“SOS 4:4” – A Go-To Verse for Hermeneutics

“Your neck is like the tower of David...” – SoS 4:4

I think someone should have told Solomon that though there may be several ways to charm a lady, telling her that her neck is like a “tower” certainly isn’t one of them! But That’s exactly what Solomon said to woo his beloved!

I consider Sos 4:4 an excellent resource in explaining the rules of hermeneutics because that one verse alone applies at least FIVE.

1 – The rule of USAGE: “The tower of David” is a Jewish idiomatic expression. It must be remembered that the Old Testament was written originally by, to and for Jews. The words and idioms may not make sense to us today, but it certainly made sense to them back then. Similarly, most of the New Testament was written in a milieu of Greco-Roman (and to a lesser extent Jewish) culture and it’s important to not impose our modern usage into our interpretation.

2 – The rule of CONTEXT: The meaning must be gathered from the context. Every text must be understood in the light of what comes before and after it. A “tower of David” neck might sound like an insult, but its immediate context hints otherwise, even if one knows nothing about ancient Jewish culture.

3 – The rule of HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The spiritual principles of a verse are timeless, but often can’t be properly appreciated without some knowledge of the background in which it was written. We must have some awareness of the life of the times in which a passage was written. If we have in our minds what the writer had in his mind when he wrote, then the true thought of the Scripture can be captured resulting in an accurate interpretation.

4 – The rule of LOGIC: Bible interpretation is merely logical reasoning. When interpreting Scripture, the use of reason is everywhere to be assumed. Does the interpretation make sense? (Why would a Lover insult his intended bride’s neck?) The Bible was given to us in the form of human language and therefore appeals to human reason – it invites investigation. It’s to be interpreted as we would any other volume: applying the laws of language and grammatical analysis.

5 – The rule of INFERENCE: An inference is a fact reasonably implied from another fact. It’s a logical consequence. It derives a conclusion from a given fact or premise. It is the deduction of one proposition from another proposition.

Even a complete novice to scripture would’ve INFERRED that “The tower of David” must be an expression of affection. 

Virtually every heresy and false cults’ doctrine purportedly gotten from the Bible come as a result of flouting one or more of the above rules. Applying them will make for a richer Bible study and will spare us from wandering into error.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN