雅歌 3-4 Song of Songs 3-4
- 馬克牧師
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
各位平安，我們今天繼續來讀《雅歌》第三和第四章。
昨天我們看到的是一對新婚情侶（或者是尚未正式結婚的戀人），彼此充滿熱情和信任地對唱。而今天，我們要一起來看看，他們的愛情故事將如何發展到下一個階段。
第三章一開始，我們看到女子的心聲——她迫切地想要尋找她心愛的人。她的愛情已經到了無法自持的程度，連半夜也放不下對他的思念，以至於她不顧一切，深夜出門，在街上尋找她所愛的那一位。
如果放到今天的時代，我們或許可以理解。但如果我們回到古代以色列，甚至是古代中國的文化背景，一位年輕女子半夜在街頭遊蕩，公開地詢問她心愛的人的下落，這簡直是不可思議、難以接受的事情！在當時的社會眼光中，這絕對是「不成體統」的行為，甚至可能被父母嚴厲責備，被社會指責為不知羞恥。
然而，這段經文讓我們看見，這位女子內心的愛情是如此熾熱、真誠，重要到即便冒著危險、冒著被譏笑和羞辱的風險，她仍然願意踏出家門，只為尋找那個她深愛的人。
這是一幅極其強烈、感人的畫面——愛情在她心中是那麼的重要，那麼值得全然地追尋。
當女子終於找到她所愛的那一位時，她立刻將他帶回母家，到懷抱她、撫育她的內室。
我們看到，這位女子對於她的愛人是多麼地渴慕！她不僅想要與他親近，更希望能夠把他介紹給家人，帶他回家、帶進自己的閨房。這是一種極其強烈而堅定的愛——她已經認定了這個人是她今生所要嫁的人，甚至沒有多想在當時社會背景下，未婚女子把心愛的人帶回閨房，這會是多麼「前衛」、甚至讓人側目的行為！
到了第五節，我們又看到一個熟悉的場景：新郎用命令式的語氣再次呼籲——不要激動愛情，要等到它自己情願。這再次強調了愛情應該是主動的、是自由生發的，不能被外力安排，也不能被強迫介入。真正的愛，是心甘情願的追求與回應，而不是外在壓力促成的。
接下來《第三章》第6到11節，是一段比較難解的經文。許多解經家對這段內容都有不同的理解與看法，至今仍無法統一意見。這段到底是在描寫所羅門的場景？還是在描寫新郎新娘以國王與王后般尊貴地位成婚的榮耀？
在以色列的婚禮是相當盛大的，不是一天的慶典，而是好幾天的慶典 – 在這段期間內，新郎和新娘被當作國王和皇后一樣對待，他們所說的話都會被遵行，所有的賓客都要按照他們的意思來做。
又或者，他們在用所羅門的婚禮來對比他們自己的？是在頌讚所羅門的婚禮盛大，還是 – 有沒有可能 – 在說，就連所羅門王的婚禮，連他這樣尊貴隆重的排場（可能只不過是數百場婚宴中的其中一場），都不如這對年輕情侶 “世間無雙” 的這樣獨一愛情來得更加動人呢？
是否是在強調，專一的愛情所產生的排他性，獨一性，那一生只守護一個人的刻骨銘心的愛情故事，是那些藉口人生苦短，只想要遊戲人間，四處留情的人所不能擁有，無法體會的炙熱和深刻。從《雅歌》第四章開始，我們看到新郎開始用各種生動的景象來形容他的佳偶、他的愛人。
他形容她的頭髮如同一群山羊群，黑色光滑如絲。在英文中，這種光澤閃爍在英文翻譯中是用 Shimmering 這個字來形容，就像是海浪在陽光下波光粼粼一樣，美麗動人。
接著形容她的牙齒——像剛洗過回來的一群母羊，潔白整齊，而且「各有雙生」，代表每一顆牙齒都成雙成對，沒有缺漏，也沒有歪斜，顯示出完美無瑕的潔淨之美。
她的嘴唇，被形容為一條鮮紅的線，細緻又鮮亮；她的嘴也秀美，彷彿是精緻的藝術品。
至於「兩太陽」，可能是指她的太陽穴，也可能是形容她的雙頰——紅潤如同熟透的石榴，鮮嫩可愛。
她的脖子則像大衛城建造的高台——高挺且裝飾著璀璨的珍珠項鏈，就如同戰士們懸掛的一排排盾牌一般，熠熠生輝。
新郎甚至毫不避諱地讚美她的雙乳，用非常直接而又帶著愛慕的語言來形容。
最後，他深情地總結：「我的佳偶，你全然美麗，毫無瑕疵！」
果然，在情人的眼中，佳偶真是完美無瑕——在愛中，看到的都是對方的優點，一切都是這麼的美好與動人。
這一整章充滿了新郎對佳偶的讚美，毫不避諱地形容了彼此之間的愛慕與親密。
無論是隱喻還是明喻，裡面都充滿了對彼此體溫、身體的享受與渴慕。在《雅歌》裡，這些描寫非常直接，但又保持了一種平和秩序的美感，讓人一讀就能理解，並且能夠真實地感受到這段愛情的轟轟烈烈，以及新婚夫妻之間彼此的深切愛慕。
在文學上，能夠用這麼清晰明白的筆觸，直接又優雅地表達愛情甚至性愛，卻又不引起任何不當聯想的作品，其實非常罕見。也正因為如此，即使《雅歌》中有許多對愛情和性直白的描寫，但它仍然被認為是聖潔的愛情詩篇，並被收錄在聖經的正典之中。
這首詩歌讓我們感受到的，是一種純潔、自然的彼此愛慕，在第四章的文字裡，我們看到很多的果樹，花朵，蜂蜜，泉源 - 彷彿回到了伊甸園中，亞當與夏娃赤裸而不羞恥、彼此相愛的那個最初的樣子——單純、美好，正是上帝所創造的本然模樣。
愛情故事講到這邊，進入了一個高峰。我們明天接下來看第五章和第六章的轉折，這個愛情故事又會怎麼樣發展。感謝各位的聆聽，願上帝祝福各位。
Peace to you all. Today, we continue reading Song of Songs chapters 3 and 4.Yesterday, we looked at a pair of newlyweds (or engaged lovers) singing to each other with passion and trust. Today, let’s see how their love story develops to the next stage.
At the beginning of chapter 3, we hear the voice of the woman — she is desperately searching for the one she loves. Her love has reached a point where she cannot contain herself, thinking about him even through the night. She is so consumed by her longing that she ventures out into the streets in the middle of the night to search for him.
In today's context, we might understand this, but in ancient Israel — much like in ancient Chinese culture — it would be unimaginable, even unacceptable, for a young woman to wander the streets at night, publicly asking for her beloved.By the standards of that time, this would be seen as extremely improper behavior, risking harsh judgment from parents and society.
Yet this passage shows us just how intense and genuine her love is. Even at the risk of danger, mockery, and shame, she is willing to step out and seek her beloved. It’s an incredibly powerful and moving scene — love, for her, is so important that it is worth pursuing wholeheartedly.
When she finally finds him, she immediately brings him home — to her mother’s house, the place where she was nurtured.We see how deeply she longs for her beloved: she not only desires to be close to him, but also wants to introduce him to her family and bring him into her most private space.This shows a determined and steadfast love — she has already chosen this man to be her husband for life, disregarding the social taboos of her time.
In verse 5, we see a familiar refrain: a commanding reminder not to "arouse or awaken love until it so desires."Once again, it emphasizes that true love should be free, voluntary, and spontaneous — not arranged or forced. Genuine love grows from willing hearts, not external pressure.
From verses 6 to 11 of chapter 3, we encounter a somewhat difficult passage. Many Bible scholars have different interpretations of it, and there is no unified opinion even today.Is this passage describing Solomon’s royal procession? Or is it depicting the wedding of the bride and groom with royal imagery?
In ancient Israel, weddings were grand events, not just one day of celebration but several days of festivities.During this period, the bride and groom would be treated like a king and queen, and all guests would follow their wishes.
Alternatively, were they contrasting their simple, pure love with Solomon’s lavish wedding?Perhaps they were implying that even Solomon’s majestic weddings — likely one among many hundreds — could not compare to the uniqueness and intensity of their one true love.
This would highlight the exclusiveness and depth of pure love — a lifelong, undivided devotion — something that those who "play the field" or casually treat love can never truly experience or understand.
Starting in chapter 4, we see the groom using vivid imagery to describe his beloved:
He says her hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead — black, silky, and shimmering in the sun. (The word "shimmering" in English conveys the image of sunlight sparkling on ocean waves.)
Her teeth are like a flock of newly shorn, washed sheep — white, even, and perfectly paired (none missing or crooked), showing her flawless, pure beauty.
Her lips are like a scarlet ribbon — delicate and vibrant; her mouth is lovely, like a finely crafted work of art.
Her temples (or perhaps her cheeks) are compared to halves of a pomegranate — fresh and full of life.
Her neck is likened to the tower of David, adorned with rows of shields — a symbol of strength and beauty, enhanced by an array of sparkling jewelry.
The groom doesn’t shy away from praising her breasts, using tender and direct expressions full of admiration.
Finally, he sums up his praise with deep affection:"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."Indeed, in the eyes of a lover, the beloved is flawless — in love, one sees only the beauty, and everything becomes wonderfully captivating.
This whole chapter is full of admiration between the two lovers, with vivid metaphors celebrating physical affection and longing.In Song of Songs, the descriptions are remarkably direct yet maintain a sense of orderly beauty — they express passionate love in a way that feels pure and respectful.
In literature, it is rare to find such a clear, straightforward, and elegant portrayal of love — even including sexual intimacy — without descending into anything inappropriate.
Because of this, even though Song of Songs contains many frank descriptions of love and passion, it is still regarded as a holy and sacred love poem, worthy of being included in the biblical canon. It conveys a sense of pure, natural affection between a man and a woman — a love that is innocent and beautiful, just like the original relationship between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden — naked, unashamed, and loving each other as God originally intended.
At this point, the love story reaches a peak.Tomorrow, we will continue with chapters 5 and 6 and see how this love story takes its next turn.
Thank you all for listening.May God bless you.
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