雅歌 1-2 Song of Songs 1-2
- 馬克牧師
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
各位平安，我們這週要讀的是雅歌 Song of Songs.
在聖經中很特別的文學存在。
一開始所說的 Song of Songs是一種希伯來的說法，像是 “萬王之王” 這種說法，代表的是 “至高的”或是 “最極致的”。一開始是說所羅門是作者，但這其中有一些比較令人覺得可能並不一定是所羅門本人所作的原因。
首先是說，裡面的主角主要是女性的口吻，其中雖然有男性的，但口吻並不像是所羅門的文筆。而且，所羅門本人在其中沒有角色，最後，根據列王紀上記載，所羅門有七百個妻子，跟詩詞裡這一男一女深刻強烈的愛情似乎並不合拍。
當然，傳道書和箴言的確是由所羅門所寫，而所羅門也被聖經記載為 “有史以來最有智慧的人”，所以智慧書系列 ：詩篇，箴言，傳道書，雅歌，約伯記其中有三部被歸類為所羅門的著作也是合理的。
猶太傳統來說，詩歌裡面在敘述的是以色列民和上帝的關係，上帝愛以色列如同丈夫愛妻子，忠貞不二，在先知書和詩篇裡面也可以看到這樣的比喻（不過更多的是說以色列如同一個不貞潔的妻子，不斷地在背叛著丈夫）。
而當我們去用新約的角度去看的時候，以弗所書保羅給我們說明了，像是基督愛教會也如同丈夫愛妻子一樣，用生命去保護自己的愛人。
第一章開始，我們就看到了“新娘”和 “新郎”開始對唱，唱出一段熱戀中的愛情，唱出一段未婚妻和未婚夫各種充滿情慾的說法，互有往來，而且其實沒有什麼所謂的 “邏輯”或是前後順序。就是一個不斷在抒發情感，互表愛慕的情歌。
而從這些言語之間，我們也可以看到很多的戀人之間的形容詞。在第三章和第四章會更多。當然中間也有一些劇情，有幾次的互相愛慕，甚至戀慕的行為，然後兩人不知道為何分開，又彼此找尋，再次分開，在彼此找尋。在八首歌之間譜出一段動人心魄的愛情故事。
第一章的一開始，這兩人之間的熱烈情感就表露無遺：願他用口與我親嘴，你的愛情比酒更美。
而這裡我們可以觀察一下：這位書拉密女似乎不一定是以色列人。第四節說到 “王帶我進了內室”聽起來似乎在說所羅門，但第七節說到我心所愛的是個牧羊人，那麼這段該怎麼解釋呢？有解經學家說這是一種說法，類似我們今天稱呼心愛的人 “我的公主”或是 “我的白馬王子”一樣，甚至我們結了婚的人會說老婆是家裡的 “女王陛下“ 一樣，並不代表她就在說所羅門。第五節她唱到：耶路撒冷的眾女子，就明顯說到她 “不是” 耶路撒冷人，再來提到我雖然黑，如同基達的帳篷。基達是猶大東南方的阿拉伯人，帳篷是黑羊毛織成的，所以有可能說的是以實瑪利的後裔，而不是猶太人的後裔。我大膽一點地說，（當然也是看了整本聖經的總原則後做出的解經），做詩詞的詩人在說的是以色列人和上帝的愛情，但有沒有可能他無意間寫出了 “人與上帝”之間的愛情？這個說法在新約中也可以被印證，教會 – 由外邦人和猶太人共同構成 – 的這個組織，跟基督的關係就是丈夫和妻子的關係。所以在舊約中外邦人得救的地方，這裡也可以算為一處。
到了第一章末段，我們看到兩人傾心吐意，熱情如火，彼此用各種比喻來形容對方。
第二章新娘說 ：我是沙崙的玫瑰，谷中的百合花。玫瑰並不是正確的翻譯，比較說是一種普通的花朵，生長在深谷之中的。這比較像是新娘說 “其實我不是什麼名貴的大家閨秀，只是野地裡的花朵”這樣的詞。
而新郎當然不這麼看，他回應：我的佳偶在女子內，像是百合花在荊棘內。這裡有點像是長恨歌裡說的 “回眸一笑百媚生，六宮粉黛無顏色”。我的佳偶在女子之中，就讓群芳都失色了這樣的比喻。
而女子也回應他：我的良人在男子中，如同蘋果樹在樹林中。她覺得男子給她的愛情甜美無比，甚至到了思愛成病的程度。英文說到“I’m sick with love” 這完全就是表達沈浸在愛情中了。
第六節說到，兩人抱在一起，正在享受著愛情和彼此的體溫。這一段情詩到了一個令人心神盪漾的程度。
接著新娘似乎在抒發情感，聽啊，是我良人的聲音。她夢到了她的良人來找她了。來找她做什麼呢？和她一同前往遠方。對於初戀的佳偶，一同旅行是最令人嚮往的一件事情。果然接下來良人就說“起來，與我同去！”去看冬天已過，春天百花盛開的美景！
第十五節用放大版英文聖經看更清楚：Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards (of love), while our vineyards are blossom.
