Part 2 of 7 of the theme 'Lessons from Song of Songs' by Gijs van den Brink
Today we want to first describe the main characters in the love affair of Song of Songs. There are three main characters. A bridegroom, a shepherdess as the bride (1:6) and the daughters or girls of Jerusalem.
First, there is the bridegroom. There are several indications that the bridegroom is Solomon himself. This is especially evident in the description of the bridal procession. "Who is she that cometh there out of the desert like a pillar of smoke, in a cloud of frankincense and myrrh, in a fragrance of precious spices? Look! Solomon's palanquin, surrounded by sixty heroes from the electing troops of Israel" (3:6-7).
The second protagonist is the bride. She is called in 7:1[SV 6:13] a Sulammitic, a girl from Sulam. The place name Sulam is also written as Solam or Sunem. Sunem is probably located in Galilee, near the Lebanon and Carmel (4:8; 7:5-6[SV 4-5]). The bride is a shepherdess from this area.
The third main character in the Song of Songs are the girls of Jerusalem. They often respond to the love between the king and the bride. They are also addressed themselves (in 2:7; 3:5; 5:8; 8:4). Throughout the book, the three speakers alternate between the king, the shepherd girl and the girls of Jerusalem. The book is a song sung by three parties. Sometimes it is not clear who is speaking, but most of the time it is.
And in 6:8-9, the bride is compared to sixty queens and eighty concubines. This is a little less easy for us to understand. How can a man with a harem of 140 women so elevate his love for one girl above the other women as if it were his only love? We conclude that Solomon's love for the shepherdess was the only real love affair he ever experienced. The other women belonged to his royal status and he was married to them for political reasons for the most part.
It is noteworthy that the beloved in Song of Songs is an unknown shepherdess.
The Biblical norm is a marriage (monogamous relationship) between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24). Such persons as Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon all had multiple wives. Yet their choice is usually censured indirectly by pointing out the many family problems that existed (Gen. 16; 2Sam. 13-20). Solomon's many marriages also caused all kinds of misery, especially through idolatry (1Kon.11).
So in the case of Song of Songs, we have a book that, in the midst of the practice of polygamy, describes the great value of the relationship between one man and one woman.
Next time: Part 3 of the series 'Lessons from Song of Songs' is entitled 'Two people in love meet'
See also: Part 1 of 7 from the theme 'Lessons from Song of Songs' Sex education in the Bible?
Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine
This is part 2 of 7 from the theme "Lessons from Song of Songs" Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!
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