Commentary: On the Song of Songs

This anonymous Hebrew commentary on the Song of Songs, written in northern France, is notable primarily for its literal reading of this book. Interpreting the Song of Songs in this manner was unusual; most medieval Jewish exegetes, whatever their overall approach to the peshat (plain meaning) school of interpretation, found themselves reading it allegorically. This author, however, avoids this path and instead attempts to clarify the surface meaning of the text. In these excerpts, the commentator analyzes some unclear phrases, invoking various aspects of his (presumably) northern French experience: Old French terminology; an appreciation for wine drinking; a lush, temperate countryside; and then-current ideas of male and female beauty.