There are two references to Greek Mythology in this line, one being Hades who was the king of the underworld (hell, in modern day terms) and the other being Persephone, queen of the underworld. Greek Mythology says that Hades had abducted Persephone and brought her to the underworld. When she was rescued she had already tasted the food of the underworld and had to spend her winters in the underworld.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you

• James 4:7

Translation;if the Devil seduces you in anyway do not continue

King Solomon is renowned for setting and being the example of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. (Look how many times “wise”/“wisdom” is used in these 5 verses alone!)

These verses are a prelude; a foreshadow to what’s to come later on in this book.

Later on in this story Solomon asks God for wisdom so that he can wisely rule over his kingdom, he doesn’t ask for longevity or wealth as most rulers do and as a result God is pleased and grants Solomon the wisdom he asked for. But, God also granted him wealth and longevity anyway because Solomon asked to choose wisdom.

These testaments,

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

are all basic judgments of what is to be expected if you want wisdom according to Solomon.

This book, the only one in the Bible with love as its central theme, is a collection or cycle of marriage songs. Though the traditional attribution is to Solomon, the identity of the actual author or authors is unknown. Rabbinic Judaism, and later, Catholic Christianity, assigned the book an allegorical meaning: that is, it is not about the loving chase between a man and a woman (or not ONLY about that), but really about God and Israel. Or, in the Catholic tradition, Christ and his bride, the Church. In this way, according to these traditional theological interpretations, the Song is didactic and moral in its purpose.

A different line of interpretation views the Song as an erotic love poem and an oddity within the biblical canon. In his foreword to Chana and Ariel Bloch’s 1995 translation, critic Stephen Mitchell argues that the sexiness of the Song is undeniable and that:

The allegorical interpretation of the Song, which dominated both the Jewish and Christian traditions for almost two thousand years…qualifies as one of the more peculiar achievements of the human mind.”

• Song of Solomon 1
• Song of Solomon 2
• Song of Solomon 3
• Song of Solomon 4
• Song of Solomon 5
• Song of Solomon 6
• Song of Solomon 7
• Song of Solomon 8

• The Song of Solomon (all chapters)

The Song of Solomon is one of the “Five Megillot”, the books chanted aloud as part of the liturgy of on a specific Jewish holy day.

Because of their liturgical presence, each of these books held a special place within the public eye. They were better known by the general populace than books which were not publicly read, are referenced much more in poetry and literature throughout the ages than other books, and they generated much more homiletic commentary than other books (“Midrash Aggada”, likely because many public sermons dealt with quotes from these books.)

The Song of Solomon is read on Pesach (פסח, known in English as “Passover”), the week-long holiday which was a pilgrimage festival, a festival of the barley harvest, and a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt. Some Sephardic communities recite it every Friday evening before the start of the Sabbath.

Its Hebrew common name is “Shir Ha-Shirim” (שיר השירים), after the first important words in the text. This is the most common way Hebrew books and chapters are named. However, this title may be a commentary on the content of the book, and thus it is one of the only books of the bible to have a proper title (which is not simply the first word or the name of the main character).

Literally “Song of Songs”, the title is of a grammatical form common in Biblical Hebrew idiom. A noun is doubled, first in the singular and then in the definite plural, denoting the superlative in that category. So, in this case, the “Song of Songs” could be “The Greatest Song of All”, “The Most Beautiful of All Songs”, “A Song Singularly Special Among Songs”, or “The Songiest of Songs”. This form is carried through in the Greek translation ᾎσμα ᾎσμάτων Āisma Āismatōn,and in Vulgate Latin Cantĭcum Canticōrum, from which we get its other common English name, Canticles.

Other examples of this form: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”; “Hor Ha-Har” (a name of Sinai), “The Mount of Mountains”; “Holy of Holies” (Latin – sanctum sanctorum).

In English, Ecclesiastes means “Preacher.” Traditionally held to have been written by Solomon, this book is now almost universally recognized as about him rather than by him.

The author’s purpose is to prove the vanity of everything “under the sun”. This truth is first announced a fact, then proved from the “Preacher’s” experience and observations.

Finally, the author shows that the fullness of life is found only in the recognition of things “above the sun”, things spiritual as well as material.

• Ecclesiastes 1
• Ecclesiastes 2
• Ecclesiastes 3
• Ecclesiastes 4
• Ecclesiastes 5
• Ecclesiastes 6
• Ecclesiastes 7
• Ecclesiastes 8
• Ecclesiastes 9
• Ecclesiastes 10
• Ecclesiastes 11
• Ecclesiastes 12

Ecclesiastes is one of the “Five Megillot”, the books chanted aloud as part of the liturgy of on a specific Jewish holy day.

Because of their liturgical presence, each of these books held a special place within the public eye. They were better known by the general populace than books which were not publicly read, are referenced much more in poetry and literature throughout the ages than other books, and they generated much more homiletic commentary than other books (“Midrash Aggada”, likely because many public sermons dealt with quotes from these books.)

