Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 1:8
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
8. by the footsteps of the flock ] i.e. hard on the footsteps, in the very tracks of the sheep, until she reaches the place where the shepherds’ tents are set up, and there she will find him.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Son 1:8
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock.
Christs answer unto His spouse
I. His supposition.
1. The faithful servants and saints of Christ walk in much blindness and ignorance.
2. Christ takes not advantage from the sins or from the ignorance of His people to upbraid them, but doth rather help them against their infirmities (Heb 2:17-18).
II. His compellation.
1. Christ doth win the affections of His saints by sweet insinuations.
(1) To assume them of His goodwill, love, delight, and acceptation.
(2) To cause them to take notice of His grace and love.
2. The Church is exceeding fair and beautiful in Christs eyes (Eph 5:25-27).
(1) This beauty is not natural, nor do we receive it from nature (Eze 16:3-6).
(2) It is supernatural (Eze 16:7-10; Eze 16:13; Eph 4:24).
3. The saints are most fair in Christs eyes, when they are most deformed in their own (2Co 12:9-10).
III. His directions to her.
1. Where she should go.
(1) Out of former evils of blackness and ignorance unto purity and saving knowledge.
(2) From one degree of grace to another.
(3) From all kind of superstition and idolatry to pure worship and sanctity.
2. Where she should feed.
(1) He doth tend and take care for young Christians.
(2) Those that are strong should strengthen and feed those that are Weak.
(3) Young and tender Christians must be fed with wholesome food. (John Robotham.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. If thou know not] This appears to be the reply of the virgins. They know not exactly; and therefore direct the bride to the shepherds, who would give information.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
If thou know not, to wit, where I feed my sheep. For this is Christs answer to his spouse or people.
O thou fairest among women; though thou art black in thine own and others eyes, yet thou art very beautiful and amiable to me, as being washed white in my blood, and beautified with my gifts and graces.
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock; observe and follow the paths which my sheep had trodden before thee, of my faithful servants, Abraham and others, whose examples are propounded for our imitation, Rom 4:12; Heb 6:12. For the church in all ages is one and the same, and there is but one way for the substance in which all the saints from the beginning to the end of the world do walk, Christ being yesterday, and to-day, and the same for ever, Heb 13:8, and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Rev 13:8.
Feed thy kids; take care for the feeding or teaching of all, and especially of young and weak Christians, who do and shall associate themselves to thee, whom the Holy Ghost calls lambs, Joh 21:15,16, as here kids. For although grown and wanton goats are commonly used in Scripture in a bad sense, yet the kids of the goats do sometimes note believers, as Isa 11:6, and kids were among those sacrifices which represented Christ, Heb 9:12-14. Beside the shepherds tents; under the conduct, and according to the instruction, of my faithful shepherds, or pastors; first and chiefly those who have gone before thee, the prophets and apostles, and after, and in subordination to them, and to their writings, others whom I shall raise from time to time to feed my people with wisdom and understanding.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. Ifshe ought to have known(Joh 14:8; Joh 14:9).The confession of her ignorance and blackness (So1:5) leads Him to call her “fairest” (Mt12:20). Her jealousy of letting even “His companions”take the place of Himself (So 1:7)led her too far. He directs her to follow them, as they follow Him(1Co 11:1; Heb 6:10;Heb 6:12); to use ordinances andthe ministry; where they are, He is (Jer 6:16;Mat 18:19; Mat 18:20;Heb 10:25). Indulging inisolation is not the way to find Him. It was thus, literally, thatZipporah found her bridegroom (Ex2:16). The bride unhesitatingly asks the watchmen afterwards (So3:3).
kids (Joh21:15). Christ is to be found in active ministrations, as well asin prayer (Pr 11:25).
shepherds’ tentsministersin the sanctuary (Ps 84:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If thou know not,…. Or, “seeing thou knowest not” m; the saints in this imperfect state know but in part, are ignorant of many things, and in some measure of themselves; for though they know much of the sinfulness and deceitfulness of their hearts, yet they know not all; and of their imperfection and weakness, yet not the whole of it; and some render the words, “if thou know not to thee”, or, “for thyself”, as Ainsworth; or “know [not thyself]” n, as others; hence Ambrose o observes, that “nosce teipsum” was not originally from the Pythian oracle; Solomon had it before that, and he from Moses, De 4:9; Saints have not a perfect knowledge of Christ and his truths, and are sometimes at a loss to know where he is, his word is purely preached, and his ordinances faithfully administered;
O thou fairest among women; these are not the words of the daughters of Jerusalem, as some think, who were not capable of giving her the following advice and directions; but of Christ himself, to whom the church applied for it; who, though black in her own eyes, and in the eyes of others, yet was fair, surpassingly fair, fairer than all others in his eye, even notwithstanding her late sinfulness and negligence; which shows the invariableness of his love; who directs her as follows;
go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock; not “from the footsteps” p; as if it was an exhortation to depart from false teachers, their doctrine and worship, and the abettors of them, she was tempted to turn aside to; but the “footsteps” are the rule and mark by which she was to go, and on which she was to keep her eye, and steer her course by, in seeking after Christ: for by “the flock” is meant the flock of Christ; and by the “footsteps” of it the ways and ordinances in which saints walk in obedience to Christ; and who are to be followed so far as they follow him; their steps are to be trod in; and this is the readiest and most likely way to find Christ, even where saints meet together, the word is preached, and ordinances administered;
and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents; the faithful ministers of the word, who are Christ’s undershepherds, have their mission and commission from him, and are qualified by him to feed his flocks, and do feed them by the pure administration of the word and ordinances; and by the tents are meant the places of public worship, where they usually preach the Gospel, and administer ordinances. The allusion is to the tents of shepherds pitched for the convenience of feeding their flocks; and “by” or “near” q these the church is directed to “feed [her] kids”, young converts weak in the faith; men of “little faith”, as Aben Ezra interprets it; called “kids” or young goats, lascivious r, and of an ill smell; because of sin in them, of an ill smell to themselves and others; and of whom the world have an ill opinion; and such on all accounts need encouragement from the church and ministers. It was common in the eastern countries, as Philo says s of the Arabs, not for men only to keep flocks, but women also, and young virgins; and not the common people only, but nobles; of women keeping flocks see
Ge 29:9; This verse and So 1:7 show this song to be a pastoral; since the bridegroom and bride, the principal persons in it, are represented in it as a shepherd and shepherdess.
