Song of Solomon 1

1. 1:1

   The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

   Since this is a love song, it’s probably in F minor.

   Attributing this highly sensual love song to Solomon sets a specific artistic and emotional tone for the text. How does framing an entire book of scripture around romance and intense emotional expression change how a reader views the overall purpose of a sacred library?

2. 1:2

   Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is better than wine.

   Finally, some gay romance. We haven’t had that since David and Jonathan.

   The speakers in this love poetry are never explicitly named or marked, leaving the gender and identity of who is speaking to whom open to interpretation. How does the lack of clear character labels in the text affect a reader's ability to definitively project traditional relationship models onto the poetry?

3. 1:3

   Your oils have a pleasing fragrance; your name is like poured-out perfume; therefore the young women love you.

   Standard dating advice says it’s a little early to exchange bodily oils after only three verses.

   The poem immediately uses sensory details like aromatic fragrances and perfumes to describe attraction and love. What does relying so heavily on physical senses and physical appeal reveal about the ancient Israelite view of human attraction?

4. 1:4

   Draw me after you; let us run; the king has brought me into his chambers; we will rejoice and be glad in you; we will praise your love more than wine; rightly do they love you.

   This verse starts with one girl (“me”) and ends with multiple (“we”). Grammatically speaking, this is a biblical ménage à trois.

   The text constantly shifts perspective between individual desires ("draw me") and a broader group or harem setting ("we will rejoice"). How does this complicated group dynamic alter the way a reader interprets a book that is traditionally read as a private celebration of monogamous love?

5. 1:5

   I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

   Like Solomon said, “Once you go black, you never go back.”

   The speaker directly addresses her dark skin color alongside her beauty, comparing herself to royal curtains and nomadic tents. How do ancient standards of beauty and racial identity in the ancient Near East contrast with the ways modern societies talk about race, skin tone, and physical attractiveness?

Rest of the chapter coming soon.