Solomon on the Song of SONGS!
In the Bridal Chamber
CHAPTER THREE IN THE BRIDAL CHAMBER (Reflection #3, Song 1:15-2:7) CONTEXT The royal couple has left the wedding banquet and has retired to the bridal suite. In the ancient world, it was customary for a king to build a special bedroom for his new bride. As they enter the bridal chamber, Solomon begins his lovemaking to his wife with praise (1:15). She responds with greater praise (1:16-2:1). Solomon tops her praise of him (2:2) and she then outdoes his praise of her (2:3). Thus the lovers are mutually extolling one another's charms with increasingly powerful descriptions of one another 's beauty. It seems evident that this increasing level of praise is intended by the author to reflect the increasing level of their passion as their lovemaking progresses. This must be the intent because the end product of these praises is a request by Shulamith to be refreshed with raisin cakes and apples (erotic symbols) a reference to lovesickness (sexual passion), and a request to be embraced (fondled 2:5-6). Before going on to comment on the text itself, I think it would be appropriate to pause a moment and lay out some of the reasons for understanding these first three reflections as occurring on the wedding day and night. Anticipation and fulfillment There seems to be a theme of anticipation and fulfillment within the first three reflections. In 1:1-5 she longs to be in the bedroom with her husband and in 1:15-2:7 we find them in the bridal chamber. In 1:3,4 she desires the king's caresses and in 2:6 she receives them. She anticipated sexual intercourse in 1:4 and experienced it in 2:4-6. This anticipation and longing for her lover is highly appropriate for he wedding day but would violate the entire ethic of the Song (as well as the rest of the Scriptures) if these reflections described pre-marital events. Thus, the longing and fulfillment motif seems to unite these first three reflections into a single unit describing the wedding day. The banquet table This reference to a banquet table (1:12) fits very naturally with a wedding banquet since this is a book about courtship, wedding, and marriage. It is therefore improbable that any common banquet would be meant. The sexual intimacies described There are many allusions to sexual intimacies that would be wholly inappropriate to a pre-marital scene. In 2:6 she requests that Solomon "embrace" her. Most Hebrew scholars agree this means to "stimulate sexually, or fondle." Kramer notes an interesting parallel phrase in second millennium B.C. love poems. In the Sumuzl-Inanna love romance we find the phrase, "Your right hand you have placed on my vulva; Your left, stroked my head." The parallelism seems too direct to be coincidental. She also says she is "lovesick." This is a reference to high sexual passion. Furthermore, raisin cakes and apples are frequently connected with sexual arousal. The great Hebrew scholar Jastrow comments, "The raisin is again because of its sweetness, an erotic symbol, like the apple in the following line to suggest that the lovesick maiden can be rescued from her languishing condition only by the caresses and embraces of her lover." In 1:2 she describes in anticipation (daydreaming) her husband's love skill. His love is "going to be" sweeter than wine. The word for love here is sometimes used to mean sexual love. The banquet hall In 2:4 Shulamith comments that the king has brought her "to his banquet hall." The Hebrew literally translates, "house of wine." Every banquet of pleasure and joy in the Hebrew idiom is, as we have noted, called by the name "wine." The "house of wine" was a common oriental reference to the bridal chamber. Thus, the text places us in the wedding night. Her sexual awakening In Song 8:5, which occurs years later, Solomon and Shulamfth pass an apple tree as they walk along a country road. He comments that it was there that she was first "awakened" - introduced into the joys of marred sexual love. The awakening is associated in 8:4 and 2:6 with "fondling." In 2:6 Shulamith requests that "... his right hand embrace me," and then warns against the careless "awakening" of love in the following verse (2:7). Similarly, after requesting that "his right hand embrace" her in 8:3, she refers again to the careless "awakening" of love in 8:4. Then Solomon says it was under the apple tree where he awakened her (8:5). This association with physical fondling suggests the "awakenings" in this book refer to that of sexual passion. Furthermore, this verb is used to mean a "violent awakening" whenever it is found in this form (Deut.32:11). The word translated "awake" is used at least once in the Old Testament in awakening of sexual passion (Hos.7:4). The only other place in the book there is reference to her being awakened under the apple tree is Song 2:3. If 8:5 explains Song 2:3 to be a sexual awakening, this probably places the first three reflections on the wedding night. Having suggested this chronological order, let's take a look at the beauty of their first night together. First, a basic commentary provides information on the meaning of the symbols and then some comments are made which are applicable to twentieth century marriage. COMMENTARY The scene that follows becomes more and more intimate as the bride and groom leave the wedding banquet and proceed to the bridal chamber. Although this is not explicitly stated, it is implied in 1:16 when she comments on the luxurious bed they are lying on. They have moved from the table (1:12) to the bed (1:18). 