m “quandoquidem”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator. n So the Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions. o Hexaemeron. l. 6. c. 6. & in Psal. cxviii. octon. 2. p. 883. p So Junius & Tremellius. q “Juxta”, V. L. Piscator, Michaelis apud, Mercerus, Cocceius. r “Hoedi petulci”, Virgil. Georgic. l. 4. v. 10. “Lasciva capella”, Bucol. Eclog. 2. v. 64. Horat. Carmin. l. 2. Ode 15. v. 12. s De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 610. Vid. Joseph. Antiqu. l. 2. c. 11. s. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
8 If thou knowest not, thou fairest of women,
Go after the footprints of the flock,
And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
, standing in the address or call, is in the voc.; the art. was indispensable, because “the beautiful one among women” = the one distinguished for beauty among them, and thus is, according to the meaning, superlative; cf. Jdg 6:15; Amo 2:16, with Jdg 5:24; Luk 1:28; Ewald, 313 c. The verb refers to the fundamental idea: integrum, completum esse , for beauty consists in well-proportioned fulness and harmony of the members. That the ladies of the court are excited to speak thus may arise from this, that one often judges altogether otherwise of a man, whom one has found not beautiful, as soon as he begins to speak, and his countenance becomes intellectually animated. And did not, in Shulamith’s countenance, the strange external swarthiness borrow a brightness from the inner light which irradiated her features, as she gave so deep and pure an expression to her longing? But the instruction which her childlike, almost childish, navete deserved, the daughters of Jerusalem do not feel disposed to give her. signifies, often without the obj. supplied, non sapere , e.g., Psa 82:5; Job 8:9. The subjoined guards against this inclusive sense, in which the phrase here would be offensive. This dat. ethicus ( vid., Son 2:10-11, Son 2:13, Son 2:17; Son 4:6; Son 8:14), used twice here in Son 1:8 and generally in the Song, reflects that which is said on the will of the subject, and thereby gives to it an agreeable cordial turn, here one bearing the colour of a gentle reproof: if thou knowest not to thee, – i.e., if thou, in thy simplicity and retirement, knowest it not, viz., that he whom thou thinkest thou must seek for at a distance is near to thee, and that Solomon has to tend not sheep but people, – now, then, so go forth, viz., from the royal city, and remain, although chosen to royal honours, as a shepherdess beside thine own sheep and kids. One misapprehends the answer if he supposes that they in reality point out the way to Shulamith by which she might reach her object; on the contrary, they answer her ironically, and, entering into her confusion of mind, tell her that if she cannot apprehend the position of Solomon, she may just remain what she is. (Arab. ‘akib ), from , to be convex, arched, is the heel; to go in the heels (the reading fluctuates between the form, with and without Dag. dirimens in ) of one = to press hard after him, to follow him immediately. That they assign to her not goats or kids of goats, but kids, , is an involuntary fine delicate thought with which the appearance of the elegant, beautiful shepherdess inspires them. But that they name kids, not sheep, may arise from this, that the kid is a near-lying erotic emblem; cf. Gen 38:17, where it has been fittingly remarked that the young he-goat was the proper courtesan-offering in the worship of Aphrodite (Movers’ Phnizier, I 680). It is as if they said: If thou canst not distinguish between a king and shepherds, then indulge thy love-thoughts beside the shepherds’ tents, – remain a country maiden if thou understandest not how to value the fortune which has placed thee in Jerusalem in the royal palace.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
SHULAMITE’S THOUGHTS OF SHEPHERD’S RESPONSES
WHEN THEY WILL BE TOGETHER
Verse 8. He will address her as the fairest among women.
Verse 9. He will address her as “my love” and compliment her as more attractive than highly regarded Egyptian horses.
Verse 10. He will take special note of how the beauty of her face is enhanced by ornaments of jewels and precious metals (perhaps gifts of the king).
Verse 11 shifts to “we”, suggesting that when the two are together, they will arrange these things to further enhance her natural beauty.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
TEXT 1:8
COURT LADIES RESPONSE Son. 1:8 (ironical)
8
If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your kids beside the shepherds tents.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:8
26.
Evidently the musings of the maid of Shunem was expressed out loud. Why the sharp retort?
27.
Did anyone say the heroine of this story was the fairest among women? Why used here?
28.
The humble beginnings of the Shulammite are here emphasized. Why?
29.
Are we to identify the maid as a shepherdess?
PARAPHRASE 1:8
8
If thou know not, O fairest among women! Go, follow the tracks of the flock, and pasture thy kids by the shepherds booths.
COMMENT 1:8
Exegesis Son. 1:8
It would seem the ladies of the court would be glad to be rid of their rival. If you want your shepherd lovergo find him, they seem to say. It is impossible to shine as light and not reflect upon the darkness. The simple expression I am comely is here exaggerated to mean the fairest of women. Perhaps the women of the harem would reflect Solomons attitude. They are expressing in jealousy his estimate of the newest arrival. What a humble task is suggested to the potential bride of King Solomon. Women were given the task of caring for the newborn of the flock. We see in the sarcastic words of these women a humble peasant girl leading a little flock of young sheep or goats across the far reaches of the hills of Galilee. With difficulty she directs them to the protection of the shepherds booths.
Marriage Son. 1:8
All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution II Timothy. Girls who accept our Lord as their life-style will without question stand out among women without Christ as the Shulammite in the court of Solomon. They can expect the same treatment. A Christian true to her Lord is looked upon by many as being both weak and ignorant. Many times your presence will be an embarrassment to others and they will wish you were gone. Please notice that there is no response from the maid. Light, truth and love need no defense, they will speak for themselves by their nature. At the same time, we need to remind husbands that all battles for our Lord are not fought nor won in the environment of their jobs and friends.
Communion Son. 1:8
A happy relationship with your wife or husband is the very best protection against illicit sex. It is only where we are vulnerable that words of criticism touch us. When our Lord is as real to us in our imagination as the shepherd was to this shepherdess we will be able to turn a deaf ear to reproachyea, more, we can rejoice in it for we are sharing the proper response to His likeness in us. Our job is humble compared to some. Our work is always humble as compared with anyone. Humility is our garment. Are we to resist likeness to our Lord? The Great Shepherds task was the lead and feed sheepyoung and old. We hear Him say to us as He did to Peterfeed my sheepfeed my lambs. (Joh. 21:15 ff)
FACT QUESTIONS 1:8
45.
What would indicate the women of the harem want the Shulammite to leave? Why?
46.
Who said she was the fairest of women?
47.
What task did women have in the care of sheep?
48.
We have many women today like the Shulammite. Who are they?
49.
Show how the response of the maid is a good example for us.
50.
Some are immune to and some are very vulnerable to temptation. What is the difference?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(8) If thou know not.With this verse one subsection of the poem plainly ends. Most of the supporters of the dramatic theory make Son. 1:9 begin the second scene of Act I.; and many of them understand this reply to the heroines question as an ironical allusion on the part of the court ladies to her low birth. We take it rather as one of the many playful ways in which the poet either recalls or arranges meetings with the object of his passion (comp. Son. 2:10-14). In the first seven verses he imagines her sighing for him, and in his absence, fancying, as lovers do, causes which might keep them asunder or make him forsake her, such as the loss of her complexion, her abduction into a royal harem; and then in Son. 1:8 shows how groundless her fears are by playfully suggesting a well known way of finding him.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Go thy way This verse is spoken by the “daughters of Jerusalem.” Its purport is, “If you have lost him, it is a small matter. Go to your accustomed employment and dismiss this unprofitable longing.” This discouraging intimation is a delicate hint to listen to the blandishments of the king, who now appears.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“If you do not know, O you fairest among women, Go your way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed your kids beside the shepherds’ tents.”
Their reply is probably ironic. They are saying that she may be the fairest among women, but, if she is so naive and insensitive that she cannot immediately identify the king’s tent, perhaps it would be better if she spent her time following the sheep tracks and feeding her young kids besides the other shepherd’s tents, for she does not deserve him. It may be that there is here a hint of jealousy here, and also a suggestion that if the king really had summoned her he would have ensured that she would know the way. The reference to kids rather than full grown goats may indicate a suggestion on their part that she is not yet old enough for what is in store for her. She is only fitted to feeding kids. Or the kids might have been seen as a symbol of love’s virility. But either way their words are an indication of her naivety.
In a similar way we can see here a reminder of how often Israel failed to find God because its people spent their time following sheep tracks and hanging around with false shepherds (Isa 56:11; Jer 50:6; Eze 34:2; Eze 34:10), and soon could not find their way to Him because their hearts had been hardened. Had they been keeping close to the good Shepherd described in Psalms 23; compare Isa 40:11, it would not have happened. But they too were naive, although in a different way.
It is, however, a reminder to us as Christians that we also must keep Him central in our lives. We should not be following strange tracks or wandering around ‘strange tents’, for if we are truly His we should be able to recognize the genuine Shepherd immediately and keep our eyes on Him. Indeed that is the test of who are His true people. They hear His voice and follow Him (Joh 10:3-4; Joh 10:27). They know where the true Shepherd is to be found. And they keep to His tent. They do not want to be wandering around the tents of the world, wasting their time among those who might dim their love.
An alternative is to take their words as not being ironic and meaning, ‘start looking where the sheep tracks are, and where the sheep are being tended, and you will find him’. He is ever to be found as the Shepherd out with His sheep. But that would be to put her in precisely the position that she was trying to avoid, beside the flocks of his companions.
