Old Testament · Poetry (love poetry)

The Song of Solomon: Author, Context and Complete Study

The Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems in which a young woman and her beloved express their longing, delight and commitment. It celebrates romantic and marital love as a good gift of God and declares that love is as strong as death.

Updated on November 14, 2026

What is Song of Solomon about?

The Song of Solomon is a series of love poems sung mostly by a young woman and her beloved, with a chorus called the daughters of Jerusalem. They praise each other's beauty, long for each other when apart, search for each other at night and celebrate their union. The book honors the goodness of love, desire and faithfulness, and it reaches its climax in the claim that love is strong as death and that many waters cannot quench it (Song of Solomon 8:6-7). Many readers also see in it a picture of God's love for his people.

Author: The title calls it the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's (1:1). Tradition attributes it to Solomon; the heading can also mean written for or about him, and some think a later poet composed it.
Date: If written by Solomon, c. 970-930 BC; some scholars date its final form later because of its vocabulary.
First readers: Israel, and especially those preparing for or living in marriage, invited to celebrate faithful love between husband and wife as a gift of God; later read as a picture of God's love for his people.
Genre: Poetry (love poetry)
Chapters: 8 chapters
Key verse: Song of Solomon 8:6

Historical context

The heading links the Song with Solomon, son of David, who reigned over Israel c. 970-930 BC. His court was famous for wealth, international trade and wisdom, and 1 Kings 4:32 says he composed 1,005 songs. The poems reflect a prosperous and peaceful land: a royal carriage and guards (3:7-10), spices, gold, ivory and precious stones (5:14-15), vineyards, orchards and flocks. The king's name appears seven times (1:1, 5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11, 12), and Solomon's hundreds of wives (1 Kings 11:3) make a striking contrast with the Song's picture of exclusive love: among sixty queens and eighty concubines, the beloved says, his dove is unique (6:8-9).

Love poetry was well known in the ancient Near East. Egyptian love songs from roughly the 13th and 12th centuries BC use similar images of gardens and gazelles, and their lovers also call each other sister and brother. Some features of the Song's Hebrew, such as the Persian loanword pardes, orchard (4:13), lead some scholars to date its final form later. Others see an early date in the mention of Tirzah alongside Jerusalem (6:4), since Tirzah served as a capital of the northern kingdom only until Omri moved the capital to Samaria (1 Kings 16:23-24).

Geographical context

The Song is set in the land of Israel and names places from one end to the other. Jerusalem is home to the daughters of Jerusalem and to Solomon's court (1:5; 3:10-11). To the woman, her beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi, an oasis by the Dead Sea (1:14), and she calls herself a flower of Sharon, the coastal plain (2:1). Her hair is like goats coming down the slopes of Gilead (4:1), her head like Mount Carmel and her eyes like the pools of Heshbon (7:4-5).

The north appears wild and majestic: the beloved calls her to come from Lebanon, from the peaks of Amana, Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions and the mountains of leopards (4:8). Her nose is like a tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus (7:4), and her beauty is compared to Tirzah and Jerusalem (6:4). The tents of Kedar, the desert tribes of the east, picture her dark skin (1:5), and a mare among Pharaoh's chariots her striking beauty (1:9). The geography turns the whole land into a portrait of beauty and desire.

Why does the book of Song of Solomon exist?

The Song exists to celebrate love between a man and a woman as a good gift of the Creator. Genesis says that the first man and woman were naked and not ashamed (Genesis 2:25); the Song gives voice to delight, longing, beauty and desire without embarrassment, while placing them within commitment. The lovers belong to each other (2:16; 6:3; 7:10), the woman is a garden locked to everyone else (4:12), and love must not be awakened before its time (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). In a world where love is often reduced to lust or treated as something to be bought, the Song insists that love cannot be purchased with all the wealth of a house (8:7).

The book also gives the Bible a vocabulary for the deepest relationship of all. The prophets describe God as Israel's husband (Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:16-20), and the New Testament presents Christ as the bridegroom of the church (Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7-9). Jewish and Christian readers have therefore long read the Song as a picture of God's love for his people. Read first as love poetry and then in the light of the whole Bible, it teaches both the goodness of human love and the greater love it reflects.

