This is
The phrase "This is" serves as an introduction, indicating the beginning of a distinct literary work. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "שִׁיר" (shir), which means "song" or "poem." This introduction sets the stage for what follows, emphasizing the unique and elevated nature of the content. It invites the reader to prepare for a poetic and profound exploration of love, beauty, and divine inspiration.

Solomon’s
The attribution to Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel, is significant. Solomon is renowned for his wisdom, wealth, and extensive writings, including proverbs and songs. In 1 Kings 4:32, it is noted that Solomon composed 1,005 songs, highlighting his prolific contribution to biblical literature. The association with Solomon suggests a work of great wisdom and insight, reflecting the king's understanding of love and human relationships, as well as his divinely granted wisdom.

Song of Songs
The phrase "Song of Songs" is a Hebrew idiom, "שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים" (shir ha-shirim), which denotes the superlative form, meaning the greatest or most excellent song. This expression is similar to "Holy of Holies," indicating the most sacred or supreme. By calling it the "Song of Songs," the text elevates this work above all other songs, suggesting its unparalleled beauty and depth. It implies a divine inspiration and a profound exploration of love, often interpreted as an allegory of God's love for His people or Christ's love for the Church. This superlative title invites readers to delve into the richness and mystery of the text, seeking spiritual and relational insights.

Song of Solomon 1:1 contains the title of the book: literally, A song of the songs (Heb., Shir hashirim), which to Solomon, i.e., of which Solomon is author. This has been understood as meaning "one of Solomon's songs," with allusion to the 1,005 songs (1Kings 4:32) which that monarch composed. But when in Hebrew a compound idea is to be expressed definitely, the article is prefixed to the word in the genitive. So here not merely "a song of songs" (comp. holy of holies), i.e., "a very excellent song," but "The song of songs," i.e., the most excellent or surpassing song. For the question of authorship and date of poem, see Excursus I.

Verse 1. - The song of songs, which is Solomon's. This is certainly the title of the book which follows, although in our present Hebrew Bible it is the first verse of the book preceded by the shorter form, 'The Song of Songs.' The Septuagint has simply the title Ασμα, So that our English title in the Authorized Version, 'The Song of Solomon,' has no ancient authority. It is well altered in the Revised Version to 'The Song of Songs.' The word "song" (שִׁיר) does not necessarily convey the meaning. composed to be sung to music. If the performance of the words were chiefly in view, the word would have been מִוְמור, carmen, "lyric poem," "hymn," or "ode." The Greek Ασμα ἀσμάτων, and the Latin of the Vulgate, Canticum canticorum, accord with the Hebrew in representing the work as taking a high place either in the esteem of the Church or, on account of the subject, in the esteem of the writer. Luther expresses the same idea in the title he attaches to it, 'Das Hohelied,' that is, the chief or finest of songs. The reference may be to the excellence of the literary form, but probably that which suggested the title was the supreme beauty of the love which prompted the songs. The title may be regarded as applied to the whole book, or to the first portion of it giving the name to the whole. If it be a collection of separate songs strung together, as some think) by mere resemblance in style and subject, then the words, "which is Solomon's" (לְִשל מו אֲשֶׁר) apply to the first song alone. But the unity which is clearly to be traced through the book to the end makes it probable that the title is meant to ascribe the work to the authorship of Solomon. This is the opinion of the majority of critics. It must have come either from the wise king himself, or from some one of his contemporaries or immediate successors. The preposition is the lamedh auctoris. If the meaning were "referring to," another preposition (עַל) would have been employed. It has been remarked by Delitzsch that the absence of any description of Solomon as "King of Israel" or "son of David," as in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, confirms the view that Solomon himself was the sole author. Some have argued against the authenticity of the title on the ground that the longer form of the relative, אֲשֶׁר, is used in it, whereas in the book itself the shorter form, שְׁ, is found, but no dependence, can be placed on that argument regarded by itself, for the same writer employs both forms, as e.g. Jeremiah, who uses the longer form in his prophecies and the shorter in Lamentations. The shorter form is, in fact, the elder, being Old Canaanitish or Phoenician, אשׁ, which is a lengthened form of שׁ, and afterwards became אֲשֶׁר. One writer, however Fleischer), holds that the relative pronoun as a substantive origin, and compares it with the Arabic ithe and the Assyrian asar, meaning "track" or "place," like the German welcher, which comes from wo. But whether this be so or not, it is certainly unsafe to date any book by the form found in it of the, relative pronoun. We know that in poetry the abbreviated form is common. It was probably a North Palestine provincialism, as we see in the Book of Kings. It became common in prose writings after the Captivity because of the degradation of Hebrew, but it was not unknown before that time either in prose or poetry. With regard to the exact description of the poetic form of the Song of Songs, the difference among critics is considerable, but the question is scarcely worth discussing. There undoubtedly is unity of conception in the songs which are brought together, but it cannot be of importance to prove that there is dramatic unity strictly speaking; there is no dramatic procedure, nor can we suppose that there is any ultimate aim at dramatic representation. But the Exposition which follows will suffice to show that there are facts of history in the background of the poem; if the suggestions of the language and scenery be followed, the facts are very beautiful and even romantic - the love of the great king for one of his own subjects, a lovely northern maiden, whose simplicity and purity of character are a great attraction and lend much force to the religious sentiment of the song. In 1 Kings 5:12 we read that "the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him." That divinely inspired wisdom enabled him, notwithstanding his own personal errors, to idealize and sanctify the lovely episode of his lifo which lies at the foundation of his poem. And the Church of God in every age has appreciated, more or less widely, the inspiration, both of matter and of form, which breathed in it. We are told that Solomon composed one thousand and five songs (1 Kings 4:32); whether this is a part of that collection or not we cannot certainly say, but that it is a mere fasciculus, or collection of separate songs, strung together by their general erotic character, is what we cannot believe. No doubt, as Dr. Mason Good has observed, the Arabian poets were accustomed to arrange their poems in what they compared to a string of pearls, but we can scarcely carry such a fact into the Bible, and deal with sacred books as mere literary remains. There must be a deep religious meaning in such language, and it is in accordance with Eastern usage that amatory songs should be so employed. What the meaning is we must persistently ask, and however much has been wrongly said in the past, while we believe in the Divine authority of the Old Testament we must not renounce the endeavour to find the Song of Songs worthy of its title and its place.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Solomon’s
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Song
שִׁ֥יר (šîr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7892: A song, singing

of Songs.
הַשִּׁירִ֖ים (haš·šî·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7892: A song, singing


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OT Poetry: Song of Solomon 1:1 The Songofsolomon which is Solomon's (Song Songs SS So Can)