As I read the Songs of Solomon, I can't help wondering if King Solomon was dark in complexion or something, when he said,
"Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (Songs of Solomon 1:6)
Was he speaking metaphorically or he was actually black in complexion? Why did he say "because I am black"?
Before reading the Song of Songs, one has to determine who is speaking. This is usually not difficult as the verbs and nouns in Hebrew have gender characteristics. Most versions help by providing headings on the basis of the gender of the nouns. The NIV and ESV do this well.
The speakers in the first chapter of the Song of Songs (from the above versions) are as follows:
v1: Heading
V2-4a: Bride (she)
v4b: Friends
v5-7: Bride (she)
v8-10: Bridegroom (he)
v11: Friends
v12-14 Bride (she)
v15: Bridegroom (he)
v16-17: Bride (she)
Thus, v6 is spoken by the Shulamite (a woman/bride) who appears to have been dark skinned, or at least thoroughly sun-tanned.
The woman is speaking in ch1 vv5-6.
The fact that she is dark-skinned is a social indicator. It means that she belongs to the "peasant" class, working outdoors all the time, as keeper of vineyards (v6) or keeper of goats (v8) or possibly managing both jobs at the same time.
She expects the "daughters of Jerusalem" to look down on her (v6) for social reasons. They are presumably the upper-class girls who are allowed to spend their time indoors without doing much work, so the sun won't affect them quite so much.
The social valuation of fair skin over sun-tanned skin was probably reversed only as an effect of the Industrial Revolution, when the former peasant girls got shut up in the factories and grew pale, while the wealthy girls could afford to take the train and spend the winter on the Riviera.
Yes he was dark complexioned, but he did not say he was black. The Shulamite said that.
