Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 4:1

Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair [is] as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

1. my love ] my friend.

thou hast doves’ eyes ] thine eyes are (as) doves. Cp. Son 1:15.

within thy locks ] from behind thy veil. The translation locks is that of the Jewish commentators, Kimchi and Rashi. The burqu‘ or face-veil of a lady is thus described in Lane’s Modern Egyptians, vol. 1. p. 57. It is a long strip of white muslin, concealing the whole of the face except the eyes, and reaching nearly to the feet. It is suspended at the top by a narrow band, which passes up the forehead, and which is sewed, as are also the two upper corners of the veil, to a band which is tied round the head. Lane remarks that though worn for the purpose of disguising whatever is attractive in the wearer, it fails in accomplishing its main purpose, displaying the eyes, which are almost always beautiful, making them to appear still more so by concealing the other features which are seldom of equal beauty. But as it was not the custom that Hebrew women should be secluded, as is now the custom in Syria, the veil must have been used as part of full dress. This would account for its being worn in the house as it appears to be here.

thy hair is as a flock of goats ] i.e. each braid in its glossy blackness is like a separate goat of the herd. The usual colour of goats was black.

that appear from mount Gilead ] Literally, that recline from mount Gilead. The picture the words suggest is that of a herd of goats reclining on the slopes of mount Gilead, and raising their heads when disturbed. This gives a picture of rows of goats reclining on an undulating slope, and this latter is the point of comparison. For, if the Heb. glesh is connected with the Arabic galasa, as seems likely, it means ‘to sit up after lying down.’ It may be doubted however whether so much can be legitimately put by pregnant construction into the from. Budde connects the word with the movement of the herds, and refers to the late Heb. glash, which means ‘to boil up,’ and is used of water. Levy also, sub voce, translates this passage, “which go by in waves”; F. Delitzsch’s “swarm forth from,” quoted in the Variorum Bible, is practically the same. Budde says mount Gilead is the S. portion of the range called now the Belqa, which is mostly pasture land. It lies within view of Judah and Jerusalem.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Chap. Son 4:1-7. The Royal Suitor

King Solomon is here the speaker, and in these verses he presses his suit anew by praise of the Shulammite’s beauty. The whole song is evidently modelled, as several of the succeeding songs are, on the wasf or description of the bride, which is so prominent a thing at marriage festivals in Syria to this day. To have established this is Wetzstein’s great merit, for until his Essay on the Threshing-Board appeared these descriptions were to a large extent inexplicable. But the discovery that the wasf is an ancient form of song connected by prescription with love and marriage explains its appearance here. In a series of love-songs disposed so as to give scenes of a connected narrative, it was natural and almost inevitable that the wasf should be imitated. It has been noticed by many that the spontaneity and originality of the other poems disappear in these descriptions. This is due to their being written according to a stereotyped form. That the wasf was imitated when no regular marriage wasf was intended, but only a love-song, is proved by the fact that in one of the Mu‘allaqt, the seven poems said to have been hung in the Caaba at Mekka in pre-Islamic times, that viz. of Amru ibn Kulthum, in Son 4:13-16 inclusive, there is a description of a woman much in the tone of this.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Thou hast doves eyes … – Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil. So also in Son 4:3; Son 6:7; Isa 47:2, veil is better than locks.

That appear from … – Or, that couch upon Mount Gilead. The point of comparison seems to be the multitudinousness of the flocks seen browsing on the verdant slopes of the rich pasture-lands Num 32:1; Mic 7:14.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER IV

The bridegroom’s description of his bride, her person, her

accomplishments, her chastity, and her general excellence,

1-16.

NOTES ON CHAP. IV

Verse 1. Thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks] Perhaps this refers rather to a sort of veil worn by many of the Eastern women, but especially in Egypt. It is a species of black cloth made of the hair of some animal, probably the black goat; is suspended from the head by silken cords, one of which comes from the crown of the head, down the forehead, to the upper part of the nose, just under the eyes, at which place the veil begins; for the forehead and the eyes are uncovered, except the cord above mentioned, which is ornamented with gold, silver, and precious stones, according to the circumstances of the wearer. This partial veil not only covers all the face, the eyes and forehead excepted, but the neck also, and hangs loosely down over the bosom. One of them, lately brought from Egypt, now lies before me.

But the clause, within thy locks, mibbaad letsammathech, is not well translated, either by ourselves or by the versions. Jerome’s translation is an indication of the meaning: Absque eo quod intrinsecus latet; without that, or independently of that, which lies hidden within. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have, besides thy silence. Calmet contends that none of these gives the true meaning, and that the word tsemath has not the meaning of hair or locks wherever it occurs, and has quite a different meaning in Isa 47:2. St. Jerome on this place expresses himself thus: Nolentibus qui interpretati sunt transferre nomen quod in Sancta Scriptura sonat turpitudinem.-Ergo tsammathech, quod Aquila posuit, verenda mulieris appellanatur cujus etymologia apud eos sonat sitiens tuus. Calmet translates: Vous etes toute belle, won amie; vous etes toute belle: vos yeux sont des yeux de colombe; sans ce que la pudeur et la modestie tiennent cache. I leave the translation of these to the learned reader. See another description under So 4:7.

As a flock of goats] Because it was black and sleek, as the hair of the goats of Arabia and Palestine is known to be; which, with its fine undulation, is supposed to bear some resemblance to the curls or plaits of a woman’s tresses. The mountains of Gilead were beyond Jordan, on the frontiers of Arabia Deserta.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

These and the following words are evidently spoken by the Bridegroom to and concerning his spouse.

Thou art fair, not in thyself, but by my beauty, being clothed with my righteousness, and adorned with all the graces of my Spirit, which I acknowledge to be in thee.

Thou art fair; he repeats it, both to confirm the truth of his assertion, and to show the sincerity and fervency of his affection to her.

Thou hast doves eyes; thou art harmless, chaste, &c., as appears by thine eyes, which commonly discover the temper of the mind or person. See more of this phrase Son 1:15. And whereas the beauty of the spouse is here described in her several parts, we need not labour much about the application of each particular to some distinct member or grace of the church, this being the chief design of this description of a bride which is beautiful in all points, to show that completeness and absolute perfection which the church hath in part received, and shall more fully receive from Christ in the future life. Yet because the church is a body, consisting of divers members, and enriched with variety of gifts and graces, I know no reason but the several parts of this description may have a more special regard to one or other of them. And so her eyes may here note, either,

1. Her teachers, who are instead of eyes to her, as the phrase is, Num 10:31, whence they are called seers and guides, &c. Or,

2. The disposition of her mind or heart, which is compared to the eye, Mat 6:22,23, and is oft discerned in the eye.

Within thy locks; which being decently composed, make the eyes appear more amiable: withal this intimates the modesty of her looks; her eyes are not wanton, and wandering, or lofty, but sober, and humble, and confined within their proper bounds, looking directly upon her husband, not looking asquint upon other lovers, nor minding other Gods or Christs. If the eyes signify teachers, the locks may note the people assembled together to hear their teachers, to whom they are a great ornament when they thrive by his teaching.

Thy hair; the hair of thine head, which is a great ornament to the female sex, 1Co 11:15. This hair may signify either,

1. The inward thoughts and meditations; or rather,

2. The outward conversation and visible fruits of holiness, which do greatly adorn the professors and profession of religion, as hair doth the head, as is implied, 1Ti 2:9,10; 1Pe 3:3-5.

As a flock of goats; which are comely and orderly in going, Pro 30:29,31, and afford a goodly prospect. Or rather, as the hair (which word is here to be understood, as appears both from the comparison itself, and from divers places where goats are put for goats hair, as it is in the Hebrew text, Exo 25:4; 26:7; 35:26) of a flock of goats, which in these parts was of extraordinary length, and thickness, and softness, and comeliness, and much more like to the hair of a man or woman than the hair of our goats is, as is evident both from Scripture, as Gen 27:16; 1Sa 19:13; and from the testimony of other ancient writers, as Apulcius, Martial, &c.

That appear from Mount Gilead; that feeding there, or coming down thence, or going up thither, show themselves evidently to those who stand below it, or near them. Or, as it is rendered in our margin, and by others, that eat, or graze of, or upon. He mentions it as a very fruitful place, and fit for the breeding of all sorts of cattle, as is manifest from Num 32:1; Jer 1 19; Mic 7:14; and especially of goats, partly because it was a hilly and woody, country, and partly because it abounded with resinous, and oily, and gummy trees, as appears from Gen 37:25; Jer 8:22; 46:11, wherewith the goats are much delighted, as Dioscorides observes. And some affirm that the hair of these goats was commonly of a yellow colour, as may seem probable from 1Sa 19:13,16, compared with 1Sa 16:12, and from Son 7:5; which also was in ancient times esteemed a beauty in men or women, as the learned know.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1. Contrast with the bride’sstate by nature (Isa 1:6) herstate by grace (So4:1-7), “perfect through His comeliness put upon her”(Eze 16:14; Joh 15:3).The praise of Jesus Christ, unlike that of the world, hurts not, butedifies; as His, not ours, is the glory (Joh 5:44;Rev 4:10; Rev 4:11).Seven features of beauty are specified (So4:1-5) (“lips” and “speech” are but onefeature, So 4:3), the number forperfection. To each of these is attached a comparison fromnature: the resemblances consist not so much in outward likeness, asin the combined sensations of delight produced by contemplating thesenatural objects.

doves’the largemelting eye of the Syrian dove appears especially beautiful amid thefoliage of its native groves: so the bride’s “eyes within herlocks” (Lu 7:44). MAURERfor “locks,” has “veil”; but locks suit theconnection better: so the Hebrew is translated (Isa47:2). The dove was the only bird counted “clean” forsacrifice. Once the heart was “the cage of every unclean andhateful bird.” Grace makes the change.

eyes (Mat 6:22;Eph 1:18; contrast Mat 5:28;Eph 4:18; 1Jn 2:16).Chaste and guileless (“harmless,” Mt10:16, Margin; Joh1:47). John the Baptist, historically, was the “turtledove”(So 2:12), with eye directed tothe coming Bridegroom: his Nazarite unshorn hair answers to “locks”(Joh 1:29; Joh 1:36).

hair . . . goatsThehair of goats in the East is fine like silk. As long hair is herglory, and marks her subjection to man (1Co11:6-15), so the Nazarite’s hair marked his subjection andseparation unto God. (Compare Jdg 16:17;2Co 6:17; Tit 2:14;1Pe 2:9). Jesus Christ cares forthe minutest concerns of His saints (Mt10:30).

appear fromliterally,”that lie down from”; lying along the hillside, theyseem to hang from it: a picture of the bride’s hangingtresses.

Gileadbeyond Jordan:there stood “the heap of witness” (Ge31:48).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair,…. The same as in So 1:15; here repeated by Christ, to introduce the following commendation; to express the greatness of his love to his church; and show that he had the same opinion of her, and esteem for her, notwithstanding what had passed between that time and this;

thou [hast] doves’ eyes within thy locks; the same comparison,

[See comments on So 1:15]; only with this difference, here her eyes are said to be “within [her] locks”: which, whether understood of the ministers of the Gospel; or of the eyes of the understanding, particularly of, the eye of faith, as has been observed on the above place; do not seem so much to design the imperfection of the sight of the one or of the other, in the present state, as eyes within or under locks and in some measure covered with them, hinder the sight of them; as the modesty of either of them; locks being decently tied up, as the word signifies i, is a sign thereof, as the contrary is a sign of boldness and wantonness. Doves’ eyes themselves are expressive of modesty and humility, and, this phrase added to them, increases the idea; such ministers, who have the largest gifts, greatest grace, light, and knowledge, are the most humble, witness the Apostle Paul; and this phrase expresses the beauty of them, not only in the eyes of Christ, but in the eyes of those to whom they publish the good tidings of salvation: and so it may denote what an exceeding modest grace faith is, which receives all from Christ, and gives him all the glory, and takes none to itself; and what a beauty there is in it, insomuch that Christ is ravished with it, So 4:9; and seems rather to be the sense here;

thy hair [is] as a flock of goats; like the hair of goats, so Ben Melech. Hair adds much to the comeliness of persons, and is therefore frequently mentioned, both with respect to the bride and bridegroom, in this song, So 5:1; and so in all poems of this kind k; and one part of the comeliness of women lies in their hair;

“let a woman, says Apuleius l, be adorned with ever such fine garments, and decked with gold and jewels, yet, without this ornament, she will not be pleasing; no, not Verus herself.”

The women m in Homer, are described by their beautiful hair; nor is it unusual to compare the hair of women, and represent it as superior to a fleece of the choicest flock n. And here the church’s hair is said to be like the hair of goats, for that is the sense of the expression; and which is thought to be most like to human hair,

1Sa 19:13; and it is compared to that, not so much for its length and sleekness, as for its colour, being yellowish; which, with women formerly, was in esteem, and reckoned graceful o; this being the colour of the hair of some of the greatest beauties, as Helena, Philoxena, and others, whose hair was flaxen and yellow; hence great care was taken to make it look so, even as yellow as gold p: the Jewish women used to have their perukes, or false hair, of goats’ hair, and still have in some places to this day q; and it should seem the Roman women also had, to which the poet r refers. And the church’s hair here is said to be like the hair of a flock of goats,

that appear from Mount Gilead; or rather “on Mount Gilead”, as Noldius: Gilead was a mountain in the land of Israel, beyond Jordan, famous for pasturage for cattle, where flocks of goats were fed, as was usual on mountains s; and, being well fed, their hair was long, smooth, neat, and glistering; and so to spectators, at a distance, looked very beautiful and lovely; especially in the morning at sun rising, and, glancing on them with its bright and glittering rays, were delightful. So R. Jonah, from the use of the word in the Arabic language, which signifies the morning, interprets it, which “rise early in the morning”; and which, as Schultens t observes, some render,

“leading to water early in the morning;”

the Vulgate Latin version is, “that ascend from Mount Gilead”, from a lower to a higher part of it; which is approved of by Bochart u. Now the hair of the church may be interpreted either of believers, the several members of the church of Christ; the hairs of the head are numerous, grow upon the head, and have their nourishment from it; are weak in themselves, but depend upon the head, and are an ornament to it: so the saints, though few in comparison of the world, yet by themselves are a great number, which no man can number; these grow upon Christ, the Head of the church, and receive their nourishment from him; and, though weak in themselves, have strength from him, and have their dependence on him; and are an ornament and crown of glory to him; and who are cared for and numbered by him, so that no one can be lost; see Eze 5:1. Or rather it may be interpreted of the outward conversation of the saints; hair is visible, is a covering, and an ornament, when taken care of, and managed aright, and has its dependence and is influenced by the head: the good conversation of the church and its members is visible to all, as the hair of the head, and as a flock of goats on Mount Gilead; and is a covering, though not from divine justice, yet from the reproaches of men; is ornamental to believers, and to the doctrine they profess; especially when their conversation is ordered aright, according to the weird of God, and is influenced by grace, communicated from Christ, the Head.

i “intra ligamina tua”, some in Vatablus; “vittam suam”, Cocceius; “constrictam comam tuam”, Michaelis, so Jarchi. Vid. Horat. Carmin. l. 2. Ode 11. v. 23, 24. k Vid. Barthii Animadv. ad Claudian. Nupt. Honor. Ode 1. v. 12. l Metamorph. l. 2. m Juno, Iliad. 10. v. 5. Diana, Odyss. 20. v. 80. Minerva, Iliad. 6. v. 92. Latona, Iliad. 1. v. 36. 19. v. 413. Circe, Odyss. 10. v. 136, 220, 310. Calypso, Odyss. 5. v. 30. Helena, Iliad. 3. v. 329. & passim Thetis, Iliad. 18. v. 407. & 20. v. 207. Ceres, Odyss. 5. v. 125. Nymphs and others, Odyss. 6. v. 222, 238. & 12. v. 132. & 19. v. 542. So Venus is described by Claudian. de Nupt. Honor. v. 99. “Casariem tunc forte Venus subnixa corusco fingebat solio”. n “Quae crine vincit Boetici gregis vellus”, Martial. l. 5. Ep. 38. o “Nondum illi flavum”, &c. Virgil. Aeneid. 4. prope finem. Vid. Horat. Carmin. l. 1. Ode 5. v. 4. Martial. Epigr. l. 5. Ep. 65. p “Aurea Caesaries”, Virgil. Aeneid. 8. v. 659. Vid. Barthii Animadv. ad Claudian. de Rapt. Proserp. l. 3. v. 86. q Vid. Braunium de Vest. Sacerdot. l. 1. c. 9. p. 201. r “Hoedina tibi pelle”, &c. Martial. Epigr. l. 12. Ep. 38. s Theocrit. Idyll. 3. v. 1, 2. t Animadv. in loc. u Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 5. col. 628.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

1a Lo, thou art fair, my friend! yes, thou art fair!

Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil.

The Gr. Venet. translates, after Kimchi, “looking out from behind, thy hair flowing down from thy head like a mane.” Thus also Schultens, capillus plexus ; and Hengst., who compares , 1Ti 2:9, and , 1Pe 3:3, passages which do not accord with the case of Shulamith; but neither , Arab. smm , nor tmm signifies to plait; the latter is used of the hair when it is too abundant, and ready for the shears. To understand the hair as denoted here, is, moreover, inadmissible, inasmuch as cannot be used of the eyes in relation to the braids of hair hanging before them. Symm. rightly translates by veil (in the Song the lxx erroneously renders by behind thy silence), Isa 47:2. The verb , (Arab.) smam , a stopper, and (Arab.) alsamma , a plaid in which one veils himself, when he wraps it around him.

(Note: Regarding this verbal stem and its derivatives, see The’s Schlafgemach der Phantasie, pp. 102-105.)

The veil is so called, as that which closely hides the face. In the Aram. , Palp. , means directly to veil, as e.g., Bereshith rabba c. 45, extr., of a matron whom the king lets pass before him it is said, . Shulamith is thus veiled. As the Roman bride wore the velum flammeum , so also the Jewish bride was deeply veiled; cf. Gen 24:65, where Rebecca veiled herself (Lat. nubit ) before her betrothed. , constr. , a segolate noun, which denotes separation, is a prep. in the sense of pone, as in Arab. in that of post. Ewald, sec. 217 m, supposes, contrary to the Arab., the fundamental idea of covering (cogn. ); but that which surrounds is thought of as separating, and at the same time as covering, the thing which it encompasses. From behind her veil, which covered her face ( vid., Bachmann, under Jdg 3:23), her eyes gleam out, which, without needing to be supplemented by ` , are compared, as to their colour, motion, and lustre, to a pair of doves.

From the eyes the praise passes to the hair.

1b Thy hair is like a flock of goats

Which repose downwards on Mount Gilead.

The hair of the bride’s head was uncovered. We know from later times that she wore in it a wreath of myrtles and roses, or also a “golden city” ( ), i.e., an ornament which emblematically represented Jerusalem. To see that this comparison is not incongruous, we must know that sheep in Syria and Palestine are for the most part white; but goats, for the most part, black, or at least dark coloured, as e.g., the brown gedi Mamri.

(Note: Burns, the Scottish poet, thinking that goats are white, transfers the comparison from the hair to the teeth:

“Her teeth are like a flock of sheep,

With fleeces newly washen clean,

That slowly mount the rising steep;

And she’s twa glancin’, sparklin’ een.”)

The verb is the Arab. jls , which signifies, to rest upon; and is distinguished from the synon. q’d in this, that the former is used of him who has previously lain down; the latter, of one who first stands and then sits down.

(Note: K’ad cannot be used of one who sits on the bed farash ; in jalas lies the direction from beneath to above; in k’ad (properly, to heap together, to cower down), from above to beneath.)

The nejd bears also the name jals , as the high land raising itself, and like a dome sitting above the rest of the land. One has to think of the goats as having lain down, and thus with the upper parts of their bodies as raised up. in is used almost as in , Isa 40:15. A flock of goats encamped on a mountain (rising up, to one looking from a distance, as in a steep slope, and almost perpendicularly), and as if hanging down lengthwise on its sides, presents a lovely view adorning the landscape. Solomon likens to this the appearance of the locks of his beloved, which hang down over her shoulders. She was till now a shepherdess, therefore a second rural image follows:

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

The Beauty of the Church.

      1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.   2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.   3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.   4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.   5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.   6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.   7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

      Here is, I. A large and particular account of the beauties of the church, and of gracious souls on whom the image of God is renewed, consisting in the beauty of holiness. In general, he that is a competent judge of beauty, whose judgment, we are sure, is according to truth, and what all must subscribe to, he has said, Behold, thou art fair. She had commended him, and called all about her to take notice of his glories; and hereby she recommends herself to him, gains his favour, and, in return for her respects, he calls to all about him to take notice of her graces. Those that honour Christ he will honour, 1 Sam. ii. 30.

      1. He does not flatter her, nor design hereby either to make her proud of herself or to court her praises of him; but, (1.) It is to encourage her under her present dejections. Whatever others thought of her, she was amiable in his eyes. (2.) It is to teach her what to value herself upon, not any external advantages (which would add nothing to her, and the want of which would deprive her of nothing that was really excellent), but upon the comeliness of grace which he had put upon her. (3.) It is to invite others to think well of her too, and to join themselves to her: “Thou art my love, thou lovest me and art beloved of me, and therefore thou art fair.” All the beauty of the saints is derived from him, and they shine by reflecting his light; it is the beauty of the Lord our God that is upon us, Ps. xc. 17. She was espoused to him, and that made her beautiful. Uxor fulget radiis mariti—The spouse shines in her husband’s rays. It it repeated, Thou art fair, and again, Thou art fair, denoting not only the certainty of it, but the pleasure he took in speaking of it.

      2. As to the representation here made of the beauty of the church, the images are certainly very bright, the shades are strong, and the comparisons bold, not proper indeed to represent any external beauty, for they were not designed to do so, but the beauty of holiness, the new man, the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible. Seven particulars are specified, a number of perfection, for the church is enriched with manifold graces by the seven spirits that are before the throne,Rev 1:4; 1Co 1:5; 1Co 1:7.

      (1.) Her eyes. A good eye contributes much to a beauty: Thou hast doves’ eyes, clear and chaste, and often cast up towards heaven. It is not the eagle’s eye, that can face the sun, but the dove’s eye, a humble, modest, mournful eye, that is the praise of those whom Christ loves. Ministers are the church’s eyes (Isa. lii. 8, thy watchmen shall see eye to eye); they must be like doves’ eyes, harmless and inoffensive (Matt. x. 16), having their conversation in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity. Wisdom and knowledge are the eyes of the new man; they must be clear, but not haughty, not exercised in things too high for us. When our aims and intentions are sincere and honest, then we have doves’ eyes, when we look not unto idols (Ezek. xviii. 6), but have our eyes ever towards the Lord, Ps. xxv. 15. The doves’ eyes are within the locks, which area as a shade upon them, so that, [1.] They cannot fully see. As long as we are here in this world we know but in part, for a hair hangs in our eyes; we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness; death will shortly cut those locks, and then we shall see all things clearly. [2.] They cannot be fully seen, but as the stars through the thin clouds. Some make it to intimate the bashfulness of her looks; she suffers not her eyes to wander, but limits them with her locks.

      (2.) Her hair; it is compared to a flock of goats, which looked white, and were, on the top of the mountains, like a fine head of hair; and the sight was more pleasant to the spectator because the goats have not only gravity from their beards, but they are comely in going (Prov. xxx. 29), but it was most pleasant of all to the owner, much of whose riches consisted in his flocks. Christ puts a value upon that in the church, and in believers, which others make no more account of than of their hair. He told his disciples that the very hairs of their head were all numbered, as carefully as men number their flocks (Matt. x. 30), and that not a hair of their head should perish, Luke xxi. 18. Some by the hair here understand the outward conversation of a believer, which ought to be comely, and decent, and agreeable to the holiness of the heart. The apostle opposes good works, such as become the professors of godliness, to the plaiting of the hair,1Ti 2:9; 1Ti 2:10. Mary Magdalen’s hair was beautiful when she wiped the feet of Christ with it.

      (3.) Her teeth, v. 2. Ministers are the church’s teeth; like nurses, they chew the meat for the babes of Christ. The Chaldee paraphrase applies it to the priests and Levites, who fed upon the sacrifices as the representatives of the people. Faith, by which we feed upon Christ, meditation, by which we ruminate on the word and chew the cud upon what we have heard, in order to the digesting of it, are the teeth of the new man. These are here compared to a flock of sheep. Christ called his disciples and ministers a little flock. It is the praise of teeth to be even, to be white, and kept clean, like sheep from the washing, and to be firm and well fixed in the gums, and not like sheep that cast their young; for so the word signifies which we translate barren. It is the praise of ministers to be even in mutual love and concord, to be pure and clean from all moral pollutions, and to be fruitful, bringing forth souls to Christ, and nursing his lambs.

      (4.) Her lips; these are compared to a thread of scarlet, v. 3. Red lips are comely, and a sign of health, as the paleness of the lips is a sign of faintness and weakness; her lips were the colour of scarlet, but thin lips, like a thread of scarlet. The next words explain it: Thy speech is comely, always with grace, good, and to the use of edifying, which adds much to the beauty of a Christian. When we praise God with our lips, and with the mouth make confession of him to salvation, then they are as a thread of scarlet. All our good works and good words must be washed in the blood of Christ, dyed like the scarlet thread, and then, and not till then, they are acceptable to God. The Chaldee applies it to the chief priest, and his prayers for Israel on the day of atonement.

      (5.) Her temples, or cheeks, which are here compared to a piece of a pomegranate, a fruit which, when cut in two, has rich veins or specks in it, like a blush in the face. Humility and modesty, blushing to lift up our faces before God, blushing at the remembrance of sin and in a sense of our unworthiness of the honour put upon us, will beautify us very much in the eyes of Christ. The blushes of Christ’s bride are within her locks, which intimates (says Mr. Durham) that she blushes when no other sees, and for that which none sees but God and conscience; also that she seeks not to proclaim her humility, but modestly covers that too; yet the evidences of all these, in a tender walk, appear and are comely.

      (6.) Her neck; this is here compared to the tower of David, v. 4. This is generally applied to the grace of faith, by which we are united to Christ, as the body is united to the head by the neck; this is like the tower of David, furnishing us with weapons of war, especially bucklers and shields, as the soldiers were supplied with them out of that tower, for faith is our shield (Eph. vi. 16): those that have it never want a buckler, for God will compass them with his favour as with a shield. When this neck is like a tower, straight, and stately, and strong, a Christian goes on in his way, and works with courage and magnanimity, and does not hang a drooping head, and he does when faith fails. Some make the shields of the mighty men, that are here said to hang up in the tower of David, to be the monuments of the valour of David’s worthies. Their shields were preserved, to keep in remembrance them and their heroic acts, intimating that it is a great encouragement to the saints to hold up their heads, to see what great things the saints in all ages have accomplished and won by faith. In Heb. xi. we have the shields of the mighty men hung up, the exploits of believers and the trophies of their victories.

      (7.) Her breasts; these are like two young roes that are twins, v. 5. The church’s breasts are both for ornament (Ezek. xvi. 7) and for use; they are the breasts of her consolation ( Isa. lxvi. 11), as she is said to suck the breasts of kings, Isa. lx. 16. Some apply these to the two Testaments; others to the two sacraments, the seals of the covenant of grace; others to ministers, who are to be spiritual nurses to the children of God and to give out to them the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby, and, in order to that, are themselves to feed among the lilies where Christ feeds (ch. ii. 16), that they may be to the babes of the church as full breasts. Or the breasts of a believer are his love to Christ, which he is pleased with, as a tender husband is with the affections of his wife, who is therefore said to be to him as the loving hind and the pleasant roe, because her breasts satisfy him at all times, Prov. v. 19. This includes also his edifying others and communicating grace to them, which adds much to a Christian’s beauty.

      II. The bridegroom’s resolution hereupon to retire to the mountain of myrrh (v. 6) and there to make his residence. This mountain of myrrh is supposed to signify Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, where incense was daily burnt to the honour of God. Christ was so pleased with the beauty of his church that he chose this to be his rest for ever; here he will dwell till the day break and the shadows flee away. Christ’s parting promise to his disciples, as the representatives of the church, answer to this: Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Where the ordinances of God are duly administered there Christ will be, and there we must meet him at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Some make these to be the words of the spouse, either modestly ashamed of the praises given her, and willing to get out of the hearing of them, or desirous to be constant to the holy hill, not doubting but there to find suitable and sufficient succour and relief in all her straits, and there to cast anchor, and wish for the day, which, at the time appointed, would break and the shadows flee away. The holy hill (as some observe) is here called both a mountain of myrrh, which is bitter, and a hill of frankincense, which is sweet, for there we have occasion both to mourn and rejoice; repentance is a bitter sweet. But in heaven it will be all frankincense, and no myrrh. Prayer is compared to incense, and Christ will meet his praying people and will bless them.

      III. His repeated commendation of the beauty of the spouse (v. 7): Thou art all fair, my love. He had said (v. 1), Thou art fair; but here he goes further, and, in review of the particulars, as of those of the creation, he pronounces all very good: “Thou art all fair, my love; thou art all over beautiful, and there is nothing amiss in thee, and thou hast all beauties in thee; thou art sanctified wholly in every part; all things have become new (2 Cor. v. 17); there is not only a new face and a new name, but a new man, a new nature; there is no spot in thee, as far as thou art renewed.” The spiritual sacrifices must be without blemish. There is no spot but such as is often the spot of God’s children, none of the leopard’s spots. The church, when Christ shall present it to himself a glorious church, will be altogether without spot or wrinkle, Eph. v. 27.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

SONG OF SOLOMON CHAPTER 4

BEAUTY OF THE SHULAMTE

Verses 1-7 express in great detail the shepherd’s admiration of the physical beauty of the Shulamite. Every feature is praised. None has a defect.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

THE CHURCH IN CHRISTS EYES

Song of Solomon 3-8.

THE reader of this volume will recall that in the introduction, taken bodily from Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, we quoted Origen and James as having said that the Jews forbade the reading of this volume by any man until he was thirty years old.

But recently I had in my pulpit a blessed minister of the Gospel, a man of deeply spiritual mind, who is in his sixty-fifth year, and when I asked him what he thought of the Song of Solomon, he answered instantly, Up to the present I have never dared to attempt its interpretation.

As is said in the introduction, It certainly needs a degree of spiritual maturity to enter aright into the holy mystery of love which it allegorically sets forth. To such as have attained this maturity, to whatever age they may have reached, the Song of Solomon is one of the most edifying of the Sacred Writings.

Since the commencement of this series, the Book has constantly grown upon us, until we regret our decision to contribute so few chapters to the same. However, the plan laid out for the forty volumes that make up this work is such that we cannot rearrange at this date. We proceed however, with the consciousness that scores of its suggestive texts are either passed over in entire silence, or touched but superficially, in this brief treatment.

Taking up, therefore, this extensive Scripture lesson of five chapters, we prefer to discuss them

under the following suggestions: Christ Beholds Great Beauty in His Bride, Her Indifference is Truly Heart-Breaking, But Her Neglect is Soon Forgotten and Forgiven.

CHRIST BEHOLDS GREAT BEAUTY IN HIS BRIDE

Behold, thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee.

The figures employed are rural and oriental. It will be remembered that in the New Testament Christ turned to nature again and again for illustrations. His parables involve the sower and the seed, the tares, the mustard seed, the laborers in the vineyard, the wicked husbandmen, the seed growing secretly, the lost sheep, the unprofitable servants, and so forth.

Here also the open country makes matchless contributions. The doves eyes, the silken black hair of the goats, the flock of freshly sheared and washed white sheep, the thread of scarlet , the pomegranate, the two young roesall of these are figures of the beauty found in the features of His Brideher eyes like the doves eyes; her hair like the goats hair; her white teeth like the washed and even shorn sheep; her lips like the thread of scarlet, her temples like the pomegranate, and so forth.

It is a suggestive thing (and yet one that finds easy explanation, since Christ was God, and hence all wisdom was with Him) that He employed figures, the meaning of which time does not destroy nor world-changes deleteriously affect.

Figures from city life are not so lasting as those of country life. In cities, changes are too rapid and radical. But not so with the open spaces of natures face. To this hour there is not a parable of the New Testament that is not clearly, and even easily, understood; and to this good hour also the figures here found are of ready comprehension. The doves eyes are soft, kindly and beautiful; the black hair of the oriental goat is silken indeed; the even shorn and freshly washed flock of sheep are to this day the figures of white and splendid teeth; the thread of scarlet a hint of healthy and beautiful lips; and the pomegranate a picture of temples shining through the locks.

It is a habit of true love to see in nature likenesses of physical and mental graces; and, though the language of these six verses may seem to some exorbitant, they are to the eyes of affection, suggestive but inadequate.

His affection is such as sees no faults.

Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee (Son 4:7).

Possibly among the New Testament chapters few are so uniformly popular as 1 Corinthians 13.

It is a dissertation on love. In that discussion Paul says love thinketh no evil. In fact, loves eye is blind to defects in its subject. There may be short-comings, but it does not dwell upon them.

It is glorious to believe that Christ beholds only the beauty of the Church; that to Him she is all fair; that He overlooks her defects, and sees her as she shall eventually be, the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. There can be little doubt that the seven Churches of Asia were rather poor specimens of spiritual life, faulty and defective in the last degree, and yet, how much of beauty He beheld in them! At Ephesus He commended the works, and labor and patience; of the people of Smyrna He dwelt upon their works, and tribulation, and poverty; and of Pergamos, their works in an evil station and their exemplary discipline; at Thyatira He thought of their works, and charity, and faith, and patience; at Sardis He sought out the few who had not defiled their garments and promised them that they should walk with Him in white; at Philadelphia He rejoiced that they had kept the Word of His patience and promised to keep them against the hour of temptation; and even at Laodicea, where so little was commendatory, He counselled them to buy of Him gold tried in the fire, that they might be rich; and white raiment that they might be clothed. There were defects in each of these Churches, glaring and terrible. He only called attention to them to correct them, and gave the major portion of each Letter to commendation. Love thinketh no evil.

The fellowship of love is the Lords desire.

Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister. My spouse; thou hast ravished My heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

How fair is thy love, My sister, My spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

Thy lips, O My spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

A garden inclosed is My sister, My spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon (Son 4:8-15).

It might almost seem a strange thing for Christ to crave fellowship. In His Deity one would imagine He would find a sufficiency; such infinite fullness, such perfect conscience, such conscious power, such wisdom that one would suppose He had no need of anything outside of His perfect Self. But the Scriptures do not so present Him.

The greatest and best of men love their fellows. They crave fellowship and seek companionship.

He chose twelve that He might be in a college fraternity, and out of the Twelve He selected three as His intimates. There was never a crisis in His life that He did not long to have the three share the same with Him. Possibly of all the pathetic things recorded of Jesus, the Master, none more pathetic than His appeal to these three that they watch with Him in the hour of His great agony, and His pathetic disappointment at finding them sleeping when the sorrows that rolled over His soul were such that even human companionship seemed a partial but necessary antidote.

We do not believe that we are straining the text a bit when we say,

Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon.

Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse; thou hast ravished My heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

How fair is thy love, My sister, My spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

Thy lips, O My spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

A garden inclosed is My sister, My spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices;

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon,

is a cry for the fellowship of love.

He indulges in a riot of words to express the craving for affection.

Ive found a Friend; oh, such a Friend!

He loved me ere I knew Him;

He drew me with the cords of love,

And thus He bound me to Him.

And round my heart still closely twine

Those ties which naught can sever,

For I am His and He is mine,

For ever and for ever!

Ive found a Friend; oh, such a Friend!

He bled, He died to save me;

And not alone the gift of life,

But His own Self He gave me;

Naught that I have my own I call,

I hold it for the Giver:

My heart, my strength, my life, my all,

Are His, and His for ever!

Ive found a Friend; oh, such a Friend!

So kind, and true, and tender,

So wise a Counsellor and Guide,

So mighty a Defender!

From Him, who loves me now so well,

What power my soul can sever?

Shall life? or death? shall earth? or hell?

No! I am His for ever!

HER INDIFFERENCE IS HEART-BREAKING

She sleeps while He knocks and waits.

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled: for My head is filled with dew, and My locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for Him.

I rose up to open to my Beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

I opened to my Beloved; but my Beloved had withdrawn Himself, and was gone: my soul failed when He spake: I sought Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him, but He gave me no answer (Son 5:2-6).

What a picture this of the Church! How many congregations all across this country sleep; and for that matter, in every country these sleeping churches are found. A noted statistician called attention a year or two ago to the circumstance that in three denominations in America over eleven thousand churches had not seen a single soul saved in a twelfth month. Sleeping!

It reminds us of Holman Hunts famous painting of Christ knocking at the door. The door had rusty hinges, and the vines had grown over it showing how long it had been closed; and the fact that it did not open is a further indication of the certainty that only death reigned within.

This is not only a picture of the church at its best; but sad to say, it is a picture of the best of the church, under some conditions. Unquestionably James, Peter and John were the choice spirits in the apostolic college; if anybody could be looked to, to watch, when needed, they were the ones, and on that very account they were selected for that awful night of His betrayal and arrest. And yet, while the diabolical deed of Judas is being carried out these three choice spirits slept.

We have a custom, I fear, of imagining ourselves more awake in this church than we are. The circumstances that no year goes by without seeing a considerable number of souls brought to Christ, leads us to feel that we are not asleep; but, alas, for the facts that we have to face upon a little reflection. Hundreds of our members in this church never speak to a single person on spiritual matters; and even those of us who are looked upon as leaders, are often sound asleep at the time when our opportunity of service is not only greatest but most sorely needed.

We have a notion that there is a dual sense to Solomons proverb:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Provided her meat in the summer, and gathered her food in the harvest.

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

There is a spiritual poverty that is even greater than the financial, and there is a soul-lethergy that exceeds that of bodily indolence. Think of the time that Jesus

Took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistening.

And, behold, there talked with Him two men, winch were Moses and Elias:

Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.

But Peter and they that were with Him were heavy with sleep (Luk 9:28-32).

How strange, you say! How almost unthinkable that men should sleep under such circumstances! Asleep! at a time when they were called to pray and yet were asleep; at a moment when Heavenly visitors were present; and still more, asleep through the very hour of Christs glorification.

Doubtless these things are recorded as our warning; and yet it must be confessed that we learn not from them. It is little wonder that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians of the Coming of the Lord,

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that Day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation (1Th 5:4-8).

We speak sometimes of a revival. What does it mean? It really means a waking up of the Church. How greatly is that needed! Of all the Prophets of the Old Testament Isaiah is truly the evangel. It is interesting to run through his Volume and see how often he calls upon the people of God to awake, anticipating the day of the Lords Coming,

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise (Isa 26:19). And then his appeal to his people, Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. * * Shake thyself from the dust. * * For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought (Isa 52:1-3). Then still further, Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

Not once, but often do we hear some man in impassioned prayer calling upon God in this language: O wake us up! and there is occasion.

James Montgomery must have been dwelling upon the very language of the Prophet Isaiah when he wrote:

Awake, awake; put on thy strength,

Thy beautiful array;

The day of freedom dawns at length,

The Lords appointed day.

Rebuild thy walls, thy bounds enlarge,

And send thy heralds forth;

Say to the south, Give up thy charge,

And Keep not back, O north!

She responds only when it is too late.

I opened to my Beloved; but my Beloved had withdrawn Himself, and was gone: my soul failed when He spake: I sought Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him, but He gave me no answer.

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my Beloved, that ye tell Him, that I am sick of love (Son 5:6-8).

He has gone! How often in human history it has been so! The antediluvians were wakened at last! But, alas, too late! The storm of judgment had broken; the flood was at its full. The last dread enemy, death, was victor, the Lord was gone.

San Pierre wakened at last; but not until its citizens were all dead beneath the ash heap of the exploded mountain.

San Francisco wakened at last. But not until its heart had either been swallowed up by the earthquake, or licked clean by fire.

Father Ryan, the poet priest, would forgive me I know for changing and accommodating some words from his pen which must express the loneliness of that heart that knew Christ and loved Him, but slept through all His appeals and drove away His presence:

Gone, and there is not a gleam of you,

Tour face has floated into the far away.

Gone! and we can only dream of you.

Dream as yon fade like a star away;

Fade as a star in the sky from us,

Vainly we look for your light again;

Hear ye the sound of a sigh from us?

Come, and our hearts will be bright again.

Come! and gaze on our faces once more

Bring us the smiles of the olden days;

Come! and shine in your place once more,

And change the dark into golden days.

Gone! gone! gone! joy is fled from us

Gone into the night of the nevermore,

And darkness rests where you shed for us

A light we will miss for evermore.

Originally this was spoken of earthly friends; but it has its truest meaning when applied to the Heavenly Ones.

Cowper perhaps has voiced this experience as no other uninspired writer has done; and yet voiced it as every backslidden Christian has felt it.

Where is the blessedness I knew

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refreshing view

Of Jesus and His Word?

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!

How sweet their memory still!

But they have left an aching void

The world can never fill.

Return, O Holy Dove, return,

Sweet messenger of rest;

I hate the sins that made Thee mourn,

And drove Thee from my breast.

Cowper concluded his poem with the only language that will ever conclude this slumber, this sense of loneliness, this unspeakable loss, and with the very language that nine out of ten present-day Christians should employ, namely:

The dearest idol I have known,

Whatever that idol be,

Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

And worship only Thee.

The world sleeps and one day it will awake; but alas, too late! It will awake to a ruined universe, to an earth shaken in every part by fire and earthquake, to a day when the sun shall be black as sackcloth, and the moon as blood, and the stars have fallen, and the heaven itself has departed as a scroll, and every mountain and island has been moved out of its place; then its kings and its great men and rich men and chief captains shall hide themselves in the rocks of the mountains and say to the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us, for the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?

This picture of a departed Christ is followed by a strange, and yet very natural suggestion:

The Church, His Bride, defends Him against all competitors (Son 6:1-4). Strange we never prize love at its best until we have lost it; nor esteem the lover as he deserves until he is gone. So it is with our Divine Lover. When He is with us daily we accept it as a matter of course and fail to appreciate the fullness of His affection. What wife ever saw a husbands virtues in the full light until he was taken away; what Christian ever esteemed the ineffable Person and Presence of Christ as He deserved, until by some sin or spiritual drowsiness His companionship was lost!

Doubtless the five foolish virgins had some appreciation of the bridegrooms presence and also of the feast that had been prepared for the occasion; but the full sense of their loss was never felt until they knew the door was closed; and admission to his presence and the appointments of joy and rejoicing were denied them.

You say it is very strange that one who thought her Lover as the Chiefest of ten thousand should have slept while He knocked and slumbered until He slipped away.

But strange as it seems to us, our. conduct is not less selfish, nor even less sinful, nor does our belated language contribute to the glories of His Person. Our extravagant terms of personal affection do not excuse, in the least, the daily indifference to His calls; and more than one of us have had to endure the fears of His lost love, and to search long and diligently for His presence as a result of our own sinful sluggishness and wicked slumbers.

However, as we pursue this study, another feature of His matchless character comes to the surface.

HER NEGLECT IS FORGIVEN AND FORGOTTEN

Her beauty ravishes His heart. In Son 6:4-10, He voices this thought. In response to her statement that He is chiefest among ten thousand and the One Altogether Lovely. He answers, Thou art beautiful, O My love. There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, My undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. * * Fair as the moon, clear as the sun. And He for whom the Bride sought not, turns about and seeks instead, calling, Return, return, * * that we may look upon thee.

In my work as a minister I have married a great many couples. Occasionally it is easy to see why the bride has been sought out. Her beauty is evident to all; her graces of person are most manifest. But on thousands of occasions it is not so; only the husbands eyes could see beauty in some brides. But evidently the true husband, who has given his heart with his hand, must behold that beauty whether others can see it or not. Such is the influence of love.

When we think on Gods people and know them intimately enough to understand their deficiencies we marvel all the more that Christ, Gods only Son, and the King of Glory, finds in them attractive features. The explanation is not so much in either their attractiveness or their accomplishments as it is in the manifestation of His affection.

That is why the poet could write:

Glorious things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God;

He whose Word can neer be broken

Formed thee for His own abode.

Lord, Thy Church is still Thy dwelling,

Still is precious in Thy sight;

Judahs Temple far excelling,

Beaming with the Gospels light.

Her absence is His anguish.

I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies (Son 6:11-13).

We know that the individual Christian suffers when he or she feels that there is no further communion between his soul and Christ.

But is it not certain that Christ suffers still more? Undoubtedly Peter, James and John were ashamed of their neglect when once they were wakened out of slumber and knew that they had failed Christ in the hour of His greatest need. But was their suffering comparable to that through which He passed as in the garden great drops of sweat were on His brow; and in the wisdom that was His own, He understood that they had failed Him in that awful hour?

Christ was human and as such He craved human fellowship. What man or woman is there who is normally and Divinely constituted, and yet can live contentedly without the conscious love of lifes choice one?

Again and again it has been my duty to lay away either husband or wife after a long period of fifty or sixty or more years of walking together; and I have noticed that when that walk has been intimate and sweet, the old man or the old woman thus left alone, longs for the end and is happy when it comes. Beyond question that is due to the circumstance that he believes that this fellowship will be renewed in another land; and to live alone after one has gone, makes life a desert and Heaven a land of rejoicing. Who doubts that Divine love is as much more intense than human love as the Divine thoughts are high above the human ones, and that Christ Himself is anguished whenever the members of His Bride, the Church, are indifferent and are practically out of communion with Him.

If one would take the time to read Son 7:1 to Son 8:7 he would discover that

HER POSSESSION IS HIS PLEASURE

It would seem as we pass from chapter six to seven that His cry, Return, return! has not been in vain.

The language that follows indicates her presence, and consequently, pleasure. The statement of the Bride, I am my Beloveds indicates the same. Love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it, are sample sentences of the mutual expressions that follow.

I wonder if people, in general, have noticed what has often impressed me, namely, how we can measure the pulse of affection by the language that r is unconsciously employed to express the same? Older friends, who have long walked together, quite often introduce the spouse as Mr. or Mrs. Smith or Jones; but not so with the young husband or wife.

Their introduction is on another basisThis is my husband, This is my wife, with the emphasis upon the possessive pronoun. That is a natural expression of a keen sense of possession, of pride and joy in the same.

That possessive pronoun also has played conspicuous place in both Old and New Testament. On the one side it voices the believers affection for Christ; and equally on the other, Christs affection for the Christian. Beyond all question, the Psalmists love to Christ reached no higher expression than the twenty-third Psalm; and in that Psalm his language is, The Lord is my Shepherd. Perhaps hundreds of times this single phrase will be found in that Book of the Psalm, My God. It is the language of love, and it is also appropriating faith, and it is justified by the Divine attitude.

Jesus said, As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in MY love. If ye keep My Commandments, ye shall abide in MY love. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, rather, can we not say with the Apostle, We are persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?

Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley

Notes

Son. 4:6 : Until the day dawn, and the shadows flew away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. Until the day dawn ( , adh shey-yaphuakh hay-yom), , composed of , for , that, and from , to blow or breathe; literally, till the day breathe. According to some, before the cool of the day; a cooling breeze usually blowing at that time in the East. So EWALD, GESENIUS, ROSENMLLER, and most of the moderns. Reference to the easterly gale which frequently accompanies the approach of the sun to the horizon. PARKHURST, PERCY, A. CLARK, PURSY observed that a wind blows fresh both at the rising and setting of the sun. GILL. According to the earlier interpreters, the reference to the morning gale or dawn of day. A local beauty: in those hot countries the dawn of day is attended with a fine refreshing breeze much more grateful than the return of light itself. VATABLUS. Reference to the morning still preferred by some moderns. The refreshing breeze of dawn in the East, or air of life, which distinguishes morning from the death-like stillness of night. M. STUART, FAUSSET. Breathe: a figurative expression for the reviving of the day after its apparent death. GOOD. Till the day breathe forth, i.e., light; may also refer to the blowing of the wind at the break of day. AINSWORTH. PISCATOR has: Till the day respire or refresh himself, i.e., the sun, after the labours of the day: Ancient versions and Fathers connect with the preceding until evening, when having fed, they (i.e., the roes) return home. JUNIUS and DURHAM refer it to the day in which the marriage was to be consummated. According to DELITSCH and ZCKLER, the words spoken by Shulamite, as well as in chap. Son. 2:17. According to the former, the Bride modestly wishes to leave the hall for a more solitary place in the precincts of the palace, till evening shall bring her again into the Kings presence. So BARTH (Bible Manual): the Bride unable to bear herself so highly commended, and desiring to prepare herself for the Bridegroom. Others, probably more correctly, ascribe the words to the Bridegroom. So EWALD: Till the day declines (i.e., soon) would I enjoy thy beauty. GILL views the words as spoken by him in reply to the request of the Bride in chap. Son. 2:17. According to the author of the Threefold Mystery, he intimates the coming changehis withdrawal for a seasonwith, however, a word of hope. Allegorically: Till the evening of the world, when I will take thee to myself. PISCATOR. FROMONDI: I will go during the night of this present life. DURHAM: Till the day when the Bride shall be taken into immediate communion with the Bridegroom. FRY: Till the day of Christs second appearing. FAUSSET: Till the everlasting day: typically, Gods taking up his abode in the Temple till the day break of Messiahs first appearing. MERCER and others: Day of the Gospel Dispensation, when the shadows of the law should pass away. GILL: The day of grace, and then the day of glory to elect souls.

I will get me to the mountains of myrrh, &c. According to some, the reference to certain localities. ZCKLER: Localities about the royal palace: solitary shady spots, perhaps beds of balsam (Son. 4:13). UMBREIT: The region of Shulamites home. HITZIG: Zion, as the seat of the Court. WILLIAMS: The Lebanon: the allusion to the fragrant groves of spices to be found in that country. A. CLARKE: Probably the mountains of Bether. COBBIN: The object to obtain perfumes for the Fair One. Others regard the language as figurative and denoting the Bride herself. GROTIUS: The breasts of the Bride, with allusion to the fragrant substances upon them. PERCY: The Bride compared to an entire heap of perfumes. EWALD: Shulamites beauty so compared, as inviting from its sweet perfume. Allegorically: The temple on Mount Moriah. TARGUM, RASHI, ABEN EZRA. Mount Moriah, where the oil was made out of pure myrrh: Mount Zion as a figure of the Church. HENGSTENBERG. Where Isaac was offered. Old Commentator. Where frankincense was offered on the altar of incense; the Lord promising to dwell in the Temple now dedicated to Him (2Ch. 7:12-15). WEISS, FAUSSET. Reference to the Temple and its prayers and services, where Jesus often brought the devotion of holy prayer. DEL RIO. Heaven. PISCATOR. The heavenly Jerusalem. JUNIUS. As the place of special holiness. SANCTIUS. The abode of martyrs and confessors. HONORIUS. The abode of angels, spoken of in the East as having bodies of perfume. HARMER. The mediatorial kingdom of Christ, where He presents to the Father the incense of His finished atonement. HAWKER, and the author of Three-fold Mystery. Refers to the crucifixion and death of Jesus. GREGORY. Christ went willingly to death: the mountain of myrrh His death, the hill of frankincense His resurrection and ascension. THEODORET. Christs mountain full of rich gifts, but only available for us by the bitterness of His death. DEL RIO. Historical reference to Calvary, and the embalming of the Lords body with the myrrh and aloes till His resurrection. M. STUART. The Bride or Church of Christ, even now lovely and precious in His eyes as the mountain of myrrh. PATRICK. The Church, where the graces of His people flow, and where their prayers are as incense. DURHAM. Where Christ takes up His abode till His second coming. GILL. The Church assembled under the Gospel ministry, where the name of Jesus, like frankincense, fills the hearts of His people with the savour of His presence. HAWKER (Notes).On the sweetly smelling sacrificial fragrance of the mountain of myrrh (his Bride) he will delight himself from morning till evening. HAHN. Souls whose fleshly lusts are mortified by the myrrh of repentance. FROMONDI. Reference to a life of prayer and contemplation. TIRINUS. As spoken by the Bride. The Church will flee for safety from her persecutors to the place prepared for her in the wilderness (Rev. 12:14). COCCEIUS. Will wait for the day, retiring for prayer and meditation. HAWKER. To the mountain of sacrifice and the hill of praise. DAVIDSON. The soul in great distress fleeing to Christ for refuge in prayer and meditation. AINSWORTH.

PART THIRD
The Marriage Feast

CHAPTER Son. 4:1-16, TO Son. 5:1

SCENE FIRST. Place: Bridal Apartment in Solomons Palace. Speakers: The King and Shulamite

THE KING

Expressing his Admiration of and Delight in his Bride

CHAP. Son. 4:1-7

Behold, thou art fair, my love;
Behold, thou art fair.
Thou hast doves eyes within thy locks.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That appear from Mount Gilead.
Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn;
Which come up from the washing;
Whereof every one beareth twins;
And none is barren among them.
Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet;
And thy speech is comely.
Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate,
Within thy locks (or, behind thy veil).
Thy neck is like the tower of David,
Builded for an armoury;
Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
Thy two breasts are like two young roes
That are twins,
Which feed among the lilies.
Until the day break,
And the shadows flee away,
I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,
And to the hill of frankincense.
Thou art all fair, my love;
There is no spot in thee.

Shulamite not now merely a betrothed, but a married wife. Hence in this chapter, for the first time, called by Solomon, My spouse. Her veil removed in the bridal apartment, Solomon surveys her beauty, and contemplates her person with intense delight. Spiritually, the Church, or individual believer, still regarded as on earth, but in an advanced stage of experience as compared with that of the preceding chapters. Historically, the New Testament Church, or the Church after Pentecost, indicated; the crucifixion and death of Jesus, followed by His resurrection and ascension, being regarded as the nuptials. In reference to individual believers, the present part of the Allegory may be viewed as descriptive of the time when they have made the public and solemn profession of their acceptance of and self-dedication to Jesus, by sitting down at His table, and receiving that seal of the Covenant and pledge of His love.

The text, Solomons previous commendation of the Bride now repeated with considerable enlargement and particularity. Formerly, only her dove-like eyes commended and admired. Now all her features, as well as the upper parts of her personher hair, neck, and breasts. Observe

1. A growth of grace in believers. The path of the just as the shining light. Believers changed from glory to glory. Beautiful in Christs eyes here; much more so hereafter. Heaven the place of just men made perfect.

2. Periods of special advancement in the history of the Church and of individual believers. A great advance in holiness and grace in the Church of the New Testament after the day of Pentecost, as compared with that of the Old Testament. A similar advance to be experienced in the Millenial Church as compared with the Church in its present state. The light of the moon made to be as the light of the sun; and the light of the sun as the light of seven days (Isa. 30:26). A great increase of grace often visible in the case of a believer after a solemn and public dedication of himself to the Lord, and a sealing of the Covenant at the Lords Table. Believers frequently sensible of a considerable advance in grace, and of an elevation of their spiritual life to a higher level. Such elevations often preceded by painful trials, deep soul-exercises, and renewed conviction of sin. Much higher attainments in grace to be gained than are ordinarily arrived at. Such attainments to be earnestly desired and sought after. Provision made for them. Open thy month wide, and I will fill it. Be ye filled with the Spirit (Psa. 81:10; Eph. 5:18).

3. The highest delight of Jesus in the spiritual beauty and perfection of His Church and people. Forget thine own people and thy fathers house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty (Psa. 45:10). The Lord in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing (Zep. 3:17). Christs joy fulfilled in the spiritual prosperity and perfection of His people. The description of the Brides beauty in the text a climax, indicative of the joy of the Bridegroomhis affection kindling as he contemplates the object of his love. Commences with: Thou art fair; and ends with: Thou art all fair; there is no spot in thee.

4. The believers love, as expressed in the eyes, her main attraction in the view of Christ. The Brides dove-like eyes the first feature described, and the only one previously mentioned. The eyes the expression of the soul, and especially of the tender emotions. Doves distinguished for their affection, especially to their mates. Hence, doves eyes particularly expressive of the affection of a loving Bride. The believers eyes such; as being meekly and lovingly directed to Christ as His Bridegroom.

5. The beauty and excellence of the believer in Christs eyes made up of a variety of particulars. Seven here mentioned, as perhaps indicative of the believers perfection. Not necessary exactly to fix the spiritual reference of each, though desirable to find the corresponding grace in the believers character. The various particulars that constitute the spiritual beauty and excellence of the believer scattered up and down in the Scriptures. Sometimes brought together in a cluster, as in the text. So in Gal. 5:22; 2Pe. 1:5; Php. 4:8; Col. 3:12. These particulars all seen combined in their perfection in the person of Christ Himself. The believers duty and interest to see that none of these features in the spiritual character are wanting or defective in him. Symmetry, proportion, and completeness necessary to the perfection of the Christian character.

6. The comparisons in the description not all equally obvious, though equally suitable. Their aptness more obvious and natural to an Oriental than a European reader. That aptness seen more in the general impression than in the particular resemblance. Beautiful and striking things in the person of a beloved one compared in the East by an ardent admirer, or by a writer of poetry, to other beautiful and striking things, where only a general or distinct resemblance might exist. The Brides breasts thus compared to two twin fawns feeding among lilies or in a flowery need; the prominent idea being probably that of love and conjugal enjoyment (Pro. 5:19). Her fair neck, with its jewelled and golden ornaments, suggestive, in the eyes of Solomon, of the lofty marble tower erected by his father David, with the glittering shields of warriors suspended on its walls as indicative of the nations strength; thus conveying the idea of moral firmness, dignity, and purity in the Bride. Her black tressesa prominent feature in Oriental female beautysuggestive, to those accustomed to the pastoral scenes of Juda, of a flock of goats, with their long, dark, glossy hair, seen at a distance browsing on the mountain side; suggesting to us, however, the true ornament, not only of the female but of the Christian character in generalthat of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1Pe. 3:3). The Brides lips compared to a thread of scarlet, as, while beautiful in themselves, suggesting a still greater charm,the sweetness and comeliness of her speech, as expressive of a pure, affectionate, and intelligent soul, and rendering her a meet companion for an enlightened husband; a prominent feature in a spiritual believer being that his speech is with grace, seasoned with salt; able to minister grace to the hearers; and that no corrupt communication is allowed to proceed out of his mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying (Col. 4:6; Eph. 4:29) The whole presence of the Bride suggests to the admiring husband a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense, where all is fragrant, sweet, and delightful: what the pure-minded and loving wife is to her husband, and what the Church and the believers soul is, or ought to be, to Christ.

7. Christs great enjoyment in the grace and fellowship of His believing people. The Bridegroom, after surveying and admiring Shulamites unveiled charms, with the delightful consciousness that she is now all his own, resolves, for her comfort as well as his own, duly to enjoy her society and love. Till the dawn and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, &c. The mountain of myrrh to Jesus is not so much the quiring Seraphim and the angels of light, as his people, whom he has redeemed with his most precious blood, whether these be triumphant in heaven or still militant on earth. This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it (Psa. 132:13-14). His place of enjoyment is among the golden candlesticks, or Churches of the saints (Rev. 2:1).

8. Christs presence in and with His Church promised during the whole of her stay in this world. That period, one of nightof darkness, danger, and discomfort (Rom. 13:12). His second coming to His Church, the dawning of a bright and never-ending day. Till then His presence promised both to believers individually and to their assemblies convened in His name. (Joh. 14:23; Mat. 18:20). His promise to His servants and people in connection with the great commission: Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world (Mat. 28:20). The words of the text those of Jesus at the Supper Table in the upper room at Jerusalem: I will not leave you comfort-less; I will come to you (Joh. 14:18), Specimens of the fulfilment of the promise given immediately after His resurrection (Joh. 20:16-28; Luk. 24:15-32; Act. 1:4).

9. The Church, both in its individual members and in its assemblies and ordinances, made a mountain of myrrh and hill of frank-incense by the person of Jesus Himself. No fragrance or sweetness apart from Himself. Thy name is as ointment poured forth. All His garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia. Ordinances themselves insipid without Christ. Believers stale and unprofitable, but as they have Christ dwelling in them by His Spirit. Christ the bundle of myrrh that sweetens both the believers spirit and the Churchs ordinances. The care and concern of Churches and believers to be constantly, by the presence of Jesus and His Spirit, a mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense.

10. If the Church on earth is made by the presence of Jesus a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense, what shall heaven be?

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

TEXT 4:17

THIRD SCENEThe Lovers Interviews Son. 4:1 to Son. 5:1

First Meeting (Jerusalem?): Shepherds Monologue, Son. 4:1-7

1.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair.

Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that lie along
The side of Mount Gilead.

2.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn,

Which are come up from the washing,
Whereof every one hath twins, and none is bereaved among them.

3.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate behind thy veil.

4.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all the shields of the mighty men.

5.

Thy two breasts are like two fawns. That are twins of a roe, which feed among the lilies.

6.

Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away,

I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,
And to the hill of frankincense.

7.

Thou art all fair, my love;

And there is no spot in thee.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 4:17

92.

How is the word fair used as in verse one? The terms my love are better translated with a less personal meaning. What is a better word?

93.

The maiden looks out from behind her tresses or her veil. Which is it?

94.

In what way would her hair be like a flock of goats on the mountains of Gilead?

95.

What a strange comparison? Teeth like a flock of sheep? Show how this could be true?

96.

Why compare her lips to a thread of scarlet?

97.

Two things are said of her mouth. What is the second compliment? Which is the most important?

98.

Back of the locks of her hair her cheeks are like the two halves of a pomegranate. What quality or compliment is intended here?

99.

A neck like a tower? What is meant by way of a compliment? What is intended by mention of the shields of the mighty men of David?

100.

What is the imagery of comparing her breasts to two young fawns?

101.

The lover suggests he will leave and returnat what time will he return? Where is he going?

102.

What is meant by the mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense?

103.

Who is speaking? For what purpose? At what place?

PARAPHRASE 4:17

Shepherd

1.

Lo, thou art fair, my companion, lo, thou art fair!

Thine eyes are dove-like behind thy tresses.
Thy hair resembles a flock of goats
That browse along the slopes of Gilead.

2.

Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep

Just come up from the dipping pool.
Each one has its twin,
And none among them is bereaved.

3.

Thy lips are like a scarlet cord,

And thy speech well becomes them.
Thy cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
Behind thy tresses.

4.

Thy neck is like Davids tower,

Which he built for an armory.
On it there hang a thousand shields
All shields of heroes.

5.

Thy breasts are like two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle feeding among anemones.
Till the day cools and the shadows lengthen,
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh.
And to the hill of frankincense.

7.

Thou art altogether fair, O my companion!

There is no blemish in thee.

COMMENT 4:17

Exegesis Son. 4:1-7

The first line in verse one is a general evaluation of my companion; there follows seven particulars in which the beauty of the bride can be seen. We shall list these seven descriptive phrases and comment upon them. Before we proceed we must set the scene. We recognize that we are open to criticismbut since all opinions are of equal standing we yet believe this is the expression of the shepherd. We appreciate the words of Arthur G. Clarke just here. The shepherd now appears upon the scene. Following the abduction of his loved one (Son. 6:11-12), he seems to have discovered her whereabouts. Concerned for her welfare amid the temptations of the Royal Court, he wends his way to Jerusalem to secure an interview with her if at all possible. This he manages to do, but how we are not told. He encourages the maiden at this critical juncture with a fresh declaration of his loving regard.

There follows the seven-fold description of the maiden: (1) Thine eyes are dove-like behind thy tresses. There is much discussion among commentators as to whether the maiden is looking out from behind a veil or the locks of her hair. We prefer the latter. We have commented earlier of the dove-like quality of her eyes. Such a poetic figure of speech is altogether appealing in its suggestion of the alert, shy, soft person behind the eyes and the lovely hair. (2) Thy hair resembles a flock of goats that browse along the slopes of Gilead. This is a compliment and it was given to elicit a positive response. If we knew what a flock of goats on the slopes of Gilead looked like we would immediately appreciate the comparison. The long silk-like hair of the angora goats of Syriaespecially as they reflected the sun on their long tresses could make a beautiful poetic image. (3) Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep just come up from the dipping pool. Each one has its twin, and none among them is bereaved. This is much easier to imagine. The sheep are whitebut never whiter than when they have just been shorn and washedthere are two rows of teeththe top has a twin on the bottom row, and there is not one out of order or missing. Her teeth are as white as wool and as uniform as perfect twins. (4) Thy lips are like a scarlet cord, and thy speech well becomes them. The delicate form of the girls lips is here emphasized. The natural red color suggests good health. Not only does she have a lovely mouth in formwhat comes out of it in thought and words is just as beautiful. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies; but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Pro. 20:15 (Cf. Ecc. 10:12; Psa. 63:5; Psa. 119:13; Psa. 119:171) (5) Thy cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind thy tresses. No cosmetics are involved in the appearance here described. The glow of good health is here apparent. The almost translucent look of a perfect complexion colored with the blush of excitement and coyly hidden behind raven black hair makes a most appealing picture. (6) Thy neck is like Davids tower, which he built for an armory. On it there hang a thousand shieldsall shields of heros. This is more descriptive of the character of the maid than any of the other qualities, pride and strengthdignity and beauty are all here inferred. The shepherd wants his bride-to-be to remember who she is and whose she is. She did not hesitate to identify with the shepherd when her brothers opposed him. He can still see the tilt of her head and the beautiful total commitment of her demeanor when she answered her brothers concerning him. He is reminding her to be that same strong, beautiful person here in the Court of Solomon. A thousand shields of conquest decorated Davids towerperhaps he is sayingYou are as strong as a thousand strong women. (7) Thy breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle feeding among anemones. We could ignore this description as some have doneor say that the breasts of women do not have erotic suggestion to the Oriental. We do believe the shepherd is saying his bride has reached maturity and is therefore capable of motherhood. But most of all he is simply open in his admiration of her physical beauty. We would say that this lover has gathered a string of beautiful pearls to present to his beloved. He concludes by promising to return at nightfall; when he comes it will be with a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense. During his absence he has been to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincensehe now comes again with much more to offer than Solomon. His closing words should have indeed touched her deeply. He is sayingyou are pure and whole and totally lovelykeep it that way till I come again.

Marriage Son. 4:1-7

If we were married to a girl whom we could describe in the same way the Shulammite is here described, we would have no problems in marriage. Is this true? It is both true and false. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If we look at our wife with grace, we will find grace. Lets check the list and see: (1) How easy it is for a mother to see alertness and intelligence in the eyes of her son or daughter when no one else can see anything unusual at all. Why? The mother wants to and besides that she is a part of that son or daughter and they a part of her. Is this the kind of love we have for this one who has now become bone of my bones, and flesh of my fleshthat one we call womanor wife? Look into her eyes againthere is a dove of softness and love behind those eyes isnt there? (2) Why does your wife fix her hair or have it fixed? Isnt it for you? She does hope you will see it and mention itHow does it look? It is her adornment from Godbut if her beloved never noticeswhats the use? (3) She does have a sweet mouth, doesnt she? She does if you believe she does. We cannot always agree with all she saysbut then God cant always agree with youbut His love is yet and always warm and tender and real. (4) What a dear face, it represents the one you chose among ten thousand. Can you close your eyes and see her face? You can if you have made her a part of your inner consciousness. She loves you much more deeply than you could ever know. (5) What is the general demeanor of your wife? i.e., how would you describe her bearing? You have seen her often under so many circumstanceshow does she hold her head?literally and figuratively. Do you respect her for her abilities in many areas where you really could not do nearly as well? If we will just think and add grace and love our wife will compare very well. (6) Only you can say if your wife is physically attractive to you. She must have been for this was one of the reasons you married her. Once again a large part or percent of this attraction is in the imagination. Not all of itbut much of it. (7) How would you grade your choice of women? What a change takes place when we put on the glasses of love and grace and look at everything about our wife in the same way our heavenly groom looks at us.

Communion Son. 4:1-7

If we were describing the groom (our Lord) instead of the bride (his church) these verses would be much easier to applyat least we would feel nothing would be overstated or misrepresentedbut as we look at ourselves in the mirror of His word we grow less and less willing to think of ourselves as at all like the one here described. But wait!He sees us through love and graceThis does not minimize our responsibility, but it does make possible a growth in grace unto the likeness of the bride of our Lord. How often it is true that we become what others believe we can. How does our Lord see us?

Notice: (1) He believes we can see all of life through the eyes of the Holy Dove. At the same time He has given us a covering to conceal our perception that it be not offensiveour veil or covering is humility. (2) Hair has always represented a special consecration and obedience to GodIn the care of the Nazarites (Numbers 6) it is illustrated by Samson. This consecration and obedience can and should become our strength and beauty. But only as we are completely given to Him is it true. Hair with a woman was identical in meaning as with the Nazarite. It was a covering as a symbol of subjection and commitment. (1Co. 11:1 ff) (3) Teeth are the equipment of God given us for eating. He has given us the means by which we can eat His word and be filled and strong. (4) Lips are for expressionas teeth masticate the food so lips express the strength received from it. (5) Our facial expression can present our Lord in a pleasant, beautiful manner. (6) The neck could well represent the will of man. May our total bearing be one of submission to His will in our lives. (7) The bosom is often represented as the seat of the affections. When the foregoing is true of us our emotions will be under His control. The above person is that new creation in Christ Jesus. Cf. Col. 3:1-17; 2Co. 5:17; It is only possible because of Him and through Him.

FACT QUESTIONS 4:17

144.

List the seven particulars in which the beauty of the bride is considered.

145.

Who is the speaker of verses one thru seven?

146.

Why is this lovely description given? i.e., what does the shepherd hope to accomplish?

147.

What is attractive in being dove-like?

148.

Show how the hair of the maiden can resemble goats on the slopes of Gilead?

149.

Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep just up from the dipping poolis this a compliment? How so?

150.

How was the mouth or lips like a scarlet cord?

151.

A most appealing figure of speech involves a pomegranate. What is it?

152.

There is one quality or comparison that describes more of the total person than any of the others. Which one is it? Discuss.

153.

Why mention the breasts of his bride-to-be?

154.

What is meant by reference to a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense?

155.

The closing words of the shepherd were especially touching. What were they? Discuss their impact. Please discuss the application of this text to present day marriage.

156.

How do you relate the application. of these verses to our communion with our Lord? Discuss.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

IV.

(1) Locks.Heb., tsammah, only besides in Son. 6:7 and Isa. 47:2. The derivation, and the existence of cognate Arabic words, leave no doubt that it means veil. So, in Isa. 47:2, the LXX. understood it, though here they have given the strange and meaningless translation, out of thy silence, which the Vulg. has still further mystified into from that which lies hid within, a rendering which has been a fruitful source of moral allusion to the more hidden beauties of the soul. If the veil was worn in ancient times in Palestine, as by Eastern ladies now, covering the lower part of the face, but allowing the eyes to be seen, the description is very appropriate.

That appear.Marg., that eat of; Heb., galash: only here and in the corresponding passage, Son. 6:5. The word has had a variety of most contradictory interpretations. The Authorised Version follows the LXX., and has the support of Ewalds great authority. The marginal eat of rests only on the existence of cognates in Syriac and Arabic = obtained, collected (see Lees Heb. Dict.), which would rather point to such a rendering as, which they obtain from mount Gilead. The Vulg., qu ascenderunt, is followed by some commentators, though the bulk give the exactly opposite: come down, or run down, or hang down from. In such a difficulty only the context can decide, and any translation suggesting the dark hair flowing in masses round the shoulders is allowable. At the same time, from a tendency of the author to accumulate, and sometimes to confuse, his figures (Son. 4:12; Son. 4:15, Son. 5:12-13), probably here it is the long, soft, delicate, generally black hair of the Oriental goat which is compared to that of the lady, as well as the general appearance presented by the whole flock suspended on the mountain side.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

1. The language of the Beloved. Thou hast doves’ eyes, etc. Hebrew, Thine eyes are doves within thy veil. That appear, etc. Hebrew, That leap playfully down Mount Gilead. The word, etymologically meaning to descend, is used only of goats that spring and caper playfully in their descent. It is a happy figure to express the dancing of the ringlets of a lady’s head.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair, Your eyes are as doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats, Which lie along the side of mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Of which every one has twins, And none is bereaved among them. Your lips are like a thread of scarlet, And your mouth is comely. Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate, Behind your veil. Your neck is like the tower of David , Built for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All the shields of the mighty men. Your two breasts are like two fawns, Which are twins of a roe-deer, Which feed among the lilies.”

The royal bridegroom hails his bride and exults in her beauty, fully taken up with her attractions. The idea of the goats lying along the side of Mount Gilead is that it describes the luxuriousness of her hair (the mountain is seen as covered with hair), the ewes which have just been washed would be gleaming white, a picture of her shining white teeth, and the newly shorn may refer to the fact that her first teeth have now all been replaced, or may simply be stressing their whiteness, but it is dropped in the parallel description which may favor the former (Son 6:6). Their being twins without bereavement indicates that all her teeth are present, pairing off each other, and none are missing. She is perfect in beauty. Her temples were as cool and delicious as pomegranate. The description of the neck has in mind the golden ornaments which hung around it like rows and rows of shields, which were undoubtedly a wedding gift from her bridegroom. The two twin fawns are probably to be seen as symbols of the anticipated fruitfulness of her breasts. It will be noted that apart from the ornaments on her neck all the descriptions would fit in with her country life and thus be doubly meaningful.

This is all a reminder of how our Lord Jesus Christ perceives His church, the new Israel, in terms of what He has made it and what it will be. It is whole and complete, the perfection of beauty through which God would shine forth (compare Psa 50:2). Note how the emphasis is on the bride’s perfections, not on her apparel, apart from the necklaces bestowed by the king. Yet while she herself is totally connected with nature, totally human, yet, like us, she carries on her the image of the heavenly in the golden ornaments around her neck, which demonstrate that she belongs to the King. In New Testament terms she is being made one with her beloved, and a partaker of the divine nature (2Pe 1:4).

If we wish to look for significance in the details we may see her luxurious hair as indicating to Him that she is one who is under His authority (1Co 11:10) and full of His glory (1Co 11:15). Her teeth emphasize the presentable and attractive appearance that she reveals towards Him and to the world (Mat 5:16). Her scarlet lips are reminder that her words speak lovingly of His great sacrifice for her. Her comely mouth indicates that all the words that she speaks are pleasing to Him. Pomegranates, to which her temples were likened, were prominent on the high priestly vestments (Exo 28:33-34; Exo 39:24-26) and in the Temple (1Ki 7:18; 1Ki 7:20; 1Ki 7:42) as signifying what was holy to God, indicating that she has ‘the mind of Christ’ because of the Holy Spirit’s illumination (1Co 2:16). The golden shields emphasize that she is under royal protection. Her two breasts offer the promise of life to all who will feed from her.

For the tower of David here, the sign of his possession of her as the son of David, which links her specifically with the coming King, contrast the later ‘ivory tower’ when he sees her more in terms of her own beauty (Son 7:4).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

SECTION 3.

The Loving Couple Are Married And The Marriage Is Consummated ( Son 3:6 to Son 5:1 ).

The young maiden need not have worried. Her beloved had not forgotten her. And soon the arrangements went forward for the wedding. In her love she had never really thought about the greatness and splendor of her beloved. But now it was brought home to her in its totality when a splendid litter arrived accompanied by the bridegroom and his friends, and she was taken in great splendor to Jerusalem, where they were met by the daughters of Jerusalem who had come out to greet them. It was the custom at ancient weddings for the bridegroom to collect the bride and take her to the wedding.

The BELOVED carries his bride in splendor to Jerusalem for their wedding.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Bride’s Beauty Literal Interpretation As a part of the wedding song the bridegroom sings to his bride describing her beauty in Son 4:1-7. In this passage of Scripture we can imagine the bridegroom beholding the beautiful bride in all of her glory as he seeks for words to describe his feelings towards her.

Figurative Interpretation – Watchman Nee notes in this passage of Scripture that there are seven characteristics of her beauty. The fact that there are seven means that these are divine characteristics that reflect the divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. [169] These seven characteristics of her beauty may be interpreted figuratively as follows:

[169] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 70.

1. Eyes Spiritual discernment

2. Hair Submission to authority

3. Teeth Without sin, healthy and prosperity

4. Lips Words of divine authority

5. Temples (cheeks) – Humility

6. Neck Strong in character

7. Breasts Maturity in divine virtues

It can be noted that the eyes symbolize the maturity of the spirit of the believer, the hair symbolizes his mental maturity in being willing to submit, and the teeth reflect his physical well-being.

Son 4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Son 4:1 “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair” Comments – This part of the song (Son 4:1-7) opens and closes with a similar phrase, “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair” (Son 4:1) and, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” (Son 4:7) Son 4:1; Son 4:7 may be interpreted figuratively to mean that this child of God is without sin. Hudson Taylor interprets this to mean that the believer is “fit for service”. [170] In other words, Christ is calling a believer to a higher walk of forsaking all and following Him in divine service.

[170] J. Hudson Taylor, Union and Communion (Edinburgh, Great Britain: R. & R. Clark, Ltd, c1893, 1929) [on-line]; accessed 28 December 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/taylor_jh/union.i.html; Internet, notes on Song of Solomon 4:7.

Son 4:1 “thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks” Word Study on “doves’” Strong says the Hebrew word “dove” “ yownah ” ( ) (H3123) means, “dove.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 32 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “dove 21, pigeon 10, variant + 01686 1.” It is used 6 times in the Song of Songs (Son 1:15; Son 2:14; Son 4:1; Son 5:2; Son 5:12; Son 6:9). On three occasions it refers to the Shulamite, and on three occasions the lovers describe one another with dove’s eyes.

Figurative Interpretation – The eyes of man are figurative of man’s heart (Mat 6:22-23; Mat 13:15, Luk 11:34). Watchman Nee suggests the dove’s eyes symbolize the spiritual perception that she has acquired. [171] Note Luk 24:16 says that “their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” This means the two on the road to Emmaus could not discern what was taking place in their midst. The dove may represent the believer who is born again by the Spirit of God. Watchman Nee interprets the phrase “within thy locks” to mean that this spiritual perception is hidden from the world. [172] They do not know the believer’s ability to look within the heart of a man with spiritual discernment, or to be given spiritual direction from the Lord.

[171] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 32, 70.

[172] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 70.

This same metaphor is used earlier in Son 1:15.

Son 1:15, “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.”

Son 4:1 “thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead” Word Study on “mount” Strong says the Hebrew word “mountain” “ har ” ( ) (H2022) means, “a mountain or range of hills.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 546 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “mountain 261, mount 224, hill 59, hill country 1, promotion 1.” This word is used 5 times in the Song of Solomon (Son 2:8; Son 2:17; Son 4:1; Son 4:6; Son 8:14).

Figurative Interpretation “thy hair” – Watchman Nee interprets the hair to represent “special consecration and obedience”. [173] 1. Consecration – Nee notes how Samson’s hair was an outward sign of an inward consecration. In other words, he had been dedicated and set apart for the Lord (Num 6:5, Jdg 13:7). 2. Submission & Obedience- Nee notes the second significance of hair, in that it serves as a covering. We read in 1Co 11:1-16 that a woman’s hair is given her as a covering that represents the authority of her husband over her. In other words, she is to reflect his glory with this covering of hair. This metaphor may represent the divine glory that a believer reflects in his life as a result of submitting to the authority of his head, which is Christ.

[173] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 71-2.

Num 6:5, “All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.”

Jdg 13:7, “But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.”

“is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead” – Nee interprets the flock of goats to mean that this consecrated child of God has been well-fed on the slopes of Gilead (Jer 50:19, Mic 7:14). [174] In other words, the Lord has given His people abundant pastures. Just as goats that feed well are fat and ready to be offered as food or sacrificial Temple offerings, so is this believer ready to offer his body as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1)

[174] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 72.

Jer 50:19, “And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.”

Mic 7:14, “Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.”

Since the valleys in Israel were used for crops, the surrounding hills were ideal for grazing livestock, such as sheep and goats, for these are their natural habitat in the wild.

The Song of Solomon describes the mountains metaphorically as “the mountains of Bether” (Son 2:17), “mount Gilead” (Son 4:1), “the mountain of myrrh” (Son 4:6), “the mountain of spices” (Son 8:14), “the mountains of the leopards” (Son 4:8). The hills are referred to as “the hill of frankincense” (Son 4:6). Watchman Nee says the phrase “the mountains of spices” refers to “the new millennial world of fragrance and beauty.” [175] The mountains and hills seem to refer to the heavenly, spiritual realm of eternity that the believer partakes of in a limited measure along his earthly journey.

[175] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 157.

This phrase is repeated in Son 6:5.

Son 6:5, “Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.”

Son 4:2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

Son 4:2 “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn” – Literal Interpretation – The lover describes her teeth figuratively by comparing them to a flock of sheep. He is basically saying that her teeth are beautiful, white, clean and evenly set in her mouth, and not one of them is missing. Regarding the phrase, “everyone beareth twins,” we know that each tooth in our mouth has a matching tooth on the other side as its matching pair. A beautiful set of teeth would have been of high praise in a culture where dentistry may have allowed the pulling of teeth to be a standard way of relieving tooth pain.

Figurative Interpretation “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep” – Teeth are figurative of the health of an animal or person. This may be interpreted to mean that the believer has divine health as a testimony of walking in God’s blessings. “that are even shorn” – Perhaps the sheep were the whitest when they were just shaven, before their long wool was soiled from laying on the ground. White teeth are healthy teeth. “which came up from the washing” Perhaps the washing is figurative of the fact that the believer is walking without sin. But the idea may be the leaping and prancing of sheep coming up from their washing as a way to mean they were all in good health. “whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them” Son 4:2 creates a picture of a flock of sheep with many offspring. Twin offspring, with none barren, represents a healthy, well-fed flock. When food is scarce, an animal’s reproduction naturally decreases in the wild to compensate for a shortage of food. Thus, with an abundance of food is an abundance of offspring. Fruitfulness is a testimony of divine favor with God. It is evidence that a person is walking is God’s blessings of abundance and prosperity. Thus, we can see the two-fold blessings of health and prosperity alluded to in Son 4:2, which is a testimony that the believer’s soul is prospering in Christ (3Jn 1:2).

3Jn 1:2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

Son 4:2 is repeated in Son 6:6

Son 6:6, “Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.”

Son 4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Son 4:3 “Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely” Word Study on “like a thread of scarlet” Garrett notes that the Hebrew words “like a thread of scarlet” ( ) are the same that are used in Jos 2:18. This phrase is only used these two times in the Scriptures. [176]

[176] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:3.

Jos 2:18, “Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.”

Word Study on “speech” Strong says the Hebrew word “wilderness” “midbar” ( ) (H4057) means, “a pasture, open field, desert, speech.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 271 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “wilderness 255, desert 13, south 1, speech 1, wilderness + 0776 1.” This word is used 3 times in the Song of Solomon (“wilderness” Son 3:6; “speech” Son 4:3; “wilderness” Son 8:5). Within the context of Son 3:6; Son 8:5, it probably refers to the open plains that surround many cities in the land of Palestine, which was used as pasture for the flocks, with this same Hebrew word used in Isa 42:11 to describe the relationship between the city and its surrounding plain, “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice.” Zckler suggests it is a reference to “the plain of Estralon or Merj ibn’Amir, lying southward toward Shunem to Jezreel,” through which a traveler coming from the capital must pass. [177] In Son 4:3 it necessitates a figurative meaning, “the instrument of speech”, since it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H1696), which means, “to speak”; hence, we can imagine a shepherd driving his sheep with his words across the pasture.

[177] Otto Zckler, The Song of Solomon, trans. by W. Henry Green, in Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, ed. Philip Schaff (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1872), 128.

Figurative Interpretation A person’s speech is the true evidence of a mature believer walking in faith. With this new spiritual perception, a believer must learn to know what to say and when to say it to others. In many cultures a woman uses lipstick to paint her lips scarlet red in order to enhance her beauty. Watchman Nee notes that the color scarlet represents redemption as well as authority. He notes Rahab’s scarlet thread used to redeem her family (Jos 2:21), and Jesus’ red robe that signified divine authority (Mat 27:28-29). [178] “Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet” – In the Kingdom of God our lips must proclaim a message of redemption for mankind. “and thy speech is comely” – In addition, it must speak by the Spirit of God with divine authority. If we look at this phase of consecration and divine calling in the lives of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we see how the Lord dealt with their mouth, for out of it they would fulfill their calling, and out of it prophecies would go forth to set into motion God’s plan of redemption for mankind (Isa 6:5-8. Jer 1:9-10, Eze 3:1-4).

[178] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 73-4.

Isa 6:5-8, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

Jer 1:9-10, “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

Eze 3:1-4, “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.”

Son 4:3 Word Study on “temples” Gesenius tells us the Hebrew word “temples” “rak-kaw’” ( ) (H7541) is derived from the primitive root ( ) (7665), which means “to spit.” This noun means properly, “something thin.” He says it means, “temple” (Jdg 4:21-22; Jdg 5:26), or poetically, “cheek” (Son 4:3; Son 6:7). Strong says it means, “a temple.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 5 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “temple 5.” This word is used 2 times in Songs (Son 4:3, Son 6:7).

Son 4:3 Word Study on “a pomegranate” Strong says the Hebrew word “pomegranate” “rimmwn” ( ) (H7416) means “a pomegranate, the tree or the fruit,” and it also refers to the pomegranate ornament used in the Tabernacle and Temple. The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 32 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “pomegranate 31, pomegranate tree 1.” It is used times in the book of Songs (Son 4:3; Son 4:13; Son 6:7; Son 6:11; Son 7:12; Son 8:2).

Comments – The pomegranate tree was one of the most attractive fruit trees in the Middle East, with brilliant scarlet blossom in the spring (Son 7:12). The Israelites planted the tree in orchards (Son 4:13; Son 6:11; Son 7:12) and made wine from its juice (Son 8:2) The beautiful texture of its inner fruit may have been behind the metaphorical phrase, “thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks” (Son 4:3; Son 6:7). [179]

[179] E. W. G. Masterman, “Pomegranate,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., c1915, 1939), in The Sword Project, v. 1.5.11 [CD-ROM] (Temple, AZ: CrossWire Bible Society, 1990-2008).

According to Num 20:5 the pomegranate was a favorite fruit of the Israelites, along with figs and grapes. God promised Israel that Canaan would be a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees pomegranates, olive oil and honey. It continued to be a popular tree throughout Israel’s history (Hag 2:19).

Num 20:5, “And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”

Deu 8:8, “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;”

Hag 2:19, “Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.”

The NBD says because of its beauty the pomegranate was used as an ornament embroidered on the skirts of robe of the high priest between golden bells (Exo 28:33-34; Exo 39:24-26). It was also used extensively to decoration the capitals of Solomon’s Temple (1Ki 7:18; 1Ki 7:20; 1Ki 7:42, 2Ki 25:17, 2Ch 3:16; 2Ch 4:13, Jer 52:22-23). It was also used on the silver shekel of Jerusalem that circulated 143-135 B.C.

Son 4:3 “thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks” Literal Interpretation – Garrett takes the view in Son 4:3 that the Shulamite’s beautiful upper cheeks reminds her lover of the rich, pinkish colors of a slice of pomegranate fruit. [180]

[180] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:3.

Figurative Interpretation Westwood suggests that this phrase refers to the attitude of humility. [181] Andrew Miller says the idea is “of modesty, shamefacedness, or blushing.” He calls it the “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit” (1Pe 3:4). [182]

[181] John Westwood, A Short Paraphrase of the Song of Solomon (London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co., 1848), 24.

[182] Andrew Miller, Meditations on the Song of Solomon (London: G. Morrish, c1877), in Biblecenter.org [on-line]; accessed 29 December 2008; available from http://www.biblecentre.org/commentaries/am_26_Song of Solomon 1to5.htm#Canticles%204; Internet, comments on 4:3.

Son 4:4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

Son 4:4 Word Study on “the tower of David” There is no other reference in the Scriptures to the tower of David specifically. We note from the Scriptures that towers were often identified by the name of their location or builder.

Gen 35:21, “And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.”

Jdg 8:17, “And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.”

Jdg 9:46, “And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.”

2Ki 9:17, “And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?”

Neh 3:1, “Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.”

Jer 31:38, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.”

Eze 29:10, “Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.”

Zec 14:10, “All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.”

There were numerous towers named around the walls of Jerusalem.

Neh 12:38-39, “And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall; And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.”

They were places of fortification and strength for refugee from the enemy. David sang a song calling God his high tower, and his refuge. The Lord is then called “the tower of salvation.”

2Sa 22:3, “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.”

2Sa 22:51, “He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.”

Also,

Psa 61:3, “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”

Psa 144:2, “My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.”

Pro 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

Towers were also used as watch towers to look for impending danger.

Hab 2:1, “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”

Son 4:4 Word Study on “an armoury” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “armory” “tal-pee-yaw’” ( ) (H8530) literally means, “the deadly,” and it is used poetically for arms, that is, a place in which arms are suspended. Strong says it means, “something tall, slenderness.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used only one time in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “armoury 1.”

Son 4:4 Literal Interpretation Garrett notes that there is a type of beauty associated with an armory of military weapons, but the beauty is in the strength that is represented. He interprets the king to say in Son 4:4 that she has the strength to resist all approaches, and hopes that she will accept his offer of marriage. Garrett notes a similar verse in Eze 27:11. [183]

[183] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:3.

Eze 27:11, “The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.”

Figurative Interpretation “Thy neck” – Watchman Nee suggests that the neck represents man’s will. [184] Perhaps the neck is descriptive of a believer who is strong in character, being willing to choose divine service over personal pleasures. This is a person who has “power over his own will” (1Co 7:37), so that he is able to obey Christ despite the hardships. One excellent illustration of this is when Kenneth Hagin tells about the struggles during his early years of the field ministry, when he has to spend weeks away from home. He would literally start crying by the time his car drove around the block away from home to go preach at some distant location. [185]

[184] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 75.

[185] Kenneth Hagin, The Spirit Upon and the Spirit Within (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c2003, 2006), 110.

1Co 7:37, “Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.”

In contrast, the Scriptures use the word neck to describe a person who refuses to receive instruction, a person in rebellion against God’s will.

Deu 31:27, “For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?”

2Ki 17:14, “Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.”

2Ch 36:13, “And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.”

Neh 9:16, “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,”

Pro 29:1, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Isa 48:4, “Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;”

Jer 7:26, “Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.”

Jer 17:23, “But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.”

Mic 2:3, “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.”

“is like the tower of David builded for an armoury” – This was not ordinary tower, but one build and designed as an armoury of war. The battlefield against Satan is found in the mind. It is there where Satan tempts God’s children with evil thoughts, and it is there where a believer chooses to resist him or yield. An excellent illustration is found in the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Mat 4:1-11). Although Jesus hungered, He would not turn stones to bread; and although He was the Son of God, He did not tempt His Heavenly Father; and although He had authority over all of creation, He submitted to the authority from God in Heaven.

“whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men” – Watchman Nee notes that this armoury is filled with shields, which are weapons of defense. It is in the mind that a person chooses to defend himself against the temptations of the world and serve the Lord. Nee suggests the number “a thousand” represents an all sufficient supply. God’s Word supplies all we need in order to defeat the temptations of Satan. Nee says the phrase “mighty men” suggests the strength of these weapons against the devil. [186]

[186] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 75-6.

Son 4:5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

Son 4:5 “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins” Literal Interpretation Garrett suggests that the comparison of her breasts to two young deer “connote beauty, sexuality and life.” [187] We can imagine oriental women with the beautiful skin of golden complexion, a color similar to the soft, velvet, golden color of the hair of the young fawns.

[187] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:5.

Figurative Interpretation “Thy two breasts” – There has been many allegorical interpretations as to the two breasts referred to in Son 4:5 and Son 7:8. Dennis F. Kinlaw says:

“Jewish scholars have seen in the bride’s breasts Moses and Aaron; the two Messiahs, Messiah Son of David and Messiah son of Ephraim; Moses and Phinehas; and Joshua and Eleazar. Christian interpreters have been equally ingenious. They have seen the bride’s breasts as the church from which we feed; the two testaments, Old and New; the twin precepts of love of God and neighbor; and the Blood and the Water. Gregory of Nyssa found in them the outer and the inner man, united in one sentient being. Little wonder that the allegorical interpretation has come under increasing attack in the last two centuries. It is not difficult to understand Luther when he insisted that the literal sense.” [188]

[188] Dennis F. Kinlaw, “Introduction,” in Song of Solomon, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, ed. Frank E. Gaebelien, J. D. Douglas, and Dick Polcyn (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1976-1992), in Zondervan Reference Software, v. 2.8 [CD-ROM] (Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corp., 1989-2001).

Watchman Nee suggests the two breasts represent the seat of a woman’s emotions. He suggests that faith and love are the two most important characteristics of the child of God and may well be represented here in this metaphor. [189]

[189] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 76.

“are like two young roes” The comparison of breasts to two young deer is easily seen in the fact that a deer’s skin is soft as velvet to the touch. In other words, the breasts are soft and delicate as the deer’s skin.

“that are twins” Watchman suggests the concept of twins means that the two primary characteristics of faith and love are equally important in the believer’ life. One cannot grow and develop without the others. In addition, these two characteristics are what sustain the believer in his daily walk with the Lord.

