Song of Songs 2

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Template:Short description Template:For Template:Bible chapter

Song of Songs 2 (abbreviated Template:Where as Song 2) is the second chapter of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Template:Sfn[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.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn This chapter contains a dialogue in the open air and several female poems with the main imagery of flora and fauna.Template:Sfn

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).Template:Sfn 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; 𝔊B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: 𝔊S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; 𝔊A; 5th century).Template:Sfn

Structure

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

Female: Love in paradise (1:16–2:1)

Inscription "The lily of the valleys" from "Song of Solomon 2:1" on "Joyous Festivals 5713" stamp of Israel - 40 mil

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.Template:Sfn

Verse 1

Sharon plain in Israeli Coastal Plain region
Plain of Sharon from the Tower of Ramleh. Jaffa to Jerusalem (between 1950 and 1977)

Template:See also

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").Template:Sfn

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".Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn

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".Template:Sfn The word "apple(s)" links to the first word of verse 3, while the word "love" links to the last word of verse 4.Template:Sfn

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' (Template:Lang, Template:Strong-number) for [God of] hosts (Template:Lang Template:Strong-number), and 'does of the field'/'wild does/female deer' (Template:Lang, Template:Strong-number ha-Template:Strong-number) for God Almighty (Template:Lang, Template:Strong-number Template:Strong-number).Template:Sfn

Female: Her lover pursues her (2:8–9)

This section starts a poetic exposition of lovers who are joined and separated (Template:Bibleverse–Template:Bibleverse-nb).Template:Sfn

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

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.[24] Verse 8b refers to her beloved "leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills".[25] St. Ambrose comments by way of a paraphrase,Template:Quote

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

Inscription "The fig tree puteth forth her green figs" from "Song of Solomon 2:13", "Joyous Festivals 5713" stamp of Israel - 15 mil.

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.[26]
  • "Green figs": is translated from the Hebrew word paggâh, which occurs in its Aramaic form in the city name, "Bethphage".[24] The plural form paggîm are used to call unripe fruits of the early fig (Hebrew: bikkûrâh), which takes about four months to ripe, usually towards the end of June, in contrast to the late figs (Hebrew: tě’çnîm) that grow continuously on the new branches and ripen usually they ripen from August onwards in Palestine.[27]
  • "My love": see notes on verse 2.
Inscription "O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock" from "Song of Solomon 2:14", "Joyous Festivals 5713" stamp of Israel - 110 mil.

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]
  • "Foxes": or "jackals".[30] The foxes are associated with the obstacle of the blossoming romantic relationship.Template:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn

Verse 16

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.[31]

In reversed order compared to Song 6:3.[32]

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Sources

Template:Song of Songs

  1. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  2. ↑ Template:Cite book
  3. ↑ Dead sea scrolls - Song of Songs.
  4. ↑ Template:Cite book
  5. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  6. ↑ Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 2:1. Biblehub
  7. ↑ Song 2:1, Septuagint
  8. ↑ Song 2:1 Template:Webarchive, Vulgate
  9. ↑ Song 2:1, Wiclif
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Sharon", Harper's Bible Dictionary
  11. ↑ Is 35:1, Septuagint
  12. ↑ Is 35:1 Template:Webarchive, Vulgate
  13. ↑ Is 35:1, Wiclif
  14. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  15. ↑ Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 2:2. Biblehub
  16. ↑ Strong's Concordance: 7474. rayah. Biblehub
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Hebrew Text Analysis: Song of Solomon 5:16. Biblehub
  18. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  19. ↑ Pope, Marvin H. (1995) Song of Songs, Yale University Press, p. 372; apud Longman 2001, p. 112
  20. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  21. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 MEV
  22. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 NKJV
  23. ↑ Note [a] on Song 2:7 in NKJV
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Harper, A. (1902), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Song of Solomon 2, accessed 28 April 2019
  25. ↑ Template:Bibleverse: New Revised Standard Version
  26. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  27. ↑ According to Riehm's Handwörterbuch; apud Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Song of Solomon 2
  28. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  29. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 ESV
  30. ↑ Note [a] on Song 2:15 in ESV
  31. ↑ Template:Bibleverse 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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