Arguably the biggest blockbuster love song ever composed, the Song of Songs holds a unique place in Jewish and Christian canons as the "holiest" book, in the minds of some readers, and the sexiest in its language and imagery. This commentary aims to interpret this vibrant Song in a contemporary feminist key, informed by close linguistic-literary and social-cultural analysis. Though finding much in the Song to celebrate for women (and men) in their embodied, passionate lives, this work also exposes tensions, vulnerabilities, and inequities between the sexes and among society at large-just what we would expect of a perceptive, poignant love ballad that still tops the charts.From the Wisdom Commentary seriesFeminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to ministers, preachers, teachers, scholars, and students, will aid all readers in their advancement toward God's vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all.The aim of this commentary is to provide feminist interpretation of Scripture in serious, scholarly engagement with the whole text, not only those texts that explicitly mention women. A central concern is the world in front of the text, that is, how the text is heard and appropriated by women. At the same time, this commentary aims to be faithful to the ancient text, to explicate the world behind the text, where appropriate, and not impose contemporary questions onto the ancient texts. The commentary addresses not only issues of gender (which are primary in this project) but also those of power, authority, ethnicity, racism, and classism, which all intersect.Each volume incorporates diverse voices and differing interpretations from different parts of the world, showing the importance of social location in the process of interpretation and that there is no single definitive feminist interpretation of a text.

ContentsList of Abbreviations ixList of Contributors xiiiForeword "Tell It on the Mountain"-or, "And You Shall Tell Your Daughter [as Well]" xvAthalya Brenner-IdanEditor's Introduction to Wisdom Commentary: "She Is a Breath of the Power of God" (Wis 7:25) xixBarbara E. Reid, OPAcknowledgments xxxixAuthor's Introduction: Playing the Song of Songs in a Feminist Key xliSong of Songs 1:1 Heading 1Song of Songs 1:2-8 Comfortable (Mostly) in Her Own Voice and Skin 5Song of Songs 1:9-2:7 Looking at the Lovers' Nest-and Letting It Be 25Song of Songs 2:8-17 Viewing, Cooing, and Wooing 41Song of Songs 3:1-5 Seeking and Seizing Her Lover 59Song of Songs 3:6-11 Look Who's Coming to Town 71Song of Songs 4:1-7 Formidable Beauty and Fearful Symmetry 83Song of Songs 4:8-5:1 The Precarious Path to Paradise 99Song of Songs 5:2-8 Painful Pillow Talk 113Song of Songs 5:9-6:3 Playful Girl Talk 133Song of Songs 6:4-10 An Overwhelming Ode to Terrible Beauty 147Song of Songs 6:11-13 A Flight of Fancy and a Campy Dance 157Song of Songs 7:1-9a The Dynamic Delights of Statuesque Beauty 167Song of Songs 7:9b-8:4 Desiring Old and New, Open and Safe Spaces for Love 193Song of Songs 8:5-14 The Love Song That Never Ends 207Works Cited 233Index of Scripture References and Other Ancient Writings 243Index of Subjects 247