The Hebrew Bible affirms the love between David
and Jonathan in 2Samuel1v26 just as it does the love between Solomon and his
Shulamite bride in Songs.
As the writer of Songs7v6 says his beloved is "delightful," or
"pleasant" (נָּעַמְתְּ - na‘amt), David declares that Jonathan is just as so to him (נָעַמְתָּ - na‘ahmta). However, David expands the intensity of the word
with the qualifier: "exceedingly" or "very" (מְאֹד - meh’oth).
As Solomon extols the Shulamite as his "love" (אַהֲבָה -
’ahavah) in Songs7v6, so David lauds "thy love" (אַהֲבָֽתְךָ -
’ahavatekha) when speaking to Jonathan in eulogy. Again, David qualifies the
intensity of that love as even "surpassing the love of women" (מֵאַהֲבַת נָשִֽׁים - mé’ahavat nashim). Interestingly, the word "נָשִֽׁים - nashim" is more often translated "wives"
than it is "women." The phrase noting the relationship between David
and Jonathan can also be legitimately translated as, "thy love to me was
wonderful, passing the love of wives" - notable, considering David was
polygamous.
David calls Jonathan, "brother" (אָחִי - ’achi)
and the writer of Songs4v10 refers to his beloved as, "sister" (אֲחֹתִי - ’achoti). In this type of Semitic literary convention, the allusion
to one's darling within the context of sibling relationship in both verses
negates neither the quality of affection nor the real amatory experience
connoted between the parties involved. Incidentally, in Songs8:1, the Shulamite
also uses "brother" (כְּאָח - ke’ach) in referencing her beloved.
© 1 September 2012, ez duz it - the accidental theologian
