Introduction

No one really agrees on who the woman in Song of Solomon actually is. If you do a quick search, you'll see lots of theories. From what I read, I gathered that the Israelites and the early church, likely saw this book as an allegory for the church. Because of this, many think the woman speaking in this book is not a real person. Others believe that Solomon wasn't the writer of the book—after all, is the man who had 1000 wives and concubines really capable of such intimacy? Yet there those still who would argue that in all those women there had to be at least one he truly loved and she is the woman of whom he speaks.

During my week long study of this passage, I didn't get to deep into who she was. I read the passage with the assumption that she is one woman in love with a man. You will seem moments where I discuss the allegory, but I didn't spend a lot of time on if she is or isn't one of Solomon's wives. I'll save that for the posts on the book itself (and I think it'll take more than a week to sort some of that out).

Genealogy

If we don't know who the Shulamite woman is, it's clearly going to be hard to discuss her origins and familiy history. The one thing we do know is that in Song of Solomon 6, she is referred to as the Shulamite—this is where we get the name "The Shulamite Woman." Research suggests that Shulam and Shunam are the same. Modern day Shunam (also spelled Shunem) is even called Sulam. This city is located in Northern Israel, and the archeological record shows references to the city as early as the fourteenth century BC, extra-biblically.[1][2]

During the time of Solomon, this city would have been inhabited by the tribe of Issachar (and the kingdom would have still be one). The Shulamite woman was likely from the tribe of Issachar, but it is also possible she was a foreigner (like a Philistine) since Solomon was known for marrying foreigners.

Questions

About the Passage

1. Who is she?
   • Was she one of Solomon's wives?
   • Was she a concubine?
   • Was she from royalty?
2. What perspective is she coming from when she says dark?
3. Why did she have to work in the fields?
4. Why does she call attention to her darkness?
5. Why do some translations obscure the word dark/black?
6. Why were her brothers angry with her?
7. Whose vineyard is she looking after?
8. Is she the Proverbs 31 woman?
9. Is this the only man she's ever loved?
10. How did they meet and fall in love?
11. Much of the description is physical, what did she like about him outside of that?
12. Why is she looking for her beloved?
13. Why isn't he there?
14. Why doesn't she go to his house or job? Why the city streets?
15. What is the significance of myrrh and frankincense?
16. Why does she keep addressing the daughters of Jerusalem?
    • Who are they?
    • Why are they concerned with her love life?
17. Why does she suddenly hesitate to go to her beloved in Chapter 5?
18. Why do the guards beat her up?
19. What is the significance of the cloak?
20. What makes her unique among the queens and concubines?
21. Why are there so many sibling references?
22. Why are love and passion comparedto death and sheol?
23. Why does one gain contempt if they give all their wealth for love?
24. Why are people hiding their sister from marriage?

If I Met Her

This conversation would be highly dependent upon who the Shulamite woman actually is. If she is one of Solomon's wives (or concubines), I would want to know more about how her relationship was with the other wives. Why and how did she still feel loved? Was she the "favorite" wife? How did those dynamics work?

On the otherhand, if this is supposed to be a monogamous relationship (perhaps, this is meant to be the church or Solomon's very first wife), my conversation with her would focus more on the topic of the love itself. Several times she says not to awaken love before you're ready. There are many ways this can be taken and I'm curious how the author meant it, and what experiences lead her to that conclusion.

Speaking of the author... The standard is that Solomon wrote this book, which means it is actually Solomon describing how the Shulamite woman feels. Did she actually feel this way? I feel like a conversation with her would have to include questions about how much of this book is an accurate portrayal of her.

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[3] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three pormpts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying the Shulamite Woman.

Find Jesus in the text or story

Many, if not most, interpret Song of Solomon as an allegory for God and the Church or Messiah and the Church. In the New Testament, the Church is often referred to as the Bride of Christ. In the context of the story, that would make the Shulamite Woman the Church and her beloved would be Messiah. The joy, excitement, admiration, and love the Shulamite expresses about her beloved are the same emotions we should feel about our Messiah. Frankeincense is associated with both Messiah (one of the gifts given to Him at birth) and the groom. Song of Solomon 5:11 says that the groom has balck hair like a cluster of dates while Revelation 1:4 describes Messiah's hair as being white like wool. This is interesting because the both wool and a cluster of dates could be considered a reference to curly hair, but black and white are definitely opposties. The description in Song of Solomon depicts a man in his youth while Revelation depicts the ancient and eternal Messiah.

Translate the text into a mental image

Lots of images come to mind for this text:

• Bridal veil
• Wedding rings
• A heart
• A couple

Connect a historical or social event with the text

There is so much contenet about love and relationships on social media, I don't know where to begin. Most of our examples of love and relationships are deeply flawwed, yet we are still obsessed with finding "the one." Many of us are enamored by Hallmark style love stories and Rom-Coms, even though they all have the same plot. Deep down, I think we are all searching for the perfect love and union YHWH designed. The relationships depeicted in Song of Solomon detail the search for that love, as well as the hurdles we face searching for it. The Shulamite Woman's words are relatable for every woman, no matter her relationship status or experience. She covers themes of insecurity and self-esteem (e.g., her comments about being dark), longing (e.g., searching for her love), joy (most of the text), and heartbreak (e.g., being beaten by the guards).

Journal Pages

References & Footnotes

1. "Shunem". Bible Hub Atlas; visited February 2025
2. "Where was Shulam, home of the Shulammite?". Bible Reading Archeology. December 8, 2016; visited Febraury 2025
3. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck