Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 2:16
My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his: he feedeth among the lilies.
16. This verse is addressed by the bride to her companions within the house, or is spoken in a loving rapture to herself. Some however think that it is sung to the lover.
he feedeth among the lilies ] Rather, as in R.V., He feedeth his flock among the lilies. It may also be rendered, the shepherd among the lilies, the shepherd standing in apposition to the ‘him’ involved in ‘his.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Son 2:16
My Beloved is mine, and I am His.
The interest of Christ and His people in each other
The Church says concerning her Lord, My beloved is mine and I am His. No ifs, no buts. The two sentences are solemn assertions. Not I hope, I trust, I think; but, my Beloved is mine, and I am His. Yes, but you will say, the Church must then have been gazing upon her Husbands face; it must have been a season of peculiar enjoyment with Him, when she could speak thus. Nay, nay; the Church, when she thus spake, was in darkness; for in the very next verse she cries–Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bather.
I. I am my beloveds, and my beloved is therefore mine.
1. I am my Beloveds. Glorious assertion! I am His by the Fathers gift. But I am my Beloveds, if I be a believer, because of Jesus Christs purchase of me. But more than this, I am my Beloveds, for I am His by conquest. He fought for me, and He won me, let Him possess me. Besides this, every true believer can add, I am my Beloveds by a gracious surrender. With full consent I give myself to Thee. We have seen how we came to be our Beloveds, let us inquire in what sense we are so now. We are his, first of all, by a near affinity that never can be sundered. Christ is the head; we are His members. Further than this; we, are our Beloveds by a most affectionate relationship. He is the husband, believers are the spouse. I am my Beloveds by an indissoluble connection, just as a child is the property of his father.
2. The second sentence in order of time is, My Beloved is mine. Ah! you very poor men and women, you who could not call one foot of land your own! If you can say, My Beloved is mine, you have greater wealth than Croesus ever knew, or than a miser ever dreamed. But how is my Beloved mine? He is mine, because He gave Himself to me of old. But besides that, our Beloved is not only ours by His own gift, which is the bottom of all, but He is ours by a graciously completed union. I in them, and Thou in Me; for thus the union stands. Again: Christ is ours personally. We sometimes speak of severally and jointly. Well, then, Christ is ours jointly; but He is ours severally too. Christ is as much yours, however mean you may be, as though He did not belong to another man living. He is all mine, all yours; personally mine, personally yours. Oh that we could realize this fact! And, then again, Christ is always ours. He is never more ours at one time, and less ours at another. The moment we believe in Him we may know our perfect and invariable right to Christ–a right which depends not upon the changes of the hour, or upon the temperature of our frames and feelings, but upon those two immutable things wherein it is impossible for God to lie.
II. I shall now take the text in the order in which it is given to us, which is the order of our experience. Do you not see, that to a mans experience Gods order is reversed? We begin thus: My Beloved is mine. I go to Him, take Him up in the arms of my faith, as Simeon took up the little Child in the temple, and pressing Him to my heart, I say: Jesus, Thou art mine. All unholy and unclean, I nevertheless obey Thy command; I believe Thee; I take Thee at Thy word; I trust my soul wholly with Thee; Thou art mine, and my soul can never part with Thee. What next? Why, then the soul afterwards says: Now I am Thine, tell me what Thou wouldst have me do. Jesus, let me abide with Thee. Lord, I would follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest; put me on any service; dictate to me any commandment; tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do to glorify Thee? Christ is mine–this is faith. I am His–this is good works. Christ is mine: that is the simple way in which the soul is saved. I am Christs: that is the equally simple method by which salvation displays itself in its practical fruits. Gods commands require obedience, and it is essential that every servant be found faithful. Whatever Jesus bids us do, if it save us not from anything else, at any rate the fulfilment of it will save us from the sin of being disobedient to Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The reciprocal interest of Christ and His people
I. Every real Christian may say, Christ is mine.
1. There are five different ways in which anything may become ours.
(1) By formation, or production. In this way the articles which we construct, and the fruits of the earth which our labour produces, become ours.
(2) By purchase, or exchange. In this way we obtain many things which were previously the property of others.
(3) By inheritance. In this manner we become possessed of the property of deceased relatives.
(4) By conquest. In this manner many things are acquired, especially by sovereign princes.
(5) By gift. In this manner whatever is bestowed on us by the generosity of others, becomes our property.
2. Among all these ways, there is only one in which Christ can become ours.
(1) He is given to them by His Father.
(2) Christ gives Himself to His people.
