Monday, March 16, 2015

Song of Solomon, Day 1 Readings

The Initial Attraction of Love  

Today's reading is a poetic conversation between a man and a woman who are attracted to each other.  (Some believe there are groups of friends supporting the man and woman who occasionally speak too.)
First the woman speaks of her excitement in learning of the man's interest in here.  She asks for an invitation to see the man, to which he responds -- telling her to find him in the pasture with the shepherds and their tents.  The man and woman then exchange compliments about each other's physical appearance.  At the end, they decide that the "house" which contains their love is all of nature.

Note: The Hebrew text does not identify the speakers, but some Biblical translations suggest speakers in the Song of Solomon.  The Common English Bible (CEB) translation presents Song of Solomon as a dialogue between a man and a woman, with occasional group comments, and it identifies the speakers.  The New International Version (NIV) believes that the man and woman are more frequently interrupted by group comments, and it identifies all of the speakers.  The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) does not identify the speakers.

Read Song of Solomon 1:1-17  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)
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