{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_69329/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_69329","id":"gutenberg_69329","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69329","summary":null,"tags":["Bible. Song of Solomon -- Commentaries","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"THE\n                             SONG OF SONGS:\n\n                  Translated from the Original Hebrew,\n\n                                 WITH A\n                  COMMENTARY, HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL.\n\n\n                                   BY\n                         CHRISTIAN D. GINSBURG.\n\n\n                        \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e7\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05df \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b6\u05d1\u05b6\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u200e\n                        \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05ea\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc:\u200f\u200e\u2014Prov. xxxi. 30.\n\n\n                                LONDON:\n             LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, LONGMANS, AND ROBERTS.\n\n                                 1857.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                               PAGE\n\nPreface                                                         vii.\nIntroduction:\n\n    Section I.\u2014Title of the Book, and its Signification           1\n    Section II.\u2014Canonicity of the Book                            2\n    Section III.\u2014Design and Method of the Book                    4\n    Section IV.\u2014Importance of the Book                           12\n    Section V.\u2014Historical Sketch of the Exegesis of the Book     20\n    Section VI.\u2014The different Views classified and examined     102\n    Section VII.\u2014Author, Date, and Form of the Book             124\n    Section VIII.\u2014Exegetical Helps                              126\n\nCommentary                                                      127\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThe following is an exposition of the first of the five books called\nMegiloth, all of which, having engaged the attention of the Author for\nseveral years, will now, God willing, be brought before the Public in\nregular succession. The Author\u2019s aim has been to investigate and\nelucidate the true meaning of the original, in accordance with the\nestablished laws of historico-grammatical exegesis, and to show that,\nin its literal sense, the Song of Songs teaches a great moral lesson,\nworthy of Divine inspiration.\n\nThe resemblance, however, between the narrative here recorded and the\nexperience of the people of God is striking and apposite. The\nShulamite, espoused to her shepherd, is tempted by a mighty potentate\nwith riches and pleasures to transfer her affections; but, strengthened\nby the power of divine love, she resists all temptation, remains\nfaithful to her beloved, and is ultimately rewarded. The people of God,\nespoused to \u201cthe Shepherd and Bishop of their souls,\u201d are tempted by\nthe prince of this world to forsake their Lord, but, strengthened by\ngrace divine, they resist all allurements, and eventually receive the\ncrown of glory.\n\nThe references to Genesius\u2019 and Ewald\u2019s Grammars are to the last\neditions, which differ in the numbering of the sections from the\nearlier ones; F\u00fcrst\u2019s valuable Lexicon, to which frequent reference is\nmade, is not yet completed.\n\nThe author tenders his hearty thanks to his esteemed friend, the Rev.\nIsaac Salkinson of Hamburg; to the Rev. J. M. Charlton, A.M.; the Rev.\nR. Robinson, of York-road; the Rev. G. Rogers, of Albany-road; and to\nNathaniel Bridges, Esq., A.M., for perusing the MS. and proofs, and for\nkind suggestions. Thanks are also due to those gentlemen in London and\nOxford, who have facilitated the author\u2019s access to MSS. and other rare\nworks in the British Museum and the Bodleian Library.\n\nMay the Divine Spirit, whose words the Author has attempted to\nelucidate, render the attempt profitable to the readers!\n\n\n                             London: 16, Barkham Terrace, St. George\u2019s,\n                                                             May, 1857.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nSECTION I.\u2014TITLE OF THE BOOK, AND ITS SIGNIFICATION.\n\nThis book is called \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, which is literally translated by the\nSeptuagint, \u1f84\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1 \u1f80\u03c3\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd, by the Vulgate, Canticum Canticorum, and by\nthe English Version, Song of Songs; and, according to a Hebrew mode for\nexpressing the superlative degree by repeating the same noun in the\ngenitive, denotes the finest, the most beautiful, or the most excellent\nSong. Compare \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05d1\u05b6\u05d3 \u05e2\u05b2\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, servant of servants, i.e. most abject\nservant (Gen. ix. 25); \u200f\u05e7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, holy of holies, i.e. most holy\n(Exod. xxix. 37; Numb. iii. 32; Deut. x. 14; Eccl. i. 2; Hos. x. 15;\nJer. vi. 28; Gesenius, Grammar, \u00a7 119, 2; Ewald, Lehrbuch, \u00a7 313, c).\nMedrash Yalkut renders it \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, a song more\ncelebrated and sublime than all songs; as Rashi, Ibn Ezra Rashbam,\nLuther, and many others. The opinion of Kleuker, &c., that this\ninterpretation of the Rabbins is more owing to their preconceived\nnotion of the sublime contents of the book than to the real meaning of\nthese words, is refuted by Rashbam himself, who, having explained this\nphrase by \u201cmost excellent song,\u201d refers not to the contents of the book\nfor its corroboration, but adduces similar constructions of the\nsuperlative from other passages of the Bible, viz., \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, and\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (Deut. x. 17). Other explanations, such as a song of\nsongs, i.e. a song from the songs of Solomon (Kimchi), or a collection\nof songs (Kleuker), or a chain of songs, or string of strings,\ncomparing \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b9\u200e with the Chaldee \u200f\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, Greek \u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u1f70, chain\n(Velthusen, Paulus, Good, &c.), are contrary to the Hebrew usage of the\nword \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, and the construction of \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e. More recent\ncommentators, and even those who regard this book as a collection of\nseparate songs (as, for instance, D\u00f6pke, Magnus, Noyes, &c.) admit that\nthe Rabbinical interpretation of this title is the only admissible one.\nThe \u200f\u05dc\u200e prefixed to \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, is the so-called Lamed auctoris, used in\nthe inscriptions of Psalms and other Hebrew poems to designate the\nauthor. Comp. Ps. iii. 1; iv. 1, &c. The addition of \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e here, which\nis not found in the other inscriptions, is owing to the article in \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\n\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, which generally, though not always, is followed by this\npronoun; comp. Gen. xxix. 9; xl. 5; xlvii. 4; 1 Kings iv. 2; Gesen. \u00a7\n115, 1; Ewald, 292 a. The rendering therefore of \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e by\nrespecting Solomon, is contrary to usage, and is rightly rejected by\nmodern grammarians and lexicographers.\n\nThis Song is the first of the (\u200f\u05d4\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e) five Megiloth, or books\nwhich are annually read in the Synagogues; viz. The Song of Songs on\nthe Feast of the Passover; Ruth on Pentecost; Lamentations on the Ninth\nof Ab; Ecclesiastes on Tabernacles; and Esther on Purim. The present\narrangement of these five books in the Hebrew canon is according to the\norder of the festivals on which they are read.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION II.\u2014CANONICITY OF THE BOOK.\n\nThis book possesses all the external marks which entitle other writings\nto a place in the list of the sacred books. The evidence for its\ncanonicity is as conclusive as that which is commonly adduced to prove\nthe canonicity of any other portion of the Old Testament. In the Mishna\nYadim (sect. iii. 5), we find the following testimony respecting it\nfrom R. Akiba, one of the most celebrated Rabbins, who lived at the end\nof the first century, and was president of the academy of Bani-Brac: No\nIsraelite has ever disputed the canonicity of the Song of Songs. No day\nin the whole history of the world is of so much worth as the one in\nwhich the Song of Songs was given to Israel; for all the Scriptures are\nholy, but the Song of Songs is most holy. Another Rabbi (Simeon b.\nAzzai), in the same place, says, I received it from the mouth of the\nseventy-two elders, at the time when R. Eliezer b. Azzaria was\nappointed Elder, that the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes are canonical.\n[1] We have here positive evidence that this book existed in the canon\nin the Apostolic age; and that it was comprised in the sacred books,\nwhich our Lord calls \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u1f70\u03c2, the Scriptures, Matt. xxii. 29. It\nhas, therefore, been transmitted to us both by the Jewish and Christian\nchurches as canonical. It was translated into Greek, between the years\n90 and 130, by Aquila, who was anxious to furnish his Jewish brethren\nwith a faithful version of the sacred books; and also by Symmachus and\nTheodotion, before the end of the second century. It is contained in\nthe catalogue given in the Talmud; [2] and in the catalogue of Melito,\nBishop of Sardis (fl. 170, A.D.), which he brought from Palestine,\nwhither this learned and pious prelate expressly travelled to obtain\ninformation respecting the number of the sacred books. [3] Those who in\nmodern days have questioned the canonicity of this book have done so,\nnot from external evidence, but from misapprehension of its design.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION III.\u2014DESIGN AND METHOD OF THE BOOK.\n\nWe have no sympathy with those who affirm that the Old Testament\nScriptures contain all the national writings which were esteemed\nvaluable in Hebrew literature, that this Song was placed among those\nwritings simply because it possessed much poetic beauty, and was\nsupposed to be the composition of a person so celebrated throughout the\nEast as Solomon, and that it is destitute of any moral or practical\ninstructions. We believe that every book of the Old Testament is\ninspired; and has, on that account, obtained a place in the Hebrew\nCanon. This is the unanimous testimony, not of the Jewish church only,\nbut is corroborated by Christ and his apostles. Paul, referring to the\nOld Testament, most distinctly affirms, that \u201call Scripture is given by\ninspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for\ncorrection, for instruction in righteousness.\u201d 2 Tim. iii. 16. [4] As\nthis Song undoubtedly formed a part of the Scriptures to which the\napostle alluded, it must, therefore, be inspired, and must serve some\nof those purposes of inspiration.\n\nThe particular design of this book has been much disputed. It is here\nmaintained, that, upon careful examination, it will be found to record\nan example of virtue in a young woman who encountered and conquered the\ngreatest temptations, and was, eventually, rewarded; the simple\nnarrative of which, divested of its poetic form, is as follows. There\nwas a family living at Shulem, consisting of a widowed mother, several\nsons, and one daughter, who maintained themselves by farming and\npasturage. The brothers were particularly partial to their sister, and\ntook her under their special care, promising that her prudence and\nvirtue should be greatly rewarded by them. In the course of time, while\ntending the flock, and, according to the custom of the shepherds,\nresorting at noon beneath a tree for shelter against the meridian sun,\nshe met with a graceful shepherd youth, to whom she afterwards became\nespoused. One morning, in the spring, this youth invited her to\naccompany him into the field; but the brothers, overhearing the\ninvitation, and anxious for the reputation of their sister, in order to\nprevent their meeting, sent her to take care of the vineyards. The\ndamsel, however, consoled her beloved and herself with the assurance\nthat, though separated bodily, indissoluble ties subsisted between\nthem, over which her brothers had no control. She requested him to meet\nher in the evening, and as he did not come, she feared that some\naccident had befallen him on the way, and went in search of him, and\nfound him. The evening now was the only time in which they could enjoy\neach other\u2019s company, as, during the day, the damsel was occupied in\nthe vineyards. On one occasion, when entering a garden, she\naccidentally came in the presence of King Solomon, who happened to be\non a summer visit to that neighbourhood. Struck with the beauty of the\ndamsel, the King conducted her into his royal tent, and there, assisted\nby his court-ladies, endeavoured with alluring flatteries and promises,\nto gain her affections; but without effect. Released from the King\u2019s\npresence, the damsel soon sought an interview with her beloved\nshepherd.\n\nThe King, however, took her with him to his capital in great pomp, in\nthe hope of dazzling her with his splendour; but neither did this\nprevail: for while even there, she told her beloved shepherd, who had\nfollowed her into the capital, and obtained an interview with her, that\nshe was anxious to quit the gaudy scene for her own home. The shepherd,\non hearing this, praised her constancy, and such a manifestation of\ntheir mutual attachment took place, that several of the court-ladies\nwere greatly affected by it.