Theme - Allegorically the song was regarded as a history of Israel's temptations to forsake Jehovah for false lovers, and of the faithfulness to Jehovah required by their divine choice as God's peculiar people. It was customary to read the poem on the eighth day of the festival of the Passover.

Although the poem may be given beautiful and truth-enforcing allegorical interpretations, there are no justifiable reasons for rejecting the Song as both literal and historical. Unless marriage is to be relegated to a state of unholiness and the affinities of conjugal love to the plane of impurity and sin, then the poem must be accepted as a glorification of true and constant love against all the allurements to infidelity.

Indeed, the poem is an ethical treatise of tremendous and permanent value, and has a significant religious import in sanctifying and elevating the mutual affinities in marriage ordained of God in Eden and commended throughout his word. In structure, the book is a lyric poem, touched with the dramatic spirit. It is part dialogue and part monologue, with three principal characters: the Shulamite maiden; her shepherd lover; King Solomon; and the ladies of the king's court who are secondary characters.

Outline - The book may be divided into four main divisions as follows: I. The Bride and Bridegroom and the King's First Attempt to Deflect the Shulamite (1:1-2:7) II. The King's Second Unsuccessful Effort to Win the Affection of the Faithful Bride (2:8-5:8) III. The King's Third Attempt to Win the Shulamite and Her Persistent Fidelity to Her Lover (5:9-8:4) IV. The Triumph of True Conjugal Love (8:5-14)