Outline of Song of Solomon

Chapters 1-2
Longing and first delight
After the title, the woman longs for her beloved, whose love is better than wine (1:2). The lovers praise each other in the countryside and in the banquet house; she is sick with love, gives the first charge to the daughters of Jerusalem (2:7) and hears him call her to come away, for the winter is past (2:10-13).
- 1
- 2
Chapter 3
A night search and a royal procession
At night she searches the city for the one her soul loves, asks the watchmen and finds him (3:1-4). After the second charge not to awaken love (3:5), a procession comes up from the wilderness: Solomon's carriage escorted by sixty mighty men and the king crowned on his wedding day (3:6-11).
- 3
Chapter 4
The bride praised as a garden
The beloved describes her beauty from her eyes to her breasts and declares there is no flaw in her (4:1-7). He calls her from Lebanon, says she has captured his heart and calls her a garden locked and a sealed fountain; she invites him to come into his garden (4:16).
- 4
Chapters 5-6
Lost and found
He comes into his garden (5:1). Later she hesitates to open the door at night; when she does, he is gone, and the watchmen beat her (5:2-7). Asked what makes her beloved special, she praises him (5:10-16). She finds him in his garden, and he praises her as unique among queens (6:2-10).
- 5
- 6
Chapter 7
Delight in each other
The beloved praises her from her feet to her head and compares her to a palm tree (7:1-9). She answers that she belongs to her beloved and his desire is for her (7:10), and invites him to the fields and vineyards, where she will give him her love (7:11-13).
- 7
Chapter 8
Love as strong as death
She longs to show her affection openly and gives the last charge to the daughters of Jerusalem (8:4). Then comes the climax: she asks to be set as a seal on his heart, for love is strong as death and many waters cannot quench it (8:6-7). Words about a little sister, Solomon's vineyard and a final call close the Song.
- 8

Famous passages in Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon 1:5-6
Dark but lovely
The woman tells the daughters of Jerusalem that she is dark and lovely, like the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon. The sun has darkened her skin because her angry brothers made her keep the vineyards, and she has not kept her own vineyard. The passage is loved for its honest and dignified self-description.
Study Song of Solomon 1 →
Song of Solomon 2:1-7
The rose of Sharon and the banner of love
The woman calls herself a flower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys, and he answers that she is like a lily among thorns. She delights in him like an apple tree among the trees of the forest; he brings her to the banqueting house, and his banner over her is love (2:4). The section ends with the first charge not to stir up love before its time (2:7).
Study Song of Solomon 2 →
Song of Solomon 2:8-17
The winter is past
Her beloved comes leaping over the mountains like a gazelle and calls her to rise and come away, because winter is over, the rains are gone, flowers appear and the voice of the turtledove is heard (2:10-12). They must catch the little foxes that spoil the vineyards in bloom (2:15), and she declares that her beloved is hers and she is his (2:16).
Study Song of Solomon 2 →
Song of Solomon 3:1-5
Seeking the one her soul loves
On her bed at night she seeks the one her soul loves and cannot find him. She gets up, goes through the streets and squares and asks the watchmen; just after passing them she finds him and will not let him go. The scene expresses both the ache of absence and the joy of reunion.
Study Song of Solomon 3 →
Song of Solomon 4:1-7
Altogether beautiful
In a classic song of description, the beloved praises his bride feature by feature: eyes like doves behind her veil, hair like a flock of goats on Gilead, lips like a scarlet thread, a neck like the tower of David. He concludes that she is altogether beautiful and there is no flaw in her (4:7), a celebration of the goodness of the body God made.
Study Song of Solomon 4 →
Song of Solomon 5:10-16
My beloved and my friend
Asked by the daughters of Jerusalem what makes her beloved better than others, the woman describes him from head to legs: radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand, his head like the finest gold, his arms like rods of gold and his body like polished ivory. She concludes that he is altogether desirable, her beloved and her friend (5:16).
Study Song of Solomon 5 →
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Love strong as death
In the climax of the book, the woman asks to be set as a seal on her beloved's heart and arm, because love is as strong as death and its jealousy as unyielding as the grave. Its flashes are a fierce flame, many waters cannot quench it, and anyone who tried to buy love with all his wealth would be utterly scorned. These verses are often read at weddings.
Study Song of Solomon 8 →