‘O fairest among women.’ None other was good enough for Solomon than the very fairest. This title will be applied to her all through the songs (Son 5:9; Son 6:1). It is a reminder to us of what Christ has done for us in removing our blemishes from His sight by covering us in His righteousness (1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21) and of what the Christian should be in the world, one whose life is of outstanding beauty. Nothing else is good enough for their Lord.
These women who speak to her might be seen to represent the surrounding nations who sought to constantly lead Israel in the wrong tracks and to the wrong shepherds, something which Moses warned them against (Num 33:55), and was constantly spoken of by the prophets. They sought to allure her away from her true King.
From a New Testament point of view they might be seen as unbelieving Israel, who never responded to their God, or to their Messiah and seek to mislead others; or as representing any who serve the King outwardly, but have not committed themselves to Him personally. They are satisfied with the outward trappings of religion. They do not seek the face of the King. And they are upset that we do not see things their way. That is why later they are revealed as a little jealous.
THE BELOVED replies.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Lover’s First Reply (Solomon’s Praise and Reassurance) In Son 1:8-11 we have the first response of the Lover, where he expresses his great love for his beloved.
Literal Interpretation – The Shulamite has asked for a special place with him in the shepherd’s field (Son 1:7); for she did not want to be like the other veiled women who were unspoken for. But he tells her to go ahead and feed by the tents of the shepherds (Son 1:8) while assuring her of his devoted love for her alone (Son 1:9-11). Note that this description of his beloved is relatively short compared to his later descriptions.
Figurative Interpretation – Since this is the time when the Beloved realizes the great love her Lover has for her, we may interpret it to figuratively apply to the revelation a new believer has of God’s great love for him when he joins the body of Christ and fellowships with other believers and learns to pray and commune with the Lord. These words of the king are words of life, words that a believer hears and receives to transform his life into a new creature in Christ. The Lord said to Kenneth Copeland, “When you came to me in sin, I did not see you as a no-good sinner. That is how you saw yourself. I saw you the way I planned for you to be before the foundation of the world. Many people have rejected what I planned for them and they allowed death to reign in their lives until hell.” [99]
[99] Kenneth Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Fort Worth, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.
Son 1:8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
Son 1:8
Son 1:8 “O thou fairest among women” Comments – The lover assures his beloved of her uniqueness among women; for her need of assurance was the motive behind her question in Son 1:7.
Son 1:8 “go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock” – Word Study on “the footsteps” Strong says the Hebrew word “footsteps” “aw-kabe’” ( ) (H6119) means, “a heel (protuberant), a track, the rear (of an army),” and comes from the primitive root ( ) (H6117), which means, “to supplant, circumvent, take by the heel, follow at the heel, assail insidiously, overreach.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 13 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “heel 6, footsteps 3, horsehoofs 1, at the last 1, steps 1, liers in wait 1.”
Comments – The Hebrew word ( ) (H6119) is found in Gen 3:15; Gen 25:26. Therefore, some commentators suggest that the phrase “go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock” is a reference to Jacob because his name is derived from this same Hebrew word. This patriarch also lived a shepherd’s lifestyle. Thus, this phrase would refer to following the God of Jacob in order to obtain his covenant blessings.
Gen 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel .”
Gen 25:26, “And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel ; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”
Son 1:8 Literal Interpretation – “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock” – The Shulamite woman is told to follow the footsteps of the flock, which will lead her to the shepherds’ tents. “and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” – The lover is telling the beloved where to find him and his place of rest, as she inquired of this place of rest in the previous verse (Son 1:7). We find a similar statement in Rth 2:8-9, where Boaz takes Ruth into his loving care, and gives her plenty of provision to meet her personal needs.
“Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.”
Figurative Interpretation “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock” – Perhaps the Lover’s response to follow the footsteps of the flock is an allegorical of a new convert’s need to join a local congregation and become a part of God’s flock. Many Jewish and Christians scholars interpret the phrase “go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock” to mean, “follow the path of your forefathers of Israel”. In other words, she is to follow the faith of the patriarchs who established the people of God, which is faith in the God of Israel. All of the patriarchs were shepherds. “and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” – The shepherds could symbolize the pastors and leaders whom God has set over His flock Israel, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ. She begins her spiritual journey towards a destination of rest by joining this flock, where she now walks the path of righteousness ordained for God’s children. The phrase “feed thy kids” may reflect a new believer’s spiritual duties. Even new believers have ways to serve the Lord. I had a job when I rededicated my life to the Lord, so I immediately began to tithe. I was soon teaching Sunday school as an additional way of serving. , and cares for those little ones in her path. We begin by taking care of those people and things that God has initially entrusted in our care. We can initial minister to those under our sphere of influence.
When we compare the king’s statement in Son 1:8 to Boaz’s statement in Rth 2:8-9, it becomes clear that the king is calling the Shulamite to a place of rest and divine provision. Perhaps a good illustration comes from a documentary on the Joyce Meyer program, where a missionary went into a village and rescued a young 15-year old girl from prostitution, which had enslaved her. The missionary team brought her to a home, where she and other young girls were to be taken care of. [100] In a similar way Boaz and King Solomon are taking these young maidens into their care and oversight. It is the first stages of affection from the eyes of Boaz and King Solomon.
[100] Joyce Meyer, Enjoying Everyday Life (Fenton, Missouri: Joyce Meyer Ministries), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), December 2007, television program.
Son 1:9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.
Son 1:9
1Ki 10:26, “And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.”
1Ki 10:28-29, “And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.”
2Ch 9:28, “And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.”
The Scriptures tell us that King Solomon had forty thousand stalls for his chariot horses.
1Ki 4:26, “And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.”
King Solomon would have selected the finest horses out of this great number to pull his chariot were the finest in the land. Those few chosen horses would have been well trained and groomed, then magnificently decorated with gold and silver.
Literal Interpretation – The lover is assuring his beloved of either her uniqueness of being the most beautiful among all the women of the land, or, this verse may refer to her stunning dcor that the king has clothed her with.
Figurative Interpretation A chariot is an instrument of travel. The charioteer who drives the chariot has a destiny, a plan, a journey to accomplish. The chariots were not driven by the common man, but rather, by a king. The horses that pulled the chariot were beasts of servitude, called and trained and disciplined to take a leader to a destination. They were carefully chosen and paired with their partner based upon their similarities, and worked together in unison with the entire team of horses.
Son 1:9 may describe God’s love for His children, with each one being unique and beloved in His sight. Or, the bridled horse may be figurative of discipline in the life of a believer. Those believers who submit to divine discipline are arrayed in beauty and placed in the foremost positions of God’s army, as were the horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. An example of such a call to discipline is found in Joh 21:15-23 where Peter was given a charge by the Lord Jesus Christ on the shores of Galilee after the Resurrection to take the office of an undershepherd over the Church. This calling would eventually lead Peter to die the death of a martyr, which meant Peter would have to yield his own will to do the will of the Master. Bill Britton records a vision the Lord gave him that explains how a bridled horse is symbolic of Christian discipline. He tells the story of two colts in a beautiful field of grass. Both of them are taken to a corral for training. One colt jumps the corral fence and returns to the open field, while the other endures the harsh time of discipline. Eventually, the trained colt is placed alongside other beautiful stallions to pull the king’s carriage. When the untrained colt in the field sees his brother pulling the carriage, he becomes envious. Eventually, a drought comes and withers the grass in the open field, and dries up the pond. While the undisciplined colt suffers, his trained brother remains well-fed by the king’s servants. [101]
[101] Bill Britton, “The Harness of the Lord,” (Springfield, Mo) [on-line]; accessed 14 December 2009; available from http://www.gem-international.org/kingdomlife/brittonharness.htm: Internet.
Son 1:10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
Son 1:11
Son 1:11 “thy neck with chains of gold” Comments – These chains, or strings, of gold were necklaces.
Son 1:11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
Son 1:11
Though different in grammatical form, the idea found in the Hebrew “plural of majesty,” or “intensity,” is being used in Son 1:11 as a way of referring to the lover’s strength and sphere of influence. We see a clear example of this plural form in Gen 1:1 when the word “God” is used in its plural form with a singular verb, followed by “Let us make” in Gen 1:26.
Son 1:11 “borders of gold with studs of silver” – Word Study on “borders” Strong says the Hebrew word “rows” “towr” ( ) (H8447) means, “a succession, i.e. a string, or (abstractly) order.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 4 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as “turn 2, row 1, border 1.” It is used in the previous verse as “rows” (Son 1:10).
Son 1:10-11 Literal Interpretation – When we interpret Son 1:10-11 within the context of its previous verse (Son 1:9) which compares the Shulamite woman to the magnificently decorated trappings of the horses of the king’s chariots, we can easily imagine her cheeks and neck adorned with gold and silver in much the same way that these horses were adorned with silk tassels, fringes and other ornaments on their cheeks and neck.
Figurative Interpretation For those believers who will become submitted to the Church of God and trained in the ministry become disciplined solders of God’s army. This will be arrayed in beauty under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Pharaoh adorned Joseph with a gold chain about his neck.
Gen 41:42, “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;”
Solomon refers to adornment in Pro 1:8-9 when a child submits to the instructions the parents.
Pro 1:8-9, “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”
Or, we may refer to Peter’s description of godly adornment, which is inward, the ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit.
1Pe 3:3-4, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
Perhaps the closest verse in comparison to Son 1:10-11 is the Lord’s figurative description of Israel in her glory among the nations by Ezekiel.
Eze 16:11-14, “I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Son 1:8. If thou know not, &c. This is the reply of the virgins, and it breathes all the simplicity of pastoral life.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
Some have thought, that this answer is given by the virgins or daughters of Jerusalem: but, not to remark that it is a little unlikely, that young converts should better know where Christ is to be found, than elder believers: it should seem to be much more probable to be the answer of the Lord Jesus himself: for the promise is, Before my people call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isa 65:24 . And, Reader! do not fail to observe, how sweetly and affectionately Jesus speaks to his Church, and by what endearing names he calls her. Remark, then, that however black, in their own eyes, believers appear; yet, in Jesus’s view, they are fair. But do not forget to connect with this view the sole cause, namely, because they are beheld by him in his robe of righteousness, and made comely from the comeliness he hath put upon them. Oh! precious Jesus! is this thy love, thy matchless, unparalleled love, to make souls that are in themselves black, fair in thy loveliness, and then to admire them for thy own graces!
But, Reader, observe further in this verse, how very gentle the rebukes of Christ are, for the ignorance of his people. It is as if he had said, After so many evidences as I have given thee of my love in my communion with thee, and manifestations towards thee, art thou ignorant where to find me? As he said to Philip, Have I been so long time with thee, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? Joh 14:9 . Reader! call to mind that scripture in all thy moments of doubts, and fears, and ignorance. He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Isa 42:3 ; Mat 12:20 .
The latter part of this verse, in the direction of Jesus, is as plain as it is precious, and as refreshing as it is important. The flock, to which the spouse is directed, can mean no other than the whole body of Christ, his Church, which the Father hath given him, and which is the purchase of his blood. The Shepherds here spoken of, are the ministers, the under pastors of the fold, such as are faithful in the work and doctrine, and correspond to such as the Lord promised he would give Pastors after his own heart, which should feed them with understanding and knowledge. Jer 3:15 . And by the footsteps of the flock, evidently are intended the several ordinances and means of grace. And perhaps the kids refer to the case of young believers; so that our Lord Jesus directs his people in this verse to search out a pure ministry of his Holy Word, that their souls may be fed and nourished, and built up in their most holy faith; that whether they are babes in Christ, or young men, or fathers in God; the soul-reviving, soul-refreshing truths of his holy gospel may be their daily food.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The Safety of Christian Fellowship
Son 1:8
What would you say to a little child who had gone forth with his mother and brothers and sisters to see some great and exciting spectacle in the streets, and had wandered away from his guardians and companions, and had become lost in the crowd? In what speech would you address him? You would say to the little vagrant, You should not have left us, you should have kept close beside us: did I not tell you not to go away from me? why did you not take hold of me, and then you would not have been lost? And your speech, not angrily but pathetically spoken, would probably leave a happy impression upon the mind of the young offender. What would you say of a man who appears in the bankruptcy court, and concerning whom it is discovered that he set aside all precedents, all the acknowledged and established canons and laws of business, and separated himself wholly from all that had ever been done in the business world? This would be your speech: Foolish fellow, what else could he expect? he never acted as any other person did; he despised all that had been tested in the commercial circle: he took the whole case into his own wild head and wild hands, and it has come to this: anybody with a head upon his shoulders could have foreseen the short gallop into this bitter ruin. Your speech would have sense in it. Few wise men would attempt to gainsay it.
What would you say of a man who never took anybody’s advice upon any subject that ever occurred to him? You would say, He is a genius, or a fool. These inquiries and illustrations give us the solemn teaching of this text. Keep on familiar ground; do not stray away from the line of footsteps; be near where you can hear the pipe, or the flute, or the trumpet of the camp. Do not go away upon barren rocks and into dreary sands. Do not detach yourselves from the great company of the Church, but, wherever you are, see that your method of communication is in good working order: if you go a mile away, be sure you leave the road open that you can return to the main body in the event of danger surprising you in your loneliness, or pain befalling you in the silence and helplessness of your solitude. Of course, if it can be proved that you are a genius, then take the license of genius; but first let the case be twice proved; do not take the very first impression that may be given to you of your inspired and infallible genius; rather suspect the flatterer than flatter yourself.
If it could be proved once, twice, and again, and six times over, that you are an appointed herald of God to go away on lonely seas and up inaccessible mountains, make your calling and election sure. But to the rank and file, to the commonalty of the Church, we say: Let us go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed our kids beside the shepherds’ tents: let us not lose the benefits of community and companionship: forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is: do not attempt the genius if you have only the name and not the fire.
There is some need that this occasional word should be spoken, when every man is determined to strike out his own path in religious thinking. I repeat, I have nothing to say to some few daring prophets, who seem to be called to wildernesses far away, and to make lonely roads over towering and barren rocks; wherein they fulfil their election, strength and comfort will be given to them from heaven: but, speaking to the general company of the Church, I stand by the general exhortation of the Church. Nor is this the exhortation of fear; it is the precept of sense; it is the dictate of reason; it is the calm, strong, solemn view of history and experience.
Let us imagine that we go into a foreign land any party of six. We cannot speak the language: we go in a small band that we may keep one another in countenance, and in various ways supplement and cheer one another. But there is suddenly developed amongst us a daring genius. One of the six is absent. Where is he? No information can be obtained. An hour passes, and still he does not appear. We want to go, we cannot move comfortably without him. Another hour, and two more, and the eventide comes and it is night, and still the genius arrives not. But see, yonder he comes he went out nearly six feet high, he comes back little more than five. He went out comparatively young, he comes back all aged and worn. Where have you been? “Been? do not ask me.” But what have you been doing? “Why, like a fool, I strayed away down there, and I could not ask my way back again, for I did not know a word of the language: I made signs, and pointed this way and that way, and have wandered miles and miles. Pity me, forgive me you will never lose sight of me again until we return to our native land.” It is even so in the Church. There are persons who go off alone, that never tell where they are going: they know nothing of the language of the provinces into which they are moving: they are called, perhaps too harshly, heretics and religious vagrants, and other epithets not respectful are attached to their names when they are mentioned. Yet they are blameworthy: they ought not to have left the party; it was unjust to their fellows, it was perilous to themselves, and nothing but mischief can come of this self-detachment and this disloyalty to the spirit and genius of the commonwealth of Christ.