The book of Ecclesiastes is read on Succot (סכות, known in English as “Tabernacles”), “The Festival of Booths”, the week-long holiday which was a pilgrimage festival, a communal introduction to the rain season and celebration of water, and a remembrance of wanderings in the desert.
Its Hebrew common name is “Kohelet” (קהלת), after the first important word in the text. This is most common way Hebrew books and chapters are named. “Kohelet” is a personal name or title, the name or title of the narrator and main character. Literally, “Gatherer”, or, in the parlance of our times, “Community Organizer” (from “kahal”, “community, congregation” קהל).

Some scholars believe the author of Ecclesiastes may have been a Greek convert to Judaism from around 300 B.C., pointing to themes of nihilism as indications of Greek influence. Also, many of the words in the book are a mix of Ancient Greek and Aramaic, as opposed to Ancient Hebrew.

A collection of 150 psalms (a sacred song or hymn), whose Hebrew name is “The Book of Praise.” Authors of individual psalms include David, Solomon, Moses, Asaph, and others who are anonymous.

The variety and unity of Psalms have given this book a unique place in the devotional life of the individual and the Church. Almost every aspect of man’s relation to God is depicted in these poems: simple trust, the sense of sin, appeals to a higher power in time of trouble, and the conviction that the world is in the hands of a loving God.

Recitation of the entire Book of Psalms, of individual psalms or of selections from the book have been, since its composition, popular in liturgy and in private devotional life, in all religions and traditions who hold the book in esteem.

Because of its liturgical and devotional presence, this book held a special place within the public eye. Its regular recitation made it perhaps the book of the Bible best known by the general populace. It is referenced in poetry and literature throughout the ages by far and away more than any other book, and it generated more homiletic commentary than any other book (likely because many public sermons revolved around quotes from this book, as is still common today.)

• Psalm 1
• Psalm 2
• Psalm 3
• Psalm 4
• Psalm 5
• Psalm 6
• Psalm 7
• Psalm 8
• Psalm 9
• Psalm 10
• Psalm 11
• Psalm 12
• Psalm 13
• Psalm 14
• Psalm 15
• Psalm 16
• Psalm 17
• Psalm 18
• Psalm 19
• Psalm 20
• Psalm 21
• Psalm 22
• Psalm 23
• Psalm 24
• Psalm 25
• Psalm 26
• Psalm 27
• Psalm 28
• Psalm 29
• Psalm 30
• Psalm 31
• Psalm 32
• Psalm 33
• Psalm 34
• Psalm 35
• Psalm 36
• Psalm 37
• Psalm 38
• Psalm 39
• Psalm 40
• Psalm 41
• Psalm 42
• Psalm 43
• Psalm 44
• Psalm 45
• Psalm 46
• Psalm 47
• Psalm 48
• Psalm 49
• Psalm 50
• Psalm 51
• Psalm 52
• Psalm 53
• Psalm 54
• Psalm 55
• Psalm 56
• Psalm 57
• Psalm 58
• Psalm 59
• Psalm 60
• Psalm 61
• Psalm 62
• Psalm 63
• Psalm 64
• Psalm 65
• Psalm 66
• Psalm 67
• Psalm 68
• Psalm 69
• Psalm 70
• Psalm 71
• Psalm 72
• Psalm 73
• Psalm 74
• Psalm 75
• Psalm 76
• Psalm 77
• Psalm 78
• Psalm 79
• Psalm 80
• Psalm 81
• Psalm 82
• Psalm 83
• Psalm 84
• Psalm 85
• Psalm 86
• Psalm 87
• Psalm 88
• Psalm 89
• Psalm 90
• Psalm 91
• Psalm 92
• Psalm 93
• Psalm 94
• Psalm 95
• Psalm 96
• Psalm 97
• Psalm 98
• Psalm 99
• Psalm 100
• Psalm 101
• Psalm 102
• Psalm 103
• Psalm 104
• Psalm 105
• Psalm 106
• Psalm 107
• Psalm 108
• Psalm 109
• Psalm 110
• Psalm 111
• Psalm 112
• Psalm 113
• Psalm 114
• Psalm 115
• Psalm 116
• Psalm 117
• Psalm 118
• Psalm 119
• Psalm 120
• Psalm 121
• Psalm 122
• Psalm 123
• Psalm 124
• Psalm 125
• Psalm 126
• Psalm 127
• Psalm 128
• Psalm 129
• Psalm 130
• Psalm 131
• Psalm 132
• Psalm 133
• Psalm 134
• Psalm 135
• Psalm 136
• Psalm 137
• Psalm 138
• Psalm 139
• Psalm 140
• Psalm 141
• Psalm 142
• Psalm 143
• Psalm 144
• Psalm 145
• Psalm 146
• Psalm 147
• Psalm 148
• Psalm 149
• Psalm 150