Song of Songs 2 explained

Song of Songs 2 (abbreviated as Song 2) is the second chapter of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1] This book is one of the Five Megillot, a collection of short books, together with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther, within the Ketuvim, the third and the last part of the Hebrew Bible. Jewish tradition views Solomon as the author of this book (although this is now largely disputed), and this attribution influences the acceptance of this book as a canonical text. This chapter contains a dialogue in the open air and several female poems with the main imagery of flora and fauna.

Text

The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 17 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Some fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, assigned as 4Q107 (4QCantb); 30 BCE-30 CE; extant verses 9–17).[2] [3] [4]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

ak{G}

S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century).

Structure

The Modern English Version (MEV) attributes the voices in this chapter as follows:

Female: Love in paradise (1:16–2:1)

Verse 1 closes a poetic section providing a 'picture of the bed as a spreading growth', using a theme of nature's floras, starting from the previous chapter with verses 1:16–17 focusing on the subject of trees and verse 2:1 on the subject of flowers.

Verse 1

See also: Rose of Sharon and Lily of the valley.

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.[5]

Male: My love is like a flower (2:2)

Verse 2 links to verse 1 on the use of "lily" (or "lotus"), and forms a parallel with verse 3 on the word order and the use of particles ("as" or "like", "so") as well as the 'terms of endearment' ("my love", "my beloved", or "my darling", "my lover").

Verse 2

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.[14]

Female: A pastoral scene (2:3-7)

The verse 3 shows an 'excellent synonymous parallelism' with verse 2 on the word order and the use of certain words, such as "as" or "like", "so", "among" or "between", "my love"/"my beloved" or "my darling"/"my lover". Each verse begins with a preposition of comparison ("as"), followed by three Hebrew words consisting of a singular noun, a preposition ("among" or "between"; be^n) and a plural common noun with a definite article.

Verse 3

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.

I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.[18] The sensual imagery of "apple tree" as a place of romance is still used in modern times in songs such as "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree".[19]

Verse 4

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.[20]

Verse 5

Sustain me with raisins,

refresh me with apples;

for I am faint with love.[21] The first two lines of this verse form a 'distinctive structure', using verbs and preposition of the same ideas: "refresh (sustain) me"/"revive (refresh) me", "with raisins"/"with apples". The word "apple(s)" links to the first word of verse 3, while the word "love" links to the last word of verse 4.

Verse 7

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles or by the does of the field,

Do not stir up nor awaken love

Until it pleases.[22]

The names of God are apparently substituted with similar sounding phrases depicting 'female gazelles' (Hebrew: צְבָא֔וֹת, ) for [God of] hosts (Hebrew: צבאות ), and 'does of the field'/'wild does/female deer' (Hebrew: אילות השדה, ha-) for God Almighty (Hebrew: אל שדי, ).

Female: Her lover pursues her (2:8–9)

This section starts a poetic exposition of lovers who are joined and separated (2:8 KJV–KJV).

Verses 8–17 form a unity of a poem of the spring by the woman, beginning with 'the voice of my beloved' ( ; or 'the sound of his [approach]'), which signals his presence before he even speaks.

Andrew Harper suggests that the scene moves now from Jerusalem ("daughters of Jerusalem" in verse 7) to "some royal residence in the country", probably in the northern hills. Verse 8b refers to her beloved "leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills".[24] St. Ambrose comments by way of a paraphrase,

Male: Invitation to come away (2:10-14)

Verse 13

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.[25]

Verse 14

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.[28]

Couple: Protect our love (2:15)

Verse 15

Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes

that spoil the vineyards,

for our vineyards are in blossom.[29]

Female: Love affirmed, gratification delayed (2:16-17)

Unlike the ambiguity of the speaker (or speakers) in the previous verse, the two verses in this section are no doubt spoken by the woman, affirming the mutual affection with her lover.

Verse 16

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.[31] In reversed order compared to .[32]

See also

Sources

. Michael D. Coogan . The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 . Coogan . Michael David . Marc Zvi . Brettler . Carol Ann . Newsom . Pheme . Perkins . Augmented 3rd . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 9780195288810 .

. Henry Hampton Halley. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary . 24th (revised). Zondervan Publishing House . 1965 . registration. 0-310-25720-4.

. Ernst Würthwein . The Text of the Old Testament . Wm. B. Eerdmans . Grand Rapids, MI . 1995 . Erroll F.. Rhodes . 0-8028-0788-7 . January 26, 2019.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  2. Book: Ulrich . Eugene . Eugene Ulrich . The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants . 2010 . 740–741 . Brill . May 15, 2017 . 9789004181830.
  3. https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#song_of_songs Dead sea scrolls - Song of Songs
  4. Book: Fitzmyer, Joseph A. . Joseph Fitzmyer

    . A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Joseph Fitzmyer . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2008 . 42 . 9780802862419 . Grand Rapids, MI . February 15, 2019.

  5. 2:1 KJV KJV
  6. https://biblehub.com/text/songs/2-1.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 2:1
  7. http://en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=Cant&ch=2 Song 2:1
  8. http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=24&c=2 Song 2:1
  9. http://www.biblestudytools.com/wyc/song-of-solomon/2.html Song 2:1
  10. http://en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=Is&ch=35 Is 35:1
  11. http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=27&c=35 Is 35:1
  12. http://www.biblestudytools.com/wyc/isaiah/35.html Is 35:1
  13. http://www.bibleodyssey.org/HarperCollinsBibleDictionary/s/sharon.aspx "Sharon"
  14. 2:2 KJV KJV
  15. https://biblehub.com/text/songs/2-2.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 2:2
  16. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7474.htm Strong's Concordance: 7474. rayah
  17. https://biblehub.com/text/songs/5-16.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 5:16
  18. 2:3 KJV KJV
  19. Pope, Marvin H. (1995) Song of Songs, Yale University Press, p. 372; apud Longman 2001, p. 112
  20. 2:4 KJV KJV
  21. 2 Song MEV
  22. 2 Song NKJV
  23. Note [a] on Song 2:7 in NKJV
  24. 2:8 NRSVA

    New Revised Standard Version

  25. 2:13 KJV KJV
  26. Harper, A. (1902), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Song of Solomon 2, accessed 28 April 2019
  27. According to Riehm's Handwörterbuch; apud Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Song of Solomon 2
  28. 2:14 KJV KJV
  29. 2 Song ESV
  30. Note [a] on Song 2:15 in ESV
  31. 6:3 KJV KJV
  32. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, Andrew Robert; Brown, David. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible. "Song of Solomon 6". 1871.

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