Troublesome Topic: The Writing of Song of Solomon

I believe that what we now have as Solomon’s Song was written down for their two daughters. It was penned when their oldest daughter was getting close to the marriageable age of 13.

Either some of their most memorable moments and expressions were written down over time and then compiled into its present form, or they composed something new using the system of communication they had developed between them. I think it was probably the latter.

Who penned it? It is most likely that Solomon did all the writing himself because, as a peasant and a female, she would not have been taught how to write during her childhood. The other option is that Solomon taught her how to read and write. I think this is a very real possibility, in which case, either one of them could have penned The Song, or each one could have penned their parts.

Because some of The Song expresses high praise for him, I believe she had lots of direct involvement; it was not just something he wrote by himself on behalf of the two of them. You may notice that The Song opens with her voice, closes with her voice, and her words figure more prominently than do his. She may have been the one who came up with the idea of writing it for their daughters.

The next lesson is: The Death of the Shulammite