G. Lloyd Carr

G. Lloyd Carr. The Song of Solomon. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove: IVP, 1984. 175 pp. $16.00.

G. Lloyd Carr (Ph.D., Boston University) served at Gordon College as a professor of biblical and theological studies.

Carr dates the Song of Songs to the mid-tenth century B.C., yet he is non-committal on Solomonic authorship, and allows for updating during the divided monarchy (18). He rightly rejects an allegorical reading of the Song. Professor Carr correctly interprets the book as ancient Near Eastern love poetry which celebrates the joys of sexual intimacy. The commentary divides the Song into five sections: Anticipation (1:2--2:7); Found, and Lost--and Found (2:8--3:5); Consummation (3:6--5:1); Lost--and Found (5:2--8:4); Affirmation (8:5-14). He rejects the wedding being royal (i.e., Solomonic) and states "the lover and the beloved are just ordinary people" (49).

Introductory issues such as date, authorship, genre and interpretive approach cover forty pages. This is the most insightful section of the book. The commentary is a short 105 pages, which focuses on word usage and meaning. Little is written beyond the level of word meanings. Much space is dedicated to comparing the NIV, NEB and AV translations. Difficult verses often quote what another commentator suggests with no real attempt to solve the dilemma. Richard Hess' 288-page commentary (Baker, 2005) also focuses on linguistic analysis, but does a much better job giving the reader the bigger picture of the Song's meaning. Duane Garrett's commentary (Word, 2004) is far more informative.… (mere)