Gal 5:6, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”

Phm 1:5, “Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;”

Son 4:5 “which feed among the lilies” Word Study on “lilies” Strong says the Hebrew word “lily” “ shuwshan ” ( ) (H7799) means, “a lily (from its whiteness), as a flower or [archaic] an ornament.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 15 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “lily 13, Shoshannim 2.” However, its compound uses in Psalms 60 (Shushan-eduth) and Psalms 80 (Shoshannim-Eduth) can be included. It is found 8 times in Songs (Son 2:1-2; Son 2:16; Son 4:5; Son 5:13; Son 6:2-3; Son 7:2). Lilies were used to adorn Solomon’s Temple (1Ki 7:19; 1Ki 7:22; 1Ki 7:26, 2Ch 4:5). This word or its derivatives are used in the title of four psalms as “Shoshannim” (Psalms 45, 60, 69, 80). Psalms 45 is a song of love, where a wedding processional is described. In Songs the Beloved is describes as “a lily of the valley,” and “a lily among thorns” (Son 2:1-2). The Lover feeds among the lilies in the garden (Son 2:16; Son 4:5; Son 6:3), and gathers lilies (Son 5:13). Hosea describes the children of Israel as a lily, saying, “I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.” (Hos 14:5) Watchman Nee suggests that the lilies in Songs is symbolic of those who are upright before God. [190]

[190] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 53.

Literal Interpretation Garrett suggests the lilies may be water lilies, or water lotuses. [191] This would paint a picture of the two deer feeding on the edge of the pond with the lilies floating nearby.

[191] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:5.

Figurative interpretation In the Song of Solomon the lilies are found in the garden (Son 6:2), which represents the place of prayer and communion with the Lord. Jesus communes with the upright in the prayer garden. Watchman Nee notes that it is in an environment of communion with God where faith and love develop and grow into maturity. [192]

[192] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 76-7.

Son 6:2, “My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.”

Son 4:6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Son 4:6 Word Study on “mountain” Strong says the Hebrew word “mountain” “ har ” ( ) (H2022) means, “a mountain or range of hills.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 546 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “mountain 261, mount 224, hill 59, hill country 1, promotion 1.” This word is used 5 times in the Song of Solomon (Son 2:8; Son 2:17; Son 4:1; Son 4:6; Son 8:14).

Comments – The Song of Solomon describes the mountains metaphorically as “the mountains of Bether” (Son 2:17), “mount Gilead” (Son 4:1), “the mountain of myrrh” (Son 4:6), “the mountain of spices” (Son 8:14), “the mountains of the leopards” (Son 4:8). The hills are referred to as “the hill of frankincense” (Son 4:6). Watchman Nee says the phrase “the mountains of spices” refers to “the new millennial world of fragrance and beauty.” [193] The mountains and hills seem to refer to the heavenly, spiritual realm of eternity that the believer partakes of in a limited measure along his earthly journey.

[193] Watchman Nee, Song of Songs (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: CLC Publications, c1965, 2001), 157.

Son 4:6 Word Study on “hill” Strong says the Hebrew word “hill” “ gib`ah ” ( ) (H1389) means, “a hillock, hill, little hill.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 69 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “hill 69.” This word is used 2 times in the Song of Songs (Son 2:8; Son 4:6).

Son 4:6 Literal Interpretation Garrett suggests the literal interpretation of Son 4:6 is that the two mountains represent her breasts, and the king is determined to take her into the bead chamber and make love throughout the night. He supports this view with a similar metaphor used in Son 7:7-8. [194]

[194] Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 23B (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Song of Solomon 4:6.

Son 7:7-8, “This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;”

Figurative Interpretation “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away” – Perhaps the metaphor of the day breaking is a reference to the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. Jesus went in Heaven after the resurrection and sent the Holy Spirit upon earth until His Return. The breaking of day would be His glorious return to earth. The phrase “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away” is found in Son 2:17 and Son 4:6.

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.”

Son 4:6, “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”

“I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense” – In the Song of Solomon the mountains and hills refer to the heavenly realm, where the resurrected Christ dwells, and from where the Holy Spirit was sent. The Lord is calling His children to abide in this heavenly realm as a place of retreat and refreshing. The mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense is referred to again in Son 4:6. In the closing verse of Songs a similar metaphor is used in the phrase “mountain of spices” (Son 8:14).

Son 8:14, “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.”

Son 4:7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Son 4:7 Literal Interpretation Son 4:7 may be considered as a summary statement of the previous six verses that describe the beauty of the bride (Son 4:1-6).

Figurative Interpretation Son 4:7 may be interpreted figuratively to mean that this child of God is without sin. Hudson Taylor interprets this to mean that the believer is “fit for service.” [195]

[195] J. Hudson Taylor, Union and Communion (Edinburgh, Great Britain: R. & R. Clark, Ltd, c1893, 1929) [on-line]; accessed 28 December 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/taylor_jh/union.i.html; Internet, notes on Song of Solomon 4:7.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Wedding Song – We may look at Son 4:1-15 as a wedding song in which the bridegroom expresses his devotion and love to his bride alone and asks her for the same commitment by giving her a wedding song (Son 4:1-15) before she yields to him in the marriage bed to consummate the wedding (Son 4:16 to Son 5:1). He first describes her beauty, beginning with her eyes, then her teeth, her lips, her speech, her temples, her neck and her breasts (Son 4:1-7). Then he makes his request for her to forsake her homeland and come to dwell with him (Son 4:8). He then bases this request upon his passionate love for her (Son 4:9-10). The bridegroom then describes her inner beauty (Son 4:11-15).

Illustration – I remember the wedding of the music director of our church in the 1979 or 1980 at Hiland Park Baptist Church. During the wedding he sang to her a love song. Thus, such singing is not uncommon, even in our cultures today.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Wedding (Scene 3: The Wedding Processional, Wedding Festival, and Wedding Chamber) (Communion, or Full Consecration to Christ [Divine Service]) Literal Interpretation – Many scholars see in Son 3:6 to Son 5:1 the symbolism of the wedding ceremony between the bridegroom and the bride. We have the wedding procession described in Son 3:6-11, followed by the wedding song of the bridegroom singing to the bride (Son 4:1-15), with the exchange of wedding vows in Son 4:16 to Son 5:1.

Figurative Interpretation Figuratively speaking, this third song represents the phase in a believer’s spiritual journey when he/she gives oneself entirely to God and receives a divine commission to serve Him. Within the context of Songs, a believer’s call to divine service is described as a bride who gives up her people and will and gives herself entirely to her new husband. We now belong to Jesus, our will yielded to His plan and purpose for our lives in divine service.

A good example of this phase of loving God with all of our heart is seen in Acts 13, when Paul and Barnabas were sent on their first missionary journey, although Paul had been evangelizing the regions of Syria and Cilicia for over a decade. We see Anna, the prophetess, serving the Lord day and night in the Temple. She moved into this level of love when she entered the full-time ministry of prayer and intercession in the Temple. Another example is seen in the life of Abraham, when he left his family and went to the land of Canaan. Another example is seen in the life of Joseph when he was exalted over Egypt to serve that nation.

Outline – Note the proposed outline of this section:

1. Scene 1- The Wedding Processional Son 3:6-11

2. Scene 2 – The Wedding Ceremony Son 4:1 to Son 5:1

a) The Wedding Song Son 4:1-15

i) The Bride’s Beauty Son 4:1-7

ii) The Request for Marriage Son 4:8

iii) The Bridegroom’s Love Son 4:9-10

iv) The Bride’s Purity Son 4:11-15

b) The Wedding Vows Son 4:16 to Son 5:1

The Wedding Contrasted with the Adulteress in Proverbs We can contrast this holy wedding ceremony of the bride and the groom with the act seduction between the adulteress and the nave young man in Pro 7:1-27. The adulteress woos her victims by presenting herself in seductive clothing (Pro 7:9-12), while the bride arrives in all of her beauty and glory (Son 3:6-11). While the bridegroom sings a love song to his bride (Son 4:1-15), the adulteress romances her victim with words of seduction (Pro 7:13-20). Finally, the wedding is consummated with marriage vows (Son 4:16 to Son 5:1), while the adulteress lures her victim into the bed of adultery with vain promises (Pro 7:21-23). The outcome of the marriage bed is rest and fulfillment of God’s divine plan for two individuals, while the outcome of adultery is destruction.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Church’s State of Grace.

The Comeliness of the Church

v. 1. Behold, thou art fair, My love, so the Bridegroom tells the Church; behold, thou art fair; thou hast dove’s eyes, or, “thy eyes are doves,” gleaming in iridescent beauty, within thy locks, or “behind the veil”; thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear, or repose, from Mount Gilead, the country east of Jordan known for its fine cattle. The point of comparison is to he found in the glossy blackness and luxuriant abundance of Shulamith’s hair as well as in its silky softness and delicacy.

v. 2. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing, regular and snow-white; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them, the upper and the lower set of teeth being perfect and exactly corresponding to each other.

v. 3. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, their crimson forming a beautiful contrast to the dazzling whiteness of her teeth, and thy speech is comely, rather, “thy mouth is lovely,” both in shape and in speech; thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate, whose cut segment offers a soft red mingled with creamy white, within thy locks.

v. 4. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. The reference here is to graceful and powerful stateliness, enhanced by splendid ornaments.

v. 5. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, fawns, twins of a gazelle, which feed among the lilies, of delicate and exquisite beauty. This declaration on the part of the Bridegroom causes Shulamith to respond:

v. 6. Until the day break, rather, “until the day cools,” until the approach of evening, and the shadows flee away, rapidly lengthening toward the east, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense, where she could commune with God in undisturbed solitude. And the King answers, in joyful approval:

v. 7. Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee.

We have here a fine description of the inner beauty of the Church, as Christ sees it, the purity, holiness, majesty, and glory which is known to Him, because wrought by Him. The Church and all its members should be distinguished by guilelessness, wisdom, faithfulness. Having received the riches of His grace, the believers have the finest apparel and ornaments, and their praise of the mercy of God received by them is lovely, their teaching wholesome and edifying. Moreover, the Church is in possession of eternal youth and offers a majestic appearance, while, at the same time, she is a true mother to all her children, who desire the sincere milk of the Word, that they may grow thereby. With such loveliness ascribed to her, the Church naturally vows to the Lord that she will keep her beauty unsullied, that it will be her steady endeavor to worship Him in spirit and in truth, whereupon He once more assures her that, through the merits of His righteousness transmitted to her, she is without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, holy and without blemish in His eyes, Eph 5:27, clean through the Word which He has spoken to her, Joh 15:3.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

Son 4:1

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil; thine hair is as a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Mount Gilead. We commence, at this verse, the loving converse of the bridegroom with the bride, which we must suppose is heard as they travel together in the bridal procession. The words of adoring affection are chiefly spoken by the bridegroom, as is natural in the circumstances, and the reference to the journey, and its consummation in Son 4:8, make it certain that the intention is to carry us in thought to the palanquin and the breathings of first love in bridal joy. The poetry is exquisite and truly Eastern, while yet absolutely chaste and pure. The praise of the eyes is common in all erotic poetry. Her eyes gleam, in colour, motion, and lustre, like a pair of doves from behind the veil; showing that the bride is thought of as travelling. The bride was always deeply veiled (see Gen 24:65), as the Roman bride wore the velum flamineum. The LXX. have mistaken the meaning, rendering, . The veil might typify silence or reserve, but the word is tsammah, which is from a root “to veil,” and is righty rendered by Symmachus . The hair was long and dark, and lay down the shoulders uncovered and free, which added much to the graceful attraction of the bride. In later times it was customary for the hair to be adorned with a wreath of myrtle or roses, or a golden ornament representing Jerusalem. The goats in Syria and the neighbouring countries are mostly black or dark brown, while the sheep are white. Delitzsch says, “A flock of goats encamped upon a mountain (rising up, to one looking from a distance, as in a steep slope and almost perpendicularly), and as if hanging down lengthwise on its sides, presents a lovely view adorning the landscape.” It would be especially lovely amid the romantic scenery of Gilead. The, verb rendered “lie along” is otherwise taken by the LXX; , and by the Vulgate ascenderunt. The rabbis differ from one another in their renderings. One says, “which, look, down;” another, “make bare,” “quit,” or “descend;” another, “are seen.” The modern translators vary. Luther says, “shorn;” Houbigant, “hang down;” Kleuken and Ewald, “shows itself;” Gesenius and others, “lie down;” Ginsburg, “rolling down,” “running down.” Our Revised Version gives, lie along, which is a very probable meaning. The reference is to the luxuriance and rich colour of the hair. Gilead would be a recollection of the bride’s native place.

Son 4:2

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn, which are come up from the washing; whereof every one hath twins, and none is bereaved among them. The simile is very apt and beautiful Thy teeth are perfectly smooth, regular, and white; the upper set corresponding exactly to the lower set, like twin births in which there is no break (cf. So Son 6:6). The moisture of the saliva dentium, heightening the glance of the teeth, is frequently mentioned in love songs. The whiteness of wool is often used as a comparison (see Isa 1:18; Dan 7:9; Rev 1:14; Book of Enoch 46:1). Some think that . should not be rendered “newly shorn,” but “periodically shorn” (see Ginsburg)a poetical epithet for . The newly shorn would be washed first, , “to be double,….to be pairs,” in the hiph. is “to make double,” “to make pairs,” “to appear paired.” Perhaps the reference is to the sheep being washed in pairs, and going up side by side from the water. This would seem almost more exact than the idea of twin lambs, because the difference in size between the ewe and the lamb would suggest irregularity. The word , “deprived,” “bereaved” (Jer 18:21), may point merely to the loneliness of the single sheep going up by itself, suggesting one tooth without its fellow. Ginsburg says, “all of which are paired.” Each keeps to its mate as they come up from the pool. This is a decided improvement on the Authorized Version. But the figure is clear with either rendering, and is very striking and suggestive of the pleasant country life to which the bride was accustomed.

Son 4:3

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy mouth is comely; thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind thy veil. Scarlet; that is, shining, glistening red colour. Thy mouth (). Thy mouth as speaking. So the LXX; Jerome, and Venetian, “thy speech,” eloquium, conversation. But this is questioned, as it should then be . The word midhbar undoubtedly means “the mouth,” from davar, “to speak,” with the preformative, as the name of the instrument. It is the preterite for , but perhaps as referring specially to speech. Thy temples; Latin tempora, from the adjective , “weak,” meaning the thin, piece of skull on each side of the eyes, like the German schlafe, from schlaff, “slack.” The inside of the pomegranate is of a red colour mixed and tempered with the ruby colour. Ginsburg, however, thinks that the cheeks are intended, and that the comparison is with the outside of the pomegranate, in which the vermilion colour is mingled with brown, and resembles the round cheek; but then why say, “piece of a pomegranate”? , from the root “to cut fruit” (see 1Ki 4:1-34 :39), certainly must refer to the cut fruit and the appearance of the inside. The meaning may be a segment, that is, so as to represent the roundness of the cheek. Possibly the reference may be to blushes on the bride’s cheek, or to ornaments which appeared through the veil. We can scarcely expect to make out every particular in an Eastern description.

Son 4:4

Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all the shields of the mighty men. There is an evident change here in the character of the similitudes. The royal bridegroom does not forget to praise the majesty of his bride. The description now suits a royal queen. She is full of dignity and grace in her bearing. The tower referred to was no doubt that which was sometimes called “The tower of the flock” (Mic 4:4), that from which David surveyed the flock of his people (cf. Neh 3:16, Neh 3:25)the government building erected on Mount Zion which served as a court of justice. The word talpiyoth is an : LXX. , as if a proper name. Hengstenberg would render it “built for hanging swords,” supposing it composed of two wordstal, from a root “to hang,” and piyoth, “swords.” But the word piyoth does not mean “swords,” but the “double edges” of the swords. Kimchi renders. “an erection of sharp-cornered stones.” Gesenius takes it from two roots, “to perish” and “to go,” that is, exitialibus armis, which is very doubtful. Ewald’s explanation seems the best, “built for close troops, so that many hundreds or thousands find room therein,” taking it from a root, connected with the Arabic, meaning, “to wrap together.” Delitzsch, however, observes that both in Aramaic and Talmudic Hebrew words occur, like this, in the sense of “enclosure,” i.e. joining together, one working into the other, so that it may be taken as meaning, “in ranks together.” This view is supported by Doderlein, Meier, Aquila, Jerome, Vulgate (propugnacula), and Venetian (). If this be accepted, it may mean “terraced,” i.e. built in stories one above another. This would convey the appearance of the tall, straight neck better than any. Surrounded with ornaments, the neck would so appear. There is another suggestion, supported by Ginsburg and taken from Rashi and Rashbun, Jewish writers, that the word is a contraction for a noun meaning “instruction,” and means “the model tower”the tower built for an architect’s model. It would be rendered, “built for the builder’s model.” The meaning “armoury” takes it as composed of two words, tael,“ a hill,” and piyoth,“ swords.” It was decorated with a thousand shields, which was a customary adornment of towers and castles (see Eze 27:11). All the shields of heroes. We can scarcely doubt the reference in such words to the time of Solomon, and therefore to his authorship, as the allusion to heroes, or mighty men of valour, would be customary soon after the time of David.

Son 4:5

Thy two breasts are like two fawns that are twins of a roe, which feed among the lilies. This is a beautiful and yet perfectly delicate figure, describing the lovely equality and perfect shape and sweet freshness of the maiden’s bosom. The meadow covered with lilies suggests beauty and fragrance. Thus the loveliness of the bride is set forth in seven comparisons, her perfections being sevenfold. “A twin pair of the young of the gazelle, lying in a bed covered with lilies, representing the fragrant delicacy and elegance of a chaste virgin besom, veiled by the folds of a dress redolent of sweet odour” (cf. So Son 1:13). The bridegroom, having thus delighted himself in praise of his bride’s loveliness, then proceeds to declare his desire for her sweet society, but he is interrupted by the bride.

Son 4:6

Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. If this be the language of the bride, which most modern interpreters think, the meaning is to check the ardour of her lover, in the modesty of her fresh and maidenly feelingLet me retire from such praises. They are too ardent for me. It is only a moment’s interruption, which is followed by still more loving words from the bridegroom. We must naturally connect the words with So Son 2:17, where the bride certainly speaks. Louis de Leon thinks that the meaning is general, “shady and fragrant places.” Anton suggests that she is desiring to escape and be free. It cannot be included as a description of the neighbourhood of the royal palace. She might, however, mean merelyLet me walk alone in the lovely gardens of the palace until the shades of night shall hide my blushes. It is unlikely that the words are in the mouth of Solomon; for then it would be impossible to explain their use by Shulamith previously. She is not referring to Lebanon and its neighbourhoed, and there can be no idea of looking back to a lover from whom she is torn. The interpretation which connects it with maidenly feeling is certainly the most in harmony with what has preceded. Perhaps the typical meaning is underlying the wordsLet me find a place of devout meditation to feed my thoughts on the sweetness of this Divine love into which I have entered.

Son 4:7

Thou art all fair, my love; and there is no spot in thee. The bridegroom speaks. The sweet humility and modesty of the bride kindles his love afresh. He praised the loveliness of her bodily form, and she by her response showed the exceeding loveliness of her soul. It must not be forgotten that, whether borrowed from this book or not, such language is undoubtedly employed in Scripture of the Church, the bride, the Lamb’s wife, who is described as “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph 5:27). It should be noticed that the king immediately addresses his love as “bride,” and “sister-bride,” to show that there is more than admiration of her person in his thoughts. She is his by assimilation and by eternal union, and he invites her to enter fully into the new life which he has prepared for her, as in Psa 45:1-17; “forgetting her own people, and her father’s house.” It is not enough that feeling should be stirred, or even that it should take possession of the soul, if it be only feeling; it is required of us that our inner life of emotion should become practical devotedness, “counting all things but loss” for the sake of him we love.

Son 4:8

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards. This seems to be simply the bridegroom rejoicing over the bride, the meaning being, “Give thyself up to me”thou art mine; look away from the past, and delight thyself in the future. Delitzsch, however, thinks that the bridegroom seeks the bride to go with him up the steep heights of Lebanon, and to descend with him from thence; for while ascending the mountain one has no view before him, but when descending he has the whole panorama of the surrounding region lying at his feet. It is stretching poetical language too far to take it so literally and topically; there is no necessity to think of either the lover or his beloved as actually on the mountains, the idea is simply that of the mountainous regionTurn thy back upon it, look away from it. This is clearly seen from the fact that the names connected with LebanonAmana, Senir, Hermoncould have no reference to the bride’s being in them. as they represent Anti-Libanus, separated from Lebanon by the Coelo-Syrian valley, stretching from the Banias northwards to the plain of Hamath (see 2Ki 5:12, where Amana is Abana, overlooking Damascus, now the Basadia). Shenir, or Senir, and Hermon are neighbouring peaks or mountains, or possibly different names for the same (see Deu 3:9). In 1Ch 5:23 they are mentioned as districts. Hermon is the chief mountain of the range of Anti-Libanus on the northeast border of Palestine (Psa 89:12). The wild beasts abounded in that district, especially lions and panthers. They were found in the clefts and defiles of the rocks. Lions, however, have now altogether disappeared. In the name Amana some think there is an allusion to truth (amen) (see Hos 2:22); but that would be too obscure. The general intention of the passage is simple and plainLeave the rough places, and come to my palace. The words “with me” () are taken by the LXX. and Vulgate as though written , the imperative of , “to come,” as a word of invitation, . The use of the verb , “thou shalt come,” i.e. thou hast come and be content, renders it improbable that such should be the reading, whereas the preposition with the pronoun is quite in place. The spiritual meaning is not far to seek. The life that we live without Christ is at best a life among the wild, untamed impulses of nature, and in the rough and dangerous places of the world. He invites us to go with him to the place which he has prepared for us. And so the Church will leave its crude thoughts and undeveloped life, and seek, in the love of Christ and in the gifts of his Spirit, a truer reflection of his nature and will (see Eph 4:14-16). The Apocalypse is based upon the same idea, the advancement of the kingdom of Christ from the place of lions and panthers to the new Jerusalem, with its perfection of beauty and its eternal peace.

Son 4:9

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. The bridegroom still continues his address of love, which we must not, of course, press too closely, though it is noticeable that the language becomes somewhat more sober in tone, as though the writer were conscious of the higher application to which it would be put. Some translators take the first clause as though the word “ravished” should be rendered “emboldened.” Symmachus, . The Hebrew word , literally, “heartened,” may mean, as in Aramaic, “make courageous.” Love in the beginning overpowers, unhearts, but the general idea must be that of “smitten” or “captured.” So the LXX; Venetian, and Jerome, , vulnerasti cor meum (cf. Psa 45:6). My sister, my bride, is, of course, the same as “my sisterly bride,” a step beyond “my betrothed.” Gesenius thinks that “one of thine eyes” should be “one look of thine;” but may it not refer to the eye appearing through the veil, as again one chain of the neck may glitter and attract all the more that the whole ornamentation did not appear in view? If but a portion of her beauty so overpowers, what will be the effect of the whole blaze of her perfection? As the Church advances in her likeness to her Lord, she becomes more and more the object of his delight, and as the soul receives more and more grace, so is her fellowship with Christ more and more assured and joyful.

Son 4:10, Son 4:11

How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices! Thy lips, O my bride, drop as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. The expression of thy love, that is, the endearments, the embraces, are delightful. The allusion to the lips may be a mere amplification of the word “love,” but it may also refer to speech, and we think of the nineteenth psalm and the description of the words and testimony of the Lord, “more to be desired than gold, and sweeter than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb” (cf. Gen 27:27; Hos 4:7; Psa 45:9). The words of pure, inward joy flowing forth from the lips may be so described. So the Lord has said, in Isa 62:5, that he rejoiceth over his people as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride.

Son 4:12

A garden shut up is my sister, my bride; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. We must bear in mind that these words are supposed to be spoken on the journey in the marriage procession. The bride is not yet brought to the royal palace. She is still travelling in the royal palanquin. The idea of a paradise or garden is carried from the beginning of Scripture to the end, the symbol of perfect blessedness. The figure of the closed or shut-up garden represents the bridegroom’s delight in the sense of absolute and sole possessionfor himself and no other. The language is very natural at such a time, when the bride is being taken from her home. We may compare with the figures here employed those in Pro 5:15-20.

Son 4:13, Son 4:14

Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; henna with spikenard plants, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. Thy shoots; i.e. that which comes forth from thee, thy plants, or, as Bottcher puts it, “all the phenomena and life utterances of her personality.” All the plants had their meaning in flower language. They are mostly exotics. But it is difficult now to suggest meanings, though they may have been familiar to Jewish readers at the time. The pardes, “park, or enclosure,” was adorned especially with foreign and fragrant plants of great beauty. It is an Old Persian word, perhaps, as Delitzsch suggests, from pairi () and dez (Pers. diz), “a heap.” Precious fruit; literally, fructus laudam, “fruits of renown” or excellence (cf. Syriac magdo, “dried fruit”). The carcom, or saffron, a kind of crocus (Ind. safran), yields the saffron colour from its dried flower eyes, used both as a cosmetic and as a medicine (cf. Sansc. kuakuma). The calamus, simply a reed, the sweet reed, a corn indigenous to the East. Cinnamon (Quinnamon), Laurus cinnamomum, is indigenous on the east coast of Africa and Ceylon, found later in the Antibes. The inner bark peeled off and roiled together forms the cinnamon bark (see Pliny, bk. 12). There are seven spices mentioned. We need not trouble ourselves to identify them all, as they are mostly Indian, and such as Solomon would fetch from the far East in his celebrated ships. The description is highly poetical, and simply means that all sweetness and attractiveness combine in the fair one. But symbolically we may see an allusion to the spread of the Church over the world, and all the glory and honour of the nations” being introduced into it. So the graces of the individual soul expand themselves under the influence of Christian truth and fellowship.

Son 4:15

Thou art a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon. Referring, of course, to the clear, cool streams coming down from the snowy heights. The sweet freshness of the country maiden suggested this. May we not see a symbol of the spiritual life in such language (cf. Joh 7:38)? Ethically, at least, the blending of the freshness of a mountain stream with the luxuriance and fragrance of a cultivated garden is very suggestive. To an Eastern monarch, such purity and modesty as Solomon found in his bride must have been a rare excellence which might well be made typical.

Son 4:16

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his precious fruits. This is the answer of the bride to the lavish praises of her husband. I am all his. She is yet unworthy of the king and of his love until the seasonal changes have developed and unfolded and spread forth her excellences. The north represents cold; the south, heat. Let the various influences from different quarters flow gently over the garden and call forth the fragrance and the fruits (cf. Est 2:12). There is rich suggestion in such words. Whether we think of the individual soul or of the Church of Christ, the true desire of those who delight in the love of the Saviour is that all the gifts and graces which can be bestowed may make them worthy of him who condescends to call his people his delight. Surely it is no mere romantic idyll that is before us. Such significance cannot be a mere coincidence when it is so transparent and so apt.

HOMILETICS

Son 4:1-6

The bridegroom with the bride.

I. HIS PRAISE OF THE BRIDE.

1. The earthly bridegroom. The bridegroom rejoices over the bride. She is wholly his. He enumerates her beauties; they are very precious to him; his great love leads him to dwell on every point. The love of the espousals (Jer 2:2), the young love of the newly wedded, is a beautiful thing, very tender and touching; it leaves a fragrant memory behinda memory treasured still after the lapse of many years, when the love of wedlock has become, not less true, not less blessed, but calmer and more mellow; and perhaps even more blessed, when no jealousies, no quarrels, have tended to put asunder those whom God hath joined together, but love has continued to increase with increasing years, with less and less of earthly passion, but more and more of holy tenderness and mutual self-denials for the loved one’s sake. Such, alas! was not the love of Solomon. The fair promise, so very bright and beautiful at first, was soon blighted. Corruptio optimi pessima. Nothing in this world is more beautiful and blessed than that holy estate of matrimony which was instituted of God in the time of man’s innocency, which God has consecrated to such an excellent mystery that in it is signified and represented the spiritual marriage and unity betwixt Christ and his Church. And, on the other hand, nothing is more degrading and ruinous than that sensual passion which is the caricature of wedded love. The early goodness of Solomon, the bright promise of future happiness and usefulness which gilded his youth, excites an interest in him so persona], that it makes us feel a real grief and disappointment when we read that “King Solomon loved many strange women;” that “when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart;” that “he went after Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Zidonians;” that he “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” And so it came to pass that that bright beginning ended in utter gloom, in the mournful cry of disappointment. “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.” He could not find satisfaction in his wisdom when he had begun to fall away from God. He found that “in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Ecc 1:18). And so the wisest of men betook himself to pleasure. “I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth;” “I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house;” “I gat me men singers and women singers;” “Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy” (Ecc 2:1, Ecc 2:7, Ecc 2:8, Ecc 2:10). He found, as they that are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God always find sooner or later, that all this was “vanity and vexation of spirit,” nothing better than “striving after wind.” “Therefore,” he says, “I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” And this is King Solomon, who surpassed all the kings of the earth for glory and riches; who was wiser than the wisest of his time; who had won in his youth the love of the pure and innocent Shulamite; who (and this is the saddest thought of all) once loved the Lord: “Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father” (1Ki 3:3). While he continued to love the Lord, he was true, we must believe, to the wife of his youth. One who walks in the light of the love of God cannot love the works of darkness, cannot admit into his heart that taint of impurity which so utterly shuts the soul away from the love of God. We wonder whether Solomon repented as his father David did. We know that God warned him, and chastised him for his sins, but we know also that much will be required from those to whom much has been given, and that to fall from such grace as had been bestowed upon Solomon must be a grievous fall indeed; to disobey God who had given him such abundant blessings showed a depth of ingratitude which utterly startles us, till we learn to know in penitence and self-abasement what Solomon impressed upon others, whether he felt it himself or not, “the plague of our own hearts” (1Ki 8:38). The pure love of wedlock is maintained in ever-growing affection when husband and wife both live near to God. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1Jn 1:7). That fellowship which “is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1Jn 1:3) involves of necessity the holiest grace of charity in our mutual relations with our brother Christians; especially those whom God hath joined together must and will, if they are living as the children of God, live together in holy love unto their lives’ end. We wonder whether the fair Shulamite lived to experience the change in her royal bridegroom; if she did, the loss of his affection must have been a bitter trial indeed. Perhaps God in his mercy took her to himself before that trial came.

2. The heavenly Bridegroom. It is the will of the Lord Jesus to present the Church unto himself as a glorious Church, holy and without blemish. The Lord shall rejoice in his works. Through the cleansing power of his most precious blood, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, which he giveth to his chosen, the Church, his bride shall at the last be “all glorious within;” for he is able “to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jud 1:24). Then shall there be joy in heaven, when the Lord, who endured for the Church’s sake the great agony of the cross, sees the reward of his bitter Passion; when he looks upon the Church, a glorious Church indeed, no longer marred and stained by sin and strife and error, but cleansed and purified “even as he is pure” (1Jn 3:3), made like unto him in the vision of his love and holiness. Then he will rejoice over her as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride. “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zep 3:16, Zep 3:17). The heavenly Bridegroom will rejoice over his bride; he will see in her the beauty of holiness; he will rejoice in her graces. She is very dear to him, for she is the reward of that long anguish, the agony and bloody sweat, the bitter cross and Passion. And now she is wholly his; she has left all other masters, and given her whole heart to the Lord who bought her, with the fall, pure, holy love which she has learned of himthe infinite love.

3. The bride must make herself ready. (Rev 19:7.) Without holiness no man can see the Lord. The holiness of the Church consists in the holiness of its members. We must follow after holiness, holiness of heart and life; for without the wedding garment, the white robe of righteousness, none can be admitted to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We must, each one of us, make ourselves ready and prepare to meet our God. The Lord rejoices in the holiness of his people. We must learn, not to seek glory from one another, not to set so much store on human praise, but to seek that glory which cometh from the only God (Joh 5:44). There were some who would not confess the Lord Jesus because “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (Joh 12:43). We must look onwards to the praise which the heavenly Bridegroom will bestow on the Church, his bride; then shall the true Israelite, who is a “Jew inwardly,” “whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Rom 2:29), have praise of God (1Co 4:5). We must seek that praise with a single heart, walking with God, living to his glory, looking for the blessed hour when we trust to see the heavenly Bridegroom face to face.

“He lifts me to the golden doors;

The flashes come and go;

All Heaven bursts her starry floors,

And strews her lights below,

And deepens on and up! the gates

Roll back, and far within

For me the heavenly Bridegroom waits,

To make me pure of sin.

The sabbaths of eternity,

One sabbath deep and wide,

A light upon the shining sea

The Bridegroom with his bride!”

II. THE ANSWER OF THE BRIDE.

1. She must withdraw for a while. She repeats in her modesty the first clause of her own words in So Son 2:17. Then, apparently, she asked her lover to leave her till she had fulfilled the routine duties of the day. He was to return when the day should be cool, and the shadows should lengthen in the evening. Now it is she who will leave her Lord for a time. Perhaps she felt herself almost overburdened by his commendations; the poor country maiden, true and simple as she was, could scarcely understand such praises from the great and magnificent king; they were too much for her; she must retire to collect herself. When the Lord commends the faithful, and glorifies their works of love as done unto himself, they seem oppressed, as it were, for a season by the greatness of his praise. They were only doing their duty; they did it, all of them, more or less imperfectly; they did not regard those poor works of theirs as so exceeding beautiful; they did not think that they had been conferring benefits upon the Lord himself, that they had so greatly pleased him; they were humble, self-distrustful; they seem almost to shrink from the praises of the King. The grace of humility is a very holy thing; it lies at the entrance of the kingdom of heaven; it is the first of the Beatitudes. “Not he that commendeth himself is approved, but he whom the Lord commendeth” (2Co 10:18).

2. Whither the bride retires. “I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.” The words may, taken literally, signify some retired place in the palace garden, as many scholars think; but myrrh and frankincense are words of frequent occurrence in Holy Scripture, and are often used with a more or less mystical meaning. The Wise Men from the East brought gold and frankincense and myrrh as offerings to the infant Saviour; wine mingled with myrrh was given him on the cross; his sacred body was laid in a mixture of myrrh and aloes brought by the faithful Nicodemus. The mountain of myrrh seems to suggest the necessity of purification before the soul can dwell always in the presence of the Lord. The maidens from among whom the Queen of Persia was to be chosen had to go through a time of purification, “six months with oil of myrrh” (Est 2:12). It tells us also of the bitter draught, the cup of sorrows, which they who are to be nearest Christ must take. “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I must drink of?” Those who aspire to the highest places in the kingdom of heaven must learn the deepest lessons of humility, the severest lessons of entire submission of will to the holy will of God. They must get them to the mountain of myrrh, to the cross. Our self-denials are small and unworthy; the cross of Christ sets before us a mountain of self-sacrifice, a height that reaches unto the heavens. We must draw nearer and nearer to the cross in daily self-denial and self-abasement, if we are to realize at last the full, deep joy of uninterrupted communion with the Lord. And if myrrh means self-denial, the dying unto sin, frankincense means worship. The sweet odour of the incense going up from the golden altar is a meet emblem of the prayers of the saints (see Rev 8:3, Rev 8:4). We must learn the blessed lesson of worship on earth before we can join the choir of happy worshippers around the glory throne. We must get ourselves to the hill of frankincense, to the Lord’s house, where the incense of prayer and thanksgiving ever ascends, where he himself is in the midst, among those who are gathered together in his name. There we may be trained, if we come in the Spirit as Simeon came when he found the Lord Christ, in that holy worship, worship in spirit and in truth, which is the true preparation for the glad adoring worship of triumphant saints in heaven. Till the evening of life comes, till the shadows lengthen into the night, we must get ourselves to the work which the Lord has given us to dothe work of self-discipline, the work of worship here below, that we may be ready when he cometh to take our part in the never-ceasing worship of heaven, and there to be ever with the Lord.

Son 4:7-16

Further conversation.

I. THE WORDS OF THE BRIDEGROOM.

1. His entire love for the bride. If the view of Son 4:6 indicated above gives the true meaning, the bride has left the bridegroom for a time. In the evening they meet again, and the king again expresses his affection: “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” Such shall the Church be in the eyes of Christ, when he has sanctified and cleansed her with the washing of water by the Word; when she is clothed in the fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of saints; when he “of God is made unto her Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption” (1Co 1:30). Such shall the saints be in his eyes when they have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb;” “they are without fault before the throne of God” (Rev 14:5). But it is Christ who has cleansed them. They were stained with many sins, as David was when he cried in the anguish of his deep penitence, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than show” (Psa 51:7). We have sinned so long and so greatly, we have so often fallen back into sin after imperfect repentance, that to be “whiter than snow” seems a hope altogether too high for us, out of our reach. But we have the sure Word of God. He is able to “present us faultless before the presence of his glory;” he is able to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness;” “the Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the world.” Indeed it is true that “we are all as an unclean things and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa 64:6), but we may have, if we come to Christ in faith, “that righteousness which is through the faith of Christ;” that righteousness which is his, not our own; and yet, if we abide in him, it becomes through his grace our own; for it is given to us, imparted to us, infused into us by the indwelling influences of the Holy Spirit of God. Then we may dare to hope for that spotless righteousness; we may, we must, long for it and strive after it. Not to do so is not humility, but unbelief; not distrust of ourselves, but distrust of God; for we have the sacred word of promise, “Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

2. His invitation. The Hebrew words are full of life: “With me from Lebanon, O bride, with me from Lebanon shalt thou come.” The bride is henceforth to be with the bridegroom, with him always: she is to forget her own people and her father’s house (Psa 45:10, Psa 45:11). She is to come away from her old hauntsfrom Amana, Shenir, and Hermon; for even Hermon in all its grandeur is but a “little hill” in comparison with the spiritual glory of Mount Zion, where God is pleased to dwell (see Prayer book Version of Psa 42:6). She must come from the lions’ dens, from “the violence of Lebanon” (Hab 2:17), to Jerusalem, the foundation of peace. The Church, the bride of Christ, shall be in the eternal blessedness “forever with the Lord.” She shall come away from her old habitation, the earth which is filled with violence (Gen 6:11); away from the raging of the roaring lion, who walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8), to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. And the Christian soul, which looks forward in living hope to the inheritance of the saints in light, must now come with Christ away from other masters, from the lusts of the flesh and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. “To depart and to be with Christ,” St. Paul says (Php 1:23), “is far better””by much very far better,” for such is the full meaning of the emphatic words. Then the soul that hopes to be with Christ in Paradise must be much with Christ now; with him in the daily life of faith, in prayer and praise and frequent communion. He bids us come. “Come unto me,” he says, “and I will give you rest.” He only can give peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” If we listen to his voice, and come with him away from Lebanon, which, though fair to look upon, with grand and wide-reaching prospects, was yet the haunt of noisome beasts; if we leave the love of the world, with its enticements and its dangers, for the blessed love of Christ, we shall have all that we need for our soul’s peace and safety. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

3. His praises of the bride. He calls her repeatedly, “My sister-bride.” His heart is hers; every little thing about her, the very smell of her garments, is dear to him; her love is by much better than wine; her voice is sweet as honey. He dwells now less on graces of person, as in Son 4:1-5, than on her looks of affection, the depth and beauty of her love, the music of her voice. These words tell of a great love; but the love of Christ for his Church is beyond the power of language. Solomon left his first lovehe loved many strange women; but the love of Christ for his Church is “an everlasting love” (Jer 31:3), unchangeable, unutterable. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;” but “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). And because he loved the Church with so great a love, the responsive love of the Church is very dear to him. “He is not ashamed to call us brethren” (Heb 2:11). The voice of the Church lifted up to him in prayer and praise, making melody in the heart unto God, is sweet to the Saviour. He praises the graces of the Church, though those graces come all from him; they are his gift. He praises in the Book of the Revelation the Churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia; he sees the beauty of holiness in those afflicted and despised Churches: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich;” “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life;” “They shall know that I have loved thee; Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (Rev 2:9, Rev 2:10; Rev 3:9, Rev 3:12).

4. He compares her to a garden enclosed. She is like a garden shut up, barred against intruders, kept sacred for its master’s use; she is like a spring shut up, a fountain sealed as with the royal signet which none but the king can touch. The garden, or paradise, is full of the choicest fruits, flowers, and spice-bearing plants, the produce of many countries, some of them brought in Solomon’s time by his navy from Arabia or India. The fountain is a well of living waters, fresh as the gushing mountain streams of Lebanon. Solomon praises the bride not only for her beauty and her rare endowments, but also for her purity and faithfulness. The “garden enclosed,” the “fountain scaled,” remind us of our marriage vow: “Wilt thou forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him so long as ye both shall live?” Such should the wedded pair be each to the other; such was not Solomon. We cannot but think and believe that the bride, innocent and artless as she is described, kept herself pure unto the end. The Church, which is the bride of Christ, should be as a garden enclosed, kept sacred for the one Lord. The garden of Eden was a garden enclosed, but Satan marred its sanctity; he, in the words of Milton,

“At one slight bound high overleaped all bound
Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within
Lights on his feet
So clomb the first grand thief into God’s fold:
So since into his Church lewd hirelings climb.”

The Lord has said, “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” Again he has said, “I am the Door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and shall find pasture.” They who are called to minister in the Church of God must ever remember that it is God’s Church, that “he hath purchased it with his own blood” (Act 20:28); that it should be “a garden enclosed,” kept for the Master, tilled and watered for him; that every barren tree should be carefully tended, that it may bring forth fruit before the awful word goeth forth, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” The trees in the Lord’s garden differ much from one another. There are pomegranates with their pleasant fruit, henna with its fragrant flowers, spikenard with its costly perfume, frankincense for sacred uses; all manner of sweet spicesmyrrh and aloes, which tell of the bitter healing cup of sorrow, which point to death and burial. The saints of God differ much from one another. Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, St. Peter, St. John, St. Paul, have each his own place in the garden of the Lord. All bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, but in different forms and degrees; one we call the apostle of love, another the apostle of faith, a third the apostle of hope; “but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1Co 12:11). It is the Lord himself who giveth the Spirit. Mary Magdalene, on the first Easter Day, supposed him to be the gardener (Joh 20:15); and in a very true sense he is the Gardener of the garden enclosed. And here we may remember that it was in a garden that he suffered that dread agony, when his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. That blood taketh away the sins of the world; it waters the garden enclosed with its cleansing stream. And again we are told that “in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus” (Joh 19:41). The Lord suffered in a garden; he has purchased with his own blood the Church to be his own, his garden enclosed. But the Church is also “a spring shut up, a fountain sealed;” shut up in a sense, sealed with the Master’s signet, as his own sacred tomb was sealed in the garden of Joseph, but yet (verse 15) “a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.” The fountain is sealed, for it is the Lord’s; it hath “this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2Ti 2:19). But its living waters go forth to fertilize the Lord’s garden. The healing waters which the Prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision issued out from under the threshold of the temple; they brought fruitfulness wherever they went “because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary” (Eze 47:1, Eze 47:12). In a true sense the whole world is the Lord’s field: “The field is the world” (Mat 13:38); and the Church has the Lord’s commandment, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mar 16:15). The well is the Lord’s; it is sealed with his seal; but the living waters of that sacred well must issue forth, that “the wilderness and the solitary place may be glad for them: that the desert may rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isa 35:1). And as the Church, the bride of Christ, is for him “a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed,” so must every Christian soul be wholly his. “We are Christ’s,” St. Paul says. “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s;” and again, “God, whose I am, and whom I serve” (Act 27:23). Each Christian soul must keep itself as “a garden enclosed” (“barred,” or “belted,” is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word). We must strive earnestly to keep out earthly passions, earthly ambitions, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. We must keep the gate barred against the entrance of the evil one. And we must take heed that the house be not left empty; it must be kept for “a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). We must strive to keep out worldly cares, coming to God in all our troubles, whether great or small, that so the peace of God, which Passeth all understanding, may keep (guard, protect) our hearts and thoughts through Christ Jesus. The garden must be barred; the peace of God must rule there (Col 3:15); and it must bring forth fruit, the blessed fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal 5:22). The tree that beareth not fruit must be hewn down at last; it cumbereth the ground; “every branch that beareth not fruit is taken away.” How carefully, then, we ought, every one of us, to watch for the fruit of the Spirit in our daily life, to see in diligent self-examination whether we are exhibiting these holy graces in our Christian walk and conversation; and if, alas! we find them not, how earnestly we ought to pray, with fervent, untiring supplication for the help of the Holy Spirit of God to work within us, to assist our prayers, to make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, to lead us nearer to Christ, that we may evermore abide in him, without whom we can bear no fruit, without whom we can do nothing! The garden needs the living water; the saint of God is a fountain sealed. The living water is the Lord’s; it bears his seal. The Lord himself is, in the truest sense, the “Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness” (Zec 13:1); with him is “the fountain of life” (Psa 36:9). He leadeth his redeemed to living fountains of waters (Rev 7:17). But they who have received from him the living water become themselves fountains, as the Lord hath said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” And again, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (Joh 4:14; Joh 7:37, Joh 7:38). The saint of God is indeed “a fountain sealed,” sealed with the Lord’s seal, dedicated wholly unto him; “a spring shut up” from all other waters save only the living water which the Lord giveth, not “a fountain which sends forth at the same place sweet water and bitter” (Jas 2:11). But he must be “a fountain of gardens” (verse 15); he that is watered of God must water the thirsty ground (Pro 11:25). St. Paul, who had received the gift of the Spirit from the Lord, passed on the living waters to Apollos; Apollos watered the garden of the Lord at Corinth (1Co 3:6). So must all God’s people do. They know in their own hearts more or less of that holy calm and blessedness which the living waters of the indwelling of the Spirit (Joh 7:39) bring to the faithful; they must do their best to extend to others the blessings which they have themselves received; they must pray and labour for the spiritual well being of those nearest to them, within the sphere of their personal influence; they must do their best to help missionary work through the world, resting not till “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9). But each must keep himself as “a fountain sealed” for the Lord and the work of the Lord, that at the last he may be sealed with the seal of the living God, and stand on the Mount Zion among the mystic hundred and forty and four thousand who have the Lamb’s Name and his Father’s Name written in their foreheads (Rev 7:2, Rev 7:3; Rev 14:1).

II. THE VOICE OF THE BRIDE. She accepts the bridegroom’s parable. She is a garden enclosed. She calls upon the winds, north and south, to blow upon the garden, that the fragrance of its spices may flow forth to give pleasure to the bridegroom. The garden is hers; for it is herself, her love. And yet it is the bridegroom’s, for she has given herself, her love, to him; she invites him to come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. So the Church, the bride of Christ, longs for the heavenly Bridegroom; so each Christian soul seeks the Saviour’s presence. The soul that would give itself wholly to the Lord as a garden barred against all other masters, and enclosed for his use, strives ever to please him more and more; she would have her inward life of prayer and meditation and spiritual communion with him to become more and more pleasing to him, more and more fragrant. Therefore she calls for the north wind as well as the south to blow upon the garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. She is willing to submit to the cold blasts of adversity, as well as to be refreshed with the soft breezes of joy and holy gladness. She knows that God will make all things, joy and sorrow alike, to work together for good to them that love him (Rom 8:28). Therefore she prays only that his will may be done in her, whether by chastisements or by spiritual joy and blessing. She would have the garden bring forth more fruit, even though it must be purged with the pruning knife of affliction. For the garden, though it is herself, her own heart, is yet the Lord’s; for she has given it to the heavenly Bridegroom; therefore she yearns for his irradiating presence, praying him to enter into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY

Son 4:1-7

What Christ sees in those who love him.