說到的是合唱：為我們抓小狐狸，那破壞我們“愛情葡萄園”的小狐狸，而且是葡萄正在盛開的時候。看來這段愛情也不是一帆風順，還是有各種的 “小狐狸”來破壞這一段感情。
第二章的最後，良人屬我，我也屬他。這一段是經常被引用的婚禮祝福經文，也是歌詞， 但注意接下來說的是天起涼風，日影飛去的時候，她的良人就要離開了。一如他來的時候如羚羊和小鹿一般敏捷，他走的時候也是一樣迅速。
而到了第三章，這對情侶要面對分離了 “我尋找他，卻尋不見“。所有美麗的愛情故事都必須要有分離的橋段，男女主角因著各種原因，誤會，或是命運的捉弄，分開了。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天繼續分享雅歌的第三和第四章，我們接著看這段愛情故事如何發展，願上帝祝福各位。
Peace to you all. This week, we are reading the Song of Songs.
It is a very unique piece of literature in the Bible.
The title Song of Songs is a Hebrew expression, similar to "King of kings," meaning "the greatest" or "the most supreme." At the beginning, it says that Solomon is the author, but there are some reasons to think it might not have been Solomon himself who wrote it.
First, the main voice in the book is female. Although there are male parts, the style doesn't match Solomon’s known writing. Furthermore, Solomon himself does not appear as a character in the story. Lastly, according to 1 Kings, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, which seems to contradict the deep and exclusive love between just one man and one woman depicted in the poem.
Of course, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs were indeed written by Solomon, and the Bible describes Solomon as "the wisest man who ever lived." Thus, it is reasonable that in the collection of wisdom literature — Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Job — three are attributed to Solomon.
In Jewish tradition, the poem is seen as describing the relationship between Israel and God — God loves Israel as a husband loves his wife: loyal and unwavering. We see similar metaphors in the Prophets and in the Psalms (though often they describe Israel as an unfaithful wife constantly betraying her husband).
When we view this through the lens of the New Testament, Paul in Ephesians explains that Christ loves the Church just as a husband loves his wife — willing to give His life to protect His beloved.
In Song of Songs chapter 1, the "bride" and the "bridegroom" begin a duet, singing about their passionate love — a love full of intense emotions, between an engaged couple. There isn’t necessarily a logical narrative; rather, it is a continuous outpouring of feeling and mutual admiration.
Throughout their words, we can see many expressions lovers use to describe one another. In chapters 3 and 4, these will become even more vivid. There is also some plot development: the lovers admire each other, yearn for each other, sometimes separate, search for each other, and then reunite — weaving an emotional love story across the eight poems.
Right from the beginning of chapter 1, their intense passion is evident:"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth — for your love is more delightful than wine."
Here, we notice something: the Shulammite woman does not seem to be an Israelite.Verse 4 says: "The king has brought me into his chambers" — which sounds like Solomon. But verse 7 says: "Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock..." indicating her beloved is a shepherd. How do we reconcile this?
Some scholars explain this as metaphorical language — like today when we call our loved ones "my prince" or "my queen," it doesn't mean they are literal royalty. In the same way, calling someone "king" doesn't necessarily refer to Solomon.
In verse 5, she says: "Daughters of Jerusalem, I am dark..."This implies she is not a Jerusalemite. She further compares herself to the tents of Kedar — tents woven from black goat hair, associated with nomadic Arab tribes southeast of Judah. This suggests she might be a descendant of Ishmael rather than a Jew.
I boldly suggest (based on the general principles of interpreting Scripture): while the poet is writing about Israel’s love story with God, he may also unintentionally be describing humanity’s love story with God. In the New Testament, this is fulfilled as the Church — composed of both Gentiles and Jews — becomes the Bride of Christ. Thus, this passage can be seen as a glimpse of Gentile salvation even in the Old Testament.
At the end of chapter 1, the lovers express their passion with vivid metaphors.
In chapter 2, the bride says:"I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys."(Rose here is not exactly the modern rose but rather a common wildflower.)It’s as if the bride is saying, "I'm not some noble lady — I'm just a wildflower from the valley."
But the groom disagrees. He responds:"Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women."This is akin to the famous Chinese phrase describing a beauty among many — "when she smiles, all others lose their color."
The bride replies:"Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men."She feels his love is sweet and life-giving — so sweet that she is, as the English translation says, "sick with love."
In verse 6, they embrace, enjoying the warmth and closeness of their love — the intensity of this love song reaches a dizzying height.
Next, the bride seems to be dreaming:"Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes..."He invites her to rise and come away with him — to see that winter is past, and spring flowers are blooming.For lovers, to journey together is one of the greatest joys.
Verse 15 in the Amplified Bible makes it clearer:"Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards (of love), while our vineyards are in bloom."They sing together: "Catch the little foxes that would spoil our blossoming love."
Even in love, there are small "foxes" — small problems or obstacles — that threaten to damage the relationship.
The chapter ends with a beautiful declaration:"My beloved is mine, and I am his."This verse is often quoted in wedding blessings and songs.However, notice what follows:"Until the day breaks and the shadows flee..."The beloved comes swiftly like a gazelle or young stag — and he also departs swiftly.
When we reach chapter 3, separation looms:"I sought him, but I did not find him."As with any compelling love story, there must be moments of separation — whether due to misunderstanding, fate, or circumstance.
Thank you for listening today. Tomorrow, we will continue with chapters 3 and 4 of Song of Songs, and explore how this beautiful love story unfolds.
May God bless you all.
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