SONG OF SOLOMON, BOOK OF

This small book contains one of the 1,005 songs penned by king Solomon (1 Kgs. 4:32). It extols the passion and bliss of wedded love, and praises the king's "beloved." Many scholars have suggested that the theme is illustrative of God's love for Israel, and Christ's love for his church. It is a tragedy that Solomon's passion for many women led him into deep apostasy (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:3-4), which perhaps he regretted in his advanced years. Ecclesiastes may reflect a wiser disposition.