This work is a compilation of three articles by Professor Haupt on the Book of Canticles, also known as the Song of Songs. One article presents an original translation with commentary, another an edited Hebrew text along with critical notes, and the final article addresses specific problematic texts separately. Thus the reader gains access to the text in both English and Hebrew under the careful direction of the author’s critical apparatus. Throughout, Haupt’s command of the textual traditions and the relevant languages along with his historical-critical insights demonstrate the great depth of his knowledge of this book and its history. Together, these articles provide an excellent resource for the study of the Book of Canticles, both for the layperson and the scholar.

Paul Haupt (1858-1926) was a renowned biblical scholar and Assyriologist. He wrote works on many of the books of the Jewish Scriptures and matters of Semitic linguistic import. Also notable is his work on the epic of Gilgamesh (Das Babylonische Nimrodepos). He received his doctorate degree in Semitic Languages from the University of Leipzig. He taught at the University of Göttingen and Johns Hopkins University and was a founder of Beiträge zur Assyriologie and also became coeditor with Friedrich Delitzsch of the Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft. Professionally active, he served as President of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Oriental Society.