\n\nThe King, still determined, if possible, to win her affections, watched\nfor another favourable opportunity, and with flatteries and\nallurements, surpassing all that he had used before, tried to obtain\nhis purpose. He promised to elevate her to the highest rank, and to\nraise her above all his concubines and queens, if she would comply with\nhis wishes; but, faithful to her espousals, she refused all his\novertures, on the plea that her affections were pledged to another. The\nKing, convinced at last that he could not possibly prevail, was obliged\nto dismiss her; and the shepherdess, in company with her beloved\nshepherd, returned to her native place. On their way home, they visited\nthe tree under which they had first met, and there renewed their vows\nof fidelity to each other. On her arrival in safety at her home, her\nbrothers, according to their promise, rewarded her greatly for her\nvirtuous conduct.\n\nThe plot, if such it may be called, gradually develops itself, like\nmost poetic narratives of a similar kind. Various speakers are\nintroduced in the poem, as the Shulamite shepherdess, the shepherd, the\nKing, the court-ladies, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the brothers of\nthe Shulamite, and the companions of the shepherd, all of whom are\nrepresented as speaking more or less, but without any such distinctions\nas we find in Job, as \u201cAfter this Job opened his mouth and cursed his\nday\u2014Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said\u2014Then answered Bildad\nthe Shuhite and said\u2014&c.,\u201d and without separate names, or initial\nletters of names to indicate the speakers, which renders it difficult\nto gather the history it contains; and especially as some of the\nstatements appear at first sight to have little or no logical sequence.\nThe Song of Songs differs materially in this respect from all the other\nbooks of Scripture; but not, as is well known, from the poems of\nprofane writers.\n\nNotwithstanding the aforementioned difficulty, an attentive reader of\nthe original will find nearly as much help from the masterly structure\nof this Song, as can be obtained from the divisions and initial letters\nin modern dramas, by which the different speakers are distinguished,\nand the various statements are connected in a regular narrative.\n\nThe recurrence, for instance, of the same formula of adjuration three\ntimes (ii. 7; iii. 5; viii. 4), and the use of another closing sentence\n(v. 1), divide the Song into five sections. The heroine of the book,\nwhen speaking with her beloved or with the king, is easily\ndistinguished by the feminine gender of the verb, or of the adjective\nor the noun; as, i. 5, \u201cI am swarthy but comely,\u201d where both\nadjectives, swarthy (\u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e) and comely (\u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e), are feminine in the\noriginal, and plainly indicate the speaker. The beloved shepherd, when\nhe speaks, or is spoken to, or is spoken of, is recognised by the\npastoral language (i. 3, 4, 7; ii. 12; iii. 4, &c.); the King is\ndistinguished by express allusions to his position (i. 9\u201311; vi. 4\u2013vii.\n10); the court-ladies, when speaking to the Shulamite, are recognised\nby the phrase, \u201cfairest of women\u201d (i. 8; v. 9; vi. 1), and when spoken\nto by \u201cdaughters of Jerusalem\u201d (i. 5; ii. 7; iii. 5, 10; v. 8; viii.\n4); the brothers of the Shulamite are introduced as speaking in ii. 15,\ncompared with i. 6 and viii. 8, 9; the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in\niii. 6\u201311, and the companions of the shepherd, in viii. 5, are\nsufficiently indicated by the context.\n\nOn a careful examination of the statements of the various speakers in\nthese five sections, it will be found that the narrative, though not\nrecorded in the order we have stated, may be easily deduced from it.\n\nIn the FIRST section\u2014ch. i. 2, 7\u2014the heroine of the Song, who, as is\nevident from verse 8 and vii. 1, is a Shulamite shepherdess, ardently\nwishes for the presence and love-tokens of her beloved, who, as she\nherself most distinctly tells us (ver. 7, and ii. 16; vi. 3), is a\nshepherd; she wishes him to take her away from the royal apartments\ninto which the King had brought her, for she loves him above all things\n(verses 2, 3, 4); these apartments (or royal tent), as we learn from\niii. 6\u201311, were out of Jerusalem, and in the neighbourhood of the\nShulamite\u2019s home, where the King temporarily resided, and where he met\nwith the damsel (vi. 11, 12). In reply to the disdainful looks of the\ndaughters of Jerusalem, in whose presence she had expressed her desire\nfor the shepherd, and who had contrasted their fair and delicate\ncountenances with her own, she insists that her swarthy complexion need\nnot render her contemptible, for it was not natural, but had arisen\nfrom the duties which her brothers had unjustly required of her (v. 6);\nshe then resumes the address to her beloved, asking him, as if he were\npresent, to tell her where he tends his flock (7). The daughters of\nJerusalem, who, as we see from vi. 9, are the court-ladies, comprising\nthe maidens, concubines, and queens, ironically answer this question\n(8). The watchful King, having heard that she wished for her beloved,\nimmediately comes forward, and, with flatteries and promises, tries to\nwin her affections (9, 10, 11); but without effect; for as soon as the\nKing retires she shows her unabated attachment to her shepherd (12; ii.\n6), and concludes by adjuring the court-ladies not to persuade her to\ntransfer her affections to another (7).\n\nThe SECOND section\u2014ch. ii. 8; iii. 5\u2014though apparently disconnected\nfrom the first, is found, upon investigation, to be a proper and\nnatural sequence. The Shulamite, in rebutting the contempt of the\ncourt-ladies, had reflected with some severity upon her brothers for\nsending her to keep the vineyards; but this had been done merely to\naccount for the darkness of her complexion; and having been interrupted\nin her warm address to her beloved, which she hastened to resume, she\nwas obliged to be satisfied with this passing allusion to that event.\nIt was natural, therefore, to expect that, at the first opportunity,\nshe would state more circumstantially how her brothers came to be\nsevere with her, and why they had made her a keeper of the vineyards,\nwhich she proceeds to do in this section. She tells the court-ladies\nthat her brothers were displeased with her because they had overheard\nthe shepherd inviting her to accompany him into the fields to enjoy\ntogether the charms of nature (8\u201314), on account of which, in their\nanxiety for her reputation, they changed her employment, told her to be\na \u201ckeeper of the vineyards,\u201d in order to separate her from her beloved\n(15). She, moreover, relates that they consoled themselves with the\nassurance that, though separated bodily, indissoluble ties subsisted\nbetween them, over which her brothers had no control (16); that she\ninvited him to come again in the evening, when unobserved (17); and\nthat, seeing he did not come, she went in search of him, &c. (ch. iii.\n1\u20134). Having thus evinced her deep attachment for the shepherd, she\nagain concludes by adjuring the court-ladies not to persuade her to\ntransfer her affections to another (5).\n\nThis section, therefore, follows the preceding one, to set forth the\ncause of the brother\u2019s severity in having made her a \u201ckeeper of the\nvineyards,\u201d and thus gives a further insight into her previous history.\n\nThe THIRD section (ch. iii. 6, v. i.) relates the second unsuccessful\neffort of Solomon to gain the Shulamite\u2019s affections. The King,\ndetermined to gain his purpose, takes the damsel, with great pomp, into\nthe capital (ch. iii. 6\u201311), in the hope of dazzling her with his great\nsplendour; but he is again disappointed. In the midst of the imposing\nmagnificence, the damsel tells her beloved shepherd, who has followed\nher thither, and obtained an interview with her, and expressed his\ndelight at seeing her again (ch. iv. 1\u20135), that she is anxious to quit\nthe palace for her rural home (6). Her beloved, on hearing this, offers\nhis assistance to effect an escape (7, 8), and praises her constancy\nand charms (9\u201316); whereupon they both manifest their mutual attachment\nin so affecting a manner that even some of the court-ladies are moved\n(ch. iv. 16, v. 1), with whose expression of sympathy the section\nconcludes.\n\nThe bearing which this section has upon the whole plan is, in the first\nplace, to develop the progress of the history itself, inasmuch as it\nrecords the conveyance of the Shulamite from her rural home into the\nroyal capital; and, in the second place, to relate her faithfulness in\nresisting another temptation, in which the grandeur of the procession\nwhich elicited so much admiration from the inhabitants of Jerusalem,\nand the splendour of the court, which dazzled the eyes and fed the\nvanity of so many of its inmates, had far less charms for her than the\npresence of her shepherd in a humble home.\n\nThe FOURTH section (ch. v. 2\u2013viii. 4) records the last and greatest\ntrial which the Shulamite had to encounter, and which she also\novercame. It commences with a dream which she had recently had, and\nwhich she relates (ch. v. 2\u20138) to the court-ladies whose sympathy with\nher has been shown at the close of the preceding section. The narration\nof this dream gives the damsel an opportunity of describing the\npersonal appearance of her beloved (10\u201316), and thus we are gradually\nled on to her chief trial and success. The court-ladies, having\nlistened to this charming description, inquire whither her beloved is\ngone, and offer their assistance to seek him (ch. vi. 1); but she,\nsuspecting the motive, gives them an evasive answer (2, 3). The King,\never watchful for a favourable opportunity to show his attachment to\nher, as soon as he hears of the inquiry after the damsel\u2019s beloved,\ncomes forward with most alluring flatteries and promises. He begins\nwith praising her beauty (4\u20137), and then promises to raise her to the\nhighest rank of all his numerous retinue of women (8, 9), who\nthemselves are constrained to extol her beauty (10). But the damsel,\nhaving explained how she came to be seen by those court-ladies, spurns\nall those praises and promises, and goes away (11, 12); the King calls\nher back (ch. vii. 1), and, having again described her beauty and\nattractions (2\u20138), wishes that he might enjoy the favours of so\ncharming a person (9, 10); but she refuses the King\u2019s overtures, on the\nplea that her affections are engaged, and that it is her duty to be\nfaithful to her beloved (11); then, addressing herself to her beloved,\nshe asks him to go with her from the palace to their rural home (12,\nch. viii. 3); and concludes with again adjuring the court-ladies not to\npersuade her to transfer her affections to another (4).\n\nThis section, as we have seen, is intimately connected with the\npreceding one. The damsel, having obtained the sympathies of some of\nthe court-ladies, according to the close of the last section, relates\nto them, at the opening of this (ch. v. 2\u20138), a dream which she had\nrecently had; which gives the damsel an opportunity of describing the\nappearance of her beloved, and this description gradually introduces\nthe last and the greatest trial which she has to encounter.\n\nThe FIFTH section\u2014ch. viii. 5\u201314\u2014states the result of the damsel\u2019s\nvictory over all her temptations. The King, convinced that nothing\ncould induce her to transfer her affections, dismisses her; and\naccompanied by her beloved shepherd, she quits the court for her humble\ncountry residence. On their way, they visit the tree under which they\nwere first espoused (viii. 5), and there implore that the flame which\nhad been kindled in their hearts might be lasting. A most graphic and\npowerful description of the nature of true love follows, in which all\nher trials are recounted (6, 7). The damsel then reminds her brothers\nof the promise they had made her, and obtains the reward of virtue.\n\nThus this Song records the real history of a humble but virtuous woman,\nwho, after having been espoused to a man of like humble circumstances,\nhad been tempted in a most alluring manner to abandon him, and to\ntransfer her affections to one of the wisest, and richest of men, but\nwho successfully resisted all temptations, remained faithful to her\nespousals, and was ultimately rewarded for her virtue.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION IV.\u2014IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK.\n\nFew, it is presumed, will question the importance of a Book, in the\nsacred canon, which records an example of virtue in a humble\nindividual, who had passed successfully through unparalleled\ntemptations.\n\nThe avowed object of Holy Writ is to teach all that is good and\nconducive to human happiness. Lessons of wisdom and virtue are\ninterspersed throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle Paul\nurges the Philippians to think of whatsoever is true, noble, just,\npure, lovely, and of good report: of everything, in short, that is in\nany way profitable or praiseworthy. These lessons are not communicated\nto us in abstract forms, or enforced by powerful argument merely, but\nthey are presented in the most attractive examples drawn from the lives\nof illustrious men and women, who, amidst the greatest trials and\ntemptations, have pre-eminently maintained their integrity. The\nPatriarch Job is set forth as an example of patience, and the Prophets\nas patterns of suffering affliction (James v. 10, 11). An example of\nvirtue, very similar to the one in the Song before us, is recorded in\nGen. xxxix. 7, &c., where a Hebrew slave is tempted by a woman of rank,\nbut resists the temptations; and though left to suffer for a season, is\nultimately rewarded for his virtue. Such instances, therefore, are in\nharmony with the design of Scripture, and its method of teaching.