As a mere story, these verses may be taken as a further attempt on the part of King Solomon to win her to whom he speaks for himself. Therefore he extols her beauty. Her eyes like the beautiful eyes of the Syrian dove; her dark glossy hair like that of the goats that browse on the slopes of Mount Gilead; her teeth white as the newly cleansed wool, as even and regular as is the fleece that has been first shorn, and perfect as is the breed of sheep he tells of; her lips ruddy; her mouth so comely; her cheeks rosy red, like the opened pomegranate; her neck graceful, and adorned with precious jewels; and so on. Even her home, because it is her home, is as a hill bearing trees of myrrh and frankincense, and thither would he resort. And he sums up his description by declaring that she is “all fair”that there is no blemish in her. Now, on such flattery, of on So 1:9-2:7. But had these verses no other meaning than this literal one, we cannot think they would have found place in the Holy Scriptures. Therefore we take them as setting forth, under their rich Oriental colouring, the blessed truth that, in the sight of their Lord, his people are without blemish, “all fair.” It is the same truth as was meant by that at present unloved phrase, “imputed righteousness.” And that it is unloved is owing to the fact that its meaning has been grossly perverted, and made to stand for ideas dishonouring to God and disastrous to the spiritual life of men. But in reality the phrase means just that which in these verses is allegorically set forth. In interpreting these verses it is not the right or reverent way, though many have followed it, to affix some definite meaning to every detail of the description given, but to take the description as a whole, as attesting the beauty of the redeemed in the sight of their Lord. Therefore, though some have interpreted the dove’s eyes as the eyes that are ever towards the Lord in holy desire; and the hair as the unshorn locks of the soul’s consecration to Christ; and the teeth, undecayed and perfect, as the faith which feeds on Christ; and the lips as those of one once leprous, but now purified by the precious blood of Christ, and so like a scarlet thread; the blushing temples no longer bold and brazen, but suffused with crimson as the pomegranate, telling of the soul’s true repentance; the neck, tall, stately, graceful, strong, telling of the liberty and courage Christ has given the soul; the breasts of the twin graces of faith and love, which Paul says are the believer’s breastplate;all this (cf. Stuart), though interesting and ingenious, appears to us unnecessary and, in some hands, injurious. We therefore take the description generally, and note

I. THE FACT THAT CHRIST DOES REGARD AS BEAUTIFUL THE REDEEMED SOUL. She is spotless in his sight. He says, “The glory thou gavest me I have given them.” Christ is made unto us “Righteousness and Sanctification.” He shed his blood that his Church might be “a glorious Church, not having spot,” etc. (Eph 5:27). He will present us “faultless before the presence of his glory” (Jud 1:24). “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you,” said our Lord (cf. also 1Co 6:11). And if he did not so regard his people and count them “precious in his sight” (Isa 43:1-28.), wherefore should he have done and suffered for them all that he has? Whatever we make sacrifices for we count beautiful. Our love pierces through the outer husk of circumstance and evil habit, and sees the beauty within; and it is for that we will make sacrifice if need be. And so with our most blessed Lordhis eye of love pierced through the often hideous husk of men’s vile habits and ways to the soul on which his heart was set, that he might redeem and save it, and make it beautiful, like his own. And when that soul turns to him in trust and penitence, then at once that soul is “all fair” in his sight, and “there is no spot in” it.

II. WHY SHOULD WE NOT? Men say, “It is wrong to represent God as seeing otherwise than according to the truth of things. Therefore to say of a soul, ‘There is no spot in it,’ when we know that ‘from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no soundness in it’ (Isa 1:1-31.), this is to introduce unreality and make-believe into the most sacred regions.” But look at the mother’s joy in her babe. Whence comes that? Is it not largely the loving onlook she takes into the future of that child? She sees, or at least believes she sees, that child grown up in purity, intelligence, goodness, and all that is lovely and lovable. She is a believer, and you cannot move her, in imputed righteousness; for what is she doing but imputing, all that righteousness to her babe. See the shipbuilder in his yard. There is a ship in its earliest stages of construction. You can see nothing but chips and dirt and confusion. But he sees that ship in her completionin all her strength, the beauty of her lines, and all the perfectness which he intends shall belong to her. And he “imputes” to her all that. And so with our Lord. He sees all that the soul shall be when he has perfected the “good work” which he has already begun for and in it. This is why, even now, it is fitting that he should see and say, “There is no spot in thee.”

III. AND WHAT IF HE DOES? There is:

1. All consolation for the anxious, mistrusting soul. The soul is, as it well may be, often overwhelmed with the sense of its own vileness and sin. It clings to Christ with the grasp of all but despair. What a help to know that Christ’s estimate of us is not our own! How often we are able to help a man up by letting him see that we believe in him, notwithstanding he has done wrong] Arnold’s word, “Trust a boy, and he will become trustworthy,” is most true. The fact we are considering is not only full of consolation, but lull of help to us poor sinful men.

2. Inspiration for the better life. If Christ thinks me so, I will strive to become so. Is this his ideal for me? I will, in his strength, strive to realize it.

3. The enkindling and constant rekindling of our love for Christ.S.C.

Son 4:6

Where Christ is now.

“Until the day break,” etc.

I. BY THIS IS MEANT THE PRESENT LIFE. It does not matter whether the words be taken as telling of the time until the day break or until the day close. In the former case, the speaker would mean that all the night long he would be on the mountains of myrrh, etc.; but in the latter, he would mean that until the day were done he would be there. It matters not, for the present life may be likened to either night or day. If to the night, then night time is meant to suggest the darkness in which men live. As to knowledge: “We see through a glass, darkly.” As to happiness: “Man is born to trouble.” As to the use of life: men choose to walk in darkness. The land sits “in darkness and in the shadow of death,” because they who dwell in such land are in that deep spiritual darkness of which the prophet tells. If to the day, then as the time for toil, the season for diligent work, the period during which the busy affairs of men are transactedsuch is our life so long as it continues. On either interpretation the present life is meant.

II. THE PLACE WHERE DURING THIS LIFE WE MAY FIND CHRIST. On “the mountains of myrrh,” etc. By this is meant, not heaven, for we cannot ascend into heaven; and the place told of here is evidently a place accessible. Therefore we take the “mountains of myrrh,” etc; to mean the Church (cf. Isa 2:2). And there are many other Scriptures in which the Church is likened to hills or mountains (Psa 68:15, Psa 68:16; Psa 87:1-3, etc.). Some have thought that the throne of grace, the place of prayer, is meantand so it is; but more than that is included. Nothing less than the Church of Christ. And the similitude employed here is just. For the Church is as a mountain.

1. For elevation. The Church should be above the world. Hence, in the magnificent ministers which adorn this and other lands, the sacred fabric towers in lordly height far above all the dwellings that cluster around it. It symbolizes this very truth. Our Lord said, “Ye are a city set on a hill.”

2. For visibility. “Which cannot be hid.” Goodness ever betrays itself; like him from whom it comes, and of whom it was said, “He could not be hid.” Does the visibility consist in anything else but character? Is not the Church the company of all the good?

3. For its majesty. It is God’s vicegerent here on earth. By it “kings rule, and princes decree justice.” Kings were its nursing fathers and queens its nursing mothers (cf. Isa 60:1-22).

4. For its immovability. (Psa 135:1.) “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” said our Lord. And here it is today, and it never seemed more likely to continue than it does today.

5. For its fruitfulness. The mountains and hills told of are not mere rocky heights, stony and barren, but rich and fruitful, their sides covered with noblest trees. “They that be planted in the house of the Lord,” etc.

6. For its delightfulness. Myrrh and frankincense are the product of its trees, and make the whole place fragrant, precious, full of delight to him who dwells or comes there (cf. “The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than,” etc.). Christ loves to be there, and his people love to meet him there. For it is the place of accepted prayer, of hallowed communion, of adoring worship, of manifold spiritual help. And there Christ is to be found. He is there according to his Word, in his unseen but real presence, and in his gracious power. Myriads attest this. Therefore

III. WE SHOULD SEEK HIM THERE. The verse seems to be a suggestion to this effect. To forsake the assemblies, communion, and fellowship of the Church is to suffer great loss. Some say, “We can pray at home;” and when they must be at home no doubt they can, but when they need not be we doubt if many do. And when we think of the treasure store of help that is gained by them who seek the Lord in his Church, who get them to the mountain, etc; where he is, we commiserate, even whilst we condemn, those who never get themselves there at all.S.C.

Son 4:7

The immaculate soul.

“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” This word has many parallels; cf. “Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you;” “Ye are washed, justified, sanctified;” “Ye are complete in him;” “There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” etc. Now, how can all this be? We reply

I. THROUGH THE ESTIMATE WHICH LOVE FORMS OF THAT WHICH IT LOVES. (Cf. former homily, on Son 4:1-7.)

II. THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, WHICH “CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN.” Christ is our Representative, the second Adam. Our connection with him becomes vitalized when our hearts trust in him. But he, in and by his deathhis bloodmade perfect confession of our sins, and in that confession absorbed them (cf. McLeod Campbell on the Atonement). Forgiveness, therefore, follows for all in him; and thus we are cleansed.

III. THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST. He is ever acting on our hearts, to lead them along the various stages that will bring us to perfect purity, to complete sanctification. He works in us that deep sense of sin which leads to a genuine repentance. He reveals Christ to us, which leads to a living trust. He inspires us with love to Christ, which leads to the surrender of our will. He prompts us to and aids us in prayer, which perpetuates and deepens every holy purpose. He keeps us in touch with Christ, which bars the entrance of sin to our souls. He makes all the means of grace full of help to our souls. Thus step by step the blessed work is done.

IV. THROUGH CHRIST‘S GRACIOUS ANTICIPATION OF THE COMPLETED WORK. He looks on us, not as we are, but as we shall be, and predates what has yet to, but certainly shall, be realized.

CONCLUSION. What a motive all this supplies to our earnest striving to come up to our blessed Lord’s ideal!S.C.

Son 4:8

The beautiful but dangerous world.

For once the literal and allegorical interpretation largely agree. For both represent the places spoken of here as full of peril, and both desire the beloved one to “come away” from them, and promise deliverance if she will come. Let the peril of delivering her be what it mayas dens of lions and leopardsyet will he accomplish it. Allegorically we may read here

I. CHRIST‘S DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD. It is:

1. Beautiful to look upon. Some of the finest scenes, the most glorious landscapes the world can show, are to be seen from the mountain summits named here. The view is entrancing, so travellers say. And the world is to the young soul fair indeed. But:

2. It is full of peril also. The dizzy heights, the steep cliffs, the lofty crags of mountainous regions, demand a steady head, well balanced nerves, a sure foothold. The inexperienced may not venture there. Death and destruction track the footsteps of the traveller on such heights, and if he be not wed trained, they have him for their prey. The spiritual analogy is illustrated by only too many sad experiences. To preserve the soul’s balance on the heights of the world’s prosperity, how difficult for all! how impossible for most! “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven!” “Man, vain man, dressed in a little brief authority,” etc. But the special perils named here are the beasts of prey. These have their haunts in these mountains (cf. Exposition). In all languages and literatures the designation of evil men by the name of some noxious beast is common (cf. Psalms; also our Lord’s word, “Go, tell that fox;” and in the Scriptures passim). And the world is full of such creaturespitiless, cruel, fierce, ravenous, terrible. Smooth and soft and sleek as a leopard, so long as you are able to defy them; but fall down, be at their mercy, and what mercy will you get? “The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel;” yes, cruel as lion, leopard, or any beast of prey. Ask the world’s victims what mercy they have received. Let the soul once give the world a chance, and the world will drive it hellward with relentless cruelty. There is no mercy there. What a contrast to “the mountains of myrrh” (Son 4:6)! “No ravenous beast shall be there;” “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isa 35:9).

II. CHRIST‘S PROMISE OF HELP. “Come with me.” His Word is full of such promises and of the records of their fulfilment (cf. histories of Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel, etc.). And it is the experience of every Christian soul. Christ does not take us out of the world, but he keeps us from the evil. He keeps us “as the apple of his eye;” hides us “under the shadow” of his wing (cf. Psa 91:1-16.). He knows what he will do, therefore he says, “Come with me.”

III. THE CONDITION OF THAT HELP. We must “come with” him. Some wonder that he invites us at all; that, loving the soul as he does, he should leave it any choice as to whether it will or will not come; that he does not deal with us as a father who would compel, not merely invite, his child to come out of the burning house. So some wonder that Christ does not compel the soul, carry it off by force. No doubt, in the literal story of this song, he who spoke was prepared to do this by her whom he appeals to. But Christ says, “Come with me.” He solicits, entreats, invites. For there can be no deliverance of the soul unless there be the response of its own will. Even Christ cannot save without that. If, as is the case so sadly often, men “will not come unto” him that they “might have life,” they have it not. And that response of the will is from faith in Christ’s Word as to our peril and his loving power. Then ponder that Word; pray to know the truth; the Divine Spirit shall teach you, and soon the response Christ desires will be given.S.C.

Son 4:9-15

Cur Deus homo?

In these verses the beloved tells her whom he has come to deliver wherefore he would run all this risk and endure so much for her sake. And reading them as an allegory, we may take them as setting forth why and wherefore God became Man; why “he who was rich for our sakes became poor.” And amongst these reasons are

I. HIS INTENSE LOVE FOR US. The speaker tells in Son 4:9 how but a small portion of the beauty and of the adornments of her whom he so loved had “ravished” his heart, had filled him with intense desire for her. And translated into the style and teaching of the gospel, this tells of the heavenly joy (Luk 15:1-32.) over the repentancethe very beginning, the smallest portion of the beauty, of Divine grace in the soul. “Behold, he prayeth,” was said of the persecuting Saul to the Christ-taught Ananias, who immediately rejoices, and is ready to receive as “brother” him who had been but a few hours before as a wolf coming to make havoc of the flock of Christ, A very little thingthe mere beginnings of graceand yet the Spirit of Christ in Ananias leapt for joy.

II. THE SOUL‘S RESPONSE. (Son 4:10.) That which Christ sees in the souls he has redeemed gratifies, refreshes, and delights him. As wine, as perfumes, as all spices. Precious is the soul’s response of love to Christ. See how he asks for it. “Lovest thou me?” was thrice said to Peter. It is to him “the greatest thing in the world” (cf. 1Co 13:1-13; “The greatest of these is love”). What argument this is for the love that is in Christ! We reason back from the known likings and preferences of a man to what he is himself. So reasoning, what will not our Lord appear?

III. HER GRACIOUS WORDS. (Son 4:11; cf. parallels, Pro 16:24; Psa 119:103.) It is out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. And the utterances of loving adoration, of contrite confession, of pleading prayer, of grateful praisethese are well pleasing in his esteem. How true the sabbath evening hymn

“And not a prayer, a tear, a sigh,

Hath failed this day some suit to gain;

To those in trouble thou wert nigh

Not one hath sought thy face in vain.”

Yes, as the honeycomb, sweet; as mille and honey, delicious and healthful, so are the fruits of the lips of the redeemed soul to Christ. We, therefore, can give him delight. It must be so. For we know we can “grieve” him; but if we can grieve him, we can also give him joy; and it is thus we do so.

IV. THE FRAGRANCE OF HER LIFE. “The smell of thy garments is,” etc. (Son 4:11). The garments are the symbol of those outward acts and deeds which, as it were, clothe and characterize the man. We know men by their dress; their garb bespeaks their occupation, tells what their work is. Now, the holy deeds of the redeemed soul are as fragrance, full of a sweet acceptableness to Christ (cf. Mat 25:1-46; where it is told how the loving acts of his people done to the poor and needy for his sake are, though so trifling in themselves, so wonderfully recompensed). Thus the lives of his people diffuse a fragrance most acceptable to him in whose name they are done.

V. HER FIDELITY. (Son 4:12.) The soul of the believer belongs to Christ. It is his possessiona garden closed, open only to him. All manner of intruders seek to find entrance there, and some of them seem for a while to succeed; but Christ sees that in deed and in truth the soul owns only him as her Lord. You can force the needle of a compass right round, so that it should point the reverse of its right direction; but take your hand off, and back it swings to where, if left to itself, it always would be. And so with the soul of the believer. The violence of the world, the flesh, or the devil, or all combined, often make the soul seem to belong to any one rather than Christ. But he sees how it is, and knows that when that violence is withdrawn the soul will surrender itself again to him, with cries and prayers and tears that it may nevermore belong to any but to him, and him alone.

VI. THE SOUL‘S RICH FRUIT. (Son 4:13.) What these are, are told of here under the imagery of the fruits of an Oriental garden; and in Gal 5:22 as the fruits of the Spirit. Like the fruits this Gal 5:13 speaks of, they are precious, fragrant, healthful, abundant, delightful, varied, beautiful, and spontaneous. Such are the fruits he desires; and, “supposing him to be the gardener,” such as he would surely have in his garden.

VII. THE MINISTRIES OF THE SOUL. (Gal 5:15.) The grace of the redeemed soul is not confined to itself; it flows out to others. Allusion seems to be made in this verse to the fountains of Solomon, which were “fountains of gardens.” And we are reminded of our Lord’s words as to the “well of water” which should be in his people, and which should sprang up in them “unto everlasting life.” And because our Lord foresaw that through the souls he redeemed so many others should be blessedeach one becoming “a fountain of gardens,” a well of living waters for the help and salvation of othersherein is another reason why God became man. It was part of “the joy set before him,” for which he “endured the cross, despising the shame.” Ruskin tells how in the slime taken from a city lane you have clay, soot, sand, and water. Submit these to the laws of crystallization, and the clay becomes sapphire, the sand becomes opal, with blue green, and golden hues; the soot becomes a lustrous diamond, and the water crystallizes into that thing of beauty, a snow star. And more than science sees in any city slime Christ sees in the soul, sunken in the mire of sin though it be, which he redeems. Already he sees the flashing of the jewels into which he will transform it, and will place in his diadem forever: such is part answer to the question, “Cur Deus homo?”S.C.

Son 4:16

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

This is the state of mind produced by the consciousness of Christ’s gracious estimate of us. We can scarce believe that it is as he says, but that he counts us such makes us long to be such. Therefore in this verse we may hear the cry of the soul, that he would make us to be what he says we are. “Even so, come,” etc. Note

I. WHAT THIS ASPIRATION OF THE SOUL CONFESSES.

1. The power of Christ to produce all this. Hence the appeal, “Awake, O north wind,” etc.

2. That power actually at work. There are various precious plants of his own planting; his garden is not a wilderness. And there are the heavenly gifts of sun and rain and dew.

3. But nevertheless the full results of his grace are not forthcoming. The fragrance so delightful and desirable is not yielded; there are fruits, but not yet ripened, so that they might be pleasant to him who eats them. The soul lives, but does not flourish. It has life, but not abundant life. How common all this is! Hence how ineffectual the lives of many Christians are!

4. And the causes of this are indicated. The gloom and mist, the clouds so earth-born and dense, which overhang the garden of the soul and hinder it from yielding its fragrance and fruit as it otherwise would. So the sin-and-sorrow-laden clouds, and those which doubt and unbelief producethese will mar the soul’s life, and make it ineffectual for joy or help.

II. FOR WHAT IT IS WILLING.

1. For the north wind. (Cf. Pro 25:23; Job 38:22.) The north wind, often stern and terrible, and very trying to plant life. Yet here it is invited to come. The spirit of the well known lines

“Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee;

E’en though it be a cross

That raiseth me”

is in this invocation to the bitter blastthe north wind. And the Christian soul is willing for whatever of trial and distress God may be pleased to send, so only as it may lead to more full likeness to God. As the inhabitants of the Valais, in Switzerland, love the strong, stern winds which, sweeping wildly down their close gorges and shut up vales, scatters and drives away the miasma, bred of the stagnant air, which for far too long a time broods over them, unchanged, and hence full of evil, until the welcome wild wind tears down the valley, and then the bad air is driven away, and that which is healthful comes instead; so the soul, conscious that its health and joy are hindered, would welcome that which corresponds to the north wind told of here (cf. Rom 5:3-5).

2. The south wind. (For its effects, cf. Job 37:7.) The soul knows that without the genial influence of Christ’s love realized in her she cannot prosper. Therefore she prays for this also.

“He sendeth sun, he sendeth shower
Alike they’re needful for the flower;
And joys and tears alike are sent
To give the soul fit nourishment.”

III. WHAT IT SUPREMELY DESIRES. “Let my beloved come into his garden,” etc. This, translated, means that the soul’s supreme solicitude is, as Paul’s was, to be accepted of her Lord (cf. 2Co 5:1-21; “I labour, whether present or absent, to be accepted of him”). The renewed soul seeks, to be well pleasing to her Lord; she cares little for any other approval (cf. Paul, “It is a small thing to me to be judged of you, or by man’s judgment; he that judgeth me is the Lord”). “To give pleasure to those whom we love, to know that any achievements of ours will gratify them, is a greater pleasure than any derived from the applause of strangers, however numerous or distinguished. The lad laden with prizes at his school is pleased enough with the clapping, and the praise of masters and fellow pupils; but his real pleasure is to come, when he gets his prizes home and shows them to his loved ones there. To see his mother’s eyes glisten with gladness, that is better than all the other praise, were it from all the world beside. And so to be approved of Christ, to please him, that, to souls like Paul’s, is everything.”

IV. THE BLESSING IT OBTAINS. Such supreme solicitude cannot exist without obtaining for the soul that cherishes it some of the choicest favours of God.

1. It will be an ever-present regulating force in our souls. It will act as a law to ourselves, prompting, checking, directing, impelling, as needs be.

2. It will win blessed freedom from the tyranny of the world. Such soul will fear neither the world’s frownso formidable to well nigh allnor court the world’s favour, all but universally coveted though it be. The Son will have made him free, and he will be free indeed.

3. It will make every cross fight. Such cross being his cross, borne for him, its sharpness, weight, shame, vanish.

4. Death is abolished. It becomes for him “an abundant entrance into the kingdom” of Christ. Freedom, strength, peacethese are some of the blessings which that soul wins whose supreme desire is to be accepted of Christ.S.C.

HOMILIES BY J.D. DAVIES

Son 4:6

Night and morning.

In the experiences of the heavenly life in the soul there are fluctuations of health and joy as great as the fluctuations of the seasons, as great as the change from night to day. Our globe is as near to the sun at dead of night as at noon, but, being turned away from the sun, loses the enjoyment of his beams. So Jesus may be equally near to us in our times of depression, though unbelief hides him from our eyes.

I. THIS LANGUAGE WELL DENOTES THE PURPOSE OF A MAN IN A STATE OF INTELLECTUAL DOUBT. The gloom of night has fallen upon him.

1. Note his difficulties. Grave doubts haunt his mind whether there be a personal God. The probabilities for and against seem to him fairly equal. In the busy world honest men often suffer. Innocent children sometimes starve. The righteous are crushed to the wall, or are pining in a gaol. Is this consistent with the jurisdiction of a benevolent God? Or if there be a God, the man has serious doubts whether the Bible can be accepted as a revelation to men of God’s plans and designs. Evidently the book is marked with imperfections, traceable to man. Or he is perplexed with the theories respecting Christ’s atonement. Is it possible for one person to bear the penalty of another’s guilt? Or he is in darkness touching man’s future state. Will there be a resurrection of the body? Will the identical man have a second life? What will become of the ungodly? How can redemption be a success if the majority of men perish? He is compassed and overborne with these shadows. What shall be his course?

2. Note his conduct. “I will take me to the mountains of myrrh,” etc. Now, mountains are the emblems of substantial durability. Changes may pass over the plains of earth, but the hills abide. So amid all this flux of doubt some things are certain. It is certain that I ought to be truthful. I must ever follow the truth, and must hate falsehood. It is certain that I ought to be meek, patient, industrious, sober, chaste; a diligent inquirer after the truth, a champion of righteousness. These are our “mountains of myrrh,” and on these we will dwell until clearer light dawns upon our path.

3. Mark his expectation. Certainly these shadows of night shall in due time vanish; the day of perfect certitude will dawn. Perhaps the mind itself, as an instrument for discerning truth, may grow more perfect. Perhaps some element of probability has been underrated. Perhaps personal inclination has biassed judgment. Very likely new light from some quarter will break upon us touching the destiny of mankind. We will calmly wait. We will keep our minds open to instruction, open to correction, and light will assuredly come. We find a sweet and healthful fragrance in a life of conscientious service, and we are in the best position to catch the first rays of the morning sun.

II. THIS LANGUAGE DESCRIBES THE PURPOSE OF A MAN WHO ASPIRES TO A HIGHER PLANE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE. He is now among the mists of the valley; he resolves to dwell in the clear bracing air of the breezy hills.

1. Note his lamentations. He is in darkness respecting his personal relationship with God. He questions the reality of his faith. His religion is devoid of joy. Now and again some old lust reasserts its power. The old life and the new still struggle for the mastery. He makes no progress in holiness or in self-conquest. He finds no liberty in prayer, no sweet sense of the Brother’s friendship. He is impotent. He waits for light and help from above. ‘Tis a dark and wintry night.

2. Observe his purpose. “I will betake me to the hills of frankincense,” etc. There are some things he cannot do for himself. But there are some things he can do. He cannot create light, but he can climb into the place where the light is best seen. He will act as a dependent servant, and carefully do his Master’s will. He will deny himself all evil indulgence. He will dwell upon the fragrant mountains of Divine promise. He will be a devout searcher of the Scriptures. He will confess his every sin before God, and cherish a temper of self-humiliation. He will hope for clearer proof of sonship. He will aspire for the full light of God’s countenance. What God has done for others, he will surely do for him.

3. Note his outlook. “Until the day breaks,” etc. Most certainly “we have not yet attained.” There is a higher experience to be reached, greater conquests to be gained. It is possible to have closer and more joyous friendship with God. It is possible for the principle of generous love to be fully dominant in the soul. There is fine scope for the development of faith. We want a more entire consecration to our Lord. In a word, we want the heavenly King to reign in us more manifestly. And that spring morn of consecration and of gladness shall come. The “shadows shall flee away, the day shall break.”

III. THIS LANGUAGE WILL EXPRESS THE CHRISTIAN‘S HOPE RESPECTING THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST‘S KINGDOM. Now darkness and light commingle in the world like a thick mist in the valley. But presently the light shall conquer.

1. Observe the present condition of Messiah‘s cause. In some empires that cause moves forward, in others it apparently retrogrades. Once flourishing Churches are now dead. The Churches of Antioch and Samaria and Carthage have disappeared. Waves of ritual superstition have swept over some regions where once godly Churches flourished. Forms of faith have disappeared. The seraphic zeal of one age yields to spiritual stupor in the next. We scarcely know whether the kingdom of grace is on the ebb tide or on the flow the outlook is checkered.

2. Observe the Church‘s present duty. In this case duty is clear. She should resort to the mountain of prayerto the spicy hills of a new devotement. Sensible of her weakness, she must get into closer union with the eternal Source of strength. The methods which have been successful in the past must be plied in the future. We must be better instructed in the will of God. Perhaps our zeal has been sectarian and selfish in the past, and we want a purer purpose, a simpler aim. We must be ready for greater sacrifices in the Master’s cause. To please the Bridegroom must be our supreme motive.

3. The outlook of faith. The day shall certainly dawn. Great is the truth; it must prevail. The prophecies of saintly seers shall certainly be fulfilled. The covenant with Christ must be observed. “To him every knee shall bow.” The heathen is “given to him for an inheritance.” “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” We can afford to wait. Jesus “must reign.” Love is the mightiest force in the universe, and must conquer. In due time the sun of conquest shall rise on man’s vision, and the light shall expand into the glories of the perfect day.

IV. THIS LANGUAGE SERVES TO ILLUSTRATE THE CHRISTIAN‘S PROSPECT OF HEAVEN.

1. His present depression. At present he does not perceive any organic difference between himself and unconverted men. He may have a livelier taste for religious pursuits. He may find more enjoyment in prayer. Yet he cannot discover any radical difference to warrant the sublime expectation that he shall be claimed as a son, and join in the occupations of angels. Daily he feels the power of evil principles within him. Certainly the realities of righteousness and the things of the spiritual world do not absorb his thoughts. He is of the earth, earthy. When and how shall the great change pass over me, to fit me for the society of the redeemed? When will the glorified body be assumed? Will it be developed out of the present organism, or will it be a new creation? What will be my location and my experience immediately after death? Will the eternal state be totally different from anything I have expected? Such things disquiet me?

2. Present duty. “I will get me to the hills of frankincense.” I will get away from secular pursuits as much as I can, and will get into familiar fellowship with God. Inasmuch as his presence is the centre of all joy and activity in heaven, it is well to have his society and fellowship now. The veil that hides him from me is not on his side, but on mine; it is the veil of unbelief. I will get me to the mount of communion, and in close heart fellowship with God I shall await with calm composure the tremendous change. I want purity of heart wherewith to see God.

3. Note the glorious prospect. “The day shall break, and the shadows shall flee away.” All dark thoughts of God and of God’s dealings shall by and by disappear. All his mysterious ways will be illuminated in the blaze of noon. Whereas now we feel some of our earthly conditions hard to bear, then shall we discover that these were ordered by the ripest wisdom, combined with tenderest love. Every puzzling doctrine shall be made plain. Paradoxes will blend in perfect harmony. Gracious reasons will appear forevery disappointment, every sorrow, every conflict, we endured on earth. The mysteries of pain and sin and death will all be solved, and God’s great plan for training men will be pronounced the best. So on “the mountains of myrrh and on the hills of frankincense” we will cheerfully abide, in filial fellowship with Jesus, “until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.”D.

Son 4:10, Son 4:11

Christ’s appraisement of believers.

The interest which God takes in men is marvellous. Why he should have designed to save men from sin’s curse, at such personal cost, is a mystery, and must remain so. It is equally a mystery why Jesus should have set such strong love on the fishermen of Galilee. Notwithstanding their glaring misconduct, “he loved them to the end.” In like manner Jesus speaks in this passage of his high appreciation of his people’s love. The love of Christ to us is a theme on which any Christian may well become eloquent. But to hear that Christ sets high store on our poor love to him, this staggers our thoughts, and almost seals our lips. Nevertheless it is a fact. Full of blemish and imperfection as we are, he counts us his jewels, his choicest possessions. He finds “his inheritance in the saints.” With his generous heart he discerns all the goodness there is in us. He sets high value on our love, and in this way encourages us to give him more.

I. NOTE CHRIST‘S HIGH APPRAISEMENT OF A CHRISTIAN‘S LOVE.

1. The very indefiniteness of the language is instructive. “How fair!” He does not say how precious it is. It is not the language of precise, calculating logic. It is the language of strong feeling. It is the generous ejaculation of the heart”How fair!” This is spoken after the manner of men. When the intellect is overborne by emotion, we break into an exclamation, and say, almost in a spirit of inquiry, “How lovely! how fair!” As if we would say, “We cannot measure the worth; if any one else can, let him say.”

2. It is the love of tender relationship. “My sister, my spouse.” This mention of earthly relatives is used by way of comparison. What form of love among us is winsome, valued, precious? For sweetness and purity, what love is like a sister’s? For strength and generousness, what affection like that of a wife? Jesus combines these both in his thought. Blend the love of sister and wife into one, and even then this poorly represents the love which Jesus discovers in us glowing for himself. He sets more value upon our love than we set upon the love of our most intimate friend.

3. The language impresses us by a comparison. “It is better than wine.” As at a banquet one’s bodily sensations are refreshed and quickened and gladdened with choice wine, so Jesus finds a cordial more refreshing, more inspiring, in his creature’s love. To his inmost soul this love of man is a luxury. He has many sources of enjoyment in heaven, but this enjoyment is his choicest. The love of his ransomed is his rarest, sweetest joy. When in his lifetime he sat down to meat at the Pharisee’s table, the tears of the penitent harlot were more delicious fare than Simon’s choicest wine. It is possible that, though the angels “excel in strength,” they may be deficient in love. Anyhow, our shallow, inconstant, imperfect love is precious in the eyes of Immanuel; it is a fountain of joy to his heart.

II. OBSERVE CHRIST‘S APPRECIATION OF OUR HOLY INFLUENCE. How much better is “the scent of thy perfumes than all spices”! In the East the dwellings are not so sweet as in our own land. Want of general cleanliness, want of water, want of drainage, will account for this. As a consequence, unguents and perfumes about the person are very common. So in the hallowed savour of our piety there is a delicate fragrance very acceptable to Jesus. Our influence over others is something undefinable, yet very potent. It pertains to every habit of life, to every tone of voice, to every expression of countenance. It lives in a smile or in a tear; and results, begun in the minutest circumstance, stretch far away into the great eternity. Jesus highly esteems this quiet, mystic influence. It is a fragrant atmosphere created by love, and, like the savour of Mary’s spikenard, it fills the house. Obdurate men may ridicule our pious words; they cannot ridicule nor resist the influence of a holy life. Our humility, our heavenly-mindedness, our consecrated zeal, diffuse a delicate perfume, like the subtle scent of roses, which every man of refinement appreciates, and in it Jesus finds delight. It is richer and rarer than all the spices of Araby.

III. MARK THE FACT THAT JESUS GREATLY ESTEEMS A CHRISTIAN‘S TESTIMONY. “Thy lips drop as the honeycomb.” The gift of speech is a noble endowment conferred on us by God. It distinguishes man above the animals. The human voice, either in oratory or in song, has potent enchantment for men. Speech is man’s glory. By it he rules a nation. By it he enlightens and inspires the young. By it he moulds the destinies of mankind. Jesus loves to see this endowment consecrated to his cause. He loves to hear our testimony to his goodness. He loves to hear our pious songs. On one occasion Jesus cast out a demon from a man who was dumb, and immediately the dumb man spake. So, when Jesus “sheds abroad his love in our hearts,” our lips cannot be silent. The desire to speak of his grace will be like a fire in our bones. A strange impulse stirs within to make all men know of his mighty virtue, and the tongue of the dumb will be unloosed. As the richest, sweetest of all honey is that which drops freely and first from the honeycomb, so the words of our fresh, warm love are very sweet in the car of Jesus. He intertwines the welfare of his kingdom with human speech, for he has ordained preaching to be his great weapon in the sacred crusade with sin. If we did but remember that Jesus is always a hearera generous, appreciative hearerof all that drops from our lips, should we not take care that he heard only what was true and kind and beautiful? Should we not be eager to “order our conversation aright,” and to have our speech like the droppings of the honeycomb?

IV. MARK THAT JESUS APPRECIATES OUR PURPOSES TO PLEASE HIM. When David conceived the thought that he would build a substantial temple to Jehovah, and the plan began to ripen into resolve, God sent his prophet to say this to David, “It was well that it was in thine heart.” We loudly applaud the man who makes heroic self-sacrifice for the cause of Christ; but very likely there is a purpose burning in the soul of some gentle woman to do battle for Christ more noble still, yet which cannot be realized. Well, that secret purpose is sweet as honey to Christ. His searching eye sees it allsees every right motive, every heavenly disposition, every upward aspiration; and the sight is a delicious joy. It is the fruit of his incarnation. It is the work of his Spirit. Just as every man finds peculiar delight in his work, be it a building, or a painting, or a mechanical invention; so, and much more, does Jesus find exquisite pleasure in his successful work of making us godlike and:Divine. “Honey and milk are under thy tongue.” Thy secret thoughts and purposes bring me joy.

V. JESUS CHRIST APPRAISES HIGHLY EVERY DISCIPLE‘S SERVICE. “The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.” The scent of pine trees and of cedar forests is peculiarly pleasant, and in this respect Lebanon surpassed all other forests in Palestine. it is in keeping with the symbolism of the Bible to employ “garments” as an emblem of human actions. We have a similar figure in our own language, for we use the word “habit” to denote one kind of apparel, and also to denote a constant line of action. Acts frequently performed become habits. So the “garments of a Christian are his everyday actionsthe things he wears wherever he goes.” The lesson here is that Jesus finds pleasure in everything we do, however trivial and insignificant. For there is nothing insignificant. You may read a man’s character more clearly in the hourly business of every day than in his conduct on Sundays, or than in some great action of his life. The serving woman in a shop, or the drudge in the scullery, or the hodman on the scaffolding, can serve Christ as well as the bishop in the pulpit. Jesus loves to see how faithfully we do little things. In his sight there is nothing little. It gave him untold pleasure to see the farthing which a poor widow dropped into his treasury. He counts every hair upon our heads. He notes when a sparrow falls. This is a mark of true greatness that it never overlooks the tiniest things. If from a disposition of love, and with cheerful temper, we sew a garment or drive a nail, we bring new pleasure to our Lord. “Therefore,” says the apostle, “whatsoever ye do, whether in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Sweetly does old Herbert sing

“A servant with this clause

Makes drudgery Divine;

Who sweeps a room as for thy laws

Makes that and th’ action fine.”

D.

Son 4:12-16

The King’s garden.

The Church of Christ is fitly likened to a garden. It is a piece of territory separated from the rest, enclosed from the beaten road of this world’s traffic. The distinguishing mark of a Christian Church is separation; i.e. separation from evil, separation as a means of blessing. As in a garden a king finds great delight and solace, so in this sacred garden Jesus Christ has a special joy. He calls it “my garden.” We do not hear him say, “My star; my snow-capped mountains; my veins of gold;” but we do hear him say, “My garden; my people; my sister; my spouse.“ Such language is not merely the language of proprietorship; it is the language of endearment. Every plant and tree in this garden has been planted and pruned by himself. The unfolding of every blossom on the fruit trees he has watched with delight; and when the blossom has matured into fruit, his delight has become an ecstasy. One high ambition fills him, viz. that his garden may bear much fruit.

I. OBSERVE THAT THIS EMBLEM OF A GARDEN SUGGESTS MANY TRUTHS.

1. There is the fact of separateness. In this text the writer lays emphasis on this point. Every garden is more or less marked off from other ground, but this is specially described as “a garden enclosed.” It is made inaccessible to thieves, to cattle, and to wild beasts. Boars out of the wood would soon lay it waste. So is it with the life of God in the believer’s soul. He is thereby separated from the ungodly world. The chosen of God are separated by God s eternal decree. Their names are registered in the book of life. They have been separated by redemption. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law.” They are separated by virtue of the new birth. They are separated by their own personal choice. They have gone to Christ “without the camp, bearing his reproach.” They are no longer “conformed to the world.” As Jesus “is not of the world, neither are they.” “My kingdom is not of this world.”

2. There is the idea of secrecy. This is not altogether the believer’s choice; it is inevitable. The new life of the Christian is “hid with Christ in God.” As a spring or fountain has its source out of sightyea, far down in secret caverns of the earthso the believer has the roots of his new life in Christ. He has experiences now which others do not share, and which he had not aforetime; but these are entirely hidden from the public eye. New fellowship with God; new aims in life; new motives and impulses; new peace and hopes; new springs of joy he has, with which a “stranger cannot intermeddle.” As the wind in its vagaries defies all the predictions of man (none can “tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth”), so is every one that is born of the Spirit. “The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit; they are foolishness unto him.” All life is mysterious; spiritual life is specially so.

3. There is set forth the fact of security. As a shepherd guards his flock, so the great Husbandman secures from adversaries his garden. “No wolf shall be there, nor any ravenous beast.” The enclosure resists successfully even the “little foxes,” who spoil the precious vines. The Christian is secure against the world, the flesh, and the devil; for all the attributes of God envelop him for his protection. He dwells under the shield of the Almighty. The omnipotence of Jehovah is his fortress. God is “a wall of fire round about him.” Hence “no weapon that is formed against him can prosper.” As a garden enclosed, he enjoys impregnable security.

4. Here is the idea of sacredness. The enclosed garden is set apart for the use of the king. It is devoted to one person and to one purpose. So Jesus claims this garden as his own, and what is true of the Church is true of every person composing that Church. The believer is a sacred person, a priest consecrated to holy service. He is God’s man, attached to the court of heaven. Jesus said that he had “sanctified (or consecrated) himself, that they also might be sanctified (or consecrated) through the truth.” Every part of the Christian is consecrated, viz. his endowments, his learning, his property, his time. For “we are not our own; we are bought with a price.” Our business is to serve the kingdom. “For us to live is Christ.” We are part of the “sacramental host of God’s elect.”

II. OBSERVE THAT THIS GARDEN IS FAMOUS FOR FRUITFULNESS. “Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits,” etc.

1. Abundant fruitfulness is asserted. It was the earnest longing of Jesus Christ that his disciples “should bear much fruit, and that this fruit should abide.” Very soon rich clusters of fruit did appear in his Church. The prayerfulness culminating on the Day of Pentecost; the generous communism of the saints; the courage and zeal of many; the fervid piety of Stephen; the practical sympathy for the poor; the magnanimity of Barnabas; the whole-hearted consecration of Paul;these were the firstfruits of discipleship. And from that day to this fruit has abounded in the Church. The noble qualities of mind and heart; the splendid virtues; the patience, fortitude, and zeal; the consecrated heroism of believers, have been the admiration and astonishment of the world. “Whatsoever things are lovely, excellent, pure, and of good report,” these have been conspicuous in the Church. The elite of mankind is within the Church.

2. There is also variety of fruit. In nature God has made his goodness most manifest in the vast variety of fruits with which our earth teems. Equally in the Church may we find a splendid variety of gifts and graces. The early fruits of humility and repentance and tenderness of conscience soon appear. The spice trees of prayer and sympathy send forth a goodly odour. The trees of righteousness and holiness bear large stores of precious fruit. In each succeeding age new excellences have appeared, new fruits have made this garden famous. Here and there you will find a gnarled and crooked tree that bears little fruit. But this is the exception; a blot upon the garden. You will find even in a royal garden some withered branch, some rank shoot that is unlovely and unfruitful. Still, we do not on that account condemn the whole garden. All temperance reforms, all hospitals and asylums, all plans for the betterment of humanity, all alleviations of misery and woe, have appeared among us as the fruits of Christ’s life. The fruit abounds in Variety almost endless.

3. Mark the utility of this fruit. The fruit was choice; the rarest fruits were there. Some were full of cooling juice, pleasant to the taste in hours of scorching heat. Some had a value as medicines for the cure of disease, and for soothing burning pains. Some yielded rich perfumes (as spikenard), and added to the joy of royal or marriage banquets. Others produced myrrh and frankincense, and were consecrated to Divine worship. Others, again, conferred a delicious flavour to human food. Each and an had a mission of usefulness among mankind. So is it also in the Church of Christ. You cannot put finger on a genuine Christian who is not more or less a blessing to the race. His piety has a delicious savour in the circle in which he lives. His prayers bring blessing upon a thousand besoms. As God blessed Egypt for Joseph’s sake, as God blessed Israel for David’s sake, so for the Church’s sake he often blesses the world. Every Christian is a light, illuminating the world’s darkness. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Since Christ lived, and because he now lives in others, the moral and social aspects of the worm are changed. Tyrannies have disappeared. War has lost its barbaric rigour. Industry is productive of substantial good. Agriculture prospers.

III. OBSERVE THE DEPENDENCE OF THIS GARDEN UPON SOURCES OF PROSPERITY OUTSIDE ITSELF. It needs the “fountain;” “the well of living waters;” “the streams from Lebanon.”

1. This may well teach us that the Church needs God in the way of providence. While yet the Church remains on the earth it needs earthly good. It needs, at least, toleration or sufferance from earthly governments. It needs human teachers, and all the aids of human learning. It needs the use of books and printing. It needs material buildings for public worship. It needs earthly wealth to carry on all the agencies of instruction and of blessing. Likewise the individual disciple receives much from God in the way of providence. We have the priceless ministry of angels. We have the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of fire. We have the stimulating influence of godly companions. We have the benefits of parental teaching and holy example. We have the inspirations that come from the biographies of heroic men. These are wells in the desert; “streams from Lebanon.” All that is requisite to make this garden fertile, rich in umbrageous shade, rich in luscious fruits, rich in aromatic spices, has been lavishly supplied. No lack can be found in the thoughtfulness of the husbandman.

2. Equally the Church needs God it, the way of spiritual gifts. “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.” The Hebrew word for “wind” means also “breath,” or “spirit;” hence we have here a striking emblem of the work of the Divine Spirit. To him belongs the sole prerogative to impart life to the trees of the garden. We invoke his presence because he is the Lord and Giver of life. For the largest prosperity of the Church the good Spirit of God is needed in all his offices, in all his fulness of power. A blustering gale from the north scatters noxious blight, but the soft wind from the south will quicken the flow of vital sap, and will nurse the tender blossoms into ruddy fruit. So do we often need that the Spirit of God should come like a northern tornado, and scatter to the ground our false hopes and flimsy errors and earthly ambitions. And we need him also as the Comforter, who shall reveal to us the virtues of our Divine Healer, and shall melt us into sweet obedience by the warmth of Immanuel’s love. As the fragrant odours of flowers lie hidden in their tiny cells until the fresh south wind coaxes them forth, so, too, the precious graces of the Christian remain concealed and slumbering within until the Spirit of life and power brings them forth, and diffuses them through the Church. Then do the disciples of Christ become “living epistles, known and read of men.” “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden.”

“Come as the wind, the dew, the rain;

Come, make this heart thy temple home;

Spirit of grace, come as thou wilt,

Our souls adjure theeonly come!”

D.

Verse 16-5:1

Prayer and its quick response.

“Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. “I am come into my garden.” It is a sign of spiritual health when we heartily desire God’s best gifts; when our prayer is the prayer of faith; when we ask and have. But it is a sign of higher attainment yet when we have but one desire, viz. the desire to have the Giver with us rather than his gifts. A wife highly prizes the love tokens she receives from her absent lord, but she values far more highly his personal return. So, if we are wise, we shall more desire to have Christ in our hearts than any gift of light or strength. “Let my Beloved himself come.” To have the source of life is better than having the streams. If Christ is with me I shall want nothing.

I. THE CHURCH‘S INVITATION TO HER LORD.

1. She addresses him by an endearing title, “My Beloved.“ In dealing with Jesus we need make no reserve of our affection. He will never resent our largest confidence. The mere suggestion borders on the profane. If we know anything, we know whether we love the Saviour. Love to him is the same thing in kind, as love to an earthly friend. We may stand in doubt whether Jesus has love to us personally, although such a doubt is sin. But we need never be in doubt whether love to him glows in our hearts. Many tests are available; and when love, however scanty, is found, Jesus delights to hear himself thus addressed, “My Beloved!” Then is he King within, firm seated on the throne.

