Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 1:7
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy][flock] to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
7. where thou feedest, &c.] Rather, where thou wilt pasture (thy flock), where thou wilt make (them) rest at noon. ‘Feedest’ is in English ambiguous, but the Heb. word is not. Cp. Gen 37:16, “Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed (their flocks).”
as one that turneth aside ] Vulg. ne vagari incipiam. The LXX, = as one veiling herself, is more correct. The Heb. of the text is k tyh, which is the participle fem. Qal for the usual th (but perhaps it should be tyyh; cp. Ges. Kautzsch Gramm. 75 v) of the verb th = to fold, or pack together; cp. Isa 22:17, “He will wrap thee up closely” (R.V.); and Jer 43:12, “He shall array himself” (literally wrap himself) “with the land of Egypt”; then ‘to veil’ or ‘cover,’ and this must be its meaning here; like one veiling herself. But what is the significance of her veiling herself? Delitzsch and others understand the reference here to be to the custom of harlots to disguise themselves, as Tamar, Gen 38:15, “He thought her to be an harlot, for she had covered her face,” but there is no plausible reason given why she should veil herself, especially if this interpretation could be put upon her doing so. Others, taking the text to be correct, make the meaning to be ‘as one mourning or forsaken,’ then tyh must have become a technical term from which the original meaning had almost wholly been stripped. The Syriac, the Vulgate, and Symm. apparently read, ‘wanderer,’ transposing the letters and making tyyh into t iyyh, the participle of the verb ‘to wander.’ Archdeacon Aglen’s suggestion in Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, that as the word th in Isa 22:17 is given the meaning of ‘erring,’ or ‘wandering about,’ by the Rabbinic commentators, probably the idea they had in their mind was that a person with the head wrapped up has difficulty in finding his way, and thus, even without any transposition of the letters, the word might come to be translated ‘wandering,’ is interesting and plausible. He would translate as one blindfold. This seems the best rendering.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7, 8. Son 1:7 is spoken by the Shulammite, asking her lover where she will find him at noon, and Son 1:8 is the mocking comment of the daughters of Jerusalem. Martineau, indeed, supposes that the lover actually appears here, at the king’s residence in Jerusalem, and she asks him where she can find him feeding his flocks. But that seems unmeaning if he was a shepherd of En-gedi, as Martineau supposes; and in any case, he would not be feeding his flocks in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Budde supposes that this is a song put into the mouth of the newly married couple, in order that the marriage, which really was a mere matter of arrangement, should be made to appear to be the result of previous affection. This, therefore, is an account of a lovers’ meeting before marriage. But if the universal custom was to arrange marriages in this way it seems obvious that no one would wish to make the thing appear otherwise, in fact it would be a breach of the convenances to hint at such a thing. There seems no alternative but to suppose that the speaker is here musing upon her absent lover and asks aloud where she could find him. She longs to go to seek him. Some however take the two verses to be a reference to the past, while Oettli supposes them to be an interlude brought in to shew who the two lovers are.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 7. Tell me – where thou feedest] This is spoken as if the parties were shepherds, or employed in the pastoral life. But how this would apply either to Solomon, or the princes of Egypt, is not easy to ascertain. Probably in the marriage festival there was something like our masks, in which persons of quality assumed rural characters and their employments. See that fine one composed by Milton, called COMUS.
To rest at noon] In hot countries the shepherds and their flocks are obliged to retire to shelter during the burning heats of the noon-day sun. This is common in all countries, in the summer heats, where shelter can be had.
One that turneth aside] As a wanderer; one who, not knowing where to find her companions, wanders fruitlessly in seeking them. It was customary for shepherds to drive their flocks together for the purpose of conversing, playing on the pipe, or having trials of skill in poetry or music. So VIRGIL: –
Forte sub arguta consederat ilice Daphnis
Compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrsis in unum:
Thyrsis oves, Corydon distentas lacte capellas;
Ambo florentes aetatibus, Arcades ambo,
Et cantare pares, et respondere parati.
ECL,. vii. v. 1.
“Beneath a holm repair’d two jolly swains:
Their sheep and goats together grazed the plains;
Both young Arcadians, both alike inspired
To sing and answer as the song required.”
DRYDEN.
This does not express the sense of the original: from the different pastures in which they had been accustomed to feed their flocks, they drove their sheep and goats together for the purpose mentioned in the pastoral; and, in course, returned to their respective pasturages, when their business was over.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Whom my soul loveth, notwithstanding all these discouragements mid afflictions which I suffer for thy sake, and for my love to thee. Being reproached and persecuted by others, I flee to thee, O my only refuge and joy, and I beg direction and help from thee.
Where thou feedest, understand, thy flock, as Gen 29:7; 37:16. Seeing false teachers and churches bear thy name, Mar 13:21,22, and thy true church sometimes lies hid, Rev 12:14, discover to me which is thy true church, and which are those assemblies and people where thou art present, and where thine ordinances are dispensed in purity and power, and where thou dost and wilt command the blessing, even life for evermore, as it is expressed, Psa 133:3, that I may join myself to them. This is the request of particular believers. For it must be minded, as that which will be useful to explain really difficulties in this book, that the church in this book is sometimes considered, and speaketh, or is spoken of, as one entire body, and sometimes with respect unto and in the name of her particular members, and that promiscuously; and in which of these capacities each place is to be understood is left to the prudent and diligent reader to gather out of the words and context.
At noon; in the heat of the day, when the shepherds in those hot countries used to carry their flocks into shady places; whereby he means the time of hot persecution, when it is hard to find and discover the true church, partly because she is deformed by it, and partly because she is obscured and driven into the wilderness, as is said, Rev 12:14.
Be as one, i.e. be really one, the particle as being here a note of truth, as it is in many other places. Why wilt thou by withdrawing thyself from me, and denying thy direction to me, suffer me, or give occasion to me, to be such a one?
One that turneth aside; or, a wanderer, or vagabond, like a neglected and forlorn creature, exposed both to censure and danger, from both which it belongs to thee, my Husband, to protect and save me. By, or about, or towards, as this particle is elsewhere used, the flocks of thy companions; the assemblies of corrupt and false teachers and worshippers, by which I am like to be insnared, if thou dost forsake me. These he calls Christs companions, partly because they profess the name of Christ, and their conjunction with him in Gods worship; and partly because they set themselves up in Christs stead, and usurp his power in delivering and imposing their own laws and doctrines upon mens consciences, and behave themselves like his equals or companions, not as becometh his subjects.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. my soul lovethmore intensethan “the virgins” and “the upright love thee”(Son 1:3; Son 1:4;Mat 22:37). To carry out thedesign of the allegory, the royal encampment is here represented asmoving from place to place, in search of green pastures, under theShepherd King (Ps23:1-6). The bride, having first enjoyed communion with him inthe pavilion, is willing to follow Him into labors and dangers;arising from all absorbing love (Lu14:26); this distinguishes her from the formalist (Joh 10:27;Rev 14:4).
feedesttendest thyflock (Isa 40:11; Heb 13:20;1Pe 2:25; 1Pe 5:4;Rev 7:17). No single typeexpresses all the office of Jesus Christ; hence arises thevariety of diverse images used to portray the manifold aspectsof Him: these would be quite incongruous, if the Song referred to theearthly Solomon. Her intercourse with Him is peculiar. She hears Hisvoice, and addresses none but Himself. Yet it is through a veil; shesees Him not (Job 23:8; Job 23:9).If we would be fed, we must follow the Shepherd through the wholebreadth of His Word, and not stay on one spot alone.
makest . . . to restdistinctfrom “feedest”; periods of rest are vouchsafed after labor(Isa 4:6; Isa 49:10;Eze 34:13-15). Communion inprivate must go along with public following of Him.
turneth asideratherone veiled, that is, as a harlot, not His true bride(Ge 38:15), [GESENIUS];or as a mourner (2Sa15:30), [WEISS]; or asone unknown [MAURER].All imply estrangement from the Bridegroom. She feels estranged evenamong Christ’s true servants, answering to “thy companions”(Lu 22:28), so long as she hasnot Himself present. The opposite spirit to 1Co3:4.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,…. With all her heart, cordially and sincerely; for, notwithstanding her sinful compliance with others, and neglect of her own affairs, she had not lost her love to Christ; and, being sensible of her sin and folly, whereby she was deprived of his company, and communion with him, applies to him to guide, direct, and restore her wandering soul; and particularly inform her
where, says she,
thou feedest; that is his flock, like a shepherd: for this phrase supposes him to be a shepherd, as he is, of God’s choosing, appointing, and setting up, the chief, the good, the great, and only Shepherd of the sheep; and that he has a flock to feed, which is but one, and a little one, is his property, given him by God, purchased by his blood, called a flock of slaughter, and yet a beautiful one, he has undertook to feed; and feeding it includes the whole business of a shepherd, in leading the sheep into pastures, protecting them from all enemies, restoring them when wandering, healing their diseases, watching over them in the night seasons, and making all necessary provisions for them. Or, “tell me how thou feedest” f; the manner of it, and with what; which he does by his ministers, word, and ordinances; with himself, the bread of life; with the doctrines and promises of the Gospel, and with the discoveries of his love;
where thou makest [thy flocks] to rest at noon, either at the noon of temptation, when Satan’s fiery darts fly thick and fast; when Christ is a shadow and shelter in his person, grace, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, Isa 25:4; or the noon of affliction, when he makes their bed in it, and gives them rest from adversity; or the noon of persecution, when Christ leads his flocks to cooling shades, and gives them rest in himself, when troubled by others: the allusion, is to shepherds, in hot countries, leading their flocks to some shady place, where they may be sheltered from the scorching heat of the sun; which, as Virgil says g, was at the fourth hour, or ten o’clock, two hours before noon; we read of h, sheep nooning themselves, or lying down at noon, under a shade, by a fountain, asleep;
for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? not real associates with Christ, that keep company with him, and are attached to his word and ordinances; but false friends, hypocrites and heretics i, rivals with him, who set up schemes of worship and doctrine in opposition to his; such as Papists, Socinians, c. now such false teachers have had their flocks in all ages, such as have followed them, and have formed separate societies and therefore the church, sensible of their craftiness, and her own weakness, and liableness to go astray, desires she might not be under, and left to such a temptation, as to apostatize from Christ, and join to such persons and their flocks, or seem to do so: or, “be as one that covereth herself”, or “is covered” k; as a harlot; so Tamar,
Ge 38:14; or as a widow in mourning; she chose not to be, or to be thought to be, either as one that left her husband, an unchaste woman; or had lost her husband, or as if she had none, when neither was the case: or, “as one that spreads the tent” l; by the flocks of such; as if in communion with them, and joining with them in feeding their flocks; and therefore desires she might speedily know where Christ was, and go to him, that such an aspersion or suspicion might at once be wiped from her.
f “quomodo pascas?” Tigurine version; so the Syriac version and Jarchi; see Ainsworth. g “Inde, ubi quarta sitim coeli collegetit hora”, Virgil. Georgic. l. 3. v. 327. h Platonis Phaedrus, p. 1230. i So Stockius, p. 302. k “quasi operiens se”, Piscator; “ut obnubens”, Cocceius; “sicut obvelans se”, Marckius; “velut operta”, Michaelis. l So Junius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
These words (Son 1:5-6) are addressed to the ladies of the palace, who look upon her with wonder. That which now follows is addressed to her beloved:
7 O tell me, thou whom my soul loveth: where feedest thou?
Where causest thou it (thy flock) to lie down at noon?
Among the flocks of thy companions!
