This book proposes that the Song of Songs contains an inclusio and implicit paradigm of nuptial images representing the ANE bridal chamber, which functions as an interpretative framework for understanding the Song's love poetry. This proposal is based upon the formulation and application of a hybrid literary methodology that incorporates essential elements from both traditional literary approaches and more recent understandings of conceptual metaphor. The resultant methodology accounts for the uniqueness of the Song's highly metaphorical poetry and supplies a framework for assessing other significant imagery. This newly formulated "poetics" of metaphor effectively overcomes methodological deficiencies in previous literary studies of the Song.
"Steven C. Horine has discovered an astonishing array of images and motifs related to marriage in the Song of Songs. Using a unique literary approach tailored to the Song, he discovers its leading metaphor to be the bridal chamber. The investigative trails he follows, his fresh exegesis, and his attention to detail do not disappoint. This work serves as a counterpoint to much of the scholarly literature on the Song and as such is a necessary read." (George Schwab, Professor of Old Testament, Erskine Theological Seminary)
"Steven C. Horine has made a major contribution to our understanding of the Song of Song's original meaning. Through the use of a sophisticated literary method, he unpacks the book's metaphors to show their association with marriage. Every serious student of the Song needs to read this book." (Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College)
"Steven C. Horine has made a major contribution to our understanding of the Song of Song's original meaning. Through the use of a sophisticated literary method, he unpacks the book's metaphors to show their association with marriage. Every serious student of the Song needs to read this book." (Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College)