Sometimes it may be legitimate to go off a little way alone, when you are upon the mountains. It is a delight of my own: I like to escape noise and chatter: when I am in the church of the mountains I do not want little questions upon little subjects, and small remarks upon infinitesimal topics. I love the awful silence. Going down on one occasion from the Wengern Alp to Lauterbrunnen I went off alone, and the mists came on suddenly. What did I look for? For the footsteps. As the mist thickened, I bent more closely to the ground. While I could see footsteps I had no fear. Here and there they seemed to get confused, so that I could not follow the line of my journey, and at these points of confusion my fear was excited, and I dared scarcely move. I looked back; I listened; I longed to be near the tents of the shepherds. But footsteps are companions: you cannot tell what a picture of a footprint is until you are left lost among the mountains: to come suddenly upon a line of footprints is to be at home.
We live in a day of religious adventure, of high and daring enterprise. Man after man is going off to carve his own way through the mountains, or to navigate his ship by a course of his own devising. Be careful. If you are a genius, twice baptised, thrice anointed from heaven, with a cloven tongue upon your head, go but make very sure about these signs before starting. The lamp of genius is not often kindled in one century, and there is no fool so gigantic and so pitiful as the man who mistakes himself for a genius. Little boats, keep near the shore; little children, take hold of your mother’s dress; poor scholars, wait upon your teachers; feeble and timid, never go out of sight forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is. “Brethren,” says Paul, “be ye followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.”
Loneliness has its perils in the religious life. We hear now and again of a man who says he is going to give up all religious associations of a public kind, and is going to remain at home. Some men are now boasting that they are Christians unattached; independent Christians. What is this religious independence as interpreted by these men? Not one little gaslight is independent; every one of them is a blink of sunlight. Here is a star independent of the universe. If we saw it coming we should get out of its road. Tell me that all the stars are caught in one great scheme, and that not a sparkle of the glory of the least of them can be lost, and I am proportionally at rest. Loneliness, I repeat, has its perils in the religious life. When the devil gets a man absolutely alone, who will win? Not the man in the vast proportion of cases. There was only one man that won in single fight, and that man was the Lord from heaven. Oh, let us shelter one another; let us be mutual protections; let us have a commonwealth of interest and sympathy; let us live in one another’s prayers and sympathy and love. Union is strength; two are better far than one if the one fall, he can be lifted up gain; but if he fall alone, who will assist him to his feet? Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.
“Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.” This poor woman in the song had lost her loved one, and she was told that if she wanted him she would find him on accustomed beats and familiar paths. God leaves his footsteps on the earth, and if we follow his footprints we shall find him. He has built his churches, raised his altars, and he says, “Where my name is recorded, there will I meet thee, there will I bless thee.” Be in the way of blessing: if you cannot find God himself, find his footprints; go to his altar and say, He ought to be here; he has sworn to be here; and whilst thou art yet speaking the apparently dead cold ashes will glow, and on that altar there shall rise up a living flame, and out of the fire thou shalt hear the voice of thy God.
Feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. Then we shall have communion. We must speak to one another now and then, or the poor aching heart would die. They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it. Christianity institutes a fellowship, a community of interest and purpose. We are the complement of each other. No one man is all men. You have something I want; I have something you want In these higher meanings, let no man call aught that he has his own. Let us have all our highest thoughts and sympathies in common, so that there shall be no poor man in the Church the poorest scholar having access to the richest thoughts, the dullest ear the opportunity of listening to the sweetest music.
In the tent of the shepherd there was always some instrument that could be used for the soothing of fear and the excitement of hope. It might be a poor small instrument, but it was of infinite value in the lonely places. It is related how the commander of the ship Fox, when his crew rose almost in mutiny, and his passengers accorded him nothing but the coldest looks, when he reached land, said, “Thank God, there was one relief, and one only: I had a fiddler on board.” That musical instrument brought the hearts together when nothing else could. A snatch of a song a strain of some forgotten music, one touch of nature and that did far more than all the captain’s orders, exhortations, and attempts to persuade his all but mutinous companions that all was right. Do not stray away from the music of the Church: do not suppose you can hum tune enough for your own soul, or whisper yourself into victory and triumph: your mouth will dry, and your tongue will cleave to the roof of your mouth. Oh, there are times when I love the dear old tunes! They redeem common metre from commonplace, and lift up ordinary words into high meanings, and send the soul a-throb and a-swaying with such a hearty, happy rhythm. This I never feel so much as when in foreign lands, where there is no Sabbath, no church that is cared for, no voice attuned to gospel messages. To get back again to the old psalm-book, to hear the old Scripture read in the familiar tones, to unite in holy prayer together this is partial heaven. Thus I again repeat the exhortation, Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together; beware of loneliness, beware of the independence which is isolation; seek for communion, for music, for protection, for security, for all that comes of organised life, household delight and trust; and thus the enemy will never find you alone and at a disadvantage, but always surrounded by those who can recall the sweetest memories to your recollection, and enrich your hearts by reminders of the infinite promises of God, and thus a commonwealth shall be the basis of victory.
What footprints are we leaving behind us? Where have we been? Should we really like the young to put their feet in our footsteps? Some of us dare not tell where we have been. Are our footprints on the threshold of the house of evil? If they could be tracked one by one, to what destinations would they conduct? Do they lead to the house of God? Have we but one track in life, and is its goal the altar? Blessed be God; once we went with a multitude to do evil, once we had gone astray; but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. All we, like sheep, had gone astray; we had turned every one to his own way, an independence in evil, self-illumined, self-destroyed. We must leave footprints somewhere. No man can come into life, and live thirty, forty, fifty, or seventy years, and go out without leaving the mark of his feet somewhere. Let us put our feet into the footprints of Jesus Christ. Whither do those footprints lead? To Gethsemane, to Golgotha, to Bethany, and after Bethany Heaven. We can have no difficulty in finding the footprints of Christ if we really want to discover them. His were feet not to be mistaken for any other. They all pointed to the Cross, they moved evermore towards the Cross; they never turned towards selfish delight, never to the palaces of luxury, always to the lightning-struck, the thunder-cursed tree, the Cross.
Let us see that our footprints are all shaping towards home, that the foot is always set in that direction. Do not let us deceive and mislead anybody who may put their feet into our footprints under the impression that they are going home, when they are really going to their ruin. Let every step be heavenward
There are desolations in which a footprint is a friend, there are solitudes in which the mark of a human foot is as the signature and pledge of God.
Wanderer, return! You have been out a long way on the high barren mountains, and you have got nothing. Come in again, and be commonplace. You started a genius, you come back with your true name on your forehead. You went forth to reform and conquer the world, and you are all bespattered with mud, you are hunger-bitten and thirst-fevered, and your cheeks are shrunken in; come back and be wise. Come back; there is room for thee, and bread enough in thy Father’s house, and to spare yea, when all the angels have done, and all the men have partaken, there is more bread at the end than there was at the beginning.
I wish to be found at last where the good old fathers of the Church were found. If I have made a small detour, who has not done the same? I never remember to have gone off from any point of departure without wishing myself safely back again. There is no wine like the old wine, there is no house like the old house, there is no bread like the old bread; no man, having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new, for he saith, The old is better. What say you to a general, unanimous, loving, loyal, immediate return? There would be joy in the presence of the angels of God over repentant thinkers, errant geniuses, self-mistaken self-idolaters.
Am I asked the question, “Where is Christ? Where is God? I am like the woman in the Canticles I have lost him; I would I could find him?” My answer is, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. Keep in the accustomed familiar paths and ways, and, if he is not there to-day, he will be more than there to-morrow. Be thou in the right place. He may have gone after some wanderer, but he will return, and if he has abandoned thee for a small moment, it is that he may gather thee with everlasting kindness.