Main themes

The goodness of love and desire: The Song celebrates attraction, beauty and longing without shame (1:2; 4:1-7; 7:1-9). It echoes God's verdict that creation is very good and the first couple's freedom from shame (Genesis 1:31; 2:25).
Mutual belonging: Three times the woman says that she and her beloved belong to each other (2:16; 6:3; 7:10). Love in the Song is mutual: both speak, both praise, both seek and both give themselves, in contrast with the strained relationship described after the fall (Genesis 3:16).
Love awakened at the right time: The refrain to the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up or awaken love until it pleases (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) teaches patience and purity. Love is powerful, and its full expression belongs to the right time and the right commitment.
Exclusive, faithful love: The woman is a garden locked and a sealed fountain (4:12), and the beloved says his dove is unique, above all the queens (6:8-9). The love of the Song is exclusive and lasting, sealed on the heart (8:6).
Love that cannot be bought or destroyed: Love is as strong as death, floods cannot drown it and all the wealth of a house cannot buy it (8:6-7). Even Solomon's vineyard, whose fruit brought a thousand pieces of silver, means less to the woman than her own vineyard (8:11-12).
A picture of God's covenant love: Scripture uses marriage to describe God's love for Israel (Hosea 2:19-20) and Christ's love for the church (Ephesians 5:25-32). Read alongside these texts, the devotion of the Song points beyond itself to a love stronger than death.

Main characters

The woman (the Shulammite): The main voice of the Song, who speaks more than anyone else. Darkened by the sun from working in the vineyards (1:6), she longs for her beloved, searches for him at night and celebrates their love. She is called the Shulammite in 6:13.
The beloved: The man she loves, pictured as a shepherd (1:7) and as a king (1:4, 12). He praises her beauty in rich images, calls her his sister and bride (4:9-12) and invites her to come away with him. Many identify him with Solomon; others see an ordinary groom.
The daughters of Jerusalem: A chorus of women whom the woman addresses (1:5; 5:8) and charges three times not to awaken love before its time (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). They ask what makes her beloved special (5:9) and where he has gone (6:1), drawing out her praise.
King Solomon: Named seven times in the Song (1:1, 5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11, 12). His wedding procession appears in 3:6-11 and his vineyard at Baal-hamon in 8:11. Some see him as the beloved; others see him as a contrast to the exclusive love of the couple (8:12).
The woman's brothers: Her mother's sons, who were angry with her and made her keep the vineyards (1:6). In 8:8-9, probably they speak of protecting their little sister until she is ready for marriage, and she answers that she has become like a wall (8:10).
The watchmen: Guards who make their rounds in the city at night. In the first search she simply meets them (3:3); in the second they strike her, wound her and take away her veil (5:7), a painful picture of the risks of love.

In-depth study of Song of Solomon

Introduction

The Song of Solomon surprises many first-time readers. There is no mention of the law, the temple, prayer or the history of Israel, and God's name appears at most once. Instead, the book is a collection of love poems full of gardens, vineyards, spices, gazelles and doves, in which a young woman and her beloved express their longing, admire each other's beauty and celebrate their union.

Its Hebrew title, the Song of Songs, means the greatest or most beautiful song, the same way the holy of holies means the most holy place. Its presence in the Bible teaches that love and desire within faithful commitment are part of God's good creation, not something to be ashamed of. And because the Bible describes God's covenant with his people as a marriage, the Song has also been read for centuries as a picture of the love between God and his people, and between Christ and his church.

Who wrote the Song of Solomon and when?

The title and Solomon

The first verse calls the book the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's (1:1). Tradition took this as a statement of authorship, and it fits what 1 Kings says about Solomon: he spoke 3,000 proverbs and composed 1,005 songs, and he knew the plants and animals of the land, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall (1 Kings 4:32-33). The Song is full of exactly such plants and animals. The Hebrew phrase, however, can also mean belonging to, dedicated to or concerning Solomon, so many scholars think another poet wrote it, perhaps at Solomon's court or later, with Solomon as a figure in the poems.

Dating views

Those who accept Solomon's authorship date the Song to his reign, c. 970-930 BC, and note that it mentions Tirzah, a royal city of the northern kingdom before Omri built Samaria (1 Kings 16:23-24). Those who prefer a later date point to features of its Hebrew, such as a short form of the relative pronoun and the Persian loanword pardes, orchard (4:13). Evangelical scholars hold both views; the message of the Song does not depend on the date.