1:15 SOLOMON: How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves. The dove is a symbol of innocence and purity; the appearance of the eyes an index of character. Hence Solomon says she is beautiful and pure - a virgin. 1:16 SHULAMITH: How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant! Indeed our couch is Iuxuriant! The fact that the Hebrew word for bed comes form a verb meaning "to cover" suggests that originally a bed was considered a covered or canopied couch. Certainly the canopied bed was common with Ancient Near Eastern Monarchs. Numerous illustrations in Egyptian wall paintings of this era depict a canopy over the bed of the Pharoah and his wife. At any rate, the richest man in the world would fashion a bed from the most luxurious material available, probably satin a silk. 1:17 SHULAMITH: The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters, cypresses. As Shulamith lies on the luxurious couch, she observes Solomon's thoughtful preparation in constructing the bridal chamber. Because she comes from a rural background, Solomon has apparently outdone himself to construct a bedroom that would remind her of the open air and the country that she loved. Its cedar-beamed ceiling and cypress rafters create a separate world for them to enjoy away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Solomon constructed much of his palace with cedar beams from Lebanon (1 Kings 7:1-12). Furthermore, he built a separate house for his wife. Lebanon, Shulamith's home, is above all famous for its dense forest cover. These mighty cedars have become symbols of majesty and pride in biblical imagery. These cedars and conifers furnished the finest building timber in the ancient East and were sought by the rulers of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria-Palestine. The most celebrated of such deliveries was that sent to Solomon by Hiram of Tyre for the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5:6-9). Solomon probably used some of this very timber to construct the bridal chamber. 2:1 SHULAMITH: I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys. She likens herself to a tender flower that has grown up in the quietness of rural life. Sharon is a region between Tabor and the Sea of Galilee in the neighborhood of Nazareth where Jesus grew up in northern Galliee (1 Chron.5:16). The rose of Sharon was a flesh-colored meadow flower with a leafless stem which, when the grass was mown, appeared by the thousands in the warmer regions. Humbly describing herself as a meadow flower, she had understandable fears of being out of place, a common meadow flower in King Solomon's palace. The lily of the valley is a beautiful red flower commonly found in Palestine. She thinks humbly of herself in comparison to the king and alludes to herself as a common country girl. 2:2 SOLOMON: Like a lily among the thoms, So is my darling among the maidens. Solomon takes up the comparison and gives its notable turn. He says all the other maidens in Jerusalem are as thorns compared to her. As Shulamith entered the splendor of the palace she had apparently been struck by the beauty of the "maidens," the palace pretties. But Solomon says her nobility of character and virgin purity set her above all the sophisficated court ladies who have spent their lives "caring for their own vineyards." 2:3 SHULAMITH: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among young men. The tempo of their lovemaking has increased; they are now actively involved in their love play. Shulamith praises the erotic and sensual lovemaking ability of her husband. The apple tree is a very frequent symbol in the Near East for sexual love. In the Egyptain love song, "Song of the City of Memphis," a man says to his lover, "Her breasts are like mandrake apples." Gordis, the Jewish commentator observes, "Raisin cakes, which were used in fertility rites (cf. Hos. 3:1), served like the apples as an erotic symbol on the subconscious level." Zockler also sees the apple tree as a symbol of sexual passion: "... just as the sweet fruit of the apple tree serves to represent his agreeable caresses." The apple tree is used throughout the Song as a symbol for sexual love (cf. 8:5). In effect, then, Shulamith is telling Solomon what a skillful lover he is. He is an apple tree, skilled at making love. 2:3b SHULAMITH: In his shade I took great delight and sat down, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. As she sits (presumably on cushions in the bedroom) beneath Solomon's shadow - cast perhaps from a lamp in the room, she delightfully "tastes his fruit" Several different interpretations have been given for this phrase. Some have said it refers to being refreshed by his presence as an apple refreshes a weary traveler. However, in view of the obviously erotic nature of the symbols (raisin cakes, apples) and the context ("Let his left hand 'fondle' me), this seems unlikely. Others have seen it as a reference to the sweet taste of his words and works which make a happy impression on the one who experiences them. Others see the sweet fruit of the apple tree as a symbol of his caresses. In other words, she "tastes" his sexual embrace. In extra-biblical literature, "fruit" is sometimes equated with the male genitals - or with semen, so it is possible that here we have a faint and delicate reference to an oral genital caress. At any rate, it seems to speak of the intense sexual enjoyment they share. 