Note
Design of the Book. “The design of this charming poem is to teach us a lesson of practical righteousness by the record of an extraordinary example of virtue in a young maiden in humble life, who encountered and conquered the greatest temptations from the most exalted personage in the land. The simple story, divested of its poetic form, is as follows: A village girl, the daughter of a widowed mother of Shulam, is betrothed to a young shepherd, whom she met whilst tending the flock. Fearing lest the frequent meetings of these lovers should be the occasion of scandal, the brothers of the Shulamite employ her in the vineyard on their farm. Whilst on the way to this vineyard she one day falls in with the cortege of King Solomon, who is on a spring visit to the country. Struck with her great beauty the king captures her, conveys her to his royal pavilion, then conducts her to Jerusalem in great pomp, in the hope of dazzling and overcoming her with his splendour, and eventually lodges her in his harem. But all is in vain. True to her virtuous love, she resists all the allurements of the exalted sovereign, spurns all his promises to elevate her to the highest rank, and in the midst of the gay scenes assures her humble shepherd, who followed her to the capital, that her affections are sacredly and inviolably pledged to him. Solomon, convinced at last that all his advances are in vain, allows her to quit the royal residence. Hand in hand the two faithful lovers return to her native place, and on their way home’ visit the tree under which their love-spark was first kindled, and there renew their vows of constancy and fidelity. On their arrival they are welcomed by their companion shepherds, and she is rewarded by her brothers for her exemplary virtue.” Kitto’s Cyclopdia of Biblical Literature.
Prayer
Almighty God, thou art great and we are small, and we are the work of thine hands, and thou hast numbered the very hairs of our head, and set a watch about every step of our life, and thy love hath made us precious unto thee. Behold, we cannot tell what we read in thy word because of its great mystery of light: we hear mighty thunderings and see flamings of ineffable glory, and we hear the sound of a going which we cannot follow, and yet again dost thou come to us in gentle speeches and in visions which the heart can seize, and thou dost drop upon our life thy word, which is sweeter than honey, yea, than the honeycomb. We would see somewhat of thy majesty and thy glory, that we may be ennobled thereby, and lifted up, as it were, with the ascension of the angels. But specially would we pray evermore to have access to thy power, grace, wisdom, and love, for the supply of daily necessity, for the direction of continual perplexity, and for the satisfaction of every hunger of the soul. We bless thee for the revelation of thyself in Christ Jesus, who was found in fashion as a man; we thank thee for all his words of truth and beauty; we bless thee for his discourses, for his miracles, and above all for his sacrificial death and for his resurrection and ascension to glory, where he now is, praying for every one of us, and covering our weakness with his infinite strength. Enable us to follow him as we may be able; according to the littleness of our power and opportunity may we study his life, put our feet in his footprints, undertake to do his will, and may we be found at last as his commended servants. We bless thee for a life we cannot understand; its joys are keen, its pains are often intolerable. Thou hast given to our life day and night, beautiful light, sweet spring times and summer hours, occasions of rapture and of heavenly vision and divine absorption; then hast thou sent a great darkness upon us like a judgment, and there have been sounds of thunder in it as of great wrath, and the stars have been withdrawn, and thou hast caused us to feel the gloom and the burden of night. Do with us what thou wilt: not our will, but thine, be done, but take not thy Holy Spirit from us; in our deepest distresses may we be able to say, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. May there be no extremity in our life which shall be as the victory of the enemy, but in our greatest exigencies may we find thy grace more than sufficient, in our keenest pains may we know how all-healing and all-comforting is the balm of thy pity. We give ourselves to thee again in the name of Jesus Christ, our Mediator. We yield ourselves to thee, body, soul, and spirit, our flesh and our will, our imagination and our supreme desire, all the energy of our souls, and all the helplessness of our life; we would lay these at thy feet; they are thine, thou knowest their highest uses: purify us as vessels are made pure for the use of the sanctuary. Whether our days be many or few, may they all be thine, and may we so spend our little time as to have created within us a burning desire to know what is to be revealed beyond. Regard thy servants who have come to this resting-place from business, from occupation of divers kinds, from many tumults, vexations, and trials of the world. Give them rest awhile, a little breathing time, and may there be rents amid the clouds of their life through which the light of the heavens shall shine. Regard those who are given to the study of thy Word, and who are preparing themselves under the dispensation of thy Spirit for the unfoldment of heavenly riches; be the Lamp shining upon their book, the Spirit inspiring their understanding and their heart. Be with those who live lives of weary monotony, the night as the day and the day as the night, the whole year one pain of weariness; draw such forth into the light of thy sanctuary, and inspire such with a desire to do the work of thy vineyard. Look upon all little children, and grant unto them blessing according to their necessity, salvation from sin, protection from every temptation and snare; may they live to a good old age and be better than were their forefathers. The Lord be with our sick ones, with great comforting, developing in them all sweetness of patience and completeness of resignation, so that the strong may learn from the weak, and the sick chamber may be the church of the house. Be with our friends who are far away, and yet in sympathy and love near at hand; unite us in the fellowship of common trusts and common anticipations; may we know the unity of the spirit and the sweetness of the bond of peace. Let the land receive of the rain of thy blessing. Spare not the cloud, but pour it forth in refreshing showers upon the whole country. God save the Queen; multiply the days of her life, and establish her throne in righteousness, equity, and all honourableness. Direct our leaders; inspire those who create and foster the national sentiment; save us from all tyranny, oppression, and from all unholy and disastrous weapons and instrumentalities, and send upon the land the spirit of patriotic contentment. May the blessing of the Lord be turned into blessings for all mankind. The earth is thine; we pray for every corner of it, for its broad continents and its little islands, its centres of light and its places of gloom; for the shepherd upon the hills, for the sailor upon the waves, for the prisoner in his cell, for the wanderer in the jungle and the wilderness, for all mankind; we are all thine. Make the earth thine house, light it with thy glory, and may it be the centre of thine approbation, having fixed upon it the love of its Creator-Father. Amen.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Son 1:8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
Ver. 8. If thou know not, O thou fairest among women. ] So Christ is pleased to style her, who erst held and called herself black and sunburnt. Son 1:5 Nothing more commends us to Christ than humility and lowly mindedness. 1Pe 3:5 The daughter of Zion, for this is likened to “a comely and delicate woman,” her enemies to shepherds with their flocks. Jer 6:2-3 False prophets also have their flocks, seducers drag disciples after them. Act 20:30 Faciunt favos et vespae, faciunt Ecclesias et Marcionitae, saith Tertullian; wasps also have their honeycombs; apes imitate men’s actions. These conventiclers the Church must studiously decline, and not viam per avia quaerere, seek truth by wandering through the thicket of errors, as Junius saith one in his time did, who confessed he had spent twenty-two years in trying religions, pretending that Scripture, “Prove all things.” The spouse is here directed by the archshepherd to repair to the foddering places, to frequent the public assemblies, to tread in that sheep track, the footsteps of the flock, the shepherds’ tents. There Christ hath promised to feed his lambs (that have golden fleeces, precious souls), to call them by name, as he did Moses, Exo 33:12 ; Exo 33:17 Cornelius Act 10:1-2 ), &c., to “teach them great and hidden things, such as they knew not,” Jer 33:3 to give them spiritual senses, ability to examine what is doctrinally propounded to them, to try before they trust – for all Christ’s sheep are rational, they “know his voice from the voice of a stranger” Joh 10:5 – to be fully persuaded of the truth that they take up and profess, Col 2:2 Luk 1:1 to feel the sweetness and goodness, the life and power of it within themselves, Col 1:9 Job 32:8 to hate false doctrines, and those that would persuade them thereunto, Psa 119:104 buzzing doubts into their heads. Rom 16:17 Joh 10:5 So that, though man or angel should object against the truth they have received, they would not yield to him. Gal 1:8-9 They know that Satan can, and doth, “transform himself into an angel of light,” 2Co 11:14 and can act his part by a good man also, as he did by Peter once and again, Mat 16:23 Gal 2:11-13 and as he did in our remembrance by Mr Archer, a holy man, who yet held and broached hellish opinions. Swenckfeldio non defuit cor bonum, sed caput regulatum, saith Bucholcerus: Swenckfeldius had a good heart, but a wild head, and so became a means of much mischief to many silly, shallow headed people, whom he shamefully seduced. This to prevent, Christ hath given gifts to men; pastors and teachers after his own heart; guides, to “speak unto them the word of God,” Heb 12:7 to “set in order for them acceptable words, “words of truth that may be as “goads, and as nails fastened by those masters of the assemblies which are given from one Shepherd”: Ecc 12:10-11 in fine, to “take heed to themselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers, to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood,” Act 20:28 that they might go in and out, and find pastures, such as will breed life, and life in more abundance. Joh 10:9-10
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock.
