The Hebrew translated as flame of the Lord
is salbebetya. The final ya of this Hebrew word appears to be the short form of the divine name Yahweh, which is known from such passages as Psalm 118:5. This could be translated as a superlative (mighty flame
- see many translations), but the context, with its various allusions to cosmic forces of death and chaos (mighty waters
) that Yahweh elsewhere in the Old Testament is regularly described as overcoming, favours the more literal translation (flame of the Lord
).
Love is also like a blazing fire.
It is indeed like the flame of the Lord, who is himself a consuming fire (Exodus 24:17; Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). Many waters cannot quench love and rivers cannot wash it away.1
This would be the only reference to the divine name in the entire Song, but since this is the climax of the Song, such a reference cannot be ruled out. Perhaps the best translation is an almighty flame
which retains the ambiguity of the Hebrew. Love’s superhuman powers rend it amongst the greatest forces in existence.2
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.