Friday 31 March 2023

Background

The daring nature of the woman’s speeches in the Song stand in contrast to what we know about societal norms. Living in Western Europe in the 21st century, we might not even notice public displays of affection between couples, but in biblical times it was expected that intimacy was reserved for those who were married and for private spaces and that signs of affection were permissible in public only within families. So in verse 1  the woman wishes that the man were her brother so that she did not have to hide her love for him.

There are two ways of understanding the role of the mother in this passage. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible translates v. 2 as being about the one who gave birth, so the woman is saying something like, "if you were my brother we could spend time together in our mother’s house". Other translators render the verse as "she who has taught me" and it is about the expectations placed on the woman by her family. There seems to be an implication that the romance has breached some sort of convention and therefore the woman cannot share everything that has made her who she is with the person that she loves.

The woman’s speech concludes with the appeal to the ‘daughters of Jerusalem’ that we have heard before. This account of romantic love has reached its end and the readers are asked to let love take its course. The Song is a subversive book in a number of ways: is this an implicit challenge to the practice of arranged marriage which would have been many women’s experience at the time?

To Ponder:

• The story of ‘star-crossed lovers’ is a popular theme in fiction but there are many true stories of people choosing to marry someone and causing a breach with their birth families. Sometimes those are cross-cultural experiences; sometimes it has been because the partner is of the same sex. Do you know of any in that situation? Perhaps you could pray for those who have to choose between the love of a chosen partner and the love of their birth family.
• Origen (a third-century theologian) drew a parallel between the tension in the Song (between the demands of the birth family and the lover) with the call of Jesus to love him more than our parents, siblings or children. How do you experience that challenge?
• Reflect on your relationship with Christ. Was there a right time when you were open to receive from him, before which you were not ready?