Literary style and structure

Voices in dialogue

The Song is written as an exchange of voices. The woman speaks most; the man answers; and a chorus, the daughters of Jerusalem, asks questions and listens. Hebrew grammar marks whether a speaker or listener is masculine or feminine, which helps translators assign the speeches, though not every line is certain.

Refrains that structure the poem

Several refrains give the Song its shape:

The charge not to stir up love until it pleases (2:7; 3:5; 8:4).
The formula of belonging: my beloved is mine and I am his (2:16; 6:3; 7:10).
The question who is this coming up, or looking down (3:6; 6:10; 8:5).

Songs of description

Four passages praise the body of the beloved one part at a time (4:1-7; 5:10-16; 6:4-7; 7:1-9), a form known from ancient Near Eastern love poetry. The images are not meant to be pictured literally (teeth like a flock of shorn ewes, a neck like the tower of David) but evoke qualities: freshness, symmetry, strength, preciousness and the feeling the beauty produces.

One poem or a collection?

Some read the Song as a unified story with a courtship, a wedding (3:6-5:1) and married life. Others see a collection of love lyrics joined by themes and refrains, without a single plot. Even on that view, the refrains, the garden imagery and the climax in chapter 8 give the book a clear unity.

The Song of Solomon in the story of the Bible

The Song echoes the garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 the man welcomes the woman with joy and they are naked without shame (Genesis 2:23-25); after the fall, the woman's desire is for her husband in a relationship strained by sin (Genesis 3:16). The Hebrew word for desire there appears in only three places in the Bible, and the third is Song of Solomon 7:10, where the woman rejoices that her beloved's desire is for her. Love in a garden becomes, again, a place of delight.

Within the wisdom books, Proverbs urges husbands to rejoice in the wife of their youth (Proverbs 5:18-19), and the Song shows what that joy looks like. The prophets describe God as the husband of his people and their unfaithfulness as adultery (Jeremiah 2:2; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2), and Isaiah says God rejoices over his people as a bridegroom over his bride (Isaiah 62:5). The New Testament never quotes the Song, but it brings this marriage imagery to its fulfillment in Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2).

The Song of Solomon and Jesus Christ

The bridegroom has come. Jesus calls himself the bridegroom whose presence makes fasting inappropriate (Mark 2:19-20), and John the Baptist calls himself the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices at his voice (John 3:29).
The great mystery. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and says that marriage refers to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Human love at its best, which the Song celebrates, is a living picture of Christ's self-giving love for his bride.
Love stronger than death. The Song says love is as strong as death (8:6). In Christ, love proved stronger than death: he gave himself for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) and rose again, and nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
One greater than Solomon. Solomon appears in the Song in royal splendor (3:6-11), but Jesus said that one greater than Solomon had come (Matthew 12:42).
The wedding to come. The Bible ends with the wedding supper of the Lamb and the new Jerusalem prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2). The longing of the Song anticipates that final union.

A word of caution: hymns often call Jesus the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys, but in the Song those are the woman's words about herself (2:1-2). The connection with Christ rests on the Bible's marriage theme as a whole, not on matching each image to him.

Interpretive challenges

Literal love poetry or allegory?

For much of history, Jewish interpreters read the Song as an allegory of God's love for Israel, and Christian interpreters as Christ's love for the church or for the believing soul. In the last centuries most interpreters have returned to the plain sense: these are poems about a man and a woman. Many evangelicals hold both levels together, reading the Song first as a celebration of marital love and then, in light of Ephesians 5, as a reflection of Christ's love.

Two main characters or three?

Most readers see two lovers, the woman and her beloved, who is called both king and shepherd as terms of affection. Others propose a three-character drama: a young woman taken into Solomon's court remains faithful to her shepherd lover despite the king's advances. That reading explains passages like 8:11-12, but it requires assigning speeches in ways the text does not mark clearly.

Does the Song tell a story?

Some find a sequence of courtship, wedding (3:6-5:1) and married life with conflict and reconciliation (5:2-8:4). Others see a collection of poems without a plot. The answer affects how teachers apply passages such as the night scenes, so it is wise to hold structural theories loosely.

How can it be taught with modesty?

The Song speaks about desire and intimacy through metaphors: gardens, fruit, wine and spices. Its language is reserved compared to much ancient love poetry, and teachers can follow its example, explaining the images simply, respecting the age of the group and emphasizing the commitment that frames the poems.

