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Song of Solomon Introduction

Introduction
The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible is The Song of Songs which is Solomon's. Thus it may be found in Bibles under either the title The Song of Songs (most modern English translations) or The Song of Solomon (KJV). The Hebrew language expresses the superlative degree in a construction that joins a singular noun to its plural to indicate the highest degree. For example, “king of kings” means the greatest of all kings, and “song of songs” means the greatest of all songs. In the Hebrew Bible Song of Songs is part of a group of five books called Megilloth, meaning “scrolls,” which are each read on one of the central Jewish festivals. Song of Songs is read on the eighth day of Passover.
Song of Solomon is a brief but brilliantly composed collection of love poems linked together to form a single dramatic narrative or literary unit. In the verbal exchanges of these poems, a man and a woman tell of their love for each other and their loving words are at times answered by the words of the bride's friends. It is very possible that these poems may have originated in the context of the folk weddings of the ancient age. The poetry is rich in metaphor and images from the natural world, and sometimes electric with vitality and desire. Because these poems express so many levels of love, Song of Solomon has traditionally been understood by Jews as an allegory illustrating the deep and gracious love of God (the groom) for the people of Israel (the bride), and by Christians as an allegory of the love of Jesus the Christ for the Church. Unlike most modern translations, the KJV does not identify who is singing which parts (the bride, the groom, or the bride's friends). Scholars have voiced different opinions on where the changes of singer occur. Readers are encouraged to read the text closely and draw their own conclusions based on the internal clues provided.
Outline
Song Introduced (1.1)
The First Song (1.2—2.7)
The Second Song (2.8—3.5)
The Third Song (3.6—5.1)
The Fourth Song (5.2—6.3)
The Fifth Song (6.4—8.4)
The Sixth Song (8.5-14)

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