The Song of Songs: A New Version (with Expanded Commentary)

The Song of Songs is one of the shortest books of the Bible, but it's also the most unusual. A love poem that doesn't mention God, it was the last book to be added to the Old Testament; and its celebration of sexuality is unlike anything else in the scriptures of the world's great religions. Unfortunately, traditional English translations suppressed the Song's sexuality, muddled its structure, and buried the voice of the original poet under layers of churchly verbosity. This new version reveals the full meaning of the Song in fresh, accessible language. It also restores the Song's true structure, presenting it as a cycle of six poems. Above all, this version bids us to listen anew to the bold and intimate voice of the Song's author, who--contrary to tradition--almost certainly was a woman.