For For preachers and teachers wanting a theological reading of the Song; readers wanting a philological commentary should look elsewhere.
Should I read this?
For the general reader
3 of 5worth your time
For the researcher
4 of 5important
Difficulty
3 of 5demanding
A systematic theologian's commentary reading the Song as love poetry and as the story of God's love and Israel's.
How it proceeds
Philosophic3 of 5
Scriptural5 of 5
Experiential2 of 5
Sociological0 of 5
Historical1 of 5
Independent intensities, 0–5 — what the work is made of, not how good it is.
Jenson's commentary on the Song of Songs in the series Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, published by Westminster John Knox Press in 2005 (about 118 pages; reissued in paperback in 2012). Written by a systematic theologian rather than a specialist in Hebrew poetry, it takes the plain sense of the book as erotic love poetry and then asks how that poetry invites a theological reading, following the long tradition that reads it as a story of the love between the Lord and his people. Jenson defends a form of allegorical reading, and notes, for example, the echoes of Eden in the lovers' outdoor scenes. It is the first of his two biblical commentaries, followed by Ezekiel in 2009.
Song of Songs
by Robert Jenson
For For preachers and teachers wanting a theological reading of the Song; readers wanting a philological commentary should look elsewhere.
Should I read this?
A systematic theologian's commentary reading the Song as love poetry and as the story of God's love and Israel's.
How it proceeds
Independent intensities, 0–5 — what the work is made of, not how good it is.
Jenson's commentary on the Song of Songs in the series Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, published by Westminster John Knox Press in 2005 (about 118 pages; reissued in paperback in 2012). Written by a systematic theologian rather than a specialist in Hebrew poetry, it takes the plain sense of the book as erotic love poetry and then asks how that poetry invites a theological reading, following the long tradition that reads it as a story of the love between the Lord and his people. Jenson defends a form of allegorical reading, and notes, for example, the echoes of Eden in the lovers' outdoor scenes. It is the first of his two biblical commentaries, followed by Ezekiel in 2009.
Catalog ID
W.K5WS74.3