II. Christ is the property of all true Christians, so, all Christians are his.
1. They are His by creation; for by Him and for Him they were created.
2. They are His by inheritance; for we are told that the Father hath appointed Him heir of all things.
3. They are His by purchase; for He has bought them, bought them with His own blood.
4. Christians are the property of Christ by right of conquest.
5. They become His by gift.
(1) They are given to Him by His Father (Joh 17:6).
(2) All true Christians have voluntarily given themselves to Christ.
Conclusion:
1. From this subject you may learn something of the worth and interest of the Christians portion.
2. We may learn from our subject to whom this incomparable gift belongs; who it is that without presumption may say, Christ is mine. Every man may say this who can with truth repeat the other part of our text, who can truly say, Christ is my beloved, and I am His property.
3. From this subject you may learn the extent of your duty. I am Christs are words easily said, but the engagements which they imply are not so easily fulfilled. If we are His, we are no longer our own. If we are His, then everything that we possess is His–our time, our possessions, our strength, our influence, our powers of body and faculties of mind, all are His, and must be consecrated to His service and glory; and if we love Him supremely, they will he so, for the whole man ever follows the heart.
4. How great are the privileges which result from an ability to say, Christ is mine. If Christ is yours, then all that He possesses is yours. Its power is yours to defend you, His wisdom and knowledge are yours to guide you, His righteousness is yours to justify you, His Spirit and grace are yours to sanctify you, His heaven is yours to receive you.
5. From this subject you may learn what is the nature of the ordinance which you are about to celebrate, and what you are about to do at the Lords table. In this ordinance we give ourselves to Christ, and He gives Himself to us. (E. Payson, D. D.)
My Beloved is mine
What I have to do is to mention a few things which may help some timid one to say, My Beloved is mine, and then to do the same with regard to the second sentence in the text, I am his. Thou askest, perhaps, May I say, My Beloved is mine? You know who that Beloved is; I have no need to tell you that. He is the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely. First, hast thou taken hold of Christ by faith? Faith is the hand with which we grasp the Lord Jesus Christ. Hast thou believed that Jesus is the Christ, and that God hath raised Him from the dead? Dost thou trust thyself wholly to Him? Let me ask thee another helpful question. Is He truly thy Beloved, the Beloved of thy soul? I remember well a dear Christian woman, who frequently said to me, I do love Jesus, I know I do; but does He love me? Her question used to make me smile. Well, I said, that is a question that I never did put to myself,–If I love Him, does He love me? No, the question that used to puzzle me was, Do I love Him? When I could once settle that point, I was never again the victim of your form of doubt. If thou lovest Christ, Christ loves thee for certain, for thy love to Christ is nothing more nor less than a beam out of the Went sun of His love; and the grace that has created that love in thy heart towards Him, if thou dost indeed love Him, proves that He loves thee. Next, I would help thee with a third question. Is Jesus dear to thee above all thy possessions? I hope that many of you can say, O sir, we would give all that we have, we would suffer all that might be suffered, we would part with the Very light and our eyes, too, if we could but be sure that we might each one truly say, My Beloved is mine. Well, if thou lovest Christ beyond all earthly things, rest assured that He is thine. Further, dost thou love Him beyond all earthly companions? Couldst thou part with your dearest ones for His sake? Say, art thou sure of this? Oh, then, He is assuredly thine! Dost thou love Him beyond all earthly objects? Aye, beyond the desire of learning, or honour, or position, or comfort,–wouldst thou let all go for His dear sake? Canst thou go that length? If thou canst, then surely He is thine. Let me further help thee by another question. Is Jesus so fully thy hope and thy trust that thou hast no other? O poor heart, if thou art clean divorced from every confidence but Christ, then I believe that thou art married unto Christ, notwithstanding that thou tremblest sometimes, and askest whether it be so or not. Let that thought also help thee. I would further help you in this way. If Christ is yours, your thoughts go after Him. You cannot say that you love a person if you never think of him. He to whom Christ belongs often thinks of Him. Again, do you do more than this? Do you long for Christs company? If my Beloved is indeed mine, I shall want to see Him; I shall want to speak with Him; I shall want Him to abide with me. How is it with you? And, once more, if thy Beloved is thine, thou wilt own it to be so. Holy Bernard was wont to say, and I believe that he could say it truly, O my Jesus, I never went from Thee without Thee! He meant that he never left his knees, and left Christ behind him; he never went out of the house of God, and left Christ behind him; but he went through the outward act of devotion with a consciousness of the presence of Christ. Now, i f this be your habit to keep up or to labour to keep up continued communion with Christ, and if you are longing for more and more of that communion, then, dear friends, you are His, and He is yours. Further, let me help you with a still closer question. Have you ever enjoyed that communion with Christ? Didst thou ever speak with Him? Hast thou ever heard His voice? If thou knowest anything experimentally about this matter, then thou mayest conclude that thy Beloved is indeed thine. But supposing that thou art not enjoying Christs presence, I am going to put another question to thee. Art thou cast down when He is away? If thou hast grieved His Spirit, art thou grieved? If Christ be gone, dost thou feel as if the sun itself had ceased to shine, and the candle of thy existence had been snuffed out in utter dark ness? Oh, then, He is thine! If thou canst not bear His absence, He is thine. Stretch out the hand, of faith, and take Him, and then say without hesitation, My Beloved is mine. Yes, weighing everything the preacher has said and judging myself as severely as I can, yet I dare take Christ to be mine, and to say, My Beloved is mine. If that is your case, dear friend, then you shall get confirmatory evidence of this fact by the witness of the Spirit within your soul, which will very likely come to you in the form of perfect contentment of spirit, perfect rest of heart. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
He feedeth among the lilies.
