Is Song of Songs an allegory?

The facts that Song of Songs is part of the canon of Scripture and that its name means "the greatest of all songs" implies to many that there is more to the book than a poem between lovers and that it has a greater or prophetic significance, with symbols pointing to a more profound spiritual truth.

YHWH and the nation of Israel

In some Jewish traditions, the song (Shir Hashirim in Hebrew) is thought to represent God's love for Israel. Indeed, God is repeatedly pictured as being married to the nation of Israel (Jer. 2:1, Ezek. 16:8, Hosea 1-3, Is. 54:6, etc.) and Israel is called His beloved (Jer 11:15; 12:7). These traditions understand the love between the wife and husband in Song of Songs as a metaphor for God's love for his people.

The book is traditionally read with a blessing on the first night of Passover at the end of the Seder meal. Some rabbis see the “song of Solomon” itself as a midrash written by Solomon about the Exodus. (Vanessa Lovelace defines midrash as "a Jewish mode of interpretation that not only engages the words of the text, behind the text, and beyond the text, but also focuses on each letter, and the words left unsaid by each line.”) These rabbis see parallels between YHWH coming to take the maiden/Israel out of her life of toil in the sun (1:6), her being initially rejected (2:17) but then reconciled and betrothed, being brought out of the land of toil and into a covenant relationship (marriage/the Law), and then, ultimately, running off to the countryside/promised land together with her husband/God (6:11 and 8:14). Even beyond this, these rabbis examine every word in parallel with the Exodus story looking for connections and hints of deeper meanings.

At the Council of Jamnia in the late first century, Rabbi Akiva, speaking against the potential exclusion of Song of Songs from the Hebrew canon exclaimed, "Heaven forbid! [...] For all of eternity is not as worthy as the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies."

Christ and the Church

While some Christian commentaries strain to make every word of this sensuous book fit an allegory of Christ and his bride to an unnecessary degree, there are some very compelling parallels when the book is considered in broad strokes.

If it was written by Solomon (or his contemporaries) as an allegory about the future coming of the Messiah, this was not conceived as a metaphor but done prophetically through the working of the Holy Spirit. In this interpretation, following the two-person narrative, Christ is the king and the maiden is "the bride of Christ,” that is, the church (Ephesians 5:25–32, Rev. 19:6-9).

The king (Revelation 17:14) comes (the first time) to visit his beloved in a humble guise (Isaiah 53:2) as a shepherd (John 10:11-18). She falls in love with the humble shepherd and the two are engaged (Song 3:4) and so he becomes the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1–13, John 3:29). As Jewish customs dictate, the groom then goes away to make a home for her (John 14:3). Later the wedding party returns with a company of friends (Matt 25:31) and she discovers that he is the king. Then she is taken up to be married (Rev 19:6-9) in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48, Rev. 21).

There is also a three-person interpretation in which Christ is the shepherd who rescues the maiden from the world/the evil king. To my mind, this allegory doesn't fit as well as the two-person view because it does not sufficiently take into account the New Testament images of Christ being both shepherd and king, being the “bridegroom,” and having a wedding in connection with the New Jerusalem. So I believe I have good reasons for choosing the two-person view for the comic.

In the cover below you can see allusions to the allegorical nature of the book, as the lover’s kiss forms a lamb, the Lamb of God.

The Song of Songs graphic novel is available to buy now in our online store:

https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy-uk

What is the Three-person interpretation is the Song of Songs?

The interpretation depicted in the comic is one of three main ways to interpret the Song of Songs and its meaning. The three interpretations are sometimes called the three-person narrative, the two-person narrative (illustrated) and the no-narrative views.

In the three-person narrative, the shepherd and King Solomon are not the same person. The idea is that the girl is intended to be married to the rich and powerful King but is already in love with the common shepherd who is her true love. Later Solomon (who is the villain of the piece) comes and takes her away to make her his bride. She twice escapes the palace by night and seeks her love, and then at the end, the two run away together.

