🌹📖Song of Songs: Canonical Controversy

The inclusion of Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) into the biblical canon is one of the more intriguing and debated issues in the history of Scripture. At first glance, it reads like a collection of romantic or even erotic poetry—earthy, sensual, and full of longing. Its absence from the New Testament and its lack of explicit mention of God only deepen the mystery. Yet it survived every phase of canon formation and has been cherished as holy Scripture by Jews and Christians alike. Why?

I. 🌸 1. Initial Canonical Concerns: Why Was It Controversial?

During the early stages of canon formation—particularly in Jewish tradition around the first century CE—some questioned whether Song of Songs should be included at all. Here’s why:

No Mention of God: Unlike Psalms, Proverbs, or even Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs never directly mentions the name of God (except for a possible indirect reference in 8:6 with the Hebrew word “flame of Yah”).
No Obvious Moral or Legal Instruction: It lacks the wisdom or law-teaching tone typical of the Writings (Ketuvim).
Erotic Nature: The language is intimate and, to some, seemed to border on the profane. To certain readers, it resembled pagan fertility songs or love poetry.

Yet despite this, it was included. Why?

📜 2. Rabbinic Affirmation: The Key Endorsement

The biggest turning point came from Rabbi Akiva (circa 1st–2nd century CE), who famously said:

“All the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.”

He insisted that its sensual language was allegorical, representing the love between God and Israel, not merely human romance. This rabbinic stamp of approval played a major role in preserving its place in the Hebrew canon.

🔍 3. Deeper Allegorical Reading: Love as Covenant

Both Jewish and Christian interpreters through the centuries have looked past the literal surface to find theological depth:

In Judaism:

Allegory of God’s Love for Israel: Each stanza or scene can be seen as reflecting God’s covenantal pursuit of His people—from Egypt to Sinai to exile and return.
Exodus Imagery: Some rabbis interpreted the male lover as Yahweh and the female as Israel, with scenes of seeking and finding echoing the wilderness journey and God’s constant pursuit of His bride.

In Christianity:

Christ and the Church: Early Church Fathers like Origen interpreted the bridegroom as Christ and the bride as the Church.
Mystical Union: Later mystics such as Bernard of Clairvaux saw it as describing the soul’s longing for union with Christ.

These theological readings gave the book canonical weight. It wasn’t just about romantic love—it was about divine love, covenantal relationship, and spiritual desire.

✝️ 4. But Why Isn’t It Quoted in the New Testament?

This is a legitimate question. Several Old Testament books (like Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs) are not quoted in the New Testament.

Possible reasons:

Genre: It doesn’t lend itself to doctrinal teaching or messianic prophecy in the way Psalms or Isaiah does.
Focus of NT Writers: Their focus was on the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets through Jesus. Song of Songs’ more poetic and allegorical themes may not have served their rhetorical purposes.
Cultural Context: Some Second Temple Jewish interpreters were already viewing the Song allegorically, so the NT writers may have had no need to cite it directly.

However, themes from Song of Songs echo in the NT:

Jesus as bridegroom (Mark 2:19, John 3:29, Rev. 21)
The longing for union with Christ (John 14:3, 17:24)
The love language used by Paul in Ephesians 5 (marriage as a mystery of Christ and the Church)

🌿 5. Why It Belongs: Theological and Canonical Resonance

Despite initial doubts, Song of Songs resonates with the rest of Scripture when read theologically:

Love as Covenant: It embodies the heart of the Law and Prophets—love, desire, fidelity.
Garden Imagery: Echoes Eden and restoration motifs. The bride is often likened to a garden—symbolic of purity, fruitfulness, and divine delight (compare with Eden and the New Jerusalem).
Exile and Return: The repeated motifs of seeking, finding, losing, and returning mirror Israel’s spiritual journey.
Typological Pairing: Read alongside books like Hosea (unfaithful bride) and Revelation (bride of Christ), it rounds out the narrative arc of divine romance that undergirds the whole Bible.

🪞 6. Why It Still Matters: Worship and Desire

In a world prone to intellectualizing faith or reducing it to duty, Song of Songs reminds us that God desires us—not just our obedience but our love. It affirms that:

Desire and delight are not unspiritual.
Love is not just emotion but covenantal pursuit.
Human intimacy, rightly ordered, reflects divine intimacy.

