1. Discuss the use of imagery in poetry. Imagery was used in poetry and is used to share experiences. The Hebrew title for this book is Song of Songs, and the reason is because the Hebrew language does not have a superlative to express words like "best", "most", "highest", or "largest". To express their superlative, they would say: (1) noun "of" noun (plural), hence Song of Songs (to imply the best of all songs. God is sometimes referred to as the King of Kings, Jesus as the Lord of Lords, and heaven as the heaven of heavens (this would be the highest heaven)), (2) David, the son of Jesse (use of the definite article. David was not the oldest son. He was the youngest, but he was also the most distinctive), and (3) Holy, Holy, Holy (repetition to emphasis significance).

2. Discuss the Hebrew use of the superlative. The superlative must be used in context. In Daniel 2:37, 47, Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar that he is the king of kings but also told him that his power had come from God. It is important to put the superlative in the right context, and in this instance, Nebuchadnezzar was the king of kings in an earthly context. Nebuchadnezzar called God the God of Gods and the Lord of Kings. Thus, king of kings does not always apply to God.

The Hebrews often named their writings by key words from the first verse. The Book of Genesis was referred to by the single Hebrew word for "in the beginning". In Psalm 22:1, the first verse says, "My God, My God. Why hast Thou forsaken me?" The name of Psalm 22 would have been based on the words in this first verse, and that fact becomes very important when one sees Jesus on the cross. Jesus uttered those words from the cross not to complain about having been forsaken by His Father but to tell the Jews to read Psalm 22 so that they could understand what was happening.

3. Discuss the theme of Song of Solomon. Establishing the theme of Song of Solomon means to look at some literary techniques. First is the repetition of the word "vineyard" in verse 1:6 twice and in verses 8:11 and 8:12. The first case in verse 1:6 is literal, and the second is figurative. The case in verse 8:11 is literal and in verse 8:12 is figurative. In the figurative cases, the woman is speaking about her body. She is saying that her vineyard (body) is hers to give when and to whom she pleases. She indicates that it is not for sale and will not be given through some kind of business transaction. The book has a common refrain, which is "do not arouse or awaken my love until it pleases." This refrain occurs in verse 2:7. The KJV uses the word "he" instead of "it", but the reason is not clear. If the word is "it", then the theme of Song of Solomon is chastity and sexual purity. The woman says that she will not give herself until the right man comes along.

4. Provide some hints for interpreting imagery. First, some poetry uses absolutism, which is working in extremes (a prophet telling someone that they will be dead in two weeks (unless they repent)). Second, always note the setting. Is it urban or rural? To understand Song of Solomon, one should understand a country setting. Third, many word pictures focus on quality and not physical ("a woman compared to a horse").

5. Explain Song of Solomon 1:9. The man likens the woman to a horse. The NIV uses the word "mare", the KJV says a "company of horses", and the NAS refers to a single horse. Some scholars have said that the man has described the woman as the best horse among the many horses of the Pharaoh's team. However, a better interpretation is that the horse is a female horse, and the application is that she comes into the presence of Pharaoh's chariot-pulling stallions before they head out for battle and drives them crazy with desire. The KJV is probably wrong when it refers to the woman as a company of horses.

6. State the case study for Lesson 22. Try to define prophesy and also look at Isaiah.

				Tom of Bethany

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