Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 5:5
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.
5. and my hands dropped &c.] Rather, while my hands dropped myrrh. sweet smelling myrrh ] Heb. mr ‘bhr, lit. flowing myrrh, is that which flows out from the bark of the myrrh shrub of itself, and is specially valued, cp. Son 5:13. It is called also mr drr, ‘freely flowing myrrh’ (Exo 30:23).
the handles of the lock ] R.V. the handles of the bolt. Some commentators, e.g. Delitzsch, suppose that the person who knocks has put the myrrh upon the bolt as an offering to the Shulammite, but the phrase, “my hands dropped myrrh upon,” &c., implies that the myrrh was not on the bolt before she tried to open the door. Of course in real life she would not drop myrrh upon the bolts, but in a dream she might imagine it, especially when she was in unusual circumstances and surrounded by unwonted luxury. Probably she had been anointing herself with perfumes before she went to sleep. Budde thinks that the text is in disorder here and would read,
“I arose to open to my beloved,
[And laid hold upon] the handles of the bolt,
While my hands dropped myrrh,
And my fingers flowing myrrh.”
Siegfried would strike out, “upon the handles of the bolt,” as a gloss, and would leave the rest as it stands. Neither change seems necessary.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sweet smelling myrrh – Or (as in the margin) running myrrh, that which first and spontaneously exudes, i. e., the freshest, finest myrrh. Even in withdrawing he has left this token of his unchanged love.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. My hands dropped with myrrh] It was a custom among the Romans, as Brissonius, Isidore, and others relate, to conduct the bride to the house of the bridegroom with lighted torches; and those who brought her anointed the door-posts with fragrant oils, whence the name uxor, or as it was formerly written unxor, for a wife or married woman, because of the anointing which took place on the occasion; for sometimes the bride herself anointed the door-posts, and sometimes those who brought her; probably both at the same time. The same custom might have existed among the Jews. See Vossius’ Etymologicon.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I rose up to open to my Beloved; I repented of my former drowsiness and neglect, and went forth to receive him.
My hands dropped with myrrh, i.e. with oil or ointment made of myrrh, which either,
1. She had taken out of her own stock to prepare herself for the entertainment of the Bridegroom; or rather,
2. Dropped from the Bridegrooms hand upon the door in great abundance, when he put it into the hole of the door, Son 5:4, and consequently upon her hands and fingers when she touched the door to open it. By which she signifies that Christ, though he withdrew himself from her, yet left a sweet savour behind him, infusing into her, and stirring up in her, the graces of the Spirit, such as repentance, which is bitter as myrrh, earnest desire after Christ, &c.
With sweet-smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock, Heb. with myrrh passing or flowing upon the handles of the lock, which place the Bridegroom had touched when he attempted to open it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. dropped with myrrhThe bestproof a bride could give her lover of welcome was to anoint herself(the back of the hands especially, as being the coolest part of thebody) profusely with the best perfumes (Exo 30:23;Est 2:12; Pro 7:17);”sweet-smelling” is in the Hebrew rather,”spontaneously exuding” from the tree, and therefore thebest. She designed also to anoint Him, whose “head wasfilled with the drops of night” (Lu24:1). The myrrh typifies bitter repentance, the fruit ofthe Spirit’s unction (2Co 1:21;2Co 1:22).
handles of the locksinswhich closed the heart against Him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I rose up to open to my beloved,…. As soon as touched by the hand of mighty grace, she not only resolved to rise, but actually rose, and that directly, not being easy to lie any longer on her bed of carnal security; being now made heartily and thoroughly willing to let in her beloved, who she supposed was still at the door; but in that she was mistaken; however she met with a rich experience of his grace and goodness;
and my hands dropped [with] myrrh, and my fingers [with] sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock; when she put her hand upon it to draw it back, and let her beloved in; the myrrh, which he had gathered, So 5:1, and left there when he put in his hand at the hole of the door: the allusion seems to be to lovers shut out, who used to cover the threshold of the door with flowers, and anoint the door posts with sweet smelling ointment f: as by the “door” is meant the heart of the church, so by the “lock”, which fastened and kept it shut, unbelief may be designed; and by the “handles” of it lukewarmness and sluggishness, which strengthen unbelief, and keep the heart closer shut against Christ; and by her “hands” and “fingers”, faith in exercise, attended with the fruits of it, attempting to draw back the lock of unbelief; which while the church was trying to do, she met with some fresh experience of the grace of Christ: her “hands [and] fingers dropped with sweet smelling myrrh, passing” or “current” g; such as weeps and drops from the tree of itself, and, being liquid, runs upon and overflows the hands and fingers; and being excellent and valuable, is passing or current as money; and the odour of it diffusive, it passes afar off: now this is either to be understood of myrrh brought by the church, a pot of ointment of it to anoint her beloved with, who had been long waiting at her door in the night season, to refresh him with it; and this pot being broke unawares, or designedly, or being in a panic her hands shook, the myrrh run over her hands and fingers as she was drawing back the lock; which may denote that her grace was now in exercise and on the flow, in great abundance; which put her on her duty, and which became odorous and acceptable to Christ: or it may signify myrrh brought and left there by Christ; and may express the abundance of grace from him, communicated by him, to draw and allure her to him, to supple and soften her hard heart, to take off the stiffness of her will, and the rustiness of her affections, and make the lock of unbelief draw back easier, and so open a way for himself into her heart; and to excite grace in her, her faith and love, and cause her to come forth in exercise on him: and her hands and fingers “dropping” herewith shows that all the grace a believer has is from Christ, from whom, in the way of his duty, he receives a large measure of it: while the church was on her bed of sloth there was no flow of sweet smelling myrrh; but, now she is up and doing her duty, her hands and fingers are overflowed with it.
f “At lachrymans exclusus amator,—-posteisque superbos unguit amaracino”, Lucret. l. 4. prope finem. g “myrrham transeuntem”, Pagninus, Montanus, c. “probam”, Tigurine version “lachrymantem”, Bochart; “quam Dioscorides vocat Myrrham Galiraeam”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
And my hands dropped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handle of the bolt.
The personal pron. stands without emphasis before the verb which already contains it; the common language of the people delights in such particularity. The Book of Hosea, the Ephraimite prophet’s work, is marked by such a style. , with which the parallel clause goes beyond the simple mor , is myrrh flowing over, dropping out of itself, i.e., that which breaks through the bark of the balsamodendron myrrha, or which flows out if an incision is made in it; myrrha stacte, of which Pliny (xii. 35) says: cui nulla praefertur , otherwise , from , to gush out, to pour itself forth in rich jets. He has come perfumed as if for a festival, and the costly ointment which he brought with him has dropped on the handles of the bolts ( , keeping locked, after the form , drawing on), viz., the inner bolt, which he wished to withdraw. A classical parallel is found in Lucretius, iv. 1171:
“At lacrimans exclusus amator limina saepe
Floribus et sertis operit postesque superbos
Unguit amaracino” …
Bttch. here puts to Hitzig the question, “Did the shepherd, the peasant of Engedi, bring with him oil of myrrh?” Rejecting this reasonable explanation, he supposes that the Shulamitess, still in Solomon’s care, on rising up quickly dipped her hand in the oil of myrrh, that she might refresh her beloved. She thus had it near her before her bed, as a sick person her decoction. The right answer was, that the visitant by night is not that imaginary personage, but it is Solomon. She had dreamed that he stood before her door and knocked. But finding no response, he again in a moment withdrew, when it was proved that Shulamith did not requite his love and come forth to meet it in its fulness as she ought.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Notes
