Who Wrote Song of Solomon?
Quick Summary
The Song of Solomon does not identify a single historical author and is best understood as a collection of love poems shaped into a unified literary work. Jewish and Christian tradition associated the book with Solomon, largely because of its opening superscription and Solomon’s reputation for wisdom and poetry. Most modern scholars understand the Song as a carefully edited anthology of lyrical poetry that celebrates love, desire, and delight as gifts within God’s creation.
Introduction
The Song of Solomon stands apart from nearly every other book in the Bible. It contains no laws, no prophetic warnings, and no explicit references to God. Instead, it is filled with imagery drawn from gardens, vineyards, bodies, seasons, and longing. The book speaks openly about desire, attraction, and mutual delight.
Because the Song resists easy categorization, questions of authorship are especially important. Is it a single voice or many? Is it personal poetry or communal wisdom? Understanding who wrote the Song of Solomon helps explain why Scripture preserves a book devoted almost entirely to love.
Traditional Views of Authorship
Jewish tradition long associated the Song of Solomon with King Solomon. This connection comes primarily from the book’s opening line:
“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.” (Song of Solomon 1:1, NRSV)
Because Solomon was remembered as a poet and collector of wisdom, ancient readers naturally linked the Song to his name. This association shaped centuries of interpretation and helped secure the book’s place within the canon.
At the same time, tradition did not insist that Solomon personally composed every poem. The superscription was often understood as indicating dedication, association, or patronage rather than sole authorship.
What the Text of the Song Reveals
The Song of Solomon is written almost entirely as dialogue. Voices shift between lovers, friends, and onlookers. The poems alternate perspectives without naming speakers, creating a fluid and intimate literary experience.
The book itself offers few concrete historical markers. Instead, it emphasizes metaphor and imagery:
“My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.” (Song of Solomon 1:13, NRSV)
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm.” (Song of Solomon 8:6, NRSV)
These verses highlight the poetic nature of the work. The language is evocative rather than explanatory, suggesting intentional artistry rather than historical reporting.
Solomon as a Literary Figure
Many scholars understand Solomon’s presence in the Song as literary rather than autobiographical. Solomon appears within the poems as a character and symbol, representing wealth, power, and royal splendor.
In this reading, Solomon’s name situates the poems within Israel’s wisdom tradition without requiring direct authorship. The Song uses the cultural memory of Solomon to frame reflections on love that transcend any single individual.
John J. Collins notes that wisdom literature often uses famous figures as symbolic voices, allowing later authors to explore enduring themes through established names.
Song of Solomon as Wisdom Poetry
The Song is often grouped with wisdom literature because it reflects on human experience through poetic insight rather than command or narrative. Unlike Proverbs, which instructs, or Ecclesiastes, which questions, the Song celebrates.
Its theology is implicit rather than stated. Love is portrayed as powerful, mutual, and enduring. Desire is not condemned or regulated but honored as part of life’s goodness.
This approach suggests an author or group of poets deeply attuned to embodiment, joy, and relational intimacy as expressions of divine gift.
Sources and Composition
Most scholars understand the Song of Solomon as a collection of poems gathered and arranged into a coherent whole. Repeated refrains, shared imagery, and thematic unity point to careful editorial shaping.
The lack of explicit narrative progression supports the view that the Song preserves lyrical material originally performed or shared independently. The editor’s role was to hold these poems together without flattening their voices.
When Was the Song Written?
Dating the Song of Solomon is difficult. Linguistic features suggest composition over a broad period, possibly from the monarchic era through the postexilic period. Most scholars place the book’s final form between the tenth and third centuries BCE.
The wide dating range reflects the Song’s timeless quality. Its themes do not depend on a specific historical crisis but on universal human experience.
Why Authorship Matters
Understanding who wrote the Song of Solomon shapes how the book is read. If the Song is approached as a single historical voice, it may feel puzzling or narrow. If it is read as a curated anthology, its richness becomes clear.
The Song’s inspiration operates through poetry, metaphor, and mutual voice. Scripture here affirms love not by command but by celebration.
Song of Solomon invites readers to recognize intimacy, desire, and delight as part of faithful life before God.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Solomon write the Song of Solomon?
The book is associated with Solomon, but most scholars understand it as a collection of poems rather than a single author’s work.
Why does the Song not mention God?
The Song communicates theology indirectly, presenting love as a divine gift embedded in creation.
Is the Song literal or symbolic?
Historically, it has been read both ways. Most scholars affirm its literal celebration of love while acknowledging its theological depth.
Does anonymous or collective authorship weaken authority?
No. The Song’s authority lies in its faithful poetic witness to love as part of God’s good world.
Sources and Further Reading
Collins, John J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd ed. Fortress Press, 2018, pp. 343–355.
Exum, J. Cheryl. Song of Songs: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. Westminster John Knox Press, 2005, pp. 1–28.