\n\nThe individual who passes through the extraordinary temptations\nrecorded in this Song, and remains faithful, is a woman. Who can find a\nvirtuous woman? This was the question of the Ancients, was reiterated\nin the middle ages, and is still asked by many. Here is a reply to\nSolomon\u2019s own enquiry. He has found one at least of spotless integrity,\nand her virtue is recorded in Scripture, for the defence of women\nagainst a prevalent, but unjust suspicion.\n\nThe second chapter of Genesis clearly states, that the man and the\nwoman were created with the same intellectual and moral powers. The\nwords used by God respecting the creation of the woman are, \u201cthe being\nof man in his solitary state is not good. I will make him a help-mate\ncorresponding to him;\u201d that is, one that shall be exactly like him in\naffections, in sympathies, in mind, in fact his counterpart; she shall\nbe the reflection of his own person. That this is the meaning of\n\u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05e0\u05b0\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e is evident from the Septuagint, which renders it in verse 18,\n\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u2019 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd, and verse 20, \u1f45\u03bc\u03bf\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff7; and from the Syriac and the\nVulgate; as well as from the Rabbinical usage of \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05e0\u05b6\u05d3\u200e, to express\nthings exactly like one another. [5] The word of God affirms here, that\nthe woman was created exactly with the same capacities as the man, and\ncontains no intimation of subserviency to him, or of being in the\nslightest degree weaker or less virtuous than he. The fact that the\nTempter assailed the woman, and not the man, so far from showing that\nthe woman was weaker, would rather prove that she was stronger; that\nthe cunning serpent knew this, and was persuaded, if he could only\nprevail over the woman, she, with her superior influence, would be sure\nto succeed with the man, as the sad result showed.\n\nThe curse which God pronounced upon the guilty pair, proves that the\nwoman was created with the same intellectual and moral capacities as\nthe man. Had the woman been weaker in these respects than the man, she\nwould not have been accountable in an equal degree for her sin, and\nwould not have been punished with the same severity.\n\nNo alteration has taken place in their relative position, in this\nrespect, since the fall. The curse upon the woman in relation to the\nman does not refer to any intellectual or moral, but to a physical,\ninferiority. Hitherto the Protoplasts resided in Paradise, and\nsubsisted upon its delightful fruit; and the employment of the man was\nmere recreation. Henceforth they were to be driven from that happy\nabode; the woman was to experience all the sorrow and pain of pregnancy\nand parturition, and must look to her husband for support from his\nhard-earned labour. The man, consigned to rough labour in the field,\nexposed to the assault of brutes, was henceforth to have more physical\nstrength and daring; while the woman, destined to manage the affairs at\nhome, and to rear up a family, was to exercise the power of patient\nendurance. The man, with his superior strength and boldness, was\nhenceforth to be the protector; the woman, suffering and mild, the\nprotected. He was to be the tiller of the ground, and she, in addition\nto the sorrow peculiar to her condition, must depend on what he might\nprovide for her; and hence her desire was to be unto him; that is, she\nshould be looking up to him for protection and maintenance, and thus he\nwould rule over her. That this is the whole meaning of the phrase \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\n\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d3\u05b0 \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u05b8\u05ea\u05b5\u05d3\u05b0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u200e, Gen. iii. 16, is evident from the clause\nimmediately preceding, which describes the woman\u2019s constant suffering,\nand precludes the possibility of securing maintenance for herself; and\nalso from the following verse, where the man is destined to labour hard\nfor bread.\n\nThe notion, therefore, that the woman is intellectually or morally\nweaker than man, is not the teaching of the word of God. While man,\nthrough his superior out-of-door qualities, or physical strength and\ncourage, is the supporter, protector, and ruler of the woman; she,\nthrough her superior in-door qualities, her endurance and her charms,\nameliorates his government, and sways his inmost heart. Their different\ncharacteristics, arising from their different destinations, were\ndesigned to blend together so as to produce a happy harmony, and to\nmake both one.\n\nBut how vilely and treacherously has man employed his superior strength\nand audacity! Instead of maintaining, protecting, and defending the\nwoman, he has used his strength to oppress, to crush, and to degrade\nher. As the human race became more and more alienated from their\nCreator, intrinsic merit and moral character were despised, and\nphysical force became rampant; the stronger, as among animals,\noppressed and preyed upon the weaker, and thus woman became the slave\nof man, and was absolutely sold in the capacity of daughter or wife, as\ncattle and other property. Thus Eliezer, the servant of Abraham,\npurchased Rebekah as a wife for Isaac, his master\u2019s son, (Gen. xxiv.\n53). Jacob, having nothing to give as a compensation for his wives, was\nobliged to serve fourteen years for them (Gen. xxix. 18\u201328). Shechem,\nwishing to obtain Dinah for a wife, and ascribing the unwillingness of\nJacob to part with her to the insufficiency of the compensation he had\noffered, says\u2014\u201cAsk me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give\naccording as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife (Gen.\nxxxiv. 12).\u201d Compare, also, Exod. xxii. 15, &c.; 1 Sam. xviii. 25; Hos.\niii. 2. This custom of purchasing wives was general among the\nOrientals. \u201cIn Babylon, [6] the following course was pursued in every\nvillage once a-year. All the maidens of a marriageable age were\ncollected together, and brought in a body to one place; around them\nstood a crowd of men. Then a crier, having made these maidens stand up\none by one, offered them for sale, beginning with the most beautiful;\nand when she had been sold for a large sum, he put up another who was\nnext in beauty. They were sold on condition that they should be\nmarried. Such men among the Babylonians as were rich and desirous of\nmarrying used to bid against one another, and purchase the most\nbeautiful. But such of the lower classes as were desirous of marrying,\ndid not regard beauty, and were willing to take the plainer damsels\nwith a sum of money given with them. For when the crier had finished\nselling the most beautiful of the maidens, he made the plainest stand\nup, or one that was a cripple, and put her up for auction, for the\nperson who would marry her for the least sum. This money was obtained\nfrom the sale of the most beautiful; and thus the beautiful portioned\nout the plain and the crippled.\u201d Wives were purchased among the\nAssyrians and Arabians also; [7] among the ancient Greeks [8] and\nGermans [9] and are still bought among the Orientals of the present\nday. [10]\n\nFearful consequences, arising from such a mode of obtaining wives, were\ninevitable, and soon became apparent. As the procuring of wives\ndepended upon the offer which any one was able to make, those that\ncould afford it purchased as many as they pleased. Hence the practice\nof polygamy, than which nothing produces more contempt for the proper\ncharacter of women, or tends more to their degradation. As these\ncontracts were formed without the parties being previously known to\neach other, and without any affection subsisting between them, the\nwoman, instead of being the help-mate or companion of man became his\nslave, and was kept for the gratification of his carnal appetites, or\nat best was regarded as a plaything for a leisure hour. Her rights were\ndenied, her education was neglected, her intellect was degraded, her\nmoral character was questioned. Man, seeking to possess as many wives\nas he could afford, gave the woman no credit for virtue. Acting upon\nthis suspicion and false accusation, he placed her in the most\ninaccessible part of the house; dogs or eunuchs guarded the doors of\nher chambers; [11] the harem was made as impenetrable as a prison; none\nbut the nearest relatives were allowed to see her, and when permitted\nto pass through the streets her countenance was thickly veiled, and\neunuchs watched her every step. Plutarch relates that when women\ntravelled they were placed in a conveyance closely covered on all\nsides, and that it was in such a covering that Themistocles fled from\nPersia, his attendants being instructed to tell every inquirer that\nthey were conveying a Grecian lady from Ionia to a nobleman at Court.\n[12] The sacred books of heathen nations teem with loud execrations\nagainst the natural unfaithfulness and immorality of women. \u201cThe lust\nof a woman,\u201d says the pundits, \u201cis never satisfied, no more than fire\nis satisfied with fuel, or the main ocean with receiving the rivers, or\nthe empire of death with the dying of men and animals.\u201d And again:\n\u201cWomen have six qualities: the first is an immoderate desire for jewels\nand fine furniture, handsome clothes and nice victuals; the second,\nimmoderate lust; the third, violent anger; the fourth, deep resentment,\nno person knowing the sentiments concealed in their hearts; the fifth,\nanother person\u2019s good appears evil in their eyes; the sixth, they\ncommit bad actions.\u201d [13] The wickedness of women is a subject upon\nwhich the stronger sex among the Arabs, with an affectation of superior\nvirtue, often dwell in common conversation. That women are deficient in\njudgment or good sense, is held as an undisputed fact, as it rests on\nan assertion of the Prophet; but that they possess a superior degree of\ncunning, rests upon the same authority. Their general depravity is\naffirmed to be much greater than that of men. \u201cI stood,\u201d said the\nProphet, \u201cat the gate of Paradise, and lo, most of its inmates were the\npoor; and I stood at the gate of hell, and lo, most of its inmates were\nwomen.\u201d In allusion to women, the caliph Omar said, \u201cConsult them, and\ndo the contrary of what they advise,\u201d which Moore has thus\nparaphrased:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cWhene\u2019er you\u2019re in doubt, said a sage I once knew,\n        \u2019Twixt two lines of conduct which course to pursue,\n        Ask a woman\u2019s advice, and whate\u2019er she advise,\n        Do the very reverse, and you\u2019re sure to be wise.\u201d\n\n\nWhen woman was created, \u201cthe devil,\u201d we are told, \u201cwas delighted, and\nsaid, \u2018Thou art half of my host, and thou art the depository of my\nsecret, and thou art my arrow, with which I shoot and miss not.\u2019\u201d [14]\nThey were made so much to feel their inferiority, that Iphigenia is\nmade to say, \u201cOne man, forsooth, is better than ten thousand women.\u201d\n[15]\n\nThough the Jewish women were treated more leniently, and enjoyed\ngreater privileges than their sex in other nations, yet it is evident,\nfrom a variety of circumstances in Old Testament history, that they\nwere not wholly emancipated from a state of unnatural inferiority.\nPolygamy was practised amongst the Jews, and its debasing effects were\nobvious. The harems, the veils, and eunuchs were not uncommon to their\nwomen. Weakness of moral character was imputed to them; unfaithfulness\nand incontinency were dilated upon (Num. v. 12; Prov. xxxi. 10; Eccl.\nvii. 28). Josephus tells us [16] that women, in consequence of their\nnatural levity, were not admitted as legal witnesses in courts of\njustice. Maimonides teaches the same; \u201cThere are,\u201d says this great\nluminary, \u201cten sorts of disqualifications, and every individual in whom\none of them is found, is disqualified from giving evidence; and these\nare women, slaves, children, idiots, the deaf, the blind, the wicked,\nthe despised, relations, and those interested in their testimony; these\nare the ten.\u201d [17] The Rabbins endeavour to justify this inhuman\ntreatment of women from the law of Moses. \u201cWomen,\u201d say they, \u201care\ndisqualified by the law from giving testimony: for it is said, \u2018At the\nmouth of two witnesses,\u2019 where the word \u2018witnesses\u2019 is of the\nmasculine, and not feminine gender.\u201d It is not to be wondered at,\ntherefore, that the Jew, among his thanksgivings, should say to the\nAlmighty every morning, \u201cBlessed be thou, O Lord our God, King of the\nuniverse, that thou hast not created me a woman.\u201d\n\nNow, if one sex of the human family has been so degraded by the other;\nif she whom God created to be a help-mate and counterpart has been\nreduced by man to the slave of his carnal lusts; if such slavish and\ninhuman treatment has been justified on the false plea of the natural\nunfaithfulness and incontinency of the sex; if exclusion from society\nand imprisonment have been deemed necessary for the preservation of her\nmorals, how greatly has woman been alienated from the original design\nof her creation! how unjustly has her character been aspersed! how\ninhumanly has she been treated! and how great is the importance of a\nbook which celebrates the virtuous example of a woman, and thus strikes\nat the root of all her reproaches and her wrongs!