Song of Songs (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT)

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“The one thing that is clear is that it is not telling a story about Solomon.” (Page 7)

“The woman is asking the man to allow her to ‘own’ him, but not in some kind of cheap commercial sense; she wants him to willingly give himself to her. She asks him to mark her on his heart and arm. Perhaps the first refers to his inner being, ¹⁶ his personality, what makes him tick; and his arm refers to his actions. Taken together, heart and arm signify the whole person.” (Page 210)

“The seal in mind here is the seal of ownership and personal identification.” (Page 209)

“Though allegory does appear in the Hebrew Bible, it is clear from our definition and example that the Song of Songs is not an allegory. The book itself has no signals that it is to be read in any other way than as a love song. No one can dispute this fact.” (Page 23)

“More naturally, the verse is a warning of the woman to other women who may look on the relationship and want to experience something similar; she is, in essence, telling them not to force it. Wait for love to blossom; don’t hurry it. In a sense, then, the daughters of Jerusalem, are surrogates for the reader. We too are to learn the same lesson: Wait for love to blossom; don’t try to stimulate it artificially. After all, in the preceding verses we have seen that love takes its toll on the woman. She warns the others not to arouse love until they are ready to meet its rigors, both physical and emotional. Love is not a passing fling but rather a demanding and exhausting relationship.” (Pages 115–116)