Son. 5:5 : My hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling on the handles of the lock. Dropped with myrrh. natephu mor, literally dropped myrrh. So SEPTUAGINT, VULGATE, LUTHER, &c. MAR TIN: The myrrh dropping from my hand. The myrrh from Solomons having taken hold of the lock on the outside with profusely anointed hands. ZCKLER, WILLIAMS. From the unguent flowing in from the outer look through the keyhole. HITZIG. Some drops inserted by her lover through the hole or above the door, and trickling down on the inner lock, showing how richly anointed he had come to her. DELITZSCH. Left on purpose by himself. EWALD, THRUPP, ROWE. Proceeding from the moisture of his hand when he introduced his finger to remove the bolt. DEL RIO, NOYES, HAHN. She imagines how her beloved, while calling her, had smeared the lock with perfume for its smell to meet her. EWALD. LUCRETIUS speaks of lovers perfuming the doors of their mistresses. Some, on the other hand, view the perfume as having been brought by the Bride herself. So WORDSWORTH. SANCTIUS: Not having time to perfume her garments, she pours the myrrh on her hand, wishing thus to receive and gratify her Bridegroom. FAUSSET: Anointed herself profusely, as the best proof she could give him of a hearty welcome. WEISS: Just having gone to anoint herself as a delicate lady among the Romans. PATRICK and PERCY: Having taken it to anoint her husbands head with it, she in her haste spilt it on her hands. A. CLARKE: Those who brought the Bride to the Bridegrooms house often anointed the door posts with fragrant oils, and sometimes the Bride herself anointed them: hence uxor, for unxor. Allegorized by the Fathers generally as indicating penitence, chastity, and mortification of the flesh. DURHAM: Lively exercise of faith and other graces. AINSWORTH: Godly sorrow, faith, and love; or the sweet alluring odour left by Christ. PATRICK: Most ardent love with which the believer seeks to entertain his Saviour. BRIGHTMAN: Her endeavours as most acceptable to God. DEL RIO: The Bridegroom moving his Church to undertake the work of preaching the Gospel with the desire to endure hardship and even death for His sake. COCCEIUS: The Churchs begun labour that she and the brethren might be partakers of Christ. DAVIDSON: The application to the Church of all the efficacy of Christs atonement and resurrection, symbolized by the myrrh with which His body was embalmed, and which flows from Him as the Head to His members. Threefold Mystery: The setting forth anew of the precious doctrines of the atonement and mediation of Christ. M. STUART: Historically, the reference to the disciples with myrrh seeking Jesus in the tomb. FAUSSET: Also, to bitter repentance as the fruit of the Spirits anointing (2Co. 1:21-22).
THE BRIDES REPENTANCE
Son. 5:5
I rose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dropped with myrrh,
And my fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
Shulamite not only felt, but acted. I rose to open to my beloved. In matters of religion, feeling valuable as it leads to action. Such actions to be prompt. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. I made haste and delayed not. Repentance, when real, puts the most careless on their feet.Durham. So the Prodigal Son: I will arise and go to my father. And he arose and went. So the penitent Corinthians (2Co. 7:10-11).
A circumstance connected with Shulamites action related. My hands dropped with myrrh, &c., upon the handles of the lock. Did she bring it with her? or did she find it there? Probably the language only a poetic way of expressing the feelings of sweet and joyful ardour with which she hastened to admit her beloved, and anticipated his embrace. Thoughts of him were now to her in the place of the best sweet-smelling myrrh. Observe from the passage
1. No time to be lost in opening to Christ. The Bride delayed and suffered for it. Now shakes off her sloth and rises at once. Christs call to Zaccheus that to each soul: Make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house. The conduct of Zaccheus to be ours: He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully (Luk. 19:5-6).
2. A special sweetness accompanying true penitence and a hearty reception of Christ. Shulamites hands dropped with sweetest myrrh while attempting to open to her beloved. Every act of faith and self-denying obedience for Christ accompanied with a sweetness and satisfaction unable to be found in the pleasures of the world or in the indulgence of the flesh. True penitence a sweet sorrow. Myrrh bitter to the taste, but sweet to the smell. Christ brings sweetness with Him. His name: Ointment poured forth.