At the opening of the book, she talks about kissing her love and says "Take me away with you—let us hurry!" which is taken to indicate that she wishes to escape (1:4). The following half of the verse can be taken in two ways, either "Let the king bring me into his chambers" indicating that she is keen for the king to be the one to take her away from her life of toil, or "the king has bought me into his chambers”, which could be understood as her having little choice and thus is calling for a saviour.

In the song, the maiden seems to go into the town at night on two occasions to seek out her lover. The three-person view heavily rests on the idea that she is escaping the royal palace at night to meet her true love, the shepherd. Proponents of this view point to the guards beating her as evidence that she is not where she should be (5:7) and the Daughters of Jerusalem saying “how is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you so charge us?” (5:9) as evidence that her beloved cannot be, therefore, the King who is famous. In my study of this book, I am not persuaded by this argument, however, because her second trip into town is not an actual event but part of a dream she is recalling as she says at the beginning of the tale "I slept but my heart was awake”. (5:2)

In the three-person interpretation, the verse "Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver. But my own vineyard is mine to give..." (8:11) implies that Solomon is not who she is speaking to, as he is named in the third person tense and that she is saying her vineyard/love is her own and she will give it to the one she loves (the shepherd). Again, the following verse can be taken in two ways "...the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon" could indicate that she is speaking to Solomon and that although she could choose to give her love to whom she pleases, it pleases her to give her love to the King. The other interpretation is that Solomon let out his vineyard (his sexuality and person) to "tenants" (i.e. the thousand women of his royal harem) and "...the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon” means the “the thousand women are for you” but my vineyard will go to whom I love.

At the end of the book, she says "Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains" and this is taken to mean that she runs away with her shepherd. (8:14)

If this view was the correct interpretation, the moral of the book is supposed to be that one should follow their emotions, marry for love and not be seduced by wealth and status (marrying a king). This sounds like a good moral today but, I believe that the fact she says “the king has bought me into his chambers” (1:4) and later, when Solomon is crowned with a wedding crown (3:11) implies that she marries the king or is at least engaged, though it is not explicitly stated. In ancient Israel, even a betrothal was as sacred as a marriage, and for an engaged woman (or a married woman) to run off with another man was considered adultery. Despite the fact that Solomon having dozens of wives and concubines also doesn’t fit with the biblical ideals of a monogamous marriage, it seems more likely to me that this song is, nevertheless, about the love and marriage of Solomon to this maiden, as in verse 6:8 he says “Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her.”

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Thanks for reading this article, the Song of Songs graphic novel is available to buy now via our online store.

FEBRUARY EXCLUSIVE: Get Song of Songs for Valentine’s Day!

This month there are just two things: Valentine’s Day and getting ready for the Kickstarter!

Love is in the air!

Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and what better gift than an exclusive copy of the Song of Songs (one month ahead of when it is released in the shops). Treat your loved one to this beautiful, bold, contemporary novel or treat yourself! Both the book and PDF are available early. Just head to our online store, and if you are in the UK or USA/Canada and order by 7th Feb it should get to you ready for the 14th, so don't delay!

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Get ready for the Acts Kickstarter

We are gearing up to launch the Kickstarter for Acts of the Apostles. It will launch, God willing, on March the 8th at 2 pm. Your March newsletter will have all the links to the live campaign, details on how to back it, and access to all the insider know-how.

So help us spread the word! The more backers we get, the more bonuses we can unlock with those Kickstarter stretch goals. There will be early bird offers and limited items, so get in right at the start!

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Another Kickstarter you might like…

"The Acts: Letters from Rome - Christian strategy board game” from Cobblestone Games. Letters from Rome maintains the fabulous gameplay of The Acts while layering on greater strategy options. In classic worker-placement style, players still perform one action at a time until all disciples have acted during the turn. Funding now:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cobblestonegames/the-acts-letters-from-rome-christian-strategy-board-game?ref=d8bx60

Prayer

Spanish editions: Please continue to pray we can get the Spanish books into expert hands to get them out to the vast Spanish audience.