\n\nThe importance of this view of the book may be further seen from the\nfact, that, in proportion to the degradation of women, men themselves\nhave become degraded; for, deprived of the meliorating influences which\nthe delicacy and tenderness of women were designed to have over them,\nand never more needed than in their fallen state, they have abandoned\nthemselves to their worst passions and desires, and thus their whole\ncivil and social condition has been proportionally undignified and\nunblest. Look, on the other hand, at the state of society where woman\nis restored to her rightful position, there we shall find refinement of\nmanners, purity of conversation, mutual confidence and affection,\ndomestic happiness, intellectual enjoyment, freedom of thought and\naction, sympathetic repose, and whatever, in fact, tends to mitigate\nthe unavoidable evils of the present life; all referable, in a greater\nor less degree, to the unrestricted influence of woman upon the child\nand upon the man. In religion, her influence is still more potent. If\nfirst in the transgression, she is first in the restoration; and were\nman as ready to follow her in doing good as he has been in doing evil,\nthe world would long ago have been in a holier and happier state than\nit is at present. Who constitute the principal part of our worshipping\nassemblies? Women. Who form the chief portion of the members of our\nchurches? Women. Who are the chief agents in the religious education of\nour children? Women. Who are the main support of our various benevolent\nand evangelical institutions? Women. Let it not be said, then, that a\nBook which celebrates the ascendency of a virtuous woman in humble life\nover all the blandishments of wealth and royalty, is unworthy of a\nplace in Holy Writ.\n\nThe importance of this book is, moreover, enhanced by the circumstances\nmore immediately connected with the time in which it was written.\n\nThe conduct of Bath-sheba with David was calculated to confirm man in\nhis opinion that woman was naturally unfaithful and incontinent, and\nthat it was requisite to exclude her from society, in order to preserve\nher morals. But the narrative here recorded forms a contrast to the\nconduct of Bath-sheba. It shows the power of virtue in a woman, even of\nhumble life. As the wife of an officer of rank, accustomed to luxury\nand wealth, the temptations of Bath-sheba were not so great, and yet\nshe surrendered to them. Whereas the Shulamite, a humble shepherdess,\nto whom the promise of costly apparel and of elevation from a low and\ntoilsome occupation to the highest rank, must have been an\nextraordinary allurement, triumphed over them all. If one woman yielded\nto small incitements, this book shows that another overcame\nunparalleled temptations, and thus checked the clamour against woman\nwhich might have arisen from the conduct of Bath-sheba with David.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION V.\u2014HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE EXEGESIS OF THE BOOK.\n\nNo book has furnished a wider field for the speculation and visionary\nprojects of those who substitute their own imagination and enthusiastic\nfeelings for the teaching of Scripture, than the Song of Solomon; the\nvarieties and absurdities of which are a solemn warning against\ndeparting from the rules of sound philology and critical\ninterpretation.\n\nAn enumeration of all the different interpretations of this Song would\nbe too lengthy, and is not required. It will be sufficient to glance at\nthe leading expositions. We begin with the Jewish.\n\n323\u2013246, B.C. [18] It has been supposed that the Septuagint, which may\nbe regarded as the oldest Jewish exegetical tradition, contains some\nintimation that the translators of the Old Testament into Greek and\ntheir Jewish brethren of those days must have interpreted the Song of\nSolomon in an allegorical manner. The only passage adduced in\ncorroboration of this opinion is, Ch. iv. 8, where the Septuagint\nrenders \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05e8\u05d0\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e from the top of Amana, by \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2, from\nthe top of faith. That this appeal is nugatory is obvious from the\nrendering of \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u200e Tirzah by \u03b5\u1f50\u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03af\u03b1, delight, vi. 4, and of \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e\nnoble daughter by \u03b8\u03cd\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1 \u039d\u03b1\u03b4\u03ac\u03b2, daughter of Nadab, vii. 1; whence it\nis evident that the Septuagint frequently mistook proper names for\nappellatives and adjectives, and vice vers\u00e2. It appears inconceivable\nthat a profound scholar like Keil, who is well acquainted with the\nfrequent errors of the Septuagint, should quote this as a special and\nsufficient proof that \u201cthe Alexandrian version took this Song in an\nallegorical sense,\u201d [19] especially as he knew that some have drawn\nfrom it the very opposite conclusion, who have argued that if the\nauthors of the Septuagint had understood this book in any other than\nits obvious sense, they would have betrayed it in the translation. [20]\n\n180, B.C. Jesus Sirach, xlvii. 14\u201317, is next adduced as furnishing\nsome clue to the Jewish interpretation of this book. Ecclesiasticus,\naccording to some, is a name given to it \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u2019 \u1f10\u03be\u03bf\u03c7\u1f74\u03bd, because of its\nbeing the most remarkable and useful of the ecclesiastical or\napocryphal books; others say it was so called from its resemblance to\nSolomon\u2019s Ecclesiastes, and others, again, with more probability, that\nthis name was given to it by the Latins, to denote its use in the\nchurch. Its Greek name, however, \u03a3\u03bf\u03c6\u03af\u03b1 \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c5\u1f31\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03a3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03ac\u03c7, wisdom of\nJesus son of Sirach, is more appropriate. It specifies at once the\nauthor, who mentions his own name in Ch. l. 27. The age given to the\nbook here, is that which is thought most probable. [21] This apocryphal\nwriter says in his apostrophe to Solomon,\u2014\u201cHow wise wast thou in thy\nyouth, and, as a flood, filled with understanding! Thy mind covered the\nearth, and thou filledst it with enigmatic sayings. Thy name went forth\nto the distant isles, and thou wast beloved for thy peace. Countries\nadmired thee for songs, and proverbs, and enigmas, and solutions.\u201d The\n17th verse is supposed to include the whole writings of Solomon\ncontained in the Old Testament; and it is affirmed that \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u1f76\n\u03b1\u1f30\u03bd\u03b9\u03b3\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd in verse 15, cannot be understood to mean the Proverbs\n(\u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03bf\u03b9\u03bc\u03af\u03b1) since these are separately mentioned in verse 17, hence it\nfollows that they refer to the allegorical interpretation of this Song.\n[22]\n\nEven Hengstenberg, who, though a defender of the allegorical\ninterpretation, remarks, [23] \u201cSirach xlvii. 17, has wrongly been\nreferred to in support of the allegorical interpretation. For the words\n\u1f10\u03bd \u1fa0\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03bf\u03af\u03bc\u03b9\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03bd \u1f11\u03c1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03b8\u03b1\u03cd\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03ac\u03bd \u03c3\u03b5\n\u03c7\u1ff6\u03c1\u03b1\u03b9 depend upon the historical narration in the Books of the Kings,\nand do not refer to the writings comprised in the Canon. This is\nevident from the mention of the \u1f11\u03c1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03b1\u03b9, whereby the solutions of the\nenigmas in contradistinction to the enigmas themselves, can alone be\nmeant. Comp. 1 Kings x. 1\u20133. Whereas in the Canon no such \u1f11\u03c1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03b1\u03b9 are\nto be found. Verse 15, in which Keil finds a special reference to the\nallegorical interpretation, likewise alludes to 1 Kings x., especially\nto verse 24.\u201d\n\n120, B.C. The Book of Wisdom has also been supposed to contain a clue\nto the interpretation of this Song. The author and the age of the Book\nare points of great contest. All that can be concluded with any degree\nof probability is, that the author was an Alexandrian Jew, who lived\nafter the transplanting of the Greek philosophy into Egypt, and that he\nseems to refer to the oppression of the later Ptolemies. [24] In ch.\nviii. 2, Solomon is represented as speaking to Wisdom; \u201cHer I loved and\nsought from my youth, I sought to bring her home for my bride, and I\nbecame a lover of her beauty.\u201d Because Solomon is here made to speak of\nWisdom as his bride, it has been maintained to be an explanation of the\nSong of Songs, as though the brides were necessarily the same. [25] Let\nany impartial reader peruse the description of Wisdom in the chapter\nquoted, and that of the bride in the Song of Songs, and he will be\nconvinced that there is no intentional resemblance whatever.\n\n37\u201395, A.D. Josephus is also said to have understood this Song in an\nallegorical sense, although it is not in a single instance quoted by\nhim. His arrangement of the Books of the Old Testament is the only\nground of this argument. It is said, as he [26] mentions twenty-two\nbooks which are justly accredited as Divine, (\u03c4\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03b1\u03af\u03c9\u03c2 \u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03b1\n\u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1) and describes five as belonging to Moses, thirteen to the\nProphets, and the remaining four as containing hymns to God, and rules\nof life for men (\u03b1\u1f31 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03c0\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03ad\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1\u03c1\u03b5\u03c2 \u1f55\u03bc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u0398\u03b5\u1f78\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2\n\u1f00\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03ce\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03b8\u03ae\u03ba\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b2\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03ad\u03c7\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd) viz., the Psalms, Job,\nProverbs, and Ecclesiastes, no place is left for this Song except among\nthe Prophets; and if Josephus placed it there, it follows that he must\nhave understood it allegorically. [27] But were we to admit that\nJosephus placed this Song among the prophetical writings, we should\ndeny the conclusion attempted to be drawn from it. For according to the\nsame mode of argumentation, we might infer that Josephus understood\nRuth and Esther allegorically, for he also places these books among the\nprophetical writings. The fact is, that this historian, as he tells us\nhimself, reckons the historical books among the prophetical ones. But\nwe demur to the assertion that Josephus put this Song among the\nprophetical writings; it is far more likely that he placed it among the\nfour books which he describes as consisting of hymns to God and\nprecepts for the life of men. [28]\n\nWe come now to the Talmud, in which passages from this Song are quoted\nand interpreted. This elaborate work, consists of what is called the\nMishna, constituting the text, and the Gemara, which is a commentary\nupon it, derived from two sources, viz.\u2014Jerusalem and Babylon. The\nJews, from time immemorial, had an unwritten law \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4\u200e \u03b4\u03cc\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\n\u1f04\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03b1, in addition to the written one, \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b8\u05d1\u200e, \u1f14\u03b3\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03bf\u03c2,\ncontained in the Pentateuch. Hillel of Babylon (born 75 B.C.), who,\nnext to Ezra, was celebrated by posterity as the restorer of the law,\n[29] first arranged and divided this oral law into six parts:\u20141,\nconcerning sowing; 2, women; 3, festivals; 4, the rights of property;\n5, holy things; 6, pure and impure things. This, which comprises\neverything that appertains to the Jewish law, was called \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e Mishna,\n\u03b4\u03b5\u03c5\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2, or the second recension of the law. In order to reconcile\nthe Sadducees, who denied every law not founded on Holy Writ, Hillel\nlaid down seven hermeneutic rules, whereby the Scriptures might be\ninterpreted in such a manner that the oral law could be deduced from\nit. [30] When fears were afterwards entertained lest the oral tradition\nshould be lost, Rabbi Judah Hakkadosh (i.e. holy), in the year 220\nA.D., collected everything that had been said upon the subject,\npreserving the division of Hillel, and probably making some additions\nof his own. This he did in a manner so masterly and satisfactory, that\nit superseded every other previous attempt, and constitutes the present\nMishna.\n\nThe Mishna became the chief object of study. The rules of Hillel were\nincreased and much acted on; expositions were given upon the reasons\nthat led to the decisions in the Mishna; the expounders were called\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e Amoraim, public lecturers, and the exposition \u200f\u05d2\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u200e Gemara.\n\nAfter the death of Judah, many of his learned disciples, objecting to\nthe appointment of his second son Gamaliel, to his father\u2019s office,\nemigrated to Babylon, and having erected schools there, pursued the\nstudy of the Mishna. The academy they established in Sura rivalled the\none in Tiberias. The Gemara of Tiberias, collated about 358 (A.D.) by\nan unknown individual, is called Talmud Jerushalmi; and the Gemara of\nSura, the compilation of which was begun by R. Ashe (352\u2013427),\ncontinued by his disciple and friend, Rabina, and finished about 525,\nis called Talmud Babli. The latter surpasses the former in\ncomprehensiveness, perspicuity, and depth, is about four times as\nlarge, and fills 2947 folio pages. Both united are called The Talmud\n\u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u200e book of instruction; and also \u200f\u05d2\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u200e Gemara. It contains the\ncivil and ceremonial law, debates on various branches of art and\nscience, moral sayings, anecdotes, expositions on different passages of\nScripture, &c. [31]\n\n100\u2013500, A.D.