Song of Songs (Anchor Yale Bible Commentary | AYBC)
Overview
The Song of Songs has been compared to a lock for which the key was lost. Traditionally ascribed to King Solomon, the book has a sensuous imagery that has been the subject of various allegorical interpretations, chiefly as relating to Yahweh’s love for Israel or Christ’s love for the Church.
Marvin H. Pope suggests that the poem is what it seems, an unabashed celebration of sexual love, both human and divine, rooted in the fertility religions of the ancient Near East, the sacred marriage rite, and the funeral feast. A distinctive feature of his interpretation is the correlation between love and death. Also discussed are parallel literatures, possible Indian influences, and the significance of the song for women’s liberation. Samples of traditional Jewish and Christian allegorical interpretations are cited for each verse.
Numerous photographs and drawings of ancient Near East origin illustrate and authenticate this provocative and controversial interpretation of Solomon’s sublime song.
Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to use this volume effectively and efficiently. With your digital library, you can search for verses, find Scripture references and citations instantly, and perform word studies. Along with your English translations, all Scripture passages are linked to Greek and Hebrew texts. What’s more, hovering over a Scripture reference will instantly display your verse! The advanced tools in your digital library free you to dig deeper into one of the most important contributions to biblical scholarship in the past century!
- Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
- Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
- Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
- Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature
- I (1:1–17)
- II (2:1–17)
- III (3:1–11)
- IV (4:1–16)
- V (5:1–16)
- VI (6:1–12)
- VII (7:1–14)
- VIII (8:1–14)
Top Highlights
“There is no clear evidence that the translator was influenced by the allegorical interpretation which the Synagogue and Church later applied to the text.” (Page 20)
“The quest for the supposedly lost key has been futile, for the door to the understanding of the Song was not locked, nor even shut, but has been wide open to any who dared to see and enter. The barrier has been a psychological aversion to the obvious, somewhat like the Emperor’s New Clothes. The trouble has been that interpreters who dared acknowledge the plain sense of the Song were assailed as enemies of truth and decency. The allegorical charade thus persisted for centuries with only sporadic protests.” (Page 17)
“The asseveration that ‘Love is strong as Death,’ 8:6, must be the climax and immortal message of the Sublime Song.” (Page 18)
“all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies” (Page 19)
“The Bride will give Christ spiced wine by offering the Synagogue the strong wine of the Law blended and softened with the sweet tidings of the Gospel, and will give as the juice of her pomegranate the examples of the Martyrs glad to die for the Faith.” (Page 660)
- Title: Song of Songs: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
- Author: Marvin Pope
- Series: Anchor Yale Bible
- Volume: 7C
- Publisher: Yale University Press
- Print Publication Date: 2008
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Song of Solomon › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780300139495, 0300139497
- Resource ID: LLS:ANCHOR22SO
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:07:13Z
