‘I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate.’ [1]

As stated in the conciliar legislation of the Second Vatican Council’s Dei Verbum, the movement toward the intermingling of Tradition and Sacred Scripture – borne from the Council’s fruits – reveals that God speaks His Word through the patriarchs and prophets, urging us to ‘wait for the Savior promised by Him.’ [2] This solidifies the Old Testament’s role in foretelling the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and the salvation of humanity in terms comprehensible to us. [3] The Song of Songs accomplishes this through allegory, denoting the relationship between the groom, Christ, and His bride, the Church. [4] Due to this nature, the text requires decoding of its content, an understanding of its allegory, and thus an interpretation of the person behind the Word. [5]

While some passages of the Old Testament provide historical examples of God’s justice and mercy, it is only by interpreting them in light of Christ – the fullness of Revelation and our salvation – that we can grasp the completeness of their salvific message. [6] Other passages may be prophetic, poetic, or instructional, and thus, when interpreting Sacred Scripture, one must always be mindful of the literary form. [7] The Song of Songs, then, is perhaps the most cryptic of the Old Testament books – certainly the most poetic – and when read alongside the lexicological key of the New Testament, it offers the clearest reflection in which we may glimpse God through the veil, as well as the relationship He desires with us. [8] It is the wellspring from which one may drink eternally and never become ‘an empty preacher of the word of God.’ [9] As Jennifer Andruska argues, it may even be properly classified as Wisdom literature due to its instructional and aspirational message. [10]

Who is ‘the flower of the field’ if not Christ? Who is ‘the lily of the valleys’ if not the Paschal Lamb? The poetic form of the Song of Songs enables us to comprehend Him whom finite human reason cannot grasp – to give substance to the One who is beyond substance. Only poetry, inspired by the Holy Spirit, can elevate the human imagination to contemplate the nature of God, particularly through universally understood paradigms such as the lover and the beloved.

The language of the Song of Songs is largely romantic – the voice of a lover speaking to his beloved. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux writes in his Sermons, ‘It is Love which speaks here, and if anyone wishes to understand it, let him first love. Otherwise it would be folly […] for a cold heart to grasp the meaning of language so inflamed.’ [11] Therefore, as we must interpret Sacred Scripture through Tradition – including the Fathers and Doctors of the Church – and through the human element of the author, we must be mindful when analyzing its language and intentions. [12] For God speaks ‘through men in human fashion,’ and thus we must ‘carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writer intended to express […] by using contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture.’ [13]

‘I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired.’

The word desire is not to be understood in the possessive sense that the verb to have often conveys, nor in that of physical or sexual attraction. Rather, as the Fathers of the Church teach, it must be interpreted as the purity and completeness of a Love that is itself indescribable – the ‘Love that moves the Sun and the other stars.’ [14] Properly understood, as St. Bernard of Clairvaux elucidates, the desire that the lover expresses for his beloved in this passage is so profound that, by choosing to dwell in the shadow of the Beloved – even the shadow of God that remains ingrained in fallen man – the One who transcends desire desires for us. What distinguishes the language of the Song of Songs from other love poetry of the Ancient Near East is that it does not merely depict marital love in the sense of desire as lust. Instead, this desire is something to be emulated by the wise and is pure in its essence. [15]

The Song of Songs may also be systematically divided into poetic sections and interpreted with attention to its literal meaning within the context of the Ancient Near East, as Dei Verbum instructs in section 12. This approach is essential for understanding biblical literature, as the meanings of words evolve over time. For example, the Church Fathers’ understanding of wisdom in relation to the Song – particularly its model of love – differs markedly from modern interpretations, which are often shaped by a hyper-sexualized culture that struggles to engage with erotic language. [16] Thus, Song 2. 1–3, when analyzed according to the divisions proposed by Stadelmann, falls under the heading ‘The Pledge of Love.’ [17] ‘I am the flower of the field, the lily of the valleys’ – a striking description of the bride in itself, but one that takes on a providential meaning when we consider that the lily referenced here is the Lilium candidum, a species indigenous to the mountains of Upper Galilee. [18] This is especially significant because, both historically and in contemporary contexts, the lily has been associated with purity. St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s analogy of the bride and bridegroom, grounded in this symbolism of purity, becomes even more illuminating in this context. [19]

In conclusion, while various approaches may be taken in interpreting Sacred Scripture – as Dei Verbum instructs the faithful to do, for it is revealed Truth – the meaning remains fundamentally consistent, with each method building upon the others. Whether through lexicological analysis, Tradition, or an examination of form and context, this passage from the Song of Songs directs us toward the Word made flesh through the analogy of a lover and His beloved.