And feed thy kids.
Beside the shepherds’ tents.] Turn to the undershepherds, the godly ministers, and so “return to the great Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” 1Pe 2:25 Hold you close to these, and “hold fast the form of wholesome words,” 2Ti 1:13 and linger not after unsound and unsavoury doctrines, so rife abroad – those murdering morsels that fat men indeed, but it is to the day of slaughter. Silly sheep do eat no grass more greedily than that which rots them. “But thou, O man of God, fly these things, and from such stand off.” 1Ti 6:5 ; 1Ti 6:11
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Son 1:8
8If you yourself do not know,
Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.
Son 1:8 If you yourself do not know This seems to be playful sarcasm. It refers to the chorus (NJB) or the bridegroom (NKJV) addressing the bride. This passage is one of many where the shepherd motif is used. This either refers to this Northern hometown boyfriend or it is a reference to King Solomon. This response answers her question of Son 1:7.
This verse has three IMPERATIVES. See Contextual Insights, A.
Most beautiful among women This affirmation of love is repeated in Son 5:9; Son 6:1. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She calls him O you whom my soul loves in Son 1:7 and he responds!
Go forth on the trail of the flock This is interpreted in radically different ways depending on who is referred to in Son 1:8.
tents This (BDB 1015) is a different Hebrew word than the tents (BDB 438), which could denote curtains or tapestries in Son 1:5. This one denotes a temporary dwelling place (i.e., the tabernacle in the wilderness, i.e., Exo 25:9).
Son 1:5 could refer to Solomon’s travelling tents (large and elaborate) and this to a local shepherd’s tent. It all depends on how many lovers are depicted in the book (one, the king, or two, the king and a local shepherd boyfriend).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
If thou, &c. Answer of the court-ladies: ironical.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Son 1:8
Son 1:8
THE IRONIC RETORT OF THE HAREM WOMEN
“If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.”
“This verse contains the response of the chorus.” What chorus? The scene here is that of Solomon’s harem. These had overheard her soliloquy, longing to find her true love; and their ironic and contemptuous answer is in this verse. “Let her go and find him for herself. `Go back to your shepherd life’; feed the kids by a shepherd’s tent.” In jest, they referred to her, “O thou fairest among women”! One can almost hear their sadistic laughter. “If thou know not,” these words carry the sneer that, “If you are such an ignoramus as to prefer life with a shepherd to what you will get here, go ahead. Go back to your lover.”
Exegesis Son 1:8
It would seem the ladies of the court would be glad to be rid of their rival. If you want your shepherd lover-go find him, they seem to say. It is impossible to shine as light and not reflect upon the darkness. The simple expression I am comely is here exaggerated to mean the fairest of women. Perhaps the women of the harem would reflect Solomons attitude. They are expressing in jealousy his estimate of the newest arrival. What a humble task is suggested to the potential bride of King Solomon. Women were given the task of caring for the newborn of the flock. We see in the sarcastic words of these women a humble peasant girl leading a little flock of young sheep or goats across the far reaches of the hills of Galilee. With difficulty she directs them to the protection of the shepherds booths.
Marriage Son 1:8
All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution II Timothy. Girls who accept our Lord as their life-style will without question stand out among women without Christ as the Shulammite in the court of Solomon. They can expect the same treatment. A Christian true to her Lord is looked upon by many as being both weak and ignorant. Many times your presence will be an embarrassment to others and they will wish you were gone. Please notice that there is no response from the maid. Light, truth and love need no defense, they will speak for themselves by their nature. At the same time, we need to remind husbands that all battles for our Lord are not fought nor won in the environment of their jobs and friends.
Communion Son 1:8
A happy relationship with your wife or husband is the very best protection against illicit sex. It is only where we are vulnerable that words of criticism touch us. When our Lord is as real to us in our imagination as the shepherd was to this shepherdess we will be able to turn a deaf ear to reproach-yea, more, we can rejoice in it for we are sharing the proper response to His likeness in us. Our job is humble compared to some. Our work is always humble as compared with anyone. Humility is our garment. Are we to resist likeness to our Lord? The Great Shepherds task was the lead and feed sheep-young and old. We hear Him say to us as He did to Peter-feed my sheep-feed my lambs. (Joh 21:15 ff)
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
4.
Christs estimate of his people
Son 1:8-11
O thou fairest among women, I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
As we become increasingly aware of our personal sinfulness and corruption, as we are humbled by the depravity of our hearts, nothing is more comforting, cheerful, and reassuring to Gods saints in this world than the knowledge of the fact that in the eyes of Christ we stand perfect in the beauty of his righteousness, the beauty which he has put upon us.
Indeed, all the spiritual goodness, beauty, and comeliness we have before God is that which Christ puts upon us! We are washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and created in his image. How blessed it is, when most keenly and painfully aware of the fact that in us, in our flesh dwelleth no good thing, to hear our Savior say, Thy beauty is perfect through my comeliness, which I put upon thee (Eze 16:14).
In its essence, that is what the Song of Solomon is all about. This blessed book is a song of love between Christ and his church. As we read the book, we who belong to Christ, we who are married to the Son of God ought to make it as personal as possible. Whenever the bride speaks, read it in the first person. Her words are the expressions of every believers heart.
Whenever Solomon speaks to the bride, (Pharaohs daughter), read the words as the words of Christ speaking to you personally. All that he says to her shows the great love and high estimate Christ has for those who are chosen by him, washed in his blood and saved by his grace.
Throughout this blessed love song, we see a constant fluctuation in the bride, but not in the bridegroom. She varies greatly. Sometimes her heart burns with love for him. Then it is as cold as ice. Sometimes she delights to have him lie between her breasts. Then she bolts the door of her heart against him. But his love for her never changes! Is that not the way things are with you? Does your heart not ache and pine for a closer walk with Christ? Does not your heart cry out with Cowper
Oh for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame;
A Light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus in His Word?
What peaceful hours I then enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still!
But now I find 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.
The record of our constant need
The Song of Solomon is an inspired record of the constant languishings and revivings we experience in this world, the languishings of our hearts because of sin and the sweet revivings of our souls by our Saviors unfailing grace.
Son 1:1 — The song of songs, which is Solomons.
What a proper, fitting, appropriate title that is for this book. Solomon means peaceful. He represents Christ, the Prince of Peace, our beloved, all-glorious Savior. This is not just a Song. It is called The Song Of Songs. There are many songs recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture. Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Deborah, Hannah and David all sang songs, great and good songs unto the Lord. But this is called The Song of Songs. All those other songs were songs of battles fought and victories won, trials endured and triumphs experienced. But this is purely a song of love. It is Solomons Song and it is all about Solomon. That is to say, it is Christs song and it is all about Christ and his great love for us.
Son 1:2-4 — Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. 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 remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
These verses express the ardent desires of the believers languishing heart for fresh discoveries of Christs love and fresh sweet tokens of it from the kisses of his mouth.
