Most kisses referred to in the Bible are nonromantic gestures. These are usually kisses of greeting, as in Paul's "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12), though more than hello seems to be involved when Jacob kisses his cousin Rachel at first meeting, as he promptly wants to marry her (Gen. 29:9-20). Biblical kisses can also be kisses of death: Judas betrays Christ with a kiss (Matt. 26:48-49; Mark 14:45-46; Luke 22:47-48), and Joab kisses Amasa just before disemboweling him (1 Sam. 20:9-10).
In Proverbs an adulteress catches and kisses "a young man void of understanding," luring him to her bed though "her house is the way to hell" (7:6-27). Though "the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil," says Proverbs, "her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword" (5:3-4).
The only positive biblical references to erotic kissing occur in the Song of Solomon (Song of Songs): "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for (his) love is better than wine" (1:2); "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue" (4:11); "His lips (are) like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh" (5:13); "And the roof of thy mouth (is) like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly" (7:9); "When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee" (8:1).
It may seem odd, with so much sex in the Bible, to find so little smooching. But while sex between man and wife is to be enjoyed (Prov. 5:18-19), it is portrayed as an act of procreation, following the commandment of Yahweh to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28); and the Bible, after all, is basically a religious history, not a historical romance. Thus the biblical writers spend no time describing foreplay--when it comes to fooling around, the Bible gets right to the point.
Palma Vecchio
Jacob and Rachel
1515-1525
Gemeldegalerie, Dresden