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The opening as it read in 2005

Song of Solomon is also the title of a novel by Toni Morrison . The Song of Solomon or Song of Songs (שיר השירים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible — Tanakh or Old Testament )—one of the five megillot . It is also sometimes called by its title in the Vulgate , Canticum Canticorum , the "Canticles." The title is later than the text [1] . The book consists of a cycle of poems about erotic love, largely in the form of a dialogue between a bridegroom and a bride. Elements of the text are similar to ancient Near Eastern erotic poetry and to the rustic Idylls of Theocritus [2] , which suggest a late date, under some Hellenistic cultural contact. The Song of Solomon is not quoted by New Testament writers. The text, read without allegory as a celebration of married love, appears to alternate between addressing a male object of affection and a female one. Some scholars suggest that the poems may be a series of antiphonal remarks and responses between a male and female pair, possibly created by one author rather than reflecting a genuine series of exchanged poems. Other scholars suggest that it is a collection of originally more independent poetry. A few scholars suggest that the alternation represents Solomon having a bisexual harem and responding to favoured concubines in turn. The name of the book comes from the first verse, "The Song of songs, which is of (or for) Solomon." Some believe the title "song of songs" attests to the greatness of the book. Rabbi Akiba declared, "Heaven forbid that any man in Israel ever disputed that the Song of Songs is holy. Similarly, Martin Luther called it "das Hohelied." Some people translate the second clause of the title as "which is of Solomon," meaning that the book is authored by Solomon . According to Jewish tradition, Solomon wrote three Biblical books, corresponding to three states in a man's life: Song of Songs, which expresses the lustful vigor of youth; Proverbs, which expresses the wisdom of maturity; and Ecclesiastes, which expresses the cynicism of old age. Others translate the second clause as "which is for Solomon," meaning that the book is dedicated to Solomon. Some read the book as contrasting the nobility of monogamous love with the debased nature of promiscuous love, and suggest that the book is actually a veiled criticism of Solomon, who is said to have had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Although the book never mentions God by name, an allegorical interpretation justified its inclusion in the Biblical canon . According to Jewish tradition in the Midrash and the Targum , it is an allegory of God's love for the Children of Israel. In Christian tradition that began with Origen , it is allegory for the relationship of the worshipper to the Church, or of Christ and the Church. This type of allegorical interpretation was applied later to even passing details in parables of Jesus . It is also heavily used in Sufi poetry.¹

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Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e The Song of Songs ( Hebrew , , Shir ha-Shirim ), is a book of the Hebrew Bible —one of the five megillot (scrolls)—found in the last section of the Tanakh , known as the Ketuvim (or "writings"). It is also known as the Song of Solomon , Solomon's Song of Songs , or as Canticles , the latter from the shortened and anglicized Vulgate title Canticum Canticorum ( Latin , "Song of Songs"). It is known as Āisma in the Septuagint , which is short for Āisma āismatōn ( Greek , ᾌσμα ᾀσμάτων, "Song of Songs"). The protagonists of the Song of Songs are a woman (identified in one verse as "the Shulamite") and a man, and the poem suggests movement from courtship to consummation . I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." Additionally, the Song includes a chorus, the "daughters of Jerusalem." In spite of the lack of explicitly religious content, the Song is often interpreted as an allegorical representation of the relationship of God and Israel , or for Christians, God and the Church or Christ and the human soul , as husband and wife. It is one of the shortest books in the Bible , consisting of only 117 verses. According to Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, it is read on the Sabbath that falls during the intermediate days of Passover.

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Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e The Song of Songs , also known as the Song of Solomon or Canticles ( Hebrew : Šîr HašŠîrîm ; Greek : ᾎσμα ᾈσμάτων asma asmaton , both meaning "song of songs"), is one of the megillot (scrolls) of the Ketuvim (the "Writings", the last section of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible ), and the fifth of the "wisdom" books of the Christian Old Testament . Scripturally, the Song of Songs is unique in that it makes no reference to "Law", "Covenant" or to Yahweh , the God of Israel, nor does it teach or explore "wisdom" in the manner of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes (although it does have some affinities to Wisdom literature , as the ascription to Solomon suggests). Instead, it celebrates sexual love. It gives "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or "daughters") of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader. In modern Judaism, the Song is read on the Sabbath during the Passover , which marks the beginning of the grain harvest as well as commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. Christian tradition, in addition to appreciating the literal meaning of a romantic song between man and woman, has read the poem as an allegory of Christ (the bridegroom) and his Church (the bride).

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Several terms redirect here: for other uses, see Canticle (disambiguation) , Canticle of Canticles (TV series) , Song of Solomon (disambiguation) . The Song of Songs is unique within the Hebrew Bible: it shows no interest in Law or Covenant or the God of Israel, nor does it teach or explore wisdom like Proverbs or Ecclesiastes (although it does have some affinities to wisdom literature , as the ascription to Solomon indicates); instead, it celebrates sexual love, giving "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy ; the women of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader. In modern Judaism the Song is read on the Sabbath during the Passover , which marks the beginning of the grain harvest as well as commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel, Christianity as an allegory of Christ and his "bride" , the Church .

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Book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament For other uses, see Song of Songs (disambiguation) . Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Song of Songs (Cantique des Cantiques) by Gustave Moreau , 1893 The Song of Songs ( ), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon , is an erotic poem , one of the five megillot ('scrolls') in the Ketuvim ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh . It is unique within the Hebrew Bible : it shows no interest in Law or Covenant or the God of Israel, nor does it teach or explore wisdom like Proverbs or Ecclesiastes (although it does have some affinities to wisdom literature , as the ascription to the 10th century BCE King of Israel Solomon indicates); instead, it celebrates sexual love, giving "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two lovers are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy . The women of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader. Scholars differ in assessing when it was written, with estimates ranging from the 10th to 2nd century BCE, with linguistic analysis suggesting the 3rd century. In modern Judaism , the Song is read on the Sabbath during the Passover , which marks the beginning of the grain-harvest as well as commemorating the Exodus from Biblical Egypt . Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel; Christianity , as an allegory of Christ and his bride , the Church .

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Book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament For other uses, see Song of Songs (disambiguation) . Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Song of Songs (Cantique des Cantiques) by Gustave Moreau , 1893 The Song of Songs ( Biblical Hebrew : שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים ‎ , romanized: Šīr hašŠīrīm ), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon , is a biblical poem , one of the five megillot ("scrolls") in the Ketuvim ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh . Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible , it is erotic poetry ; lovers express passionate desire, exchange compliments, and invite one another to enjoy. The poem narrates an intense, poetic love story between a woman and her lover through a series of sensual dialogues, dreams , metaphors , and warnings to the “daughters of Jerusalem” not to awaken love before its time. Modern scholarship tends to hold that the lovers in the Song are unmarried, which accords with its ancient Near East context. The women of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader. Most scholars view the Song of Songs as erotic poetry celebrating human love, not divine metaphor, with some seeing influences from fertility cults and wisdom literature . Its authorship, date, and origins remain uncertain, with scholars debating its unity, structure, and possible influences from Mesopotamian , Egyptian , and Greek love poetry. In modern Judaism , the Song is read on the Sabbath during the Passover , which marks both the beginning of the grain-harvest and the commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt . Jewish tradition interprets it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. In Christianity , it is viewed as an allegory of Christ and his bride , the Church . The Song of Songs has inspired diverse works in art, film, theater, and literature, including pieces by Marc Chagall , Carl Theodor Dreyer , John Steinbeck , and Toni Morrison .

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