2. She recognizes the garden to be his property. Yes; and not only is the garden his, but each particular tree, each separate fruit. Every holy principle within us he himself planted. It was planted by his own right hand. It has been trained and pruned by his watchful care. Every blossom has been under his protection. The fruit has been stored with juice from his treasuries. It is a delicious joy if I can feel that every grace in me is the handiwork of Jesus. Am I prayerful? Jesus has been teaching me. Am I meek and self-forgetting? Jesus has been busy in me, and has gently moulded my nature. Much trouble has he taken to bend my proud will. No earthly gardener has such labour to produce fruit in his trees as Jesus has to make us fruitful in holiness and love. And the more abundant our spiritual fruits are, the more readily shall we ascribe all the praise to him.

3. Here is a strong desire to give our Master pleasure. “Let him come; let him eat his pleasant fruits.” This is spoken after the manner of men. It is a peculiar joy for a man to walk in his own garden, and to eat the ripe fruit he himself has carefully nurtured. A similar joy our Lord tastes. But is any virtue or goodness in us so ripe and sweet that Jesus can find joy in it? What generous condescension does he show in partaking of our meekness, and patience, and faith, and sacred zeal! Just as a father finds peculiar pleasure in listening to the first imperfect lispings of his child, and hears sweet music in the broken words, so Jesus sees in our imperfect graces the promise of future good, the promise of illustrious service, the promise of high attainment. Never did a friend show such generous appreciation of our loyalty. To be fruitful in Christian graces is in itself an ample reward, but to know that every attainment in goodness we make adds to our Saviour’s joy is a higher reward still. Who will not brace every nerve to bring new pleasure to Immanuel! We seek our joy in the heavenly paradise; Jesus seeks his joy in us. “I am glorified in them.”

II. THE BRIDEGROOM‘S PROMPT RESPONSE. “I am come.”

1. Observe how swift is the reply. No advantage, in this case, will come from silence or delay. The Church has asked the best thing, and she shall at once have it. Here he has acted up to his own promise, “Before they call I will answer.” That selfsame desire to have Christ’s presence was a desire planted and nourished by himself, therefore he answered the desire before it developed into spoken prayer. Already he had visited that garden, and sowed the seed of noble ambition. Now it has grown to fruitage, and he has come to enjoy it. We have never to wrest this gift from a clenched hand; it is a gift waiting our acceptance. Before the invitation is despatched he is knocking at the door. “I am come.”

2. Mark the harmony of feeling and purpose between Christ and his people. The Church has learnt a lesson of unselfishness from her Lord. Aforetime she had desired him to come for her profit, or for her pleasure; now she asks him to come for his own gratification. She thought that he would find delight in the graces and excellences which flourish in the Church, and her spiritual instincts were true to fact. This is a delightful discovery. When our thoughts harmonize with Christ’s thoughts, when our dispositions are the counterpart of his, when one mind, one will, one aim, dwells in the Saviour and the saint, then is heaven begun on earth. This is joy unspeakable; the foretaste of beatific rest. This is the completion of the sacred covenant. This is his seal impressed on us.

3. Note the satisfaction which Jesus finds in his saints. This series of metaphors is suggestive of many meanings. In our holy principles, in our sacred dispositions, in our prayers and our praises, in our words and self-sacrificing deeds, Jesus takes delight. The myrrh and spice may indicate the perfume of our intercession, or the pleasure which he finds in our harmony of praise. Since he has constructed all musical harmonies, and fashioned the human voice to produce this minstrelsy, surely he is moved to delight when love to him stirs all the powers of song. Every endeavour to please him, every aspiration after holiness, every noble purpose, every act of self-denial, all efforts toward a freer communion with him,these are fruits of the Spirit, in which Jesus finds delight. Blurred as these are with imperfection, we count them very unworthy, and perhaps too much underrate them. If Jesus appreciates them, and derives satisfaction from them, is not this great encouragement to bring forth more fruit? Many products of nature are here brought into service to illustrate a Christian’s spiritual fruitfulness. One has said that wine may represent those labours of ours which result from deep thought, self-denial, and generous consecration, for wine must be pressed from the grape with toil and care. But milk is a natural production, and may represent those little deeds of kindness which flow from a quiet outgushing of daily love. A vigorous fancy will find a hundred suggestions in these similitudes. The essential lesson is this, that the Son of God has a large accession of joy from all forms of genuine piety. His people are his vineyard, his inheritance, and in them he finds delight.

III. A GENEROUS PARTICIPATION. “Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” The satisfaction which Jesus finds, he forthwith shares with his chosen. If there be a smile on the Bridegroom’s face, it will soon communicate itself to the bride. If the Head have gladness, so will all the members in the mystical body.

1. Jesus uses very tender titles to designate his saints. He calls them “friends.” The old explanation of a friend suits well in this place, viz. one soul dwelling in two bodies. Jesus completely identifies himself with us. Once we were aliens, enemies, rebels, but the old enmity is changed into a sacred and inseparable friendship. Jonathan gave proof of his friendship with David when he stripped himself of raiment and put it upon his friend. But our Immanuel has surpassed all orders of creatures in his practical deeds of kindness. Further, he calls them his “beloved.” He presseth into service every human form of speech. May I take this word as addressed to me? Most certainly I may, for I am not excluded. No saint has attained to this rapturous privilege by any personal merit. “He died for the ungodly.” Though the chief of sinners, “he loved me; he gave himself for me.“ Yes; mystery though it is, it is also plainest among facts, that into my penitent heart Jesus comes to dwell, and into my ear he whispers this endearing word, “Beloved.”

2. Observe the provisions prepared. They are of two kinds, viz. food and drink. Very properly may we regard the food as revealed truth. To appreciate the eternal facts of God’s redemption, this is solid food. This is the manna which cometh down from heaven. The only food for the hungry soul is truth.

“Christ said not to his first conventicle,
‘Go forth and preach imposture to the world,’
But gave them truth to feed on.”

This is heavenly nutriment, and is indispensable. And what else can the drink be, but the mercy of our God, flowing from the fount of his eternal love? All truth and all grace are in Jesus; hence he says to us, “He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

3. Mark the fulness of the entreaty. “Drink; yea, drink abundantly.” No generous host likes to see his guests making pretence of eating or drinking. It implies that they doubted his welcome, and took care to have a meal before they came. This is dishonouring to the giver of the feast. And Jesus will have none of that. He knows well that the thirst of the soul can be allayed nowhere but from him. He knows well that no one can have a surfeit of his mercy. Of other things we may eat and drink more than is for our good, but of the love of Christ we cannot have too much. The love we partake in shall become in us “a well, springing up unto everlasting life.” However much we take, we do not diminish the supply. Trembling at his table, I have sometimes said, “Lord, I am too unworthy to sip a drop of thy mercy. My sin is unusual, crimson, aggravated.” But he straightway replies, “For thee it is provided. Drink; yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.”D.

HOMILIES BY J.R. THOMSON

Son 4:1-5

The charm of true beauty.

The bride is now in the palace which is to be her residence of state. The veil is removed from her countenance, and as her royal lover and spouse gazes upon her form and features, he is filled with admiration, and breaks forth in a poetical commendation of her loveliness. The language is the warm language of love, and the figures employed are more Oriental than those which would be used amongst ourselves. But all is natural to an Eastern imagination, which revels in eulogium that to our colder taste would seem extravagant. The beauty of the figure and the face may be taken as emblematical of that higher beauty which attracts and satisfies the spiritual discernment. The description has been taken as applicable to “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” faultless and flawless in the view of him who has purchased his Church unto himself.

I. THE SPIRITUAL BEAUTY WHICH CHRIST DISCERNS IN HIS CHURCH IS HIS OWN CREATION. There is no excellence in man apart from God. The highest excellence to be found in human character and history is the effect of the Divine interposition of grace. God in Christ has created anew, and in his own likeness, those whom he has visited with his favour. The beauty of regenerate character and consecrated life is the beauty which the Holy Spirit has imparted. It is Divine grace which bestows upon the human soul the virtues and graces which make that soul admirable and invest it with a spiritual charm.

“Nought God in us but his own gifts doth crown.”

II. THIS SPIRITUAL BEAUTY IS AKIN TO CHRIST‘S OWN. The influence is well known which the marriage state exercises in the gradual assimilation to one another in character and habits of those wedded for long years. The resemblance between the Divine Head and his spouse the Church is so striking that none can overlook it. They who accept Christ’s doctrine, place themselves beneath his guardianship, cherish his love, cultivate his society, are hereby transformed into his likeness. Who has not seen in faithful and devoted friends of Jesus traits of their Lord’s spiritual character, lineaments unmistakably his? The sympathy, beneficence, the purity and tenderness, the patience and self-denial, which are “notes” of the true Church, are evidently Christ’s; from the Divine Lord, and from no lower source, have all these virtues been derived.

III. HENCE THIS SPIRITUAL BEAUTY YIELDS SATISFACTION AND DELIGHT TO THE SAVIOUR HIMSELF. If it seems at first an extravagance to suppose that the Lord of all can find joy and complacency in beholding his Church on earth, the explanation must be sought in the principles just stated. Humanity was originally created in the image of God and for the glory of God. The purpose of Eternal Wisdom in creating this human race was that his own attributes might be visibly and manifestly embodied and displayed, according to the measure of the creature, in his own highest handiwork on earth. Nor has this purpose been defeated by sin. The image sin has marred, the grace of God in Christ has restored. And it may be that the work of redemption brings out the moral and spiritual beauty in which God himself delights, with a bloom and charm and perfection which would otherwise have been impossible. Christ sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied.

APPLICATION. The Church of Christ may well be encouraged and cheered by the assurance that the Divine Spouse appreciates those spiritual excellences which are due to the operation of his own Spirit. “Behold, thou art fair, my love,” is the language of the Bridegroom as he looks upon his beloved. And our Saviour is not insensible to those signs of grace, those revelations of spiritual beauty, which he daily discerns in his own. Those who would please Christ may well be animated by the knowledge that he never looks with indifference upon the proofs of sincere affection, upon the evidences of spiritual assimilation to himself. Well may the Christian adopt the language of St. Augustine, “Take from me, Lord, all that injures me and displeases thee, and give me all that is requisite to please thee; give me words, affections, desires, and works which may draw upon me thine eyes, thy delight, and thy love!”T.

Son 4:7

Without spot.

Purity is an element of beauty, and to a mind judging justly is also an element of attractiveness. In the maiden he had brought from her mountain home on the slopes of Lebanon, the royal bridegroom admired a purity like that of the snow that clothes the summit of Hermon. She was meet to be the spouse of the king, who (speaking not only of the absence of any blemish of form or feature, but of the qualities of the mind and heart) exclaimed, as he looked upon her fairness, “There is no spot in thee!”

I. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH IS IN CONTRAST WITH THE SINFULNESS OF THE NATURAL, UNREGENERATE STATE.

II. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH IS EFFECTED BY THE MEANS OF THE SAVIOUR‘S REDEMPTION.

III. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH IS WROUGHT BY THE CLEANSING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

IV. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH RENDERS HER THE ACCEPTABLE AND SUITABLE SPOUSE OF HER HEAVENLY LORD.

V. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH IS A WITNESS AND REBUKE TO THE MORAL DEFILEMENT OF A SINFUL WORLD.

VI. THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH ON EARTH 1S AN EARNEST AND PREPARATION FOR THE STAINLESSNESS OF THE ETERNAL STATE OF FELICITYTHE NUPTIALS OF HEAVEN.T.

Son 4:8-11

Heart calls to heart.

The richness of imagination for which the Song of Songs is justly renowned is especially remarkable in this passage. All the senses are summoned to deepen the impression. The sight is charmed by visible beauty, by the glances of “eyes darting love,” by the necklace lying on the fair white neck. Perfumes and unguents, spices, and cedars of Lebanon, address the sense of smell. The taste is appealed to by the pleasant wine, the honey of exceeding sweetness. And what is the emotion which links itself with beauty, sweetness, and fragrance? It is love, with which all this opulence of poetry seems most harmonious. Beneath all this vesture of splendour are certain principles which may well be brought into clearness of knowledge.

I. ALL LOVE INVOLVES LEAVING. The bride is invited to quit her mountain home, the scenes of grandeur with which she was familiar, the lonely sources of historic rivers, the romantic home of the lion and the leopard. No power but love could have made her think with acquiescence of such a change as that to which she was now urged. Ever must love come down from its proud heights, from its vaulted splendours, from its ancient scenes. It is so with human love; and how willingly is the call obeyed which bids to forsake the surroundings, the very joys and excitements, of the past! It is so with Divine love; and no soul that recognizes the sweet authority of the Saviour’s voice will hesitate to quit the scenes and the society which may previously have afforded pleasure, and like the bride to forget her father’s house. It is a sound test, and a fair: “Come with me from Lebanon.”

II. ALL LOVE INVOLVES HEART LOSING. “The heart is where it loves, and not where it lives.” The lover here avers, “Thou hast ravished my heart with a look from thine eyes.” Common language recognizes the distinction between him who is “heart whole” and him who has “lost his heart.” If nothing is lost, nothing is gained. It is the same in the spiritual life. Christ gives his very heart to his people, and he expects and receives from them their hearts in return. As he has loved us with an everlasting love, no wonder that his appeal is, “Give me thy heart.”

III. ALL LOVE INVOLVES PREFERENCE. The language of love is the language of comparison. No similitudes are ample or rich enough to set forth the surpassing charm and attractiveness of the bride. Better than all glories and all gifts, better than all rivals, is the chosen of the heart. Certainly in the religious life this is a noticeable characteristic. The Saviour prefers the soul of man to all that ease and pleasure and worldly dignity can offer. Such is the teaching of his humiliation and obedience on earth. And the soul that knows Christ’s love deems him chief among ten thousand and fairer than the sons of men. None can compete, none can compare, with him.

IV. ALL LOVE INVOLVES DELIGHT IN MUTUAL SOCIETY. It does not matter whether life be passed in the cottage on the mountain side, in the tent on the plain, or in the palace in the metropolis, if only it be passed in that companionship which is congenial, in uninterrupted fellowship with the chosen of the heart. However imperfect in its character is this fellowship, however it be suspended in its enjoyment, the communion of the soul with Christ is subject to no such drawback.

“They who once his kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love.”

Nothing in Christ can mar the perfection of spiritual intimacy, or can bring that intimacy to a close. The love of Christ is the purest possession, and the one unfailing source of strength and joy.T.

Son 4:12-15

The garden and the fountain.

The bride’s beauty, purity, sweetness, and delightfulness are set forth in these verses of the song with all the richness of Oriental imagery. The poet’s fancy takes him to the sunny garden of the half-tropical En-gedi, to the breezy heights of Lebanon, whence flow the streams that convert the desert into a paradise. Orchards of pomegranates, gardens redolent with spicy odours, murmuring fountains, all serve to suggest the charms of the peerless one whom the king claims as his own.

I. THE CHURCH IS THE GARDEN OF THE LORD. This similitude occurs constantly both in Scripture and in uninspired Christian writers, and has given a tinge of poetry to many a sacred hymn.

“Thy vineyards and thine orchards are

Most beautiful and fair,

Full furnished with trees and fruits

Exceeding rich and rare.

Thy gardens and thy gallant walks

Continually are green;

There grow such sweet and pleasant flowers

As nowhere else are seen.”

1. The Church, like the garden, is the scene and home of life. The world is the arid wilderness, the stony waste. The Church has been breathed upon by the Eternal Spirit, whose influence has called into existence the living plants that adorn the garden of Christ.

2. The Church, like the garden, is a spectacle of beauty. But in this case the beauty is spiritual.

“The lily white that bloometh there is purity;
The fragrant violet is surnamed humility;
The lovely damask rose is here called patience;
The rich and cheerful marigold is obedience;
But one there is that bears a crown the rest above,
A crown imperial, and this flower is holy love.”

3. The Church, like the garden, is fruitful. There are not only the lovely flowers, there are precious fruits. The fruits of the Spirit have been described by the apostle. These are they which afford the deepest satisfaction to the Lord of the vineyard himself.

4. The Church, like the garden, is a secure seclusion and a sole possession. Such a representation sometimes, in our active, bustling, philanthropic age, arouses resentment. Yet it contains a delightful truth. The “garden walled round” is secure from the assaults of the foe and the incursion of the wild beast. The Church is indebted to Divine protection; here is its only security. The wall encloses the domain. The Church is Christ’s, and his alone. The garden of the Lord has “a wall without, a well within.” It is the sacred and exclusive property of him who planted it for his own glory.

II. THE CHURCH IS THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LORD. The garden seems to suggest the fountain, which in the Eastern climate was necessary to keep the enclosure moist, verdant, and fertile. And the garden well spring gushing forth and watering the many-coloured and fragrant beds, seems to suggest the mountain springs far up in the northern heights of Lebanon, beyond the early home of the fair bride herself. Such springs are a suitable figure of the living Church of Christ, which to set forth in all her excellence needs all things fair, bright, and fragrant that earth can offer. The Church of Christ, like the fountain,

(1) brings from an unseen source the blessings to be diffused;

(2) yields an abundant and perpetual supply of these spiritual gifts;

(3) freely and generously diffuses knowledge and purity life and true refreshment, amongst all around;

(4) produces results of beneficence immediate and remote, for which thanksgiving must ever be rendered to God.

(5) It may be noted that, as in the similitude of the garden, so here, there is an assurance of ownership and guardianship. As the well spring was covered with a great stone, sealed with the owner’s signet, so the Church is marked by its Divine Lord as his own. “It hath this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his; and, Let every one that nameth the Name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”T.

Son 4:16

The response of love.

The impassioned encomium of the bridegroom is not disregarded, is not ineffectual; it not only yields satisfaction and pleasure to her who is the object of unstinted praise; it elicits the response of appreciative gratitude and affectionate welcome. If Christ delights in the Church, the Church also delights in Christ, and yields to him the tribute of loyal obedience.

I. DIVINE INFLUENCES ARE ENTREATED. The breath of the Spirit of God passing graciously and gently and yet mightily over the Christian society alone can call forth all its spiritual fragrance. The silent, unseen, benignant influences are to be sought with fervent, earnest prayer: “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden!”

II. THE EXHALATION OF SPIRITUAL FRAGRANCE IS DESIRED. “That the spices thereof may flow out.” Because the Church is Christ’s, it has great capacities for good; yet the actual exhibition of the vital qualities, in proofs of piety, in deeds of holiness, in services of benevolence, is dependent upon the “Lord and Giver of life,” whose quickening grace is the greatest privilege of the Christian dispensation. There is an aroma of spiritual excellence in the Church of the Lord Jesus which is beyond comparison the sweetest and divinest quality which human society has ever manifested.

III. THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD HIMSELF IS REQUESTED. “Let my beloved come into his garden.” True, he has given his Church the promise, “Lo, I am with you alway.” He is among his people to know their works, to accept their service, to inspire their devotion. He ever visits his vineyard; comes, “seeking fruit.” The Church speaks of itself as both “my” garden and “his” garden; and it is both. When the Lord is invited and welcomed, it is to his own chosen and congenial possession.

IV. THE FRUIT THAT IS DUE TO THE LORD IS OFFERED.

1. In what do these precious, pleasant fruits consist? Praise, devotion, love, obedience.

2. To what are they owing? To Divine care and protection; to the tilling of the wise and forbearing Master; to the genial influences of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are “his” fruits. The weeds are ours; the fruits.are his.

3. How are they regarded? Christ delights in them, for they are the results of his purpose and of his sacrifice. Christ “eats” of them; i.e. uses them in his condescension. His people may well say to him, “Of thine own have we given thee.” There is no satisfaction possible to Christ’s people so great and so pure as that they feel when their Lord accepts their offering and approves their endeavours.T.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Son 4:1. Thy hair is as a flock, &c. Thy hair is fine as that of a flock of goats, which come up sleek from mount Gilead. Bochart refers the comparison to the hair of the eastern goats, which is of the most delicate silky softness. Le Clerc observes, that the hair of the goats in Palestine is generally of a black colour, or of a very dark brown. Michaelis thinks the interpretation of this difficult place to be, Thy hair is like a flock of ascending goats, which is seen from mount Gilead; supposing the point of comparison chiefly to turn on the head’s being covered with fine flowing locks, as mount Gilead was with the shaggy herd, reaching in an extended line from its foot to its summit. Houbigant renders it, that hang from mount Gilead: pendent; as Virgil, dumosa pendere procul de rupe. See the New Translation.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

3. Solomon to Shulamith at the wedding entertainment, Son 4:1-6.

Son 4:1. Lo, thou art fair, my dear, etc.The verbal correspondence of this praise of Solomons beauty with Son 1:15 is designed as in Son 6:4 (and so in Son 6:10; Son 8:5 comp. with Son 3:6) to direct attention to Solomon as again the speaker of these words. And it follows with great probability that the person addressed is likewise the same as before, not some new object of the kings love different from Shulamith, as Hitzig asserts.Behind thy veil.So correctly Hitzig, Vaih., Heiligst., etc., with whom Bttch. and Gesen.-Dietr. (through thy veil, i.e., appearing through) substantially agree.1Thy hair like a flock of goats which repose on Mount Gilead.As Gilead is visible from the Mount of Olives in the far distance, but not from Jerusalem, its mention, like that of Lebanon and Hermon in Son 4:8, and like so many other allusions in the poem to localities in the north of Palestine, is to be explained from the circumstance that when Solomon was speaking to his beloved, he liked to transport himself to the region of her home with its peculiar circle of impressions and ideas. Gilead is, besides, a mountain land specially rich in cattle (comp. Num 32:1; Mic 7:14; Jer 1:19), and modern travellers have found it still strewn, as it were, with flocks and herds. Comp. Arvieux, II., 688; Paulus, Reisen, 7, 108; Rosenm., Morgenl., I., 85, etc.The point of comparison in the figure is to be found mainly in the glossy blackness and luxuriant abundance of Shulamiths hair, perhaps also in its silky softness and delicacy, less likely in her elegant and elaborately braided tresses, to which Magnus thinks there was subordinate reference. Old Luis de Leon correctly (in Wilkens, p. 219): He indicated thus the abundance and the color of her hair; for the goats, which pastured there, were dark and glossy. He says therefore: as the goats scattered on the summit of Gilead give it a fine and pretty appearance, whilst before it looked like a bald and arid rock, so does thy hair adorn and ornament thy head by its rich color and abundance.

Son 4:2. Thy teeth like a flock of shorn sheep.Sheep recently shorn, consequently smooth, and besides just washed in the pool, and hence snow-white, evidently are a peculiarly appropriate figure for dazzling white teeth, provided pastoral figures or those taken from the realm of country life were to be used at all. And this was to a certain extent necessary here; at least it was extremely natural to illustrate the contrast between the blackness of her hair and the whiteness of her teeth by adding a flock of white lambs to the flock of black goats spoken of in Son 4:1. The idea of the pool for the sheep spontaneously offered itself, since washing newly shorn sheep was a universal custom in antiquity; comp. Columellas advice (Son 7:4) to wash sheep four days after the shearing.All of which bear twins, and one bereaved is not among them.An allusion to the completeness of her teeth, the two rows of which, upper and lower, not only have no breaks, but in every instance exhibit a pair of teeth exactly answering to one another, twin teeth, as it were, throughout.2 That sheep in the East are still mostly , i.e., have two lambs at a time, is testified by recent travellers, e.g., the anonymous author of the publication, gypten wie es jetzt ist, p. 42 (comp. Magn. in loc.). L. De Leon (in the same place as before) has again finely shown the sensible and striking character of the comparison here selected: The figure almost paints the whole thing before our eyes. The flock of sheep, which always go crowded together like the scales of fir cones, represent the compactness and smallness of her teeth: their whiteness is expressed by their coming up from the washing; their uniformity by none being sick or barren.

Son 4:3. Like a crimson thread thy lips, and thy mouth is lovely.The lips immediately follow the teeth, not simply because they cover them (Hitzig), but also because the bright red of the one forms an elegant contrast with the dazzling whiteness of the other; comp. the combination of the two colors in Son 5:10. Then the mouth, comprehending both teeth and lips, stands here in its quality of an organ of speech, whence also it is called from , to speak, and is supplied with a predicate (, lovely; comp. Son 2:14; Son 1:15), which serves to characterize not so much its pretty shape or color as the agreeable and beneficent effects proceeding from it. The Sept., Vulg., Syr., Hengstenb., etc., take as equivalent to speech; A. Schultens and Dpke, to tongue; Hitzig, to palate. But like all that is described before and after, this expression must denote some part of the body, and one too that is externally visible, and which forms a substantial feature of Shulamiths beauty.Like a piece of pomegranate thy cheek. literally the temple (Jdg 4:21; Jdg 5:26), here manifestly the upper part of the cheek, whose soft red borders upon the white of the temple. For this figure of the half of a pomegranate ( ) refers to the pleasing combination of white and red; on one side of the exterior of this fruit a bright red is mingled with yellow and white, whilst the other side looks brown (Dpke). It is only to a half, a segment3 ( from , to cut fruit, 2Ki 4:39) of the pomegranate that the cheek is compared because its soft curve only corresponds in fact to the segment of a sphere. Not, therefore, like a slice of a pomegranate (Luth.) [so Durell, Hodg., Thrupp], as though the flat inner surface of a sliced pomegranate were intended (Hengstenb., Hahn., etc.). For the appearance of the reddish seeds of this fruit, lying in a yellowish pulp, would not form a suitable comparison, whether for a cheek or a temple.

Son 4:4. Like the tower of David thy neck, built for an armoury. His aim was not to describe the slender grace and erectness of Shulamiths neck in and of itself, but likewise with reference to its ornaments consisting of brilliant jewelry and ornamental chains (comp. Son 1:9-11) and consequently in respect to its superb and stately appearance (comp. Son 7:5 [4]). A pecularly suitable comparison was accordingly offered to the king in the tower, hung around with burnished pieces of armor, and probably built of white free-stone, which David may have erected somewhere in the vicinity, perhaps at one corner of his palace on Zion as a bulwark or a watch tower.4 The identity of this tower with the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus mentioned in Son 8:5 (4) is contradicted by the fact that the latter is a figure for an entirely different thing from that now before us (versusEwald, Hitzig, etc.). Still less can the ivory tower spoken of in the very same passage be identical with this. This manifestly appears from the further defining clauses built for an armory, etc., to have been a fortification, a stronghold for arms, a tower for warlike purposes, and hence, perhaps, is not distinct from the house of the mighty ( ) spoken of in Neh 3:16, which is assigned to the neighborhood of the district of Beth-zur and the sepulchres of David, i.e., on the eastern side of Zion, on the very spot where Davids old palace must have stood (comp. Weissbachin loc.)The difficult expression , which the LXX render as a proper name (), the Vulg. by propagnacula, Aq., and the Versio Veneta by , is most correctly taken with Kimchi for a compound of collis (const.) and enses, edges, sword-blades (Pro 5:4; Jdg 3:16; comp. Psa 149:6), or which amounts to the same thing, referred to to hang and in the same sense as before (Hengstenb., Del., Weissb., etc.). In both cases it must designate a lofty object of the nature of a fortification, hung around with swords or bristling with swords, consequently, as mention is also made of shields in what follows, an armory which, as it served for the preservation of numerous martial weapons of offence and defence, was likewise hung around with them on the outside, and thus embellished. For the shields hung on it () according to the next clause of the verse, and not barely in it (as Hitzig supposes, who fancies a mound of earth, which hides in its bosom such murderous weapons as swords, shields, etc. This explanation is at any rate better suited to the connection and yields a more appropriate figure for Shulamiths neck decorated with brilliant ornaments than the derivation of from a substantive , which, according to the Arab., would mean host, army (Ewald: built for troops; Bttch., Rdig., compare Heiligst.), or from an alleged adjective exitialis, destructive, hence exitialia, viz. arma, murderous weapons, or from = to be white, hence pieces of alabaster (Hahn), and the like.5All the shields of heroes. has a wider meaning than , which specially denotes the shield of a light armed soldier, the target; see Gesen. Thes., p. 1418. We are scarcely to think of the shields of conquered heroes, of those for instance which David (2Sa 8:7) had taken from the Syrians (versus Weissb.), because the mighty men here mentioned are simply referred to as the garrison of the armory here described. Comp., moreover, Eze 27:11, a passage which is probably based on that before us.

Son 4:5. Thy two breasts like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that are feeding among lilies. On c comp. Son 2:16. The comparison is plainly intended to express delicate and exquisite beauty (Hitz.); for since the gazelle itself, when full grown, is an admirable, attractive and favorite emblem of womanly grace and loveliness (Pro 5:19; comp. above on Son 2:7; Son 2:9), a twin pair of its young lying on a bed covered with lilies appears to be still better fitted to illustrate the fragrant delicacy and elegance of a chaste virgin bosom veiled by the folds of a dress redolent of sweet odors (comp. Son 1:13). A more detailed parcelling out of the comparison (as for instance by Hitzig, who thinks that the dress was red, or by Weissb., who supposes a particular reference in the young gazelles to the dark-colored nipples of her breasts as their especial charm, and in the lilies to the snowy whiteness of her bosom) is inadmissible, and leads to what is in violation of good taste or to what is obscene, from both which the poet has kept free here as every where else. Admirably here again Luis de Leon (p. 221, f.): In addition to the delicacy of the young kids, in addition to their similarity as twins, in addition to their loveliness and gentleness they have in their merry gambols a frolicksomeness and gayety, which irresistibly enchains the eyes of beholders, and attracts them to come near and touch them, etc.

Son 4:6. Until the day cools and the shadows flee I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. If Solomon were still the speaker in these words, nothing else could possibly be meant by the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, but the breasts of the bride which would be so designated here in facetious and flowery style (Ewald, Heiligst., Weissb., Ren., etc.,) with allusion to the fragrant substances, which were between them or upon them6 (comp. Son 1:13). But the very circumstance, that then the foregoing figure for the bosom would here be followed by one entirely new and of a different description, whilst every other part of the body spoken of in this section is represented by but a single figure (see Son 4:1-4) makes it improbable that the words before us belong to Solomon. To which may be added that , etc., must belong to Shulamith here as well as in Son 2:17; and that Bttchers attempt to assign only these introductory words to the vinedresser as he calls her, and the latter part of the verse from onward to the king who interrupts her, seems scarcely less arbitrary than Hitzigs view that the whole verse is spoken by the shepherd, who suddenly enters and declares his purpose to effect the speedy rescue of Shulamith! Umbr., Dpke, Vaih., Delitzsch, etc., properly assign the words to Shulamith, who seeks thus to parry the ardent encomiums of Solomon, and hence expresses the wish to leave the wedding hall resounding with the boisterous festivities of the guests until the approach of evening. The mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, which she wishes to visit for this end, were probably certain localities about the royal palace, near the hall and visible from it, which either always bore those names or only on the occasion of the present marriage, to which fumigations with various spices belonged as an absolutely indispensable ingredient, comp. Son 3:6. As presumably solitary, shady spots, belonging, it may be, to grounds laid out as gardens (perhaps beds of balsam. of the sort mentioned in Son 5:13, raised in the shape of pyramids or towers), these must have been to the simple-minded, guileless child of nature more desirable places to stay in than the noisy festive hall. Comp. her similar expressions of a strong desire for the fresh solitude of nature in opposition to the luxurious life of the court; Son 1:7; Son 1:16, and especially Son 7:12 (11) ff. This understanding of the mountain of myrrh, etc., is evidently far less forced than explaining it of Lebanon, or generally of the region of Shulamiths home, for which she here expresses her desire (Umbreit, Vaih.), or of Sion as the seat of the court (Hitzig), or of Zion as a figure of the church (Hengstenb.), or of Moriah as the Temple-mountain which is here designated (Ibn Ezra, Jarchi). Comp. on Son 5:13 and Son 6:2.

4. Continuation: Son 4:7-11.

Son 4:7. Thou art all fair, my dear, and there is not a blemish in thee. Correctly Delitzsch: This childlike disposition expressed Son 4:6, makes her but the more lovely in the eyes of the king; he breaks out in the words, thou art all fair, my dear, etc., undoubtedly meaning that the beauty of her soul corresponds with her outward beautynot with reference, therefore; to the charms, of her bodily figure from her breast downward, which are more fully described subsequently Son 7:2 ff. (Weissb.)On the form of expression, particularly in b, comp. 2Sa 14:25; Eph 5:27.

Son 4:8. With me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon thou shalt come. Several of the advocates of the shepherd-hypothesis assume at these words a change of person and with it likewise a change of scene, either making the shepherd himself enter and speak all that follows to Son 4:16 (so Bttcher, Ren.), or at least to Son 4:8 (so Hitzig), or regarding all from this verse to Son 5:8 as a monologue of Shulamith, who herein relates the words previously spoken to her by her country lover (so Ewald, who accordingly imagines that the words: Lo, here comes my lover, and says to me, or the like, have been dropped out before this verse). But an unprejudiced interpretation renders such artifices needless. Led by the wish of his beloved, expressed in Son 4:6, to exchange her place amongst the jubilant guests for the quiet solitude of nature, Solomon recalls her descent from a simple shepherds family in the mountain region of Northern Palestine, and hence he exultingly and in exaggerated expressions announces to her how instead of living in sterile mountain districts, and on barren rocky heights rendered insecure by wild beasts, she should henceforth make her home with him in the royal palace, and in the midst of its rich joys and blissful beauties, herself its loveliest flower, the most charming and spicy of its gardens (see especially Son 4:12-15). The enthusiastic lover does not consider that in this he says nothing that is really agreeable to her, but actually contravenes her longing to escape into the open country from the close and sultry atmosphere of court life, any more than he concerns himself about the exaggerated character of his comparisons, e.g. of the mountains around Shunem with Lebanon, or of the little foxes in Shulamiths vineyards (Son 2:15) with lions and panthers. Poetical exaggerations of this sort are besides quite accordant with his taste (comp. Son 4:4 and especially Son 7:5), and appear much less strange in him than the bold comparison of Zion or of Solomons palace with the heights of Lebanon and Hermon (according to Hitzig, Bttch., Renan, etc.,) would sound in the mouth of a simple shepherd.Besides thou shalt come shows that the speaker had a definite term in mind, to which Shulamith was to come from Lebanon as her previous residence (comp. Hitzigin loc.), and that consequently the idea of going up and down from one peak of Lebanon to another (Delitzsch) is not found in the passage.7Shalt journey from the top of Amana. The summit or the top of Amana is without doubt the mountain by the river Amana mentioned 2Ki 5:12 Kri, that is to say that peak of the Lebanon or more accurately the Antilibanus-range, in which this river Amana, the Chrysorrhoas of the Greeks or the Barada of, the Arabs takes its rise. This peak, like the following Shenir and Hermon, stands of course by poetic license for the entire range. For the poet cannot have intended a contrast between the Lebanon in a and these names of mountains that follow, but he only varies the names because one meant the same to him as another (so correctly Hitzig, versusDelitzsch, Hengstenb., etc.).From the top of Shenir and Hermon. According to Deu 3:9 Shenir was the Amoritish name for Hermon itself, which thereby appears to be designated as the snow mountain (according to Jarchi on that passage and the Targum on this). Still it is shown as well by the passage before us as by Eze 27:5, 1Ch 5:23, that a distinction was commonly made between Shenir which lay further to the north and Hermon (now Jebel esh-Sheikh) the more southern of the principal peaks in the entire Hermon or Antilibanus range (comp. Robinson, Palest. II. p. 440 (edit. 1838), Berth, on 1Ch 5:23). As now Amana, where the Chrysorrhoas has its source, must be the peak lying farthest to the east or north-east, the enumeration of the three peaks or ridges belonging to Antilibanus evidently proceeds from the north-east to the south-west, or from the region of Baalbec to that of Hasbeya and Paneas (comp. Hitzigin loc.).From dens of lions, from mountains of panthers. These expressions as belonging to the description and only alluding in a general way to the wild and inhospitable character of the region about Shulamiths home, are not to be pressed for the sake of obtaining any more special sense, particularly not so as with Kster, Bttcher, Hitzig, etc. to explain the lions of the king of Israel and his magnates who have dragged the graceful roe Shulamith into his den! Lions moreover must have had their haunts in the forests of Lebanon, as well as in the reeds on the banks of the Jordan (Zec 11:3; Jer 12:5) and on Bashan (Deu 33:22). And panthers (this is the meaning of , not leopards, which as is known, are only found in Africa) are still found in the region of Lebanon according to modern travellers, (Burckhardt, Reisen in Syrien, pp. 99, 66).

Son 4:9. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride. This double designation of his beloved as sister and as bride is neither meant to indicate a peculiarly intimate nor preeminently chaste and pure relation of love. The thing here intended by it is the designation of a certain relationship. As Solomons lawful wife Shulamith now, after the marriage has taken place, stands next to him as a sister to her brother.8 She is not barely one of a number of wives (Son 6:8) but a sisterly sharer of his royal rank and name. She is queen, as he is king, yes, a princes daughter, Son 7:2, as he is a princes son (correctly Hitzig and Weissb.). not thou robbest me of courage (Umbr., Magn.), non thou hast given me courage (Symm., Syr., Ewald, Dpke, Bttcher, Meier, Weissb., etc.), but thou hast unhearted me (Delitzsch) i.e. robbed me of my heart, so that it is no more mine but thine, hast enchanted me and made me wholly thine own.9With one of thy glances; literally with one from thy eyes, i.e. with a single one of the glances that proceed from them (Hengstenb., Hitzig, etc.); for the masc. of the Kthibh, which is certainly to be retained, cannot refer to one of the two eyes ( is never masc.), but only to one thing which comes forth from the eyes, an effect proceeding from them.10With one chain of thy necklace. The representation is ideal and hyperbolical as in the preceding verse. It proceeds in rapturous exaggerations as well here where it paints in detail, as before where it dealt in pompous and grandiloquent expressions. But to be sure, in the matter of love, it always remains true: small causes often produce great effects! not ringlet, lock of the front hair hanging down on the neck (Hitzig), but neckchain, or ornament (comp. the plur.: Pro 1:9; Jdg 8:16). , since it is plural, can neither mean neck (Sept., Vulg., Hitzig, etc.) nor be a diminutive of endearment, tiny neck (Gesenius, Ewald, Heiligst., etc.). It must rather denote something suspended about the neck, a necklace or jewelry for the neck,11 and a single piece or constituent of it. What had enchanted the king was of course not the elegance or ingenious workmanship of this ornament itself, but that Shulamiths neck looked so charmingly in it. Comp. above on Son 1:10.

Son 4:10. How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride. here again, not breasts (Sept., Vulg., Luther), but caresses, manifestations of love, as Son 1:2. Comp. generally Son 1:2-3. Solomon here gives back to his beloved with larger measure, what she had there declared of him when absent.

Son 4:11. Liquid honey thy lips distil, my bride; honey and milk are under thy tongue. As in the preceding verse, which like the present consists of three clauses, the first two members refer to one and the same subject, so these two clauses aim to depict but one attribute or one characteristic of Shulamith, viz., her lovely discourse, how sweetly she talked. For it is to this that the figures of lips and tongue point, comp. on the one hand Pro 5:3; Pro 6:24; Pro 7:5; Pro 16:24; and on the other Psa 55:22; Psa 66:17; Psa 10:7; Pindar, Nem. iii. 134; Theocrit. Id. viii. 82 ff.; xx. 26 ff. The fragrant spittle of the kissing mouth can scarcely be intended (vs. Dpke, Magn., Weissb.), in spite of Arabic and classic parallels, that might be adduced (the saliva oris osculantisHorat. Od. I. 13, 16; Catull. 99, 2, etc.). For the parallels Son 2:14, Son 5:13; Son 5:16, likewise refer to the loveliness of discourse, not to the sweetness of kisses.And the fragrance of thy garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. As is shown by the parallel, Hos 14:7, the Lebanon of this passage is not to be converted into frankincense as Dpke imagines, on account of the sicut odor thuris of the Vulg. (which probably arose from misunderstanding the of the Sept.). Modern travellers testify (Schulz, Leit. d. Allerh., Th. V. p. 459; Zeller, Bibl. Wrterbuch fr d. Christl. Volk II. p. 42) that the cedar groves of Lebanon diffuse a strong balsamic odor. Isaac also commends the scent of his son Esaus garments (Gen 27:27); and so Psa 45:9 praises the garments of a king celebrating his marriage, which were perfumed with myrrh, aloes and cassia.

5. Continuation. Son 4:12-15.

Son 4:12. A garden locked is my sister, my bride; a spring locked, a fountain sealed. If instead of in b we were with about 50 Heb. Mss. of Kennicott, the Sept., Vulg., Syr., etc.,12 to read again, the comparison with the garden, being immediately repeated, would appear to be the main and prominent thought. But it is evidently more suitable that the figure of the spring, which is not carried out any further in what immediately follows, should be twice repeated, in order that it may not be too abrupt. The change of the unusual (which means spring, fountain, as appears from Jos 15:19; Jdg 1:15; comp. English well, of which the German Wellen (waves) is the plural) into which had been used just before, would also be easier to explain, than a conversion of the latter into the former expression. The garden and the spring being locked up and sealed, naturally indicates that the access is open only to the owner and possessor himself. Comp. Son 4:16, where Shulamith designates her hidden charms first as her own garden, then as Solomons; also Pro 5:15-18, where the figure of a spring is likewise applied to the natural relation between a wife and her wedded lord, so that she is represented by a fountain absolutely inaccessible to all men except her husband, and the right of the latter freely to enjoy and to refresh himself with the waters of this spring is clearly presupposed.13 A previous coyness of Shulamith toward her lover (Hitzig, Vaih., etc.) is not at all the thing intended.

Son 4:13-14. A more minute description of the garden, i.e., of the charms of Shulamith, in so far as they may be represented by the choice plants and delicious fruits of a pleasure garden, accessible only to the king; an expansion therefore of Son 4:12 a (as Son 4:12 b is more fully unfolded in Son 4:15). Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates. means here as in Exo 31:5, not a plantation (Hengstenb.), but a single plant, literally a shoot, sprout (comp. Psa 80:12; Jer 17:8; Eze 17:6-7). By this figurative expression are denoted the charms, the ravishing beauties of the beloved in general, not specially her limbs (Hitzig), or the fragrance of her unguents (Weissb.). A particular explanation of the individual products of the garden is, on the whole, impossible, and it leads to what is at variance with good taste. pomegranates, i.e., the trees, not their fruit (Dpke, Ewald, Weissb.); for the fruit is mentioned afterwards.On the different opinions respecting the etymology of , comp. the Introduction, 3 Rem. 2.With most excellent fruit; lit., with fruit of excellencies ( as Son 7:13). The fruit of the pomegranate trees before mentioned may very well be intended; with does not necessarily, as is shown by Son 1:11, introduce something entirely new and of a different sort (vs. Weissb.)Cyprus flowers with nards. As already remarked on Son 1:12; Son 1:14, the cyprus flower or alhenna was the only one of these plants, which was also cultivated in Palestine. The nard grass, grown only in India, is therefore simply added here for the sake of the delightfully fragrant unguent obtained from it, as in the following verse incense, calamus, cinnamon, and probably also saffron are exotic plants known to the Hebrews only from their aromatic products. The description accordingly loses itself here again in rapturous exaggerations and improbabilities in natural history, which however at the same time bear witness to an extensive knowledge of nature (comp. Introduc. 3, Rem. 1).Nard and crocus, calamus and cinnamon., Chald., Sept. (comp. Sanskrit, kunkuma) is the saffron flower, (Crocus sativus) indigenous in India, but introduced also into Egypt and Asia Minor, and consequently perhaps also into Palestine. A water was prepared from it for smelling bottles, with a pungent but agreeable odor, which was a great favorite in antiquity; comp. Winer, R. W. B. Art. Safran., Sept., is, according to Jer 6:20; Isa 43:24; Eze 27:19, an article of trade brought from Arabia Felix, sweet cane, calamus. The calamus (juncus odoratus, Plin. XII. 22; XXI. 18) which according to Theophrastus, Pliny and Strabo, grew in Coelesyria and by the lake of Gennesaret, was of an inferior and less valuable sort. a Semitic name, as it would appear (lit. the reed, or the rolled together, from =), in case it is not of Indian origin, and connected with the Malay kainamanis (so Rdiger, Additamenta ad Thesaur., p. 111) signifies cinnamon, which, according to Herodot. III. 111 came through Arabia from the remotest south, that is, probably from Ceylon.With every variety of incense woods,i.e., with every species of wood, which yields a fragrant gum of the nature of frankincense, or when pulverized is used as aromatic dust, or as a powder to be sprinkled for fumigation. In opposition to the reading (Sept., Velth., Dpke), see Hitzigin loc.Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. For myrrh comp. on Son 1:13; and for aloes ( or , as Pro 7:17.; Num 24:6; Gr. , Sanskr. aguru, aghil) see Winer, R. W. B.Under all the chief (lit., all heads of) aromatic plants, balsams or spices ( a general expression, as in Exo 30:23; Est 2:12), in addition to the substances already named, cassia is especially to be regarded as included. For according to Exo 30:23 ff., this particular aromatic product was mingled with myrrh, calamus and cinnamon, in the holy anointing oil, and in Psa 45:9 (8) it appears with myrrh and aloes among the precious spices, with which the garments of the royal bridegroom were perfumed.

Son 4:15. Further expansion of Son 4:12 b.A garden spring (art thou), a well of living water. Comp. Gen 26:19; Jer 2:13. By the garden spring (lit. spring of gardens) Hitzig understands the fountain of Siloah in particularan assumption which is the more gratuitous, as the allusion to which he finds in Son 4:13, exists merely in the fancy of the overacute modern critic, in spite of Neh 3:15; Isa 8:6; Ecc 2:6, etc.And streams from Lebanon,i.e., water as fresh and delightfully refreshing as the gushing streams fed by the snows of Lebanon, Jer 18:14. On the figure comp. besides Pro 5:15, the Phenician inscription of Kition (No. 2) adduced by Hitzig, in which a husband calls his deceased wife , i.e., , the spring of my life.

6. The complete union of the lovers, Son 4:16; Son 5:1.Ibn Ezra, followed by Ewald and Delitzsch, correctly puts the whole of Son 5:16 into the mouth of Shulamith. The contrast of my garden in a with his garden in b does not make in favor of two speakers, but simply brings out the thought that her garden is his, and therefore that she, with all she has and is, belongs to him; a delicately refined suggestion which is lost by dividing the verse between the lover and his beloved, as approved in recent times (Dpke, Magn., Bttch., Hitz., Ren., etc.).

