Who was the Bride in Song of Songs?

In the Song of Songs, you might be surprised to realise that the main character/the key protagonist, is the bride and not Solomon or anyone else. She has most of the dialogue and the background, hopes, fears and even dreams within the story are hers. In literature, the "hero's journey" is a common template of stories that involve the protagonist going on an adventure, winning a significant victory, being transformed and/or returning home. The bride's tale embodies all these steps and her lover is more or less the supporting character.

We will look at whether she represents a larger truth in the next article, but within the book’s setting, who is she?

Origin: Towards the end of the story (6:13), we get the biggest clue as to where she is from . She is called the "Shulammite". This cannot be a proper name, but some propose that it is merely a title that is derived from her husband's name, Solomonite (i.e. Mrs. Solomon). However, it seems more likely (especially in the context of the verse) that the people calling to her don't know her name but know that she is from a village called Shulam, and call her a Shulam-ite (like an Israel-ite, or Canaan-ite). This village, identified with modern-day Sulam, and named Shunem in Joshua 19:18, was located in the Jezreel Valley, north of Mount Gilboa and close to Mount Moreh. Shunaam is also listed as a town conquered by the Egyptian pharaohs Thutmose III and Shoshenk I. It is first mentioned in the Amarna Letters.

Additionally, in verse 8:11 Baal Hamon is identified as the location of Solomon's vineyard, with the implied connection to her brothers as the tenant farmers of the land, connecting with the early verses about her working the vineyards (1:6). The identity of Baal Hamon is uncertain but a possible identification links with Balamo (LXX. Βεελαμων), mentioned in the Book of Judith (verse 8:3) in proximity with Dothan which is also within the Jezreel Valley.

However, another theory by exegetes such as Ibn Ezra a medieval Jewish writer, understands the word as “the Jerusalemite,” a feminine epithet derived from Salem (Hebrew shalem), an ancient poetic name for Jerusalem (Psalms 76:2). Given the many references to the city this is another possibility.

Family: From the story, we can infer that the woman’s father is not on the scene. This means he is deceased or estranged. The woman lives with her mother and brothers and is perhaps given preferential treatment as she is called her mother’s favorite (6:9). At the beginning of the story, she is somewhat of a Cinderella figure, slaving away in the fields and vineyards for her three wicked (or jealous) siblings, just a simple hard-working country girl.

In verse 7:1, she is referred to as "prince’s daughter" which seems like a contradiction at first, but if we keep her humble lifestyle in mind, it is possible that she is the daughter of the chiefs of one of the tribes of Israel. The word…

…is used for such tribal leaders/princes throughout Numbers, Joshua, Kings, Chronicles and other books. Perhaps most relevantly here: "Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs ( ) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David." 1 Kings 8:1. If the woman’s home was Sulam/Shunem, her family lived in the tribal allotment of Issachar, so she was perhaps the daughter of a deceased "prince" or minor chief of Issachar. Another possibility is that calling her a “prince’s daughter” it simply idiomatic and means that she is of gracious and noble character (as when a lady is called a “goddess”).

Other hypotheses: Other theories suggest that the bride could be the Queen of Sheba or Solomon’s first wife, who was a princess from Egypt, but the bride's stated background of slaving away in a vineyard in the hot sun (1:6), running about the streets at night (3:1-4), owning goats (1:8), and coming up from the wilderness (8:5) do not fit a royal engagement.

Thanks for reading this article. You can now buy the Song of Songs: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Edition in our online shop:

YOUR JANUARY NEWSLETTER

Happy New Year! In 2024 we are building towards the release of the Acts of the Apostles Bible Comic in September (God willing), with our Kickstarter getting underway in March to get it printed! This month you can have your say, discover more about the book of Acts and find out about our January sale!

Have your say: The Acts Cover Design

Right now, on our social media, you can vote for your favourite cover design. Join the Word for Word FB group to share your thoughts and feedback.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity

The Year Ahead

Here’s a rough timeline of what we’ll be working on in 2024 and when the new books will be released.