It challenges both Gnostic disdain for the body and shallow religiosity. It’s a mirror and a mystery: sensual yet sacred.

Hebrew language and cultural worldview carried nuances that made Song of Songs not just permissible, but profoundly sacred in their eyes. While the book is clearly sensual, it also uses language rich with covenantal, relational, and spiritual undertones that would’ve resonated deeply with the Jewish people.

II. 🌿 1. דּוֹד (dod) – Beloved / Uncle / Lover

Primary Use in Song of Songs: “My beloved” (e.g., Song 2:16 – “Dodi li, va’ani lo” – “My beloved is mine and I am his”)
Range of Meaning:
- Romantic partner
- Familial connection (uncle)
- Term of endearment or deep affection
Theological Resonance: This kind of affectionate love is chosen and reciprocated, much like God’s covenant with Israel. It’s not transactional—it’s relational, personal, intimate. That makes it a perfect metaphor for covenant.

Insight: The term dod carries warmth, closeness, and delight—qualities that also describe God’s covenantal affection (see Deut. 7:7–8).

🔥 2. אָהַב (’ahav) – To Love

Root word for both emotional and covenantal love.
Used for human romantic love (Gen 29:18 – Jacob loved Rachel) and for God’s love for Israel (Deut 6:5, “You shall love Yahweh your God…”).
The noun form, ahavah (אַהֲבָה), appears in Song of Songs 2:4 – “his banner over me was love”, and again in 8:6 – “for love is as strong as death.”

Insight: Ahavah in Hebrew is not merely romantic or emotional—it’s tied to faithfulness and commitment. To the Hebrew mind, this word was never superficial.

🪞 3. יָדַע (yada‘) – To Know

While this word doesn’t appear in Song of Songs, it shapes the Hebrew understanding of intimacy.
Gen 4:1 – “And Adam knew Eve his wife…” (sexual intimacy)
But yada‘ is also the same word for knowing God intimately (e.g., Hosea 6:6 – “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God…”)

Insight: In Hebrew thought, to truly know someone—even sexually—was deeply relational, not merely physical. This overlaps with how the people of Israel were to know their God in covenant.

🌳 4. רֵעַ (re‘a) – Companion / Friend

Used in Song 5:16: “This is my beloved and this is my friend…”
In other parts of Scripture, re‘a refers to close companions or covenantal partners (Exod. 20:17 – “your neighbor’s wife”).

Insight: The inclusion of re‘a suggests not just erotic love but friendship, mutuality, and trust, which again echoes God’s relationship with Israel—He doesn’t just want servants, He wants friends (Isa. 41:8).

🛐 5. שַׁלְוָה (shalvah) – Tranquility / Peace

The state of being expressed in the poetic unity between the lovers often mirrors shalom—peace, wholeness, flourishing.
Song 8:10 – “Then I was in his eyes as one who brings peace.”

Insight: Shalom or shalvah is not merely absence of conflict but presence of rightness—right relationship, pleasure, unity. Love that brings shalom is sacred.

💧 6. חֶסֶד (chesed) – Covenant Love / Steadfast Love

While not explicitly used in Song of Songs, the cultural undertone of chesed shapes all Jewish understanding of relationships—especially love.
God’s love is defined by chesed: unbreakable, loyal, kind, covenantal.
Romantic imagery used by prophets (like Hosea and Ezekiel) is soaked in chesed, even when describing God’s pain over Israel’s unfaithfulness.

Insight: The marriage metaphor in Song of Songs evokes chesed, even if the word is unspoken. Intimacy in Hebrew thinking is meant to reflect divine faithfulness.

💍 Summary: Why It Felt Appropriate to the Jewish Mind

To the ancient Hebrews:

Physical intimacy was not dirty—it was sacred when rightly ordered.
Love and covenant were inseparable. Even erotic language could serve a holy function if it pointed to divine love.
The language of Song of Songs was culturally loaded with spiritual significance—not just hormonal impulse.
The garden imagery, longing, pursuit, and union are all echoes of Eden lost and intimacy restored—a major theme across the entire Bible.

🌿 The garden imagery in Song of Songs is not just poetic—it’s deeply theological. When read in the broader narrative arc of Scripture, we discover that the imagery of gardens, vineyards, trees, and fruit is consistently used to speak of God’s relationship with His people, with Yahweh often portrayed as the divine Gardener—the One who plants, tends, prunes, and seeks fruit.

