The Song of Songs (Hebrew: שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים Šīr hašŠīrīm; Greek: ᾎσμα ᾀσμάτων, translit. Âisma āismátōn, Koine Greek pronunciation: [ˈäˑ.z̠mä äˈz̠mä.to̞n]), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is an erotic poem that is one of the megillot (scrolls) found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim (or “Writings”). It is unique within the Hebrew Bible: it shows no interest in Law or Covenant or the God of Israel, nor does it teach or explore wisdom like Proverbs or Ecclesiastes (although it does have some affinities to wisdom literature, as the ascription to the 10th century BCE King of Israel Solomon indicates); instead, it celebrates sexual love, giving “the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy”.
The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy. The women of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers’ erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader. Scholars differ on when it was written, with estimates ranging from the 10th to 2nd century BCE, with an analysis of the language used suggesting the 3rd century. In modern Judaism the Song is read on the Sabbath during the Passover, which marks the beginning of the grain-harvest as well as commemorating the Exodus from Biblical Egypt. Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel; Christianity, as an allegory of Christ and his bride, the Church.