of God and read it each year during the celebration of Passover, which Jesus attended from His youth.