Introduction

From the end of chapter seven until the end of the book here in song of songs, chapter eight, it mirrors the first couple of chapters in chiastic structure. The woman expresses her desire that the man was like her brother from earliest infancy, the two of them bound together by the nursing body of her mother. If he were such a brother, she could express the childlike affection of a sister to him in public with kisses without attracting public approval. While many take their love is a forbidden love, estes differs and sees this as secret form rather than social censure. Collectively, these connecting threads tightly bind the opening of the book with its closing and make a strong case for the