• January: Continue working hard on Acts

• February: You can preorder Song of Songs

• March: Kickstarter for The Book of Acts begins, and Song of Songs is released.

• April: Kickstarter for The Book of Acts ends

• May: Finish and proofread Acts

• June: Print Acts

• July: Fulfil Acts Kickstarter rewards

• August: Finish mystery book

• September: Acts of the Apostles released

• October: Print mystery book

• November: The next mystery book released and Christmas Cards

• December: Christmas

The city of Philippi: It’s images like this that take a very long time and there are several in Acts :/

Acts Themed Blogs

I have created some blogs to answer questions that have come up within the Book of Acts. Here is the link to two and more will follow, so keep an eye on our social feed.

TUE, JAN 09

HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

WED, JAN 10

How were Paul and Silas beaten?

January Sale on Marks Gospel

For the month of January, the Gospel of Mark will be available at the reduced price of £11.99 (RRP £14.99). Grab it now at a discounted rate! You can even combine the sale price with our discount for spending £50 or more so you could be getting an even bigger saving.

The Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Translation

£14.99

Prayer

Spanish editions: Two of the opportunities with Spanish distribution have closed now so we are pursuing new avenues. Please continue to pray we can get the Spanish books into expert hands to get them out to the vast Spanish audience.

Progress: As always, please pray I can continue to make good progress on the Book of Acts.

How were Paul and Silas beaten?

In Acts 16:19-24, Paul and Silas are dragged before the two magistrates (Phillipi having duumviri - meaning “The two men”), and they “ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods” and they were “severely flogged”.

When creating the Word for Word Bible Comics, I have to really dig into the culture and research how things actually happened at that time and in the places we’ve come to recognise from Scripture. In order to draw this event featuring Paul and Silas, I needed to understand what kind of rod they would use and how it was done.

We learn from verse 16:37 that the beating was in public and “the Greek verb gives the special Roman form of punishment, that of being beaten with the rods of the lictors. This, therefore, takes its place as one of the three instances to which St. Paul refers in 2 Corinthians 11:25.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

Roman lictor with fasces. Small bronze, 20 BC. to 20 AD, British Museum London.

Lictor is the title of a special position: “A lictor (possibly from Latin ligare, meaning 'to bind') was a Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a magistrate who held imperium (Imperial authority). […] They carried rods decorated with fasces and, outside the pomerium, with axes that symbolized the power to carry out capital punishment. Dictatorial lictors had axes even within the pomerium. They followed the magistrate wherever he went, including the Forum, his house, temples, and the baths. Lictors were organized in an ordered line before him, with the primus lictor (lit. 'principal lictor') directly in front of him, waiting for orders. If there was a crowd, the lictors opened the way and kept their master safe, pushing all aside except for Roman matrons, who were accorded special honor. They also had to stand beside the magistrate whenever he addressed the crowd. […] Lictors also had legal and penal duties; they could, at their master's command, arrest Roman citizens and punish them.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lictor)

More info can be found here: (https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/roman-constitution/roman-republic/lictor/)

So the Lictor carry a fasces. This turns out to be a specific bundle of elm rods or whips. When I saw how they looked, I wasn’t sure if the Lictor struck with one rod of the whole bundle. But In this image (below), we can see that he has one from the set. Also, I read the Fasces was “the insignia of their office, as well as the dignity of the magistrate on whom they attended, consisted of a number of elm rods, bound with a thong into a bundle, which they carried on their shoulder. An axe was bound up in the bundle, and its head jutted forth from it. [...] The bundle, in fact, comprised the apparatus of the lictor as the executioner of the magistrates' sentence. The thong served him to bind the criminal, with the rods he inflicted beatings, and (in capital punishment cases) with the axe he beheaded." (https://donna-connections.blogspot.com/2009/07/stripes-and-rods.html)

Relief of a lictor holding the fasces, from the Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano, Verona. José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0

