Annotated Outline of Song of Songs

Jordan T. Bassingthwaite
BSTH 3153: Writings
March 24, 2021
Analysis of Structure

Finding a structure in Song of Songs was a unique challenge, as the book does not

appear to have any distinctive structural markers. Due to this, rather than examine each poem on

its own, it is important to understand each poem in context and unison with the others. Some

scholars do argue that there is a degree of intentional structure or design in Song of Songs, but

“No agreement exists among them, however, as to how it is arranged, or the number, extent, and

relation of the parts that comprise it, and this lack of consensus is often used to criticize the

position that the Song is a unity.”1 As such, it seems more apt to not break Song of Songs into

strict and distinct sections that can be examined individually, but a collection of intentionally

selected and connected poetry which “[…] does seem that there is a broad development and

logical flow. In general, this movement leads up to and away from the marriage and the

consummation of the relationship, a flow that makes it possible to speak of ‘before’ and ‘after’ in

their interactions.”2 One last reinforcement for the decision to separate Song of Songs by way of

progressive steps is found in agreement with Tremper Longman, and by extension P. Cotterell,

who stated “our overall conclusion agrees with that of P. Cotterell, who says ‘the Song is a

collection of songs on a common and generally erotic theme, legitimated by the naming of

Solomon, skillfully welded together both by allusion and by the repetition of key vocabulary, but

offering no narrative timeline maintained through the work.’”3

1
J. Cheryl Exum, Song of Songs: a Commentary (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), 34.
2
Iain M. Duguid, The Song of Songs: an Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,
2015), 54.
3
Tremper Longman, Song of Songs (Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2006), 38-39.
Outline

1. Title & Prologue (1:1-2:7)

i. Introduced as being Solomon’s song of songs.
ii. First lines are spoken by the young woman.
iii. Young women of Jerusalem respond.
iv. Young woman responds again.
v. Young man finally speaks to the young woman.
vi. Two go back and for the next groups of verses.
vii. Young woman cautions against awakening love early.
2. Before the Wedding: Joined and Separated (2:8-3:5)
i. Young woman celebrates her lover coming and asking her to join him.
ii. Young man asks to see and hear her.
iii. Young women say to catch the foxes.
iv. Young woman tells the women that she is her lovers and he is hers.
v. Young woman talks about being separated from her lover.
vi. Again, cautions awakening love early.
3. The Wedding (3:6-5:1)
i. Young women notice Solomon coming.
ii. Young woman tells them to come see him.
iii. Young man calls out to the young woman.
iv. Young woman responds to his words.
4. After the Wedding: Separated and Rejoined (5:2-6:3)
i. Young woman speaks about her lover calling to her, but him disappearing.
ii. Young women respond asking why her lover is better than others.
iii. Young woman explains her love for him.
iv. Young women respond by asking where he has gone so they can find him.
v. Young woman tells them he has gone to his garden.
5. Contemplation and Renewed Consummation (6:4-8:4)
i. Young man addresses the young woman and showers her in adoration.
ii. Young woman responds to him.
iii. Young women ask her to return so they may see her again.
iv. Young man asks why they look at the young women before writing a string of
adoration again.
v. Young woman responds by affirming her love for the young man.
vi. Once again cautions against awakening love early.
6. Epilogue (8:5-14)
i. Young women ask who is coming from the desert with her lover.
ii. Young woman responds by expressing once more her love for the young man.
iii. The brothers of the young women speak of how they protect their sisters based on
their choices.
iv. Young woman responds to the brothers.
v. Young man asks to hear the young woman’s voice.
vi. Young woman calls the young man to come be with her.
Annotation

Title & Prologue (1:1-2:7)

Song of Songs begins by introducing itself simply as Solomon’s song of songs and

making the statement that it is the most wonderful one. The poems begin with the young

woman sharing several verses about her desire for intimacy and passionate love for the young

man. After she shares these thoughts, the young women of Jerusalem respond by

complimenting the king and saying how happy they are for him. The young woman once

again speaks and agrees with the adoration of the king, and then speaks about herself and her

life before asking her lover his plans so that she may be with him. The young man finally

responds and tells her to follow the trail of his flock. He begins to shower her with

compliments and admiration before she responds once again and does the same. They

continue to exchange compliments with a zeal reminiscent of high school romance, but a

beauty that only comes from maturity and genuine love. The young woman concludes this

dialogue by cautioning the other young women against awakening love before it is ready, and

the time is right.

Before the Wedding: Joined and Separated (2:8-3:5)

This section begins with the young woman celebrating that her lover is coming and

shares her excitement that he is inviting her to come away with him. He speaks of how the

seasons have changed and how the world is coming to life, alluding to his love for her

blossoming. The young man asks for his love to come out from hiding, to let him see her face

and hear her voice because she is so beautiful, and her voice is pleasing to his ears. The young

women of Jerusalem respond and say to catch the foxes before they ruin the vineyard; potentially
alluding to catching the things that have the potential to bring damage to their love as it blossoms

and grows. With that the young woman responds to these women and tell them that her lover is

hers and she is his. Only he has access to the gardens of her love, and she longs for his return.

She continues to talk about how she feels being separated from her lover and how deeply she

longs for him. When she finds him, she brings him to her mother’s house and into her mother’s

bed. This section concludes with the young woman once again cautioning against awakening

love too early.