Progress: As always, please pray I can continue to make good progress on the Book of Acts. I’m currently trying to get 4 pages completed a week

WHAT DO THE IDIOMS IN SONG OF SONGS MEAN?

While some of the idioms and comparisons in the Song of Songs are clear like the scent of incense and flowers, others can seem perplexing. Below is a list of some of the key idioms used in the books and notes on what commentators believe they refer to. An important note is that the references are not always what things look like but their strengths or characteristics. 

Mare (1:9-11): It's believed that Pharaoh's chariots would have been drawn exclusively by stallions, so a mare among them implies she is extremely diverting. A battle tactic attested in Egyptian literature was to release a mare in the vicinity of an enemy’s chariots so that the stallions pulling the chariots would become distracted and chaotic. An alternative interpretation that supposes a mare is pulling Pharaoh's chariot suggests that she looks majestic in the finery of a royal chariot horse. (See image, facing page.) 

Earrings of gold studded with silver (1:11): As in Proverbs 25:11, the image of a finely crafted piece of precious jewellery was commonly used in the Ancient Near East as a metaphor to demonstrate devotion and affection.

Lily of the Valley (2:1-2): The rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley are small, everyday flowers, so it is believed that the woman is saying she is common and insignificant in comparison to other flowers/women. The man retorts to say that if she is a lily, by comparison, all other women are thorns.

Lilies (2:16, 4:5, 5:13, 6:2-3, 7:2): Some translators consider the lilies mentioned here to be lotus flowers, which were very important symbols of sensuality, fertility, and vitality in Egypt and Canaan.

Young stag/gazelle (2:9, 17, 8:14): The woman is likely referring to the strength, speed, and vitality of the animal, as well as the virility, in some cases. These animals could also be being used as a metaphor for love, as they were closely associated with a variety of love goddesses in the Ancient Near East.

My vineyard (2:15, 8:12): While a real vineyard is sometimes in view, many times her/your/our vineyard is referred to and means her love or something more physical. 

Little foxes (2:15): In this verse "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." it is difficult to know who is speaking, but generally the little foxes are thought to be other potential suitors who may come to burrow in or generally despoil her vineyard. She may be asking him to keep her safe from them, or he might be asking her to keep them away.

Dove's eyes (4:1, 5:12): While some doves have iridescent colors surrounding their eyes which could indicate her eye makeup, doves figure prominently on seals and other iconography as a symbol of lovemaking or seduction. They are sometimes understood as messengers of love. In this case, it is most likely that the eyes are being ascribed seductive power.

Goats (4:1): This description likely is visual as some breeds of goat have long glossy black coats. 

Sheep (4:2): Newly shorn and washed sheep are very white, and "each having its twin” means that the woman is not missing any teeth. That is something that was not as common then as it is today.

Pomegranates (4:3,13, 6:7, 7:12, 8:2): "Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.” This is a perplexing verse, but I discovered that the Hebrew רַקָּה translated “temples" could be substituted for cheeks, which makes much more sense. However, in chapters 6-8, it is more likely that “pomegranates" refers to breasts, based on the fruit's physical qualities.

Tower (4:4, 7:4): Perhaps a reference to being tall and slender as in contemporary art and literature from Egypt and Canaan, a long neck was a characteristic of a beautiful woman. This could also indicate strength.

Twin fawns (4:5, 7:3): This is one of the most obscure idioms to our ears. Few commentaries have satisfactory explanations for the image. However, the young twin fawns may represent youth and vitality as well as uniformity (twins).

Fountain/ stream (4:12, 15): In the hot climate of Israel streams of water make the land fertile, so fertility is likely the focus of these verses. 