Grace acts in order to move the soul to action. When the Bridegroom puts forth his hand at the hole of the door, the Bride must put forth her hand to open to him. Believers to work out their salvation, because God works in them both to will and to do of His own good pleasure.
4. Nothing sweeter to Christ than a soul penitently and earnestly rising to open to Him. Fingers perfumed that open to Christ.
5. Grace supplied as the soul rises to perform its duty and obey Christs call. Only when Shulamite rose to open, her hands dropped with sweet-smelling myrrh. Duty earnestly and obediently attempted at the Saviours call found both easy and pleasant. The handles of the lock found perfumed with myrrh. Delay accumulates rust, and renders duty more difficult.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
5. I rose up, etc. Regretting her freak of harshness, she rises in a flood of tender feeling.
My hands dropped with myrrh Figuratively, these words imply that her hands shared the emotion of her heart. Literally, which is better, they mean that the Beloved had left the cost of which he must have felt a perfume of myrrh upon the very doorhandle. This token of his faithful love increases her pain.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘I rose up to open to my beloved, And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.’
Rising from her bed she swiftly clad herself and then went to draw back the bolt, but all the time conscious of the myrrh that dropped on to her hand and fingers even as she did so. Even now she was too much taken up with herself. But she also knew that this myrrh was a luxury that she owed solely to him, and it must have moved her conscience as she thought of how she had nearly refused him. It was, however, to be too late.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
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.
We have the Church here recovered from her sleep, and the sweet effects of grace moving in her heart towards Christ, are set forth in the charming figures of hands dropping, and fingers smelling with the fragrancy of myrrh; by which we are to understand that faith and love were in lively exercise to receive Christ, and to manifest her sense of his goodness and her unworthiness. Myrrh in scripture is frequently made use of to resemble grace. Thus the grace of Jesus to his people is set forth: Son 1:13 ; Psa 45:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Son 5:5 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.
Ver. 5. I rose up to open to my beloved. ] This was repentance from sin, as that in the former verse was repentance for sin. To repent, and yet to lie still in sin, is to repent with a contradiction, saith Tertullian; Optima et aptissima poenitentia est nova vita, saith Luther. A new life is the best repentance. Up gets the Church, when once soundly sensible of her sin; and, leaving her bed of carnal security, makes after Christ with all her might, with a redoubled diligence, to make some amends for her former negligence. Nunquam sero, si serio. Late though it were ere she started and stirred, yet better late than not at all. We are too much after witted for the most part, post masters, Epimetheuses; we see not our folly (but cry with him, In crastinum seria ), till we have smarted for it, and then wish, O mihi praeteritos, &c.
And my hands drop with myrrh.
a In Apuleium, lib. ii. M. Les.
b Velut aliqui volunt A quasi . Sic A quasi A .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I (emph.): i.e. I immediately arose.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
rose: Son 5:2, Luk 12:36, Eph 3:17, Rev 3:20
my hands: Son 5:13, Son 3:6, Son 4:13, Son 4:14, 2Co 7:7, 2Co 7:9-11
sweet smelling: Heb. passing, or running about
Reciprocal: Psa 45:8 – All Son 1:3 – the savour Son 1:13 – bundle Son 3:2 – will rise Son 4:10 – the smell Mar 14:3 – of ointment Rev 18:13 – cinnamon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5:5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands flowed [with] myrrh, and my {e} fingers [with] sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
(e) The spouse who should be anointed by Christ will not find him if she thinks to anoint him with her good works.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
She went to the door and found that he had been ready to make love (Son 5:5; cf. Pro 7:17; Son 4:6; Son 5:13). She opened it but discovered he had gone. The fact that in her dream the watchmen beat her may indicate that she subconsciously felt that someone should punish her for refusing him.
"If the redid ["shawl"] was a loose cloak that was removed by the watchmen, they may be pictured here as gazing on the ’wall’, i.e. the girl in her state of semi-nakedness." [Note: Carr, The Song . . ., p. 137.]