Mangled Names

Tournay also has an explanation for the apparent mangling of names in the Song.  “Amminadab” appears where we might expect Abinadab, Shunammite where we might be thinking of Shulamite. 

This, he argues, is purposeful.  The names are to bring to mind their historical equivalents, but by changing the spelling of the names the poet also distances the names from their historical predecessors, thus pushing the poem toward an eschatological fulfillment.  The poem is not about an historical “Shulamite,” but instead about an eschatological bride.