The country damsel has no idea of the occupation of a king. Her simplicity goes not beyond the calling of a shepherd as of the fairest and the highest. She thinks of the shepherd of the people as the shepherd of sheep. Moreover, Scripture also describes governing as a tending of sheep; and the Messiah, of whom Solomon is a type, is specially represented as the future Good Shepherd. If now we had to conceive of Solomon as present from the beginning of the scene, then here in Son 1:7 would Shulamith say that she would gladly be alone with him, far away from so many who are looking on her with open eyes; and, indeed, in some country place where alone she feels at home. The entreaty “O tell me” appears certainly to require (cf. Gen 37:19) the presence of one to whom she addresses herself. But, on the other hand, the entreaty only asks that he should let her know where he is; she longs to know where his occupation detains him, that she may go out and seek him. Her request is thus directed toward the absent one, as is proved by Son 1:8. The vocat., “O thou whom my soul loveth,” is connected with , which lies hid in (“inform thou”). It is a circumlocution for “beloved” (cf. Neh 13:26), or “the dearly beloved of my soul” (cf. Jer 12:7). The entreating request, indica quaeso mihi ubi pascis , reminds one of Gen 37:16, where, however, ubi is expressed by , while here by , which in this sense is hap leg For ubi = , is otherwise denoted only by ( ), 2Ki 6:13, and usually , North Palest., by Hosea . This elsewhere means quomodo, and is the key-word of the Kina , as is of the Mashal (the satire); the Song uses for it, in common with the Book of Esther, . In themselves and , which with preceding, are stamped as interrog. in a sense analogous to hic, ecce , , and the like; the local, temporal, polite sense rests only on a conventional usus loq., Bttch. 530. She wishes to know where he feeds, viz., his flock, where he causes it (viz., his flock) to lie down at mid-day. The verb (R. , with the root signif. of condensation) is the proper word for the lying down of a four-footed animal: complicatis pedibus procumbere ( cubare ); Hiph. of the shepherd, who causes the flock to lie down; the Arab. rab’a is the name for the encampment of shepherds. The time for encamping is the mid-day, which as the time of the double-light, i.e., the most intense light in its ascending and descending, is called . , occurring only here, signifies nam cur, but is according to the sense = ut ne, like , Dan 1:10 (cf. Ezr 7:23); , without Dag. forte euphone., is, with the single exception of Job 7:20, always milra, while with the Dag. it is milel, and as a rule, only when the following word begins with ” carries forward the tone to the ult. Shulamith wishes to know the place where her beloved feeds and rests his flock, that she might not wander about among the flocks of his companions seeking and asking for him. But what does mean? It is at all events the part. act. fem. of which is here treated after the manner of the strong verb, the kindred form to the equally possible (from ‘ataja ) and . As for the meaning, instar errabundae (Syr., Symm., Jerome, Venet., Luther) recommends itself; but must then, unless we wish directly to adopt the reading (Bttch.), have been transposed from ( ), which must have been assumed if , in the usual sense of velar e (cf. ), did not afford an appropriate signification. Indeed, velans , viz., sese , cannot denote one whom consciousness veils, one who is weak or fainting (Gesen. Lex.), for the part. act. expresses action, not passivity. But it can denote one who covers herself (the lxx, perhaps, in this sense ), because she mourns (Rashi); or after Gen 38:14 (cf. Martial, 9:32) one who muffles herself up, because by such affected apparent modesty she wishes to make herself known as a Hierodoule or harlot. The former of these significations is not appropriate; for to appear as mourning does not offend the sense of honour in a virtuous maiden, but to create the appearance of an immodest woman is to her intolerable; and if she bears in herself the image of an only beloved, she shrinks in horror from such a base appearance, not only as a debasing of herself, but also as a desecration of this sanctuary in her heart. Shulamith calls entreatingly upon him whom her soul loveth to tell her how she might be able directly to reach him, without feeling herself wounded in the consciousness of her maidenhood and of the exclusiveness of her love. It is thereby supposed that the companions of her only beloved among the shepherds might not treat that which to her is holy with a holy reserve, – a thought to which Hattendorff has given delicate expression in his exposition of the Song, 1867. If Solomon were present, it would be difficult to understand this entreating call. But he is not present, as is manifest from this, that she is not answered by him, but by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Love of the Church to Christ. | |
7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. 9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. 10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. 11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
Here is, I. The humble petition which the spouse presents to her beloved, the shepherdess to the shepherd, the church and every believer to Christ, for a more free and intimate communion with him. She turns from the daughters of Jerusalem, to whom she had complained both of her sins and of her troubles, and looks up to heaven for relief and succour against both, v. 7. Here observe, 1. The title she gives to Christ: O thou whom my soul loveth. Note, It is the undoubted character of all true believers that their souls love Jesus Christ, which intimates both the sincerity and the strength of their love; they love him with all their hearts; and those that do so may come to him boldly and may humbly plead it with him. 2. The opinion she has of him as the good shepherd of the sheep; she doubts not but he feeds his flock and makes them rest at noon. Jesus Christ graciously provides both repast and repose for his sheep; they are not starved, but well fed, not scattered upon the mountains, but fed together, fed in green pastures and in the hot time of the day led by the still waters and made to lie down under a cool refreshing shade. Is it with God’s people a noon-time of outward troubles, inward conflicts? Christ has rest for them; he carries them in his arms, Isa. xl. 11. 3. Her request to him that she might be admitted into his society: Tell me where thou feedest. Those that would be told, that would be taught, what they are concerned to know and do, must apply to Jesus Christ, and beg of him to teach them, to tell them. “Tell me where to find thee, where I may have conversation with thee, where thou feedest and tendest thy flock, that there I may have some of my company.” Observe, by the way, We should not, in love to our friends and their company, tempt them or urge them to neglect their business, but desire such an enjoyment of them as will consist with it, and rather, if we can, to join with them in their business and help to forward it. “Tell me where thou feedest, and there I will sit with thee, walk with thee, feed my flocks with thine, and not hinder thee nor myself, but bring my work with me.” Note, Those whose souls love Jesus Christ earnestly desire to have communion with him, by his word in which he speaks to us and by prayer in which we speak to him, and to share in the privileges of his flock; and we may learn from the care he takes of his church, to provide convenient food and rest for it, how to take care of our own souls, which are our charge. 4. The plea she uses for the enforcing of this request: “For why should I be as one that turns aside by (or after) the flocks of thy companions, that pretend to be so, but are really thy competitors, and rivals with thee.” Note, Turning aside from Christ after other lovers is that which gracious souls dread, and deprecate, more than any thing else. “Thou wouldst not have me to turn aside, no, nor to be as one that turns aside; tell me then, O tell me, where I may be near thee, and I will never leave thee.” (1.) “Why should I lie under suspicion, and look as if I belonged to some other and not to thee? Why should I be thought by the flocks of our companions to be a deserter from thee, and a retainer to some other shepherd?” Good Christians will be afraid of giving any occasion to those about them to question their faith in Christ and their love to him; they would not do any thing that looks like unconcernedness about their souls; or uncharitableness towards their brethren, or that savours of indifference and disaffection to holy ordinances; and we should pray to God to direct us into and keep us in the way of our duty, that we may not so much as seem to come short, Heb. iv. 1. (2.) “Why should I lie in temptation to turn aside, as I do while I am absent from thee?” We should be earnest with God for a settled peace in communion with God through Christ, that we may not be as waifs and strays, ready to be picked up by him that next passes by.
II. The gracious answer which the bridegroom gives to this request, v. 8. See how ready God is to answer prayer, especially prayers for instruction; even while she is yet speaking, he hears. Observe, 1. How affectionately he speaks to her: O thou fairest among women! Note, Believing souls are fair, in the eyes of the Lord Jesus, above any other. Christ sees a beauty in holiness, whether we do or no. The spouse has called herself black, but Christ calls her fair. Those that are low in their own eyes are so much the more amiable in the eyes of Jesus Christ. Blushing at their own deformity (says Mr. Durham) is a chief part of their beauty. 2. How mildly he checks her for her ignorance, in these words, If thou know not, intimating that she might have known it if it had not been her own fault. What! dost thou not know where to find me and my flock? Compare Christ’s answer to a like address of Philip’s (John xiv. 9), Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? But, 3. With what tenderness he acquaints her where she might find him. If men say, Lo, here is Christ, or, Lo, he is there, believe them not, go not after them,Mat 24:23; Mat 24:26. But, (1.) Walk in the way of good men (Prov. ii. 20), follow the track, ask for the good old way, observe the footsteps of the flock, and go forth by them. It will not serve to sit still and cry, “Lord, show me the way,” but we must bestir ourselves to enquire out the way; and we may find it by looking which way the footsteps of the flock lead, what has been the practice of godly people all along; let that practice be ours, Heb 6:12; 1Co 11:1. (2.) Sit under the direction of good ministers: “Feed thyself and thy kids besides the tents of the under-shepherds. Bring thy charge with thee” (it is probable that the custom was to commit the lambs and kids to the custody of the women, the shepherdesses); “they shall all be welcome; the shepherds will be no hindrance to thee, as they were to Reuel’s daughters (Exod. ii. 17), but helpers rather, and therefore abide by their tents.” Note, Those that would have acquaintance and communion with Christ must closely and conscientiously adhere to holy ordinances, must join themselves to his people and attend his ministers. Those that have the charge of families must bring them with them to religious assemblies; let their kids, their children, their servants, have the benefit of the shepherds’ tents.
III. The high encomiums which the bridegroom gives of his spouse. To be given in marriage, in the Hebrew dialect, is to be praised (Ps. lxxviii. 63, margin), so this spouse is here; her husband praises this virtuous woman (Prov. xxxi. 28); he praises her, as is usual in poems, by similitudes. 1. He calls her his love (v. 9); it is an endearing compellation often used in this book: “My friend, my companion, my familiar.” 2. He compares her to a set of strong and stately horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Egypt was famous for the best horses. Solomon had his thence; and Pharaoh, no doubt, had the choicest the country afforded for his own chariots. The church had complained of her own weakness, and the danger she was in of being made a prey of by her enemies: “Fear not,” says Christ; “I have made thee like a company of horses; I have put strength into thee as I have done into the horse (Job xxxix. 19), so that thou shalt with a gracious boldness mock at fear, and not be affrighted, like the lion, Prov. xxviii. 1. The Lord has made thee as his goodly horse in the day of battle, Zech. x. 3. I have compared thee to my company of horses which triumphed over Pharaoh’s chariots, the holy angels, horses of fire.” Hab. iii. 15, Thou didst walk through the sea with thy horses; and see Isa. lxiii. 13. We are weak in ourselves, but if Christ make us as horses, strong and bold, we need not fear what all the powers of darkness can do against us. 3. He admires the beauty and ornaments of her countenance (v. 10): Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, the attire of the head, curls of hair, or favourites (so some), or knots of ribbons; thy neck also with chains, such as persons of the first rank wear, chains of gold. The ordinances of Christ are the ornaments of the church. The graces, gifts, and comforts of the Spirit, are the adorning of every believing soul, and beautify it; these render it, in the sight of God, of great price. The ornaments of the saints are many, but all orderly disposed in rows and chains, in which there is a mutual connexion with and dependence upon each other. The beauty is not from any thing in themselves, from the neck or from the cheeks, but from ornaments with which they are set off. It was comeliness which I put upon thee, said the Lord God; for we were born not only naked, but polluted, Ezek. xvi. 14.
IV. His gracious purpose to add to her ornaments; for where God has given true grace he will give more grace; to him that has shall be given. Is the church courageous in her resistance of sin, as the horses in Pharaoh’s chariots? Is she comely in the exercise of grace, as with rows of jewels and chains of gold? She shall be yet further beautified (v. 11): We will make thee borders of gold, inlaid, or enamelled, with studs of silver. Whatever is wanting shall be made up, till the church and every true believer come to be perfect in beauty; see Ezek. xvi. 14. This is here undertaken to be done by the concurring power of the three persons in the Godhead: We will do it; like that (Gen. i. 26), “Let us make man; so let us new-make him, and perfect his beauty.” The same that is the author will be the finisher of the good work; and it cannot miscarry.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
SHUMATE PONDERS PRESENT LOCATION OF SHEPHERD
Verse 7 reflects the strong desire of the Shulamite for her beloved shepherd as she ponders where he may be found. This suggests also intent to go to him and need for directions, so as to avoid being mistaken for a wandering harlot.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Brides Third Request of her Beloved.