Mountains and hills of incense (4:6, 8:14): The most straightforward understanding of these verses is that the hills and mountains in question relate to her body. 

Closed Garden (4:12,15-16, 5:1): Like the vineyard, the garden throughout the song seems to be a metaphor for her body. Solomon praises her for being a locked garden, to which she retorts that he may now come in. It seems to be a common metaphor of the period, as in Sumerian literature the term was often used as to describe the lover’s partner (i.e "you are a well-stocked garden”). In Akkadian proverbs, women are often described as “a garden of delight.” In Egyptian love songs, women often describe themselves as a garden or field abundant with all sorts of plants.

Sister (4:9-10): Sister is a generic friendly term for a woman, whether she is a blood relation or not.

Cedars (5:15, 8:9): The wood of cedar trees is renowned for their strength, beauty, and fragrance. This is a wood of luxury and quality.

Pools of Heshbon (7:4): Pools of water reflect the light and so function as an excellent metaphor for the beloved’s dazzling eyes. Excavations at Heshbon uncovered a large water cistern or reservoir from the eighth century B.C. that is highly likely to be the inspiration for this image. The city is located in a region that is arid during the summer, so the light reflecting off this cistern would have been a beautiful and reassuring sight.

Wall or a door (8:8-10): Her brothers sing about whether their little sister should be characterised as a wall or a door. A wall is designed to keep men out; a door is designed to open and let men in.

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (2:7, 3:5, 8:4): This repeated charge from the bride to the Daughters of Jerusalem (that is, the local women present at the wedding) is, I believe, the central theme of the book. This is a warning not to fall in love or become passionate with desire until the appropriate time, which would be in the context of marriage.

Lastly, while creating this book I noticed that in verses 5:11-13, the bride says of Solomon that "his hair is wavy and black as a raven … His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh." I was interested to note that when Jesus speaks of King Solomon in Luke 12:22-34, he also uses ravens and lilies in his examples.

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. [...] “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!"

We hope you’ve learnt something from this, and enjoyed reading it.

The graphic novel of Song of Songs is out now and you can order a copy from our website:

Who was the Bride in Song of Songs?

In the Song of Songs, you might be surprised to realise that the main character/the key protagonist, is the bride and not Solomon or anyone else. She has most of the dialogue and the background, hopes, fears and even dreams within the story are hers. In literature, the "hero's journey" is a common template of stories that involve the protagonist going on an adventure, winning a significant victory, being transformed and/or returning home. The bride's tale embodies all these steps and her lover is more or less the supporting character.

We will look at whether she represents a larger truth in the next article, but within the book’s setting, who is she?

Origin: Towards the end of the story (6:13), we get the biggest clue as to where she is from . She is called the "Shulammite". This cannot be a proper name, but some propose that it is merely a title that is derived from her husband's name, Solomonite (i.e. Mrs. Solomon). However, it seems more likely (especially in the context of the verse) that the people calling to her don't know her name but know that she is from a village called Shulam, and call her a Shulam-ite (like an Israel-ite, or Canaan-ite). This village, identified with modern-day Sulam, and named Shunem in Joshua 19:18, was located in the Jezreel Valley, north of Mount Gilboa and close to Mount Moreh. Shunaam is also listed as a town conquered by the Egyptian pharaohs Thutmose III and Shoshenk I. It is first mentioned in the Amarna Letters.

Additionally, in verse 8:11 Baal Hamon is identified as the location of Solomon's vineyard, with the implied connection to her brothers as the tenant farmers of the land, connecting with the early verses about her working the vineyards (1:6). The identity of Baal Hamon is uncertain but a possible identification links with Balamo (LXX. Βεελαμων), mentioned in the Book of Judith (verse 8:3) in proximity with Dothan which is also within the Jezreel Valley.

However, another theory by exegetes such as Ibn Ezra a medieval Jewish writer, understands the word as “the Jerusalemite,” a feminine epithet derived from Salem (Hebrew shalem), an ancient poetic name for Jerusalem (Psalms 76:2). Given the many references to the city this is another possibility.

Family: From the story, we can infer that the woman’s father is not on the scene. This means he is deceased or estranged. The woman lives with her mother and brothers and is perhaps given preferential treatment as she is called her mother’s favorite (6:9). At the beginning of the story, she is somewhat of a Cinderella figure, slaving away in the fields and vineyards for her three wicked (or jealous) siblings, just a simple hard-working country girl.

In verse 7:1, she is referred to as "prince’s daughter" which seems like a contradiction at first, but if we keep her humble lifestyle in mind, it is possible that she is the daughter of the chiefs of one of the tribes of Israel. The word…

…is used for such tribal leaders/princes throughout Numbers, Joshua, Kings, Chronicles and other books. Perhaps most relevantly here: "Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs ( ) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David." 1 Kings 8:1. If the woman’s home was Sulam/Shunem, her family lived in the tribal allotment of Issachar, so she was perhaps the daughter of a deceased "prince" or minor chief of Issachar. Another possibility is that calling her a “prince’s daughter” it simply idiomatic and means that she is of gracious and noble character (as when a lady is called a “goddess”).

Other hypotheses: Other theories suggest that the bride could be the Queen of Sheba or Solomon’s first wife, who was a princess from Egypt, but the bride's stated background of slaving away in a vineyard in the hot sun (1:6), running about the streets at night (3:1-4), owning goats (1:8), and coming up from the wilderness (8:5) do not fit a royal engagement.

Thanks for reading this article. You can now buy the Song of Songs: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Edition in our online shop:

YOUR JANUARY NEWSLETTER

Happy New Year! In 2024 we are building towards the release of the Acts of the Apostles Bible Comic in September (God willing), with our Kickstarter getting underway in March to get it printed! This month you can have your say, discover more about the book of Acts and find out about our January sale!

Have your say: The Acts Cover Design

Right now, on our social media, you can vote for your favourite cover design. Join the Word for Word FB group to share your thoughts and feedback.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity

The Year Ahead

Here’s a rough timeline of what we’ll be working on in 2024 and when the new books will be released.

• January: Continue working hard on Acts

• February: You can preorder Song of Songs

• March: Kickstarter for The Book of Acts begins, and Song of Songs is released.

• April: Kickstarter for The Book of Acts ends

• May: Finish and proofread Acts

• June: Print Acts

• July: Fulfil Acts Kickstarter rewards

• August: Finish mystery book

• September: Acts of the Apostles released

• October: Print mystery book

• November: The next mystery book released and Christmas Cards

• December: Christmas

The city of Philippi: It’s images like this that take a very long time and there are several in Acts :/

Acts Themed Blogs

I have created some blogs to answer questions that have come up within the Book of Acts. Here is the link to two and more will follow, so keep an eye on our social feed.

TUE, JAN 09

HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

WED, JAN 10

How were Paul and Silas beaten?

January Sale on Marks Gospel

For the month of January, the Gospel of Mark will be available at the reduced price of £11.99 (RRP £14.99). Grab it now at a discounted rate! You can even combine the sale price with our discount for spending £50 or more so you could be getting an even bigger saving.

The Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Translation

£14.99

Prayer

Spanish editions: Two of the opportunities with Spanish distribution have closed now so we are pursuing new avenues. Please continue to pray we can get the Spanish books into expert hands to get them out to the vast Spanish audience.

Progress: As always, please pray I can continue to make good progress on the Book of Acts.

How were Paul and Silas beaten?

In Acts 16:19-24, Paul and Silas are dragged before the two magistrates (Phillipi having duumviri - meaning “The two men”), and they “ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods” and they were “severely flogged”.

When creating the Word for Word Bible Comics, I have to really dig into the culture and research how things actually happened at that time and in the places we’ve come to recognise from Scripture. In order to draw this event featuring Paul and Silas, I needed to understand what kind of rod they would use and how it was done.

We learn from verse 16:37 that the beating was in public and “the Greek verb gives the special Roman form of punishment, that of being beaten with the rods of the lictors. This, therefore, takes its place as one of the three instances to which St. Paul refers in 2 Corinthians 11:25.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

Roman lictor with fasces. Small bronze, 20 BC. to 20 AD, British Museum London.

Lictor is the title of a special position: “A lictor (possibly from Latin ligare, meaning 'to bind') was a Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a magistrate who held imperium (Imperial authority). […] They carried rods decorated with fasces and, outside the pomerium, with axes that symbolized the power to carry out capital punishment. Dictatorial lictors had axes even within the pomerium. They followed the magistrate wherever he went, including the Forum, his house, temples, and the baths. Lictors were organized in an ordered line before him, with the primus lictor (lit. 'principal lictor') directly in front of him, waiting for orders. If there was a crowd, the lictors opened the way and kept their master safe, pushing all aside except for Roman matrons, who were accorded special honor. They also had to stand beside the magistrate whenever he addressed the crowd. […] Lictors also had legal and penal duties; they could, at their master's command, arrest Roman citizens and punish them.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lictor)

More info can be found here: (https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/roman-constitution/roman-republic/lictor/)

So the Lictor carry a fasces. This turns out to be a specific bundle of elm rods or whips. When I saw how they looked, I wasn’t sure if the Lictor struck with one rod of the whole bundle. But In this image (below), we can see that he has one from the set. Also, I read the Fasces was “the insignia of their office, as well as the dignity of the magistrate on whom they attended, consisted of a number of elm rods, bound with a thong into a bundle, which they carried on their shoulder. An axe was bound up in the bundle, and its head jutted forth from it. [...] The bundle, in fact, comprised the apparatus of the lictor as the executioner of the magistrates' sentence. The thong served him to bind the criminal, with the rods he inflicted beatings, and (in capital punishment cases) with the axe he beheaded." (https://donna-connections.blogspot.com/2009/07/stripes-and-rods.html)

Relief of a lictor holding the fasces, from the Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano, Verona. José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0

From subtleties in these verses and the wider scripture Paul and Silas may have been struck more than 39 times, as it says “‘And when they had laid many stripes on them‘ - The Jews were by law prohibited from inflicting more than 40 stripes, and usually inflicted but 39, (2 Corinthians 11:24). But there was no such law among the Romans. They were unrestricted in regard to the number of lashes, and probably inflicted many more. Perhaps Paul refers to this when he says ‘In stripes above measure.’ (2 Corinthians 11:23) that is, beyond the usual measure among the Jews, or beyond moderation.” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

It seems the lashing was not limited to the back as a quote from Cicero gives an account of a man named Gaius Servilius who was beaten by a Lictor “[He was beaten] until finally the senior Lictor Sextius…took the but end of his stick, and began to strike the poor man violently about the eyes, so that he fell helpless to the ground, his face and eyes bleeding profusely. Even then his assailants continued to rain blows on his prone body…Such was the treatment he then received; and having been carried off for dead at the time, very soon after did die.” (In Verrem 2.5.142)

Relief from Iulia Concordia depicting three lictors, National Museum of Concordia, Portogruaro, Italy. Attribution: Carole Raddato: CC BY-SA 2.0

It’s not coloured yet, but this is the Lictor with his fasces from my current work on the up and coming Word for Word Bible Comic.

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HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The earliest manuscripts don't include what is labelled verse 37. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

In the comic, I was thinking I could use it even though it's thought to be a later addition because it flows better with the conversation pictured, then add a note. Or I could not include the verse and add a footnote instead.

Have a look at the two options, what do you think?

Overview of that section of the comic:

Side by side example of how they’d be. The Second with the footnote at the bottom of the page.