Unmarried Lovers in the Song of Songs

Abstract

Abstract The unmarried status of the lovers in the Song of Songs stands out against the expected cultural norms of an ancient Israelite society and of other more conservative biblical writers. Yet, as this article will argue, human lovers in love songs throughout the ancient Near East appear to be unmarried. The Egyptian love songs depict unmarried human lovers, and a number of new and recently published Akkadian love songs also depict human lovers who appear to be unmarried. Chastity, at least for women, was a common cultural expectation throughout the ancient Near East. Yet, in their love songs the lovers are unmarried, and this contrast with the social expectations of their culture should alert us to the fact that it is likely a mark of genre. Genres need not reflect the social setting within which they are written, and artistic works, like love poetry, often do not depict actual circumstances. Unmarried human lovers appear to have been characteristic of the love song genre in the ancient Near East, and as this article will suggest, this may perhaps explain why the Song of Songs would have been permitted and even gained popularity in such a society.