\u2014In Yadaim, (Sect. iii. 5.) we find that R. Akiba, one of\nthe greatest Rabbins who lived in the first century, and president of\nthe Academy of Bai-Barc, said, \u201cThe whole world was not worthy of the\nday in which this sublime Song was given to Israel; for all the\nScriptures are holy, but this sublime Song is most holy.\u201d There can,\ntherefore, be no doubt that the mysteries which this distinguished\nRabbi found in the Song of Songs, he regarded as greater than those he\ndiscovered in any other portion of the Sacred Scriptures.\n\nSubsequent Rabbins quote and explain different passages. Thus, Ch. i. 2\nis discussed in Abodah Sarah (Sect. 2, p. 35). It is asked, \u201cHow are\nthe words, \u2018Thy love is better than wine\u2019 understood?\u201d Answer: When\nRabbi Dimi came to Babylon, he said, \u201cThis verse is thus understood:\nthe Congregation of Israel said to God, \u2018Lord of the Universe, the\nwords of thy friends (namely, the sages) are more excellent than even\nthe wine of the Law.\u2019\u201d\n\nHere we see that the beloved is taken to be God, and the loved one the\nCongregation of Israel.\n\nCh. i. 3, is quoted and expounded, a little further on, in the same\ntract of the Talmud, in the following manner. \u201cR. Nachman ben R.\nChasdah once said, in his discourse, the words \u2018Delicious is the odour\nof thy perfumes,\u2019 denote a learned man; for such an one is like a box\nof perfumes; if it is covered up, no one can smell the perfumes, but\nwhen it is opened the odour becomes widely diffused. It is so with a\nlearned man without disciples, no one knows of his learning; but if he\ngets a circle of disciples his name and his learning become widely\ndiffused. And not only this, but he himself will increase learning by\nteaching, so that things which he formerly did not understand will now\nbecome plain to him; for it is written in the same verse \u200f\u05e2\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05da\u200e\nDAMSELS LOVE THEE; read \u200f\u05e2\u05dc\u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e HIDDEN THINGS will love thee, i.e.,\nwill become plain to thee; and not only this, but even the angel of\ndeath will love him; read then \u200f\u05e2\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e HE WHO IS OVER DEATH will love\nthee; and still more, he will inherit both worlds, this world and the\nworld to come; read also \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e WORLDS love thee.\u201d\n\nCh. i. 13, 14, and v. 13, are quoted and explained in Sabbath, p. 88,\nb., \u201cRabbi Joshuah ben Levi saith, What is meant by \u200f\u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9\n\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05e9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d9\u05dc\u05d9\u05df\u200e is the congregation of Israel, who is saying before the\nHoly One thus: O Lord, though my beloved (i.e. God) oppresses me, and\nis embittered against me, yet he still lodges with me. By \u200f\u05d0\u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8\n\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d9\u05df \u05d2\u05d3\u05d9\u200e is meant, He who is the owner of all things,\nwill forgive me the sin of the calf, with which I covered myself. A\nquestion is raised, How does \u200f\u05d1\u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9\u200e signify my covering? Then Rabbi\nMar-Sutra ben Rabbi Nachman quotes \u200f\u05db\u05e1\u05d0 \u05e9\u05dc \u05db\u05d5\u05d1\u05e1 \u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u05d0\u05dd\u200e\nfrom another part of the Talmud (Kelim 35), where \u200f\u05db\u05e8\u05dd\u200e means to cover.\nR. Joshuah ben Levi proceeds, What is meant by \u200f\u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05d5 \u05db\u05e2\u05e8\u05d5\u05d2\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e9\u05dd\u200e is,\nAt every commandment which proceedeth from the mouth of the Holy One on\nMount Sinai, the world was filled with aromatics. A question is asked,\nIf the world was filled at the first commandment, where was the odour\ndiffused at the second commandment? Answer, The Holy One sent his wind\nfrom his stores, and carried them away successively, as it is written,\n\u200f\u05e9\u05e4\u05ea\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd\u200e do not read \u200f\u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd\u200e but \u200f\u05e9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd\u200e repeating in\nsuccession. Rabbi Joshuah ben Levi concludes, At every commandment\nuttered by the mouth of the Holy One, the soul of Israel was drawn out\nof them, as it is written, \u2018My soul went out when he spake.\u2019 A question\nis again asked, If their soul was drawn out at the first commandment,\nhow could they receive the second? Answer. He (i.e. God) caused the dew\nto come down, by which he will raise the dead, and revived them, as it\nis written, \u2018Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou\ndidst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.\u2019\u201d Ps. lxviii. 9.\n[32]\n\nHere, again, we see that the bridegroom is taken to be the Holy One,\nthe Owner of all things, and the bride the congregation of Israel. The\nreader, looking into the text of the Talmud quoted in the note, will\nobserve that most of this interpretation has been obtained, either by\nthe separation of words, the transposition and change of letters, or by\nsubstituting in the commentary words, similar in sound to those in the\nScriptures. Thus, \u200f\u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8\u200e a bundle, a bag, is explained by \u200f\u05de\u05d9\u05e6\u05e8\u200e\noppress; \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05e8\u200e myrrh by \u200f\u05de\u05d9\u05de\u05e8\u200e embitter; \u200f\u05d0\u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u200e a cluster by \u200f\u05d0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05e9\u05d4\u05db\u05dc\n\u05dc\u05d5\u200e He whose are all things; \u200f\u05db\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8\u200e cypress flowers by \u200f\u05db\u05e4\u05e8\u200e pardon;\n\u200f\u05e2\u05d9\u05df \u05d2\u05d3\u05d9\u200e En-gedi by \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05e2\u05d2\u05dc\u200e the sin of the calf.\n\nThis mode of interpretation is not confined to the Song of Songs, but\nis applied to all parts of the Bible, and is an illustration of the way\nin which the hermeneutic rules laid down by Rabbi Hillel, and augmented\nby R. Ishmael, and others, were carried out.\n\n550, A.D.\u2014The Targum or Chaldee paraphrase is the first entire\ncommentary upon the Song of Songs which has been handed down to us. The\nauthor is unknown. Kitto erroneously affirms, that it was \u201cmade several\ncenturies before the time of Christ, and probably before the\ntraditionary interpretation of the author himself (i.e. the author of\nthis Song) would entirely be lost.\u201d [33] The inferior style in which it\nis written, the copious use it makes of legends of a very late date,\nand especially the mention it makes of the Gemara (Ch. i. 2), which was\nnot completed till nearly the middle of the sixth century, prove most\ndistinctly that this paraphrase was made in the sixth century.\nH\u00e4vernick, [34] however, is equally wrong in affirming that the\nMahomedans are mentioned in Ch. i. 7. That the sons of Ishmael here\nalluded to are not the Mahomedans, is evident from Ch. vi. 7. of the\nsame paraphrase, where we are told that these \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9 \u05d3\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05e2\u05b5\u05d0\u05dc\u200e headed by\nAlexander the Great, came to wage war against Jerusalem at the time of\nthe Maccabees.\n\nThe Targum takes the Song of Songs as an allegory, describing\nprophetically the history of the Jewish nation, beginning with their\nExodus from Egypt, and detailing their doings and sufferings, down to\nthe coming of the Messiah, and the building of the third Temple.\n\nThus, according to this allegory, Ch. i. 3, describes Jehovah\u2019s fame,\nwhich went abroad in consequence of the wonders he wrought when\nbringing the Israelites out of Egypt; verse 12 describes the departure\nof Moses to receive the two tables of stone, and how the Israelites, in\nthe mean time, made the golden calf; verse 14 describes the pardon of\nthat sin, and the erection of the Tabernacle; Ch. iii. 6\u201311, describes\nthe passage of the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, over the\nJordan, their attacking and conquering the Canaanites, and the building\nof Solomon\u2019s Temple; Ch. v. 2, describes the Babylonian captivity; Ch.\nvi. 2, the deliverance of Israel through Cyrus; and the building of the\nsecond Temple; Ch. vi. 7, &c., describes the battles of the Maccabees;\nCh. vii. 11, 12, the present dispersion of the Jews, and their future\nanxiety to learn the time of their restoration; Ch. viii. 5, &c.,\ndescribes the resurrection of the dead, the final ingathering of\nIsrael, the building of the third Temple, &c., &c.\n\n\u201cThe beloved,\u201d according to the Targum, is the Lord; \u201cthe loved one\u201d is\nthe Congregation of Israel; \u201cthe companions of the beloved\u201d (Ch. i. 7)\nare the Edomites and the Ishmaelites; \u201cthe daughters of Jerusalem\u201d are,\nin Ch. i. 5, the Gentile nations; in ii. 7, iii. 5, viii. 4, the\nCongregation of Israel; and in v. 8, the prophets; \u201cthe brothers of the\nloved one\u201d are the false prophets; \u201cthe little sister,\u201d in viii. 8, is\nthe people of Israel; the speakers in the same verse are the angels;\nthe speaker in viii. 13, is the Lord; \u201cthe companions,\u201d in the same\nverse are the Sanhedrim.\n\nThe following specimen of the Targum, on the first chapter of this\nSong, will give the reader an idea of the way in which the paraphrase\ndevelops the allegorical construction of this book.\n\n\n    1. The Song of Songs, &c.\u2014The songs and praises which Solomon the\n    prophet, King of Israel, sang, by the spirit of prophecy, before\n    God, the Lord of the whole world. Ten songs were sung in this\n    world, but this song is the most celebrated of them all. The first\n    song Adam sang when his sins were forgiven him, and when the\n    sabbath-day came, and protected him, he opened his mouth and said,\n    \u201cA song for the sabbath-day,\u201d &c. (Ps. xcii.) The second song Moses\n    and the children of Israel sang when the Lord of the world divided\n    the Red Sea for them, they all opened their mouths and sang as one\n    man, the song, as it is written, \u201cThen sang Moses and the children\n    of Israel.\u201d (Exod. xv. 1.) The third song the children of Israel\n    sang when the well of water was given to them, as it is written,\n    \u201cThen sang Israel.\u201d (Numb. xxi. 17.) The fourth song Moses the\n    prophet sang, when his time came to depart from this world, in\n    which he reproved the people of the house of Israel, as it is\n    written: \u201cGive ear, O heavens, and I will speak.\u201d (Deut. xxxii. 1.)\n    The fifth song Joshua the son of Nun sang, when he waged war in\n    Gibeon, and the sun and moon stood still for him thirty-six hours,\n    and when they left off singing their song, he himself opened his\n    mouth and sang this song, as it is written: \u201cThen sang Joshua\n    before the Lord.\u201d (Josh. x. 12.) The sixth song Barak and Deborah\n    sang in the day when the Lord delivered Sisera and his army into\n    the hands of the children of Israel, as it is written: \u201cThen sang\n    Deborah, &c.\u201d (Judg. v. 11.) The seventh song Hannah sang when a\n    son was given her by the Lord, as it is written: \u201cAnd Hannah prayed\n    prophetically, and said.\u201d (1 Sam. ii. 1, and the Targum in loco.)\n    The eighth song David the King of Israel sang for all the wonders\n    which the Lord did for him. He opened his mouth and sang a hymn, as\n    it is written: \u201cAnd David sang in prophecy before the Lord.\u201d (2\n    Sam. xxii. 1, and the Targum in loco.) The ninth song Solomon the\n    King of Israel sang by the Holy Spirit before God, the Lord of the\n    whole world. And the tenth song the children of the captivity shall\n    sing when they shall be delivered from their captivity, as it is\n    written and declared by Isaiah the prophet: \u201cThis song shall be\n    unto you for joy, as in the night in which the feast of the\n    passover is celebrated; and gladness of heart as when the people go\n    to appear before the Lord three times in the year, with all kinds\n    of music, and with the sound of the timbrel, to go up to the\n    mountain of the Lord, and to worship before the Lord, the Mighty\n    One of Israel.\u201d (Is. xxx. 29, and the Targum in loco.)\n\n    2. Let him kiss me, &c.\u2014Solomon the prophet said, \u201cBlessed be the\n    name of the Lord who has given us the law through Moses the great\n    scribe, written upon two tables of stone; and the six parts of the\n    Mishna and the Talmud traditionally, and who spoke with us face to\n    face, as a man that kissed his friend, because of his great love\n    wherewith he loved us above the seventy nations.\u201d [35]\n\n    3. Thy perfumes, &c.\u2014At the report of thy wonders and mighty deeds\n    which thou hast done for thy people the house of Israel, all the\n    nations trembled who heard of thy famous strength, and thy great\n    miracles; and in all the earth was heard thy holy name, which is\n    more excellent than the anointing oil that was poured upon the\n    heads of kings and priests; therefore the righteous love to walk\n    after thy good way, because they shall inherit both this world and\n    the world to come.\n\n    4. Draw me, &c.