A song among the lilies
This passage describes a high state of grace, and it is worthy of note that the description is full of Christ. This is instructive, for this is not an exceptional case, it is only one fulfilment of a general rule. Our estimate of Christ is the best gauge of our spiritual condition; as the thermometer rises in proportion to the increased warmth of the air, so does our estimate of Jesus rise as our spiritual life increases in vigour and fervency. Tell me what you think of Jesus and I will tell you what to think of yourself. Christ is all to us, yea, more than all when we are thoroughly sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost.
I. First, here is a delighting to have Christ. My Beloved is mine. The spouse makes this the first of her joy notes, the corner-stone of her peace, the fountain of her bliss, the crown of her glory. Observe here that where such an expression is truthfully used the existence of the Beloved is matter of fact. Scepticism and questioning have no place with those who thus sing. Love cannot, will not doubt; it casts away the crutches of argument and flies on the wings of conscious enjoyment, singing her nuptial hymn, My Beloved is mine, and I am His. In the case before us the love of the heavenly-minded one is perceived and acknowledged by herself. My Beloved, saith she; it is no latent affection, she knows that she loves Him, and solemnly avows it. She does not whisper, I hope I love the peerless One, but she sings, My Beloved. There is no doubt in her soul about her passion for the altogether lovely One. But the pith of the text lies here, our possession of Him is proven, we know it, and we know it on good evidence–My Beloved is mine. Jesus is ours by the promise, the covenant,, and oath of God; a thousand assurances and pledges, bonds and seals, secure Him to us as our portion and everlasting heritage. This precious possession becomes to the believer his sole treasure. My Beloved is mine, saith he, and in that sentence he has summed up all his wealth. Oh, what would all the treasures of the covenant be to us if it were possible to have them without Christ? Their very sap and sweetness would be gone. Having our Beloved to be ours, we have all things in Him, and therefore our main treasure, yea, our sole treasure, is our Beloved. O ye saints of God, was there ever possession like this?
II. The second portion of the text deals with delighting to belong to Christ. I am His. This is as sweet as the former sentence. Christ is mine, but if I were not His it would be a sorry case, and if I were His and He were not mine it would be a wretched business. These two things are joined together with diamond rivets–My Beloved is mine, and I am His. Put the two together, and you have reached the summit of delight. That we are His is a fact that may be proven–yea, it should need no proving, but be manifest to all that I am His. Certainly we are His by creation: He who made us should have us. We are His because His Father gave us to Him, and we are His because He chose us. Creation, donation, election are His triple hold upon us. Now this puts very great honour upon us. I have known the time when I could say My Beloved is mine in a very humble trembling manner, but I did not dare to add I am His because I did not think I was worth His having. I dared not hope that I am His would ever be written in the same book side by side with My Beloved is mine. Poor sinner, first lay hold on Jesus, and then you will discover that Jesus values you. This second part of the text is true as absolutely as the first. I am His–not my goods only, nor my time, nor my talents, nor what I can spare, but I am His. The believer feels that he belongs to Jesus absolutely; let the Lord employ him as he may, or try him as he pleases; let him take away all earthly friends from him or surround him with comforts. Blessed be God, this is true evermore–I am His; His to-day, in the house of worship, and His to-morrow in the house of business. This belonging to the Well-beloved is a matter of fact and practice, not a thing to be talked about only, but really to be acted on. If you are His He will provide for you. A good husband careth for his spouse, and even thus the Lord Jesus Christ cares for those who are betrothed unto Him. You will be perfected too, for whatever Christ has He will make worthy of Himself and bring it to glory.