Shulamite again addresses herself to the King, though still out of sight.
Son. 1:7
Tell me,
O thou whom my soul loveth,
Where thou feedest,
Where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.
For why should I be as one that turneth aside
By the flocks of thy companions.
The third petition which Shulamite has already addressed to her absent Bridegroom. A believers life a life of prayer. A living soul must pray. He has wants, and feels them. Has longings, and one to tell them to. An earnest, loving Christian has many petitions, and has boldness in presenting them. The Kings golden sceptre held out withWhat is thy petition, and what is thy request? and it shall be done unto thee (Est. 5:2-3)
Shulamite still longs for the Beloveds presence and fellowship. The chambers of the King not sufficient without the King himself. The Bride anxious to know where her Bridegroom is, in order to be with him. Addresses him as if he were present. Ardent love communes with its object though absent and unseen. The interview between a longing soul and a loving Saviour maintained through a thin veil. Bodily bsence no hindrance to communion with Christ. The loving soul must unbosom its feelings to the Beloved, whether present or absent. Good to turn from even professing Christians to Christ Himself. The daughters of Jerusalem unable to take the place of Jerusalems King. Ordinances good, and Christian fellowship good; but neither of them anything without Christ himself.
The ground of Shulamites longing given in the title with which she addresses her absent Beloved:
O thou whom my soul loveth.
Love unable to rest without the presence of its object. The language expressive both of the sincerity and the ardour of her affection. The believers love to Christ a love of the soul,deep down in the heart, and engaging all its affections. Christ to be loved with all and above all (Mat. 10:37; Luk. 14:20). Jesus locked in the believers heart as its most precious treasure. Infinitely worthy of such affection
(1) From His own loveliness;
(2) From His love. In regard to believers, Christs love that of a Bridegroom, who has
(1) Loved them;
(2) Given His own life for them;
(3) Wooed and won them;
(4) Lavished the expressions of His love upon them (Eph. 5:24-30). The believers love to Christ therefore that of a Bride. Christ in His loveliness and love, more than sufficient to attract and engage all our affection, if we possessed a thousand hearts instead of one. The believers
Love to Christ.
is
(1) Divine in its origin; produced by the Holy Spirit in a renewed heart.
(2) Unquenchable in its character: survives all trials, sufferings, and discouragements.
(3) Discoverable in its effects: leading to(i.) Obedience; (ii.) Self dedication; (iii.) Desire of fellowship; (iv.) Love and esteem for all that is His. True and hearty love to Jesus the distinguishing mark of a genuine Christian. The contrast of this in 1Co. 16:22. Believers conscious, or ought to be, that they love Christ. Shulamites language that of unquestioning certainly. So Peter, even after his fall: Yea, Lord; Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee (John 21). The Churchs language in the lips of the prophet: The desire of our soul is to Thy name and to the remembrance of Thee (Isa. 26:8). True of all believers: Whom, having not seen, ye love (1Pe. 1:8). Observe
1. Our comfort in darkness and desertion, to know that we love Jesus.
2. Consciousness and confession of blackness, in perfect harmony with love to Christ. Peters thrice repeated declaration of love to his Master consistent with his thrice repeated, but afterwards deeply repented of, denial of Him. Love greatest where most is forgiven.
3. Love to Christ a plea for the enjoyment of His presence. Acknowledged by Christ Himself: He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (Joh. 14:21).
In regard to the request in the text, observe
I. The PETITION itself. Tell me where thou feedest, &c. A desire for information. Implies ignorance. Believers while in this world, ignorant of many things pertaining to Christs ways and their own comfort. Now we know in part. Our happiness to be able to go to Christ for light and instruction. Christ made wisdom to us, as well as righteousness and sanctification. Believers not only weak, and needing to be drawn, but erring, and needing to be directed. Wells of refreshment in the Word not seen till Jesus reveals them. Christ found in the Word and ordinances only as He is pleased to discover Himself. Himself our best Guide and Teacher.
Shulamite desires to know where her Beloved feeds and rests his flocks at noon. Scripture often represents
Christ as a Shepherd.
He is:
(1) Jehovahs Shepherd; chosen by the Father to feed and save his people. My shepherd (Zec. 13:7). I will set up one shepherd over them (Eze. 34:23).
(2) The Good Shepherd: good especially in giving his life for the sheep (Joh. 10:11).
(3) The Great Shepherd: being the Almighty, and able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him (Heb. 13:20).
(4) The Chief Shepherd: in distinction from all other shepherds, who, as teachers and rulers of the Church, are employed under Him in promoting the welfare of the sheep (1Pe. 5:4).
(5) The One Shepherd: the sheep being only His, and no under shepherd being to be compared with him (Eze. 34:23; Ecc. 12:11).
As a Shepherd Christ has
His Flock.
These are
(1) Given Him by the Father (Joh. 10:29; Joh. 17:2; Joh. 17:6);
(2) Redeemed by His own blood;
(3) Sought and found by Himself while straying in the wilderness;
(4) Called by His grace;
(6) Quickened by His Spirit;
(6) Kept and preserved by His power;
(7) Cared for and tended by His love. Hitherto, as compared with the world, a little flock (Luk. 12:32). Always a beautiful flock (Jer. 13:20). Frequently a flock of slaughter (Zec. 11:4; Zec. 11:7; Psa. 44:22; Rom. 8:36). Known from their
(1) Hearing His voice and obeying His call;
(2) Following Him through bad and good report even to the end;
(3) Avoiding and refusing to follow a stranger. Enjoy the privilege of being
(1) Led by Christ as their Shepherd;
(2) Guarded by Him from all real evil and from every hurtful foe;
(3) Helped, supported, and even carried by Him; (Isa. 40:11; Isa. 46:4; Isa. 63:9; Luk. 15:5;
(4) Fed, sustained, and comforted by Him till they reach their home in heaven (Psa. 23:1-6).
Two actions here ascribed to Christ as the Shepherd:
1. He feeds His flock. Believers require spiritual food. Living souls must be fed. Such feel their need of nourishment. Hunger and thirst for it. Desire what may inwardly satisfy them and enable them to grow in knowledge, faith, love, and every grace. Must be fed by Christ Himself. Willing to go anywhere where He feeds His flock, however plain the place, and poor the people, and painful the effort to reach them. Christ feeds them
(1) With His Word, which is made the joy and rejoicing of their heart;
(2) With His ordinances, in which he makes them to lie down as in green pastures;
(3) With Himself, the Hidden Manna and Bread of Life, whose flesh is meat indeed, and His blood drink indeed.
2. He makes them to rest at noon. Noon the tune of oppressive heat,the burden and heat of the day. Expressive of the time of
(1) Temptation
(2) Trouble;
(3) Persecution (Mat. 13:5-6; Mat. 13:20-21; 1Pe. 4:12). Believers often in such circumstances (1Pe. 1:6; 2Ti. 3:12; Joh. 16:33). Therefore require rest and comfort, as well as food. Christ therefore rests His flock as well as feeds it. Able to make them rejoice in tribulation. Speaks comfortably (or to their heart) in the wilderness (Hos. 2:14). Gives them rest and comfort
(1) By the promises of His Word;
(2) By the doctrines of His grace;
(3) By the ordinances of His house;
(4) By the dealings of His Providence;
(5) By the consolations of His Spirit;
(6) By the fellowship of His people;
(7) By the manifestation of Himself. Christ the Rest of His people as well as their Food. The shadow of a great rock in a weary land (Isa. 32:2). Exemplified in the case of Churches in Act. 9:31. Typified in the rest given at times to Israel (Jdg. 5:31; 1Ki. 4:24-25). The Brides desire to be rested as well as fed by Christ along with his flock. Believers desire to be rested
(1) By Christ Himself. The world seek rest and comfort in the creature. Believers choose rather to suffer with Christ than to reign with the world.
(2) Among His people. Where Thou makest Thy flock to rest. Christ found where His flock is, and where He is feeding and resting them (Mat. 18:20).
Shulamite, while desiring to be rested by the shepherd along with His flock, probably speaks in the character of a shepherdess, wishing to feed her kids where her Beloved is feeding his sheep. Even the under-shepherds need to be fed and rested by Christ Himself. The labourer for Christ to keep near to Christ even in his labour. Best to feed our kids where Christ is feeding His flock. Whether toiling or resting, the believers place is to be near the Master.
II. The REASON for the Petition. For, why should I be as one that turneth aside (or, is veiled, either as a mourner or an immodest woman) by the flocks of thy companions. Observe
1. Unlike the Bride of Christ to be living without His presence and society. Natural to believers to have the presence of Christ and to be happy in it. Not to Christs honour that His bride should go mourning without Him, or turning aside to others for comfort.
2. The Bride of Christ in danger of turning aside, if without Christs presence. Believers justly afraid of turning aside from Christ to the flocks of His under shepherds, or even of wandering from those flocks themselves. Most happy in being by those flocks, but not to substitute them for Christ Himself. Not to be satisfied with being by Christs flocks, or being fed by His companions instead of Christ Himself. Safer to find no rest than to find it by turning aside.
3. The fear of turning aside, or of bringing reproach on His name, a powerful plea in pleading with Christ for His presence. Right to plead as well as pray.
4. Believers liable to be mistaken for hypocrites and mere professors Christ Himself thus mistaken. We esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isa. 53:4).
5. Believers often unable to understand the reason of the Lords dealings with them. Rebekahs question not uncommon with believers: Why am I thus? (Gen. 25:22). Three Whys: Why have I darkness and trouble while others have light and comfort? Why am I without quickening means of grace while others enjoy them? Why have I not the enjoyment of the Lords presence which others have?
Answer to Shulamites Request.
The request, though addressed to the absent Bridegroom, apparently ensuered by the Daughters of Jerusalem or Ladies of the Court who were present (Son. 1:8).
If thou know not,
O thou fairest among women,
Go thy way forth
By the footsteps of the flock,
And feed thy kids
Beside the shepherds tents.
Shulamite receives a speedy answer to her request, though perhaps not a very direct one; nor yet from the Beloved himself, to whom it was addressed, but from his friends and the inmates of his house. Observe
(1) The earnest enquirer after Christ not long in receiving direction. Ye shall seek Me and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:13).
(2) Various ways by which Christ may direct the enquiring soul. The Head of the Church at no loss for instruments.
(3) Enquirers often directed by the ministers of the Word, or by those already acquainted more or less with the Saviour.
(4) Those having any knowledge of Christ to do their best in guiding others to Him.
(5) The great end of the Christian ministry and of the Christian Church, to direct men to Christ. All Christians to be able to give such direction. From the language of the answer in the text, observe
I. The ADDRESS. O thou fairest among women. A superior beauty belonging to believers. That beauty a moral and spiritual one, the beauty of holiness. The Kings daughter all glorious within (Psa. 45:11; Psa. 45:13; Psa. 110:3). Observe
1. Believers to commend themselves to others by their spiritual beauty. Something in a spiritually-minded, loving, and consistent believer that attracts the notice and admiration of others.
2. Believers are, as they OUGHT to be, more excellent and lovely than their neighbours (Pro. 12:26). Possessed of a Divine nature. Born of God. Made new creatures in Christ. Created in Him unto good works. The Spirit of Christ, and so the fruits of the Spirit, in them (Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:22). Not to be satisfied to be like others (Mat. 5:46-48).
