Hi, what does this scripture in the Bible mean?

[JI4M]

Someone threw this scripture (quoted down below) in my face in a religious debate and I honestly don't know the full Bible as well as others do. What does it mean and like, why is it there? Also, is this scripture of the Old Testament in the Torah too? I tried googling all of this but it just became too difficult for me to understand. Thanks so much.

How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @JI4M, this is from the Bible, the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) specificially. If you don't mind me asking (and if it's not too personal), what topic were you debating?

Thanks

--David

 

[DragonFox91]

In addition:
Song of Songs is a love poem between a man & a woman. Some people think it's meant to symbolize God's love for his people. Some people think it's meant to show what love between a man & a woman looks like (especially in a time when marriages were arranged)

 

[JI4M]

Hello @JI4M, this is from the Bible, the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) specificially. If you don't mind me asking (and if it's not too personal), what topic were you debating?

Thanks

--David

Thank you. They were saying the Bible is full of porn and basically just disparaging it. You know, that kind of stuff. I didn't know how to reply to this when they quoted this scripture to me. Thank you.

 

[JI4M]

In addition:
Song of Songs is a love poem between a man & a woman. Some people think it's meant to symbolize God's love for his people. Some people think it's meant to show what love between a man & a woman looks like (especially in a time when marriages were arranged)

Thank you. Is this in the Torah too?

 

[martymonster]

Someone threw this scripture (quoted down below) in my face in a religious debate and I honestly don't know the full Bible as well as others do. What does it mean and like, why is it there? Also, is this scripture of the Old Testament in the Torah too? I tried googling all of this but it just became too difficult for me to understand. Thanks so much.

How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.

It's a parable, and you have to break it down.

 

[St_Worm2]

Is this in the Torah too?

No, the Torah consists of the first five books of the Bible, Genesis - Deuteronomy. These first five are also referred to as “The Law”, and they were written by Moses.

The Song of Solomon was written by King Solomon (King David’s son), and the main characters are thought to be Solomon and his first wife.

Edit: If memory serves, there are certain sects of Judaism that reserve the reading of this very intimate letter (about marriage) for those who are both married and at least 30 years old

 

[Sheila Davis]

Someone threw this scripture (quoted down below) in my face in a religious debate and I honestly don't know the full Bible as well as others do. What does it mean and like, why is it there? Also, is this scripture of the Old Testament in the Torah too? I tried googling all of this but it just became too difficult for me to understand. Thanks so much.

How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.

It was accredited to Solomon
Song of Solomon | biblical canticle

Did Solomon actually write it - is not an absolute.
When it was written was it intended to be included in the scriptures - or did someone just decide to include it.

 

[JI4M]

[QUOTE="
Edit: If memory serves, there are certain sects of Judaism that reserve the reading of this very intimate letter (about marriage) for those who are both married and at least 30 years old [/QUOTE]

Thank you but confused. So does Judaism use books of the OT past the first five or no?

 

[d taylor]

Thank you. Is this in the Torah too?

It is not in the Torah but it is in the Tanakh (which the Tanakh has as part of it the Torah)

 

[d taylor]

[QUOTE="
Edit: If memory serves, there are certain sects of Judaism that reserve the reading of this very intimate letter (about marriage) for those who are both married and at least 30 years old

Thank you but confused. So does Judaism use books of the OT past the first five or no?

Judaism uses The Tanakh

 

[JI4M]

Edit: If memory serves, there are certain sects of Judaism that reserve the reading of this very intimate letter (about marriage) for those who are both married and at least 30 years old

It is not in the Torah but it is in the Tanakh (which the Tanakh has as part of it the Torah)

Oh my goodness, I never heard of the Tanakh! Please tell me what that is? Thank you

Judaism uses The Tanakh

I'm so confused, is Judaism not Jewish? I'm so confused. School me!

 

[d taylor]

Oh my goodness, I never heard of the Tanakh! Please tell me what that is? Thank you



I'm so confused, is Judaism not Jewish? I'm so confused. School me!

The Tanakh is the Jewish Bible, it is what gentiles call the Old Testement.

 

[St_Worm2]

Thank you but confused. So does Judaism use books of the OT past the first five or no?

Judaism uses the entire OT (39 books), though I believe that it was either the Sadducees or the Essenes in the 1st Century that recognized the Torah alone as true Scripture.

 

[public hermit]

Someone threw this scripture (quoted down below) in my face in a religious debate and I honestly don't know the full Bible as well as others do. What does it mean and like, why is it there? Also, is this scripture of the Old Testament in the Torah too? I tried googling all of this but it just became too difficult for me to understand. Thanks so much.

How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.

Yeah, that is a beautiful passage. Sex is not pornography. God created sex, which functions as a means of pleasure and procreation. We shouldn't be surprised to see the love of lovers showing up in the scriptures or that it is celebrated. But, if it makes you nervous and doubtful, interpret it as Christian mystics have for millennia: it is metaphor, representing the union between God and the seeker, Christ and his church. It is trying to represent the ineffable love for which we are created.

 

[com7fy8]

They were saying the Bible is full of porn

The Song of Solomon has communication of two who are in love with each other. The main focus is not only about details of someone's body and physical intimacy. But porn, I understand, stays with only showing physical activity, without personal feelings for one another.

And the way love has a couple relating is much more beautiful, than what professionals can do in porn.

It is possible there are people who are jealous of how beautifully God has the couple sharing in Song of Solomon. And so, they can call it porn, when there is no comparison.

Is this in the Torah too?

Not to my knowledge . . . I understand that the Jews' Torah is the first five books of the Bible. For a number of Jews, the Torah is considered their infallible scripture. And the other books are considered inspired, but not necessarily infallible.

So does Judaism use books of the OT past the first five or no?

Yes, Jews use the Psalms, among others. But these are considered inspired writings but not guaranteed to be infallible. But different Jews can have different ideas about this. But the Torah seems to be taken the most seriously by Jews in general, in any case.

Oh my goodness, I never heard of the Tanakh! Please tell me what that is? Thank you

I suppose not all Jews would tell you the exact same thing about this There are different Jewish groups, with different ideas and practices.

I'm so confused, is Judaism not Jewish? I'm so confused. School me!

I would say Judaism is Jewish. And you can use Google to look up things like this. But know there are different ones with different ideas, and there can be non-Jews who can have websites in which they represent themselves to be experts about the Jews. So, you could look up Jewish sources and perhaps Christian sources.