III. To conclude: the saint feels delight in the very thought of Christ. He feedeth among the lilies. When we love any persons, and we are away from home, we delight to think of them, and to remember what they are doing. Now, where is Jesus? What are these lilies? Do not these lilies represent the pure in heart, with whom Jesus dwells? Where, then, is my Lord to-day? He is up and away, among the lilies of Paradise. In imagination I see those stately rows of milk-white lilies growing no longer among thorns: lilies which are never soiled with the dust of earth, which for ever glisten with the eternal dews of fellowship, while their roots drink in unfading life from the river of the water of life which waters the garden of the Lord. There is Jesus! But what is He doing among the lilies? It is said, He feedeth among the lilies. He is feeding Himself, not on the lilies, but among them. Our Lord finds solace among His people. His delights are with the sons of men; He joys to see the graces of His people, to receive their love, and to discern His own image in their faces. Then what shall I do? Well, I will abide among the lilies. His saints shall be my companions. Where they flourish I will try to grow. I will be often in their assemblies. Aye, and I will be a lily too. By faith I will neither toil nor spin in a legal fashion, but I will live by faith upon the Son of God, rooted in Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. My beloved is mine] The words of the bride on his entering: “I am thy own; thou art wholly mine.”
He feedeth among the lilies.] The odour with which he is surrounded is as fine as if he passed the night among the sweetest scented flowers.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
My Beloved is mine, and I am his: these are the words of the bride, who having come to him upon his gracious invitation, now maketh her boast of him, and of that intimate union and communion which was between them.
He feedeth among the lilies; either,
1. He feedeth his flock in sweet and lovely pastures, where there is not only herbage to feed them, but lilies to delight them. Or rather,
2. He feedeth himself, i.e. he abideth and refresheth himself amongst his faithful people, which are compared to lilies, above, Son 2:2, and Hos 14:5, as Christ also is here, Son 2:1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. mine . . . hisrather, “isfor me . . . for Him” (Ho3:3), where, as here, there is the assurance of indissolubleunion, in spite of temporary absence. So2:17, entreating Him to return, shows that He has gone, perhapsthrough her want of guarding against the “little sins” (So2:15). The order of the clauses is reversed in So6:3, when she is riper in faith: there she rests more on herbeing His; here, on His being hers; and no doubt her senseof love to Him is a pledge that she is His (Joh 14:21;Joh 14:23; 1Co 8:3);this is her consolation in His withdrawal now.
I am hisby creation(Ps 100:3), by redemption(Joh 17:10; Rom 14:8;1Co 6:19).
feedethas a “roe,”or gazelle (So 2:17); instinctis sure to lead him back to his feeding ground, where the liliesabound. So Jesus Christ, though now withdrawn, the bride feels surewill return to His favorite resting-place (Son 7:10;Psa 132:14). So hereafter (Re21:3). Ps 45:1, title,terms his lovely bride’s “lilies” [HENGSTENBERG]pure and white, though among thorns (So2:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his,…. These are the words of the church; who, having had such evidences of Christ’s love to her, and care of her, expresses her faith of interest in him, and suggests the obligations she lay under to observe his commands. The words are expressive of the mutual interest had property Christ and his church have in each other: Christ is the church’s, by the Father’s gift of him to her, to be her Head, Husband, and Saviour; and by the gift of himself unto her, to be her Redeemer and ransom price; and by marriage, having espoused her to himself, in righteousness and lovingkindness; and by possession, he living and dwelling in her, by his Spirit and grace: the church also acknowledges herself to be his, as she was, by the Father’s gift of her to Christ, as his spouse and bride, his portion and inheritance; and by purchase, he having bought her with his precious blood; and by the conquest of her, by his grace in effectual calling; and by a voluntary surrender of herself unto him, under the influence of his grace: hence all he is, and has, are hers, his person, fulness, blood, and righteousness; and therefore can want no good thing. Moreover, these words suggest the near union there is between Christ and his church; they are one in a conjugal relation, as husband and wife are one; which union is personal, of the whole person of Christ to the whole persons of his people; it is a spiritual one, they having the same Spirit, the one without measure, the other in measure; it is a vital one, as is between the vine and its branches; and it is a mysterious one, next to that of the union of the three Persons in the Godhead, and of the two natures in Christ; it is an indissoluble one, the everlasting love of Christ being the bond of it, which call never be dissolved; and from this union flow a communication of the names of Christ to his church, conformity to him, communion with him, and an interest in all he has. Likewise these phrases express the mutual affliction, complacency, and delight, Christ and his church have in each other; he is beloved by his church, and she by him; she seems to have a full assurance of interest in him, and to make her boast of him; excluding all other beloveds, as unworthy to be mentioned with him: of whom she further says,