3. Believers not merely to be, but to be seen to be, more lovely and excellent than other men (Mat. 5:16; 1Pe. 2:12). Ought to appear in the eyes of men as the Bride of Christ. Their calling to reflect His beauty, and be His witnesses and representatives in the world. Men to see in believers what Christ was and is. Christ Himself infinitely lovely, His Spouse, possessing His Spirit, expected to be lovely also. His comeliness put upon them (Eze. 16:10; Eze. 16:14).
4. Individuals never more lovely than when earnestly seeking Christ.
5. Others often stirred up by the earnestness of one soul seeking the Saviour.
II. The SUPPOSITION. If thou know not. Observe
1. Believers expected to know where Christ is to be found. Ought to know. Not according to their character to be ignorant.
2. Knowledge sometimes possessed when not exercised. Apparently the case here.
3. Young believers often deficient in spiritual knowledge (Joh. 14:8-9).
4. Patience to be exercised in dealing with inquirers and young believers. Christ Himself a High Priest who has compassion on the ignorant. Believers to resemble Him.
III. THE DIRECTION. Twofold
1. Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock. Three ideas in this part of the direction.
(1) Go thy way. To find Christ, we must use means, and use them earnestly. The direction opposed to indolence and sitting still.
(2) Go thy way forth. To find Christ, we must not only go our way, but go forth. Let us go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb. 13:13). Forth from(i.) Ourselves: no longer trusting in anything we are or do; (ii.) The world: its pleasures and practices, its favour and fellowship. (iii.) Sin: so as no longer to love it or willingly to commit it.
(3) By the footsteps of the flock. Observe in regard to the
Footsteps of the Flock.
(i.) Christs flock has footsteps in common. One spirit in them; one faith and one baptism. The common faith, the faith of Gods elect; like precious faith with us (Eph. 4:4-5; Tit. 1:4; 2Pe. 1:1). (ii.) The footsteps and daily life of believers to be such as conduct to Christ. (iii.) To find Christ, we need to be in the footsteps of the flock, not in the wanderings of the world. These footsteps are(a) Obedience: why call ye Me Lord, and do not the things which I say.
(4) Faith: whose faith follow; the steps of the faith of our father Abraham (Heb. 13:7; Rom. 4:12). (c) Self-denial; If any man will be My disciple, let him deny himself. (d) Meekness and humility: Learn of me, for I am meek and holy in heart (Mat. 11:28). (e) Love: walk in love; ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another (Eph. 5:2; Joh. 13:35). The footsteps of the flock exhibited in the Word of God for our guidance. The cloud of witnesses. The faith and obedience of Abel, Abraham, &c., recorded as footprints to guide those who should come after. Hence, also, the value of faithful Christian biography, (iv) Inquirers to be the careful followers of Christs faithful people. Be ye followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Be followers together of me, and mark them that walk so as ye have us for an example.) Followers of me even as I also follow Christ (Heb. 6:11-12; Heb. 13:7; Php. 3:17). Believers to enquire for the old paths, and walk therein (Jer. 6:16). To go back to the inspired words of prophets and apostles. To the law and to the testimony; not to the decrees of Councils, or the dicta of Doctors, or the lives of so-called Saints. The Church early corrupted with heresy in doctrine, and error in practice. Even early Christian writers often heated with controversy. Not only contradicted one another, but often contradicted themselves. In many cases, impossible to obtain a clear and definite opinion from them. Their writings often mutilated and interpolated. Their views often manifestly and avowedly incorrect. The example even of the holiest of men to be only followed in so far as it accords with the written Word (v.) Inquirers to be content with old and ordinary directions as to finding Christ. No new or extraordinary direction given to the Bride in her difficulty. (vi.) Directions not the less useful because not immediately bringing us to the object of our search. Lord what wilt Thou have me to do? Go to Damascus, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Act. 9:6).
2. Feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents. Shulamite addressed as a shepherdess. Believers made partakers of the calling and work of their Master. Christ the chief Shepherd; they, in their various spheres, and according to their various gifts, under-shepherds. Feed my lambs; feed my sheep,the evidence of their love to the Great Shepherd (Joh. 21:15-16). Shulamite, as a female, had her kids to feed. If unable to feed the sheep, we may be able to attend to the lambs. The gifts of some qualify them to minister to the adult and the mature Christian; those of others to the young and the weak. Two particulars in this part of the directions.
(1) Feed thy kids. Observe(i) Believers and inquirers have their kids to feed: (a) Their spiritual desires and longings to be satisfied; (b) Their new man, or young spiritual renewed nature, to be nourished and strengthened; (e) The souls of others, in one way or other committed to their charge, to be cared for and looked after. A Christian parent has his childrens souls as well as their bodies to feed and care for. A Sabbath-school teacher has his class; a minister has his flock, including both old and young. A District Visitor has the families of his or her district. Elders, deacons, and other Church office-bearers, have their respective charges. Each believer has the souls in his immediate neighbourhood, in the circle of his relations, within the sphere of his influence, or under his employment. The language only of a Cain,Am I my brothers keeper? The injunction laid on believers in general,On some have compassion, making a difference; others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire (Jud. 1:22-23). The resolution of David to be that of every saved soul: Then (when thou hast restored to me the joy of thy salvation) will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall he converted unto Thee (Psa. 51:12-13). Every believer, in his measure, charged with the care of his fellow-believers. Their duty to comfort, edify, and exhort one another (1Th. 4:18; 1Th. 5:11; Heb. 3:13). (ii.) Believers and inquirers to be diligent in feeding their kids. Christ most likely to be found by us when diligently attending to the charge committed to us. To be found in active duty as well as in private devotion.
(2) Beside the shepherds tents.
The Shepherds Tents,
representative of Christian assemblies gathered together in Christs name, or rather of the places where they are so gathered. A body of people, and the place of their ordinary meeting, naturally associated in thought. Hence the term Church originally applied only to the former, also used to designate the latter. Churches and congregations of believers placed by Christ, the chief Shepherd, under the charge and care of under-shepherds. These ordinarily in the New Testament designated Elders or Presbyters, Bishops or Overseers, and Pastors or Shepherds. These titles acknowledged to have been originally applied promiscuously to the same persons (Act. 14:23; Act. 20:17; Act. 20:28; Eph. 4:11; Php. 1:1; 1Ti. 3:1-5; 1Ti. 4:14; Tit. 1:5-7; 1Pe. 5:1-4). Shepherds or Pastors Christs gifts to His Church after His ascension into heaven (Eph. 4:10-12; Jer. 3:15). The Shepherds tents the places where the Shepherds are found ministering to the flock (1Pe. 5:1-2). Observe(i) Christ found beside the shepherds tents (Mat. 18:19-20). Himself always engaged in tending His sheep. Not far off when we are beside the Shepherds tents. Inquiring and believing souls directed to the place where Christ is feeding His flock through His under-shepherds. (ii.) True Pastors and Gospel ordinances to be highly valued and diligently made use of (Heb. 13:17; 1Th. 5:12). None allowed to be above ordinances in the Church militant. (iii.) Believers to feed their charge and attend to their own souls, where Christ, His people, and His under-shepherds are. They who separate themselves, given as a mark of those who have not the Spirit (Jud. 1:19). Forsaking the assembling of themselves together not the manner of Christs flock (Heb. 10:25). Isolation from Christs ordinances not the way to find Christ. (iv.) The kids also to be fed beside the shepherds tents. Safest and best to accustom children to attend the ordinances of Christs house. Train up a child in the way he should go. Christs will concerning children: Suffer the children to come unto Me; but Christ is where two or three are gathered together in His name. The shepherds in their ministrations to have a portion for the young as well as the old. The children an important portion of the flock, and to be carefully attended to. How is it that your sheep look better than other peoples? was asked of a farmer. I look well to the lambs, was the reply, (v.) The importance, necessity, and permanence of the pastoral office indicated. Pastors and teachers, &c., given for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect manunto the measure of the statue of the fulness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). The charge difficult, and sometimes painful and hazardous; but honourable, often pleasant, and when faithfully executed, blessedly rewarded (1Pe. 5:1-4) People without a faithful pastor like sheep without a shepherd. As such, the object of Christs special compassion, and should be that of His people (Mat. 9:36-38).
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
TEXT 1:7
SOLILOQUY Son. 1:7
7
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest thy flock, where thou makest it to rest at noon; for why should I be as one that is veiled beside the flocks of thy companions?
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:7
22.
To whom are these words addressed?
23.
Why does she want to know where the flocks are fed?
24.
What is meant by one that is veiled?
25.
What danger seems to be present in the circumstances described?
PARAPHRASE 1:7
SHULAMMITES SOLILOQUY (aloud)
7
Tell me O thou whom I dearly love, where thou doest pasture thy flock, where thou doest make it rest at noon; for why should I wander about like a wanton among the flocks of thy companions?
COMMENT 1:7
Exegesis Son. 1:7
In her imagination the maiden has left the chambers of the King. She is out again in the open fields of her home in northern Canaan. She can see her beloved shepherd with his flock. She wants to sit down with him at the same oasis at noon. She longs for his personal interest and concern for her, so she simulates a situation where he can express his concern and show personal interest. Suppose I cannot find his flock, and I must wander across the fields from flock to flock? What will the companion shepherds of my beloved think of me? The obvious conclusion would be that I am a prostitute in search of business. Do not let me be thus misrepresentedit is the anti-thesis of my true self. Help me!
Marriage Son. 1:7
There is much to learn in this one verse. Women are given to day-dreamingwitness the immense popularity of the afternoon soap operas on TV. But contrary to what men believe they are not dreaming about men as suchbut about the love and concern men should have for women. Yes, the maiden wanted to be with the shepherdlonged earnestly to see him. But for what reason? So he might take an interest and show personal concern for her. This is not primarily an erotic interest but a total-person interest. It is the nature of your wife to seek protection and help.
Communion Son. 1:7
Surely we can address our Lord with the words of this verse: O thou whom my soul loveth. Far more than a mere academic relationship exists between the bride and the eternal shepherd. The two works of the shepherd are the two needs of our soul: food and rest. We can observe other sheep who are fed and rested. We long for this same relationship. Our request will not go unanswered. There is food and rest for anyone who will come unto Himtake upon him His yokehe shall find rest and will be led into the green pastures.
Other shepherds have flockswe have often wandered among these flocks and found neither food nor rest.
FACT QUESTIONS 1:7
40.
In her imagination she has left the chambers of SolomonWhere is she?
41.
She wants personal attention and interest from her shepherd lover. What does she do to get it?
42.
Do you feel we have fairly represented women in their day-dreaming? Discuss.
43.
Show how the two works of the shepherd are the two needs of our soul. Discuss.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) Where thou feedest . . . thy flock . . . For why should I be . . .?The marginal reading, that is veiled, follows the LXX. in rendering the Hebrew literally. But it has been found somewhat difficult to assign a meaning to a literal translation. The suggestions=unknown (Ewald), veiled as a harlot (Delitzsch, &c; comp. Gen. 38:15), fainting (Gesenius), seem all wide of the mark, since the question only refers to the danger of missing her beloved through ignorance of his whereabouts. A transposition of two letters would give a word with a sense required = erring, wandering about, a sense, indeed, which old Rabbinical commentators gave to this word itself in Isa. 22:16 (Authorised Version, cover); and probably the idea involved is the obvious one that a person with the head muffled up would not find her way easily, as we might say, Why should I go about blindfold?
The Rabbinical interpretation of this verse is a good instance of the fanciful treatment the book has received: When the time came for Moses to depart, he said to the Lord, It is revealed to me that this people will sin and go into captivity; show me how they shall be governed and dwell among the nations whose decrees are oppressive as the heat; and wherefore is it they shall wander among the flocks of Esau and Ishmael, who make them idols equal to thee as thy companions?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Tell me, etc. Turning now from “the daughters,” the Enamoured utters as a soliloquy this beautiful apostrophe. There is an allusion to the resting of the flock in the heat of the day, an idea frequent in pastoral poetry. If she were now to seek him, she would not know where she might find him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it to rest at noon, For why should I be as one who is veiled, Beside the flocks of your companions?”
