The Book of Song of Solomon
The Song of Solomon is a poem celebrating love and marriage between a bride and her beloved, long read also as a picture of God's love for his people and Christ's love for the Church.
- Testament
- Old (8 chapters)
- Type
- Wisdom
- Author
- Traditionally Solomon. Many scholars read it as a Solomonic-styled later composition.
- Date
- Anywhere from the 10th c. BC to the postexilic period.
The dignity of erotic love
The Song unflinchingly celebrates physical love within commitment. Its presence in the canon affirms that bodily, sexual love between husband and wife is a gift, not a shame.
The deeper love between God and his people
From the early rabbis to medieval Christian mystics, the Song has been read also as an allegory of divine love — God for Israel, Christ for the Church, God for the soul. Both readings are alive in Christian tradition.
Key verses (KJV)
“I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine.” — Song of Solomon 6:3 (KJV)
“Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death.” — Song of Solomon 8:6 (KJV)
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” — Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)
How to read Song of Solomon
Read it once as poetry, slowly. Then read it again, knowing many of the church's deepest spiritual writers found in it a portrait of God's pursuit of the soul. Eight chapters; one sitting.
Read Song of Solomon on your iPhone
Read the full book of Song of Solomon in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
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