2:4 SHULAMITH: He has brought me into his banquet hall And his banner over me is love. As mentioned above, the "banquet hall" was a common oriental expression for the bridal chamber. The banner of a king was a long pole with a cloth attached like a flag. It spoke of the king's protective care. As Shulamith sits in Solomon's shade (protective care), she immediately associates his "banner" with his love, since his love provides security, care and protection. 2:5 SHULAMITH: Sustain me with raisin cakes, Refresh me with apples, Because I am lovesick. The phrase "I am lovesick" is literally "I am sick with love." She means that at this point in their lovemaking she is completely overcome with sexual desire. In order to alleviate the "lovesickness" she requests that Solomon sustain her with raisin cakes and apples (symbols of erotic love). In other words, she asks him to satisfy her sexually without delay! 2:6 SHULAMITH: Let his left hand be under my head, And his fight hand embrace me. Shulamith tells her husband exactly what she wants him to do in order to alleviate her lovesickness, or sexual passion. As they lie on the couch she requests that his left hand be placed under her head and his right hand embrace her. Delitzsch says the Hebrew word means "to fondle." She desires him to fondle and stimulate her by touching her body. The description of the consummation of their love in sexual intercourse is reserved for a later section (4:16-5:1). 2:7 SHULAMITH: I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field. That you will not arouse or awaken (my) love Until (she) pleases. At this point the reflection abruptly ends with this warning addressed to the chorus, here personified as the daughters of Jerusalem. Remember they are a literary device, not a real group of people. Here they provide an "audience" to hear the warning. The words in parentheses are not in the original Hebrew and should be omitted. A proper translation would be: "That you will not arouse or awaken love until it pleases." Gordis convincingly demonstrates that the oath taken "by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field" parallels the flsting in some of the biblical books such as Esther and Ecclesiastes in which an attempt was made to avoid the mention of the Divine name. Hence, Shulamith replaces the customary oath "by the Lord of Hosts" or "by the Almighty" with a similar sounding phrase in Hebrew, "by the gazelles or the hinds of the field" choosing animals which symbolize love. It is likely that the Septuagint retained some recognition of Shulamith's oath by rendering the unique Hebrew phrase as "in (or by) the powers and the forces of the field." The phrase "that you will not arouse or awaken love until it pleases" is difficult and has been interpreted in various ways. It has been suggested the statement is a warning against forcing love to develop prematurely; it should develop naturally. However, there are no indications in the entire story of either her or Solomon attempting to "force" the relationship to develop. Delitzsch sees it as Shulamith's plea to the daughters of Jerusalem not to interrupt their embrace. While this makes good sense in the context, it requires an unlikely translation of the verb "awake." Delitzsch would translate, "That ye arouse not and disturb not love Till she pleases." Robert Gordis suggests, "Do not disturb love while it is passionate, lit. 'while it desires.' Again, the Hebrew word means "awaken" and not "disturb." It seems more probable the passage is a warning against the awakening of sexual passion before "it pleases." Schonfield translates, "Do not wake, do not quicken passion, Before it is ready to stir." This view is defended by Zcckler. He says Shulamith is giving a stray warning to the court ladies that they are not to plunge rashly and unbidden into the passion of love, that is to say, not before love awakens of itself ("till heart is joined to heart, till God Himself gives you an affection for the right man'). Although there are numerous other Scriptures that warn against premarital intercourse (1 Cor.6:19), this passage seems slightly different. It is a warning against the arousal of sexual passion with anyone other than the person you feel God has definitely led you to marry. Sexual passion is not to be aroused until "it pleases" - until it is appropriate. While there is still some ambiguity about the phrase "it pleases" and one cannot be dogmatic about the meaning, this interpretation seems preferable for several reasons. (1) The theme of pre-marital chastity is stressed in several other places in the Song, and its virtues are praised (Song 4:12,8:8-12). This interpretation of the warning thus fits well with a major theme. (2) As demonstrated previously, the "awakenings" are most likely sexual awakenings. Furthermore, she was sexually awakened "under the apple tree" while in the "house of wine" (the bridal chamber) according to 8:5 and 2:3-6. Since in the context immediately preceeding the warning not to awaken love, Solomon and Shulamith are in the "house of wine" and she is being "embraced" it would seem that the natural connection would be the sexual awakening just described. Thus, the text becomes a warning against doing what Solomon and Shulamith have just done (made love), until "it pleases," (until a couple enters their own house of wine or bridal chamber). (3) This interpretation explains two similar passages in the book. In all three cases the warning is not only connected with a physical embrace, but it comes at the conclusion of a sequence of reflections which leads naturally to a warning concerning a major theme of the book (pre-marital chastity). These passages, 3:5 and 8:4, will be discussed in the commentary to follow. TO BE CONTINUED |
No comments:
Post a Comment