\u2014When the people of the house of Israel went out of\n    Egypt the shechinah of the Lord of the world went before them in a\n    pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, and the\n    righteous of that generation said, Lord of the whole world, draw us\n    after thee, and we will run in thy good way! Bring us to the foot\n    of Mount Sinai, and give us thy law out of thy treasury in heaven,\n    and we will rejoice and be glad in the twenty-two letters [36] with\n    which it is written, and we will remember them, and love thy divine\n    nature, and withdraw ourselves from the idols of the nations; and\n    all the righteous, who do that which is right before thee, shall\n    fear thee and love thy commandments.\n\n    5. I am swarthy, &c.\u2014When the house of Israel made the calf, their\n    faces became black, like the sons of Cush, who dwelt in the tents\n    of Kedar; but when they returned by repentance, and were forgiven,\n    the shining splendour of their faces was increased to that of\n    angels, because they made the curtains for the tabernacle, and the\n    shechinah of the Lord dwelt among them; and Moses, their teacher,\n    went up to heaven and made peace between them and their King.\n\n    6. Do not look down upon me, &c.\u2014The congregation of Israel said\n    before all the nations, Do not despise me because I am blacker than\n    you, for I have done your deeds, and worshipped the sun and moon;\n    for false prophets have been the cause that the fierce anger of the\n    Lord has come upon me, and they taught me to worship your idols,\n    and to walk in your laws; but the Lord of the world, who is my God,\n    I did not serve, and did not walk in his precepts, and did not keep\n    his commandments and laws.\n\n    7. Tell me, &c.\u2014When the time came for Moses the prophet to depart\n    from this world, he said to the Lord, It is revealed to me that\n    this people will sin, and be carried into captivity; show me now\n    how they shall be governed and dwell among the nations, whose\n    decrees are oppressive as the heat and the scorching sun in the\n    summer solstice, and wherefore is it that they shall wander among\n    the flocks of the sons of Esau and Ishmael, who make their idols\n    equal to thee, as though they were thy companions.\n\n    8. If thou knowest not, &c.\u2014The Holy One, blessed be his name, said\n    to Moses, the prophet, \u201cI suffer myself to be entreated to abolish\n    their captivity; the congregation of Israel, which is like a fair\n    damsel, and which my soul loves, she shall walk in the ways of the\n    righteous, and shall order her prayers according to the order of\n    her governors and leaders, and instruct her children, who are like\n    to the kids of the goats, to go to the synagogue and the schools;\n    and by the merits of this they shall be governed in the captivity,\n    until the time that I send King Messiah, and he shall lead them\n    quietly to their habitations; yea, he shall bring them to the house\n    of the sanctuary, which David and Solomon, the shepherds of Israel,\n    shall build for them.\u201d\n\n    9. I compare thee, &c.\u2014When Israel went out of Egypt, Pharaoh and\n    his hosts pursued after them with chariots and horsemen, and their\n    way was shut up on the four sides of them; on the right hand and on\n    the left were wildernesses full of fiery serpents, and behind them\n    was wicked Pharaoh with his army, and before them was the Red Sea,\n    what did the holy blessed God do? He was manifested in the power of\n    his might upon the Red Sea, and dried the sea up, but the mud he\n    did not dry up. The wicked and the mixed multitude, and the\n    strangers who were among them, said, The waters of the sea he was\n    able to dry up, but the mud he was not able to dry up. In that very\n    hour the fierce anger of the Lord came upon them, and he sought to\n    drown them in the waters of the sea, as Pharaoh, and his army, and\n    his chariots, and his horsemen, and his horses were drowned, had it\n    not been for Moses the Prophet, who spread his hands in prayer\n    before the Lord, and turned away the anger of the Lord from them.\n    Then he and the righteous of that generation opened their mouths,\n    and sang a song, and passed through the Red Sea on dry land,\n    through the merits of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the beloved of the\n    Lord.\n\n    10. Beautiful are thy cheeks, &c.\u2014When they went out into the\n    wilderness the Lord said to Moses, \u201cHow comely is this people, that\n    the words of the law should be given unto them, and they shall be\n    as a bridle in their jaws, that they may not depart out of the good\n    way, as a horse turneth not aside that has a bridle in his jaws;\n    and how fair is their neck to bear the yoke of my commandments; and\n    it shall be upon them as a yoke upon the neck of a bullock which\n    plougheth in the field, and feeds both itself and its owner.\u201d\n\n    11. Circlets of gold, &c.\u2014Then was it said to Moses, \u201cGo up into\n    heaven, and I will give thee the two tables of stone, hewn out of\n    the sapphire of the throne of my glory, shining as the best gold,\n    disposed in rows, written with my finger, on which are engraven the\n    ten commandments, purer than silver that is purified seven times\n    seven, which is the number of the things explained in them in\n    forty-nine various ways, and I shall give them by thy hands to the\n    people of the house of Israel.\u201d\n\n    12. While the King, &c.\u2014Whilst Moses, their teacher, was in heaven\n    to receive the two tables of stone, and the law and the\n    commandments, the wicked of that generation and the mixed multitude\n    that was among them rose up and made a golden calf, and caused\n    their works to stink, and an evil report of them went out in the\n    world; for before this time a fragrant odour of them was diffused\n    in the world, but afterwards they stank like nard, the smell of\n    which is very bad, and the plague of leprosy came down upon their\n    flesh.\n\n    13. A bag of myrrh, &c.\u2014At that time the Lord said to Moses, \u201cGo\n    down, for the people have corrupted themselves, desist from\n    speaking to me, and I will destroy them.\u201d Then Moses returned and\n    asked mercy of the Lord, and the Lord remembered for them the\n    binding of Isaac, whom his father bound, on Mount Moriah, upon the\n    altar; and the Lord turned from his fierce anger, and caused his\n    shechinah to dwell among them as before.\n\n    14. A bunch of cypress flowers, &c.\u2014So then went Moses down with\n    the two tables of stone in his hands; and, because of the sins of\n    Israel, his hands grew heavy, and the tables fell and were broken.\n    Then went Moses and ground the calf to powder, and scattered the\n    dust of it upon the brook, and made the children of Israel to drink\n    it, and slew all that deserved to die, and went up a second time\n    into heaven, and prayed before the Lord, and made atonement for the\n    children of Israel; then was the commandment to make a tabernacle\n    and an ark. Immediately Moses hastened and made the tabernacle, and\n    all its furniture, and the ark; and he put in the ark the two other\n    tables, and appointed the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer the\n    offerings upon the altar, and to pour the wine upon the offerings;\n    but from whence had they wine to pour? For in the wilderness they\n    had no proper place for sowing; neither had they fig-trees, nor\n    vines, nor pomegranates; but they went to the vineyards of En-gedi,\n    and took clusters of grapes from thence, and pressed wine out of\n    them, and poured it upon the altar, the fourth part of a hin to one\n    lamb.\n\n    15. Behold thou art beautiful, &c.\u2014When the children of Israel\n    performed the will of their King, he himself praised them in the\n    family of the holy angels, and said, \u201cHow fair are thy works, my\n    daughter, my beloved, O congregation of Israel, in the time that\n    thou doest my will, and studiest in the words of my law; and how\n    well ordered are thy works and thy affairs, as young doves that are\n    fit to be offered upon the altar!\u201d\n\n    16. Behold thou art comely, &c.\u2014The congregation of Israel answered\n    before the Lord of the world, and thus said, \u201cHow fair is the\n    shechinah of thy holiness, when thou dwellest among us, and\n    receivest prayers with acceptance; and when thou dwellest in our\n    beloved bed, and our children are multiplied in the world, and we\n    increase and multiply like a tree that is planted by a stream of\n    water, whose leaf is fair, and whose fruit is plenteous!\u201d\n\n    17. The beams of, &c.\u2014Solomon, the prophet, said, \u201cHow beautiful is\n    the house of the sanctuary of the Lord, which is built by my hands,\n    of wood of Gulmish; but far more beautiful will be the house of the\n    sanctuary which shall be built in the days of the King Messiah, the\n    beams of which will be of the cedars of the garden of Eden, and\n    whose rafters will be of cypress, pine, and box.\u201d\n\n\nThe precedent of the Talmud in taking the beloved as the Lord, and the\nloved one as the Congregation of Israel, and in explaining the text in\nsuch a manner as to make it square with her doings, has quite prepared\nus for the Chaldee exposition, the author of which most probably was\nhimself one of the later Talmudists. How could the paraphrast do\notherwise? \u201cAre not the words of the sages more excellent than even the\nwine of the Law?\u201d [37] \u201cIs not he who transgresses the words of the\nscribes more guilty than he who transgresses the words of the Law?\u201d\n[38] Having, therefore, been once settled by the sages that this Song\ndescribes the doings and sufferings of Israel, it only remained for the\nexpositors to apply their exegetical canons, viz.: of transposing,\nchanging, or omitting letters; explaining words by others of a similar\nsound; making each letter of a word begin another word; reducing an\nexpression to its numerical value, and explaining the text accordingly,\n&c. &c., in order to palm upon this book, in a consecutive order, the\nremarkable events in connection with the history of the Jews.\n\nThus, the love of God to Israel, which was greater than to all the\nseventy other nations mentioned in Ch. i. 2, was obtained by reducing\nthe word \u200f\u05d9\u05d9\u05df\u200e to its numerical value, seventy; the two worlds, in\nverse 3, which the pious are to inherit, were obtained by changing\n\u200f\u05e2\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e maidens, into \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e worlds, according to the example of the\nTalmud; [39] the twenty-two letters with which the Law is written, in\nverse 4, were obtained by reducing the word \u200f\u05d1\u05da\u200e to its numerical\nvalue; the Tabernacle, in verse 5, was obtained from the word \u200f\u05d9\u05e8\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea\u200e,\nand the effected peace by changing the proper name \u200f\u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4\u200e into \u200f\u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd\u200e\npeace; the worship of the sun and moon, in verse 6, was obtained from\nthe word \u200f\u05e9\u05de\u05e9\u200e sun; the ploughing bullock, in verse 10, was obtained by\nchanging \u200f\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u200e ringlet, and \u200f\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d6\u05d9\u05dd\u200e necklace, into \u200f\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d7\u05e8\u05d6\u200e; the\ntwo tables shining as the best gold, verse 11, were obtained by\nrendering \u200f\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d6\u05d4\u05d1\u200e golden Laws, and the seven times seven, or the\nforty different interpretations of the Law, by reducing the word \u200f\u05d6\u05d4\u05d1\u200e\nto its numerical value, \u200f\u05d6\u200e being seven, and \u200f\u05d4\u200e and \u200f\u05d1\u200e seven, and\nthen multiplying seven by seven; the binding of Isaac, in verse 13, was\nobtained by rendering \u200f\u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e8\u200e by \u200f\u05e2\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4\u200e the binding of\nMoriah; the sin of the calf, and the atonement of that, in verse 14,\nwere obtained by changing \u200f\u05e2\u05d9\u05df \u05d2\u05d3\u05d9\u200e En-gedi, into \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05e2\u05d2\u05dc\u200e the sin of\nthe calf, and by substituting \u200f\u05db\u05e4\u05e8\u200e pardon, for \u200f\u05db\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8\u200e cypress-flower,\naccording to the example of the Talmud. [40] This is the development of\nHagadic exegesis, and this the paraphrase appealed to in support of the\nallegorical interpretation, and in the track of which future\nallegorists more or less follow.\n\n892\u2013942. From the Chaldee paraphrase to R. Saadias Gaon, a period of\nabout 350 years, thick darkness covers the annals of Jewish literature.\nWith him, however, a new epoch begins to dawn. Saadias was born at\nPithom, in Egypt, about the year 892, and died in the year 942. He was\n\u201cGaon,\u201d or spiritual head of the Jews in Babylon, and is well known by\nhis translation of the Bible into Arabic, the Pentateuch of which is\ninserted in Walton\u2019s Polyglott. [41] Among the many philosophical and\nexegetical works this eminent man bequeathed to posterity, is a\ncommentary on the Song of Songs, which was originally written in\nArabic, and was translated into Hebrew by some unknown individual. This\nwork is exceedingly rare, and I have happily found a copy of the\noriginal Constantinople edition in the British Museum, of which Dukes\nwas not aware when he wrote his \u201cLiterarische Mittheilungen.\u201d The view\nthat Saadias takes is that \u201cSolomon relates in it the history of the\nJews, beginning with their Exodus from Egypt, and extending it beyond\nthe coming of the Messiah.\u201d Thus far he agrees with the Targum, but his\ncommentary on the text is entirely at variance with that paraphrase.