The Enigmatic Genre and Structure of the Song of Songs, Part 3 -- By: Gordon H. Johnston

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 166:663 (Jul 2009)
Article: The Enigmatic Genre and Structure of the Song of Songs, Part 3
Author: Gordon H. Johnston


The Enigmatic Genre and Structure of the Song of Songs, Part 3

Gordon H. Johnston

Gordon H. Johnston is Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

The two previous installments in this series surveyed various approaches to the literary structure of the Song of Songs.1 Having been alerted to the pitfalls of past misadventures and heartened by the promises of contemporary literary approaches, the way is now clear to reconsider the enigma of this labyrinth from a fresh perspective. The purpose of this article is to examine afresh two features that provide a roadmap to the literary structure of the Song, namely, its poetic refrains and its parallel panels.

The Refrain in Hebrew Poetry and the Song of Songs

Scholars have shown interest in the refrain in Hebrew poetry throughout the twentieth century.2 Recent studies that have focused on the so-called refrain-poems in Psalms have made a

significant advance in understanding.3 Becoming more sensitive to refrains in Hebrew poetry in general places one in a better position to consider their important role in the Song.

Dynamics Of The Refrain In Hebrew Poetry

Nature of the refrain. Preminger’s definition of the refrain is generally deemed the classic one: “A line, lines, or part of a line repeated verbatim at intervals throughout a poem, usually at regular intervals, and most often at the end of a stanza.”4 Adapting Preminger’s definition to account for the unique nature of Hebrew poetry, van der Lugt writes, “I define a refrain as follows: a repetition of an unbroken series of words, roughly in the same sequence and encompassing at least a colon, with a framing function on the level of the macrostructure of a poem.”5

Function of refrains. Literary studies universally agree that the refrain plays an important role as a structuring device that determines the framework of poems in which it occurs. Watson notes that ancient Near Eastern and biblical Hebrew poets used refrains to segment poems.6 Commenting on refrain-psalms, Raabe notes, “The refrains mark the stanza divisions of these poems.”7

Length of refrains. Refrains may vary in length from one to five co...

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