Son 4:16. Awake, north wind, and come, O south. Shulamith in her poetically excited frame summons just these two winds to blow upon her garden, because neither the east wind with its parching effects and its frequent storms (Gen 41:6; Isa 27:8), nor the rainy west wind (1Ki 18:44 f; Luk 12:54) would be suitable in the connection; and yet two opposite winds must be named, as it is not a blowing off or blowing away that is intended, but causing the odors to flow forth and wafting them in all directions.14That its spices may flow,i.e., that every thing in me, which pleases my lover, all my charms may show themselves to him in their full power and loveliness.Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat his excellent fruits. The language here becomes plainer, and passes over into a solicitation to her lover to enjoy to the full her charms which he had been praising (for to eat in this comp. Pro 30:20.) Yet she expresses this wish not by a direct address to him, but by speaking of him in the third persona token of her chaste, modest and bashful mind.Son 5:1. I come to my garden, my sister, my bride. That Solomon is here the speaker, whilst full of rapture he sets himself to comply with his beloveds invitation and to devote himself entirely to her loving embrace incontestably appears from the correspondence of with in b of the preceding verse, and of here with there. These verbs, as well as (= I pluck, Exo 16:16) and are not to be taken as preterites: I have come, etc., (Del., as the Sept., Vulg., Luther, etc.,) because the acme of loves enjoyment, to which both are tending, was by no means reached and exhausted by a single conjugal embrace, but strictly as present, as serving to state that which is in the very act of being performed.15 Comp. ; Son 1:9, and numerous examples in Ewald, Lehrb., 135 c, [GreensHeb. Gram., 262, 2.]I pluck my myrrh. I eat my honey. I drink my wine. A threefold declaration in different forms of his immediate readiness to enjoy the charms of his beloved, with a partial return to the figures in Son 4:10-11; Son 4:13.16Eat friends, drink and drink to repletion, O beloved. Every other understanding of these closing verses seems inappropriate and forced but that already suggested, according to which they are an encouraging address of the bridegroom to the wedding guests, who remain behind at the table. Thus, e.g., that of Ewald, that Shulamith describes in these words the way in which her distant lover, if she were with him and were celebrating her marriage with him, would remember his friends; the strange and burlesque idea of Bttcher referred to above, p. 72; that, too, of Eichhorn, Magnus, Hitzig: that the words are an exhortation of the poet to the two lovers to enjoy their love and intoxicate themselves therewith; and the like views of others, according to which Solomon either encourages his beloved (Umbr., Hengstenb., Hahn) or she him (Weissb.) to the enjoyment of love. These latter views are based upon an untenable translation of by love as though it were the object of (intoxicate yourselves with love) for with the scriptio plena is plur. of beloved (comp. on Son 1:2), and consequently Pro 7:18 (where it is caresses with the scriptio defectiva) cannot decide for the present case. The Sept., Vulg., Luther, Dpke, Vaih., Del., are substantially correct, the last of whom adds the just remark in explanation: For each (of the guests) was to have his share in tasting the joy of this day.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. That the action of the Canticles reaches its centre and acme in this act, and especially at the close of it, cannot be doubted upon an unprejudiced view of the whole. The newly wedded bride is now in the arms of her husband and king. Their ardent mutual love is the joyous spectacle presented to a festive assembly, which is attached to the king by friendship and love. Every where the feeling suited to a wedding, enjoyment, and this enjoyment shared by loving sympathy. Arrived at the summit of loves mystery and moving there with holy purity the song here dies away amid the revelry of the guests. (Del., p. 115.)

2. The recognition of the central and superior significance of this section is of necessity precluded upon the allegorical interpretation, because it fails to perceive the organic progress of the action in general, and supposes the union of the two lovers to have become complete long before this, (comp. above, p. 56) so as neither to require nor admit of increase. This unio mystica, this perfect union of Christ with His church or with the individual soul it consequently finds not at the conclusion merely, but already indicated at the very beginning of the present act in the bed of Solomon, Son 3:7, by which it is true many allegorists understand every different sort of thing, (e.g., Ibn Ezra, the land of Israel; the Targ. and in recent times again Jo. Lange, the temple; Sanctius, prayer; Theodoret, the Holy Scriptures; Aponius, the cross of Christ; and Osiander, the free exercise of religion even!) But the majority find represented in it the communion of believers with Christ at the acme of its perfection, whether their particular explanation points to Christ Himself (Ambrose), or they find symbolized in it the heart of the Christian believer in conformity with Eph 3:17 (Coccei., etc.,) or the free access of believers to the throne of grace in this world and the next (Joh. Marck.), or the church militant on earth, in which many children are born to the Lord (Starke after many of the older writers, as Gregory the Great, Cassiodor., Beda, Calov., Heunisch, etc.), or the intimate relation between the heavenly Solomon and the church (Hengst.), or the kingdom administered by Solomon, so far as its power is directed ad extra (Hahn). In the case of the sedan or magnificent couch ( Son 3:9) this divergence of interpretations is repeated with a prevailing disposition to refer it to the unio mystica. For besides the holy of holies in the temple (Targ.), or the word of God (Mercer.), or the church (Zeltn.), or the human nature of Christ (Ambros., Athanas., Greg., Beda, Anselm, Jo. Lange), it is particularly the work of redemption with the gracious results proceeding from it (Sanctius; similarly Cocceius, Groenewegen, Starke, etc.,) or as expressed by Hengstenberg: the glory of those measures by which the heavenly Solomon brings the Gentile nations into His kingdom, that is supposed to be intended by this figure of the sedan.17 It is the same with Son 3:11, where the day of Solomons marriage according to Starke signifies three things: 1. The day of salvation, when a sinner yields to converting grace, and is united to Christ by faith; 2. The day of the resurrection of the just, when Christ will make them partakers of the blessedness of the world to come. 3. The time when the Jewish people, who have long rejected Him shall crown Him in faith and publicly acknowledge Him as their bridegrooman explanation with which most of the older and the later writers (even Hengstenb., Hahn, etc.,) substantially agree, especially in so far that nearly all of them understand by the mother of Solomon the church of the Old Testament or the people of Israel, and by the crown with which she adorns her son the entire body of converted souls, which are an ornament and an honor to the Messiah,18 comp. Php 4:1; 1Th 2:19, etc.

This method of putting every possible interpretation upon every particular thing, and thus attaining an extravagant exuberance of multifarious significations, is also followed, of course, by the allegorists in the enthusiastic description of the beauty of the bride in Son 4:1 ff. The hair of Shulamith compared with the flock of goats is made to signify either the entire body of believers or the weak and despised members of the church, or on the contrary, those who strive after a higher measure of perfection, the prelates of the church who have a keen eye like the goats, seek their food on the summits, eat what is green and chew the cud, and have parted hoofs and horns, wherewith to fight the heretics! The teeth of the beloved are prelates who feed upon the Scriptures, or teachers who attack the heretics; the lips either the preachers of Gods word or confessions of faith of the church; the neck the Holy Scriptures or the steadfastness and assured hope of believers; the breasts compared with twin roes either the law and the gospel, or the Old and New Testament, or the Jews and Gentiles, or the eastern and western church, or baptism and the Lords Supper as the two sacraments of the church!19 The locking up of the garden Son 4:12 ff, denotes the strong protection with which God surrounds His church as with a wall of fire; the sealing is the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit on the church to enlighten and preserve it, Eph 4:30. The blowing of the north and south wind, Son 4:16 also signifies the Holy Spirit in the varied operations of His grace, purifying, quickening, comforting, rendering fruitful, etc.; and the coming of the bridegroom into his garden

(Son 5:1) according to the chronological expositors denotes the dawn of some new epoch in church history, e.g., according to Cocceius the times immediately succeeding Constantine the Great; according to Heunisch the ante-reformation period from the time of the great Schism (1378); according to Corn. a Lapide the incipient old age of the church, etc., but according to the greater number the particular times when Christ enters with the heavenly blessings of His grace into the hearts of believers (Rev 3:20; Joh 14:23), or the threefold advent of the Redeemer: 1. In the form of a servant to found His church. 2. His invisible coming by His Holy Spirit to every individual of His people. 3. His eschatological coming at the judgment and the consummation. Compare generally the multitude of old interpretations of this sort collected by Starke on this section; also Wilkens, Fray Luis de Leon, p. 207, 215, and Dursch, Symbolik der Christlichen Religion, Vol. II. (Tbing., 1859),) passim.

3. Against such excesses and capricious trifling there is no protection but in that historical exegesis, which on the basis of the meaning of the words impartially ascertained endeavors, it is true, to point out the relations in which this action stands to the mysteries of revelation and redemption, and so to make application of its contents to the matters of the Christian life, but conscientiously refrains from all seeking or chasing after any direct spiritual and practical interpretation of individual passages, much less of individual words. To such an exegesis there appear to be chiefly three particulars of especial consequence in that stage of the action which is represented in this act: the elevation of the bride from a low condition to royal dignity and glory; her wondrous beauty as the ground of this elevation; and her chaste and humble mind which impels her to belong only to her lover and to live for him alone.

a. The simple country maiden from the tribe of Issachar is raised to be queen of all Israel, conducted in Solomons stately couch with a brilliant military escort, welcomed by the women of Jerusalem with pride and admiration, brought for her marriage to his splendid palace in Zion by Solomon, the most famous prince of his time. Here full of rapture he declares to her that he loves and admires her more than all beside, that she has completely won and captivated him, so that his heart belongs to her alone, and that she is henceforth to exchange her humble surroundings and her country home for his royal palace and its rich enjoyments and brilliant pleasures (see especially Son 4:8-9). In like manner Christ, who is a greater than Solomon, who is King of all kings, and Lord of all lords, has exalted His church from misery and a low estate to a participation in His divine glory; He has made the despised and forsaken His sister and bride, a joint-heir of His eternal glory in heaven, has received her into His kingdom, into His heavenly Fathers house and there prepared a place for her, which she shall never be willing to exchange for her former abode in a remote and foreign land, in the wilderness of a sinful, earthly life. For the infinite superiority of that exaltation which the church of the Lord has experienced above that of Shulamith, and which every penitent and believing soul in it still experiences day by day, is shown in this that the shepherd girl from northern Palestine might with good reason look wistfully back to her poverty from Solomons palace, that her desire to return from the sultry life of the court to the fresh cool mountain air of her home was but too well justified, whilst the soul which has been translated out of the wretchedness of a sinful worldly life into the blessed communion of Gods grace, has no occasion nor right to be dissatisfied with its new home, but on the contrary has gained unmingled joy, delight and imperishable glory instead of its former condition of unhappy bondage and darkness.

b. The cause of Shulamiths elevation to be queen of her people lay in her wonderful beauty, which throws the king into such an ecstasy that he analyzes it with the utmost detail in order that he may adduce the finest objects of nature, which his realm affords, to set forth her charms; yes, that he represents one single glance of her eyes, one chain from the ornaments of her neck as possessed of the power to chain him to her completely. So also it is the beauty and god-like dignity, originally belonging to human nature, obscured indeed by sin, but not completely and for ever destroyed, which brought the Lord down to our earth and made Him our Redeemer, the royal bridegroom and loving husband of His church. But there is this difference between the earthly Solomon and his celestial antitype, that the latter must restore the partially destroyed and hideously distorted beauty of His beloved before He can raise her to sit with Him on His throne; He must in order to effect this restoration endure the direst sufferings; He must redeem the poor captive from the prince of this world by the ransom of His own precious blood; and afterwards, too, He must with much trouble and pains seek to retain her whom He has dearly purchased in the way of righteousness and truth and preserve her from falling back again into the defilement of sin. The heavenly Solomon can never, during the course of this present world, attain to a really pure and undisturbed joy in His bride. He has quite too much to do in cleansing her ever anew with the washing of water by the word in order to present her to Himself holy and without blemish, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing (Eph 5:26-27). The heavenly bridegroom of souls can neither sing to His church as a whole, nor to its individual members such a praise of her beauty as was sung by Shulamiths husband, culminating in the encomium, Thou art all fair, my dear, and there is not a blemish in thee, Son 4:7. He has, on the contrary, but too abundant occasion to speak to her in the tone adopted in the 16th chapter of the prophet Ezekiel. He must too often hold up before her not only the wretchedness of her birth and the misery of the first days of her childhood, but also the gross unfaithfulness and scandalous defilement of the flesh and spirit, of which, though His elect and His beloved, she has since made herself guilty. And He must all the more postpone her entrance upon the full enjoyment of His blessed society and His heavenly benefits until the future state, for the reason that she is previously lacking in many respects in another virtue which is most of all commended in Shulamith, her historical type. This is:

c. The chaste and humble mind, which the beloved of the earthly Solomon still preserved even after her elevation to regal dignity and glory, that child-like, pure and obedient heart which she brings to her husband, and in virtue of which she will belong only to him and offer the sweet-scented flowers and delightful fruit of her garden to him for his exclusive enjoyment. On the ground of this most sterling of all the qualities of his beloved, this crown of her virtues, Solomon celebrates on the very day of his marriage, his perfect union with her; the locked garden, the bolted and sealed fountain is opened to him for his comfort and refreshment.The Church, as the bride of the Lord, remains a mere bride so long as she has to suffer and to fight here below, because she does not remain a locked garden and a sealed fountain, to the extent that this could be affirmed of her Old Testament type; because, on the contrary, she too often admits the seductive and defiling powers of sin and of the world to the sanctuary of her virginity, and allows them to desecrate the temple of her heart. Not until the end of days will her perfect union with the heavenly bridegroom be consummated, when she has suffered and contended to the full, and the great mystery, of which Paul writes, Eph 5:32, has been fulfilled by the final and visible coming of her beloved. Until then it is only individual souls in the midst of her, that band of His faithful and elect, who are truly known to the Lord alone (2Ti 2:19; Rom 8:28 ff.), whom He raises to the blessed height of a most intimate communion with Himself, and by the outpouring of His love in their hearts makes them partakers of the full blessings of His heavenly grace. This is that invisible communion of saints, which, as the true salt of the earth and light of the world, forms the real soul of Christendom, the genuine realization of the idea of the Church; which, as the true Bride of the Lamb, day by day with longing hearts unites in the supplication of the Spirit: Come, Lord Jesus, Rev 22:17; which, as the entire body of the wise virgins (Mat 25:10) with loins girded and lamps burning (Luk 12:35) waits and watches until He comes that is holy and that is true, that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth (Rev 3:7); which shall therefore one day in glorious reality and with never-ending joy experience the fulfilment of that desire which bids them sigh and cry here below:

Oh! come, do come, Thou Sun,
And bring us every one
To endless joy and light,
Thy halls of pure delight.

Footnotes:

[1][Percy gives the preposition a privative sense, and translates now thy veil is removed. He supposes that the royal pair having alighted from their carriage, the ceremony of unveiling the bride here follows, which gives occasion to the bridegrooms encomium on those features which the veil in great measure concealed. But Williams observes that the Eastern poets celebrate the charms of the fair through their veils, and improve this circumstance into an elegant compliment. Ainsworth and others remark upon the circumstance that seven particulars are here mentioned in the description of the bride, viz.: her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, temples, neck and breasts, uniting, as Moody Stuart expresses it, perfection of number with perfection of beauty.Tr.]

[2][Ginsburg adopts the translation of Lowth, Percy and Fry with advantage to the figure: All of which are paired. That is, each upper tooth has its corresponding lower one; thus they, as it were, appear in pairs, like this flock of white sheep, each of which keeps to its mate, as they come up from the washing pool. And no one of them is deprived of its fellow, i. e., no tooth is deprived of its corresponding one, just as none of the sheep is bereaved of its companion. The teeth surely, which are here compared to the flock, cannot be said to bear twins like the sheep.]

[3][Castellus, followed by Patrick, Good and others: the opening flower or blossom of the pomegranate. Williams: If the bridal veil of the Hebrew ladies was like that of the Persians, made of red silk or muslin, it would throw a glow over the whole countenance that will account more fully for this comparison.]

[4][Good: The graceful neck of the fair bride is compared to this consummate structure; and the radiance of the jewels that surrounded it to the splendor of the arms and shields with which the tower of David was adorned. The simile is exquisite.]

[5][Our first business is here with the controverted word , our translation of which with projecting parapets, is in partial accordance with, and derives support from that of Symmachus, (al. ). The word , or rather its singular [better ] is regularly derived from the root . That root is, according to Buxtorf, actually found in the Chaldee in the Targum of Jonathan on Lev 6:5; although in the Targum, as printed by Walton, we read not but . However, whether the root be used or no, its meaning may be assumed to be identical with that of , which is found in other places in the Targum of Onkelos. The meaning is to add on, to join on. The substantive derived from it, when applied to a building, would thus naturally denote the projecting parts of the building, which seem as it were to be added on to the rest. We have an analogous term in the Chaldee , derived from the same root as , and used in the Talmud of strongly marked eyebrows. The projecting parapets of a tower are in fact its eyebrows. And that ancient towers were built with such projecting parapets, and moreover that shields were hung by way of display on the exterior of the parapets, is established in the most satisfactory manner by a representation on a bas-relief at Kouyounjik, given by Layard, and also in Smiths Dict. of the Bible, s. v. Gammadims. Of the current explanations of , the only one which seems to call for notice, is that which derives it from to hang, edges, and makes it mean an armory. Against this lie the objections, 1st that it unnecessarily treats as a composite word; 2d, that an armory would be more naturally described as a hang-weapons than a hang-edges; 3d, that the figure before us is not that of an armory, but of a building with shields hung on its exterior; 4th, that any etymological connection between the words and in the two adjoining clauses is improbable, as it would destroy the charm of the studied homophony. There are two other passages of Scripture in which we may trace some allusion to this tower, Mic 4:8; Isa 5:2. Thrupp.]

[6][Noyes thinks that the bride herself, in respect to her general charms, is here compared to a mountain of myrrh, etc., to whom the lover says he will return as the antelope flies to the mountain.]

[7][This interpretation certainly assumes such extraordinary exaggerations as to cast suspicion upon its correctness. Noyes says: Verses 8 and 9 seem to be introduced very abruptly, and their import in this connection is not very obvious. Dderlein and others suppose them to be an invitation to the bride to take an excursion with him, in order that they might admire together all that was grand and beautiful in scenery. Others suppose them to be an invitation to the maiden to come from a place of danger to a place of complete, security in the arms of her lover. Good: By this forcible appeal the royal speaker invites his beloved to his arms as to a place of safety; and encourages her to look towards him for security amidst any dangers, either actual or imaginary, of which she might be apprehensive. Burrowes: These mountains thus beautiful but dangerous are put in contrast with the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frank incense. The beloved would have his spouse leave the former and seek his society in the retreats of the latter. The majority of English commentators adopt a similar view, though with some variety in the figurative or symbolic sense which they put upon the mountains in question.Tr.]

[8][Patrick: Sister is only a word of tenderness and endearment used by husbands to their wives; as appears by the book of Tob 7:16; Tob 8:4; Tob 8:7. Noyes, with less cogency, compares Tibul. 3:1, 26. Thrupp is consequently not warranted in saying: The union of the two appellations is of itself an almost decisive objection against all literal interpretation of the Song. When it is urged by the literalists that the term sister is merely used as an expression of endearment, it may be at once replied that that is the very last term which in chaste love a bridegroom would ever think of applying to his bride.]

[9][Wordsworth obtains substantially the same sense by a rendering precisely the opposite: Lit.: Thou hast be hearted me. It implies the answering of heart to heart; the passing of one heart into another, so as to be united with it and fill it.]

[10](Williams, who remarks that the Kri and many MSS. read fem. to agree with , endeavors to account for the singularity of the expression so understood in the following manner: Supposing the royal bridegroom to have had a profile or side view of his bride in the present instance, only one eye or one side of her necklace would be observable; yet this charms and overpowers him. Tertullian mentions a custom in the East of women unveiling only one eye in conversation, while they keep the other covered; and Niebuhr mentions a like custom in some parts of Arabia. Trav. in Arab. I. p. 262.]

[11][Whether this conclusion be correct or not, the argument here urged in its favor is plainly not decisive; for the plural of , the ordinary word for neck, is more frequently used in a singular than a plural sense.Tr.]

[12][So Thrupp: The received Hebrew text here gives not but which our E. V. renders a spring. But the word never occurs elsewhere in this sense; nor is it indeed, in the singular, applied to aught but a heap of stones.]

[13][Fry imagines that this and the following verses do not contain comparisons of the bride, but are descriptive of the residence prepared for her reception. He translates: A garden is enclosed, my sister espoused, etc. Maundrell, in his Journey says: About the distance of one hundred and forty paces from these pools [i. e. of Solomon] is the fountain from which they principally derive their waters. This the friars told us was the sealed fountain, to which the holy spouse is compared, Son 4:12. And they pretend a tradition that King Solomon shut up these springs, and kept the door of them sealed with his signet, to preserve the waters for his own drinking in their natural freshness and purity. Nor was it difficult thus to secure them, they rising under ground, and having no avenue to them but a little hole like the mouth of a narrow well. These waters wind along through two rooms cut out of the solid rock, which are arched over with stone arches, very ancient, perhaps the work of Solomon himself. Below the pool runs down a narrow, rocky valley, inclosed on both sides with high mountains; this, they told us, was the enclosed garden alluded to in the same Song.]

[14][Burrowes: The east wind is, in Palestine, generally withering and tempestuous; the west wind brings from the sea clouds of rain, or dark, damp air; the north wind is cooling and refreshing, its power being broken by the mountain chain of Lebanon; the south wind, though hot, has its heat mitigated in the upland regions, and is never stormy. The north wind is called on to arise, because it is more powerful and strong; the south wind to come, as though it were the soft breathing zephyr. The north wind brought clear weather; the south wind was warm and moist. The bride here calls for the north wind, that thereby all clouds may be swept away and the sky cleared; and for the south wind that its genial influence might ripen the fruits of the garden and draw forth the fragrance of the flowers.]

[15][There is no reference in the language here employed to any thing low and sensual, but to pure and elevated enjoyment in the society and converse of his charming bride. The passage is thus appropriately paraphrased by Taylor: I already enjoy the pleasure of your company and conversation; these are as grateful to my mind as delicious food could be to my palate: I could not drink wine and milk with greater satisfaction. He also gives a like figurative turn to the last clause: And you, my friends, partake the relish of those pleasures which you hear from the lips of my beloved, and of those elegancies which you behold in her deportment and ad dress.Tr.]

[16][But see Son 7:13.Tr.]

[17][Weiss expounds it of the holy of holies in Solomons temple; the Geneva version of The temple which Solomon made; Thrupp and Wordsworth, of the cross of Christ: The Westminster Annotations, Moody Stuart and B. M. Smith, of the person of Christ; Adelaide Newton, of the church; Ainsworth, of Christ and His church; Scott, the everlasting covenant which Christ has meditated in our behalf; Patrick, the preaching of the gospel by which the church is carried triumphantly through the world; Williams, the gospel in its onward progress; Fry and Burrowes, that conveyance, or those methods of divine grace by which the believer is carried onward toward heaven; Gill and Henry, hesitate between the human nature of Christ, the church, the gospel, and the plan of salvation. Burrowes says: It seems no part of the mind of the Spirit that we should take this description to pieces and try to allegorize the several parts. Thrupp also conveniently declines to carry the allegory through in all its details; It is not necessary to suppose that any significance is intended in the assignment of separate materials to particular parts of the vehicle. Scott, however, is ready with distinct meanings for the pillars of silver, the bottom of gold, and the covering of purple. And Thrupp himself insists that every separate feature of the bride in Son 4:1-7 must have its own distinct allegorical import. The comparisons would be as extravagant on the allegorical as on the literal interpretation, if the former were not to be carried out into details; and in fact that interpretation is virtually literal which refuses to see any allegory except in the general words Thou art fair.]

[18]Besides this prevalent form of the spiritual interpretation of Son 3:11 there are various others of a more trifling character, especially among the older exegetes of whom, e.g., Beda and Anselm expound the wedding day of Christs conception and birth; Honorius v. Autun and Bernard of the death and resurrection of the Lord (and then the crown naturally becomes either the crown of thorns, or the crown of glory belonging to His resurrection and exaltation), whilst chronological expositors as Reinhard, Heunisch, etc., connect the wedding day with the epoch of Constantine the Great, or the conversion of the heathen in a body by the church, and Catholics like Cornelius a Lapide and Calmet explain the mother of Solomon of the Virgin Mary.

[19][The two breasts are further explained in the notes of the Doway version to mean the love of God and the love of our neighbor; in the Geneva, knowledge and zeal; by Moody Stuart and M. B. Smith, faith and love; Patrick, the preachers respectively among Jewish Christians and among the Gentiles; Ainsworth, the loving affection, wholesome doctrines, sweet consolations and gracious beneficence of the church; Scott, the believers simplicity of affection for Christ and the delight which Christ reciprocally takes in him; Thrupp, Weiss and Wordsworth, the fountains of nourishment whence is drawn the milk of pure and sound doctrine; while Gill allows a choice between ministers of the gospel, the two Testaments, the two Sacraments and the two great commandments of the law. Burrowes, whom none can suspect of an indisposition to allegorize, has the good taste to revolt at such mangling of inspired emblems. He says, p. 359, In the comparison of the foregoing verses the thing to be illustrated is the general beauty of the pious soul in the eyes of Jesus. Losing sight of this most commentators have marred the passage by separating these emblems from one another, and appropriating them to other uses than the one intended by the Holy Spirit. What would be thought of a person who under the plea of heightening the effect of a picture by a great artist, should cut out the several figures, the trees, the waters, the tinted clouds, and exhibit them apart in every imaginable variety of light and position? This would show something more than want of judgment. No argument would be necessary to make us feel that such was never the mind of the artist. The common method of expounding this and the other kindred passages in the Song, seems no less unreasonable.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

CONTENTS

We have here the Lord Jesus commending the beauties and graces of his Church. He invites her to a more close and Intimate communion with him, and dwells again somewhat more fully upon her loveliness. The church in return, as one overcome with the goodness of his love, very humbly ascribes all she hath to him, as the author and giver of it: and prays that she may be made meet for the presence and enjoyment of her Lord.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. (2) Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof everyone bear twins, and none is barren among them. (3) Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. (4) Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. (5) Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

The general commendation which Christ hath here given to the opening of this Chapter, to the beauty of the Church, we have in part met with before in this Song. (See Son 1:15 .) But here the Lord Jesus enters into a more particular relation of those beauties of his spouse, and with a special recommendation. It is probable from the several parts of the body here figuratively spoken of, that Jesus intended to set forth the several members of his mystical body, of which we are told by an Apostle, that all the members of that one body being many, are one body in Christ. 1Co 12:12 . But at the same time there can be no question, but that Jesus is speaking of the beauty of the soul, The hidden man of the heart, as an Apostle calls it. For the king’s daughter is all glorious within. Psa 45:13 . Probably by the eyes may be meant the ministers of the gospel, who are said, as instruments of the Lord, to be eyes to the blind, as well as feet to the la me. The hair may be supposed to imply both the number of Christ’s people and their preciousness; which are all numbered, and not one can fall to the ground unnoticed and disregarded. The teeth, intimate the office in showing the word, and probably to intimate the clean from the unclean, as in the old Jewish dispensation. In coming up from the washing and having no barrenness, implies the very great fruitfulness of Christ’s fold, and their purity when washed in his blood. The lips are very expressive of the holiness of a believer’s conversation. And as g race was poured into the lips of Jesus, and the Church entreateth her Lord to kiss her with the kisses of his mouth; so it carries with it this idea; that Jesus hath thereby communicated of his fulness and grace for grace. Psa 45:2 ; Son 1:2 ; Joh 1:16 ; Son 4:11 . The Temples being part of the head, may probably be intended to convey the earnestness with which the soul of a believer is always supposed to be engaged, in the contemplation of her Lord. And the neck which connects the head with the body, and which is said to be as the tower of David with armory, may be intended to set forth the uniting grace by which souls are formed in union with Christ, which are stronger than a thousand bucklers, or all the shields of the mighty. The breasts of the Church have been variously considered; some as referring to the two Testaments, others to the law and the gospel, others to the two great Commandments, the love of God and the love of our neighbour: and some would have them mean the two ordinances of the gospel, baptism and the Supper of the Lord. But whether these, or any of them are intended, seems to be accompanied with too much difficulty for modern Commentators to determine. One thing however is certain, the Lord Jesus is evidently speaking with delight of his Church; and it is blessed to be viewed by him in this manner, especially when all the beauty and loveliness of the Church is considered as wholly derived from him.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Solomon’s Garden

Son 4:12-14

There is one advantage in speaking about a garden the preacher at once enlists the interest of his hearers. The love of plants and flowers is almost universal. Our greatest English essayists have written upon gardens. The father of inductive philosophy had an intense love for the beauties of nature. He says: ‘God Almighty first planted a garden; and indeed it is the purest of pleasures’. Abraham Cowley, when dedicating his poem, ‘The Garden,’ to John Evelyn, the well-known author of Sylva, writes: ‘I never had any other desire so strong and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large garden, and then dedicate the remainder of my life only to the culture of them and the study of nature’. Only to give one other instance, Sir William Temple says: ‘A garden has been the inclination of kings and the choice of philosophers; the common favourite of public and of private men; the pleasure of the greatest, and the care of the meanest; an employment for which no man is too high or too low. If we believe the Scriptures, we must allow that God Almighty esteemed the life of man in a garden the happiest He could give him; or else He would not have placed Adam in that of Eden.’

We cannot read the Bible without seeing that the Jews were a people who delighted in flowers and green fields, in groves and plantations, in orchards, and gardens. The fact that 250 botanical terms occur in the Bible, in a work not professedly treating on horticulture, proves this. Gardens were the sacred retreats of Hebrew life; in them they prayed, held their family festivals, and at last buried their dead. Prophets, as well as poets, enriched their imagery from the same fertile theme. Isaiah compares the kingdom of Messiah to ‘a well-watered garden,’ whilst he likens Zion in her national decadence to ‘an oak whose leaf fadeth,’ and to ‘a garden that hath no water’.

Solomon, the wise king of Israel, sought retirement from the exactions of his court and from the business of empire in his wonderful gardens at Etham. He was a botanist, and knew the habits of every plant, from the lowly hyssop to the mighty cedar. In the book of Canticles, as Delitzsch observes, we have the names of no fewer than eighteen different plants.

The book from which I have selected the verses at the head of the chapter is an exquisite allegory. Beneath its types and symbols we see the foreshadowings of Incarnate love, the marriage of Christ and His Church, the glories of the Bridegroom, and the graces and privileges of the Bride. The Song of songs has been called ‘the enigma of the Old Testament, as the Apocalypse is of the New’. It is a book which has ever been dear to devout souls. It was as precious to Leighton and Taylor, to Bunyan and Gill, as to Bernard and Catherine of Siena, to Bossuet and Dr. Neale. This book is not the strain of a ‘Hebrew Swinburne,’ as M. Renan would have it; but it is the breathing of the Holy Spirit, setting forth the mystical union which is betwixt Christ and His Church. The historian Niebuhr once said: ‘For my part, I should think there was something wanting in the Bible if we could not find in it any expression for the deepest and strongest sentiment of humanity’. In the words of my text, Christ, the Bridegroom, compares the Church, the Bride, to a garden. This image is quite in harmony with other portions of Scripture, where the children of God are compared to palms and cedars, to olives and fruit-trees, to plants and flowers. The Church is the Lord’s Paradise or garden, because a garden speaks of care and culture, of digging and dunging, of planting and pruning, of fragrance and fruitfulness.

I. Observe, first, that the garden is ‘ enclosed’. The garden of the Church is enclosed (1) by God’s electing love; (2) By God’s sanctifying grace; (3) By God’s providential care. In all ages God’s all-watchful eye and all-powerful arm have encompassed the Church.

II. We have here a remarkable prophecy of the kingdom of the Messiah, which was to include the Gentile as well as the Jew, ‘that they might be called trees of the Lord’s planting’.

The great Husbandman delights in every fresh accession; and a greater than Solomon knows every plant of His garden, from the lowly hyssop to the majestic cedar. He knows their habits, and cares for each. He especially delights in the young ‘those who are planted in the house of the Lord,’ and who ‘flourish in the courts of our God’.

III. We see in this symbolic garden an illustration of the variety of character to be found in the Church of Christ.

IV. We see in this garden the variety of graces to be found in the heart of each believer.

Dr. Littledale, in his Commentary on the Song of Songs, quotes an old Dutch hymn which is quaint and beautiful. The writer, when naming some of the flowers as emblems of the graces of a believing soul, says:

The Lily white that bloometh there is Purity,

The fragrant Violet is surnamed Humility.

The lovely damask Rose is there called Patience,

The rich and cheerful Marigold Obedience.

One plant is there with crown bedight, the rest above,

With crown imperial, and this plant is Holy Love;

But still of all the flowers the fairest and the best

Is Jesus Christ, the Lord Himself, His Name be blest.

O Jesu, my chief good and sole felicity,

Thy little garden make my ready heart to be!

It was said of a great horticulturist that he could hardly sleep, whenever he heard of some fresh plant introduced into this country, until he had secured a specimen. As we study the character of Christ, and see the perfections of His varied graces and the exquisite harmony of His life, we ought not to rest until His graces become ours. Are we conscious that we lack humility? We ought to pray, and pray continually, to learn of Him who was ‘meek and lowly in heart,’ and so find rest to our souls. In a day of so much profession, let us earnestly strive to become fruit-bearing Christians, recollecting all the time that the fruit is His. ‘Let my Beloved come into His garden and eat His pleasant fruits.’ May the prayer of St. Paul be fulfilled in the experience of each one of us: ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing: being fruitful in every good work… strengthened with all might, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.’

J. W. Bardsley, Many Mansions, p. 181.

Life Transfigured. Its Necessity For the Church

Son 4:16

The Lord Christ loves, has ever loved a garden. He ofttimes resorted to the Garden of Gethsemane, before His Passion, with His disciples, and He was once Himself mistaken for a gardener. No such serious mistake after all, for He is the Gardener, the Protector, and the constant gracious Supervisor of the Church, which is His garden.

The Church of Christ is fitly compared to a garden:

I. In its Design. A garden is intended to give pleasure to its owner. When we are weary, or need a quiet time for meditation, how pleasant, if we have a garden, to retire into it and be refreshed. And Christ desires to find His rest and His pleasure in His people.

II. Its Derivation. A garden is frequently reclaimed from a desert waste. Wonderful transformations have been effected by human skill, but they all fade into insignificance when compared with the transformation of the garden of the Church.

Fabulous prices have been paid before Today for gardens such as, e.g. the gardens of Magdalene College, Oxford, where Addison used to walk. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. But no price paid for earthly gardens can be compared with the cost at which this garden has been reclaimed. The precious drops of Emmanuel, God with us, must be shed before this garden could be secured by its Owner. What must that love have been which shrank not from such a cost as that. When the Owner takes full possession the result is always the same, He makes the ‘wilderness rejoice and blossom as the rose’.

III. Its Dangers. A garden is exposed to dangers from without and dangers from within.

A garden needs watching and tending, as well as sowing and planting and pruning, for the soil that grows good seed will grow bad also, and, as it was of old ‘While men slept the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way’ so it is still. Pride, jealousy, resentment, the roots of bitterness what ill weeds are these, and how rapidly they grow! We might well be in despair were it not that the Heavenly Husbandman Himself undertakes our cause. He can make short work with the weeds if we will let Him.

IV. Its Diversity. Diversity and unity characterize all the works of the great Creator. And as it is in nature so it is in grace. Do not criticize your brother because he works in a way of his own. Give him room to develop after his own pattern. There is a regularity which is fatal to growth.

V. Its Dependence. If a garden is to flourish it must be well watered. How dependent is the garden upon the dews of heaven and upon the breezes of heaven that play over it If the Church is to be a fruitful garden it must have the fountain always in the midst. Many a Christian has not yet received in its fullness the wondrous truth that there is to be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness in the midst of the garden, yea, in the midst of the individual soul.

And upon the breezes of heaven, too, the garden must depend. The north wind is wanted as well as the south. Convicting power is needed as well as comforting grace, adversity as well as prosperity, the chilling, biting blast as well as the gentle, melting summer breeze. If the Lord seems to blight your prospects and write death upon your hopes, still believe that He does all things well. In a weather vane on a church in Kent are cut the words, ‘God is Love,’ that is, whether the wind blow east or west, north or south, we have to learn that ‘God is Love’.

E. W. Moore, Life Transfigured, p. 45.

Illustration. I have read somewhere an Eastern fable: Two men were equally desirous for the growth and nurture of the palm. One, so the story runs, obtained permission from God to have for his palm-tree whatsoever wind or weather he desired. So, when he wished for sunshine he prayed and it was granted; when he thought the rain was needed he prayed and the rain descended. Thus he took the direction into his own hands. Days and weeks passed by, but the tree to which he devoted so much attention drooped and drooped, until at last it died. In his distress he went to his friend at a distance, and found his tree blooming and vigorous. ‘How is this,’ said he, ‘my tree is dead?’ ‘What didst thou do to it?’ asked his friend. ‘I asked for sunshine, and I had it; for rain, I had it; I managed it myself, but in spite of all my care it perished.’ ‘Ah, was the reply, you should have let God manage it. I left mine in the hands of God, and the result is that it flourishes Today.’

E. W. Moore, Life Transfigured, p. 62.

References. IV. 16. J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 195. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxiii. No. 1941; vol. xlii. No. 2475. V. 1 . Ibid. vol. xvi. No. 919; vol. xxxiii. No. 1943. J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 205. H. W. Webb-Peploe, Calls to Holiness, p. 197. V. 2. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvi. No. 1561; vol. lii. No. 3013. V. 2-8. Ibid. vol. xiv. No. 793. V. 3. J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 371. V. 4. Ibid. p. 217. V. 5, 6. J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 230. V. 8. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. ix. No. 539.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

(See the Song of Solomon Book Comments for other methods of interpreting the Song of Solomon)

XXX

AN INTERPRETATION OF THE SONG OF SOLOMON AS AN ALLEGORY

According to the first verse, the title of this book is “The Song of Songs,” and the author was Solomon. The Vulgate has the title, Canticum Canticorum, from which comes the title, “Canticles,” by which it is sometimes called and to which the references in some English versions are made. This title, as it appears here, implies that it is the choicest of all songs, in keeping with the saying of an early writer that “the entire world, from the beginning until now, does not outweigh the day in which Canticles was given to Israel.”

The parts of the book are marked with a refrain, thus: I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please, Song of Son 2:7 ; Song of Son 3:5 ; Song of Son 8:4 .

It will be noted that the second line in Song of Son 8:4 is omitted, perhaps, because it had been given twice before and the shortened form suited better the purpose of the author here.

It is well at this point to fix in mind the representative characters of the book, so as to make clear the interpretation and application. In this allegory the Shulammite may represent souls collectively, but more aptly applied to the individual soul seeking Christ. The daughters of Jerusalem represent the church. Solomon represents Christ, and the watchmen represent the spiritual leaders, such as priests, prophets, and preachers.

The prologue expresses the desire of a soul for Christ, a prayer to be drawn to him, conversion, and a consciousness of unworthiness.

In Part I the soul is instructed to seek its lover at the feeding places of the flock, or places where Christ meets his people; as, in meetings, etc., and upon their meeting they express their love for each other in which the soul is represented as being completely enraptured by its first love to Christ.

In Part II we have the beautiful serenade in which Christ is represented as entreating this new convert to come away and separate herself from her people and everything that might cause alienation. But upon neglect to heed this entreaty the little foxes, that is, little sins creep in and alienation is the result. So she sends him away till the cool of the day so characteristic of the soul that is neglectful of its early Christian duties. But soon she goes out to seek him another characteristic of the sheep that has wandered away from its shepherd and the flock. As she goes out to seek him she meets the city watchmen and inquires of them likewise the soul thus realizing its need at this point makes inquiry of spiritual leaders. She soon finds him and brings him to her mother’s house, thus representing the soul that has not left its former associations.

In Part III we have the procession of Solomon coming out to her to take her to his own home. Here he praises her, wooes her, and pleads with her to come away from her old associations. She is won and agrees to go with him, but when he knocks at the door she is half asleep and does not open to him. Her indifference brings about another alienation, and he leaves. Soon she arises to open, but, alas! he has grown tired of waiting and has gone away. She seeks him again, but the preachers (city watchmen) make it hard for her this time, upon which she appeals to the members of the church (daughters of Jerusalem) and they test her with a question, whereupon she declares her appreciation of him in a most glowing description of him. Then they submit the second test by asking another question as to his whereabouts. Here she understands perfectly as to his abiding place, which she shows them. While this is going on he draws near, speaking of his love. Surely, it is a sweet thought that, while we are talking about Christ and praising him, he draws near and is mindful of us, though we have suffered the little foxes to do their work and have not heeded every knock upon the door by our Lord. As he is thinking and speaking of her he sees her in the distance and exclaims, Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners?

After telling where he had been he pleads again, very earnestly, for her return. In the remaining part of this division they converse with each other and he wooes her again and she agrees to leave all and go with him into the fields and villages.

In Part IV the daughters describe them as they proceed toward his house, conversing with each other of love in which she shows love to be the strongest thing in the world.

The Epilogue contains the vows of the woman to do her part and applies beautifully to the loyalty of the soul espoused to Christ.

Now, I call attention to the prayers of the Shulammite which indicate the conflict and progress of the Christian life. These are as follows: Draw me; we will run after thee: The king hath brought me into his chambers; We will be glad and rejoice in thee; We will make mention of thy love more than of wine: Rightly do they love thee. (Song of Son 1:4 ) 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? (Song of Son 1:7 ) Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits. (Song of Son 4:16 ) Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages. (Song of Son 7:11 ) Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah. (Song of Son 8:6 )

Two of the most beautiful passages in the book are the Serenade, which pictures all nature calling to activity, and the passage on Love and Jealousy, showing love to be “The Greatest Thing in the World.” These passages are well adapted to the theme of the book and furnish an appropriate closing for our discussion on “The Poetical Books of the Bible.” THE SERENADE My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance, Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. The Song of Son 2:10-14

LOVE AND JEALOUSY

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah. Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be condemned. The Song of Son 8:6-7

QUESTIONS

1. According to Song of Son 1:1 , what is the title and who is the author of The Song of Solomon?

2. How are the parts of the book marked?

3. Whom does the Shulammite represent?

4. Whom do the daughters of Jerusalem represent?

5. Whom does Solomon represent?

6. Whom do the watchmen represent?

7. What is the spiritual interpretation and application of the Prologue?

8. What is the spiritual interpretation and application of Part I?

9. What is the spiritual interpretation and application of Part II?

10. What is the story and spiritual application of Part III?

11. What is the interpretation of Part IV?

12. What are the contents of the Epilogue and its application?

13. What are the prayers of the Shulammite?

14. What to you are the moat beautiful passages in the book and in what consists their beauty?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

Son 4:1 Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair [is] as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Ver. 1. Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair. ] Thou art, thou art; and I am much taken with it, so that I cannot but set an Ecce admirantis Behold, wonder at it, upon it. I am so rapt and ravished; yea, I would that others also should behold it, and be enamoured with it. As the Church called upon her daughters of Zion, in the last verse of the former chapter, to go forth and see her Bridegroom in all his bravery, and to help to crown him; so here interchangeably, Christ calls upon all sorts to contemplate his beautiful bride in all the “comeliness that he hath put upon her,” Eze 16:14 and that crown of twelve stars that he hath set upon her head, Rev 12:1 so that “in everything she is enriched by him, and cometh behind in no gift.” 1Co 1:5 ; 1Co 1:7

Thou hast doves’ eyes.] Particularly Christ commendeth her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, temples, neck, and breasts. He that would praise another, is careful to take in whatsoever of him may be thought praiseworthy. Christ only is able to give his Church her due commendation; because he only “knows all men, and needeth not that any should testify of man, for he knoweth what is in man.” Joh 2:24-25 All others that shall undertake such a business had need say, as Mr Bradford the martyr saith of that peerless King Edward VI; So many things are to be spoken in commendation of God’s graces in this child – who yet was but one of those many that make up the Church; but yet such a one, that as he was the chiefest, so I think the holiest and godliest in the realm of England, saith the same blessed Bradford – that as Sallust writes of Carthage, I had rather speak nothing than too little, in that too much is too little. a An exact face, saith Pliny, is seldom drawn but with great disadvantage; b how much more when a bungler hath it in hand? In which regard Alexander the Great forbade his portraiture to be painted by any other than Apelles, or to be carved by any other but Lysippus, men famous in those faculties. Behold here one that goes far beyond them both (the greatest artisan in the world), pencilling out to the life, and setting forth a complete character of his dearest spouse, whom he had “in his heart to die and to live with,” 2Co 7:3 as the high priest had the twelve tribes, Exo 28:29 and St Paul his Corinthians, though “the more he loved, the less he was beloved.” 2Co 12:15 But to come to her particular praises – “Thou hast doves’ eyes,” that is, fair, full, clear, chaste. See Trapp on “ Son 1:15 “ Eyes the true Church hath, and those both opened and enlightened. Act 26:18 She cries not up ignorance as the mother of devotion, neither doth she send forth blind guides, to require blind obedience, as the Popish Padres do with their novices; to put out the eyes of those poor misled and muzzled ignoramuses, and to lead them blindfold into the midst of their deadly enemies, as Elisha did the Syrians into Samaria. The Church here described hath (as Solomon’s wise man) her eyes in her head; yea, she hath two eyes, when the rest of the world hath but one (as the Chinese vainly brag of themselves), c a praise proper to the Church of Christ. She lifteth not up her eyes unto idols, Eze 18:6 but to the Holy One of Israel, Isa 17:7 her eyes are doves’ eyes. Every child of Christ’s Church hath a spiritual eyesight, an insight into the mystery of Christ, communication of Christ’s secrets, “the mind of Christ.” 1Co 2:16 She hath no blind children; for, though born blind, yet Christ hath anointed them with his eye-salve, Rev 3:18 and given both light and sight. But by “eyes” here we are chiefly to understand pastors and ministers, those “seers,” as they were called of old, 1Sa 9:9 those “lights of the world,” Mat 5:14-16 “burning and shining lights,” Joh 5:35 as the Baptist was called, whose office is to be to God’s people “instead of eyes,” Num 10:31 and “to open the eyes of the blind, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,” &c. Act 26:18 And these are to have doves’ eyes, seeking to present unto Christ every man chaste and pure in the simplicity of the gospel. 2Co 11:2-3

Within thy locks. ] Seemly tied up and covered, as the word imports, without pride or affectation; not laid out, as the manner is, of vain and unshamefaced women, but thick, fair, and modestly made up, to show the Church’s modesty and humility, which is the knot of every virtue, and ornament of every grace, as St Peter’s word, , holds it forth. 1Pe 5:5

Their hair is as a flock of goats, &c. ] They are fat and well liking; and so their hair lay smooth, slick, and shining. By the Church’s hair here may be meant the community of true Christians, that, being as the hair innumerable, do adhere to Christ as to their head, and have a promise that not one hair of that sacred head shall fall to the ground; and that if any son of Belial shall offer to shear or shave them, he shall answer it as dearly as the Ammonites did the like abuse done to David’s ambassadors. 2Sa 10:3-4

a Serm. of Repent., 37.

b Pic ores pulchram absolutamque faciem raro nisi in peius effiingunt.

c Description of the World, Chap., Of China.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Song of Solomon Chapter 4

Son 4 .

