Desire
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me,” says the bride in the Song of Songs (7:10).
“Desire” is the same word used in Genesis 3:16 and 4:7, both of which describe a desire for authority, domination, rule, a threatening desire.  The bridegroom of the Song reverses the curse: His desire is for His bride, rather than Eve’s desire for Adam; and the bridegroom’s desire is not a manipulative and acquisitive desire but a desire that brings mutual delight to his bride and himself.
The Song of Songs is about the purgation of desire.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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