Love like wine

The same Jewish commentary mentioned in the previous post has a couple of interesting comments about the declaration that love is better than wine.  Rashi points to various passages (Esther 7:8; Isaiah 5:12; 24:9), where “wine” refers not just to the drink but to a banquet, a wine-feast.  Love is not being compared only to the intoxicating alcoholic beverage, but to a feast.  Thus, the opening verses of the Song anticipate the central feast of 4:16-5:1.

Wine, further, stimulates joy, and joy is a prerequisite to the reception of the Spirit.  For these Jewish readers, wine is Torah, which fills the reader and student with joy so that he is prepared to receive the Spirit of God.

And, yayin (“wine”) has a numerical value of 70.  Thus, to say that “your love is better than wine” is to say that “your loved ones – Israel – are better than . . . the gentile nations.”