The Shulamite (or Shulammite) is the name of a biblical figure from the Book of Song of Songs. It is the name given to King Solomon’s beloved. The name appears only twice in the Bible and only in one verse, Song of Songs (7:1). In verse 1 of Chapter 7, she is referred to by both her given name and the definite article: “the Shulamite.”
Most likely, she was called the Shulamite because she was from a mysterious land known only as Shunem (or Shulem).
Origin of the Name Shulamite
The identity of Solomon’s lover is concealed in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) as “the Shulamite.” Most likely, she was called the Shulamite because she was from a land known only as Shunem (or Shulem) in ancient times.
This type of naming might be an ancient tradition. For instance, Abishag the Shunammite in 1 Kings 1:4 is a helper and servant to King David, Solomon’s father: “The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.”
This reading is consistent with the city of Shunem. As the Arab settlement that is thought to be the biblical city, the name “Shulem” (or Sulam) has actually survived to the present day.
For instance, Sulam is listed as Shunem in Eusebius’s Onomasticon. The French rabbi Rashi, in his commentary on the Song of Songs, suggested that Jerusalem (or Salem) was the place of origin for the Shulamite woman.
This reading is consistent with other references to Jerusalem in the Megillah where similar names are used, such as “daughters of Jerusalem,” which were the wives of Solomon and his noblemen.
The Hebrew etymology of the name Shulamite also suggests it as a potential epithet. On the other hand, there is also a phonetic connection between the names Shulamite and Solomon, similar to the male and female names of the same Egyptian deities.
Shulamite’s Appearance
In the Song of Songs, the Shulamite plays a pivotal role. The Song mostly features her voice. To her brothers, the daughters of Jerusalem, and her beloved Solomon, the Shulamite is believed to address a speech. Similarly, the majority of the Song focuses on describing her physical appearance, such as being black.
Ancient poetry often includes descriptions of the body and dialogues between lovers. In Song of Songs 1:5, the Shulamite briefly describes her appearance: “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.“
According to some, this verse describes her dark skin color; according to others, a humble demeanor is suggested by this description.
Many scholars struggled to make sense of Shulamite’s skin color. According to Rashi, she wasn’t born with a dark complexion and the sun turned her skin that color. Some translators have suggested that Shulamite’s skin tone was darker because she spent a lot of time in the sun in the vineyards. According to others, it is Solomon who speaks in this verse, and he allegedly describes his black skin.
Her Description
Shulamite’s hair, teeth, lips, cheeks, neck, and breasts were all praised in turn as symbols for her beauty. In the next few lines, Shulamite addresses her lover, expressing her desire to be with him and the locations she envisions them sharing. The song is full of compliments about how lovely she is.
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone. Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. Your neck is like the tower of David, built with courses of stone a ; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies. Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.
The young man who is in love with her describes her in detail in Chapter 4 of the Song of Songs. Scholars and analysts agree that this depiction continues the thought process begun in Chapter 3, Verse 6. “Who is this coming out of the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?“
The narrator of these lyrics thinks the woman is absolutely flawless in every way. Her whole physical appearance is detailed, beginning with her eyes and ending with her chest. The description is meant to stimulate the Shulamite woman’s sexual desire. Rashi, in his commentary on the Song of Songs, notes that since the lady in question is shown as being tall, it follows in 7:7 that “This thy stature is like to a palm tree.”
The woman in the Song of Songs is audacious, starting the conversation with the young man who loves her. Even the young men and her brothers are the target of her mockery (Song of Songs 7:10). Her statements demonstrate that she is on par with the young man, if not more so.
Numerous visions, all of which belonged to Shulamite, are also detailed in the Song of Songs. Literary analysis suggests that the Shulamite lady is more important than the adored man here. The Shulamite lady allows making connections to the Bible’s other books whose protagonists are women like Ruth and Esther.
Interpreting the Shulamite Woman
In a Secular Sense
The Shulamite woman’s song is likely a male parody of the Song of Songs, which celebrates physical attractiveness. This viewpoint, however, contends that the use of comedy degrades eroticism into pornography.
In a Religious Sense
In Christian interpretation, the Song of Songs describes the relationship between Jesus and the Church.
According to others, there is no religious message in a young man’s love for a woman if one takes the text at its value. Therefore, many scholars believe that the Song of Songs narrates the love story between God (the Beloved) and the “congregation of Israel” (the girl).
Religious scholars read into the text’s literal meaning a metaphor, which, from their vantage point, is the Lord’s love for Israel. They interpret the girl’s physical description as symbolism and even go so far as to say that Shulamite’s two breasts stand in for the Messiah, son of David.
The Midrash posits a level playing field for all sexes. According to that, both the man and the woman are taking turns mocking each other. One example is:
15- Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.
16- Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
Bible, King James Version (umich.edu)The Shulamite as Seen in Popular Culture
The 14th-century French author Christine de Pizan’s book “The Vision of Christine de Pizan” has a figure that is very similar to the Shulamite. The heroine of the Song of Songs was also an inspiration for the 20th-century Russian writer Alexander Kuprin, who used her in his novel Sulamith: A Romance of Antiquity.
The figure of the Shulamite has served as inspiration for a wide range of artists, from 19th-century French Gustav Moreau and English Albert Joseph Moore to Rembrandt and Abel Pann and even the German painter Anselm Feuerbach.
The 752 Sulamitis asteroid, discovered in 1913 by the Russian astronomer Grigory Nikolayevich Neujmin, is named in honor of Shulamite.