Let’s walk through the garden imagery in Song of Songs and then zoom out to trace how this agricultural theme runs from Genesis to Revelation, revealing Yahweh’s heart as the Gardener of souls, history, and the world.

III. 🌺 1. Garden Imagery in Song of Songs: Eden Revisited

The garden isn’t just scenery—it’s symbolic of:

Intimacy and union
Fertility and flourishing
Sanctuary and sanctuary-likeness

Here are some notable references:

🪴 Song 4:12–15

“A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a garden locked, a fountain sealed…
a garden fountain, a well of living water,
and flowing streams from Lebanon.”

The bride is likened to a sealed garden—pure, enclosed, sacred.
The imagery of living water and fragrant plants echoes Eden’s lushness and life-giving qualities (cf. Gen 2:10).
The enclosure language reflects holiness—what is set apart, protected, treasured.

🍇 Song 7:12–13

“Let us go early to the vineyards…
there I will give you my love.
The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and at our doors are all choice fruits…”

Here, vineyards are the meeting place of love.
The fruitfulness of the land is tied to the fruitfulness of love and covenant joy.

🌳 Song 2:3

“As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”

Echoes the Tree of Life, a place of delight, shade, and sustenance.
This is Eden language—dwelling in the protective, life-giving presence of the Beloved.

🌱 2. Yahweh as Gardener: A Biblical Thread

From Genesis to the Gospels, Yahweh is consistently portrayed as one who plants, tends, and seeks fruit from His creation—especially from His people.

🌳 Genesis 2:8–9

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden…
and out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree…”

Yahweh is the first gardener—He creates Eden as a sanctuary where He and humanity can dwell in intimacy.

🍇 Isaiah 5:1–7 – The Song of the Vineyard

“My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill…
What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?”

God sings a love song about His vineyard (Israel), which mirrors Song of Songs.
When Israel bears wild grapes (corruption, injustice), Yahweh grieves.
He is the Gardener-King, longing for righteous fruit.

🌿 Psalm 1:3

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water…”

The righteous person, rooted in God’s Word, becomes Edenic, flourishing like a tree of life.

🍃 Jeremiah 17:7–8

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD…
he is like a tree planted by water…”

God plants His people for resilience and fruitfulness, even in drought.

🍇 John 15:1

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

Jesus declares Himself the true Israel, the faithful vine.
The Father is still the tender of vineyards, seeking fruit—love, obedience, and union.
This connects directly to the vineyard intimacy of Song of Songs.

🍈 3. Key Agricultural Symbols in Scripture

Vine / Vineyard

Israel is called God’s vine (Isa. 5, Ps. 80, Hos. 10:1).
Jesus is the true vine (John 15).
Fruit = covenant faithfulness, justice, love, joy (Gal. 5:22–23).

Fig Tree

Often used to symbolize spiritual health or its lack.
Jeremiah 24: Good figs = obedient remnant; bad figs = corrupt ones.
Jesus curses the barren fig tree (Mark 11) as a judgment against fruitless religion.

Trees

Tree of Life / Tree of Knowledge (Gen. 2–3)
Proverbs: Wisdom is a “tree of life”
Cross is referred to as a “tree” (Acts 5:30)
Revelation 22: The Tree of Life returns in the New Jerusalem—fruitful, healing the nations

Theme: Trees represent human destiny—planted, rooted, fruitful, or withered.

🛐 4. Why This Matters Spiritually

💞 Song of Songs is more than love poetry—it’s a return to Eden:

A place of union, fruitfulness, and fellowship with God.
The enclosed garden becomes a symbol of the human heart, tended by God.

🧑‍🌾 Yahweh is the Gardener of souls:

He plants us in covenant love.
He waters us through His Word and Spirit.
He seeks fruit: faithfulness, justice, love, joy.
When we flourish, He delights.