Little-known facts

God's name may appear only once in the whole book, in 8:6, where the flame of love is described with a Hebrew word ending in Yah, a short form of the divine name; many translations render it simply as a mighty flame.
The New Testament never quotes the Song of Solomon.
In the Jewish calendar the Song is one of the five scrolls read at festivals, and it is read at Passover.
Rabbi Akiva, a Jewish teacher of the early 2nd century AD, defended its place in Scripture by calling it the holy of holies among the Writings.
In Hebrew Bibles, English 6:13 is numbered 7:1, so chapter 7 is numbered one verse higher in Hebrew.
According to 1 Kings 4:32, Solomon composed 1,005 songs; the Song of Songs presents itself as the finest.

How to study the Song of Solomon

Reading pace

Read the whole Song aloud in one sitting; it takes about twenty minutes and lets you hear its refrains. Then study it in six sessions following the outline, keeping a list of the images and what each one evokes.

What to look for

Who is speaking in each section, and to whom.
The three refrains: the charge, the formula of belonging and the question who is this.
The garden and vineyard images and how they connect with Eden.
What the Song says about patience, exclusivity and the value of love.

Teaching it in a Sunday school class or small group

The Song is especially fruitful with couples, engaged couples and young adults. Ask: What does the Song teach about the way spouses should speak to each other? Why does God care about romance and faithfulness? How does the charge not to awaken love early apply today? With youth groups, focus on the dignity of the body, the value of waiting and the strength of committed love, using 8:6-7. For a final session, connect the Song with Ephesians 5:25-32 and Revelation 19:7-9, so the group sees that every faithful marriage points to the love of Christ for his church.

Song of Solomon chapter by chapter

Every chapter of Song of Solomon with a summary, key verses explained, themes, people, questions with answers and application.

Frequently asked questions about Song of Solomon

Who wrote the Song of Solomon?

The first verse calls it the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's (1:1). Jewish and Christian tradition took this to mean that Solomon wrote it, and 1 Kings 4:32 says he composed 1,005 songs. The Hebrew can also mean written for, dedicated to or about Solomon, so some think another poet composed it, either in Solomon's time or later.

When was the Song of Solomon written?

If Solomon wrote it, it dates from his reign, c. 970-930 BC. The mention of Tirzah, an early capital of the northern kingdom, alongside Jerusalem (6:4) may support an early date. Others point to features of its Hebrew, including the Persian word pardes, orchard (4:13), and date its final form several centuries later.

What is the main message of the Song of Solomon?

Faithful love between a man and a woman is a beautiful and powerful gift of God, to be enjoyed within committed belonging and awakened at the right time. The Song reaches its climax in the confession that love is strong as death and cannot be bought (8:6-7). Read with the rest of Scripture, it also points to God's covenant love for his people.

How many chapters does the Song of Solomon have and how is it organized?

The Song of Solomon has 8 chapters and 117 verses. It moves through cycles of longing, searching, praise and union rather than a simple plot: longing and first delight (1-2), a night search and a royal procession (3), the bride praised (4), the beloved lost and found (5-6), renewed delight (7) and the climax on the power of love (8).

Why is the Song of Solomon in the Bible?

Because God created love, marriage and the body and called them good. The Song shows that romantic and physical love within faithful commitment is not shameful but a gift to be received with gratitude. It also supplies the language of love that Scripture uses for God's relationship with his people. Ancient Jewish teachers treasured it; Rabbi Akiva called it the holy of holies among the Writings.

Is the Song of Solomon an allegory of Christ and the church?

For centuries many Jewish readers saw the Song as an allegory of God and Israel, and many Christian readers saw Christ and the church or Christ and the believer. Most evangelical interpreters today read it first as real love poetry about a man and a woman and then, because Scripture calls marriage a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32), see a reflection of that greater love. Both approaches agree that the love it describes is holy.

Who is the Shulammite in the Song of Solomon?

The woman is called the Shulammite only once, in 6:13. The name may mean a woman from Shunem, a village in the Jezreel Valley, or it may be a feminine form related to the name Solomon, something like the woman of peace. Her personal name is never given, yet she is the main voice of the Song.

What does it mean not to awaken love until it pleases?

The woman repeats this charge to the daughters of Jerusalem three times (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Having felt the power of love, she warns others not to arouse romantic and sexual desire too early, before the right time and the right commitment. It is a call to patience and purity, often used in teaching young people.