How Is the Book of Song of Solomon Structured?

Scholars approach the structure of the Song in two ways. The first holds that the Song is a loose collection of songs/poems without a chronological or narrative flow. The second maintains that there is a logical flow of thought, based on a chiastic structure, suggesting a subtle, almost dramatic, progression.

Regarding the first approach, while the Song is often seen as a loose collection of songs/ poems, the scholars who hold this view do not see it as completely devoid of order. The repeated refrains (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) and parallel structures (2:10-13 with 7:12-13; 2:14 and 17 with 8:1314; 3:1-5 with 5:2-8; 3:6-11 with 5:9-16; and 4:1-7 with 6:4-10) indicate an internal coherence and structural unity in relation to its themes. Those who interpret the Song as an anthology of love poems identify the various poems as follows:

1. Title / Superscription (1:1)
2. Rejoicing in You (1:2-4)
3. The Black Beauty and Her Brothers (1:5-7)
4. A Lovely Mare (1:8-11)
5. Sensual Scents (1:12-14)
6. Beautiful Darling, Handsome Beloved (1:15-17)
7. Flowers, Fruit, and Trees (2:1-7)
8. A Gazelle in Springtime (2:8-17)
9. Searching for Her Love (3:1-5)
10. Solomon’s Wedding (3:6-11)
11. His Descriptive Song of Beauty (4:1-7)
12. The Garden of Love (4:8–5:1)
13. Searching for Her Love Once More (5:2–6:3)
14. Comparable but Ultimately Unique (6:4-10)
15. In the Orchard (6:11-12)
16. The Dancing Shulammite (6:13–7:10)
17. Her Invitation to the Countryside (7:11-13)
18. A Song of Yearning (8:1-4)
19. More Powerful than Death (8:5-7)
20. Brothers (8:8-10)
21. My Vineyard Is Mine Alone (8:11-12)
22. Be Like a Gazelle! (8:13-14)

Nevertheless, the book’s multiple intertextual links argue against this anthological interpretation (a loose collection of poems) but rather reflect an internal unity. First, the same characters appear and speak throughout the book: the maiden, the lover, and the daughters of Jerusalem. Second, similar figures of speech are used throughout: e.g., love is better than wine (1:2; 4:10); fragrant perfume (1:3, 12; 3:6; 4:10); lovely cheeks (1:10; 5:13); eyes like doves (1:15; 4:1); teeth like sheep (4:2; 6:6); admonitions for purity (2:7; 3:5; 8:4); gazelles (2:9, 17; 8:14); Lebanon (3:9; 4:8, 11, 15; 7:4). Third, the book is united by the rich, consistent poetic imagery of flora, fauna, fragrance, and color, suggesting the beauty of Eden.

David A. Dorsey correctly maintains, “The sophistication and homogeneity of the Song’s surface-structure design strongly suggests a unified poem that was composed by a single author” (The Literary Structure of the Old Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999], 213). Dorsey’s chiastic outline demonstrates the symmetry that many interpreters have observed in the Song.

A) Opening words of mutual love and desire (1:2–2:7)

B) Young man’s invitation to the young woman to join him in the countryside (2:8-17)

C) Young woman’s nighttime search for the young man (3:1-5)

D The crest: their wedding day (3:6–5:1)

C’ Young woman’s nighttime search for the young man, and their speeches of
admiration and longing (5:2–7:10)

B’ Young woman’s invitation to the young man to join her in the countryside (7:11–8:4
[7:12–8:4])

A’ Closing words of mutual love and desire (8:5-14)

The A, B, and C sections reflect the courtship phase of this ideal marriage; D is the focal point of the poetic book and focuses on the actual wedding, while C’, B’, and A’ describe the maturation of marital love in an ideal marriage. The interpretation that will undergird this commentary is that the book is a collection of love poems arranged or structured to depict these three phases of marriage: courtship (1:1–3:5), wedding (3:6–5:1), and maturation of marital love (5:2–8:4).