From subtleties in these verses and the wider scripture Paul and Silas may have been struck more than 39 times, as it says “‘And when they had laid many stripes on them‘ - The Jews were by law prohibited from inflicting more than 40 stripes, and usually inflicted but 39, (2 Corinthians 11:24). But there was no such law among the Romans. They were unrestricted in regard to the number of lashes, and probably inflicted many more. Perhaps Paul refers to this when he says ‘In stripes above measure.’ (2 Corinthians 11:23) that is, beyond the usual measure among the Jews, or beyond moderation.” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

It seems the lashing was not limited to the back as a quote from Cicero gives an account of a man named Gaius Servilius who was beaten by a Lictor “[He was beaten] until finally the senior Lictor Sextius…took the but end of his stick, and began to strike the poor man violently about the eyes, so that he fell helpless to the ground, his face and eyes bleeding profusely. Even then his assailants continued to rain blows on his prone body…Such was the treatment he then received; and having been carried off for dead at the time, very soon after did die.” (In Verrem 2.5.142)

Relief from Iulia Concordia depicting three lictors, National Museum of Concordia, Portogruaro, Italy. Attribution: Carole Raddato: CC BY-SA 2.0

It’s not coloured yet, but this is the Lictor with his fasces from my current work on the up and coming Word for Word Bible Comic.

To keep up to date with the project subscribe to our monthly newsletter:

HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

HAVE YOUR SAY: ACTS 8:37: The earliest manuscripts don't include what is labelled verse 37. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

In the comic, I was thinking I could use it even though it's thought to be a later addition because it flows better with the conversation pictured, then add a note. Or I could not include the verse and add a footnote instead.

Have a look at the two options, what do you think?

Overview of that section of the comic:

Side by side example of how they’d be. The Second with the footnote at the bottom of the page.

Was Jesus born on December 25?

A popular theory about why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th is that in the early years, the Pope intentionally placed the Christian holy day over an established Pagan celebration to replace it. However, there are problems with this theory, most significantly that the proposal of the birth of Jesus as the 25th of December predates the establishment of the coinciding festival, 'Dies Natalis Invicti', the birth of sun god, Sol, by the Roman emperor Aurelian in 274 AD.

This topic is confusing, however, as many superficial festive traditions like Christmas trees, flying reindeer, Yule logs, mistletoe etc, do reflect pagan/druidic customs, which has reinforced the idea that the date must have pagan roots too.

While it is uncertain exactly why December 25th was proposed, it is certainly not the day Jesus was born. One compelling theory is that the early church fathers believed Jesus was conceived on the same calendar day as his death. In the Jewish calendar, the crucifixion was on the 14th of Nisan. Converting that date to the Roman (solar) calendar gives March 25th, exactly nine months before the supposed birth date. Interestingly, the Eastern Church equated the 14th of Nisan with the 14th of Artemisios, the first spring month of the Macedonian calendar (April 6), which led them to name January 6th as the birth date of Christ, apparently by the same method.

Obviously, the Bible does not specify the date of Jesus’ birth, but many scholars believe the shepherds being present in the field at night (Luke 2:8) indicates the Spring lambing season or at least the milder Summer months, as do the travel expectations imposed by the great Roman census (Luke 2:1). This ties in with some of the earliest datings recorded by Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215 AD) “There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth but also the day, [...] the 25th day of Pachon [Egyptian calendar = May 20] … Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].” 

Therefore, the date of Jesus' birth is unknown, and while the Spring and Summer months seem more likely, based on the gospel text, the traditional mid-winter date is not impossible.  For more information, please read "How December 25 Became Christmas" by Andrew McGowan (biblicalarchaeology.org)

This article is an extract from our new Christmas nativity graphic novel. Find it in our online store : https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy

Who were the Magi that visited Jesus?

The prevailing understanding of who the Magi that visited Jesus are is that they were a social caste of men learned in “magic,” astrology, alchemy, medicine, dream interpretation and many related disciplines. Their caste seems to have arisen during the time of the growing affluence of the early empires of the Medes and Persians. When a nation or empire becomes rich, it has the resources to support people exploring art, science, and many other forms of academia. With time to study and understand the world, these learned and “wise” men were relied upon by kings and satraps as advisors and diviners. In this way, they gained political power and with this political power, they consolidated their position as sacerdotal mediators between men and the magical and divine. 