She calls on her beloved, the one whom her soul loves, to tell her where he is feeding his flocks, and where he takes his noonday rest. For she does not want to be wandering around the different encampments of his fellow-shepherds, veiled against their gaze while looking for him, in the meanwhile being mistaken for a loose woman. And especially not when she would rather be with him and open to his gaze. Shepherd kings were not unknown in those days and we must remember that Moses was a shepherd prince. Most kings did have large flocks of royal sheep and would sometimes no doubt, especially as young men, be found living in tents and ‘tending’ them along with their ‘companions’, as well as their under-shepherds. It would be a change from life in the palace, and would no doubt make them feel that they were being useful and manly. It would not seem unusual to the young maiden because she was probably of minor aristocratic stock of a type who may well have tended their own sheep.
Israel too were being called on to seek out their God and not be led astray by other shepherds (Jer 25:36; Jer 50:6; Eze 34:5; 1Ki 22:17), and looked forward to one day seeing her shepherd king (Eze 34:23; Eze 37:24), but sadly when He did come she was to be found wandering around the tents of other shepherds. That was why she missed out on His love. On the other hand there were, of course, always some who, like this young maiden, sought out ‘Him Whom their soul loved’ (1Ki 19:18; Isa 8:16). And in the same way today the heart of His true people is called on to continually seek Him in His ‘tent’ (Heb 8:1-2), desiring to look at Him with unveiled face so that they may behold His glory and be made like Him as they are in process of being changed from glory into glory (2Co 3:18; 2Co 4:6).
We too may want to know where we can find Him. But if we are really His we should know where we can find Him, for He is in our hearts (Eph 3:17-19), and nearer than hands and feet, and we know that we can approach Him constantly in prayer in the inner room (Mat 6:6), and that where two or three gather in His Name He is there among us (Matthew 18..20). So we too should be desiring to be in His innermost tent, learning of Him (Mat 11:28-30), and not be wanting to be found wandering among other tents, loving the world and the things that are in the world (1Jn 2:15-17). The question that we must therefore ask ourselves is this. Do we have the same urgency in seeking Him Whom our soul loves as this young maiden had as she sought for her beloved? And only we can know the answer to that question.
THE YOUNG WOMEN now call to the maiden in her thoughts, in what is probably ironic advice. They are probably jealous of her. The description ‘fairest among women’ is also found in Son 5:9; Son 6:1, and indicates who the speakers are. They are the young women of the land.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Son 1:7. Where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon In the hot countries, the shepherds and their flocks are always forced to retire to shelter during the burning heats of noon. One that turneth aside is rendered by Houbigant and the New Translation, a wanderer. This verse contains a fine apostrophe, and strongly marks the affection of the bride. See Virgil’s Culex, ver. 116.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
There is a great beauty in this verse. The Church had been speaking in the preceding to the daughters of Jerusalem. She now turns from them to speak to Jesus. The communion of saints is sweet: but, oh! how infinitely sweeter is fellowship and communion with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1Jn 1:3 . But what doth thee Church say to Jesus? She considers him under one of his precious characters, as the great Shepherd of his fold, the Church; and viewing herself as his property, both by the Father’s gift, his own purchase, and the conquests of his grace by his Holy Spirit, she earnestly desires that he would tell her where it was that he fed his flock, and where he caused it to rest at noon. Every word in this sweet verse is most highly interesting; but it would swell the Commentary to a length not admissible in a work of this kind, to enlarge upon the several portions of it. A few of the more striking particulars must be sufficient.
In the first place, the cry of a truly awakened soul, for personal enjoyment of Jesus and all his benefits, is here strongly expressed, Tell me, O thou, whom my soul loveth! Reader! it is the truest sign of interest in Jesus, when the soul is going out after him in longing desires. And do observe further, that the soul may be going out in the most earnest desires after Jesus, when, as in the instance of the Church here, the soul may be at a loss where to find her Beloved. There may be, and there sometimes is, in the best of Christ’s disciples, darkness upon the mind from the persecution of the world, the temptations of Satan, and from the body of sin and death they carry about with them: but when Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, awakes anew this desire in the soul, these desires plainly prove that the grace of the Lord Jesus remains unextinguished.
In the next place, we may observe the unanswerable strength of the arguments the Church makes use of to prevail with Jesus. He is her Beloved; and she is in extreme need. Reader! it is a precious testimony in the soul, when, like Peter, amidst the numberless circumstances of unworthiness which are in me, I can still say, Lord! thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. And shall one that loves Jesus, be as one that loves him not? Shall I be in doubt like others, that know thee not; whether I am thine, or not? Shall I, whom thou hast betrothed to thyself as thy spouse, be regarded as if I was an harlot? Shall it be thought by others that are turned aside, and who are not of thy fold, that I am like one of them? Oh! show me where thou feedest, where this flock is; that, like a lamb of it, I may be found among thy fold, and fed from thine own hand, and brought under thine own eye and care.
There is a very great beauty in this character of the Lord Jesus,
considered in his pastoral office, in which the Church here beholds him. And if the Reader hath not been much accustomed to consider Jesus under this character and office, I shall rejoice, if the reference to him, which the Church makes in this most interesting point of view, should call up his attention. Through the whole of the eventful history of the Church, from the very first forming of it, to the ministry of Jesus at his incarnation, the Lord seems to have been pleased that his people should consider him under this character: hence one of the sacred writers cries out, Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock: thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Psa 80:1 . And as if God our Father meant to hold him forth to his people in a yet more endearing point of view, it is remarkable that he is called God’s Shepherd. See Zec 13:7 . And that his people might know him as such, as suited to all their wants and circumstances, he is expressly distinguished under the various names of the great Shepherd, Heb 13:20 ; the good Shepherd, Joh 10:11 ; the chief Shepherd, 1Pe 5:4 , and the like; intimating that he is exactly suited to every case of his flock. His greatness becomes their security for all things: his goodness, never to let them want: his sovereignty, and being the only One, implies that every other is unnecessary. And as the Father’s Shepherd, coming in his name, appointed by his authority, all his acts are valid, and his sheep cannot but be eternally secure. They shall never perish, nor any pluck them out of his hand; because his Father gave them, who is greater than all, and none can pluck them out of his Father’s hand. I saith Jesus, and my Father are One. Joh 10:28-30 .
I stay not to particularize the many precious things folded up in this one character of Jesus: I only refer the Reader to the several passages in his sacred
word, which confirm this glorious truth: and I beg of him, to read the same with attention; and form, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, his opinion of their importance. Joh 10:16-18 ; Psa 23 ; Eze 34
throughout. Heb 13:20 .
But beside the character of Jesus as a Shepherd, We must notice the office also belonging to our dear Lord, of feeding. Tell me (saith the Church) where thou feedest. Now this is a most delightful feature in the portrait of Jesus. It was prophesied of him before his coming, that he should feed his flock like a Shepherd. Isa 40:11 . And it is affirmed of him after his return to glory, that he is the Lamb in the midst of the throne to feed his Church. Rev 7:17 . So that this act of Christ is perpetual. And if we take into our consideration what is evidently implied in feeding, we shall discover that it intends everything necessary to be done for the welfare of his flock. It is the office of the Shepherd, not only to provide pasture, but to protect from rapine; not only to guard the weak, but to restore wanderers, to heal the diseased, to search and seek out those that are scattered in the dark and cloudy day; or as Jesus most graciously expresses it himself: To seek that which was lost, and bring back again that which was driven away: to bind up that which was broken, and strengthen that which was sick. Eze 34:16 . Reader! have you ever considered your Almighty Shepherd under this sweet character? Have you yourself experienced the tenderness of your Shepherd? Do you know him, of going in and out before you in the pastures of his holy word, in the ordinances of worship, and in the gracious services of his house of prayer? Do you know him in his voice, in seasons of wandering, in his watchings over you like the Shepherd of Bethlehem in right seasons; in his deliverance of you from the lion’s dens, and the mountains of the leopards. Oh! the preciousness of knowing the Redeemer under this endearing character! The sheep of Christ, who are the objects of his care, can best describe what is implied in this one feature of their Lord’s love towards them. The office of a Shepherd is distinguished in the freeness and graciousness of his love. Though the sheep fail in their obedience, Jesus never fails in his love. It is his own grace, not our desert, which becomes the rule of his conduct. Frequently the poor silly sheep is unconscious of his wants and weaknesses; but doth the Shepherd wait to be informed? Is it needful that they should cry before he relieves? Oh! no. Their need affords the opportunity for the display of his grace; and his own love is the sole motive of all his mercy and tenderness towards them. Precious Shepherd of thy blood-bought sheep! the flock of slaughter? how delightful is it to my soul, that the needy as well as the full, the distressed as well as the strong, the wandering as well as the restored, are the peculiar objects of thy care. I have gone astray, dear Lord, like a sheep that is lost: O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments. Psa 119:176 .
But we must not stop here. The Lord Jesus not only feeds his flock like a shepherd; but in the act of feeding, the food with which he feeds them, infinitely surpasseth all other sustenance: for he not only feeds them in his ordinances, by the ministry of his word, with the discoveries of his grace, the precious nourishment of the gospel; but he himself gives them to eat of the hidden manna, the bread of life, even his own body and blood, which is meat and drink indeed. And his language is, Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Reader! doth not your very soul cry out, in the contemplation of this unequalled love of the Lord Jesus, Lord! evermore give me this bread. Joh 6:27-58 . Oh! dearest, merciful, gracious Redeemer! feed my soul with the manifestations of thy glory – give me to see what thou art in thyself, what thou art to thy people, what thou hast done for thy Church, and what relation thou standest in to them! Feed my soul with the communications of thy love – let my soul live upon thee in thy pardoning, refreshing, renewing, strengthening, confirming grace. And let the consolation of thy Holy Spirit become the perpetual nourishment of my soul, when, in all his blessed offices, he is taking of thine, and showing unto me.
There is another point to be considered in this delightful verse; and that is the question of the Church: Where Jesus feeds, and where he causeth his flock to rest at noon? by which we may observe, that it is not enough for the seeking soul to know how, and with what sweet and suitable food the Great Shepherd supplies the necessities of his flock, but where the seeking soul is to come. To this the answer is direct: wherever the pure and unadulterated gospel is preached, and gospel ordinances are faithfully administered, there the Redeemer hath promised his presence, wherever two or three are met in his name. Mat 18:20 . There he will be found of them that seek him. And also under the noon of persecution, the noon of temptation, the noon of affliction, or any other season of trial, like the scorching heat of a sultry day, in a dry and barren land, where no water is; there Jesus hath his resting places, and deeply exercised souls may find a sweet resting place in him, through the everlasting covenant love, and faithfulness of the Father; the justifying blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; and the powerful efficacy, strength, and aid of God the Holy Ghost. This is the rest (saith the Prophet, in allusion to all these grand things) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing; Isa 28:12 . Reader! do you seek with the Church to the Great Shepherd for this resting place? Here set up thy rest in the faithfulness of Jehovah, against all the accusations of conscience, the charges of Satan, the arrest of justice, and the curse of God’s broken law. This is what my soul would plead, in the double plea, of the sovereign grace of God the Father’s covenant love, and God the Redeemer’s justifying blood and righteousness: and sure I am, as Job justly argued; God will not plead against me with his great power, when he hath put the strength of his own salvation in me. There, in Jesus’s finished work, the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered forever from my Judge. There can be no ground for fear of a condemnation from God the Father; while my soul stands clothed and justified before him in the appointed and approved righteousness of God the Son. See Job 23:6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Son 1:7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy flock] to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
Ver. 7. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth. ] The sins of God’s elect turn to their good – Venenum aliquando pro remedio fuit, saith Seneca, a poison is by art turned into a medicine – make them cry more upon Christ, love him more with all their soul, desire more earnestly to be joined unto him, use all holy means of attaining thereunto; and that with such affection, that when others are at their rest or repast, the Christian can neither eat nor rest, unless he be with Christ.
Where thou feedest.
For why should I be as one that turneth aside,
By the flock of thy companions.
a De Benef., lib. ii. cap. 18.
b Scultet. Annal.
c .
d Sozom., lib. vii. cap. 7.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Tell me, &c. Again soliloquizing. See Structure above.
soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
feedest = shepherdest. This cannot refer to Solomon!
rest = lie down.
turneth aside = strayeth, or wandereth.
by = to, or among.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
3.
The footsteps of the flock
Son 1:7-11
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
I direct your attention to just three things in these verses. These three things ought to be matters of great concern to all who read these lines.
1. A question asked
In verse seven a question is asked. Here it is the Bride, the Church, speaking to him whom her soul loves, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every word, every syllable of this question is worthy of our careful meditation.Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon. That question expresses an intense longing for Christs manifest presence. Do we know anything about this? Is there in our souls an intense longing to be in the sweet fellowship of Christ?
It is both wise and comforting to Gods people to flee to Christ in every time of need (Heb 4:16). The ungodly rush to and fro in search of help and peace. They find no real consolation anywhere. But the believing heart flies as naturally to Christ as the rabbit does to its den. In him alone can we find refuge for our souls.
Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee:
Leave, oh leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
We have much which causes us to blush with shame before our beloved Savior. We are black with sin. We labor too much for the cares of this world. We are terribly neglectful both of our Lord and our own souls. Still, though we are so full of evil, and so unworthy of his grace, we must cling to Christ. He is all we have and all we want. Indeed, this is the very reason why we must cling to him!
We must never let our sins keep us from Christ. Under a sense of sin, do not run from him, but rather run to him. Sin may well drive us away from Moses and Mt. Sinai, but it ought to draw us to Christ and Mt. Calvary. Christ will not reject us because of our sin. He will not deal with us harshly when we run into his arms. Rather, he will comfort and protect all who do.
Notice the spirit in which this question is asked. It is not, O thou whom my soul believes in. That would be true; but she has gone further. It is not, O thou whom my soul honors. That is true, too; but she has passed beyond that stage. Nor is it merely, O thou whom my soul trusts and obeys. She is doing that; but she uses warmer and more tender language than that. Her soul is full of fire and enthusiasm. She says, Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth.
This question arises from a heart of love for Christ. Whatever she may feel herself to be, she knows that she loves him. She is black and ashamed of herself, but still she loves her Bridegroom. She has not kept her own vineyard as she should have. She knows that and acknowledges it. Still, she loves him. She loves him as she loves no one else in all the world. Only Christ could claim such a title as this – Thou whom my soul loveth. No one in all the world can be compared to him. He has no rival. He is the Lord of every believers heart. He is the monarch of our affections.
Our love, to be sure, is not worthy of him, but we love him supremely and we love him intensely. It is this love for Christ which governs our hearts and motivates our lives (2Co 5:14). Others serve by the rigorous rule of the law. The believer serves Christ from a heart of love. Settle this matter in your own heart. Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? (1Co 16:22).Do you serve him out of fear? Do you serve him because of your desire for gain? Or, do you serve him because you love him?
This question is addressed to Christ himself. Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon. She goes directly to him. She desires to have him speak directly to her heart. We love to hear the gospel. We love to read the gospel message. But the thing we desire is to hear it from Christ himself. If he will but speak the Word directly to our hearts by the power of his Spirit, then our souls shall be fed and refreshed.
Now, look at the question itself. She desires to know where Christ is and where he feeds his flock, where he meets with and refreshes his people. Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.What is the bread with which the Son of God feeds his peoples souls? It is the gospel of Gods free and sovereign grace in him (sovereign election, effectual redemption, free justification, absolute forgiveness, immutable grace, and everlasting love (Jer 6:16).What are those promises by which the Lord Jesus comforts and refreshes his own in the heat of the day? They are sure, covenant promises which are yea and amen in him.
2. An argument urged
Being in earnest about her soul and her Beloved, the Bride is not content merely to raise a question. She presses for an answer, urging her question with an argument.For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
John Gill suggested that these companions are not real companions of Christ, But false friends, hypocrites and heretics, rivals with him, who set up schemes of worship and doctrine in opposition to his. He was probably right. Satan is a wise and crafty enemy to our souls. He knows that we are not likely to turn aside and follow men who openly oppose Christ. Therefore, he makes his ministers the ministers of righteousness (self-righteousness). We are ever pressed to turn aside from Christ to pursue this or that.
There are many pretended companions of Christ, who allure our souls. There has always been an abundance of false teachers and those who follow them. Some have been turned aside from worship in the spirit to religious ritualism. Others have been turned aside from looking to Christ alone for righteousness to a legal righteousness of their own making. Some have turned aside from free grace to free will, from the gospel of Christ to Arminianism. Many are turned from Christ by pressure from husband or wife. There are many who turn aside from the gospel of Christ to provide religious toys for their children. Many are turned aside from the simplicity of Christ crucified to search out deeper things: church order, prophetic mysteries, and Bible codes. Multitudes are turning aside to legalism. They leave Christ for Moses. They forsake Calvary for Sinai. They turn from grace to law.
Be warned! – Satan does not care what you turn to, so long as you turn from Christ. If he can get you to leave Christ for anything, he has won the day. Why should we be as those who turn aside by the flocks of Christs pretended companions, when we can walk with Christ himself? It grieves me to see any leave Christ, turning aside to follow something or someone other than Christ. But why should we be turned aside from him?
When the multitudes turned and walked no more with Christ, he turned to his disciples and said, Will ye also go away? With Peter we must answer, why should we be turned aside unto the flocks of thy companions? Lord, to whom shall we go? We have found all that we need and desire in him.
Why should we turn aside by the flocks of others and miss his fellowship? There may be reason for others to leave him, but not for us. His rich, free, eternal, redeeming love has bound us hand and foot, so that we cannot leave him.
If it should ever come to pass that the local church or denomination of which you are a member turns aside from Christ, you will be wise to turn aside from that church and denomination (Rev 18:4); but do not turn aside from Christ. Why should we leave him (Luk 22:35)? Is there anything your soul needs that you do not find in him in infinite abundance? Is not his pardon sufficient? Is his righteousness not enough? Is there another comforter to compare to his Spirit? Is anyone or anything more effectual to reprove our sin and unbelief, or to motivate our hearts?
Let us endeavor to live in fellowship with Christ himself. We seek not the blessings of his hand, but the presence of his person. It is good to have the truth of Christ; but it is better to have Christ himself. If we miss his fellowship, if we turn aside from him, his truth will have no aroma. If we lose fellowship with Christ, we will have the standard, but not the Standard Bearer. We might have the candlestick, but there will be no light upon it. If we miss the fellowship of Christ, will we not be stripped of our strength, our joy, and our comfort?
Let us take up this prayer and make it our own.Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
Thou, O Christ, art all I want!
More than all in Thee I find!
3. An answer obtained
She asked him where he fed, where he made his flock to rest at noon. And now the Lord Jesus replies to his beloved Bride. He speaks in love to comfort her heart and assure her.
First, the Lord tells us how beautiful his people are in his eyes (Son 1:8-11). In our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, we are black and scornful. But in his eyes we are fair and comely. I would rather trust his eyes than my eyes. If my eyes tell me that I am black, I will weep. But if he assures me that I am fair in his eyes, I will believe him and rejoice. This is what the Son of God says to all who are washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and united to him by faith.O thou fairest among women,I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
Christ sees us in the beauty of his own imputed righteousness and declares that we are perfectly beautiful (Eze 16:13-14).
In thy Surety thou art free.
His dear hands were pierced for thee:
With his spotless garments on,
Were as holy as Gods own Son!
Christ does not exaggerate the beauty of his people. In him we are perfectly beautiful and gloriously complete, so much so that we may confidently exclaim, Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect? This is not only what we shall be, experimentally, when he is finished with us (Eph 5:25-27). This is what we are in him now!
In this passage (Son 1:9-11), our Lord uses a well known picture of royal beauty to typify the beauty of his people in him. He compares us to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Each one is specially chosen, very costly, exceedingly beautiful, and very strong. Next, he shows how he has adorned us by his grace, with rows of jewelsThe graces of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22), and chains of goldThe blessings of graces in him (Eph 1:3-14). Then, he tells us what will yet be done for us.We (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. This is obviously symbolic, picturing our everlasting bliss and glory with Christ in the heavenly Jerusalem (Isa 54:11-12; Rev 21:18-21).
Now, look at the Lords answer to our question. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents (vv.7-8).
Here is his word of instruction for our hearts.Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents. He tells us where to find him, where to find food and rest and refreshment for our souls. If you would find Christ, you will find him in the way of the holy prophets, in the way of the patriarchs, and in the way of the apostles. Follow the footsteps of the flock, feed by the tents of his shepherds, and you may find him.
What are the footsteps of the flock? They are the paths in which Gods people have always walked. They are the paths of the Lords sheep. They are not hard to find. They are plain and clear. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked in these paths. These are the paths of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Peter, James, John, and Paul followed these paths. Let us walk in them, too. The footsteps of the flock are the path of faith and trust, submission and obedience, righteousness and godliness, love and kindness, and doctrinal truth (Jer 6:16).
Who are these shepherds, by whose tents we must feed? There are many in these days who have set themselves up as shepherds, who feed their sheep in poisonous pastures. Keep away from them. Do not follow a man. Do not cling to a church. Find a man who is preaching the gospel of Christ, and feed by his tent. The church where the gospel is preached is the shepherds tent. The man who is preaching the gospel is one of Christs shepherds (Jer 3:15). Find a man who is like Paul, Determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified, and you can safely feed by his tent. Those who are the true servants of Christ preach Christ, they preach all of Christ, and they preach nothing but Christ.
Let others turn aside if they must to the empty cisterns of religious philosophy. We have found a refreshing fountain of life in Christ himself, and we have found rich pastures for our souls in these blessed doctrines of the gospel.
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
Separated Lovers
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,
Where thou feedest thy flock, where thou makest it to rest at noon:
For why should I be as one that is veiled
Beside the flocks of thy companions?Son 1:7
1. The popular poetry of Israel would be a blank had there not been handed down to us the beautiful poem, springing out of the very life of the people, which is named The Song of Songs. This exquisite production reveals to us that, while the poetic genius of the Hebrew nation soared to its highest flights in the expression of religious emotion, there were also poets capable of giving utterance in song to the most universal of all human emotions. The Sacred Canon abounds in writings which view the religious aspect of human life in manifold ways, but the reader may be thankful that one piece has been included which gives lyric expression to what has inspired poets in every age and every country. Old Testament literature would have been incomplete without this poem of human love.