he feedeth among the lilies; which is either an apostrophe to him, “O thou that feedest”, c. thou only art my beloved or is descriptive of him to others, inquiring who he was, and where to be seen: the answer is, he is the person that is yonder, feeding among the lilies; either recreating and delighting himself in his gardens, the churches, where his saints are, comparable to lilies; [See comments on So 2:1], and
[See comments on So 2:2]; or feeding his sheep in fields where lilies grow: and it may be observed, it is not said, he feedeth on, or feeds his flock with lilies, but among them; for it is remarked y, that sheep will not eat them: or the sense may be, Christ feeds himself, and feeds his people, and feeds among them, as if he was crowned with lilies, and anointed with the oil of them; as was the custom of the ancients at festivals z, thought to be here alluded to by some who read the words, “that feeds”; that is, sups in or with lilies, being anointed and crowned with them. The lily is a summer flower a; the winter was now past, So 2:11.
y Tuccius in Soto Major in loc. z Vid. Fortunat. Schacc. Eleochrysm. Sacr. l. 1. c. 28. p. 137. a Theophrast. apud Athenaeum in Deipnosoph. l. 15. c. 7. p. 679.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
THE SHULAMITE’S RESPONSE
Verses 16-17 express the Shulamite’s conviction that their love for and commitment to each other is total. She looks forward to nights of sharing the intimate expressions of love with her beloved shepherd who pastures his flocks among the lilies in their homeland.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(16) He feedeth.Heb., he that is feeding his flockthe pastor.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. My beloved is mine Whatever may be the disappointment, she rests her heart upon the sure and abiding tie which absence cannot sever.
Feedeth among the lilies The verb is transitive, and means “feedeth his flock among the lilies.” The clause should be introduced by the word “while.” The sense is, He is mine and I am his, though I watch, etc.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Son 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Son 2:16
[137] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 53.
Son 2:16 Literal Interpretation “My beloved is mine, and I am his” – In Son 2:16 the Shulamite responds with acceptance to her Lover’s offer of marriage. The commitment of engagement means that two people now belong to one another. They can no longer cast their eyes upon another, as was still possible during the courtship phase of their love.
Figurative interpretation “My beloved is mine, and I am his” Son 2:16 are words of intimacy. In a place of separation and communion intimacy develops between a child of God and the Lord. “he feedeth among the lilies” Jesus communes with the upright in the prayer garden.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Here is a short verse, but as comprehensive a one as almost any in the Bible. I need not observe that these are the words of the church, in which she asserts and seems to enjoy the blessedness of it, the mutual property which Christ and herself hath in each other. Perhaps the words might be read, and which would rather make them stronger; My beloved is to me, and I am to him. For then it might be asked, what is Christ to you, and what are you to him? The answer is, Everything: more in it than words can express. Christ is mine, saith the church, for God my Father hath given him to me. Jesus himself hath so loved me as to give himself for me: and the Holy Ghost hath confirmed it by quickening me and uniting me to him forever. For he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit. And I am his from the same causes. For Jesus hath purchased me by his blood. And God the Father gave the church to Jesus that he should give eternal life to it from everlasting. And God the Spirit hath made me his, by the conquests of his grace upon my heart. Hence, Christ is mine, and I am his. And this my beloved feedeth among the lilies. Jesus had before declared that his beloved was in his view as a lily among thorns; and here he is said to feed among them. By which we may suppose is, meant that his eye is always upon them, and he is perpetually manifesting himself to them by his grace. He feeds or takes delight in those exercises of theirs in grace, which he himself hath first given to them. Thus Jesus testifies his complacency and delight in them.