There is a connection between the Magi and the Zoroastrian religion. It is believed that they fulfilled a multitude of roles, including that of priests. However, the presence of Magi around the time of Jesus birth is not limited to Zoroastrian nations. Robert Charles Zaehner writes in The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism, "We hear of Magi not only in Persia, Parthia, Bactria, Chorasmia, Aria, Media, and among the Sakas, but also in non-Iranian lands like Samaria, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Their influence was also widespread throughout Asia Minor."

Why would a Magi care about the king of the Jews?

The key to this mystery of why the Magi journeyed to see the Christ child is found in the Book of Daniel. Daniel interpreted the undisclosed dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:48) and was given the title Rab-mag, the Chief of the Magi. (Daniel 4:9; 5:11). 

During the first year of the reign of King Ahasuerus, the angel Gabriel (yes, that angel Gabriel) visited Daniel and told him when the Anointed One would come (Daniel 9:25- 26). For nearly 500 years, this sect of Magi held onto this prophecy and its implied connection with Jerusalem. Waiting for this time and apparently cued by the star's appearance, they came to find this promised Messiah. 

Finally, considering all that happened with Daniel in Babylon, Esther as queen, and Mordecai as prime minister of Persia, it's entirely possible that Jews held several Magi positions. As Christopher R. Smith writes in his blog Good Question, "Not all of the Jews who were taken into exile by the Babylonians returned under the Persians. For many centuries afterwards, there was a flourishing Jewish community in Mesopotamia. For example, that’s where the so-called Babylonian Talmud originated in Late Antiquity (though the term 'Babylon' was archaic by then)."

Adoration of the Magi. Panel from a Roman sarcophagus, 4th century CE. From the cemetery of St. Agnes in Rome. Public Domain

What did the Magi look like?

From Dura-Europos, individual in Parthian dress—trousers topped by a tunic—and a ‘Phrygian’ cap. (c.210 AD) Public Domain

At the time of Jesus birth, much of the lands east of Jerusalem, as far as the borders of China, were under the dominion of the Parthian Empire. The earliest surviving images of the Magi date to the 2nd-3rd Century, which is 100 or so years after Jesus's birth. However, I was fascinated to discover that their attire was very much consistent with the dress of contemporaneous Parthians. This convinces me that these images were handed down from people who knew their appearance and origin.

Looking at the length of the journey the Magi would have had to make and considering their social status, I thought it was more likely that they would have used horses rather than ride on camels. However, they also have camels in the caravan as pack animals. White horses were considered sacred and used to pull the chariots that conveyed priests. Therefore, I used white horses here to suggest the high status, wealth, and priestly caste of the Magi.

This article is an extract from our new Christmas nativity graphic novel. Find it in our online store : https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy

Who was King Herod in the time of Jesus?

King Herod is a key part of the Nativity Story.

Herod took the throne in 43 BC with the blessing of Rome after his predecessor died. “This appointment caused a lot of resentment among the Jews. After all, Herod was not a Jew. He was the son of a man from Idumea; and although Antipater (his father) had been a pious man who had worshipped the Jewish God sincerely, the Jews had always looked down upon the Idumeans as racially impure. Worse, Herod had an Arab mother, and it was commonly held that one could only be a Jew when one was born from a Jewish mother. When war broke out between the Romans and the Parthians (in Iran and Mesopotamia), the Jewish populace joined the latter.” [1]

Herod always considered himself “a friend of Rome.” After fleeing the Parthian invasion of 40 BC, he was restored to his throne by Octavian after Mark Anthony and the Roman forces drove the Parthians out of Judea.

Later, Herod navigated his way through political understanding to avoid being on the wrong side of a civil war between Mark Anthony and Octavian. He was dubbed “the Great” for his many building works and long reign.