\n\nAccording to Saadias, Ch. i. 2\u2013iii. 5, describes the bondage of Israel\nin Egypt, their liberation, the giving of the Law, the battles with\nSihon, Og, and the King of Aroar, the wrath of God at the time of the\nspies, &c. Ch. iii. 6\u2013iv. 7, describes the erection of the Tabernacle,\nthe various journeys in the wilderness, the high position of Moses and\nAaron, &c. Hitherto Israel has been called by the appellation my loved\none, for they had not as yet entered Canaan; henceforth they are called\nbride (\u200f\u05db\u05dc\u05d4\u200e), because God takes them into the promised land; just as a\nbridegroom calls his loved one bride, when he takes her home. Ch. iv.\n8\u2013v. 1, describes Israel\u2019s entrance into Canaan, the building of the\nfirst Temple, the separation of Judah and Israel, the Shechinah\ndeparting from Israel and abiding with Judah, and the people coming up\nto Jerusalem to the three great festivals. Ch. v. 2\u2013vi. 3, describes\nthe rebellion of Israel and Ahaz, God sending prophets to warn them to\nrepent, the destruction of the Temple, the Babylonian captivity,\nIsrael\u2019s liberation, the building of the second Temple, and the\ncovenant of God with his repenting people. Ch. vi. 4\u2013ix. describes the\ntwofold condition of the people that returned from Babylon, some of\nwhom were godly, while others took strange women, forgot the holy\nlanguage, and were therefore called \u200f\u05e9\u05d7\u05e8\u200e dawn, being neither real\nlight nor real darkness, neither pious nor wicked. Ch. vi. 10\u2013vii. 9,\nrefers to the present dispersion, in which the Jews, though being many\ndays without a king, without a priest, &c., say we still live in the\nfear of God, and are His. Ch. vii. 12\u2013viii. 4, refers to the sufferings\nof the Messiah ben Joseph, the manifestation of the Messiah ben David,\nthe obedience of Israel to God in those days, and to the Lord\u2019s\nrejoicing over them as a bridegroom over his bride. Ch. viii. 5, to the\nend, describes Israel restored, the third Temple built, and all the\npeople walking according to the will of the Lord.\n\nThe principal persons in this Song are understood in the following\nmanner: \u201cthe beloved\u201d is the Lord; \u201cthe loved one,\u201d the Congregation of\nIsrael; \u201cthe companions of the beloved,\u201d (Ch. i. 7,) are Moses, Aaron,\nand Miriam; \u201cthe daughters of Jerusalem,\u201d the Congregation of Israel;\n\u201cthe little sister,\u201d the two tribes and a half; \u201cthe speaker,\u201d the\nLord; \u201cthe inhabitant of the gardens,\u201d is the sages; \u201cthe companions,\u201d\nin the same verse, are the Israelites wishing to listen to the teaching\nof their sages.\n\nThe following is a specimen of R. Saadias\u2019s commentary, the Hebrew of\nwhich is given in the note. [42]\n\n\n    1\u20133. The Song of Songs, &c.\u2014Know, my brother, that you will find a\n    great diversity of opinions as regards the interpretation of this\n    Song of Songs; and it must be confessed that there is reason for\n    it, since the Song of Songs is like a lock, the key of which hath\n    been lost. Some maintain that it refers to the kingdom of Israel;\n    others say that it refers to the days of the Messiah; and others\n    again affirm that it refers to the time of the dispersion and the\n    Messiah, and assert that by beloved (\u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u200e) the Messiah is meant,\n    and by bride (\u200f\u05db\u05dc\u05d4\u200e) is meant the law (\u200f\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4\u200e). But this is a sin,\n    an error, and a great heresy. The truth is, that by beloved (\u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u200e)\n    is meant the Lord, for it is written, \u201cI will sing to my beloved a\n    song of love respecting his vineyard\u201d (Isa. v. 1), which the\n    prophet Isaiah explains (verse 7), \u201cThe vineyard of the Lord of\n    Hosts is the house of Israel.\u201d Solomon relates in this book the\n    history of the Jews commencing with their Exodus from Egypt until\n    after the coming of the Messiah, and compares the position of\n    Israel to God to that of a bride to a bridegroom, because she\n    (Israel) is dear to him, and he to her. When he first takes her\n    from her father\u2019s house he calls her my friend (\u200f\u05e8\u05e2\u05d9\u05ea\u05d9\u200e), when he\n    brings her to his house he calls her my bride (\u200f\u05db\u05dc\u05d4\u200e), when she\n    finds favour in his eyes he calls her my sister (\u200f\u05d0\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u200e), and\n    praises her from head to foot; then he is angry with her, and she\n    returns and praises him from head to foot; then he praises her a\n    second time. And, because it is unlawful for a bridegroom and bride\n    to come together without a marriage-contract and witnesses,\n    therefore Solomon begins with the words, \u201cLet him give me kisses of\n    his mouth;\u201d that is, the commandments and the statutes, comprising\n    both the written and the oral law which the Lord gave to Israel\n    through the pious Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, so that Israel\u2019s fame\n    went forth into the world in consequence of their wisdom, as it is\n    written, \u201cAnd thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy\n    beauty,\u201d &c. (Ezek. xvi. 14), so much so that many of the nations\n    desired to be gathered under the wings of the shechinah and become\n    Jews; and these are the mixed multitudes, Jethro and others, and\n    therefore it is said, \u201cThy perfumes are good in odour,\u201d that is,\n    the Lord tried them from the departure out of Egypt till their\n    entrance into Canaan whether they would walk in his ways, as it is\n    written, \u201cThou didst follow me in the wilderness,\u201d &c. Jer. ii. 2.\n\n    4. Draw me, &c.\u2014Having related in this verse how Israel walked in\n    the fear of the Lord, and received the ten commandments in the 6th\n    of Sivan, and then made the calf on the 17th of Tamuz, Solomon in\n    astonishment says in their name,\n\n    5. I am swarthy, &c.\u2014That is, I am swarthy, but comely; I am\n    swarthy because of making the calf, but comely because of receiving\n    the ten commandments; and Israel says that his sin has been\n    forgiven through the three thousand men, the wicked among Israel,\n    who served idols, who were killed before the sun to atone for the\n    great sin, as it is written, \u201cFor thou hadst done it in secret, but\n    I will do it before all Israel, and before the sun\u201d (2 Sam. xii.\n    11, 12); and the nations made me keeper of the service of other\n    gods, for I served strange gods, as it is written, \u201cAnd they\n    changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass\u201d\n    (Psal. cv. 25.)\n\n\nThe reader will have observed that this early commentator does already\ncompare the Song of Songs to a lock, the key of which has been lost,\nand refers to several modes in which it has been interpreted.\n\n1000\u20131040. The allegorical interpretation was nevertheless introduced\ninto the Jewish liturgical services in the middle ages, when they were\nseeking, from traditions, dogmas, biblical events, &c., to construct\nsacred hymns and poems to be said or sung at their feasts and fasts.\n[43] Being regarded as representing the departure of Israel from Egypt\n(\u200f\u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05d0\u05ea \u05de\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u200e), and their subsequent history in confirmation of\nJehovah\u2019s covenant with them, the Song of Songs is used in a poetical\nparaphrase on the first and second morning services of the Passover\nfeast, which was designed to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt as the\ncommencement of the conjugal relation between God and his people. For\nthe same reason, the book itself is read in the synagogue on the\nSabbath of the middle days of the Passover (\u200f\u05d7\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e2\u05d3 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e4\u05e1\u05d7\u200e). The\npoetical paraphrase above alluded to is in an alphabetical form, has\nthe author\u2019s name in it, and each stanza closes with a quotation from\nthe book in regular order, which renders the paraphrastic meaning\nartificial and obscure. Some idea of it may be gathered from the\nfollowing version which we have made of R. Solomon ben Judah Hababli\u2019s\nparaphrase, comprising the first five verses of the Song of Songs.\n\n\n    1   The Light and Saviour of the chosen people\n          Deserving protection,\n          He shall have from His beloved assembly\n          \u201cA song of Songs.\u201d\n\n    2   The Graceful One, the object of all longing desires.\n          The Reviving Cordial of the fainting heart,\n          The Bountiful Source of abundant supply,\n          \u201cHe hath kissed me with kisses.\u201d [44]\n\n    3   The loved one above all nations,\n          The keeper of the Law Thou hast given,\n          Her didst Thou perfume with Thy spices,\n          \u201cThe odour of Thy sweet ointments.\u201d [45]\n\n    4   The chosen of Thy house and nobles,\n          Lo! we are surrounded with splendour,\n          We press to the house of Thy glory,\n          \u201cOh draw us after thee.\u201d [46]\n\n    5   Oh Thou all majestic, yet mild,\n          Thou hast crown\u2019d me with grace above many,\n          Though now with grief I am marred,\n          \u201cI am swarthy, but comely.\u201d [47]\n\n\nIt must, however, be borne in mind that the synagogal poetry was not\nauthorized to express the creed of the whole nation; which is evident\nfrom the fact that many learned and pious Jews unscrupulously, and\nwithout censure, rejected some of its opinions. Some of these poems\nwere composed by prelectors of separate congregations, and for the use\nof the particular synagogues in which they officiated. The adoption or\nrejection of any such poem entirely depended upon the influence of the\nprelector on his congregation, and upon the theme and merit of the\ncomposition. The poetical paraphrase of the allegorical interpretation\nof the Song of Songs was sure to be adopted because of the consolation\nwhich it imparts to the dispersed and suffering Israelites, inasmuch as\nit assures them that God has not cast them off, that He is still their\nbeloved, and they are still his loved ones, and that he will speedily\nbe reunited to them.\n\n1040\u20131105. Through R. Solomon ben Isaac, the founder of the\nGermano-French Rabbinical literature, this encouraging allegorical\ninterpretation was introduced into Germany and France, where the\nsuffering Jews obtained consolation. This distinguished commentator,\ncommonly called Rashi, and, through the misleading of Buxtorf,\nerroneously named Jarchi, was born at Troyes, in Champagne, in 1040,\nwhere he also died, about 1105. [48]\n\n\u201cMy opinion is,\u201d says Rashi, \u201cthat Solomon foresaw, by the aid of the\nHoly Spirit, that Israel would be carried into sundry captivities, and\nundergo sundry dissolutions; that they would lament in their captivity\nover their former glory, and recall the former love, which God\nmanifested for them above all other nations; that they would say, \u2018I\nwill go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me\nthan now\u2019 (Hos. ii. 9); that they would acknowledge His kindness and\ntheir own rebellion, and the good things which He promised to give them\nin the latter days (i.e., at the coming of Messiah.)\n\n\u201cThis book is written by inspiration, and represents a wife forsaken by\nher husband, and shut up, longing after him, recalling to her mind her\nlove in youth to her beloved, and confessing her guilt; her beloved\nsympathising with her affection, and remembering the kindness of her\nyouth, the charms of her beauty, and her good works, which had tied him\nto her with an everlasting love.\n\n\u201cThe design of this book is to show to Israel that God has not\nafflicted her (i.e., Israel) willingly; that though He did send her\naway, He has not cast her off; that she is still His wife, and He her\nhusband, and that He will again be united to her.\u201d [49]\n\nAccording to Rashi, \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u200e represents God as a husband, and the \u201cloved\none\u201d the congregation of Israel, as a wife forsaken for a time by him;\nthe \u201ccompanions of the beloved\u201d are the heathen kings and princes,\nunder the figure of wolves; \u201cthe daughters of Jerusalem,\u201d are the\nheathen nations; the \u201cbrothers of the loved one,\u201d are the Egyptians;\nthe \u201clittle sister\u201d is the forsaken wife of the Song, &c. &c.\n\nThe following is a specimen of Rashi\u2019s commentary:\u2014\n\n\n    1. The Song of Songs, &c.\u2014Our Rabbins state, that whenever Solomon\n    is mentioned in this Song, it signifies the Holy One, the King of\n    Peace. This is confirmed by the fact that the name of Solomon\u2019s\n    father is not here given, as in Prov. i. 1 and Eccl. i. 1. This\n    most excellent Song was addressed to God by his people, the\n    congregation of Israel. Rabbi Akiba says, that the world was not\n    worthy of the day in which the Song of Songs was given to Israel;\n    for all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is most\n    holy. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says, it is like to a king who took\n    a measure of wheat, and gave it to the baker, saying, Produce from\n    it so much flour, so much bran, and so much chaff, and make me a\n    refined and excellent cake of the flour; so all Scriptures are\n    holy, but this Song is most holy; for the whole of this book\n    teaches the fear of God and submission to his kingdom.\n\n    2. Let him kiss me, &c.\u2014This Song Israel utters in her captivity\n    and widowhood. Oh that King Solomon would give me kisses of His\n    mouth, as in the time of yore! Some kiss the hand, and others the\n    shoulders; but I desire that He should behave to me as in former\n    days, viz., kiss my mouth as a bridegroom kisses his bride; for Thy\n    caresses are better than all the banquets of wine, and all joys and\n    pleasures. It is a Hebrew idiom to call every banquet of pleasure\n    and joy by the name of wine (Comp. Esth. vii. 2; Isaiah xxiv. 9; v.