Like all humans, the ancient Israelites were into sex, and its presence pervades the Hebrew Bible. Much, but not all, of what the biblical writers had to say about sex was negative, either in the form of “thou shalt nots,” as in
An unmarried woman was expected to be a virgin until a contract of marriage had been made between her father and the family of the groom. After a marriage had been contracted, sex with a man other than her fiancé or husband was considered adultery and was punishable by death for both parties. A man, on the other hand, was not as restricted, as long as his sexual partner was not already married (
In light of these customs, the Song of Songs is unusual. Taking the form of a dialogue between an unmarried man and woman, it celebrates love and sexual attraction and even sexual intercourse, in fantasy if not in reality, often in explicit language. Toward the end of the book, the woman speaks to her beloved:
The woman urges—even orders—her lover to keep her close, like a stamp used for sealing documents, worn around the neck or on the arm, and perhaps more literally as the deep impression left by such a seal, a brand or tattoo as it were, permanently marking her beloved’s body and heart. She also gives voice to an implicit equality, in which, as she puts it earlier, “I am my lover’s, and his desire is for me” (
In contrast with many other biblical texts, which emphasize premarital chastity, the lovers in the Song of Songs are unmarried. In ancient Israel’s patriarchal society, marriages were usually arranged without the woman’s consent; for many moderns, especially in the west, arranged marriages seem a barrier to love. But such marriages could nevertheless lead to love: Jacob loved Rachel (