The Wedding (3:6-5:1)

The young women speak first in this section, asking who is coming in from the wild,

before realizing that Solomon is the one who is coming. They admire the soldiers around his

carriage and the carriage itself. The young woman responds to this by telling the young women

to come out and see Solomon and draws their eyes to the crown on his head given to him by hi

smother on his wedding day. The young man begins to speak once more and describes how

beautiful his love is. He then proceeds to address each aspect of her beauty from the top of her

head to her breasts providing a comparison between them and something else he finds beautiful

in creation. He then asks the young woman to come with him and speaks of how she has

captured his love and he cannot take his eyes off her. He speaks of how her love is so

intoxicating to him and continues to use various imagery to communicate her beauty. The young

woman responds by asking the north and south winds to blow on her garden and spread the

fragrance all around, inviting her lover to come into his garden. The young man responds and

states that he has entered his garden.

After the Wedding: Separated and Rejoined (5:2-6:3)

In the next section the young woman speaks about how she slept but her love did not, and

she longed for her lover. When her lover does come, she is not able to let him in yet, so he tries

to unlatch the door but by the time she reaches it to let him in, he has left. She searched for him

but could not find him, and when she called, he did not reply. When the night watchmen found

her, they beat her and removed her veil. She asks the young women of Jerusalem to promise if

they find her lover, they will tell him she is weak with love. They ask her what makes him so

much better than any other lover that means they must promise this. The young woman replies

by going into a speech about her lover, in a similar way to how he described her beauty from the

top of her head to her breasts; she describes his handsomeness from the top of his head to his

legs. The young women of Jerusalem quickly ask where her lover has gone, indicating that her

speech has moved them to help find him. She replies that he has gone to his garden and tells

them that she is her lovers and he is hers.

Contemplation and Renewed Consummation (6:4-8:4)

The young man begins this section by responding once more to his lover. Describing her

beauty in comparison to cities and asks her to turn her eyes away as they overpower him. He

once again describes her beauty, this time from her hair down to her cheeks. He tells her that

even among a vast selection of women, he would still choose her. The young woman responds to

this by telling how she went down into the garden to see all the fruit growing and blossoming.

The young women ask for her to return to them, but the young man asks why they are staring at

her. He then begins to speak about her beauty once more. This time he begins by speaking of her

feet and moving up and discussing each part of her finishing with her eyes. He then speaks of

his desire to be with her intimately. The young woman responds and shares that the desire for
intimacy is mutual between them both. She asks that he take her to the fields and spend the night

among the wildflowers, then go early to the vineyards. Alluding to their blossoming love and

intimacy once more through the metaphors of new life and growth. She wishes that he was

someone in her family so that she could kiss him in front of anyone and nobody would judge it.

She would bring him to her home and be with him. She finishes by once more cautioning against

awakening love early.

Epilogue (8:5-14)

The conclusion to Song of songs is initiated by a response from the young women. They

once more ask who is coming in from the wilderness. The young woman responds and speaks of

their intimacy once more. She asks that he place her like a seal over her heart symbolic of his

love for her. A new voice comes into the poetry at this point: That of the young women’s

brothers. They speak about how they will defend their young sisters if someone asks to marry

them, referencing that depending on her conduct the way by which they would protect them

would differ. The young woman responds to these brothers and tells that she was reserved and

did not awaken love prematurely, she is rewarded with a lover who sees her and delights in her.

She speaks of how Solomon has a vineyard which people pay considerably to use, but her

vineyard requires he pay no fee, and in fact she will even pay the one who cares for its vines. The

young man responds once more to his lover and asks that she let him hear her once more, and the

young woman asks that he come and be with her once more and concludes the book.

1.
Teaching Points

Quite frankly, finding teaching points in Song of songs was difficult at first. Upon further

reflection however, it became apparent that there are three key lessons in this book. To be

patient, love passionately when you can, and to recognize the intense power of love.

The first point, to be patient, is one that is reiterated by the young woman of the poem

several times. She cautions the young women of Jerusalem against pursuing love before it is

ready; to not awaken love prematurely. In the context of this poetry book, it is important to

recognize that love is closely tied to the physical intimacy between the young man and woman,

and so the clear caution against premarital intimacy is there. However, beyond that, it is

important to recognize that this also could be implying not to try and force ourselves to love

someone in a way we are not meant to, but to rather wait patiently and allow God to be in control

and let our love naturally grow and blossom as the fruit in the gardens so regularly referenced to

in Song of songs do.

Loving passionately is another key point of Song of songs. This is not a book that pulls

any punches. It is clear and, somewhat inarguably, erotic in its imagery. As mentioned in the first

section summary, the way that the young woman and man is with a zeal that appears to be with

the same unrivaled passion as young love, yet also comes with an understanding of one another

that only comes through maturity and time. When in a context where this form of love and

intimacy are appropriate; we are not to be reserved in it, but to pursue it fully and relentlessly, as

it is a gift from God and we should enjoy that as Ecclesiastes says (Eccl. 3:11-13).

The final point is the intense power of love. Whether in or out of the context God

intended: Love is immensely powerful and can cause us to do all manner of things. So, we
should be mindful of this power. We should ensure that it takes place with the context and timing

that God intended for it, so that it will drive us to seek and praise Him. When love exists within

the context God intended, it serves only to lead us closer to Him and will be infinitely more

beautiful and rewarding. When it exists outside of it, then it is more likely that it will serve to

lead us away and instead pursue the worldly pleasure as it will never be enough. So be mindful

of love’s power and ensure that when it is experienced it is in the context God intended.
 Bibliography

Duguid, Iain M. The Song of Songs: an Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2015.

Exum, J. Cheryl. Song of Songs: a Commentary. Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press,
2005.

Longman, Tremper. Song of Songs. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2006.