Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1:1

The Beautiful Woman behind the Veil An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (1200 word vocabulary) on the Song of Songs www.easyenglish.info Sarah Ruth This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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About the Song of Songs People in the book This is a book about love. It is a story about a man and a woman. The man loves only the woman. The woman loves only the man.

We read about the woman’s brothers. We read about the woman’s mother. We do not read anything about her father. There is also a group of friends. All or almost all of them are women.

We do not know a lot about the man or about the woman. In parts of the story, the writer calls the man a king. He may be King Solomon. But maybe the writer uses the word ‘king’ only to show that the woman *respects him.

Also, we must ask, ‘Did the man and woman really live? Or, is this about any man and woman who love each other?’ The words in the book Some people believe that this book is a set of songs. Together they make one larger song. The songs are like each other. The songs may be words only with no music. The songs have the same ideas. The writer repeats ideas in different ways. Maybe the songs are about different people. It is difficult to find the beginning and the end of each song.

Other people believe that this is one song, not a set of songs. It tells one story only. It is about the same people. It is not the whole story from beginning to end. It seems that the writer has told only parts of the story. The story is not easy to understand. But love is not easy to understand!

The person who wrote this book was from the East. The way that the writer puts the words together shows this fact to us. Sometimes we have to ask, ‘Has an event already happened?’ ‘Is this happening now?’ ‘Will this happen at some future time?’ We are not always sure.

We do not know, always, who is speaking. Also, we may not know which person they are speaking to. For example, the woman sometimes speaks to the man. Sometimes she speaks to the group of women friends. Sometimes she may only be speaking aloud. This is to show her thoughts to us. Maybe sometimes the woman is only thinking and hoping. It may not be happening outside of her mind. To help you, we have put the names of the people above their words. This is how we understand it.

When you read this book, you may feel certain things. You may think that you are with the man and woman in the story. The writer has caused this to happen. We read about how the man and the woman touch. And we read about how they kiss. We read about how they taste *wine and apple. We read about the smell of things. We know that the story is really happening! The man and the woman in the book We do not know what the man and the woman are like. But we see how they are together. They have a large and very strong love for each other. They do not love anyone else as much. They do not love anyone else in the same way. They are beginning to know each other more. The book describes how they are feeling then.

The book tells us that we can be very happy about love like this. It shows how a man and a woman can show this love to each other. When God made the world, he made both male and female. He said that they were very good. Now we see that God makes them for each other. A man and a woman are different. But God has made a man and his wife to be as one person.

The book is more about how the woman, rather than the man, feels. Sometimes she thinks that she is not beautiful. Sometimes she is very happy. Sometimes she is afraid to be away from the man. Sometimes she is afraid that he may not love her any longer.

The man sees that the woman is beautiful. The woman thinks that the man is handsome. There are many ways that this is true. They show that they want to be together in their *spirits. That is, they want to be friends. And they want to agree about many things. God knows what they are thinking about each other. God sees this. And God says that this is good.

The song tells us what the man and the woman say to each other. It describes how they kiss. The way that they touch each other is important. The song explains this. It describes the way that they show love by sex. God has rules about how we should show love like this. And he has rules about when we should show it. Other parts of the Bible teach us this. But Song of Songs is not a book about rules. Here what we see are the results of love and sex together. That is all.

Men and women are very different. They are different in how they think. They are different in what they do. But in this book, we often see them the same. For example, the man is sometimes the leader. Sometimes the woman is the leader.

The man and the woman sometimes do things when they have not asked the other person. But also, they do things because they want to make the other person happy. The man is not powerful over the woman. He does not cause her to do something that she does not want to do. Marriage in the book In some countries, the parents decide about the person that their child will marry. The man and woman may not know each other much until after they are married. In other countries, they meet each other. But their parents have not decided this. The man and woman may have a long time to be best friends. Then they marry.

This book does not say anything about the marriage. It seems that the man and woman do have some time together before the marriage. They enjoy that time. But they do not have sex until after the marriage.

