“I Am the Lily of the Valley, the Lotus Blooming in the Valley” (Song of Songs 2:1–2): The Floristic Metaphor in Reference to the Bride in the Song of Songs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/SPI.2024.3.008Keywords
Song of Songs, bride, floral symbols, lily, lotus, fertility, vitalityAbstract
This article addresses the problem of interpreting the floral terms (lily, lotus) used to describe the bride in the Song of Songs (2:1–2). The difficulty arises from the uncertainty in identifying the species of the two flowers named in Hebrew. Various translations of these terms, from antiquity to the present, illustrate this challenge, as the symbolism associated with different flower species can vary significantly.
The purpose of this study is to revisit and interpret the floral symbolism in Song of Songs 2:1–2. In order to achieve this, a lexical analysis of the terms used in their literary context was carried out. Additionally, botanical and geographical information about the mentioned plants was considered. The interpretation of the symbolism was then extended to a broader cultural context, including references to Egypt and the Jerusalem Temple.
The analysis concludes that the symbolic names used carry strong connotations of fertility. In antiquity, the beauty of a woman was admired not only for her virginity but also for the mystery of fertility and life. The imagery of the lily and lotus referring to the bride in the Song of Songs expands on this symbolism, which can be seen as an allusion to Eve as the “Mother of the Living” from Genesis 3:20.
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