Why study the Book of the Song of Solomon? The Book of the Song of Solomon is a love story between the king and his beloved bride beginning in their days of courting, to their wedding day and continuing into their married life. The book portrays the ideal relationship between two lovers and celebrates the intimacy of the wedding night and the resolution of conflict within the confines of marriage life.

The opening verse, “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s,” provides the title for the book and concerns itself with Solomon, either as the author of the book or as the main character of the book. Although many understand the book as a allegory of the love of God for Israel or a prophetic allegory for the love of Christ for His Church, or simply a loose collection of ideal love poems, there is nothing in the text of the book that leads to these conclusions. The Book should be understood as it is written, as a love story between Solomon and a woman described as the Shulammite (6:13). The book was accepted into the canon of the Hebrew Bible and was the first of five scrolls of the Megilloth read at various Jewish feasts. On the Sabbath of Passover week, the Song of Solomon was read. Ruth was read at the feast of Pentecost. Ecclesiastes was read at the Feast of Tabernacles. Esther was read at the feast of Purim and Lamentations when the destruction of Jerusalem was remembered.

Outline of the Song of Solomon

There are many suggested outlines for the song of Solomon which can be found in Bible book surveys, commentaries and Study Bibles. The outline suggested below is a simple adaptation of the chiastic structure for the book suggested by David A. Dorsey, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament, Baker Academic, 1999, page 213.

a   Indication: love expressed: 1:2-2:7

b   Invitation of a meeting between lovers: 2:8-17

c   Inquiry of a maiden for her lover: 3:1-5

d   Intimacy of the Wedding Day: 3:6-5:1

c¹Inquiry of a maiden for her lover: 5:2-7:11

b¹Invitation of a meeting between lovers: 7:11-8:4

a¹Indication: love expressed: 8:5-14

Others suggest an outline of progression from days of courting: 1:2-3-5, to the day of marriage: 3:6-51, to days of maturity: 5:2-8:14. These stages of the drama contain various expressions of delight, desire and determination to culminate love into a lasting relationship that will endure times of disappointment and separation. The main “actors” in the drama are Solomon (the groom), the Shulammite (the bride) and others who participate as a chorus to the love poems of the two main “actors.” The various expressions of love between the groom and the bride should best be understood as God’s written portrait of what an intimate love relationship within marriage should look like. The book does not disguise intimacy but openly displays it as the natural expression of love between a husband and wife. It is interesting that like Esther, the name of God does not occur in the text of the Song of Solomon, but God’s divine superintendence of the book’s contents is easily perceived.

Verses to memorize from the Song of Solomon. (English Standard Version).

2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

2:8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.

4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

4:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow.

Resources for studying The Song of Solomon

See the article on how to study the Bible for suggestions on the method of Bible study and recommended resources to obtain. Suggested commentaries and studies are listed below for a more extensive study. Some are available on-line in a pdf format.

One Hour – One Book

Scroll down to video on Song of Solomon.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrCJNW5eUWQMyVw_2VqW_w

Commentaries

Carr, G. Lloyd The Song of Solomon. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Series. InterVarsity Press, 1984.

Constable, Thomas. Notes on Song of Songs, latest edition. Online at Plano Bible Chapel.

Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. New American Commentary, Broadman Press, 1993.

Hawkins, Ronald, E. Song of Solomon, King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.

Patterson, Paige. Song of Solomon. Everyman’s Bible Commentary series. Moody Press, 1986.

Rydelnik, Michael, Sigler, Tim M. Song of Solomon. The Moody Bible Commentary. Moody Publishers, 2014.

Studies

Articles from Journals may be downloaded in .pdf format from the Internet.

Carr, G. Lloyd. Is the Song of Songs a ‘Sacred Marriage’ Drama? Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22:2 (June 1979):103-14.

Carr, G. Lloyd. The Old Testament Love Songs and Their Use in the New Testament. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 24:2 (June 1981):97-105.

Curtis, Edward M. Interpreting the Wisdom Books: An Exegetical Handbook. Kregel Publications, 2017.

Dorsey, David A. The Literary Structure of the Old Testament, Baker Academic, 1999,

Dyer, Charles H., and Eugene H. Merrill.  Nelson’s Old Testament Survey. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001.

Hamilton, James A Jr. Messianism in Song of Songs. The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy: Studies and Expositions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, Moody Publishers, 2019. Pages 769-783.

Hanna, Kenneth G. From Moses to Malachi: Exploring the Old Testament. 2nd ed. CrossBooks, 2014.

Harrison, Roland K. Introduction to the Old Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969.

Tanner, J. Paul. The Message of the Song of Songs. Pdf online. (paultanner.org)

Zuck, Roy B. A Theology of the Wisdom Books and the Song of Songs. A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament. Moody Press, 1991.

This file in .pdf format for downloading to your computer.

Studying the Book of Song of Solomon