Song of Songs is a wondrous collection of love lyrics nestled in the heart of the Hebrew Bible-songs of passion and praise between a young maiden and her beloved. It is religious lyric par excellence. But what is its true meaning? Is it an expression of human love and passion, pure and simple? A celebration of the covenant between God and Israel? Or something else? The latest volume in the Jewish Publication Society's highly acclaimed Bible Commentary series, Song of Songs provides a line-by-line commentary of the original Hebrew Bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the JPS English translation. Unique to this volume are four layers of commentary: the traditional PaRDeS of peshat (literal meaning), derash (midrashic and religious-traditional sense), remez (allegorical level), and sod (mystical and spiritual intimations). Michael Fishbane skillfully draws from them all to reveal the extraordinary range of interpretations and ideas perceived in this beloved biblical book. A comprehensive introduction, extensive endnotes, a full bibliography (traditional and modern), and additional explanatory materials are included to enhance the reader's appreciation of the work. This original, comprehensive commentary on the Song of Songs interprets historical, critical, and traditional sources drawn from the ancient Near East, the entire spectrum of Jewish sources and commentaries, and modern critical studies.

PrefaceAbbreviations and Other Conventions Introduction to the Commentary: Song of Songs Songs of Love The Language of Love Other Love Language and Lyrics in Antiquity Getting Love Language Right The Many Poetics of Love in Jewish Tradition The Song of Songs and Jewish Religious Practice Reading the Commentary Notes to the Introduction Full Hebrew-English Text of the Song of Songs The Commentary to the Song of Songs Four Levels of Commentary: Peshat, Derash, Remez, and Sod Chapter 1:1-17 First Words, First Encounters Chapter 2:1-17 Love in Its Proper Time Chapter 3:1-11 Inner Experience and Shared Joy Chapters 4:1-5:1 The Beautiful Maiden, So Praised Chapter 5:2-16 In Quest of the Marvelous Beloved Chapter 6:4-10 The Maiden, Lovely and Luminous Chapters 6:11-7:11 Love Overwhelming Chapters 7:12-8:14 Longing, Love, and Loss Notes to the Commentary Excursus A History of Jewish Interpretation in the Song of Songs Peshat: The Exegetical Revolution and Its Exemplars Derash: The Forms and Formulations of Covenant Love Remez: Personal Love of God-With All One's Heart, Soul and Mind Sod: The Most Hidden Truth-Divinity and Divine Love in the Depths Notes to the Excursus Bibliography