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Son 2:16 My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Ver. 16. My beloved is mine, and I am his. ] Hitherto the Church hath related Christ’s words to herself and others. Now she shuts up the whole discourse with praise of Christ here, and prayer to him in Son 2:17 . In praising him, she preacheth her own blessedness in that spiritual union, that mystical marriage that is between them, “My beloved is mine,” &c. – q.d., I am sure he is mine, and I can boldly speak it. Many lay claim to him which have no share in him; they deeply affirm of him, but have no manner of right to him; their faith is but fancy, their confidence presumption; they are like that madman of Athens that claimed every rich ship that came to shore, whereas he had no part in any; or Haman, who hearing that the king would honour a man, concluded, but falsely, that himself was the man; like idolatrous Micah, they conceit that God will bless them for the Levite’s sake, Jdg 17:13 which was no such matter; and like Sisera, they dream of a kingdom, whereas Jael’s nail is nearer their temples than a crown. The condition of such self-soothers and self-seekers is nothing different from his, that, dreaming upon a steep place of some great happiness befallen him, starts suddenly for joy, and falling down with the start, breaks his neck at the bottom. The true believer is upon a far better ground; his faith is “unfeigned,” his hope is “unfailable.” He “knows whom he hath trusted,” he “knows and believes the love that God hath to him”; 1Jn 4:16 he hath gotten a full grip of Christ, and is sure that “neither death nor life, &c., shall separate him from Christ.” He hath comprehended him, or “rather is comprehended of him.” Php 3:12 Christ hath laid hold on him by his Spirit, and he hath laid hold on Christ by faith, the property whereof is to put on close to Christ, and Christ to him; yea, to unite us to Christ, so that “he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit”; 1Co 6:17 as truly one as those members are one body which have the same soul, or as man and wife are one flesh; as they two are one matrimonial flesh, so Christ and his people are one mystical Christ. 1Co 12:12 Well, therefore, may the Church here glorify Christ, and glory in her own happiness by him, saying, “My beloved is mine,” and I am sure of it, and cannot be deceived, for “I am his”; all that I am is his – I have made a total resignation of my whole self unto him, and have put him in full possession of all. “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Gal 2:20 Christ is all-sufficient to me, and I am altogether his. His is as a covenant of mercy, mine of obedience, wherein I do as it were by indenture, with highest estimations, most vigorous affections, and utmost endeavours, bestow myself upon him, and I accept of whole Christ in all his offices and efficacies.
He feedeth among the lilies.
a Plin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Son 2:16-17
16My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He pastures his flock among the lilies.
17Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.
Son 2:16 He pastures his flock among the lilies This is suggestive of their sexual activity.
Son 2:17 This refers to the cool of the evening. It may be a (1) a request to stay all night together or (2) a late evening rendezvous.
NASBUntil the cool of the day
NKJVUntil the day breaks
NRSVUntil the day breathes
TEVUntil the morning breezes blow
NJBBefore the day-breeze rises
This personification (day breathes) denotes the wind that blows at both daybreak and evening (cf. Son 4:6). If Son 2:17 is related to Son 2:16 it refers to evening, but the phrase the shadows fell away points toward the sunrise.
There are two more Qal IMPERATIVES:
1. BDB 685, KB 738 – turn about, go around, surround
In this context it might mean show off your body by walking around.
2. BDB 197, KB 225 – be like, resemble
Here, be like a virile male gazelle or stag.
NASB, NKJV,
TEV, NJBmountains of Bether
NRSVcleft mountains
JPSOA, REBspices (from similar word in Son 8:14)
NIVrugged hills
LXXmountains of the ravines
Literally this means rugged or better cleft (i.e., sharply cut, BDB 144). The translation spice, comes from the Peshitta (Syriac).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
My beloved. Masculine. Showing the Shulamite as the speaker.
he feedeth = he who feedeth.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
8.
My Beloved is mine and I am his
Son 2:16-17
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
Someone said of Son 2:16, This is the happiest verse in the Bible. I think I might have to agree My Beloved is mine and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Those words reflect a heart full of peace, assurance, contentment, and joy. But the very next verse casts a shadow over the scene. There is a cloud in the sky. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my Beloved, and be thou like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
These two verses together reflect a state of mind with which many of Gods saints in this world are very familiar. They are believers. They do not doubt their saving interest in Christ. They are confident that God has saved them by his almighty, free grace. They know that Christ is theirs. Still, they do not always enjoy the light of his countenance.
Do these words describe your condition? You know that he is yours; but your soul does not always feed upon that blessed fact. You are, in your heart, assured that you have a vital saving interest in Christ; but you do not sense that his left hand is under your head and that his right hand embraces you. There are times when the believer sings tenor and bass at the same time. We sing with great delight
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
Oh what a foretaste of glory Divine!
Heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
At the same time we sing, with Newton,
How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see;
Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers
Have all lost their sweetness to me.
It may be that there are some saints who are always at their best, who never lose the light of the Saviors face, and whose communion with him is never disturbed. I am not sure that such people exist, though I acknowledge the possibility. But those believers with whom I am most intimate have a different experience. And those people I know who always boast of their constant bliss are not the most reliable people I know.
For myself, my own hearts experience is this. I have always had a mixture of joy and sorrow. Every year of my life has had a winter as well as a summer. Every day has its night. I have seen the clear shining of the Sun of Righteousness. And I have felt the heavy rains, the bite of frost, and the freeze of winter sleet in my soul. I have walked in the warm breezes of a summers evening. And I have made my way through the snowy blizzards of winters night.
Believers are like the oak tree. The sap is always present; but it is not always flowing freely. We do, at times, lose our leaves. We have our downs, as well as our ups. We have our valleys, as well as our mountaintops. We are not always rejoicing. Sometimes we are in heaviness through our manifold temptations. We are grieved by the fact that our fellowship with Christ is not always full of rapturous delight. At times, we have to seek him, crying, Oh, that I knew where I might find him!
This appears to me to be the sense of these two verses. They are a song of both joy and sorrow. It is the sweet song of assurance; but it is mingled with an earnest longing for fellowship. Though we may experience times of spiritual trial, when our fellowship and communion with Christ is broken, the assurance of our hearts that we are accepted in the Beloved need not be broken.
Assurance is based upon Christs finished work for us. Fellowship and communion with Christ vary with our daily experiences. I do not always enjoy the company of my wife, because we are at times separated by many miles; but I always enjoy the assurance of her love. And I do not always enjoy sweet fellowship with Christ; but I do enjoy this blessed assurance, My Beloved is mine; and I am his.
Assurance
I want every child of God to know that it is possible for us to enjoy the assurance of our personal interest in Christ. I do not suggest that every believer has this assurance. But I do say that every believer should and can have an assurance of his personal, saving interest in Christ. These are the words of confident faith and blessed assurance, My Beloved is mine, and I am his.
Most people look in the wrong places when they seek assurance. They try to find assurance in their experiences; but no experience will give assurance. Believers are honest. We know that our most spiritual experiences are shot full of pride and sin. Many seek assurance based upon their devotion to Christ; but no amount of devotion will give assurance. Believers know that their devotion to Christ is unmentionable, because our best devotion is horribly untrue. Others, following the counsel they have been given, seek assurance based upon their personal righteousness; but no amount of personal righteousness will give assurance. Believers recognize that all our righteousnesses are filthy rags.
If we want assurance, we must stop looking at ourselves and look away to Christ. Look not to your experience, but to his expiation. Look not to your repentance, but to his ransom. Look not to your faith, but to his faithfulness. Look not to your works, but to his worth. Look not to your feelings, but to his fulness. Look not to your prayers, but to his promises. Look not to your righteousness, but to his righteousness!
Look to Christ alone. And look to Christ for everything! As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him (Col 2:6). How did you first come to Christ? Did you bring anything with you? No. You came as an empty handed beggar, a naked, wretched sinner, looking to him alone for all your righteousness, all your acceptance with God, all your atonement for sin, all your hope of life. Do not ever hope to rise above that level. To walk in the Spirit is to walk by faith in Christ, looking to him for everything. All who so trust Christ may with confident assurance and joy declare, My Beloved is mine, and I am his.
My Beloved Do you not delight to call Christ your Beloved? Certainly, he should be beloved by you. Who has done so much for you as Christ? Who has lavished you with such gifts? Who has shown you such love? If you do not love him, you are a lost soul, yet under the wrath of God (1Co 16:22). All who are redeemed by his precious blood and saved by his matchless grace love him (1Jn 4:19).
If you know him, you love him. I would not have you to be presumptuous. But I would have all of you who know Christ to call him My Beloved. He deserves this title in your heart. He redeemed you with his own precious blood. He adopted you into his family. He saved you by his matchless grace. He loved you with an everlasting love.
There was a time when he became the Beloved One of your heart. In the time of love he revealed his love to you and created love in you for him. We are bashful about this and prefer never to speak to others of our love for Christ. When we hear others sing, Oh, how I love Jesus, our hearts cry, Oh, how I wish I could love him as I should! Still, in the teeth of all our sin, in the teeth of all we know we are, we confess with Peter, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. We love him because he first loved us. His love for us preceded our love for him eternally. His love for us exceeds our love for him infinitely. And his love for us is the cause of our love for him. But we do love him. Not as we want! Not as we ought! Not as we shall! But every believer honestly confesses, We love him because he first loved us. How our hearts rejoice to look upon the Son of God and say, My Beloved is mine! C. H. Spurgeon wrote, Every heart that has been renewed by sovereign grace takes Jesus Christ to be the chief object of its love.
