There is a definite article before the word, so this is not the young woman’s name, but rather a descriptive title for her. The name is similar to Solomon, the only male name used in the poem, and both names are connected to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace or wholeness. It is no accident that these names contain the meaning that expresses the consequence of the union between the man and the woman. In their intimacy, they achieve a wholeness that brings great peace or contentment.1 She is the one who will bring that peace to the young man.
13 Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you. Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies?