INTRODUCTION TO THE SONG OF SOLOMON
I. INTERPRETATION
There are many interpretations of this Song. The two main interpretations are natural interpretation and allegorical
interpretation. The Lord’s creative abilities are manifest in this Song as it speaks on many levels of interpretation with
perfect insight revealed at each level. Do not limit God’s genius in this Song.
A. Natural interpretation – This school of thought depicts a literal human love story between King Solomon and his
bride, the Shulamite. It is a natural love story based on biblical principles written to honor and inspire deeper love within
marriage. It is a wonderful love story that gives symbolic principles on the beauty of married love. There are many
excellent commentaries written from this point of view.
1. The natural interpretation has become very popular in the last hundred years. For the previous 2,800 years
(since Solomon approximately 900 BC) there were only a few commentaries written on this particular interpretation.
2. There are two basic story lines when viewing the book as a natural love story.
a. The most popular one depicts a young maiden wooed by the handsome and rich King Solomon. He progressively
wins her heart throughout the story.
b. The other main approach to the natural interpretation is of a godly young maiden who deeply loves a poor young
shepherd in her hometown. One day the great King Solomon was passing by her vineyard and noticed her extraordinary
beauty. He then sought to win her from her loyalty to the poor shepherd. She remains loyal to the poor shepherd boy
even in the temptations that come from the presence of King Solomon’s wealth and power.
B. Allegorical interpretation – a story that is totally symbolic without any historical facts as its basis. Natural details of
facts are not important. For instance, a very allegory story are Chronicles of Narnia. An allegory is purely fictional.
1. This view says Solomon was writing a love song to describe spiritual truth about the love relationship with the
coming Messiah.
2. This is the most common interpretation for the 1,900 years of church history and the 2,800 years since Solomon
first wrote it (this includes the rabbinical tradition).
3. The bible itself affirms the use of allegorical interpretations:
In Galatians 4, Paul allegorically speaks of things that happened with Hagar and Sarah.
C. Allegorical interpretations are important and helpful as long as we only use them to illustrate a truth that is powerfully
established throughout the entirety of New Testament scripture. Allegories should be used to illustrate a truth or to make a
truth more colorful and easier to grasp.
1. Allegorical interpretations should illustrate truths that are solidly revealed from Matthew to Revelation, especially
in the Pauline epistles.
2. We refuse to make our primary interpretation of the scripture allegorical.
a. The early church fathers made this common mistake for many years.
b. A primarily allegorical approach to scripture could be likened to a ship lost at sea without the secure anchors of
historic apostolic doctrine.
D. This love poem expresses the emotions related to an actual romance that took place in Solomon’s life. However,
we will pursue the allegorical interpretation in this study.
E. More commentaries have been written on the Song of Solomon throughout church history than any other book in
the bible except the book of Romans. It was one of the most prominent books for many different seasons throughout
church history.
1. Song of Solomon was especially prominent in the medieval times from the 12th to 16th century.
2. However, in the last 100 years there has not been much written on the Song of Solomon. The focus during this time
has been on the natural relationship between the husband and his wife, a very powerful interpretation.
F. Do not be narrow in thinking that the only valid insight into scripture is the one you are familiar with. Worship Jesus
throughout this book and do not get a wrong spirit towards others who disagree.
1. Do not allow any divisiveness to enter your heart toward those with an entirely different interpretation of this unique
song of love.
2. A negative attitude is contradictory to the spirit and purpose of this book which is to produce love. Sadly, some
who have been touched in the arena of devotion while enjoying this book have then turned around and become critical of
others.
3. It is important to embrace what God is saying in this book in a way that brings honor to others who see it
differently.
II. THE ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION: THREE COMMON APPROACHES
A. There are many allegorical interpretations that a cover vast and even strange topics. Some of them are wild heresies.
However, there are three common ways to apply the allegorical teaching that magnifies the Lord.
