Song of Solomon. What is Going on Here?

[crossnote]

It seems to be basically a conversation between The Shulamite, Her Beloved and the Daughters of Jerusalem, beyond that I haven't a clue.
Maybe because I'm not a 'touchy-feely' type person, it's hard for me to grasp verses such as...

Song of Solomon 4:9 NKJV
You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.

Song of Solomon 5:11-12 NKJV
His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. [12] His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.

Whaa? What's going on here? I've heard of such things as Christ and His Church. Really?

 

[bobinfaith]

It seems to be basically a conversation between The Shulamite, Her Beloved and the Daughters of Jerusalem, beyond that I haven't a clue. Maybe because I'm not a 'touchy-feely' type person, it's hard for me to grasp verses such as...
Song of Solomon 4:9 NKJV You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. Song of Solomon 5:11-12 NKJV His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. [12] His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.
Whaa? What's going on here? I've heard of such things as Christ and His Church. Really?

Good morning, crossnote;

Years ago our former Pastor prepared us for our study of Song of Solomon. In our study there would be a pure and sensual expression between Solomon and his bride as a sign of Holiness of love and pleasure in marriage sanctified by God.

It's hard for many to understand this because since God introduced sexual intercourse in marriage it had gone from love to lust and self-gratifying since God's sanctification of His Creation and intent between husband and wife.

God bless you, brother.

 

[BibleLover]

It seems to be basically a conversation between The Shulamite, Her Beloved and the Daughters of Jerusalem, beyond that I haven't a clue.
Maybe because I'm not a 'touchy-feely' type person, it's hard for me to grasp verses such as...

Song of Solomon 4:9 NKJV
You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.

Song of Solomon 5:11-12 NKJV
His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. [12] His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.

Whaa? What's going on here? I've heard of such things as Christ and His Church. Really?

Song of Solomon seems to be an allegory extolling the value of virtue and loyalty in the face of great temptation.

 

[Origen]

It seems to be basically a conversation between The Shulamite, Her Beloved and the Daughters of Jerusalem, beyond that I haven't a clue.
Maybe because I'm not a 'touchy-feely' type person, it's hard for me to grasp verses such as...

Song of Solomon 4:9 NKJV
You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.

Song of Solomon 5:11-12 NKJV
His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. [12] His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.

Whaa? What's going on here? I've heard of such things as Christ and His Church. Really?

I hold the view that the book celebrates romantic love as God ordained it. The fertility cults around Israel offered a distorted understanding of human sexuality and what it means. This book provides a very different understanding of sexuality within that historical\cultural context. It exalts monogamous heterosexual marriage.

The theme of the book is summed up in Song 8:6-7.

Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart,
like a signet on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
passion is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Its flames burst forth,
it is a blazing flame.
Surging waters cannot quench love;
floodwaters cannot overflow it.
If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love,
the offer would be utterly despised.

 

[bobinfaith]

Was the Shulamite women Abishag, the young girl who served King David before his death the same Shulamite women in Song of Songs?

It appears Solomon wrote Song of Songs around 971-931 BC before his decline and love for many women in 1 Kings 11.

 

[Origen]

Was the Shulamite women Abishag, the young girl who served King David before his death the same Shulamite women in Song of Songs?

It appears Solomon wrote Song of Songs around 971-931 BC before his decline and love for many women in 1 Kings 11.

Two different words.

"Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies." (Song 6:13)

"So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king." (1Kings 1:3)

 

[bobinfaith]

Two different words. "Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies." (Song 6:13) "So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king." (1Kings 1:3)

Thank you, Origin;

Instead of two words, is it possible Shulamite from Shulem and Shunammite from Shunem could be synonymous?

I've never been able to reconcile this in Song of Songs because of debates over this woman in the book.

God bless you, Origin.

 

[Origen]

Thank you, Origin;

Instead of two words, is it possible Shulamite from Shulem and Shunammite from Shunem could be synonymous?

I've never been able to reconcile this in Song of Songs because of debates over this woman in the book.

God bless you, Origin.

Some have suggested that possibility.

However what most do not realize is the Hebrew is the feminine form of the name Solomon. That would make her the “Solomoness.” The name therefore characterizes the woman as the female counterpart to Solomon. That makes for a nice parallelism between the male and female speakers.

Other scholars have pointed out that the root of the word is שׁלם (i.e. to be complete, to be perfect). Thus it would be an
epithet for woman meaning "O perfect one."