“He continued his building policy to win the hearts of his subjects. ... In Jerusalem, King Herod built a new market, an amphitheater, a theater, a new building where the Sanhedrin could convene, a new royal palace, and last but not least, in 20 BCE, he started to rebuild the Temple.” [1] He built several palaces and fortresses, including Masada, on top of a 1,300-foot-high mesa-like plateau. One of King Herod's most significant achievements was a massive port that he built in honor of the emperor and called Caesarea.

“However, many of his projects won him the bitter hatred of the orthodox Jews, who disliked Herod's Greek taste—a taste he showed in his building projects and several transgressions of the Mosaic Law.

“The orthodox were not the only ones who came to hate the new king. The Sadducees hated him because he had terminated the rule of the old royal house to which many were related; their influence in the Sanhedrin was curtailed. The Pharisees despised any ruler who despised the Law. And probably all his subjects resented his excessive taxation. ... It is no surprise that Herod sometimes had to revert to violence, employing mercenaries and secret police to enforce order.” [2]

King Herod's tenure ended in a reign of terror. In the last few years of his life, the king became ill with what is believed to be a cancer-like affection called Fournier's gangrene. Whether it was the necrosis of his body or his impending death that caused it, Herod seems to have become paranoid and dangerously insane at this time.

Herod burnt rebellious Jewish teachers and their pupils alive for removing a golden eagle from the entrance of the Temple. He arranged for a large number of people to be executed or assassinated, including two of his wives, three of his sons, and his mother-in-law, when he suspected them of conspiracy. According to the Macrobius, Emperor Augustus quipped, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than a son” (Saturnalia 2:4:11 c.431 AD)

“As a final act of vengeance against his contemptuous subjects, he rounded up leading Jews and commanded that at his death, they should be executed. He reasoned that if there was no mourning for his death, at least there would be mourning at his death! (At Herod’s death, the order was overruled, and the prisoners were released.)” [3]

Considering this unbridled psychosis and Herod's lineage, we can understand much more about his encounter with the Parthian Magi in the Nativity Story. "It would seem as if these Magi were attempting to perpetrate a border incident which could bring swift reprisal from Parthian armies. Their request of Herod regarding the one who ‘has been born King of the Jews’ (Matt 2:2) was a calculated insult to him, a non-Jew who had contrived and bribed his way into that office.” [2]. This helps contextualize the innocents' slaughter (Matt 2:2) and explains why the Magi took a different way when they returned to the East after they visited with Jesus.

[1] https://www.livius.org/articles/person/herod-the-great/

[2] Who were the Magi https://www.khouse.org/articles/1999/142/

[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2017/12/who-was-herod/

This article is an extract from our new Christmas nativity graphic novel. Find it in our online store : https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy

(The three black and white images above on this page are public domain)

WIN A SELECTION OF CHRISTMAS BIBLE COMICS AND PICTURE BOOKS

To celebrate the release of The Christmas Nativity: Word for Word Bible Comic we are giving away a bundle of books in time for Christmas. We hope you’ll enter and share the link with your friends and local church leaders too. This is a prize with a retail value of over $200!

To enter:

To enter just add your email address in the box to subscribe to our monthly newsletter! Everyone who subscribes before the 12th of December has a chance to win all of these books.

Plus:

Gain extra entries into the draw by Liking and sharing the post on Facebook

• New email subscriber = 1 entry

• Like FB page and Share the post = 1 entry

More Details

This selection of books includes colourful books for a range of ages. While our own Word for Word Bible Comics are generally aimed at adults, our new Nativity book is perfect for any age.

This prize bundle includes:

• The Christmas Nativity: Word for Word Bible Comic 9781914299117

• The Action Bible 9780781444996

• The Biggest Story Bible Storybook 9781433557378

• The King of Christmas 9781509834570

• Whistlestop Tales (Both instalments) 9781399801300 + 9781529377538

• St George: Blood and Martyrs comics 9781905496075

• The Apostles Creed 9781683595748

• The Lord’s Prayer 9781683596455

• The King of Easter 9781683596868

All the books are free and postage is included in the prize. We will endeavour to get them to you before Christmas but as with any shipping, there are no guarantees.

Close up images: