Song of Solomon 1:5,6

TEXT 1:5, 6
APPEAL

5

Black am I, yet comely, ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the hangings of Solomon. Look not on me because I am black, because the sun has scorched me.

6

My mother's sons were angry with me, appointed me as keeper of the vineyardsmine own vineyard have I not kept.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:5, 6

15.

Isn-'t black too strong a word as used in these verses? What is meant?

16.

Does the girl know she is attractive? Is this an advantage or disadvantage? Discuss.

17.

How does she compare with both the tents of Kedar and the hangings of Solomon?

18.

What made this maiden conscious of the color of her skin?

19.

Is there some reason for saying my mother's sons instead of my brothers?

20.

What are the responsibilities of a keeper of a vineyard?

21.

What is meant by a reference to her own vineyard?

PARAPHRASE 1:5, 6APPEAL SHULAMMITE TO COURT LADIES

5

I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem!

(Black) as the tents of Kedar,

(Comely) as the tapestries of Solomon.

6

Do not disdain me because I am so dark,

Because the sun has deeply tanned me.
My brothers were angry with me;

They made me keeper of their vineyards;
My own vineyard I could not keep.

COMMENT 1:5, 6

Exegesis

We much prefer the translations which suggest the maid to be dark or sunburnt. Perhaps she becomes somewhat self-conscious of her darker complexion as she mingles among the secluded bleached out women of Solomon's harem. The tents of Kedar refers to dwelling places of the descendants of Ishmael who roamed the deserts of northwestern Arabia. Their tents were made of black goats-' hair. Such tents are still in use today in several parts of Israel and Arabia. The cloth is a close-weave and waterproof.
The tapestries of Solomon were those beautiful hangings used in the temple and many of the royal buildings. The rich colors and embroidery work made them a topic of conversation throughout the land.
This maiden offers to all maidens after her a grand example of proper self-image. She quite candidly recognizes both her limitations and potential. She is less than perfect but she is valuable and comely. She offers this evaluation of herself before she hears from the daughters of Jerusalem.
Peer group pressure has not been suddenly discovered by our generation. If we do not dress alike or comb our hair alike we are scrutinized with a critical eye. The Shulammite was different. She explains her appearance. We do not feel there is veiled criticism in the phrase my mother's sons, it is but another way of identifying her brothers. Why did they send her out into the hot sun to work the vineyard? They were upset with her for some reason. Perhaps it was her shepherd lover. Maybe they felt she was too young. It would seem they wished to remove her from the family home. She was busy all day in the vineyard and perhaps stayed in a near shelter at night. Such is only conjecture and we must leave it there. The reference to mine own vineyard refers to her complexion and grooming, which was in strong contrast to what she saw in the pavilion of Solomon.

Marriage Song of Solomon 1:5-6

As we have observed above: the woman who knows her limitations and does not feel inferior, the one who recognizes her comeliness and is yet not proud will make an ideal wife and mother. It is so important that such an attitude be expressed and maintained among other women. This will not be an easy task. Perhaps we should be reminded that family influence will carry over into marriage relationships. How the wife treated her brothers might be similar to her treatment of her husband. We detect no resentment in the explanation of the treatment she received from her brothers.

Communion Song of Solomon 1:5-6

The Christian is indeed black but comely. We do not refer to an inward blackness of sin from Adam's transgression, but of the effects of external influences upon him. Because he has responded to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17) he has entered the blackness of death in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1 ff). But he is also very comelyhe is created in the image of God and has all the potential of a child of heaven. He can be made whiter than snow; he can be raised out of his death into new life (Colossians 3:1 ff). Among the daughters of Jerusalem the Christian must maintain his integrity. He is a sinner like those about him, but God so loved him that he is now the comely child of God. We all have a strong tendency to either think too much of ourselves and emphasize our comeliness or deprecate ourselves unnecessarily and remember how black we are. We can say in genuine humilityI am a black sinner made comely by grace. We could see a comparison in the action of the brothers of this text to our fellow sinners. They have had an influence upon us and we could blame our sinning upon them. A little thought will let us both know that we were the ones outwardly responsible. In this same context we can say we were so busy in the affairs of this world we never even considered what tragic influence it was having upon our standing before God.

FACT QUESTIONS 1:5, 6

29.

Why not use the term black?

30.

What probably produces the awareness that she was sunburnt?

31.

What were the tents of Kedar?

32.

Why refer to the hangings of Solomon?

33.

This maiden offers a grand example of proper self-image. How?

34.

How does peer-pressure relate to the circumstances described here?

35.

Why was she a keeper of vineyards?

36.

In what way does this Shulammite become a pattern for a good wife and mother?

37.

What was the attitude of this sister toward her brothers?

38.

Explain how the Christian is black but comely.

39.

We have a strong tendency to emphasize either our blackness or our comeliness. Explain.