Here it is the voice of the Bridegroom to His earthly bride, and so a wholly different strain from the rehearsal of experience just before. He lets her know fully what she was in His eyes, her beauty, and this in detail (vers. 1-8). Then in vers 7-15 he tells her that she was all fair and no spot in her, though from the haunts of danger and death. With this, though of course in another style of grace suited to the case, we may compare what Jehovah compelled the heathen prophet to declare of Israel in Num 23:24 . Here it is the expression, not of separation to Himself and justification and goodly power and glory, but of tender affection and all read in this light.

“Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair;

Thine eyes [are] doves behind thy veil;

Thy hair [is] as a flock of goats

That appears on the side of mount Gilead.

Thy teeth [are] like a flock of shorn [ewes]

Which go up from the washing,

Which have all borne twins,

And none bereaved among them.

Thy lips [are] like a thread of scarlet,

And thy speech comely.

As a piece of a pomegranate [are] thy temples

Behind thy veil.

Thy neck [is] like the tower of David

Built for an armoury:

A thousand bucklers hang thereon,

All shields of mighty men.

Thy two breasts [are] like two fawns, twins of a gazelle,

Which feed among the lilies.

Until the day dawn (or, be cool) and the shadows flee away,

I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,

And to the hill of frankincense.

Thou [art] all fair, my love and [there is] no spot in thee.

With me from Lebanon, spouse, with me from Lebanon;

Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon,

From the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister spouse;

Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes,

With one chain of thy neck.

How fair is thy love, my sister spouse!

How much better is thy love than wine,

And the fragrance of thine ointment than all spices!

Thy lips, spouse, drop honeycomb;

Honey and milk [are] under thy tongue;

And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

A garden shut up is my sister spouse,

A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Thy shoots [are] an orchard of pomegranates with precious fruits

Henna with spikenard plants; spikenard and saffron;

Calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense;

Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters

Which stream from Lebanon.

Awake, north wind, and come, south;

Blow upon my garden [that] the spices thereof may flow forth.

Let my beloved come into his garden

And eat his [or, its] precious fruits” (vers. 1-16).

It is the expression of Christ’s love which by the Spirit forms divine affections in the saints. We may see it in all the Gospels, but especially in that of John, and nowhere there so strikingly as in John 13-17. This “Song” is the divine word, which the Spirit (as He has used the principle for all who have pondered these communications to profit) will afresh apply in a still more exact and instinctive way to the godly remnant that is to succeed us in the dealings of God’s grace. The love which so feels and speaks to its object, whatever this may be, has transforming power on all that have faith in Him, and enables those who are so loved to witness in their measure a good confession of Him. The right faith is that we worship; and none ought to know and feel this so deeply as the Christian and the church; to whom the love of Christ is now revealed in a form and power altogether exceptional; as indeed we need it to suffer unflinchingly with Him, while we wait for His coming.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Son 4:1-6

1 How beautiful you are, my darling,

How beautiful you are!

Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;

Your hair is like a flock of goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead.

2Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes

Which have come up from their washing,

All of which bear twins,

And not one among them has lost her young.

3Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

And your mouth is lovely.

Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate

Behind your veil.

4Your neck is like the tower of David,

Built with rows of stones

On which are hung a thousand shields,

All the round shields of the mighty men.

5Your two breasts are like two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle

Which feed among the lilies.

6Until the cool of the day

When the shadows flee away,

I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense.

Son 4:1 How beautiful you are my darling This is a recurrent phrase (cf. Son 1:15-16; Son 2:10; Son 2:13; Son 4:1; Son 4:7; Son 6:4; Son 6:10). Notice the parallelism.

Here this phrase begins a series of analogies describing the maiden’s physical beauty:

1. eyes, Son 4:1 – doves (gentle)

2. hair, Son 4:1 – goats (black, cf. Son 5:11)

3. teeth, Son 4:2 – shorn ewes (white, cf. So Song 6:16)

4. lips, Son 4:3 – scarlet thread (red)

5. temples, Son 4:3 – slice of pomegranate (reddish)

6. neck, Son 4:4 – towers of David (decorated)

7. breasts, Son 4:5 – balanced and accentuated

eyes are like doves The eyes would have been the only part of the face clearly visible behind the veil. The man compliments them often (Son 1:15; Son 4:1; Son 5:12; Son 7:4). Apparently he is referring to their softness or gentleness (not their color, shape, or size). In the ancient Near East eyes were very important. They could denote character (i.e., Gen 3:5-7; Gen 20:16; Gen 39:7; Num 5:13; Num 15:39; Deu 16:19) or evil (i.e., the evil eye, cf. Deu 15:9; Deu 28:54; Deu 28:56; Pro 23:6; Pro 28:22) or possibly allurement (cf. Son 4:9; Son 6:5). They were often used as idioms for phrases of endearment:

1. favour in your eyes – Gen 30:27; Gen 34:11; Gen 50:4; Deu 24:1

2. the apple of his eye – Deu 30:10; Psa 17:8; Zec 2:8

hair is like a flock of goats This refers to black goats against a lush, green hillside (i.e., Gilead, cf. Mic 7:14).

The term flock (BDB 727) may have been a way of drawing attention to separate pieces of hair (i.e., ringlets or braids).

NASBThat have descended

NKJVgoing down

NRSVmoving down

TEVbounding down

NJBsurging down

LXXhave appeared from

JPSOA, REBstreaming down

The meaning of this VERB (BDB 167, KB 195) is uncertain. It is found only here and in Son 6:5. Here are the possibilities:

1. to sit or recline, BDB 167, from Arabic root

2. to boil, KB 195

3. to hop or jump, KB 195; a possible parallel in Egyptian love poems is skipping goats.

The maiden’s hair is bouncing as she walks or flowing over her shoulders in large amounts. Whatever it is, it is a compliment (cf. Son 7:5)!

Son 4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes This refers to her teeth all being in place, well shaped, balanced, and very white.

Son 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread This refers to the redness and shapeliness of her lips.

NASB, NKJV,

NRSVyour mouth is lovely

TEVhow lovely they are when you speak

NJByour words are enchanting

This term (BDB 184 I) is found only here in the OT. The rare Hebrew root from which it is formed means mouth, word or speech. The dynamic equivalent translations (i.e. TEV, NJB) prefer the two connotations, but the context of Song of Songs often uses body parts, so mouth seems the appropriate parallelism.

Your temples are like a slice of pomegranate This maiden apparently did not need lipstick or rouge. The facial highlights could be seen behind her thin veil.

Son 4:4 Your neck is like the tower of David In the Masoretic text and the Septuagint the tower of David is a proper name. The ancient Orientals considered large necks and noses to be very attractive (cf. Son 7:4).

NASBBuilt with rows of stones

NKJV, LXXbuilt for an armory

NRSVbuilt in courses

TEVround and smooth

NJBbuilt on layers

REBbuilt with encircling courses

JPSOAbuilt to hold weaponry

The VERBAL is a Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of to build (BDB 124, KB 139). The footnote of JPSOA states that it refers to her jewelry (i.e., necklace, cf. Son 4:9; Son 1:10-11):

The NOUN (BDB 1069) is more difficult.

1. In Arabic the root means to perish.

2. BDB says it is poetic for weapons (JPSOA).

3. KB 1741 also refers to an Arabic root, to arrange in order, thereby to construct a tower in layers (cf. NASB, NRSV, NJB, REB).

On which are hung a thousand shields,

All the round shields of the mighty men This may refer to a beautiful necklace around the Shulammite maiden (cf. Son 4:9).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (ELEPH)

Son 4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns This may refer to well proportioned and mature breasts (i.e. she is of the age of child bearing).

Son 4:6 Until the cool of the day This can refer to dawn or evening (cf. Son 2:17).

I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh The man urges himself to act! He calls her to himself in Son 4:8 and by metaphorical imperatives in Son 4:16. He cannot wait! This is a euphemism for intimacy. The mountain refers to the woman’s perfumed breasts (cf. Son 1:13).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Behold. The words of the shepherd approaching the Shulamite.

my love = my friend. Hebrew. ra’yah. See note on Son 1:9. Feminine, showing the speaker and the one spoken to.

behold = gaze on.

doves’ eyes. Referring to the large melting eye of the dove: a “clean” bird.

within thy locks = behind (or through) thy veil.

that appear = springing down.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Chapter 4

And now the bridegroom speaks.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bears twins, [and you’re not missing any] there is none is barren among them ( Son 4:1-2 ).

Now I don’t know that if you would try to express your love to your girlfriend like this how well she might take it. “Your teeth are like sheep that are all evenly shorn, that just came up from their washing; and every one bearing twins.” Well, that means your teeth are matched, you know, as you go across they’re even. They match and so forth, which is important, I guess.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate within thy locks. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all the shields of mighty men. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee ( Son 4:3-7 ).

And people, of course, is a bridegroom speaking of his bride and as you make the spiritual analogy of Christ to the church. Which, of course, is a correct and proper analogy, Christ’s view of the church, “Thou art all fair, there is no spot in thee.” The Bible speaks of the church as being without spot or blemish or any such thing. The way the Lord views us, and that’s to me a glorious thing that the Lord views me that way, because He views me through love. And the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. And God sees us through the eyes of love, and as He sees us through the eyes of love, He sees us not in our imperfect state, but He sees us in that completed, perfect state in Christ Jesus. And it’s so comforting for me to realize that God looks upon me and sees no fault. Sees no sins. Sees no blemish. Looking upon me through love, seeing me in Christ Jesus. I stand before Him without fault in Christ.

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, and from the top of Shenir and from Hermon, from the lions’ dens, and from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon ( Son 4:8-15 ).

All right. The bridegroom is very expressive. It’s like the French say, “You Americans are so… you have only one way to tell a woman you love her. We Frenchmen have a hundred ways.” And it would seem that we macho American men are poor lovers, I guess, as far as really expressing our love, our adulation for our wives.

This Song of Songs which is Solomon’s, as he expresses his love, uses figures of speech that I would never think of in seeking to express the beauty that I see in my wife. I just…she says, “Honey, do I look all right?” And I say, “Yeah, you look fine, you know.” And, “Well, are you sure I look all right?” “Sure, you look great, you know.” “Well, do you like this?” “Yeah, I like the dress, it’s nice.” “Well?” And I say, “Well, you’re beautiful!” She says, “Well, thank you.” And we go out, you know.

I think that we could probably take some lessons from Solomon and learn a little bit about how to express. It’s interesting how that women, wives, do need a constant assurance of love. “Do you love me, Honey?” “Sure, I told you last year I love you, you know. I haven’t changed. I still come home.” But it doesn’t satisfy. They need a continual assuring of that love. The continual assuring of their attractiveness to us, our love for them, that our desire is for them. And it’s a smart husband who will give to his wife that continued assurance that she needs. It’s a dumb cluck that tells her once a year he loves her and thinks that she’ll be satisfied.

So he has just described now, “Oh, she’s like a garden. The fragrances that come forth from her body are like spices. It’s just glorious.” And so she, picking up his phrases of love and the garden concept, sings back.

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; and blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits ( Son 4:16 ).

Beautiful response to the declaration of the bridegroom as he describes the beauty of his bride. A garden kept for itself has little value. The work of God in our lives is never just subjective. The real purposes of God are not really accomplished in us until there is a flowing out. “Awake, O north wind; come, thou south.” Those who see now the spiritual allegories here, seeing the spirit, which in the Hebrew the word wind and spirit are, or in Greek the word wind and spirit are the same. In Hebrew the word breath and spirit are the same. But in Greek, pneuma, which is wind or air or spirit.

That through the Spirit there might come the outflow of the beauty of the work of Christ in our lives that it might touch others. That others might benefit from the work that God has done in me. And that is always the purpose of God–objective. Subjective first, He wants to work in you, but then He wants that work that has been accomplished in your life to flow out and be a benefit to others. “Let the spices flow out and then let my beloved come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruits.” The invitation of Christ into the church that He might come into our midst and partake of the pleasant fruit of His garden, as we bear forth and bring forth fruit unto Him. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

This is a chapter which is, perhaps, more adapted for private meditation than for rending in public. Nevertheless, as this is a communion season, and I trust that the most of us are partakers of the life of God, I could not resist reading it this evening. It is a love-song, the song of the loves of Jesus. As he sets forth the beauties and charms of his Church, may the like beauties and charms be found in every one of us through the grace which he imparts to us by his Spirit! May we, as parts of his mystical body, be fair and lovely in his esteem because he has bestowed upon us so much of his own loveliness! Let us walk so carefully with God that there may be nothing to put even a spot upon our garments, or to defile our grace-given comeliness.

Son 4:1. Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;

Twice fair, first, through being washed in my blood, and next, through being sanctified by my Spirit!

Son 4:1. Thou hast doves eyes within thy locks:

Jesus prizes the love of his people which flashes forth from their eyes as they look upon him. The good works of his people, like the locks of hair which are the beauty and glory of the female form, are the beauty of the Church, and of every individual believer. It is a beautiful thing to have the eyes of faith glistening between the locks of our good works to the praise and glory of God.

Son 4:1. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

O my soul, see that thou dost have many such acceptable works of faith and labours of love!

Son 4:2. Thy teeth

Those parts of our spiritual being with which we feed upon Christ, and masticate and assimilate the Word: Thy teeth

Son 4:2. Are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

We should seek so to feed upon the Word as to become fruitful by it. If we spiritually feed upon the flesh of Christ, we shall afterwards be the means of bringing forth an abundant harvest of holiness to his praise and honour.

Son 4:3. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,

And well they may be, for what is there for the believer to talk about but the scarlet of the Saviours blood, that matchless bath in which we are washed whiter than snow? My mouth, be thou filled with the praises of the Lord, that my lips may be like a thread of scarlet!

Son 4:3. And thy speech is comely:

There is always a comeliness in that conversation which is full of Christ so, beloved, let your conversation ever be such as becometh the gospel of Christ; but that cannot be the case unless there is much of Christ in it.

Son 4:3. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Those parts of us with which we think upon Gods Word should ever be surrounded by good works. Doctrines in the head, without holiness in the life, are of no service, but when the temples are covered with the locks of righteousness, then are they like a piece of a pomegranate, acceptable both to God and men.

Son 4:4. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury,

And what is this but our faith? Does not the neck join the body to the head, and is not faith that connecting link by which we are united to Christ? Oh, for that faith which is like the tower of David builded for an armoury! It is sure to be assaulted, let it, therefore, be firmly founded, and fully armed.

Son 4:4. Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

They hung up their bucklers in memory of their triumphs. Read the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is a record of the victories of faith. The promises of God are also like these bucklers which are hung up in the armoury; let us be so familiar with them that we shall have them ready for use in every emergency.

Son 4:5. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

The ordinances of Gods house are very delightful to Christ, and to his people too; and, consequently, that part of our spiritual being which seeks to feed others, and specially to nourish the young believer, is very precious in Christs esteem. When he has finished the description of his Church, Christ says:

Son 4:6. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Our Beloved has gone away from us until the day of his reappearing, until the night of his Churchs anxiety is over, and the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings Jesus has gone from earth, but where is he? He has gone to intercede for us before the throne of his Father above; he has gone to where there are mountains of myrrh. Think, beloved, of the sweet perfume that ever arises from his one great sacrifice for sins; well may he compare it to a mountain of myrrh and to a hill of frankincense.

Son 4:7. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Drink that truth in, Christian. If ever there was a honeycomb full of virgin honey, it is here. Though in thyself thou art defiled, yet in the eye of Jesus, looked upon as covered with his righteousness, thou art all fair; nay, more, there is no spot in thee. Thou art as dear to him as though thou hadst never sinned, yea, in his sight, thou appearest without a single fault, he has so cleansed thee in his precious blood that there is no spot in thee.

Son 4:8. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

My heart, leave thou the world, leave its sweet places, though Lebanon be full of fragrance, leave it. Leave the worlds high places; though the top of Amana may seem to reach to heaven, leave even that to have communion with thy Lord. Come out from among them, and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. The best spots in the world are to you, O Spouse of Christ, but lions dens and mountains of leopards. You are always in danger while you consort with worldlings, you are ever in peril while you are entangled with the world; so come away from Lebanon, from Amana, from Shenir and Hermon; leave everything for your Lord.

Son 4:9. Thou hast ravished my heart,

I think the Septuagint reads it, Thou hast unhearted me, as if Christs people had taken away his heart, so that it was all theirs, and not his any longer. Thou hast ravished my heart,

Son 4:9. My sister my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

The eye of love, and the neck of faith with its chain, hold captive the heart of Christ.

So dear, so very dear to Christ,

Dearer I cannot be;

The love wherewith God loves his sons,

Such is Christs love to me.

Oh, what a miracle of mercy it is that Christ himself should be unhearted by such foul and loathsome creatures as we were, yet he loved us so that he would have us; and having determined to do so, he put a beauty upon us that is really now worthy of his love. I speak advisedly, for the righteousness of Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit have in them something really so fair that Christ does not now love that which is unworthy of his love, that righteousness which he has himself wrought in us now rightly claims his affection.

Son 4:10. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse!

Hearest thou that, O Spouse of Christ? Thy love is often very cold, and very feeble, and even at the best it is not what thou wouldst have it to be, nor what it ought to be; yet Jesus values it highly, and says, How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse!

Son 4:10. How much better is thy love than wine!

Yet he knows what the best wine is like, for he is one day to drink it new with us in his Fathers kingdom, yet he says that the love of his people is much better than wine, yes, even than that wine.

Son 4:10. And the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

You know that he has the smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia upon his garments when he comes out of the ivory palaces, yet he considers that his peoples graces are sweeter than all the spices that ever grew.

Son 4:11-12. Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Oh, that my heart were like that at this moment! Jesus, shut the gates, and shut out the world, and every wandering, wayward, sinful thought; then shut thyself in my heart, and walk thou in it as in a garden that is walled around, into which no intruders dare enter!

Son 4:13-14. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

Oh, that this were fully true of us, that all our thoughts, and words, and notions, which are like the fruits of the garden, were as full of spices of heavenly fragrance as Jesus here declares that he thinks them to be! Yet, alas! how little we do for him, though he sets such store by our little that he regards it as much.

Son 4:15. A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

Such should the whole Church and each individual believer be. O my soul, be thou not only shut up for Christ, but be thou when the time comes, opened to do good to all the world! Oh, that I might be like a well of living waters in my speech at all times; and that you, my beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, whenever you are dealing with others, might be a well of living waters to every thirsty soul! Speak of Jesus wherever you go; talk of Jesus whenever you can. You have been shut up, and Christ has been in you; now be opened to give forth to others what he has given you.

The chapter concludes with a delightful prayer; let us each one pray it:

Son 4:16. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

The Church here, you see, desires to feel two opposite winds. Though it should be the rough north wind of affliction that blows upon her, if it will but make her spices flow, she will be glad; but if it be the soft south wind of blessed and hallowed fellowship with her Lord, she is equally pleased, for what she longs after is that her Lord may take delight in her.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Son 4:1-8

Son 4:1-8

Solomon’s Love Song to the Shulamite

Son 4:1-8

“Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;

Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil.

Thy hair is as a flock of goats,

That lie along the slope of mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn,

Which are come up from the washing,

Whereof every one hath twins,

And none is bereaved among them.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,

And thy mouth is comely.

Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate

Behind thy veil.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory,

Whereon they hang a thousand bucklers,

All the shields of the mighty men.

Thy two breasts are like two fawns

That are twins of the roe,

Which feed among the lilies.

Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away,

I will get me to the mountains of myrrh,

And to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, my love;

And there is no spot in thee

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,

With me from Lebanon,

Look from the top of Amana,

From the top of Senir and Hermon,

From the lion’s dens,

From the mountains of the leopards.”

“Cook regarded this whole chapter as Solomon’s love song to the maiden. Balchin agreed with this in the first seven verses, but wrote that, “The song of the shepherd lover may appear in Son 4:8 ff. Bunn ascribed Son 4:9-15, “To the shepherd who pleads his case to the maiden with renewed zeal. Redford saw the whole chapter as, “The conversation of the bridegroom and the bride as they travel together in the procession. We cannot accept the view that the maiden accepted Solomon. Also Sierd Woodstra made these first fifteen verses of the chapter, “The bridegroom’s praise of the bride’s beauty. Several scholars agree that there is a division in this chapter between two love songs; but, “It is not certain where the division should be made. This writer accepts Son 4:8 as part of Solomon’s plea, and Son 4:9-15 as the shepherd’s love-song. Bunn also allotted Son 4:9-15 to the shepherd.

Here again we are confronted with inexplicable mysteries and contradictions. What is Solomon doing in Lebanon? Lebanon is in Syria; it pertains to the ruler of Tyre, and is completely out of Solomon’s jurisdiction. Are we to suppose that Solomon is here chasing this woman into a foreign country? Admittedly, Solomon was capable of a folly like that; but still this does not explain it. Several scholars speak of “Solomon’s court in northern Israel,” here; but Lebanon is not “northern Israel”; it is Syria. Solomon had to buy “cedars of Lebanon” from Hiram the king of Tyre. (1 Kings 5).

Two separate and dramatically different pictures appear in these two love songs: (1) that of Solomon (Son 4:1-8), and (2) that of the maiden’s true lover, the shepherd, in Son 4:9-15.

In the one ascribed to Solomon, the maiden is compared to animals, namely, goats, ewes and fawns. It must be remembered also that Solomon also mentioned Pharaoh’s chariot horse in another comparison. The true lover’s song mentions no animals, but sweet smelling spices, fountains, gardens, honey, orchards and `all the chief spices.’ Solomon’s love song suffers greatly in this comparison. How can we account for this on any other thesis than that which assumes that Solomon looked upon every woman as merely an animal?

As for the Jewish and Christian interpretations of these first eight verses, we have this from Pope.

“The veil” (Son 4:1). (a) The Jews related this to the sacrifices of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. (b) Tertullian said it represented the modesty of Christian maidens and the bride’s submission to her husband (Christ to the Church). It was also interpreted as a token of virginity and chastity.

“The teeth” (Son 4:2). (a) The Targumists made these to be the Priests and Levites who ate the sacrifices. (b) A Christian interpreter made these to be the Doctors of the Church who chew up the hard doctrines so the laity can understand them.

“The scarlet lips” (Son 4:3). (a) These were the prayer of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. (b) Some Christian scholars applied it to Rahab the harlot and the red string hanging out her window!

“The tower of David … the shields … etc.” (Son 4:4). (a) The Targum applied the tower to the Head of the Academy, and the weaponry they thought was the learning of the Law. (b) The shields were taken by Gregory of Nyssa to be the angelic guardians of the church.

“Thy two breasts are like two fawns” (Son 4:5). (a) The Jews saw the maiden’s two breasts as representing the two Messiah’s (one the Suffering Servant, and the other as the Glorious Conqueror), and the two brethren who led Israel, Moses and Aaron. (b) Christian writers saw these as the Old Testament and the New Testament, the outer and the inner man, or the blood and water from the side of Jesus on the Cross!

“Until the day be cool and the shadows flee away” (Son 4:6). In warm climates, the day becomes cool only at daybreak, when the sun rises and the shadows flee. The best translation of this line we have ever seen is inscribed upon a tombstone in Cache, Oklahoma:

Here Lies

QUANAH PARKER

Last Chief of the Comanches

“Until Day Breaks and Shadows Flee Away”

That this is actually the meaning appears in the RSV, the Today’s English Version, and the Moffatt translation.

(a) The Targum (Jewish) explained the fleeing shadows as demons expelled by the incense of the Temple. (b) Christian interpreters saw the passage as a reference to the resurrection (as on Parker’s tomb).

“I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense …” (Son 4:6). Waddey applied this to the maiden’s breasts; which is undoubtedly correct. What Solomon is saying here is that he will come and lie between her breasts all night long, that being the only thing Solomon ever had in mind where women were concerned. “There is no hint here of any interest of

Solomon other than in corporeal beauty. Another interpretation (probably Jewish) considered the hill of bitter myrrh as a reference to the Gentiles and the frankincense as a reference to the Jews. That was the traditional Jewish estimate of themselves and Gentiles.

“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee” (Son 4:7). (a) The Jews, of course applied this to Israel. (b) Christian interpreters applied it to the Church, not the Church Militant struggling with sins and sorrows, but to the Church Triumphant in heaven where she is presented, “having neither spot nor wrinkle” (Eph 5:27). One may only laugh at the idea that any such thoughts as these were in the mind of Solomon as he said this!

“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride” (Son 4:8). This does not mean that any marriage had occurred. Such expressions as “my bride” and “my sister” were customary expressions found in all the ancient love songs of that period. “Such expressions indicate friendly relations without implication of consanguinity. These words are a gentle invitation from Solomon for the Shulamite to leave the security and protection that she enjoyed in Lebanon and to go with him to Jerusalem. Why did Solomon not command her? She was not within his jurisdiction; she was a citizen of another country.

“From the top of Amana” (Son 4:8). This was the same as Abana one of the rivers of Syria mentioned by Naaman (2Ki 5:12).

“From the top of Senir and Herman” (Son 4:8). Senir is the Amorite designation of Mount Hermon (Deu 4:48).

“From the lions’ dens …” (Son 4:8). The leopards are also mentioned here; and what Solomon was saying meant, “Come with me out of this wild and dangerous country to Jerusalem.”

(a) The Jewish interpretation recognized the bride here as Israel. (b) “The Christian interpretation saw Christ in this passage in the person of Solomon (!) calling the Gentiles to the Church.? This is precisely the interpretation that outrages and disgusts this writer. Solomon, a type of Christ! Judas Iscariot would serve just as well. The great error of many interpreters in this is their false understanding of Israel’s earthly kingdom as God’s Israel. It was no such thing. The prophets called it “The Sinful Kingdom”; and the true Israel was always a righteous remnant.

Exegesis Son 4:1-7

The first line in verse one is a general evaluation of my companion; there follows seven particulars in which the beauty of the bride can be seen. We shall list these seven descriptive phrases and comment upon them. Before we proceed we must set the scene. We recognize that we are open to criticism-but since all opinions are of equal standing we yet believe this is the expression of the shepherd. We appreciate the words of Arthur G. Clarke just here. The shepherd now appears upon the scene. Following the abduction of his loved one (Son 6:11-12), he seems to have discovered her whereabouts. Concerned for her welfare amid the temptations of the Royal Court, he wends his way to Jerusalem to secure an interview with her if at all possible. This he manages to do, but how we are not told. He encourages the maiden at this critical juncture with a fresh declaration of his loving regard.

There follows the seven-fold description of the maiden:

(1) Thine eyes are dove-like behind thy tresses. There is much discussion among commentators as to whether the maiden is looking out from behind a veil or the locks of her hair. We prefer the latter. We have commented earlier of the dove-like quality of her eyes. Such a poetic figure of speech is altogether appealing in its suggestion of the alert, shy, soft person behind the eyes and the lovely hair.

(2) Thy hair resembles a flock of goats that browse along the slopes of Gilead. This is a compliment and it was given to elicit a positive response. If we knew what a flock of goats on the slopes of Gilead looked like we would immediately appreciate the comparison. The long silk-like hair of the angora goats of Syria-especially as they reflected the sun on their long tresses could make a beautiful poetic image.

(3) Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep just come up from the dipping pool. Each one has its twin, and none among them is bereaved. This is much easier to imagine. The sheep are white-but never whiter than when they have just been shorn and washed-there are two rows of teeth-the top has a twin on the bottom row, and there is not one out of order or missing. Her teeth are as white as wool and as uniform as perfect twins.

(4) Thy lips are like a scarlet cord, and thy speech well becomes them. The delicate form of the girls lips is here emphasized. The natural red color suggests good health. Not only does she have a lovely mouth in form-what comes out of it in thought and words is just as beautiful. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies; but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Pro 20:15 (Cf. Ecc 10:12; Psa 63:5; Psa 119:13; Psa 119:171)

(5) Thy cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind thy tresses. No cosmetics are involved in the appearance here described. The glow of good health is here apparent. The almost translucent look of a perfect complexion colored with the blush of excitement and coyly hidden behind raven black hair makes a most appealing picture.

(6) Thy neck is like Davids tower, which he built for an armory. On it there hang a thousand shields-all shields of heros. This is more descriptive of the character of the maid than any of the other qualities, pride and strength-dignity and beauty are all here inferred. The shepherd wants his bride-to-be to remember who she is and whose she is. She did not hesitate to identify with the shepherd when her brothers opposed him. He can still see the tilt of her head and the beautiful total commitment of her demeanor when she answered her brothers concerning him. He is reminding her to be that same strong, beautiful person here in the Court of Solomon. A thousand shields of conquest decorated Davids tower-perhaps he is saying-You are as strong as a thousand strong women.

(7) Thy breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle feeding among anemones. We could ignore this description as some have done-or say that the breasts of women do not have erotic suggestion to the Oriental. We do believe the shepherd is saying his bride has reached maturity and is therefore capable of motherhood. But most of all he is simply open in his admiration of her physical beauty. We would say that this lover has gathered a string of beautiful pearls to present to his beloved. He concludes by promising to return at nightfall; when he comes it will be with a mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense. During his absence he has been to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense-he now comes again with much more to offer than Solomon. His closing words should have indeed touched her deeply. He is saying-you are pure and whole and totally lovely-keep it that way till I come again.

Marriage Son 4:1-7

If we were married to a girl whom we could describe in the same way the Shulammite is here described, we would have no problems in marriage. Is this true? It is both true and false. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If we look at our wife with grace, we will find grace. Lets check the list and see: (1) How easy it is for a mother to see alertness and intelligence in the eyes of her son or daughter when no one else can see anything unusual at all. Why? The mother wants to and besides that she is a part of that son or daughter and they a part of her. Is this the kind of love we have for this one who has now become bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh-that one we call woman-or wife? Look into her eyes again-there is a dove of softness and love behind those eyes isnt there? (2) Why does your wife fix her hair or have it fixed? Isnt it for you? She does hope you will see it and mention it-How does it look? It is her adornment from God-but if her beloved never notices-whats the use? (3) She does have a sweet mouth, doesnt she? She does if you believe she does. We cannot always agree with all she says-but then God cant always agree with you-but His love is yet and always warm and tender and real. (4) What a dear face, it represents the one you chose among ten thousand. Can you close your eyes and see her face? You can if you have made her a part of your inner consciousness. She loves you much more deeply than you could ever know. (5) What is the general demeanor of your wife? i.e., how would you describe her bearing? You have seen her often under so many circumstances-how does she hold her head?-literally and figuratively. Do you respect her for her abilities in many areas where you really could not do nearly as well? If we will just think and add grace and love our wife will compare very well. (6) Only you can say if your wife is physically attractive to you. She must have been for this was one of the reasons you married her. Once again a large part or percent of this attraction is in the imagination. Not all of it-but much of it. (7) How would you grade your choice of women? What a change takes place when we put on the glasses of love and grace and look at everything about our wife in the same way our heavenly groom looks at us.

Communion Son 4:1-7

If we were describing the groom (our Lord) instead of the bride (his church) these verses would be much easier to apply-at least we would feel nothing would be overstated or misrepresented-but as we look at ourselves in the mirror of His word we grow less and less willing to think of ourselves as at all like the one here described. But wait!-He sees us through love and grace-This does not minimize our responsibility, but it does make possible a growth in grace unto the likeness of the bride of our Lord. How often it is true that we become what others believe we can. How does our Lord see us?

Notice:

(1) He believes we can see all of life through the eyes of the Holy Dove. At the same time He has given us a covering to conceal our perception that it be not offensive-our veil or covering is humility.

(2) Hair has always represented a special consecration and obedience to God-In the care of the Nazarites (Numbers 6) it is illustrated by Samson. This consecration and obedience can and should become our strength and beauty. But only as we are completely given to Him is it true. Hair with a woman was identical in meaning as with the Nazarite. It was a covering as a symbol of subjection and commitment. (1Co 11:1 ff)

(3) Teeth are the equipment of God given us for eating. He has given us the means by which we can eat His word and be filled and strong.

(4) Lips are for expression-as teeth masticate the food so lips express the strength received from it.

(5) Our facial expression can present our Lord in a pleasant, beautiful manner.

(6) The neck could well represent the will of man. May our total bearing be one of submission to His will in our lives.

(7) The bosom is often represented as the seat of the affections. When the foregoing is true of us our emotions will be under His control. The above person is that new creation in Christ Jesus. Cf. Col 3:1-17; 2Co 5:17; It is only possible because of Him and through Him.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

ADDRESSES ON THE SONG OF SOLOMON

by H. A. Ironside, LITT. D. Author of Notes on Hebrews, Lectures on Romans, Colossians, Revelation, etc., etc.

Loizeaux Brothers, Inc. Bible Truth Depot A Non-Profit Organization, Devoted to the Lords Work and to the spread of the Truth Copyright @ 1933 CHAPTER FOUR SONG OF SOLOMON 4:1-11

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee (Song of Solomon 4:7). IT is not strange that as we think of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom, our souls are moved to their deepest depths, but it is hard for us to realize that He has a greater love for us than we could ever possibly have for Him. And so here in this fourth chapter of the Song of Solomon, we hear the bridegroom expressing to his loved one the feelings of his heart toward her, and as we read these words, as we listen to these heart-breathings, we should remember that the speaker is really our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the bride may be looked at in various ways, as we have already seen. Prophetically, we may think of the bride as Israel, and the Lord God rejoicing over her in that coming day; individually, we may think of the bride as representing any saved soul, and the Lord expressing His delight in the one He has redeemed to Himself by His precious blood; or as that Church which Christ loved and for which He gave Himself.

So we may see in these utterances His delight in His Church. In verses one to seven of this fourth chapter, you will notice that He addresses Himself directly to the bride, and He speaks of her beauties as He sees them in a very wonderful way. The imagery, of course, as throughout this book, is strictly oriental, and goes considerably beyond what we prosaic occidentals are in the habit of using. And yet as we read it, we see that there is nothing coarse, nothing that would bring the blush to the cheek of modesty.

It is the fullest, most rapturous delight of the bridegroom in the bride, but every expression is in keeping with the holiness of this blessed little book.

First, he speaks of her general appearance. Four times over in this chapter, he tells her of her fairness. Twice he declares it in verse one. He says, Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair. In verse seven we read, Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. Again in verse ten, How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And yet she had no fairness in herself, as we had no beauty in ourselves. In an earlier chapter we heard her say, I am black as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. But he says, as he looks at her through loves eyes, Thou art all fair. Does it not bring before us the wondrous thing that our Saviour has done for every one of us who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? We would never have been saved at all if we had not realized in some measure our own wretchedness, our own sinfulness, our unlovely character. It was because of this that we fled to Him for refuge and confessed that we were anything but fair, anything but beautiful. We took our places side by side with Job and cried, I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5, 6). We knelt beside Isaiah and exclaimed, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isa 6:5). We took part with Peter and cried, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luk 5:8). But when we took that place of repentance, of acknowledgement of our own natural deformity and unloveliness, He looked upon us in His grace and said, Thou art perfect in Mine eyes by the comeliness which I have put upon thee. And now as those who have been washed from our sins in His own precious blood, He addresses us in the rapturous way that we have here, Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee. What! No spot in us, when we were stained by sin, when we were polluted by iniquity? Once it could be said of us, From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment (Isa 1:6). And now His holy eyes cannot find one spot of sin, nor any sign of iniquity. Let this give us to understand what grace hath wrought.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me!

It is only Gods matchless grace that has thus made us accepted in the Beloved.

Then you will notice that the bridegroom looking upon his bride speaks of her person in the most glowing terms, referring to seven different things. First, he speaks of her eyes and says to her, Thou hast doves eyes within thy locks. What does that mean? The dove was a clean bird, the bird of love and sorrow, the bird offered in sacrifice upon the altar, and thus typified our Lord Jesus as the heavenly One. And now he sees reflected in his bride that which speaks of himself. Thou hast doves eyes. We may not have stopped to realize it, but the dove is very keen of sight.

Recently in an eastern city, a poor carrier pigeon fell exhausted on one of those high buildings, and somebody working on the roof of the building caught it utterly unable to rise. They found attached to it a message that had come over three thousand miles, and that little dove had seen its way all along the miles, and; had flown on and on until at last it had brought the message to that eastern city. When our blessed Lord says to us, Thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves eyes within thy locks, it means not only that we have eyes of beauty, but eyes quick to discern the precious and wonderful things that are hidden for us in His holy Word. Do we respond to this, or do these doves eyes sometimes take to wandering, going out after the things of a poor godless world?

He says, Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from Mount Gilead. He refers to the Syrian goat with its long silken hair. One can imagine the beauty of the scene, a flock of goats up yonder on the mountain-side. The bridegroom says, Your hair reminds me of that. Hair, in Scripture, is a womans glory. That is one reason why she is not supposed to follow the styles of the world and cut away her beauty and glory. You remember the woman of old who loved Jesus and knelt at His feet and washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. She was using that which spoke of her beauty and her glory to minister to Him, the loving, blessed Saviour. Some of my sisters will forgive me if I say that it would be difficult for them to dry anyones feet with their hair! Yes, her hair is a womans glory and beauty, and, incidentally, that is exactly the reason why the Word of God tells the woman to cover her head when she comes into the presence of the Lord. When she comes in before Him whose glory fills the heavens, to join with His worshipping people, she is to cover her own glory that no ones attention may be distracted, but fixed on Christ Himself. When you get the inwardness of these things, you find there is a beauty and a privilege in them that does away with all legality, and also does away with leaving us free to follow our own judgment. In Scripture, some things are commanded because they are right, and other things are right because they are commanded. When He makes known His will, the subject Christian bows to His Word, assured that there is a reason for it, though he does not always understand it. How He delights to behold His obedient people; how He glories in their moral beauty!

Then, in the third place, he speaks of her teeth, and we may think that strange, but there is nothing more beautiful than a lovely set of pearls half-hidden in the mouth. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. The two sets of teeth answer to the twins in their cleanliness and sparkling beauty, so attractive in his eyes. And how important the teeth are, spiritually speaking, because they speak to us of mastication, of the ability to properly lay hold of and digest our food. I am afraid there are a number of toothless Christians from that standpoint. Some say, I do not know how it is, but other people read their Bibles and find such wonderful things, when I do not find much in mine. The trouble is you have such poor teeth, you do not masticate your spiritual food properly. It is by meditation that we appropriate our daily provision. David said, My meditation of Him shall be sweet (Psa 104:34). Until He gives you a new set of spiritual teeth, you had better use some second-hand ones. Thank God for what others have found; read their books, and get something that way! By-and-by if you will wait on Him, the Lord will give you back your teeth, even if you have lost them, and you will be able to enjoy the truth for yourself.

The third verse is most lovely: Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely. This is different from that abominable custom of today that leads so many women, of course not consistent Christian women, but those of the world and Christians living on the edge of the world, to put that filthy stuff upon their lips that makes them look like a cross between poor, low women of the street and circus performers. Here it is the red lip of health, of spiritual health. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely. Why? Because it is speech that has to do with Him! The bride loves to speak of the bridegroom, as the Christian loves to speak of Christ, and her lips are like a thread of scarlet, for she exalts that blood by which she has been brought nigh to God. Every real Christian will have lips like a thread of scarlet, for he gladly confesses that he owes everything for eternity to that precious atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not only when we gather at the table of the Lord, when we bow in worship as we take the bread and cup as from His blessed pierced hand, that we love to sing and speak and think of the blood; but always!

Everywhere, at all times, the believer delights to remember that he has been redeemed to God by the precious blood of Christ. You will find the scarlet thread running right through this Book.

God has said: – The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul; it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. – When I see the blood, I will pass over you. – We have been redeemed to God by the precious blood of Christ, as of an unblemished spotless lamb, foreknown indeed from the foundation of the world, but manifest in these last times for you. – The blood of Jesus Christ, Gods Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And when at last we get home to heaven, our lips will be like a thread of scarlet still, for we will join in that new song and sing our praises to Him who was slain and has loosed us from our sins in His own blood, and we will render adoration unto the Lamb whose blood was shed, that we might be made kings and priests unto God. O Christian, make much of the blood, speak often of the blood. Do not be satisfied with the namby-pamby, bloodless religion of the day. When you ask the question, Are you a Christian? and you get the ready answer, Oh, yes; I belong to the church, then see that your lips are like a thread of scarlet and ask, Are you trusting in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus alone for salvation? So often you will find that the idle profession made a moment ago was only an empty thing. They are Christians in name only. There are thousands about us who know nothing of the cleansing value of the blood of Jesus.

Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. You know the temple speaks of the dome of thought, and so the brides thought is about her bridegroom. She loves to think of him, to meditate upon the treasures found in his word. Then he delights in her as she delights in him.

In the next verse we have the strength of her character, given her by divine grace. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. Davids tower, you see, is the place of defense, the place of strength, and the bride here is one of those who can stand up straight and boldly look the world in the face, assured of the love and protection of her matchless bridegroom. And so we are called upon to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

The head wont be hanging down like a bulrush when our hearts are taken up with Him. There will be a boldness that is never known when out of communion with Him.

Then, last of all, in the seventh place he speaks of that which tells of affection. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. Her heart is his, her whole being belongs to him, and he rejoices in her. We may well sing:

Jesus, Thou art enough

The mind and heart to fill; Thy patient life-to calm the soul; Thy love-its fear dispel.

O fix our earnest gaze

So wholly, Lord, on Thee; That, with Thy beauty occupied, We elsewhere none may see.

As we joy in Him, we will find that He will joy in us. You remember what Faber wrote:

That Thou shouldst so delight in me And be the God Thou art, Is darkness to my intellect, But sunlight to my heart.

I cannot understand why He should say, Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee. I cannot comprehend such matchless grace, but my heart can rejoice in it, and so I love Him in return because He first loved me.

Following this section in which we have the bridegrooms joy in the bride, in verses eight to eleven we have his summons to companionship with himself. The bridegroom would call his bride away from everything else that has occupied her in order to find in him her all in all. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! He sees her upon the mountainside. And, you know, the mountain is the place of privilege, the place of beauty, of worldly grandeur and glory, but it is also the place of danger. The leopards lair is there and the lions den, and as he beholds her there alone, he cries, Come with me from Lebanon . . . from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Our blessed Lord wants the companionship of His redeemed people. How sweet those words, Come with Me! He never calls His people from anything, either the beautiful things of the world or the dangerous things (and after all, the beautiful is often the most dangerous), simply to take a path alone, but it is always, Come with Me, and you cannot afford, you who love His name, to draw back, to say, There are other things so lovely, so beautiful, that my soul must have; I cannot leave them to go with Thee. He who died for you, He who left heavens glory in order to redeem your soul, calls to you and says, Come with Me. Can you draw back and say, No; it is too much to ask; I cannot leave these surroundings; I cannot leave these worldly follies; I cannot quit this place of danger for Thy sake, Lord Jesus? Surely there is not very much love there. You need to get down before Him and confess the sin of your cold-heartedness and indifference, and ask for a fresh vision of the love that He manifested in the cross that your heart may be weaned away from everything else. Dr. Watts has put it:

He calls me from the lions den, From this wild world of beasts and men, To Zion where His glories are, No Lebanon is half so fair. Nor dens of prey, nor flowery plains, Nor earthly joys, nor earthly pains, Shall hold my feet or force my stay, When Christ invites my soul away.

Does your heart respond to that? What He desires above everything else is to see His people finding satisfaction in His company.

And then in the closing two verses of this section, verses ten and eleven, we read, How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. You remember in the first chapter it is she who said, looking up to him, We will remember thy love more than wine. Now it is he who responds to her and says,

How much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. His people should be fragrant with the sweetness of Christ. It is said of the disciples of old, They took knowledge that they had been with Jesus, and if we are in His company, there will be a rich fragrance of holiness, of heavenliness, about us wherever we are found.

A minister tells of riding with another preacher on top of a bus in London, England. As they came down a poor-looking street with a big factory on one side, they were halted, and they noticed the doors of the factory had opened and hundreds of girls were pouring out and making their way across the street to a lunch room; suddenly the air was filled with a sweet delightful fragrance. The visitor said, Isnt that remarkable in a factory district here in London?-such wondrous fragrance! It seems like the odor of a great garden. You would not think of finding such fragrance in this district. Oh, you dont understand, said his friend; this is one of the largest perfume-factories in all the British Isles, and these young people are working constantly among the perfumes, and every where they go the fragrance remains upon their garments.

Beloved, if you and I are living in fellowship with Christ, if we keep in touch with Him, everywhere we go His fragrance will be manifested in our lives.

~ end of chapter 4 ~

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets

Son 4:16

The offices of the Holy Spirit are manifold.

I. It is He who must convince us of sin (Joh 16:8).

II. Conversion, in its true and scriptural sense, a turning from wrong to right, is another part of the Holy Spirit’s work.

III. Another reason why we should devoutly beseech the Holy Spirit to blow upon the Lord’s garden, in which we have been planted, is that He may purify as by His grace.

IV. A fourth reason is that we may evermore rejoice in His holy comfort. Without the Holy Ghost, the garden of the Lord would be the most barren desert. He is our companion, teacher, advocate, friend, comforter.

V. We cannot dispense with the influences of the Spirit, because it is only when these are felt, that the spices in the Lord’s garden shed forth their abundant sweetness.

J. N. Norton, Golden Truths, p. 285.

References: Son 4:16.-Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 61; J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes, 1st series, p. 80. 4-Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 7; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. viii., p. 273; J. R. Macduff, Communion Memories, p. 164; J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 195; G. Matheson, Moments on the Mount, p. 262. Son 5:1.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xvi., No. 919; Ibid., Evening by Evening, p. 170; J. M. Neale, Sermons on the Song of Songs, p. 205. Son 5:2.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvi., No. 1561; Ibid., Evening by Evening, p. 270; R. M. McCheyne, Additional Remains, p. 230.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

CHAPTER 4

The King, the Bridegroom speaks of her, who is perfect through His comeliness put upon thee Eze 16:14. He tells out all she is in His sight and loving estimation. He has called her from the lions den, from the mountains of the leopards (Son 4:8); she has passed through the fires of persecution and tribulation and now His heart expresses His delight in her. There are eight descriptions of her beauty. He tells her, Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair. And after the description of the beauty He beholds in her, whom He has brought out of the wilderness and out of the lions den, He says, Thou art all fair, MY love; and there is no spot in thee. He assures her of His delight in her. It is all His own workmanship; she has not made herself fair without a spot. His grace and power have accomplished it for her. And what is true of the bride-remnant of Israel is also true of the Church. In Him we have our completeness and perfection; His own comeliness and glory is bestowed upon us. The happy day is coming for Him and for us when He will present the church to Himself, a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish Eph 5:27.

In Son 4:12-15 we have a beautiful description of the garden, the land of Israel in which His beloved is now planted once more. Here are found the precious fruits, as well as the spikenard and all the trees of frankincense. There is the fountain, the well of living waters; this as well as the north wind and the south wind, typifies the Holy Spirit. And she invites Him to come to His garden. Let my Beloved come into His garden and eat its precious fruit.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

11.