🌄 Summary: From Eden to New Jerusalem

Theme	Song of Songs	Broader Scripture
Garden	Lover’s delight and sacred space	Eden, Temple, Kingdom
Vines & Fruit	Love is fruitful, fragrant	Covenant faithfulness, spiritual fruit
Trees	Shelter, delight, life	Tree of Life, righteousness, wisdom
Gardener	Implicit (bride & bridegroom tending a garden)	God as planter (Gen. 2), tender (Isa. 5), vinedresser (John 15)
Return to Eden	Lover seeks beloved in the garden	Revelation’s garden-city (Rev. 22)

Song of Songs and Isaiah 5 are deeply connected by shared imagery, language of love, and the vineyard as metaphor. What’s especially powerful is how Song of Songs paints the vineyard as a place of intimacy and mutual delight, while Isaiah 5 uses the same imagery to express heartbreak and divine judgment over failed love. When read together, they show the two sides of covenant relationship: desired intimacy vs. betrayed love.

Let’s explore that connection closely. 🌿🍇

IV. 📜 1. Isaiah 5:1–7 — The Vineyard Song of Judgment

Isaiah 5 opens with this:

“Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.” (Isa 5:1)

This is startlingly similar to the romantic tone of Song of Songs, which also opens with passionate longing and a vineyard setting (e.g., Song 1:6, 2:15, 4:12).

But in Isaiah, the tone shifts:

The “beloved” is Yahweh, the owner of the vineyard.
The “vineyard” is Israel.
God did everything for His vineyard—cleared it, planted it, built a watchtower, hewed a winepress.
But instead of good grapes, it yields wild grapes (Hebrew: be’ushim, sour or worthless).

Key lines:

“What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?” (Isa 5:4)

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting…” (Isa 5:7)

“He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!” (Isa 5:7b)

💞 2. Song of Songs — The Vineyard as Intimacy

Now contrast this with Song of Songs, where the vineyard is also a central metaphor—but now used for the self, for romantic/bridal love, and for reciprocity.

Key echoes and parallels:

🍇 Song 1:6

“My own vineyard I have not kept.”

A reference to her own body, her own spiritual/emotional tending.
Echoes Israel’s failure to be fruitful in Isaiah 5.

🌿 Song 2:15

“Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”

Foxes = anything that spoils love before it matures.
A poetic version of Isaiah’s theme—something is invading the vineyard.

🪴 Song 8:11–12

“Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he let out the vineyard to keepers…
My vineyard, my very own, is before me…”

Contrasts commercialized love with personal, faithful love.
The bride claims personal responsibility over her “vineyard”—her devotion, her body, her love.

🌿 3. Shared Imagery, Contrasting Tone

Image	Song of Songs	Isaiah 5
Vineyard	Place of intimacy and mutual love	Symbol of Israel’s covenant with God
Beloved	Human lover (representing mutual desire)	Yahweh (heartbroken Gardener)
Fruit/Grapes	Fragrant, ripe, to be enjoyed	Wild, sour, a failure of righteousness
Garden imagery	Flourishing, locked, sacred space	Fertile hill, carefully planted
Judgment	Not present; about desire and longing	Present; heartbreak over betrayal
Tone	Romantic, joyful, Edenic	Lament, grief, prophetic accusation

🧠 4. Hebrew Linguistic Connections

Here are some key Hebrew words that appear in both books:

Kerem (כֶּרֶם) – Vineyard
- Song 1:6, 8:11; Isaiah 5:1, 3, 5, 7
Dod (דּוֹד) – Beloved / lover
- Song’s favorite word (over 30x); appears in Isa 5:1 as “my beloved”
Yayin (יַיִן) – Wine
- Associated with joy, love, and intimacy in Song of Songs (1:2, 1:4); associated with the fruit expected from the vineyard in Isaiah

🔍 5. Theological Interpretation: Israel’s Love Story

Read together, these two passages show that:

God’s relationship with His people is deeply personal. It is not just legal; it’s romantic, vulnerable, emotional.
Song of Songs may reflect what God longs for—intimacy, delight, mutual pursuit.
Isaiah 5 reflects what God often receives—neglect, unfruitfulness, betrayal.

In other words:

Song of Songs = the Eden God desires
Isaiah 5 = the wilderness Israel produces

🛐 6. Devotional Application: Is My Vineyard Tended?

Have I kept my “own vineyard”? (Song 1:6)
What fruit is growing in my life? Is it justice and righteousness, or wild grapes? (Isa 5:7)
Am I in a relationship with God that is tender and intimate—or have I commercialized, ritualized, or neglected it?