My Beloved is mine, and I am his! We are his by the bands of his eternal love. We are his by the grace of his sovereign, eternal election. We are his by the blood of his special purchase. We are his by the power of his almighty, irresistible grace. We are his by our own willful, deliberate choice. Are you a believer? If so, then Christ is yours, and you are his. You are the sheep of his pasture. You are the object of his love. You are the member of his body. You are the branch of his root. You belong to him. You are Christs, totally, unreservedly his. You belong to him. You are not your own. He bought you with his blood.
Perhaps you think, I would do anything to have such assurance. Would you do nothing? The basis of assurance is not what you do, but what Christ has done for you. The Holy Spirit requires that we be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in us with meekness and fear (1Pe 3:15). What is the basis of this assurance? How can a person be assured that he has a saving interest in Christ? How can I know I am my Beloveds and that he is mine? I trust him. Thats all. The whole of my assurance is faith in Christ. It is written, He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life!
His place
All who know Christ know where he is, where he reveals himself and makes himself known. The soul, being assured of its personal interest in Christ, longs to be where he is. He feedeth among the lilies. The lilies are his people (Son 2:2). In this world they are lilies among thorns. Still the Lord Jesus feeds among them. The lily patch in which the Son of God feeds is the assembly of his saints (the house and temple of God) for public worship (Mat 18:20; 1Co 3:16-17). Here he feeds his people upon his grace by the Word of his grace.
The church of God has many critics, but no rivals. This is the family of God, the kingdom of heaven, the temple of the Holy One, the place where Christ manifests forth his glory, spreads his table, and meets with his people. Blessed beyond description are those people who are privileged to be a part of this family! Truly, as Paul puts it, this is a habitation of God through the Spirit!
Our desire
It is the desire of every believer to know the conscious presence and fellowship of Christ. This is what is expressed in Son 2:17. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
This is our nighttime. Soon our day will break. On that great day, all the shadows of darkness and ignorance will be forever gone! When the gospel day broke forth the shadows of the law fled away. The mountains which separate us from our Lord, he can overcome. They are too high for us, but not for him. Our hearts earnestly desire the conscious awareness of his presence, ever crying, Turn, my Beloved (See Psa 42:1; Psa 84:2).
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
beloved: Son 6:3, Son 7:10, Son 7:13, Psa 48:14, Psa 63:1, Jer 31:33, 1Co 3:21-23, Gal 2:20, Rev 21:2, Rev 21:3
he: Son 2:1, Son 1:7, Son 6:3
Reciprocal: Son 4:5 – feed Son 5:16 – my beloved Isa 5:1 – wellbeloved Jer 30:22 – General Hos 2:23 – Thou art my God Hos 14:5 – he shall Zec 1:8 – among Mal 3:17 – they shall Act 27:23 – whose Heb 8:10 – I will be
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Son 2:16. My beloved is mine These are the words of the bride, who, having come to him upon his gracious invitation, now maketh her boast of him. He feedeth among the lilies Abideth and refresheth himself among his faithful people, who are compared to lilies, Son 2:2.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Even though they faced problems, the Shulammite rejoiced in the security of her beloved’s love and in the assurance that he would take care of his responsibilities to her (Son 2:16 b).
Son 2:17 probably looks forward to their wedding and to its physical consummation. "Bether" is a transliteration rather than a translation. Since no Bether mountains apparently exist in this part of the Middle East, it seems preferable to translate the Hebrew word (bater) as "cleavage" or "separation." The mountains of cleavage then may be an allusion to the Shulammite’s breasts. Another possibility is that Bether refers to the cleft in the mountains where the deer suddenly appears. [Note: Patterson, p. 57.]
"Contrary to some commentators, the Song does not portray sex as the great and final goal in order to experience true joy. Nor does it suggest that mutual admiration of the lovers, their physical bodies and sensuality, is the source of joy. Rather, the Song directly associates the joy of the heart with the final commitment of marriage. It is only within this commitment that all the joys of the male and female lovers come together, for it is only here that they realize the freedom to express those joys without restraint, knowing that the marriage bond seals their love in a lifetime commitment to each other." [Note: Hess, p. 123.]