Son 1:5-6 — I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mothers children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
Believers frankly and honestly confess their sin, the blackness of their hearts, their natures, and their lives. Yet, in the teeth of our sin, we look to Christ and claim the beauty that he has given us by grace. In our many trials and afflictions, we are often careless and fail to keep our own vineyards. Every heaven born soul knows and freely confesses his sin (1Jn 1:9).
Son 1:7 — Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
Here is an ardent expression of love for Christ, followed by an earnest prayer for guidance and grace. While we live in this world, we seek to follow Christ and feed at his table. But there are many false prophets and apostate churches, all claiming to be his companions. Therefore, we constantly look to our beloved Lord to direct our steps and keep us in the footsteps of his flock.
Son 1:8-11 — If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
This is our Saviors response to the confession of his beloved bride, telling us where he feeds his flock and makes them rest. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ thinks of his people.
A reminder of our ignorance
The bride asked her beloved where he feeds his flock, where he makes his flock to rest at noon. In our text he replies to his beloved Bride, reminding her of her ignorance. The phrase, If thou know not, would be better translated, Since you do not know. The question asked in verse seven was an acknowledgment of ignorance. This reminder of the fact of our ignorance in all things spiritual is given not to discourage us, but to remind us that we must never cease looking to him for guidance and direction.
Particularly, he is reminding us that though we know something of our sinfulness, the corruption and deceitfulness of our hearts, we really have no idea just how corrupt and deceitful our hearts are. We know we are weak; but we do not really have any idea just how weak. We must ever look to him for strength to resist temptation, trust him, obey him, and walk in his way.
Instructions for where to find him
Here is his word of instruction for our hearts.Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents. Here we are told where to find our Lord, where to find food and rest and refreshment for our souls. If we would find Christ, we will find him in the way of the holy prophets, in the way of the patriarchs, and in the way of the apostles. Only as we follow the footsteps of the flock and feed by the tents of his shepherds, will we find him.
The footsteps of the flock are the paths in which Gods people have always walked. They are the paths of the Lords sheep. They are not hard to find. They are plain and clear. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked in these paths. These are the paths of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Peter, James, John, and Paul followed these paths. Let us walk in them, too. They are the paths of faith and trust, of submission and obedience, of righteousness and godliness, of love and kindness, and the old paths of doctrinal truth (Jer 6:16).
Who are these shepherds, by whose tents we must feed? There are many who set themselves up as shepherds, who would feed their followers in poisonous pastures of free will, works religion. Keep away from them. Find a man who is preaching the gospel of Gods free and sovereign grace in Christ, and feed by his tent. Only that church where the gospel is preached is the shepherds tent. Only that man who is preaching the gospel is one of Christs shepherds (Jer 3:15).
Find a man who is like Paul, Determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified, and you can safely feed by his tent. Those who are the true servants of Christ preach Christ, they preach all of Christ, and they preach nothing but Christ. The shepherds spoken of here are faithful gospel preachers, men appointed and called of God to be undershepherds to Christ. The shepherds tents are the churches pastored by Gods faithful servants. As shepherds in ancient times pitched their tents in the wilderness where they led their flocks, so Gods servants establish gospel churches in the wilderness of this world for the feeding of Christs flock.
Feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.We are here directed to feed our kids by the shepherds tents, and nowhere else. The word kids does not to refer to our physical children, though there is certainly an application to them. We are responsible to see to it that our children hear the Word of God faithfully preached. If you feed them upon the husks of free will, works religion you will be responsible for their eternal ruin.
However, the word kids is used here in reference to young converts, weak in faith and knowledge. They often think they know much and are strong; but that is not usually the case. Like young lambs, young believers are often a bit wild and rowdy, and have an offensive smell. But it is the kids (lambs) of the flock who need our special care and patience.
Christs estimate of his people
Here is Christs estimate of his people. First, our Savior tells us how beautiful his people are in his eyes.O thou fairest among women (vv.8-10). In our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, we are black and scornful. But in his eyes we are fair and comely. I would rather trust his eyes than my eyes. If my eyes tell me that I am black, I will weep. But if he assures me that I am fair in his eyes, I will believe him and rejoice.
This is our Redeemers declaration to every believing sinner.I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
The Son of God, our Mediator, sees us in the beauty of his own imputed righteousness and declares that we are perfectly beautiful. Yes, this is how we shall be when he gets done with us and presents us before the Fathers throne (Eph 5:25-27); but that is not what is spoken of here. Here our great God and Savior is declaring what we are at this very moment in his eyes. This is no exaggeration, but a statement of fact (Eze 16:13-14). We are perfectly beautiful and gloriously complete, so much so that we may confidently exclaim, Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect?
In thy Surety thou art free.
His dear hands were pierced for thee:
With his spotless garments on,
Were as holy as Gods own Son!
In this passage (Son 1:9-11), our Lord uses a well-known picture of royal beauty to typify the beauty of his people in him. He compares us to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots (Beautiful, Chosen, Costly, Strong). Then, he shows how he has adorned us by his grace, with rows of jewels (The graces of the Holy SpiritGal 5:22) and chains of gold (The blessings of grace in himEph 1:3-14).
In Son 1:11, our beloved Savior tells us what will yet be done for us.We (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. This is a symbolic picture of the heavenly Jerusalem and our everlasting glory in heaven (Isa 54:11-12; Rev 21:18-21, cf Eph 5:25-27; Jud 1:24-25).
Let us never forget our personal weakness, ignorance, and sin. May God graciously cause us ever to look to Christ alone for strength, grace, and cleansing. Let us resolve, by Gods grace, ever to be found walking in the footsteps of the flock, feeding by the shepherdstents, as long as we are in this world. Let us always take special care to watch out and care for our younger brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God. Let us now remember what great things the Lord has done for us. Let us ever live in the anticipation of that glory which awaits us.
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
O thou: Son 1:15, Son 2:10, Son 4:1, Son 4:7, Son 4:10, Son 5:9, Son 6:1, Son 6:4-10, Son 7:1-13, Psa 16:3, Psa 45:11, Psa 45:13, Eph 5:27, Rev 19:7, Rev 19:8
go: Pro 8:34, Jer 6:16, 1Co 11:1, Heb 6:12, Heb 11:4-40, Heb 13:7, Jam 2:21, Jam 2:25, Jam 5:10, 1Pe 3:6
feed: Joh 21:15
Reciprocal: Gen 29:9 – Rachel Exo 33:13 – show Rth 2:8 – neither Rth 2:21 – Thou shalt Rth 2:22 – It is good Pro 2:20 – General Pro 13:20 – that Son 2:14 – thy countenance Son 6:2 – feed Jer 12:16 – my name Jer 50:6 – have forgotten Eze 34:15 – General Luk 12:32 – little Joh 1:38 – Rabbi Joh 8:32 – ye shall Act 17:4 – some Act 20:28 – all Rom 4:12 – in the steps 1Pe 2:25 – the Shepherd 1Pe 5:2 – Feed Rev 7:17 – feed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Son 1:8. If thou know not This is Christs answer; go thy way, &c. Observe and follow the paths which my sheep have trodden before thee, my faithful servants, Abraham and others. For the church in all ages is one and the same, and there is but one way, for the substance, in which all the saints, from the beginning to the end of the world walk, Christ being the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. Feed thy kids Take care for the feeding of all, and especially young and weak Christians. Beside the shepherds tents Under the conduct, and according to the instruction of my faithful shepherds, chiefly those who have gone before thee, the prophets and apostles, and in subordination to them, and to their writings, others, whom I shall raise, from time to time, to feed my people.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:8 {p} If thou knowest not, O thou fairest among women, go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
(p) Christ speaks to his Church, bidding them that are ignorant to go to the pastors to learn.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
If this is Solomon’s reply, he probably was kidding her and meant that she had no reason to feel he would disdain her. However, these are probably the words of the girl’s friends (cf. Son 1:4 b). They evidently meant that if she thought Solomon would not want her because of her dark skin and hard work, she was being ridiculous and should go back to her flocks. After all, she was a very attractive woman.