There may be a time when the husband and his wife become parents. The book seems to say that they can have children. But it is not about the birth of children. It is not about *families. The book is about the man and woman as best friends. How the writer describes things in the book The book describes what God has made. It also describes things that people have made. These ideas cause the reader to think about the man and woman. For example, we read about land where there are farms. This gives the idea that a man and his wife can make a new life. They may have a baby together. The man can see a long way from the hills. This shows that his love can become larger. Valuable stones show that the man and woman are very valuable to each other.

Often a word or a group of words can mean two things. For example, the word *vineyard can mean that the woman is in a *vineyard. Also, the word *vineyard can mean that she is like a *vineyard. The word garden can mean that the man and woman are in a garden. But it can also mean that the woman’s body is like a garden. The writer uses the word garden to mean the woman’s body in chapter 4. This is when the man and woman are enjoying sex. Chapter 1 The writer v1 Solomon’s Song of Songs.

Solomon was a very rich king. He lived more than 900 years before Christ (BC). He had a group of about 1000 songs. This is the most important song. Perhaps he liked this song best.

Solomon may have written the book. Or it may be a book about Solomon, or about another rich man. Many people *respected King Solomon. So the writer may have used Solomon’s name here. Another person may have written the book. He or she put it with Solomon’s other songs.

King Solomon accepted this book. He had a very good mind. He understood many things. This is how it became part of the Bible.

The book is more about the woman than about the man. Also, the book is more about how a woman, rather than a man, thinks. And it is more about how a woman feels. So a woman may have written the book. Woman v2 I really want him to kiss me with his lips.

 Your love makes me happier than *wine does.

v3 You have put something on your body.

 Certainly, it has a lovely smell.

The sound of your name causes me pleasure like that too.

 I am not surprised that the young women love you!

v4a Take me away with you. Come quickly.

 I want the king to take me into his rooms.

The woman may be with the man. Or, he may be near to her. She can see him. But he may not hear her because he is not very near to her. She may glance at him. In this way, she tells him that she loves him.

Or maybe the woman is only thinking about him. She may say some words aloud and some words may be thoughts. She talks about what she wants. Perhaps there will be a time when she will go into his house. That is what she is hoping for. We read about when the man and woman are near each other. We read about what they are like at that time. The writer tells us that the woman really wants to be with the man.

It does not take long to read about this. What the woman feels happens quickly. She did not know that she would feel this. It seems like a strong powerful wind that is blowing round her. This is something that she cannot stop. The woman does not know the man yet. So we do not know if she really loves him yet.

The man may be a king. Or, to her, he may be like a king. This is because she has a lot of *respect for him. Women friends v4b We are very happy!

You make us happy.

 Your love is better than *wine. We will speak and sing about it.

The woman is with some friends. The women friends are speaking about the man, not about the woman. They like the man very much also. But they are happy for the woman to be his best friend. Woman v4c I agree! They are right to think about you like that. And they are right to love you like that.

v5 *Daughters of Jerusalem, my skin is dark but lovely.

 It is dark like the *tents of Kedar.

 It is dark but lovely like the curtains in Solomon’s *tent.

v6 Do not continue to look at me because my skin is dark.

 The sun has made my skin like this.

My mother’s sons were angry with me.

 They caused me to work in the *vineyards. I had to watch over the vineyards.

 So I could not watch over my own *vineyard.

The writer calls the friends the ‘Daughters of Jerusalem’. Jerusalem was the capital city where Solomon was king. Kedar was a group of people. They moved from place to place. They lived in *tents. They made *tents of black goats’ hair.

Her brothers are not very kind to her. She does not even call them ‘brothers’ here. This may be because she does not know them very well. They are not kind or friendly to her as some brothers are to their sisters. We do not read about the woman’s father. Maybe he is dead. Or maybe he has left the *family.

The woman has worked in the *vineyards. This may have been her duty. But she has had too much work to do. She has not had enough time to make herself beautiful. Her skin is dark because she has been in the sun. Maybe she has not washed her hair. She may be wearing old clothes.

A *vineyard is like a country place. In country places, we see what God has made. We see plants and wild animals. It is beautiful. Verse 6 says that the woman’s body is like a *vineyard. God makes women’s bodies beautiful. But people watch over a *vineyard. So it is also like a garden. Women can watch over their bodies. And they can be careful about their bodies. They can dress well. They can change their hair with a brush to make it lovelier. Women can become even more beautiful.

The women are looking at her with eyes that are completely open. This may be because she is very pretty. But she thinks that the women see something different or strange about her. This is because the sun has made her skin too dark.

Or maybe the woman only thinks that they are looking at her a lot. Perhaps the man will think that she is beautiful. She believes that he will think that.

Maybe now the man walks near to the woman. The woman speaks to him. Woman v7 I love you.

Tell me where your sheep eat the grass.

 Where do you lead your sheep so that they can rest at midday?

When I am near your friends with their animals,

I do not want to wear a *veil over my face! Man v8 You are the most beautiful woman of all.

If you do not know where to find me,

 follow the marks from the feet of the sheep.

Let your young goats eat grass by the *tents of those who watch over the sheep.

The woman wants to be the man’s friend. She wants to know him more. She wants to know him in a different way. She wants to show her love to him. This makes her a stronger person in her *spirit. She becomes brave when she speaks to the man.

A man’s work is very important to him. He must be free to do his work and to have his own interests. But the woman wants to be with him all the time!

She speaks to him. She wants to know where he will be. She does not want to look here and there for him. She might wear a *veil. Nobody except the man would recognise her. But she does not want to seem like a woman who has sex for money. So she does not want to cover her face.

The man has sheep. He will be out with the men who watch over the sheep. So he suggests that she meets him there. She can go with her goats to where the sheep are eating.

She will also be with other people. So they will not think that she does anything wrong. While everyone is resting at midday, she will be with the man. Perhaps they will have some time alone together.

So the man and woman meet as they have agreed. Man v9 You are my best friend. I love you more than anyone else.

 You seem to me like a female horse that pulls one of *Pharaoh’s *chariots.

v10 Your face is beautiful with ear-rings.

 Round your neck are valuable stones, which make it very pretty.

 v11 We will make ear-rings for you. We will make them out of gold with pieces of *silver in.

Pharaoh is the name that people use for all the kings of Egypt. Egypt is a country near to where King Solomon lived.

The man says that people will see the woman easily in a group of men and women. He sees that she is wearing pretty things. They are hanging from her ears and round her neck. She has dressed very well. So, he is happy to be with her when other people are there.

The word ‘we’ in verse 11 shows that the man is already thinking about himself and the woman together. He wants her to wear even more beautiful things than she wears now.

After this meeting, the woman talks to her friends about her time with the man. Woman v12 The king was lying down and he was eating.

 I had put something on my skin that has a lovely smell.

 This smell moved into the air.

v13 To me, the man that I love is like a little bag of *myrrh.

 He is like the little bag of *myrrh that lies between my breasts.

v14 To me he is like a group of *henna flowers.

 He is like flowers that grow in the *vineyards at En Gedi.

The woman is out again in the fields with the man. They are resting together. They are eating. They are very near to each other. They are enjoying this!

En Gedi is the name of a lovely pool of water in a very dry place. Man v15 How beautiful you are!

 My best friend, you are very beautiful! Your eyes are like *doves.

*Doves are small, beautiful birds. They cause us to think about people who are kind to each other. They move their *wings quickly when they fly. The woman may move her eyes like this. The shape of her eyes may be like a *dove’s shape.

The man and woman are lying down and they are resting after their lunch. They look up into the branches of the trees. Maybe they are thinking about a time when they will be living together. Woman v16 You are very handsome and you love me.

 You are very lovely!

This green field of fresh, long grass is our bed. Man v17 The beams of our house are the *cedar trees.

 The trees, with green leaves all of the time, are above us like a roof.

© 1997-2012, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

March 2012

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