Song of Songs (Continental Commentary | CC)

by Othmar Keel

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 1994

Overview

In addition to a comprehensive introduction and an analysis of text and form, Othmar Keel focuses on the metaphorical and symbolic language of the Song of Songs. He makes full use of parallels—textual and iconographic—from Palestine, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. More than 160 illustrations, prepared by Hildi Keel-Leu, add to the interpretation of the songs.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Fourth, and finally, this ancient structure teaches that the point of comparison between the receiver of meaning (the part of the body) and the lender of meaning (a divinity, a precious material, a plant, an animal, etc.) is only rarely a matter of shape or form (where modern Westerners generally seek such comparisons); more often the similarity has to do with color, value, or some dynamic quality.” (Page 25)

“The end of the eighth century b.c. is also the earliest time to make sense of the many Aramaisms found in the Song.” (Page 4)

“the voice is just as infatuating (or ‘sweet’; cf. Prov. 20:17*) as the face is ravishing.” (Page 107)

“My own vineyard I have not kept!’ Here ‘vineyard’ can refer only to her feminine charms” (Page 49)

“The basis of love in the Song is not a vague genital lust but great admiration of the beloved partner, who seems inapproachable in his or her radiance—distant on inaccessible mountains, hidden in locked gardens, painfully longed for and sought. The lovers mutually experience one another as so beautiful, so radiant, so magnificent that every discovery, every approach, every possession of the other can be experienced only as unfathomable gift, never taken for granted.” (Page 31)

Praise for the Print Edition

Thoughtful, judicious, unpretentious, with a special penchant for the ancient Near Eastern iconographic background, Keel's analysis [is] perhaps the best commentary on the Song of Songs in recent years.

—Francis Landy, Journal of Biblical Literature

The strength of this commentary [lies in its] relating biblical texts to ancient Near Eastern iconography . . . All in all, this is a strong and illuminating book.

—Elizabeth F. Huwiler, Catholic Biblical Quarterly

Keel’s work and the creative way that he has introduced the visual evidence from ancient artistic representations into exegetical discussion . . . is one of the best, most convincing treatments of the book that has appeared.

—J. J. M. Roberts, Princeton Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Continental Commentary Series: Song of Songs
• Author: Othmar Keel
• Translator: Frederick J. Gaiser
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 320

About Othmar Keel

Othmar Keel is Professor of Old Testament at the University of Freiburg, Switzerland. He is the author of The Symbolism of the Biblical World.