The JPS Bible Commentary: Song of Songs

by Michael Fishbane

Publisher:

Jewish Publication Society

, 2015

Overview

Song of Songs is a wondrous collection of love lyrics nestled in the heart of the Hebrew Bible—songs of passion and praise between a young maiden and her beloved. It is religious lyric par excellence. But what is its true meaning? Is it an expression of human love and passion, pure and simple? A celebration of the covenant between God and Israel? Or something else?

The latest volume in the Jewish Publication Society’s highly acclaimed Bible Commentary series, Song of Songs provides a line-by-line commentary of the original Hebrew Bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the JPS English translation. Unique to this volume are four layers of commentary: the traditional PaRDeS of peshat (literal meaning), derash (midrashic and religious-traditional sense), remez (allegorical level), and sod (mystical and spiritual intimations). Michael Fishbane skillfully draws from them all to reveal the extraordinary range of interpretations and ideas perceived in this beloved biblical book. A comprehensive introduction, extensive endnotes, a full bibliography (traditional and modern), and additional explanatory materials are included to enhance the reader’s appreciation of the work.

This original, comprehensive commentary on the Song of Songs interprets historical, critical, and traditional sources drawn from the ancient Near East, the entire spectrum of Jewish sources and commentaries, and modern critical studies.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Includes four levels of Commentary: Peshat, Derash, Remez, and Sod
• Features notes that explain nuances in translation
• Presents a detailed history of the Jewish interpretation of the Song of Songs

Contents

• Introduction to the Commentary: Song of Songs
• Full Hebrew-English Text of the Song of Songs
• Commentary to the Song of Songs
• Excursus: A History of Jewish Interpretation of the Song of Songs

Top Highlights

“Remez marks an allegorical interpretation in terms of individual spirituality.” (Page 19)

“Peshat marks the plain sense of a verse or passage.” (Page 17)

“From the earliest times, this topic found expression in such prophets as Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Hosea” (Page xx)

“We thus have one book but two Songs: one stirs interpersonal love, while the other recounts Israel’s sacred history.” (Page xxiv)

“At its remez core, Scripture is a philosophical allegory for the mind’s or soul’s perfection.” (Page xxxvii)

Praise for the Print Edition

This series is an indispensable resource, and Fishbane’s new work is among the most rewarding entries.

—Howard Freedman, jweekly.com

Michael Fishbane, one of the most penetrating Bible scholars of our time, has surpassed himself in this magnificent study of The Song of Songs, combining scholarly erudition, poetic sensibility, theological depth, and an unmatched mastery of the history of interpretation of this most difficult yet lyrical testimony of love. A masterpiece of scholarship!

—Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, emeritus chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth.

Fishbane’s commentary on ‘the great songbook of the Jewish soul’ is a tour de force. There is nothing like it for opening up the inner depths of the biblical dialogue of love.

—Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor emeritus, Divinity School, University of Chicago

Product Details

• Title: The JPS Bible Commentary: Song of Songs
• Author: Michael Fishbane
• Series: JPS Tanakh Commentary
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2017
• Pages: 397
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. Song of Solomon › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780827607415, 9780827611450, 0827607415, 0827611455
• Resource ID: LLS:JPSBBLESO
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T17:01:30Z

About Michael Fishbane

Michael Fishbane was trained in Semitic languages, biblical studies, and Judaica. His writings span from the ancient Near East and biblical studies to rabbinics, the history of Jewish interpretation, Jewish mysticism, and modern Jewish thought. Among his many books are Text and Texture; Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel; Garments of Torah; The Kiss of God; and The Exegetical Imagination: On Jewish Thought and Theology. Both Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel and The Kiss of God won the National Jewish Book Award in scholarship. His commentary on the prophetic lectionary (Haftarot) in Judaism was published in 2002 (Jewish Publication Society Bible Commentary), and his book Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking was published in 2003 (Oxford University Press). He is now completing a multileveled comprehensive commentary presenting the full range of Jewish interpretations on the Song of Songs. His latest work, Sacred Attunement: A Jewish Theology, was published in fall 2008 by the University of Chicago Press. In progress are a study of Jewish liturgical poetry and a treatment of spiritual exercises in Jewish religious history. Prof. Fishbane received a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other major grants, and has twice been a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University. Prof. Fishbane is a member of the American Academy of Jewish Research, and has been recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement in Textual Studies by the National Foundation of Jewish Culture. His life and work was written up in the forthcoming new edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica.