Song of Solomon is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Another name for the book is Canticles. The Hebrew name for the book is translated as Song of Songs, which means best or greatest song. This refers to the exceptional beauty of the love poems that make up the book. The book’s association with King Solomon derives from his being mentioned in the book, and from his many marriages and romantic alliances.
The Song of Solomon refers explicitly to human love and sexuality, which is unusual in religious literature. For this reason, Jewish and Christian traditions have tended to view the book as allegory. It has been considered a representation of God’s love for the Hebrew people, or Christ’s love for the church. But most scholars recognize the book’s origins in the language of human love. The poems are similar to the love songs written in ancient Egypt. The book’s exotic and vivid imagery present an expression of mutual love between a man and woman in a garden setting.
