How a Song of the Bedroom Became the 'Holy of Holies': The Song of Songs’ Journey into the Canon

When reading the Bible, we often encounter perplexing moments. Among them, perhaps the most striking is the ‘Song of Songs.’ Opening with lines like, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine” (Song of Songs 1:2, NIV), this book is filled with descriptions so sensual and explicit that one might blush and wonder if this is indeed sacred scripture.

How did this ‘love song,’ which does not explicitly mention the name of God (YHWH) and sings only of intense love and physical longing between a man and a woman, come to reside within the strict boundaries of the biblical Canon? Today, we will explore that fascinating back-story with scholarly depth.

1. “More Precious than Any Other Day” – Rabbi Akiva’s Powerful Defense

The inclusion of the Song of Songs in the Bible was not a smooth process from the start. Even among Jewish scholars around the 1st century, there were fierce debates over whether to include this book in the canon. Particularly at a time when pagan fertility religions associated suggestive imagery with faith, the sensuality of the Song of Songs was a significant stumbling block.

It was during this time that Rabbi Akiva, a great sage of Judaism, appeared as a defender. He rebuked those who doubted the canonicity of the Song of Songs, saying:

“God forbid! No man in Israel ever disputed that the Song of Songs renders the hands unclean (is canonical). For all the Hagiographa (Holy Writings) are holy, but the Song of Songs is the ‘Holy of Holies.’”

Borrowing from the superlative expression of the title itself—Shir Hashirim (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים), meaning “Song of Songs”—Akiva declared that this book is the very sacred core of the Scriptures. Eventually, through the Council of Jamnia around 90 AD, the Song of Songs firmly secured its official status as canon.

2. The Authority Granted by Solomon’s Name

One practical reason the Song of Songs remained in the Bible was the issue of authorship. Song of Songs 1:1 introduces the song as ‘Solomon’s Song of Songs.’

Although modern scholars generally believe, based on linguistic characteristics, that the book reached its final edited form after the Exile (around the 3rd to 4th century BC), it was traditionally accepted without doubt that the author was Solomon—the wisest king in Israel’s history and a prolific composer of songs. It was regarded as one of the Wisdom Books (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), where the Wise King Solomon offered a philosophical answer to the ‘essence of love.‘

3. Turning Fleshly Love into Spiritual Love: The Magic of ‘Allegory’

In fact, the most decisive key that ‘saved’ the Song of Songs as canon was Allegory (비유적 해석). This approach does not take the sexual union of the man and woman in the text literally but interprets it by substituting it with a spiritual relationship of a higher dimension.

From a Jewish perspective, the groom is ‘God (YHWH)’ and the bride is ‘Israel.’ It is interpreted as a song about the devoted love between God and His people, which began at the Exodus and was completed by the Sinai Covenant.

From a Christian perspective, since the Patristic era, the groom has been interpreted as ‘Christ’ and the bride as the ‘Church’ or the ‘soul of the believer.’ A model of sacrificial and perfect love, where Christ gave Himself for the Church, was found in the Song of Songs.

These figurative interpretations purified the perplexing expressions of the text theologically. For example, the bride’s ‘breasts’ were interpreted as the Old and New Covenants, or entering the ‘bedroom’ was explained as the process of becoming a Christian.

4. Why is a Book About ‘Sex’ Necessary in the Bible?

Modern theologians also focus on the ‘literal meaning’ beyond the allegory. They explain that the reason the Song of Songs is included in the Bible is that human Sexuality and the love between husband and wife, created by God, are in themselves good and holy.

The Song of Songs cautions against both asceticism and licentiousness. The declaration that “love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave” (Song of Songs 8:6, NIV) implies that love, the most intense human emotion, is actually a ‘flame of the Lord’ coming from God. The Song of Songs serves to restore the relationship in the Garden of Eden where shame had entered after the Fall, inviting us back to the love of paradise where they were naked but felt no shame (Song of Songs 4:1-5:1).

5. A Love Song Read at Passover

An interesting fact is that among the five scrolls (Megillat, מְגִלּוֹת) read by Jews during the five major festivals, they recite the Song of Songs during Passover. Why read such a vibrant love song during Passover, which has strong images of sorrow and death?

Scholars explain that the lively images of spring in the Song of Songs not only coincide with the timing of Passover but also that Israel’s journey out of slavery in Egypt to meet God, their ‘Groom,’ in the wilderness resembles the ‘pursuit of love’ found in the Song of Songs.

Conclusion: The Message the Song of Songs Gives Us

In conclusion, the reason the Song of Songs entered the Bible is that the message of the Bible is not complete without love. The Bible is a massive epic of love that begins with a marriage (Genesis 2) and ends with a marriage (Revelation 19). The Song of Songs, in the middle, testifies most intensely in human language to how intimate and passionate the covenantal relationship between God and humans should be.

When we discover the holiness of the ‘Holy of Holies’ hidden behind sensual expressions, we finally realize why the Song of Songs is the ‘Song of Songs.’ Instead of blushing while reading it now, why not try to feel God’s fiery love toward us?