King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...
and in other Bibles called the Song of Solomon or the Canticle of Canticles).
Background
She is most likely called the Shulammite because she came from an unidentified place called Shulem. Many scholars consider ''Shulammite'' to be synonymous with ''Shunammite'' (“person from Shunem”). Shunem was a village in the territory of Issachar, north of Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa. Other scholars link ''Shulem'' with ''Salem'', believing Solomon's bride was from Jerusalem. Still others believe that the title ''Shulammite'' (“peaceful”) is simply the bride's married name, being the feminine form of ''Solomon'' (“peaceful”) and only used after her marriage to the king.
Solomon uses passionate language to describe his bride and their love (Song 4:1–15). Solomon clearly loved the Shulammite—and he admired her character as well as her beauty (Song 6:9). Everything about the Song of Solomon portrays the fact that this bride and groom were passionately in love and that there was mutual respect and friendship, as well (Song 8:6–7).
Shulamite in culture
Art
Image:Gustave Wappers - The Shulammite.jpg, Gustaf Wappers, ''The Shulammite'', 1870
Image:Franz Pforr - Shulamit and Mary - WGA17402.jpg, Franz Pforr, ''Maria and Shulammite'', 1811
File:Albert Joseph Moore - The Shulamite 1864.jpg,
Albert Joseph Moore
Albert Joseph Moore (4 September 184125 September 1893) was an English painter, known for his depictions of languorous female figures set against the luxury and decadence of the classical world.
Life
Moore was born at York on 4 September 1841 ...
, ''The Shulamite relating the Glories of King Solomon to her Maidens'', 1894
File:Fountain of the smell-sunamites.JPG, Statue in
Bom Jesus do Monte
The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese Catholic shrine in Tenões, outside the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. Its name means ''Good Jesus of the Mount''.
This sanctuary is a notable example of Christian pilgrimage site with ...
Fictional entities
Shunammite is a fictional character in Gilead, in
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...
's sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale'', titled ''
The Testaments
''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; A ...
'' (2019).
See also
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Shunamitism
Shunamitism (also referred to as gerocomy) is the practice of an old man sleeping with, but not necessarily having sex with, a young virgin to preserve his youth. It is considered an esoteric youth-enhancing method. The rationale was that the heat ...