Song of Solomon 8:6–7

Context

The Song of Solomon consists of love songs exchanged between a man and a woman. Song of Solomon 8:6–7 opens with the woman asking her beloved, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm." In the ancient world a seal was a valuable object signifying ownership and status; it was worn on a cord over the chest or carried on the arm. The song goes on to declare that love is strong as death and jealousy is cruel as Sheol (the realm of the dead), and that its flame is like a divine fire. Verse 7 declares that many waters cannot quench this love, and that even if a man gave all the substance of his house for it, he could not buy it.

Interpretation

• The divine flame: The Hebrew expression behind this phrase, rendered "a most vehement flame" in the King James Version and "the fire of the LORD" in the Korean Revised Version, consists of the word for "flame" with Yah, a shortened form of the divine name, attached. Some interpreters take this as an occurrence of the name of God, while others regard it as a superlative expression meaning "the most intense flame." On the latter view, the name of God does not appear directly in the Song of Solomon.
• Literal reading: This approach reads the passage as a song celebrating the love and marriage of a man and a woman as a gift from God. Many commentators today take this reading as their starting point.
• Figurative (allegorical) reading: Jewish tradition has read the Song as depicting the love between God and Israel, while church tradition has read it as depicting the love between Christ and the church, or between Christ and the believer's soul. The church father Origen and, in the Middle Ages, Bernard of Clairvaux are well known for interpretations of this kind.
• Combining the two readings: This approach reads the Song as a song of human marital love but holds that, because Scripture as a whole likens the relationship between God and his people to marriage (Hosea; Ephesians 5), the reading may be extended so that this love is seen as reflecting the love of God.

Debates and Issues

The reasons for the Song of Solomon's inclusion in the canon and the proper method of interpreting it have been debated since antiquity. The literal reading is credited with recovering the Bible's affirming view of sexuality and the body, whereas the allegorical reading is criticized for importing meanings not found in the text. Conversely, supporters of the allegorical tradition emphasize that this reading has long nurtured a deep spirituality within the church.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the passage is frequently read alongside 1 Corinthians 13 at wedding services and wedding anniversary services.

Related Passages

• Song of Solomon 2:16
• Ephesians 5:31–32
• 1 Corinthians 13:7–8
• Romans 8:38–39