From indications contained in the poem itself, we can easily see the drift of the story which lies behind it, and on the basis of which it develops its action. The little town of Shunem (now called Solam) in the tribe of Issachar, five miles from Mount Tabor, lying among the mountains which overlook the fruitful plain of Jezreel, was the home of the heroine, the girl from Shulem (l and n being interchangeable in Hebrew). To the north and east the roads lead to the Galilean mountain region full of variegated charms, to the lordly Tabor and the beautiful shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. South and west the prospect extends over the once richly cultivated highland of Ephraim and the noble wooded headland of Carmel, falling into the Western Sea. Not far away at Baal-hamon, King Solomon had a large and profitable vineyard. In this little town of Shulem lived a family comprising a mother, an only daughter, and two brothers. The father is not mentioned and presumably was dead, since the brothers appear as the natural guardians of their sister. The family were possessors of vineyards and gardens. The girl was remarkable for beauty and grace, and possessed a fine voice. She had won and returned the love of a young farmer living not far away, the possessor of flocks of sheep. Their first happy meeting had taken place under an apple tree not far from the girls home, and joyful meetings had followed under overarching trees, and at other pleasant places of resort. The relation had been a happy and a pure one: he calls her sister betrothed, she thinks of him as like a brother. The brothers, however, anxious for their sisters honour, and disliking a relation somewhat opposed to Oriental strictness in such matters, sent her away from home, to be a watcher in the vineyards. The time was the early spring, and she had been long enough in this employment to be scorched by the sun. One day she had gone down to the nut-garden to observe the new growths of the spring, when her attention was caught by a glittering train, the chariots of a princes retinue, namely, King Solomon, with a large number of the ladies of his court. These ladies saw and admired the country beauty; she wished to withdraw, but was called back by the admiring ladies. What happened next is not told except in its unhappy sequel, The king has brought me into his apartments, and it is there we find her as the poem opens, longing to run away.
It will be seen that the poet presents here a most interesting complication to be unravelled in his poem. The king is set against the young farmer. Will the majesty of the king, the glory of his surroundings, his presents, and his flattering persuasions, and the praises of his court ladies, prevail against this country girl, or will she be able to resist these allurements and remain faithful to him whom her soul loves? Will her country lover have the devotion and courage to follow her to Jerusalem, seek out where she is detained, and find an opportunity of strengthening her resistance and animating her courage? Is the end to be that the Shulammite girl is to become one of the innumerable girls in a royal harem, or the honourable wife of a farmer in Galilee? The poet makes us feel that a moral issue is involved, and prepares us to follow with the liveliest sympathy the fate of the pure girl in her struggle against overwhelming odds.1 [Note: W. W. Canon.]
I have been told, by the friend to whom the interesting statement was made by the late Laureate, that Tennyson was so impressed by the literary beauty of the Canticle, and by its evident intention to represent the victory of a loyal human love over strong temptation, that he confessed his desire to write a dramatic work on the theme of the Song, which might help the English reading public to become better acquainted with the invaluable teaching of the Old Testament poem. In his West-stlicher Divan, Goethe also expresses his sense of the incomparable charm of the Canticle, which he characterizes as the most tender and inimitable poem that has come down to us of impassioned expression and graceful love. He laments the fragmentary nature of its poetry, but dwells with delight on the vivid glimpses it gives us of rural life and love in ancient Canaan. Its chief theme, he says, is the glowing mutual attraction of youthful hearts, which seek and find one another, separate and draw together again, in a manner absolutely unique. He confesses that he had often thought of doing something to bring out more clearly the meaning of this exquisite entanglement of songs, but deemed it best to leave the little piece with its own aroma of enigma and its uniqueness.2 [Note: H. Falconer, The Maid of Shulam, 11.]
2. Now, if the dramatic character of the Canticle is taken for granted, it may be asked, Did its author intend it to be read only as a story of human love? Did he not also mean it to be symbolical of spiritual things? To that question no certain answer can be made, though some considerations give to the affirmative reply a distinct colour of probability. Yet if the author intended only to tell the story of the Shulammites love, why should his intention hinder us from regarding that story as an apparent sign of things unapparent? Since the poem is part of the great unity of Scripture, it may well be typical, looking forward for its ultimate explanation to that full-orbed revelation of the Divine love which it is the purpose of Holy Scripture to reflect. A type so exquisite will help, not hinder, faith.
Saintly souls like George Bowen of Bombay, have declared that when their heart burned within them no Scripture was found so fit as the Canticle to express the fervour of their aspiration and communion with God. It were weakness on the part of Christian faith to waive its claim to a symbol so well adapted to its ends. Nothing in nature, says Emerson, is exhausted in its first use. When a thing has served an end to the uttermost, it is wholly new for an ulterior service. Air is given us to breathe, but who shall blame us if we also frame it into words that shall be airy servitors of the soul? Love is admirable for its own sake, but why should not a perfect human affection be to us a parable of the Love transcendent and immanent of which it is a manifestation? Whoso has felt the Spirit of the Highest should be quick to discern His presence and token in every lovely thing.1 [Note: H. Falconer, The Maid of Shulam, 30.]
The text, then, taken as the human analogy of a love that is Divine, suggests
I.The Ideal Shepherd of Men.
II.The Souls Longing for Fellowship with Him.
I
The Shepherd
1. The most mysterious figure in the Canticle is that of the Shepherd. He does not make his appearance through the whole course of the drama except in the trances of the Shulammite; and when in the last act he comes forward for one moment in company with her, it is only to ask her for a song, to hear her voice; then he vanishes. The dwelling-place of this mysterious being is no less aerial than himself. We must look for him amidst the gardens of balsam, the fields of lilies, and the spiced mountains. And his character is ideal as well as his dwelling-place. He has all the attributes that constitute perfection in the opinion of the Hebrews: perfect beauty, boundless liberty, absolute wisdom. It is through these qualities that he eclipses in the eyes of the Shulammite even the magnificence of Solomon; so much so, that one may truly say that the Shulammite loves in her shepherd the ideal and the prototype of her people.
But if we recognize this ideal character of the shepherd, we are compelled to go one step further. The Israelite ideal is not a mere idea; it is a living, a Divine Being. It is Jehovah Himself, the Being whose Name signifies not only He who is, but He who shall be, Jehovah manifesting Himself in this lower world, in order to realize in it the absolute good; it is God emerging from His condition of transcendence (as Elohim, or El-Shaddai), to draw near to the world, to unite Himself ever more closely with humanity, to make His appearance at last in person, in a human form, on the scene of history. This was the living ideal of the Israelitish consciousness, which it has pursued without intermission through all its trials, and which it can never give up without self-contradiction. This is the Shulammites beloved one. He it is who pastures His flock in the ethereal regions above these gross realities of terrestrial existence in which His loved one is still living; He it is who descends from time to time from these heights, and in prophetic visions appears to her who has given Him her heart; taking her, as it were, by surprise; He it is who loves her with a holy and austere love, offering her nothing for the gratification of the senses, but giving Himself to her with the most entire devotion; He it is who in return for His infinite condescension asks no more of her than the sound of her voice, the worship of the heart inspired by love.
The benediction pronounced by Jacob on Josephs two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, is perhaps the finest ever uttered by dying lips. Jacob puts into it his most thankful and joyful thoughts about God. He invokes Him as the God who has shepherded himself all his life longthe God of providence; as the Angel who has redeemed him from all evilthe God of grace; and he prays Him who has been all this and done all this to bless the lads. Jacobs Shepherd, who has been tending and leading and feeding him so long, will do just the same for the lambs of His flock. Our English Version misses something of the beauty of Jacobs words. The translation who hath fed me is too meagre. We need to say, who hath shepherded me. The same word is the keynote of the finest of all the Psalms: The Lord is my shepherd. It is a beautiful metaphor, which comes with an exquisite pathos and a profound significance from the lips of a dying shepherd. The poets of a later age could only echo his words: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. All the tender grace of the Old Testament religion is found in this lovely conception. It was not one man or two, but a whole nation that learned to believe in God as a Shepherd: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. No other ancient nation ever expected from God such loving care and unerring guidance, no other nation ever promised such meek submission and faithful following. And while the Hebrew temple and sacrifice and priesthood have passed away as the shadows of better things, the Hebrew thought of a Shepherd-God will live for ever.1 [Note: J. Strachan, Hebrew Ideals, ii. 147.]
2. The shepherd devotes himself to the sheep. He leads them to pasture in the morning and makes them lie down to rest at noon. In a true sense he gives his life daily for the flock. This pastoral image is one of singular beauty and force, and to an Oriental was even more powerful and suggestive than it is to us. Among us the connexion between a shepherd and his sheep is one of pecuniary interest. An English shepherd values his flock simply at its market value, and as a means of gain. But in the East the relation evokes higher and more generous feelings. The dumb, helpless creatures form a strong affection for the man who has often to risk his life for their safety. They are every moment exposed to danger, and may be swept away by some mountain torrent, carried off by hordes of robbers, or torn in pieces by wild beasts. The shepherd must be constantly on the watch against these foes, and must often climb high rocks and ford deep streams to preserve his flock alive. And the sheep cling to him with a feeling of trustfulness, follow him, and do not need, as our sheep need, to be driven. They are discontented and restless when he is out of their sight. He knows each of them by its special name; he calls out a name, and the sheep which bears it will run to his side. The love of the strong and willing protector is flashed back in the gratitude and trust of the protected. In the light of this fact we must interpret this Oriental image. Christ is the Good Shepherd, as shepherds are known in the East, whose sheep are the companions of their daily life, and are valued by them the more in proportion to the risks they have endured for them. The image calls to mind a love of infinite condescension and grace; a love which stoops from its lofty height in heaven and remembers us in our low estate; knows the name, the character, the trials, and the needs of each one of us; thinks for us, cares for us, dies for us, that we may be saved from our adversaries and guided to the heavenly Kingdom. This is a love which thinks of each separate sheep with a care as minute and a self-denial as complete as if there were no other need in all the vast universe to be supplied.
The sword in the world, the right eye plucked out, the right hand cut off, the spirit of reproach which those images express, and of which monasticism is the fulfilment, reflect one side only of the nature of the Divine missionary of the New Testament. Opposed to, yet blent with, this ascetic or militant character is the image of the Good Shepherdfavourite sacred image of the primitive churchserene, blithe, and debonair, beyond the gentlest shepherd of Greek mythology; the daily food of whose spirit is the beatific vision of the kingdom of peace among men. And this latter side of the Divine character of Christ, rightly understood, is the final achievement of that vein of bold and brilliant hopefulness in man which had sustained him so far through his immense labour, his immense sorrows; and of which that peculiarly Greek gaiety, in the handling of life, is but one manifestation. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, of these two contrasted aspects of the character of Christ have, in different ages and under the urgency of differing human needs, been at work also in His mystical body.1 [Note: Walter Pater, Marius the Epicurean.]
Christ feeds His people, says Cruden, by His word, grace, fulness, redemption, ordinances, providences; but no one of these can, of itself, make life stronger. We must stir up ourselves to meet them. The words of Scripture may simply encumber our memories, because we have not adventure of heart to lay hold upon them. There is an indolent and sulky habit of mind to which nothing seems right, just as there is a frank and eager attitude to which every new experience comes as a benediction.2 [Note: W. M. Macgregor, Some of Gods Ministries, 9.]
3. This shepherd seeks to develop character in his flock. For it is not sheep that God cares for first, and a great deal which might be imagined as to a shepherds work and way is out of all relation to the Divine guidance of men. Ye, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, says Ezekiel; and the difference is enormous when that is borne in mind. Sheep are to us the very pattern of creatures without judgment or foresight, and the whole business of managing them proceeds on that footing. They must be thought for, and guarded against their own folly, whilst men are best led by practising them in leading themselves, and sometimes they can be finally delivered from folly only by being permitted to taste their folly to the end. Sheep are driven on unknowing, whilst men have every moment to choose, decide, adventure for themselves. If it were possible, over any lengthened period, to have the life of a community ruled as sheep are, we should have, in the end, not men but sheephelpless, planless, characterless, a race destroyed. Sometimes an effort has been made to break away from this principle of life, and, as in the Jesuit rule, to put one man absolutely in the hands of another, the passive instrument of his will, perinde ut cadaver: but such experiments have never worked for good. Both human nature and the thought of God the Shepherd are clean against them.