Christs own estimate of his church

Son 4:1-15

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locksThou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

Remember, the Song of Solomon is to be interpreted spiritually, as an allegory. Any attempt to interpret the book in a strictly literal way is a great mistake, and must lead to very great evil. This is a love song, not between a man and a woman, but between Christ and his bride, the church. It speaks of the intimate relationship and loving communion which exists between the Lord Jesus Christ and his believing people. This Song expresses the affection of a believing heart for Christ and the affection of Christs heart for his believing people.

One clear indication that the Song must be interpreted as an allegory is found in Son 4:9. “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.” Here the church is spoken of as both Christs sister and his spouse. It would be atrocious to think that Solomon had taken his sister to be his bride! But Christs church is to him both a sister, and a spouse, and a mother (Mat 12:50).

The church is called his sister, because he took upon himself our nature in the incarnation, and he makes us partakers of his nature in regeneration. He clothed himself with a body (Heb 2:14), and he clothes the believer with his Spirit (1Co 6:17). Christ owns his church and loves us as his sister, because we are the children of God his Father. Both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one (Heb 2:11).

There is also a marriage-covenant between the Lord Jesus Christ and every believing soul. All true believers are members of the church, which is his bride. We are the bride; he is the Bridegroom. We are espoused to Christ; and he is espoused to us. We are wed to him; and he is wed to us. We are no more two, but one. We are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. We are members of Christ himself.

Nothing more beautifully describes our relationship to Christ and our love for him than the love of a bride for her husband. And nothing more beautifully describes our Saviors love for us than the love of a true husband to his bride. In chapter 3, the church, the bride, spoke lovingly and admirably of Christ, expressing the love and esteem of every believing heart for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in chapter Son 4:1-15, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks lovingly and admirably of his church, expressing his love and esteem for every true believer.

These fifteen verses show us Christs own estimate of his church. A loving wife does not find her joy and comfort in what her friends and neighbors may think of her. And she does not find joy and comfort in what she thinks of herself. If she truly loves and reverences her husband, she will always think herself to be an unworthy wife. But she finds all her joy and comfort as a wife in her husbands high opinion of her. If her husband loves her and honors her above all women, in his thoughts, in his speech, and in his conduct, she is happy. She desires no more than this. Even so, the true believer finds no joy and comfort in the opinions of others about him, or in his own opinions about himself. But if he can be persuaded that the Lord Jesus Christ holds him in the high esteem of love and honor, there he finds all the comfort and joy his heart can crave. In this passage the Lord Jesus declares to every believer that he holds us in the highest possible esteem of perfect love.

If you are a child of God, a believer, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, here assures you that he holds you in such great esteem and honor that his very heart is ravished by you! He says, Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck! What an amazing statement!

Perfect in beauty

Here is the first thing to be learned from this chapter. It is a lesson which we are all very reluctant to learn; but once learned, it is most comforting to our hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ declares that his church is perfect in beauty (Son 4:1-7). “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”

By nature there is no beauty in us. There is nothing about us to commend us to the love of God. We are all black, unclean, and corrupt by nature. Both at heart and in outward appearance, we are evil. In our own esteem, there is nothing beautiful in us. The more we know Christ, the more we know ourselves. And the more we know ourselves, the more hideous we appear in our own eyes. Who are we that he should look upon us with favor?

But in the eyes of Christ we are perfect in beauty. Three times he declaresBehold, thou art fair, my love, behold, thou art fair…Thou art all fair, my love: there is no spot in thee! In him and in his eyes, we are complete, we are beautiful, and we are perfect. Christ has made us perfect and beautiful in every detail! (Eze 16:8-14; Eph 5:25-27). He has thoroughly removed every spot of sin from us. He has taken away our sins and has implanted a new nature within us (1Jn 3:5-9). He will soon present us to himself faultless before his Fathers throne in his own perfection (Col 1:21-22; Jud 1:24-25). The Lord Jesus describes his church as having a sevenfold beauty. In his eyes, everything about her is perfect! “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair

1. Thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks:

2. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

3. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

4. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely.

5. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

6. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

7. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is so pleased with the beauty of his Church that he has chosen her to be his rest forever (Son 4:6). “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.””The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zep 3:17).

A call to communion

Second, our blessed Savior calls us to walk with him in sweet fellowship and communion (Son 4:8).”Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.” Here he gives us a gracious call to come along with him as a faithful Bride, to come away from our own people and our fathers house, and to cleave only to him.

This is a precept we must obey. Come with Me. All who have come to Christ by faith must come with Christ in holy communion. Being joined to him, we must walk with him. We must come with Christ away from all the pleasant mountains of this world. Matthew Henry wrote, This is Christs call to his spouse to come off from the world, all its products, all its pleasures, to sit loose all the delights of sense. All those must do so that would come to Christ. They must take this affections off from present things. Child of God, we who belong to Christ must look beyond this world. We must live above the perishing things of time. We must set our hearts upon Christ (2Co 4:18; Col 3:1-3). We who belong to the Son of God live above the dangers of this world, let us also live above the cares of this world. But this eighth verse is much more than a precept for us to obey

This is also a promise we should enjoy. Christs church shall be brought home with him to heaven. We shall be delivered in due time from all the dangers and difficulties of this world. Soon, the lions of hell and the leopards of darkness will torment us no more! “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom 16:20.

Ravished with love

Third, we are told that Christs very heart is ravished with love for his people (Son 4:9-15). “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”

The Lord Jesus Christ has made us so perfectly beautiful in his sight that he is ravished with love for us! The love of Christ for us is the real affection of his heart. The God-man loves us. The Son of God so loves us that he delights in us! The Lord Jesus Christ is ravished with our love for him (1Jn 4:19). The love we have for him is a love he has created and given us. Yet, it is truly ours. We love him because he first loved us. But we do love him. We did not, would not, and could not love him by nature. But now he has put such a love in our hearts for him that he is ravished by it. His love for us precedes our love for him eternally. His love for us exceeds our love for him infinitely. And his love for us caused our love for him effectually. But we do love him sincerely.

The Son of God, our all-glorious Christ is ravished by the grace which he has put upon us. The smell of thine ointments. The fruit of the Spirit created in us and the graces of the Spirit wrought in us are a sweet aroma to our Redeemer. They are a sweet smelling ointment to him, because they are his gifts to us, the gifts of his own grace (Gal 5:22-23; Eze 16:9-14).

Our blessed Savior is ravished by our speech, too, because it is all about him. Thy lips. The most delightful and most constant theme of a loving Bride is her Husband. And the believers most joyful speech is about Christ. Those who know Christ love to speak of him. We love to speak of who he is, what he has done, why he did it, where he is now, what he is doing there, and when he shall return.

Looking into our hearts, the Lord Jesus Christ is ravished by our thoughts of him. Honey and milk are under thy tongue. He hears our thoughts. He knows those precious thoughts we have of him, thought that words can never express.

Knowing the sincerity of our hearts, the Lord Jesus Christ is ravished by our works performed for him. The smell of thy garments. Without question, these garments are the garments of salvation which he has wrought and bought for us, which he brought to us, and put upon us.

Garments of Imputed Righteousness.

Garments of Imparted Righteousness.

Garments of Grace and Holiness.

Yet, the church of Christ is a garden flourishing with good works, works done for him, works which he has created in us (Son 4:12-15). She is a garden planted by his grace and watered by his Spirit, so thoroughly and effectually watered that she has become herself a fragrant, fruitful fountain of gardens and living waters, with streams flowing out of her into all the world to refresh the earth. That is the picture drawn in Son 4:12-15. “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”

Our works, the works of Gods church, those works performed for Christ are never counted by us as being worthy of anything. We know that if we did all things perfectly, we would only have done what we should have done. We constantly repent even of our best, noblest, most righteous works, because all our righteousnesses are filthy rags before the holy Lord God. But he whom we love and serve looks upon our puny works as his pleasant fruits. They are rich, sweet fragrances, the smell of which ravishes his heart. They are works of faith and love. They are works produced by him and honored by him (Eph 2:10). That which is done by faith in Christ, arising from a heart of love for him, are honored and accepted by him. Let us ever rest in his love, walk in communion with him. And let us faithfully serve our Redeemer, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

my: Son 4:9, Son 4:10, Son 1:15, Son 2:10, Son 2:14, Psa 45:11, Eze 16:14, 2Co 3:18

thou hast: Son 5:12, Mat 11:29, Phi 2:3-5

thy hair: Son 5:11, Son 6:5, Son 6:7, Son 7:5

appear from: or, eat of, etc

mount: Num 32:1, Num 32:40

Reciprocal: Psa 16:3 – the excellent Psa 74:19 – turtledove Son 1:8 – O thou Son 1:9 – O my Son 4:7 – General Son 7:4 – thine eyes

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Son 4:1. Behold These words are evidently spoken by the bridegroom; thou art fair Being clothed with my righteousness, and adorned with all the graces of my Spirit. Behold, thou art fair He repeats it both to confirm his assertion, and to show the fervency of his affection. Thou hast doves eyes Whereas the beauty of the spouse is here described in her several parts, we need not labour much about the application of each particular to some distinct grace of the church, it being the chief design of the description to show that completeness and absolute perfection which the church hath in part received, and shall more fully receive in the future life. Thy hair is as a flock of goats That is, as the hair of a flock of goats, which in these parts was of extraordinary length, softness, and comeliness; that appear from mount Gilead A very fruitful place, fit for breeding all sorts of cattle, and especially of goats, because it was a hilly and woody country.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Son 4:8. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse. This endearing appellative occurs here for the first time. This summerhouse of Solomon was built in the forest of Lebanon, and was intended for Pharaohs daughter, as a retreat during the warmer season.Look from the top of Amana, a commanding summit of that range of mountains. Then, crossing the whole kingdom, come with me to the top of Shenir and Hermon, as described in Deu 3:9. Thence also survey the happy land from the lions dens, and the mountains of the leopards. These are the hills whence the kingdom could be seen to the greatest advantage, and in which exalted situations the sentiments of Moses, on seeing the land from mount Pisgah, might again inspire the breast.

REFLECTIONS.

This chapter opens with the bridegrooms eulogies on the beauties of the church. The poetry is flowery and uniform with the poem. If we would avoid the ridiculous and insipid expositions which some of the ancients, and many of the moderns, have given of this passage, we must be content with saying, that the eyes of the church resemble those of the innocent dove. By connecting the beauty of her hair with that of the goats on mount Gilead, and the whiteness of her teeth with the washed and fruitful flocks of sheep, we learn, that the church is a collective body, and equally distinguished by beauty and encrease. Her coral lips drop with wisdom. Every word is distinguished by modesty and grace. Her neck and head are as the beautiful arsenal which David built. There is much of majesty and awe in the aspect of the church; and yet she is indulgent, and nourishes her little ones with the breasts of consolation. But what shall mortals say of beauty derived from heaven? She is all fair, and free from every spot. Christ has loved the church, and given himself for it, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish. The kings daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold.

The spouse is next invited to see the kingdom from the most commanding elevations of prospect, equally gratifying the eye with vision, and the mind with contemplation. Hail, happy land, abounding in every variety of beauty, and adorning of cosmography. But the Lords portion is his people. On entering the royal gardens, the idea was suggested, that the church is the garden of the Lord; an idea which originated in paradise, and is beautifully illustrated by the prophets concerning the glory of the latter day, and also in the book of Revelations. It is a garden enclosed, out of the wild wastes of a sinful world. The soil is fallowed, and planted with the choicest plants. Solomon sent to India for spice-trees. Just so does Jesus Christ renovate the heart, root out every weed, not of his Fathers planting; and adorn the soul with every celestial temper and divine affection. He replenished his garden with pools, streams, and fountains; but his fountains of grace and comfort are so sealed that strangers cannot drink of them. In this garden he daily walks, cleanses it of weeds as they rise, and beautifies it with all the lustre of his presence, and the glory of his name.

We have Solomons address to the winds. Awake, oh north wind; come in thy season, thou reign of cold. Seal up the powers of vegetation, and give repose to nature, while thou enrichest the earth, and preparest her for the efforts of spring. So the severer winds of the Spirit nip our worldly joys, and penetrate every corner of the heart, that we may bring forth more fruit unto God.

He invites the south wind to chase back the cold to the arctic region, to foster the tender plants in the warmth of her bosom, to array all nature in the charms and beauties of the spring, that the spicy fragrance of his garden may be diffused abroad. So when the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit opens heaven in the heart, love, joy, peace and righteousness diffuse their influence over all our life and conduct. For however private and concealed our communion with God may be, the excellence of the christian temper will be communicated through all the circle of our acquaintance, as a sweet odour unto God, and grateful to men.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Son 4:1-7. Descriptive Poem (Wasf) Setting forth the Beauty of the Bride (cf. Son 5:10-15, Son 6:4-7, and see the Introduction).On the allegorical view, Christ here commends the beauty of His Church; the eyes are the ministers of the Gospel, or the eyes of the understanding; ministers of the Gospel are to be like doves in sincerity and simplicity, and the eyes of doves are clear and sharp-sighted; that the eyes are within her locks shows the mingling of light and dark in the knowledge of ministers, and also their modesty (J. Gill). The dramatic theory places this poem in the mouth of Solomon, who, in pressing his suit upon the Shulammite, praises her beauty. It is now admitted that such poems, with certain conventional forms, were used in connexion with ancient marriage ceremonies, and also imitated in love songs. It is in such poems that the difference between Eastern and Western taste, both as to the general idea and particular figures, strikes us most. It is well also to remember that the admiration for the human form divine, which elsewhere has found manifestation in painting and sculpture, is here limited in its expression to words.

Son 4:1. (cf. Son 1:15) behind thy veil is better than within thy locks (AV); the beautiful eyes shine through the thin veil, making a striking impression. The ringlets of black hair falling down over the shoulders are likened to a flock of black goats on the mountain side.

Son 4:2. Note the word-play in Heb. between every one and barren. The comparison seems to be meant to bring out the glistening whiteness and perfect evenness of the teeth, as is suggested by mg., which are all of them in pairs.

Son 4:3. It is a picture of high colours and striking contrasts. The word rendered mouth is found only here in this sense; it is connected with the root to speak, and so AV may be correct.Thy temples, etc.: to us the figure is obscure; it is evidently based on a contrast of colours revealed by the rift in the fruit.

Son 4:4. armoury (talpiyyth) has caused considerable discussion; fatal things, poetic for weapons (BDB), but this is not certain. There are various suggestions, a fortress, a place of distant vision, trophies, Talfiath (a village), etc., all equally uncertain.shields: the word may mean armour or equipment.

Son 4:5. Which feed, etc. may be a conventional phrase that has crept in here (cf. Son 2:16, Son 6:3).

Son 4:6. Part of this verse may also have come from Son 2:17, as it breaks the connexion and is difficult to explain.

Son 4:7 closes the song with a declaration that no further details are needed as the beloved is perfect in her form and charms.

Son 4:8. The dramatic theory puts these words into the mouth of the present lover beseeching the Shulammite to come from Lebanon where she is detained; more likely it is a gloss by a reader or a fragment of a song on the wooing of a mountain maiden. Instead of look we should probably read depart.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

The Bridegroom.

(4: 1-16).

4. 1. Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair,

Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil;

Thy hair is as a flock of goats,

On the slopes of Mount Gilead.

2. Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep,

Which go up from the washing;

Which have all born twins,

And none is barren among them.

3. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,

And thy speech is comely;

As a piece of pomegranate are thy temples

Behind thy veil.

4. Thy neck is like the tower of David,

Built for an armoury:

A thousand bucklers hang thereon,

All shields of mighty men.

6. Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle,

Which feed among the Lilies.

If the others are occupied with the glories of the King, he, on his part, delights to dwell upon the beauties and perfections of his bride. The bride delights to speak to others of the glories of the King, but it is his joy to unfold to the bride his thoughts about herself. It is blessed to witness to others of the glories of Christ, but for the establishment of our hearts in solid peace and joy, it is necessary to hear from the lips of Christ His own thoughts about His people. It is this that gives the prayer of John 17 such exceeding preciousness, for there we are permitted to hear His thoughts about His own.

The King repeats twice over, “Behold thou art fair,” but is not content with a general expression of his appreciation of His bride, he dwells upon her several features. For us, doubtless, these different features set forth the moral graces that Christ sees in His people.

(1) The eyes are the windows of the soul expressing its character and moral condition. Likened to doves would set forth gentleness, purity, and devoted affection, but combined with modesty, for the eyes are seen behind the veil.

(2) The hair is likened to the black glossy hair of the goats seen in all the profusion that a flock would present on the slopes of Mount Gilead. Hair is used in Scripture as the symbol of “subjection” (1 Cor. 11), separation from the world, and consecration to God.

(3) The teeth likened to sheep coming up from the washing would indicate purity; the twins, uniformity, and none barren, completeness, nothing lacking, all qualities that Christ delights to see in His people.

(4) The lips like a thread of scarlet proclaim the healthy condition of the body, just as wholesome speech, of which the lips are a symbol, set forth the condition of the heart, for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The Lord Jesus was full of grace and truth, and hence we read of Him, “Grace is poured into Thy lips”; and of the bride the King can say, “Thy speech is comely.” If the love of Christ is in our hearts, the praise of Christ will be upon our lips, and the grace that was poured into His lips will be expressed by our lips.

(5) The temples. The forehead is used in Scripture to express either modesty or boldness. The prophet had to say of Israel, “Thou art obstinate . . . and thy brow brass” (Isa 48:4). Jehovah asks, “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?” and the answer is given, “They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” (Jer 6:15; Jer 8:12). In contrast, the bride is marked by modesty. She can blush, so that her forehead becomes red “like a piece of pomegranate,” but it is “within thy locks,” or as it may read “behind thy veil.” Under the outward symbol of subjection there was genuine modesty. Not outward subjection, and inward rebellion. Modesty found with subjection is a precious quality in the sight of Christ.

(6) The neck. The King viewing the neck of the bride adorned with precious jewels likens it to the tower of David adorned with a thousand shields that spoke of David’s victories. So too Christ is going to be glorified in His saints and admired in all them that believe.

(7) The breasts set forth the affections. The figure of the roe is used in the same connection in Pro 5:19, to indicate that which is pleasant. The “young” roe sets forth that which is fresh. In the eyes of Christ His people are marked by love that is truly pleasant and that will never grow old.

6. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away,

I will get me to the mountains of myrrh,

And to the hill of frankincense.

Night is coming and the King must leave his bride until the marriage morn. However blessed the communications of love by the way, yet the day of the gladness of the Bridegroom’s heart is still future. The bride is in the wilderness; the marriage day is yet to come. Until that day dawns the Bridegroom will go to his own country reminding us, in mystic language, that during our wilderness journey it is the night of the absence of Christ. He may commune with us by the way; He may give us very blessed realizations of His presence with us in a spiritual sense, but personally He has gone to the mountains of myrrh and the hill of frankincense, until the day break and the shadows flee away.

7. Thou art all fair, my love;

There is no spot in thee.

If, for a time, the bride is left behind, it is not because of any lack in herself. In the eyes of the King she is all fair and without spot. And in like manner the Lord’s people, viewed in the light of the Lord’s purpose, are “holy and without blame before Him in love.”

8. Come with me, from Lebanon, my spouse,

With me from Lebanon –

Come, look from the top of Amanah,

From the top of Shenir and Hermon,

From the lions’ dens,

From the mountains of the leopards.

If for a time the bride is left in the wilderness, and the Bridegroom departs to the mountains of myrrh, he would at least carry with him the affections of the bride. “Come with me,” he says, “look from the top of Amanah.” In like manner we are called to “seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.” Earth has no fairer scenes than Lebanon and Amanah, Shenir and Hermon; but hidden dangers lurk beneath earth’s brightest prospects. The lion has his den, and the leopards roam, in the excellent places of the earth. The well watered plain of Jordan may appear fair as the garden of the Lord, but Sodom and Gomorrah are there. Let us beware of looking back, like Lot’s wife, but rather may we “look from,” and beyond, all “created excellencies,” setting our affections on things above, and not on things of the earth.

9. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister [my] spouse!

Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes,

With one chain of thy neck.

10. How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse!

How much better is thy love than wine!

And the fragrance of shine ointments than all spices!

11. Thy lips [my] spouse, drop [as] the honeycomb;

Honey and milk are under thy tongue;

And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

If the Bridegroom desires to carry away the affections of the bride, it is indeed because he can say to her, “Thou hast taken away my heart.” Twice he repeats, “Thou hast taken away [or “ravished”] my heart.” It is well for us to have our affections delighting in Christ, but nothing so establishes the heart and fills it with adoring joy as the realization of the delight that Christ finds in His people. Few and poor are our thoughts of Christ, but we may say with the Psalmist, “Many, O Lord my God, are thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee . . . they are more than can be numbered.” Little wonder if our hearts were ravished with Christ, but that His heart should be ravished by His people is indeed a world’s wonder. And what could the King see in the bride that his heart should be ravished? No great thing as men speak. It was but a glance of the eye and a chain of the neck. But that look was a look of love, and the chain spoke of the adorning that he himself had put upon her. As we should say, “We love Him because He first loved us.” The glance of the eye speaks of the love of the heart, and the chain of the neck proclaims that the love of the heart is the fruit of His own love.

Of the Bridegroom’s love the bride has already said it is better than wine, and His name as ointment poured forth, and now the King, using the same figures, but with increased intensity, expresses his delight in the love of the bride. Not only is her love better than wine, it is “much better,” and the fragrance of her ointments exceeds all spices. So to the heart of Christ, His people’s love is much better than all earthly joys, and the graces of His people beyond compare with all that can minister delight in nature. Simon may spread a sumptuous feast for the Lord, but the uninvited guest – the nameless woman that was a sinner – a yet greater feast for the heart of the Lord “for she loved much.” As one has well said, “Our Lord Jesus takes special notice of the frame of the heart; He lays more weight on our lives than on our works, though true love can never be without works.”

But not only the look of the eye and the chain of the neck proclaim the love of the bride, but the “lips,” the “tongue” and the “garment” all minister delight to the King’s heart. Of the wicked it is written, “the poison of asps is under their lips,” but of His own He can say, “honey and milk are under thy tongue.” Words fall from their lips that are sweet to the Lord, and the practical righteousness of the saints – their garments – are like the smell of Lebanon, the cedar wood that speaks of human perfection.

12. A garden enclosed is my sister, [my] spouse;

A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13. Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits;

Henna with spikenard plants;

14. Spikenard and saffron;

Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense;

Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

15, A fountain in the gardens,

A well of living waters,

Which stream from Lebanon.

Having expressed His delight in the bride, the King proceeds to liken her to a garden enclosed, thus setting forth how completely the bride is set apart for His delight. In the midst of a barren desert the King has His garden enclosed wherein there are fountains of water and pleasant fruits for the pleasure of the King.

From the beginning of time it has been God’s purpose to have a garden in this world for His pleasure. In accord with this desire the Lord God placed a garden eastward in Eden. And in that garden there were trees pleasant to the sight and good for food, and a river that watered the garden and flowed from thence to the world around. But sin entered and the garden was marred and brought forth thorns and thistles.

But again, in the course of time, the Lord planted a garden. He chose Israel from among the nations and likened them to a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. Separating them from the nations, He “made a wall about” His vineyard, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and He looked for fruit. But again sin marred the garden, and it brought forth only wild grapes, and the garden was laid waste and became a place of briars and thorns (Isa 5:1-7).

Moreover to-day the Lord has His garden upon the earth, for the Apostle can say of the Christian assembly, “Ye are God’s husbandry,” and in this garden one may plant and another may water, but God giveth the increase (1Co 3:6-9). But, alas, once again the garden has been marred, for “while men slept” the enemy has sown “tares among the wheat,” with the result that God’s broken and scattered people present but faint traces of the garden of the Lord.

But when we turn from the people of God to the word of God, we find enshrined in the Song of Songs a perfect description of the garden that is suited to the Lord. And as we linger within the precincts of this fair garden we realise not only what is suited to the Lord, but how little we answer to the desire of His heart.

Let us first remember that the garden of the Lord is “a garden enclosed.” This speaks of separation, preservation, and sanctification. Under the eye of God this world is but “the barren place where Jesus died;” but in this waste there are those whom the Lord can call “His own,” and as we listen to the desire of the Lord for His own as expressed in the great prayer of John 17 we begin to realise the deep spiritual meaning of “a garden enclosed.” If “a garden enclosed” involves separation from the surrounding desert, then, in like manner, we hear the Lord telling the Father that His own are not of the world even as He is net of the world. If “a garden enclosed” has in view the preservation of the tender plants, then, in accord with this thought, we hear the Lord praying that His people may be kept from evil. And lastly, if “a garden enclosed” implies a spot set apart for the owner’s enjoyment, then, in harmony with this, we hear the Lord’s desire that His people might be sanctified.

Such are the desires of the Lord; to have a company in this world, definitely separated from the world, preserved from the evil of the world, and set apart for His pleasure, to form for Him “a garden enclosed.”

But the garden of the King is not only “a garden enclosed,” it is a watered garden. Israel in their decline are likened to “a garden that hath no water,” but in the day of their future restoration the Prophet can say to Israel, “Thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (cf. Isa 1:30 and Isa 58:11) And so the garden of the King has its “spring shut up, and fountain sealed.” It is not dependent upon the surrounding desert for its supply, the spring is within the garden. And so with the Lord’s people; they have a secret source of supply, the Holy Spirit, “whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not neither knoweth Him.” He indeed is the “Spring,” but let us not forget the Spring must be “shut up.” It is possible to grieve the Spirit into silence, and then how parched our souls become, how unfruitful the Lord’s people, when the Spirit is quenched. We need to carefully keep the door “shut” against the intrusion of the flesh, lest the Philistines once again stop the wells with earth as in the days of Abraham.

Moreover, the “spring shut up” is “a fountain sealed.” A spring yields an unfailing supply, a fountain an abundant supply rising up to its source. The Holy Spirit is not only an unfailing spring, abiding with us, and meeting all our needs throughout our pilgrim path, but He is also a fountain within the believer springing up into everlasting life (Joh 4:14). Moreover, the fountain is set apart for the King – it is “sealed.” As the Spring the Holy Spirit is occupied with us and our needs, as the Fountain He is wholly occupied with Christ and engaging our hearts with Him.

Furthermore, the garden of the King is a fruitful garden. The plants of this garden form a paradise of pomegranates, with “precious fruits” and “trees of frankincense.” and “all chief spices.” The plants may vary in size and beauty, in fragrance and fruitfulness, but all are for the delight of the King. And so in the garden of the Lord; no two saints are alike, but all minister to His delight.

And lastly, the King’s garden not only ministers to his delight, but it is a source of blessing to the regions beyond, it is like “a well of living waters, which stream from Lebanon.” And so if the garden of the Lord is “enclosed,” if it is watered with “a spring shut up, a fountain sealed,” if it yields its precious fruit for the Lord, then indeed it will be a source of blessing to the world around, a channel for “rivers of living water” to flow to dying men.

How good for our souls to linger awhile within the garden of the King and seek to learn the spiritual significance of the walls by which it is enclosed, the spring by which it is refreshed, the fruits and spices which grow therein, and the streams which flow forth to the barren lands beyond.

And we need every lesson of the garden, for our service is oft-times poor and partial. We are apt to expend much labour on one part of the garden to the detriment of another portion. Thus in the history of the Lord’s garden it has often come to pass that some have been so busy “hedging and ditching” that they have neglected the flowers and fruit. Such have almost wholly confined their labours to the maintenance of separation from the world and the exclusion of evil from the garden of the Lord, and have had little time for the care of souls, with the result that they have indeed secured an exclusive garden, but in it little fruit for the Lord and little blessing for the world around.

Then, again, others have forgotten to keep the spring “shut up.” The flesh has been allowed to work unhindered in the garden of the Lord, and so the Holy Spirit has been grieved and hindered, and in this way the garden has ceased to yield its pleasant fruit to the Lord.

Others, again, have been so attracted by the flowers and the fruit that they have overlooked the hedges and the ditches, with the result that the encircling walls have fallen into disrepair, and evil has entered through the breaches, and the garden of the Lord has been choked with weeds and become unfruitful.

Finally, there are others who have been so engrossed with the streams that flow forth to the world around that they have overlooked the plants that grow within, and thus the garden has ceased to yield fruit to the Lord.

Let us remember the garden is not ours but the Lord’s, as the King can say in the Song “My garden” (16). It is “enclosed” for the Lord; the spring is to water His garden; the precious fruits are for His delight; and if the streams of living water flow from the garden it is only to rear plants for the garden. Keeping this in mind, how careful should we be of any neglect that would render the garden of the Lord unfruitful.

16 Awake, north wind, and come [thou] south;

Blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow forth.

The King calls for the cold blast from the north, and the scorching wind from the south, to blow upon his garden and thus make the spices thereof flow forth. Thus it is the Lord often calls for the contrary winds of this world to blow upon His people to call forth from them the precious fruits of His own grace. The plants in His garden have ever increased most and thriven best in times of hottest persecution.

The Bride.

(4: 16).

16. Let my beloved come into his garden,

And eat its precious fruits.

The bride, taking up the figure used by the King, seems to say, “If I am a garden, and if the King can see in his garden a paradise of precious fruits, then let my beloved come into his garden, and eat its precious fruits.” In the eyes of the bride the garden would be but a poor place without the presence of the King. And we may say, “What would heaven be without the presence of Christ? What would paradise be without the Lord? And what the assembly of His people on earth without Himself in the midst?” What gave all the blessedness to that garden enclosed when the “disciples were assembled” on that first day of the week in the upper room with the doors shut for fear of the Jews? Was it not that “then came Jesus and stood in the midst”? And do we not read of that same visit to His garden that one disciple “was not with them when Jesus came”? It was the coming of Jesus into the midst of His own that turned His garden into a paradise.

Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible

4:1 Behold, thou [art] {a} fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair [is] as a {b} flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

(a) Because Christ delights in his Church, he commends all that is in her.

(b) He has respect for the multitude of the faithful, which are many in number.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

1. The bride’s beauty 4:1-7

His bride’s beauty ravished Solomon. His praise in Son 4:1; Son 4:7 frames his description of her in Son 4:1-6.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Women in Solomon’s culture did not always wear a veil. Before their wedding they put one on and did not take it off for some time after that (cf. Gen 24:65; Gen 29:19-25). From a distance, a herd of black goats descending from the mountains at dusk was very attractive and reminded Solomon of his beloved’s long black locks rippling and tumbling freely.

"The hair of goats in ancient Israel was commonly black or dark colored, whereas that of sheep, used for comparison in the next verse, was commonly white." [Note: Exum, Song of . . ., p. 162.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

B. The Consummation 4:1-5:1

Our attention now turns from the public procession that took place on the wedding day to the private union that followed that night.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

TRUE LOVE TESTED

Son 1:1-17; Son 2:1-17; Son 3:1-11; Son 4:1-16; Son 5:1

THE poem opens with a scene in Solomons palace. A country maiden has just been introduced to the royal harem. The situation is painful enough in itself, for the poor, shy girl is experiencing the miserable loneliness of finding herself in an unsympathetic crowd. But that is not all. She is at once the object of general observation; every eye is turned towards her; and curiosity is only succeeded by ill-concealed disgust. Still the slavish women, presumably acting on command, set themselves to excite the new-comers admiration for their lord and master. First one speaks some bold amorous words, {Son 1:2} and then the whole chorus follows. {Son 1:3} All this is distressing and alarming to the captive, who calls on her absent lover to fetch her away from such an uncongenial scene; she longs to run after him; for it is the king who has brought her into his chambers, not her own will; {Son 1:4} The women of the harem take no notice of this interruption, but finish their ode on the charms of Solomon. All the while they are staring at the rustic maiden, and she now becomes conscious of a growing contempt in their looks. What is she that the attractions of the king before which the dainty ladies of the court prostrate themselves should have no fascination for her? She notices the contrast between the swarthy hue of her sunburnt countenance and the pale complexion of these pampered products of palace seclusion. She is so dark in comparison with them that she likens herself to the black goatshair tents of the Arabs. {Son 1:5} The explanation is that her brothers have made her work in their vineyards. Meanwhile she has not kept her own vineyard. (Son 1:6) She has not guarded her beauty as these idle women, who have nothing else to do, have guarded theirs: but perhaps she has a sadder thought-she could not protect herself when out alone at her task in the country or she would never have been captured and carried off to prison where she now sits disconsolate. Possibly the vineyard she has not kept is the lover whom she has lost. (See Son 8:12). Still she is a woman, and with a touch of piqued pride she reminds her critics that if she is dark-black compared with them-she is comely. They cannot deny that. It is the cause of all her misery; she owes her imprisonment to her beauty. She knows that their secret feeling is one of envy of her, the latest favourite. Then their affected contempt is groundless. But, indeed, she has no desire to stand as their rival. She would gladly make her escape. She speaks in a half soliloquy. Will not somebody tell her where he is whom her soul loveth? Where is her lost shepherd lad? Where is he feeding his flock? Where is he resting it at noon? Such questions only provoke mockery. Addressing the simple girl as the “fairest among women,” the court ladies bid her find her lover for herself. Let her go back to her country life and feed her kids by the shepherds tents. Doubtless if she is bold enough to court her swain in that way she will not miss seeing him.

Hitherto Solomon has not appeared. Now he comes on the scene, and proceeds to accost his new acquisition in highly complimentary language, with the ease of an expert in the art of courtship. At this point we encounter the most serious difficulty for the theory of a shepherd lover. To all appearances a dialogue between the king and the Shulammite here ensues. {Son 1:9-17; Son 2:1-6} But if this were the case, the country girl would be addressing Solomon in terms of the utmost endearment-conduct utterly incompatible with the “shepherd hypothesis.” The only alternative is to suppose that the hard-pressed girl takes refuge from the importunity of her royal flatterer by turning aside to an imaginary, half dream-like conversation with her absent lover. This is not by any means a probable position, it must be allowed; it seems to put a strained interpretation on the text. Undoubtedly if the passage before us stood by itself, there would not be any difference of opinion about it; everybody would take it in its obvious meaning as a conversation between two lovers. But it does not stand by itself-unless, indeed, we are to give up the unity of the book. Therefore it must be interpreted so as not to contradict the whole course of the poem, which shews that another than Solomon is the true lover of the disconsolate maiden.

The king begins with the familiar device by which rich men all the world over try to win the confidence of poor girls when there is no love on either side, -a device which has been only too successful in the case of many a weak Marguerite though her tempter has not always been a handsome Faust; but in the present case innocence is fortified by true love, and the trick is a failure. The king notices that this peasant girl has but simple plaited hair and homely ornaments. She shall have plaits of gold and studs of silver! Splendid as one of Pharaohs chariot horses, she shall be decorated as magnificently as they are decorated! What is this to our staunch heroine? She treats it with absolute indifference, and begins to soliloquise, with a touch of scorn in her language. She has been loaded with scent after the manner of the luxurious court, and the king while seated feasting at his table has caught the odour of the rich perfumes. That is why he is now by her side. Does he think that she will serve as a new dainty for the great banquet, as a fresh fillip for the jaded appetite of the royal voluptuary? If so he is much mistaken. The kings promises have no attraction for her, and she turns for relief to dear memories of her true love. The thought of him is fragrant as the bundle of myrrh she carries in her bosom, as the henna-flowers that bloom in the vineyards of far-off Engedi.

Clearly Solomon has made a clumsy move. This shy bird is not of the common species with which he is familiar. He must aim higher if he would bring down his quarry. She is not to be classed with the wares of the matrimonial market that are only waiting to be assigned to the richest bidder. She cannot be bought even by the wealth of a kings treasury. But if there is a woman who can resist the charms of finery, is there one who can stand against the admiration of her personal beauty? A man of Solomons experience would scarcely believe that such was to be found. Nevertheless now the sex he estimates too lightly is to be vindicated, while the king himself is to be taught a wholesome lesson. He may call her fair; he may praise her dove-like eyes. {Son 1:15} His flattery is lost upon her. She only thinks of the beauty of her shepherd lad, and pictures to herself the green bank on which they used to sit, with the cedars and firs for the beams and roof of their trysting-place. (Son 1:16-17) Her language carries us away from the gilded splendour and close, perfumed atmosphere of the royal palace to scenes such as Shakespeare presents in the forest of Arden and the haunts of Titania, and Milton in the Mask of “Comus.” Here is a Hebrew lady longing to escape from the clutches of one who for all his glory is not without some of the offensive traits of the monster Comus. She thinks of herself as a wild flower, like the crocus that grows on the plains of Sharon or the lily (literally the anemone) that is sprinkled so freely over the upland valleys. {Son 2:1} The open country is the natural habitat of such a plant, not the stifling court. Solomon catches at her beautiful imagery. Compared with other maidens she is like a lily among thorns. {Son 2:2}

And now these scenes of nature carry the persecuted girl away in a sort of reverie. If she is like the tender flower, her lover resembles the apple tree at the foot of which it nestles, a tree the shadow of which is delightful and its fruit sweet. {Son 2:3} She remembers how he brought her to his banqueting house; that rustic bower was a very different place from the grand divan on which she had seen Solomon sitting at his table. No purple hangings like those of the kings palace there screened her from the sun. The only banner her shepherd could spread over her was love, his own. {Son 2:4} But what could be a more perfect shelter?

She is fainting. How she longs for her lover to comfort her! She has just compared him to an apple tree; now the refreshment she hungers for is the fruit of this tree; that is to say, his love. {Son 2:5} Oh that he would put his arms round her and support her, as in the old happy days before she had been snatched away from him! {Son 2:6}

Next follows a verse which is repeated later, and so serves as a sort of refrain. {Son 2:7} The Shulammite adjures the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken love. This verse is misrendered in the Authorised Version, which inserts the pronoun “my” before “love” without any warrant in the Hebrew text. The poor girl has spoken of apples. But the court ladies must not misunderstand her. She wants none of their love apples, {See Gen 30:14} no philtre, no charm to turn her affections away from her shepherd lover and pervert them to the importunate royal suitor. The opening words of the poem which celebrated the charms of Solomon had been aimed in that direction. The motive of the worm seems to be the Shulammites resistance to various attempts to move her from loyalty to her true love. It is natural, therefore, that an appeal to desist from all such attempts should come out emphatically.

The poet takes a new turn. In imagination the Shulammite hears the voice of her beloved. She pictures him standing at the foot of the lofty rock on which the harem is built, and crying, –

“Oh, my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the cover of the steep place,

Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;

For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” {Son 2:14}

He is like a troubadour singing to his imprisoned lady-love; and she, in her soliloquies, though not by any means a “high-born maiden,” may call to mind the simile in Shelleys “Skylark”:

“Like a high-born maiden In a palace tower,

Soothing her love-laden Soul in secret hour,

With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower.”

She remembers how her lover had come to her bounding over the hills “like a roe or a young hart,” {Son 2:9} and peeping in at her lattice; and she repeats the song with which he had called her out-one of the sweetest songs of spring that ever was sung. {Son 2:11-13} In our own green island we acknowledge that this is the most beautiful season of all the round year; but in Palestine it stands out in more strongly marked contrast to the three other seasons, and it is in itself exceedingly lovely. While summer and autumn are there parched with drought, barren and desolate, and while winter is often dreary with snowstorms and floods of rain, in spring the whole land is one lovely garden, ablaze with richest hues, hill and dale, wilderness and farm-land vying in the luxuriance of their wild flowers, from the red anemone that fires the steep sides of the mountains to the purple and white cyclamen that nestles among the rocks at their feet. Much of the beauty of this poem is found in the fact that it is pervaded by the spirit of an eastern spring. This makes it possible to introduce a wealth of beautiful imagery which would not have been appropriate if any other season had been chosen. Even more lovely in March than England is in May, Palestine comes nearest to the appearance of our country in the former month; so that this poem, that is so completely bathed in the atmosphere of early spring, calls up echoes of the exquisite English garden pictures in Shelleys “Sensitive Plant” and Tennysons “Maud.” But it is not only beauty of imagery that our poet gains by setting his work in this lovely season. His ideas are all ill harmony with the period of the year he describes so charmingly. It is the time of youth and hope, of joy and love-especially of love, for,

“In the spring a young mans fancy

Lightly turns to thoughts of love.”

There is even a deeper association between the ideas of the poem and the season in which it is set. None of the freshness of spring is to be found about Solomon and his harem, but it is all present in the Shulammite and her shepherd; and spring scenes and thoughts powerfully aid the motive of the poem in accentuating the contrast between the tawdry magnificence of the court and the pure, simple beauty of the country life to which the heroine of the poem clings so faithfully.

The Shulammite answers her lover in an old ditty about “the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.” {Son 2:15} He would recognise that, and so discover her presence. We are reminded of the legend of Richards page finding his master by singing a familiar ballad outside the walls of the castle in the Tyrol where the captive crusader was imprisoned. This is all imaginary. And yet the faithful girl knows in her heart that her beloved is hers and that she is his, although in sober reality he is now feeding his flocks in the far-off flowery fields of her old home. {Son 2:16} There he must remain till the cool of the evening, till the shadows melt into the darkness of night, when she would fain he returned to her, coming over the rugged mountains “like a roe or a young hart.” {Son 2:17}

Now the Shulammite tells a painful dream. {Son 3:1-4} She dreamed that she had lost her lover, and that she rose up at night and went out into the streets seeking him. At first she failed to find him. She asked the watchmen whom she met on their round, if they had seen him whom her soul loved. They could not help her quest. But a little while after leaving them she discovered her missing lover, and brought him safely into her mothers house.

After a repetition of the warning to the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken love, {Son 3:5} we are introduced to a new scene. {Son 3:6-11} It is by one of the gates of Jerusalem, where the country maiden has been brought in order that she may be impressed by the gorgeous spectacle of Solomon returning from a royal progress. The king comes up from the wilderness in clouds of perfume, guarded by sixty men-at-arms, and borne in a magnificent palanquin of cedar-wood, with silver posts, a floor of gold, and purple cushions, wearing on his head the crown with which his mother had crowned him. Is the mention of the mother of Solomon intended to be specially significant? Remember-she was Bathsheba! The allusion to such a woman would not be likely to conciliate the pure young girl, who was not in the least degree moved by this attempt to charm her with a scene of exceptional magnificence.

Solomon now appears again, praising his captive in extravagant language of courtly flattery. He praises her dove-like eyes, her voluminous black hair, her rosy lips, her noble brow (not even disguised by her veil), her towering neck, her tender bosom-lovely as twin gazelles that feed among the lilies. Like her lover, who is necessarily away with his flock, Solomon will leave her till the cool of the evening, till the shadows melt into night; but he has no pastoral duties to attend to, and though the delicate balancing and assimilation of phrase and idea is gracefully manipulated, there is a change. The king will go to “mountains of myrrh” and “hills of frankincense,” {Son 4:6} to make his person more fragrant, and so, as he hopes, more welcome.

If we adopt the “shepherd hypothesis” the next section of the poem must be assigned to the rustic lover. {Son 4:8-15} It is difficult to believe that this peasant would be allowed to speak to a lady in the royal harem. We might suppose that here and perhaps also in the earlier scene the shepherd is represented as actually present at the foot of the rock on which the palace stands. Otherwise this also must be taken as an imaginary scene, or as a reminiscence of the dreamy girl. Although a thread of unity runs through the whole poem. Goethe was clearly correct in calling it “a medley.” Scenes real and imaginary melting one into another cannot take their places in a regular drama. But when we grant full liberty to the imaginary element there is less necessity to ask what is subjective and what objective, what only fancied by the Shulammite and what intended to be taken as an actual occurrence. Strictly speaking, nothing is actual; the whole poem is a highly imaginative series of fancy pictures illustrating the development of its leading ideas.

Next-whether we take it as in imagination or in fact-the shepherd lover calls his bride to follow him from the most remote regions. His language is entirely different from that of the magnificent monarch. He does not waste his breath in formal compliments, high-flown imagery, wearisome lists of the charms of the girl he loves. That was the clumsy method of the king; clumsy, though, reflecting the finished manners of the court, in comparison with the genuine outpourings of the heart of a country lad. The shepherd is eloquent with the inspiration of true love; his words throb and glow with genuine emotion; there is a fine, wholesome passion in them. The love of his bride has ravished his heart. How beautiful is her love! He is intoxicated with it more than with wine. How sweet are her words of tender affection, like milk and honey! She is so pure. there is something sisterly in her love with all its warmth. And she is so near to him that she is almost like a part of himself, as his own sister. This holy and close relationship is in startling contrast to the only thing known as love in the royal harem. It is as much more lofty and noble as it is more strong and deep than the jaded emotions of the court. The sweet pure maiden is to the shepherd like a garden the gate of which is barred against trespassers, like a spring shut off from casual access, like a sealed fountain-sealed to all but one, and, happy man, he is that one. To him she belongs, to him alone. She is a garden, yes, a most fragrant garden, an orchard of pomegranates full of rich fruit, crowded with sweet-scented plants-henna and spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon and all kinds of frankincense, myrrh and aloes and the best of spices. She is a fountain in the garden, sealed to all others, but not stinted towards the one she loves. To him she is as a well of living waters, like the full-fed streams that flow from Lebanon.

The maiden is supposed to hear the song of love. She replies in fearless words of welcome, bidding the north wind awake, and the south wind too that the fragrance of which her lover has spoken so enthusiastically may flow out more richly than ever. For his sake she would be more sweet and loving. All she possesses is for him. Let him come and take possession of his own. {Son 4:16}

What lover could turn aside from such a rapturous invitation? The shepherd takes his bride; he enters his garden, gathers his myrrh and spice, eats his honey and drinks his wine and milk, and calls on his friends to feast and drink with him. {Son 5:1} This seems to point to the marriage of the couple and their wedding feast; a view of the passage which interpreters who regard Solomon as the lover throughout for the most part take, but one which has this fatal objection, that it leaves the second half of the poem without a motive. On the hypothesis of the shepherd lover it is still more difficult to suppose the wedding to have occurred at the point we have now reached, for the distraction of the royal courtship still proceeds in subsequent passages of the poem. It would seem, then, that we must regard this as quite an ideal scene. It may, however, be taken as a reminiscence of an earlier passage in the lives of the two lovers. It is not impossible that it refers to their wedding, and that they had been married before the action of the whole story began. In that case we should suppose that Solomons officers had carried off a young bride to the royal harem. The intensity of the love and the bitterness of the separation apparent throughout the poem would be the more intelligible if this were the situation. It is to be remembered that Shakespeare ascribes the climax of the love and grief of Romeo and Juliet to a time after their marriage. But the difficulty of accepting this view lies in the improbability that so outrageous a crime would be attributed to Solomon, although it must be admitted that the guilty conduct of his father and mother had gone a long way in setting an example for the violation of the marriage tie. In dealing with vague and dreamy poetry such as that of the Song of Solomon, it is not possible to determine a point like this with precision; nor is it necessary to do so. The beauty and force of the passage now before us centre in the perfect mutual love of the two young hearts that here show themselves to he knit together as one, whether already actually married or not yet thus externally united.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary