Introduction:

The Song of Solomon is a book of the Bible that has been misunderstood and misinterpreted for centuries. Its explicit language and erotic imagery have led many to allegorize and spiritualize its meaning, avoiding its obvious implications about human relationships and intimacy. However, a closer reading of the text reveals a nuanced and beautiful portrayal of love and desire, one that challenges traditional views of courtship and marriage. In this series, we will explore the Song of Solomon’s implications about nudity and sexuality before marriage, using the NET Bible 1st edition as our base text.

Part 1: The Unnecessary Allegorization of Song of Solomon

Song of Songs 1:1-4 (NET)

“1 Solomonʼs Most Excellent Love Song.

The Beloved to Her Lover:

2 Oh, how I wish you would kiss me passionately!

For your lovemaking is more delightful than wine.

3 The fragrance of your colognes is delightful;

your name is like the finest perfume.

No wonder the young women adore you!

4 Draw me after you; let us hurry!

May the kingbring me into his bedroom chambers!

The Maidens to the Lover:

We will rejoice and delight in you;

we will praise your love more than wine.

The Beloved to Her Lover:

How rightly the young women adore you!”

The Song of Solomon has been the subject of much allegorization and spiritualization throughout history. Many interpreters have seen the book as a metaphor for God’s love for humanity, or Christ’s love for the Church. However, this approach ignores the book’s obvious meaning and context. The Song of Solomon is a love poem, written in a poetic and symbolic language, but its meaning is not obscure or hidden.

In Song 1:2-4, the beloved says, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, your name is like purified oil; therefore the maidens love you. Draw me after you; let us run! The king has brought me into his chambers” . This passage is often allegorized as a description of God’s love for humanity, but its obvious meaning is a description of the beloved’s desire for physical intimacy with her lover.

Similarly, in Song 4:1-7, the lover describes the beloved’s body in great detail, saying “Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats that have descended from Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which have twins, and not one of them has lost its young. Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like a bed of spice, like sweet-smelling perfume. Your neck is like the tower of David, built in layers, on which a thousand shields are hung, all the quivers of the warriors” . This passage is often seen as a metaphor for the beauty of God or the Church, but its obvious meaning is a description of the beloved’s physical beauty and the lover’s desire for her.

The unnecessary allegorization of the Song of Solomon has led to a lack of understanding and appreciation for the book’s original meaning and context. By ignoring the book’s obvious implications about human relationships and intimacy, we miss the opportunity to learn from its nuanced and beautiful portrayal of love and desire. In the next part of this series, we will explore the Song of Solomon’s implications about nudity and sexuality before marriage, using the NET Bible 1st edition as our base text.