Jowett says, We should speak of conscience, duty, obligation, not of development and evolution; because we desire to strengthen that side of man which raises him above nature, not that which identifies him with it. And the real glory of God the Shepherd can only be seen when we do justice to our human liberty. An absolutist God would have nothing but a race of puppets, and thus He would be a little God; but our God is a great God, and His creatures are men; and the wisdom by which He guides them, in their liberty, is a wisdom that is inexhaustible.1 [Note: W. M. Macgregor, Some of Gods Ministries, 7.]
We find our outside world by acting always as if it were there, assuming that it is what it professes to be; and by finding our action always justified by results. And in the moral sphere it is the same. We act here as though we were morally free agents, able to choose between good and evil, and we find that the moral system responds to our action. It justifies our faith. The moral struggle assures us that we are not machines, but free agents, creating our character by a moral volition. By doing, we reach the conviction of a world above nature, a world of the inner life, whose laws are other than those of force and necessityabove them, using them for its higher ends. In our contact with the visible world, as in our contact with the invisible, we live by faith. For action is simply faith in operation. It were impossible except for a belief in the truth of things; and it is rewarded by the response which all things, visible and invisible, make to it. So long as we strive we believe, and so long as we believe we strive. It is, in fact, in doing things that we create ourselves. Action is the proof, the declaration of our freedom. By it we bring into being something that was never in the world beforeour character, our personality. And when, in the exercise of our free volition, in obedience to the inner call of the spirit, we go on choosing the good, we find in the act itself the assurance of a foothold in a higher realm, a possession there, from which no reasoning can shake us, for it is rooted in the deeps of consciousness. We know ourselves as of a kingdom of the Unseen, whose laws are above those of matter, and whose possessions are secure from all material assault.1 [Note: J. Brierley, Religion and To-Day, 258.]
II
The Cry for Fellowship
1. The thought of the shepherd awakens the passionate love of the soul. As there are attributes in God which fill us with a sense of reverence and awe, which command our homage, and vindicate our faith and submission, so there are others which appeal directly to our love; and in view of His condescension, long-suffering, and self-sacrifice, it is impossible not to feel the glow of a responsive affection. Our nature is so framed that in the presence of certain objects it inevitably displays certain feelings. There are correspondences between the world without and the world within. One class of objects is fitted to awaken our admiration, our approval and delight; another class creates a sense of aversion and disgust. To be true, to be just and upright, is to have affections which truth, justice, and integrity call into play whenever we are brought into contact with them; as there are other affections which are inevitably awakened by gentleness, compassion, and generosity. If we are brought into contact with these qualities as they exist in men, the feelings which correspond with them are at once arousedwe admire, revere, and love. Can such feelings, then, be dormant when we apprehend these high qualities as they exist in God, when He who possesses these attributes of truth, righteousness, and mercy in an infinite degree reveals them to us?
Bishop Butler, who was certainly no enthusiast, and who looked at every subject in the dry light of the intellect, is yet filled with intense emotion as he discourses of the love of God. Love, reverence, desire, and esteemevery faculty, every affectiontends towards, and is employed about, its respective object in common cases; and must the exercise of men be suspended with regard to Him alone who is an object, an infinitely more than adequate object, to our most exalted faculties, Him of whom and through whom and to whom are all things? It cannot be. To suppress such feelings, in the presence of the majesty and condescension of God, would be to violate our nature and reduce ourselves below the level of Man 1:1 [Note: J. Stuart.]
2. The soul naturally seeks the presence of the shepherd. Tell me where thou feedest thy flock. It is a perfectly legitimate thing to desire a close, personal intimacy with our Saviour. We may without presumption aspire to dwell in the light of His countenance, to receive the choicest gifts of His grace, to be nourished and refreshed in His pastures. There is no virtue in spiritual timidity. High and holy aspirations are not Pharisaical conceit. We ought not to be contented with a dwarfed and maimed Christianity, with an imperfect righteousness or a disturbed peace. The poorest man that lives has a perfect right to open the doors and windows of his house to the light of the sun and to the fresh and healthy atmosphere. In everything we should seek to attain the highest and to do the best. And if Christ is a Saviour at all, we ought to desire His best and choicest blessings. If He welcomes us in our sin and sorrow, He will not spurn our endeavours to be always near Him. Rather does He bid us follow Him and so act, in obedience to His commands, that His love may be manifested in us, and that we may know whom we have believed.
I am in no doubt whatever of the loving intention of the Father to me, His very frail and wilful child. Sin and doubt and fear very often overcome me, and I know how little reason I give to others to be recognized as a Christian; but I do recognize Christ as my Lord and master, and would keep His will, if I could; and though I go astray like a sheep that is lost, I do indeed know that my Shepherd follows me and seeks me; I discern Him moving towards the dawn; His hand guides me, puts aside the thorny branches through which I could not press, leads me beside the waters of comfort. I can dare to be joyful beneath His eye. I do not know what the end will be, or what eager energy of life lies beyond the dark river; but I am redeemed and fed, and shall some day be satisfied!2 [Note: A. C. Benson, Thy Rod and Thy Staff, 95.]
3. In seeking the shepherds fellowship, the heart can present a powerful plea. Why should I be as one that is veiled (or, possibly, one that wanders) beside the flocks of thy companions? This image must be interpreted in the light of Oriental customs. The shepherds are often found in companies, and go forth from the city with their flocks massed together as if they formed but one. Then, when they are clear of the city, they take each a separate path, call their sheep after them, and go to their own pastures. There are, therefore, several flocks tended each by its own shepherd. But there is only one flock to which the Hebrew maiden could repair, one shepherd to whom she belonged; and she desired to hear his voice and follow him. The flocks of his companions have necessarily to be regarded as alien and even rival flocks, with which she has no right to associate. Her question is, Why should I be as one that turneth aside by these alien flocks; asking for thee, as if I were a wanderer and a deserter; under a temptation to desert thee, and to be seized upon as prey by others? Tell me where thou feedest, that I may dwell with thee, and may be known as thine.
In actual life other lords than Christ claim to rule over us. There are rivals to His throne, usurpers of His honour, who promise to us pleasure and delight in the pursuits of sin and worldliness; or assure us that we do not need the aid of Christs mediatorial work and supernatural revelation; that we cannot know God as He is here declared; that we need only follow the guidance of reason and of common sense; that science, philosophy, and political economy are adequate means of instruction, and set before us the whole duty of man; that the idea of personal fellowship with God is a chimera; that the aim of life is pleasure or profit, and that it is folly to spend our thought in care for the future. There are intellectual and social influences at work around us, some of them apparently harmless, which are profoundly hostile to the reign of Christ in our souls; and we can be kept free from subjection to these only by living in the spirit of the prayer of our text, and having that prayer answered. We need the personal guidance of our Lord: Why should I be as one that turneth aside?not knowing where to find Thee, and being compelled to ask others, as perchance they reproach me, Where is now thy God?
When Tigranes and his wife were both taken prisoners by Cyrus, Cyrus turning to Tigranes said, What will you give for the liberation of your wife? and the king answered, I love my wife so that I would cheerfully give up my life if she might be delivered from servitude; whereupon Cyrus said that if there was such love as that between them they might both go free. So when they were away and many were talking about the beauty and generosity of Cyrus, and especially about the beauty of his person, Tigranes, turning to his wife, asked her what she thought of Cyrus, and she answered that she saw nothing anywhere but in the face of the man who had said that he would die if she might only be released from servitude. The beauty of the man, she said, makes me forgot all others. And verily we would say the same of Jesus. We would not decry the angels, nor think ill of the saints, but the beauties of that Man who gave His life for us are so great that they have eclipsed others, and our soul only wishes to see Him and not another.1 [Note: C. H. Spurgeon.]
Long did I toil, and knew no earthly rest;
Far did I rove, and found no certain home:
At last I sought them in His sheltering breast,
Who opes His arms, and bids the weary come.
With Him I found a home, a rest divine;
And I since then am His, and He is mine.
Yes, He is mine! and nought of earthly things,
Not all the charms of pleasure, wealth, or power,
The fame of heroes, or the pomp of kings,
Could tempt me to forego His love an hour.
Go, worthless world, I cry, with all thats thine!
Go! I my Saviours am, and He is mine.
The good I have is from His stores supplied:
The ill is only what He deems the best.
He for my friend, Im rich with nought beside;
And poor without Him, though of all possessed.
Changes may comeI take, or I resign,
Content, while I am His, while He is mine.2 [Note: H. F. Lyte, Poems Chiefly Religious, 75.]
Literature
Cannon (W. W.), The Song of Solomon , 2.
Falconer (H.), The Maid of Shulam.
Godet (G.), Biblical Studies: Old Testament, 265.
Lepper (C. W.), The Bridegroom and His Bride, 35.
Macduff (J. R.), The Shepherd and His Flock, 205.
Marston (A. W.), Joined to the Lord, 32.
Rainsford (M.), The Song of Solomon, 33.
Spurgeon (C. H.), New Park Street Pulpit, vi. (1860), No. 338.
Spurgeon (C. H.), Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, xi. (1865), No. 636; xix. (1873), No. 1115.
Stuart (J.), Church and Home, 140.
Christian Age, xxvii. 116 (T. de W. Talmage).
Fuente: The Great Texts of the Bible
O thou: Son 2:3, Son 3:1-4, Son 5:8, Son 5:10, Son 5:16, Psa 18:1, Psa 116:1, Isa 5:1, Isa 26:9, Mat 10:37, Joh 21:17, 1Pe 1:8, 1Pe 2:7
thou feedest: Gen 37:16, Psa 23:1, Psa 23:2, Psa 80:1, Isa 40:11, Mic 5:4, Joh 10:11, Joh 10:28, Joh 10:29, Rev 7:17
for: 1Sa 12:20, 1Sa 12:21, Psa 28:1, Joh 6:67-69, 1Jo 2:19
turneth aside: or, is veiled, Col 3:14-18
Reciprocal: Gen 29:2 – there Gen 29:9 – Rachel Exo 33:13 – show Rth 2:8 – neither Rth 2:21 – Thou shalt Pro 2:20 – General Pro 13:20 – that Son 2:16 – he Son 6:2 – feed Son 8:13 – the companions Jer 6:16 – Stand Jer 50:6 – have forgotten Eze 34:15 – General Luk 12:32 – little Joh 1:38 – Rabbi Joh 8:32 – ye shall Act 17:4 – some Act 20:28 – all 1Co 16:22 – love 1Pe 2:25 – the Shepherd
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Son 1:7. Tell me, &c. Notwithstanding all these discouragements and afflictions, which I suffer for thy sake, and for my love to thee. Being reproached and persecuted by others, I flee to thee, O my only refuge and joy, and beg direction and help from thee; where thou feedest thy flock Discover to me which is thy true church, and which are those assemblies and people where thou art present. This is the request of particular believers. Where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon In the heat of the day, when the shepherds, in those hot countries, used to lead their flocks into shady places. Whereby he means the time of persecution, when it is hard to discover the true church, because she is deformed by it, and because she is obscured and driven into the wilderness. Why should I be as one that turneth aside? Or a wanderer, or vagabond; like a neglected and forlorn creature, exposed both to censure and danger. By the flocks of thy companions The assemblies of corrupt teachers and worshippers. These she calls Christs companions, because they profess the name of Christ, and their conjunction with him in Gods worship.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:7 Tell me, {n} O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy flock] to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of {o}
thy companions?
(n) The spouse feeling her fault flees to her husband only for comfort.
(o) Whom you have called to the dignity of pastors, and they set forth their own dreams instead of your doctrine.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Solomon probably was not a shepherd. Ancient Near Eastern love poems commonly pictured men as shepherds. [Note: Deere, p. 1013.] The girl simply wanted to be alone with Solomon. If she could not, she would be very sad, like a woman who veiled her face in mourning.
"The girl is saying that she does not want to be mistaken for a cult prostitute, a good picture of which is seen in Gen 38:13-15." [Note: Kinlaw, p. 1218.]