Page 75 - Old Testament Survey Student Textbook

Poems of Desire (1:1-2:7) In multiple poems, with various literary fictions, the lovers express sensual
desire for each other: a royal maid praises intoxicating love of a king (1:2-4, 12-14), a country maiden
wishes to find her shepherd lover (5-7), and enjoy intimacy in nature (16-17). Playfully inviting his
beloved to come (8), the man praises her beauty (9-11, 15). Amidst her self-deprecation, the lover exalts
her, she praises him (2:1-5). Concluding with a double-refrain (6-7), the lovers move from separation
and sexual desire to reunion and rapture of sexual pleasure [not an admonition toward chastity].

Come Away (2:8-17) The lovers are again separate, and the cycle begins anew. As the lover comes for
his beloved, he stands outside, calling for her. It is spring, a time for love, and he longs to see her,
inviting her to join him on romantic romp in nature. The maiden responds to his request, inviting him to
a private place of pleasure to find seclusion and sensual satisfaction by romping on her mountains.
Refrain-mutual possession!

Lost Lover (3:1-5) separated again, though only in a dream, the maiden seeks her lover but can’t find
him. She scours the city, asking the watchman, but to no avail. Finally, she finds him and brings him to
her home. Based on the repeated pattern in these cycles, moving from separated and sexual desire to
reunion and rapture, the concluding refrain is likely not admonition to chastity, but a request for privacy
to indulge their passions!

Wedding (3:6-5:1) Arriving for his wedding with great spectacle, Solomon- fiction? is accompanied by
fragrant scents and fanciful sights (3:6-11). In typical Near Eastern form, the groom praises beloved’s
beauty, head-foot (4:1-7), using shared symbols that offer isolated insights into Israelite concept of
beauty. After praising her captivating beauty, and intoxicating love, he longs to enter her garden- dual
metaphor for the place and person of love- secluded privacy, spring-like prosperity and sensual
pleasures. At her invitation, he enters, enjoys her.

Lost Lover (5:2-6:3) Separated again, though only in a dream (5:2-7), the man comes knocking, calling
for his beloved to open to him. After he leaves due to her delay, she again scours the city, even enduring
pain. She declares her great love, praising her beloved from head to foot (5:8-16). With motifs of
precious metals, she stresses his superior value. Finally, her lover is found, enjoying his garden, likely a
metaphor for her own body! Refrain- mutual possession!

Waṣf Songs (6:4-7:10) With two waṣf songs, the man praises the incomparable beauty of his beloved,
using prominent people and places, both worldly and otherworldly. She is unique, elevated above all
others. The second song contains a unique word picture: the maiden is a depicted as a vine of grapes
whose fruit breasts, navel, mouth and breath drive her lover into a frenzy of sexual pleasure. This is
clearly not an allegory! Refrain possession!

Come Away (7:11-8:4) The lovers are again separate, and the cycle begins anew. The beloved invites her
lover to a tryst in the vineyard (11-13)- place of love is likely a metaphor for person of love. A typical
wish song- the Egyptian maiden wishes for unhindered access, greater intimacy-public and private, with
her lover (1-2). Concluding w/ double-refrain (3-4), lovers move from separation and sexual desire to
reunion and rapture [again, no admonition to chastity]

Poems of Desire (8:5-14) This concluding section centers on two poems about the value of love (6-7)
and purity (8-12): the value of love is beyond earthly possessions. Illustrating this idea, the maiden
champions her purity, rejecting the reward of her brothers for the satisfaction she finds in her lover. The
book ends with the lover’s wish to be with his beloved alone in the garden. She responds, inviting him to
a private place of pleasure to find seclusion and sensual satisfaction by romping on her mountains.

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