Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is a poem that can be read aloud by many voices. There is the bride, the groom (Solomon), and the Greek chorus, um, Hebrew chorus, made up of the bride’s brothers and young women. Keep that in mind when reading--it is almost written like a play.
Song of Solomon is also a hot and steamy book, a great summer beach read (or maybe that’s just because I happen to be reading it by the pool during my son’s swim lessons).
This book is a racy celebration of married love, telling the story of a couple thoroughly enjoying sex and getting to know each other’s bodies, while using bunch of zany metaphors.
Here’s some favorites:
Song of Solomon 4:1-6, (excerpts) “Your eyes are like doves... your hair is like a flock of goats... your teeth are like ewes... your neck is like a tower with a thousand shields hung on it...”
I’m not really sure how well these lines would work today. They made Solomon’s bride happy, though, because she wasn’t sure she was beautiful and needed reassurance. (Gee, that’s not applicable to today or anything.)
Aside from making fun of the language, what we can gain from reading Song of Solomon is the enjoyment that these two people had in each other. They were completely and totally head-over-heels in love, and we have this beautiful picture of--to be perfectly honest--fabulous sex RIGHT THERE IN THE BIBLE. This is a gift from God to be celebrated and enjoyed.
See you next time!
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