Song of Songs

Understanding of the structure of the title could be “The Best Song, which is Solomon’s”

What is This?

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Interpretation and Purpose)

...perhaps the most difficult and mysterious book in the entire Bible.

Bible Knowledge Commentary

Is it an allegory? An extended type (Jewish thought: God and Israel; Christian thought: Christ and the Church)? A drama? A collection of Syrian wedding songs? Pagan fertility rite liturgies? An anthology of disconnected love songs? One love song?

A hermetical reality:

The most plain reading of the text is to be preferred

Good understanding leads to the conclusion that it’s a lyrical poem; having both unity and structure; proceeding to a conclusion—it tells a love story

Even here there is conflict among scholars: 2 players or 3 players? 3rd party argues that the shepherd is her true lover and Solomon is trying to win her from him

Author and Date

v. 1 declare’s it to be Solomon’s; other verses reference him by name 1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11–12).

Called the King in 1:4, 12; 3:9, 11; 7:5

Assuming it to be Solomon, mid-10th cent. BC 971-931

Problems with Dating and Authorship

Linguistic oddities have been mentioned—words “to late” to have been used in that time

Stylistically, it’s much like older Egyptian love poems

Those have been pretty-much destroyed with better/newer scholarship

Not a far stretch for Solomon to be familiar with such; not likely that a later writer would have been

A more problematic argument: 700 wives and 300 concubines!

A possible answer: his pursuit of his first wife

…or setting all others aside at one time in pursuit of one in particular

Reality is that God has used many unsavory characters in His service, for His glory

Why is this in the Canon?

There’s a good question!

The Bible Knowledge Commentary Interpretation and Purpose

The purpose of the book is to extol human love and marriage

Two commentators offer great insight:

BKC

The Bible Knowledge Commentary Interpretation and Purpose

Since the world views sex so sordidly and perverts and exploits it so persistently and since so many marriages are crumbling because of lack of love, commitment, and devotion, it is advantageous to have a book in the Bible that gives God’s endorsement of marital love as wholesome and pure.

The New Bible Commentary What Does the Book Teach?

We cannot do without this book, especially in an age of ‘free love’. Let it remind us that God is deeply concerned about our love relationships, not only to him but to each other.

NBC

Also this comment from the NBC:

The New Bible Commentary What Does the Book Teach?

Used illustratively, the song says some beautiful things about the relation of Christ with his beloved church. We are reminded, among other things, of the strength of Christ’s love (8:7); his delight to hear the prayers of the church (8:13); the sense of yearning for his presence (8:14); the invitation of Christ to share his company (2:13); the dangers of the failure to respond to his knocking (5:2–8; cf. Rev. 3:20).

So, we can find bridges to the Gospel…though they are difficult