B. First, the relationship between God as the Bridegroom, and natural Israel as the Bride is clearly taught in the Old
Testament (Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:16-20; Ezra 16:8-14, 20-21, 32, 38; Isaiah 54:5-6). This is how Old Testament
believers interpreted this book, finding encouragement in knowing God’s deep bridal love for Israel.
1. Some Jewish rabbis, even to this day, interpret the Song in an allegorical way. Some rabbis interpret it from a
messianic point of view without understanding the person of Jesus.
a. The Jewish rabbis believed in God and they wrote strictly from the point of view of the Bride being natural Israel.
They have written some insightful material. This song was written about 900 years BC: therefore, for nearly 3,000 years
Jewish rabbis have been interpreting this book as Yahweh, the heavenly Bridegroom, in love with Israel as the Bride.
b. By far Israel’s most significant interpretation of the Song was allegorical. There was not much written about it from
the view of the natural marriage relationship. There are several older commentaries written by rabbis still in existence that
are very helpful. These have survived hundreds of generations due to the Jewish tradition that they are almost as
important as scripture. It is a fascinating study.
2. There is going to be a great revival spirit on natural Israel. The Holy Spirit is going to release a tremendous
measure of the power of God to bring Israel to Jesus.
C. Second, the relationship between Jesus and the corporate church of Christ (Revelation 19:7-9, 21:9;
Ephesians 5:23-25; 2 Corinthians 11:1-2).
1. One common allegorical interpretation of the Song is to see the Bride as the universal church throughout all
history and within each generation that has “made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).
a. Many Catholic commentaries take this interpretation of the corporate Bride.
2. This has been used mostly from the early church to about the 16th century by the Catholic Church. They
interpreted the Song mostly through the view of the Bride as the corporate body of Christ. Admittedly a few have focused
on the individual believer, but most spoke of the corporate church.
D. Third, the relationship between Jesus and the individual believers describing the progression of spiritual
development to maturity.
E. As a word of caution, it is important to understand that some groups interpret the Bride as a very small and
spiritually elite remnant within the larger body of Christ. In heaven, all believers are mature in love. Some will press in
more on this side of eternity, but on the other side of eternity the Holy Spirit will bring His work to full completion.
III. FOUR REASONS WHY ALL BELIEVERS ARE INCLUDED IN THE BRIDE
A. First, the maturity of the bride is the fruit of Jesus’ prayer:
“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and
I in them.” John 17:26
1. Jesus is interceding for a people to love Him like the Father loves Him. The reality and maturity of the Bride is based
significantly upon Jesus’ intercession and the Father’s zeal for Jesus. It’s based secondarily on our response of commitment.
2. It is an issue of God’s power more than ours. The main issue is that the Father promised His Son that weak
humans would be anointed by the Spirit to such a degree that they would voluntarily come fully to Him, to love Him in a
supernatural way.
3. Jesus based His intercession on the will of the Father.
B. Second, the power of full revelation in heaven transforms the Bride. His unveiled glory in heaven is a successful
agent of transformation to the redeemed heart.
“…we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
1. This unveiling of His glory sometimes called the ‘Beautific Vision’ or the ‘Vision of the Beauty of God’; it is another
guarantee of the bridal transformation of all believers in eternity. To encounter God’s beauty is to be changed.
2. All believers in heaven will see this splendor of the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. Seeing Him is what changes us to be like Him. All of us will be unusually dedicated on that day because all of us
will see Him in His fullness.
b. It is really about how powerful He is, not about how powerful we are.
C. Third, it is the ravished heart of God that insures the bride’s destiny. This is a very significant phrase.
“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 4:9
1. His ravished heart embraces whosoever will voluntarily say yes to the grace of God.
2. He’s ravished. His heart is utterly delighted over broken, fallen people.
3. He is not more ravished and enthralled by only one group within the body of Christ over another.
4. God’s heart is ravished for everyone that names His Son’s name, not just for those who are spiritually mature
during their brief time on the earth. The bridal reality is a prominent eternal reality whose implications are significantly
greater than our abilities to reach spiritual fullness during our brief stay on the earth. For example, if a man’s five-year-
old child makes a mistake one afternoon, the father is not tempted to exclude him from his entire inheritance that is
awaiting him after he reaches adulthood.
