Song of Songs: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching

by Robert W. Jenson

Robert Jenson offers a systematic theologian's careful reading of the Song of Songs. Jenson focuses on the overt sense of the book as an erotic love poem in order to discover how this evocative poetry solicits a theological reading. Jenson finds a story of human love for God in this complex poetic book and offers a commentary that elucidates and inspires.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Reference

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 2005

About the author

Robert W. Jenson was a student of Barth's theology for many years, and his doctoral dissertation at the University of Heidelberg earned Barth’s approval as an interpretation of his writings. A native of Wisconsin, Dr. Jenson attended Luther College in Iowa and Luther Theological Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, before studying at Heidelberg where he was awarded his Doctor of Theology, summa cum laude. After doing graduate work at the University of Basel he returned to the United States. He taught theology for many years at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and St. Olaf College. Dr. Jenson also served as Senior Scholar for Research at the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ. He died in 2017.

Reviews

[Lucas Dorminy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best commentary I’ve read on the Song of Songs. A must-own for those teaching or preaching through the book.

[Steven Bullmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I thought it would be. Jenson does a very good job of interpreting each chapter from three perspectives: 1) modern (it's primarily love songs); classical (it's an allegory on the love of God for Israel or the love of Christ for the church); and picking the best of both so as to be able to teach and preach Song of Songs in a contemporary setting.

[HCC]

Organization of this commentary was especially helpful for preaching. Good on history of interpretation without being too lengthy.

[Kathleen Krynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The approach, I think, was very sensible and makes the commentary more "complete" than those that take the text only in its overt sense or only in its allegorical sense. The theological commentary was very strong and beautiful.

I would have liked to see more engagement with the text and its difficulties but I know that's not the focus of this series nor is it Jenson's forte. I also thought he got a bit too polemical at times but he freely admitted he was doing so, so points for self-awareness?