D. Fourth, in heaven there will be only one people, not two different classes of believers. Jesus prayed that His people
would all be unified like the Father and the Son.
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world
may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21
E. WARNING – When we are preoccupied in seeking to measure our spiritual earthly attainment of maturity then we
become distracted from Jesus. This is a common distraction that is inevitable among groups believing and seeking to be
“the elite bridal remnant”.
F. A working definition of the Bride is mature bridal partnership or simply spiritual maturity. Everyone will have a
mature bridal relationship in heaven. However, our goal is to live like the Bride before heaven. We call this spiritual
maturity.
1. We pray devotional prayers to love like the bride loves while still living on this side of eternity. We will all love like
the bride in heaven but many want to love like the bride of Christ now because that is our ultimate destiny. This is the
spiritual genetics of every born again person.
2. We will come into the fullness of marriage to Jesus. This cannot be stopped. God is fully committed to it. However,
it is God’s desire for that bridal partnership to actually begin now.
IV. THE HOLY SPIRIT EXALTS JESUS IN THE SONG OF SONS (JOHN 17:26)
A. There are extreme imbalances of the allegorical interpretations of the scripture that have sometimes been reckless
throughout church history.
1. The Holy Spirit is filled with desire and longing for the Person of Jesus. Jesus is on His heart in all that the Holy
Spirit does. It seems inconceivable for the Holy Spirit to write a book in the bible without Jesus being the predominant
theme on His heart. Jesus is everywhere from Genesis to Revelation. In all that He does, the Holy Spirit desires to
capture our hearts for Jesus. (John 16:14).
2. Jesus spoke of Himself from all the scriptures to the disciples on the Emmaus road. He expounded the things
concerning Himself from all the Prophets, beginning with Moses (Luke 24;27). “All” literally implies that He went through
each of the 39 books of the Old Testament and spoke to the disciples of Himself.
B. We believe the Holy Spirit inspired all of scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). He has a fierce loyalty and jealousy for people
to be filled with love for Jesus (John 16:14; 17:26).
1. He loves Jesus passionately.
2. Everything that the Holy Spirit writes is focused ultimately on inspiring the human heart to love Jesus Christ.
C. The Holy Spirit has an intense friendship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit loves Him. They are both members of the
uncreated Godhead just like the Father is. Thus, they have been together from eternity past. The depth of their love goes
on and on. The Holy Spirit’s friendship with Jesus is a powerful reality that we hope to learn more about. He has a
mysterious and deep friendship with Jesus. It has existed from eternity. It is eternal in depth and infinite in duration.
V. THREE MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE BOOK
A. King Solomon is depicted in the allegorical interpretation as a type of the triumphant resurrected Jesus Christ
who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Jesus is the real king. Solomon is only the type.
1. Solomon as the author of the Song. This song was probably written before Solomon’s spiritual decline
(1 Kings 11:3-4). Therefore approximate date of the writing of this book might be 900-950 BC.
2. In Solomon’s early years as king of Israel, he had a fresh and dynamic walk with God.
a. This can be seen in part when God visited him in a dream and tested him. The Lord said, “Ask anything you
want”. He asked for wisdom and the Lord gave him a supernatural impartation of wisdom. (1 Kings 3). He pleased the
Lord with his response in the dream and it resulted in Solomon receiving the greatest measure of wisdom that God has
ever imparted to a person.
B. The Shulamite woman is depicted as a type or a picture of the Bride of Christ who eventually experiences full
spiritual maturity.
1. She is introduced as a young maiden who becomes the mature Bride. At first we will refer to her as the maiden,
and later as the Bride. She becomes a bride as she becomes spiritually mature. This transition is recorded in the middle
of the Song (4:8). She starts off in the book as an immature maiden. She is fervent, but she is immature. By the end
of the book she is the mature Bride who is fully of glory.
2. The name Shulamite is mentioned only one time in the Song (6:13). Shunam was a very small city in Israel located
several miles north of Jezrell. The maiden lived in the city of Shunam, therefore she is called the Shulamite.
C. The “daughters of Jerusalem” are a group that appears regularly throughout the Song. They are never clearly
identified or defined. However, when we study what they say and do throughout the Song, we learn that they love Jesus,
yet never attain to the same degree of intimacy and maturity as the Bride. They are most characterized by a spiritual
dullness and passivity and yet they clearly possess an inquisitive and sincere spirit to seek Jesus. They often ask
questions and ponder what it is that makes the bride so fervent.
1. This group seems to refer to those who are genuinely born again. They love the King in a sincere yet immature
way. At times they even want to be near Him. However they are usually depicting some degree of spiritual dullness and
passivity. Therefore they seem to personify the condition of immature believers in a general way We need to be careful
about classifying any group of Christians in the church as the ‘daughters of Jerusalem’. Rather, they personify a spiritual
condition instead of being an actual group of believers.
2. Many commentators throughout church history agree with this position. They also make the logical deduction that the
‘daughters’ represent a spiritual condition of those who love God yet are hindered by spiritual passivity and dullness.
(Ephesians 4:13-16)
3. These daughters of Jerusalem regularly look to the Bride. They see her as beautiful and as possessing the
fragrance of Christ. They want to be with her.
VI. COMPARING ECCLESIASTES AND SONG OF SONGS
A. Solomon wrote three books in the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Ecclesiastes was
written to reveal the vanity of vanities of life under the sun or under the natural arena (life without obedience to God).
Ecclesiastes stresses how impossible it is to be truly satisfied with even the most desirable external circumstances. Thus
the book speaks of the endless wanderings of man who cannot find rest apart from God. Ecclesiastes targets the mind
that grows in passionate intimacy with God.
B. Song of Solomon reveals the true joy of life that can be attained without any regard to external circumstances. It
highlights how meaningful and full life is when our one consuming passion is to love and know the glorious Lord Jesus.
This is the only place of true satisfaction. If Ecclesiastes is properly understood it leads us to the awakened fervency that
begins the journey of Song 1:5. Ecclesiastes is in many ways a vital preparation for Song of Solomon because it is difficult
to fervently seek the fullness of life in Jesus without understanding how futile life is outside of Jesus.
1. Ecclesiastes speaks of life without rest and fulfillment based on worldly experience, knowledge, and self-assertion.
Song of Solomon speaks of entering rest and total fulfillment through humility, submission and the divine impartation of love.
2. Ecclesiastes speaks of pursuing the best things found in earthly life, while Song of Solomon speaks of pursuing the
best things found in heavenly life.
3. The message of Ecclesiastes says, “No matter how good the circumstances are, if you are not seeking to love God
with a whole heart, your heart is still empty. The message of Ecclesiastes is life does not work if you are not living in the
truths of Song of Solomon.
C. Nothing earthly can fully satisfy the human spirit because we are created to be in relationship with the heavenly
Bridegroom. You will never ever taste the deepest things of life unless you are in the pursuit of the God of Song of Solomon.
D. The Jewish fathers in ancient times were known to relate the three books of Solomon to the temple of Solomon.
1. They related the book of Proverbs to the outer court of Solomon’s temple.
2. They related the book of Ecclesiastes to the inner court of Solomon’s temple.
3. They related the Song to the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple.
IV. THE CANTICLES
A. The Song of Sons is sometimes referred to as the Canticles. The Latin noun “canticum” means “a song”.
Canticles mean a series of songs.
B. The Latin Vulgate was a very popular translation of the bible written in the fourth century. Jerome translated it into
Latin so that the common people could understand scripture.