\n    12). This is the literal sense; but, according to the allegory,\n    this refers to the giving of the Law, and God\u2019s speaking with\n    Israel face to face. These favours still continue to be more\n    precious to them than any delights; and as they are assured by God\n    that He will appear again to reveal the secrets and mysteries of\n    the Law, Israel prays to Him for the fulfilment of His promises.\n    This is the meaning of \u201cLet him kiss me!\u201d\n\n    3. Thy perfumes, &c.\u2014A good name is called good oil. The fragrance\n    of Thy name is so excellent that the ends of the earth have smelt\n    it when they heard of Thy fame and of Thy great wonders in Egypt.\n    Thy name is called \u200f\u05e9\u05de\u05df\u200e, i.e., Thou art oil, and art constantly\n    poured forth, so that Thy sweet odour might be widely diffused.\n    This is the nature of good oil. As long as it is sealed in a\n    bottle, it does not emit any smell; but when the bottle is opened,\n    and the oil poured into a vessel, the smell is diffused. The\n    maidens love thee. Jethro, hearing of the wonderful doings of God\n    in Egypt, confessed the God of Israel (Exodus xviii.); so Rahab,\n    when she heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Red\n    Sea, became a proselyte (Joshua ii. 11). By the maidens are meant\n    the Gentiles; they are so called because God is represented as a\n    youth.\n\n    4. Draw me, &c.\u2014I gathered from Thy messengers that Thou didst wish\n    to draw me, and I immediately replied, We will run after Thee to be\n    Thy wife. He has brought me, &c. And up to the present time I still\n    rejoice, and am glad that I have been united to Thee. We celebrate,\n    &c. Even now, though a living widow, I celebrate Thy love more than\n    a banquet of pleasure and mirth. They love thee, &c. I and my\n    forefathers, in their days, have loved Thee with fervent and\n    upright love, without deception. This is the literal meaning\n    according to the context. But, according to the allegory, Israel\n    reminds God of the kindness of their youth and the love of their\n    espousals (Jer. ii. 2), of their following Him in the wilderness, a\n    land of aridity and the shadow of death, whither they took no\n    provisions, because they believed in Him and in His messenger, and\n    did not say, How shall we follow Thee in the wilderness, a place\n    destitute of fertility and food? but went after Him, and \u201cHe\n    brought them into his apartments:\u201d that is, surrounded them with\n    the protecting clouds. And even now, though in distress and\n    affliction, they rejoice and are glad in Him and delight in the\n    Law; and herein celebrate His love more than wine, and manifest\n    their sincere attachment to Him.\n\n    5. I am swarthy, &c.\u2014You, my companions, let me not be lightly\n    esteemed in your eyes, although my Husband forsook me because of my\n    swarthiness; for I am swarthy because of the tanning sun, yet I am\n    comely because of the symmetry of my beautiful limbs. If I am\n    swarthy, like the tents of Kedar, which are discoloured by the\n    rain, in consequence of their being constantly spread out in the\n    wilderness, I shall easily be washed, and be as beautiful as the\n    curtains of Solomon. The allegorical meaning is, the congregation\n    of Israel speaks this to the Gentiles,\u2014I am swarthy in my own\n    works, but I am comely in the works of my fathers; and some of my\n    own works even are good. And though I am tainted with the sin of\n    the calf, I have, to counterbalance this, the merit of accepting\n    the Law. Israel calls the Gentiles \u201cdaughters of Jerusalem,\u201d\n    because Jerusalem is to be the metropolis of all nations, as it is\n    predicted, \u201cAnd I will give them to thee for daughters\u201d (Ezek. xvi.\n    61); and, again, \u201cEkron and her daughters\u201d (Josh. xv. 44).\n\n\nRashi also says, that he had seen \u201ca number of other commentaries on\nthis Song; some containing an exposition of the whole Book, and others\nof separate passages, but they are compatible neither with the language\nof Scripture, nor with the connexion of the verses.\u201d [50]\n\n1085\u20131155. The spread of this consoling allegorical interpretation in\nFrance and Germany was promoted by the commentary [51] of the\ndistinguished R. Samuel ben Meier, called Rashbam, the grandson of\nRashi, who was born about 1085, and died about 1155. [52]\n\nRashbam too affirms that this book \u201crepresents captive Israel as a\nvirgin sighing and mourning for her beloved, who left her and went afar\noff, as describing his everlasting love to her, declaring in a Song,\n\u2018Such an ardent love did my beloved manifest when with me,\u2019 and telling\nher friends and companions in a colloquial manner, \u2018So did my beloved\nspeak to me, and so did I answer him.\u2019\u201d [53] In the explanations of the\nprincipal persons Rashbam generally agrees with Rashi.\n\nThe following is a specimen of his commentary:\u2014\n\n\n    1. The Song of Songs\u2014That is, a song celebrated above all songs,\n    like \u200f\u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e the great and awful God, above all gods, and\n    \u200f\ufb21\u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d3\u05e0\u05d9\ufb26\u200e the great Lord above all lords. Which is Solomon\u2019s.\n    That is, King Solomon composed it by inspiration. Foreseeing the\n    Israelites in their captivity sighing after the Holy One who went\n    away from them, as a bridegroom separates himself from his beloved,\n    Solomon sings this song in the name of the congregation of Israel,\n    who is like a bride to Him (God). \u200f\u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4\u200e describes Solomon as\n    the author, compare \u200f\u05ea\u05e4\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05de\u05e9\u05d4\u200e, \u200f\u05ea\u05d4\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u200e.\n\n    2. Would that, &c.\u2014Would that my Beloved came, and kissed me kisses\n    of His mouth on my mouth in his great love as in the days of old;\n    for the expressions of His love are better, pleasanter, and sweeter\n    than any delicious banquet. Thy caresses. The loved one sometimes\n    addresses herself to her beloved as if he were present, and at\n    other times she speaks of him to her companions, as if he were\n    absent. More than wine, i.e. more than sweet beverages called\n    \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df\u200e. According to the allegorical meaning, this refers to the law\n    delivered to Israel mouth to mouth.\n\n    3. Thy perfumes, &c.\u2014Because of Thy good ointment of balsam, the\n    odour of which extended to the end of the earth, and was poured out\n    from vessel to vessel, therefore is Thy name called ointment. Comp.\n    Eccl. vii. 1. \u201cA good name is better than precious ointment.\u201d By\n    the extension of youthful love is meant the wonders which the Holy\n    One performed for the congregation of Israel in Egypt, on account\n    of which His name and power became known among the nations, as it\n    is written, \u201cThe priest of Midian heard, &c.\u201d Exod. xviii. 1: and\n    again, what is said by Rahab the harlot, \u201cFor we have heard how the\n    Lord dried up the water, &c.\u201d Josh. ii. 10. And again, \u201cThe people\n    shall hear and be afraid,\u201d Exod. xv. 14.\n\n    4. Draw me, &c.\u2014Draw me to Thee, and I and my congregation will run\n    after Thee, as in the days of old, when the King, my beloved,\n    brought me into His chambers; and, while running after Thee, we\n    will rejoice and be glad in Thee, and celebrate Thy love and the\n    expressions of Thy affection above any banquet of wine and\n    beverages; for all the world loves Thee with upright love. This\n    refers to the congregation of Israel, who sighs and makes\n    supplication before the Holy One, to bring her out from her\n    captivity, as He had formerly brought her out of Egypt, and led her\n    into His chambers, i.e., the tabernacle, where they served Him\n    continually.\n\n    5. I am swarthy, &c.\u2014Oh, my companions, virgin daughters of\n    Ishmael, do not disdain and deride me on account of my blackness,\n    saying, Because I am black, therefore my Beloved left me; for,\n    although I am black as regards the appearance of my face, like the\n    tents of Kedar, yet I am comely and graceful in body and stature,\n    like the curtains of King Solomon, which are becoming and suitable\n    to royalty. Thus the congregation of Israel, whom the nations\n    reproach on account of her sins and transgressions which she\n    committed, answers: True, I have sinned; and woe to me, for I am\n    wandering in captivity for it; yet I am comely, I am of royal\n    blood, and have the merits of my fathers; and the Holy One, in the\n    latter days, will restore me to my former state, and liberate me\n    from the iron furnace of captivity. The daughters of Jerusalem are\n    the heathen. Compare \u201cI will give them to thee to be thy\n    daughters.\u201d Ezek. xvi. 61. The tents of Kedar are black, because\n    the sons of Kedar sojourn in deserts and dwell in tents, and not in\n    houses.\n\n\n1093\u20131168. While Rashi and Rashbam, by means of this allegorical\ninterpretation, assuaged the sufferings of their brethren in France and\nGermany, the celebrated Abraham Ibn-Ezra ben Meier, also called\nIbn-Ezra and Raba, who was born in Toledo in 1093, and died in 1168,\n[54] administered consolation through the same medium to his suffering\nbrethren in Spain, shewing them that this Song recounts the past\nwonderful dealings of God with his beloved people from the very call of\nAbraham, and the blessings reserved for them at the coming of the\nMessiah, who shall gather them from among all nations, and bring them\nback to the land flowing with milk and honey.\n\nThus Ibn Ezra maintains that \u201cThis book is allegorical, and describes\nthe history of Israel; commencing with the days of our Father, Abraham,\nand coming down to the days of the Messiah; just as the Song of Moses\n(Deut. xxxii.) begins with the dispersion of the human family, and\nfinishes with the final ingathering of Israel, after the battle of Gog\nand Magog. Do not wonder that the Congregation of Israel is here\ncompared to a bride, and the Lord to a bridegroom; for this is the\nmanner of the prophets.\u201d (Comp. Isa. v. 1, lxii. 5, Ezek. xvi. 7, Hos.\niii. 1, Psa. xlv. 10.)\n\nThe allegory, according to this distinguished Rabbi, is developed in\nthe suppositious attachment contracted between a damsel who kept a\nvineyard, and a shepherd. The representation of the love of these\nparties \u201cis suppositious, because such an actual manifestation, in so\npublic a manner as here recorded, would be regarded as highly\nimproper.\u201d [55]\n\n\u201cThe beloved\u201d represents God; with the exception of viii. 12, where the\nMessiah is meant; \u201cthe loved one\u201d is the Congregation of Israel; \u201cthe\ncompanions of the beloved\u201d are the pious ancestors; \u201cthe daughters of\nJerusalem\u201d are the thoughts of the loved one; \u201cthe little sister,\u201d in\nviii. 8, is the two tribes and a half; \u201cthe speaker,\u201d in viii. 13, the\nshechinah; \u201cthe companions,\u201d in the same verse, are the angels.\n\nThe commentary consists of three different glosses: in the first, the\nwords are explained; in the second, the suppositious history of the\nattachment of the shepherd and shepherdess is developed; and in the\nthird gloss, the allegory is evolved from that history. The following\nis a specimen of the gloss where the allegory is propounded.\n\n\n    2. Let him kiss me.\u2014He (i.e. Solomon) begins with Abraham, for he\n    is the root of the Jewish nation. By \u201cthe kisses of his mouth\u201d are\n    meant the law and the commandments, as it is written, \u201cAbraham\n    obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes,\n    and my laws.\u201d (Gen. xxvi. 5.) Do not wonder that the future\n    (\u200f\u05d9\u05e9\u05e7\u05e0\u05d9\u200e) is used instead of the past; this is the idiom of the\n    sacred Scriptures, compare \u200f\ufb21\u05d6 \u05d9\u05e9\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, then he sang (Exod. xv. 1,\n    and Psa. cvi. 19); just as we find the contrary, the past used for\n    the future (Psa. lxxix. 1).\u2014For thy love, &c. i.e., to be loved by\n    thee; as the Scriptures testify of God\u2019s love to his people.\n    Compare \u201cthe seed of Abraham whom I love\u201d (Isa. xli. 8); for there\n    is a difference between \u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d1\u200e, loving, and \u200f\u05d0\u05d4\u05d5\u05d1\u200e, loved.\n\n    3. Thy perfumes, &c.\u2014Abraham proclaimed the works of God, and\n    instructed his generation; and wherever he went he called on the\n    name of the Lord; this is the meaning of \u201cthy name is poured forth\n    like oil.\u201d Therefore do the damsels love thee.\u2014\u200f\u05e2\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e are such as\n    have no husbands, and denote the heathen who had no God, and were\n    brought by Abraham into union with God; as it is written, \u201cThe\n    souls which they had begotten in Haran\u201d (Gen. xii. 5).\n\n    4. Draw me.\u2014Abraham was drawn after God, and therefore left his\n    native place (Gen. xii. 1). The king has brought me, &c.\u2014God has\n    brought Abraham into the land of Canaan; or it may mean, God has\n    made him wise in his secrets, and the words, we will praise thy\n    love, denote the altars and groves which Abraham erected and\n    planted wherever he came.\n\n    5. I am swarthy.\u2014This refers to the Egyptian bondage. Although I\n    (i.e. Israel) am swarthy because of some evil deeds committed\n    there; yet I am comely because of my adhesion to the covenant and\n    to the belief in the unity of God.\n\n\nIt has generally been overlooked that Ibn Ezra distinctly states in the\nsecond gloss, in which he professes to give the literal meaning of the\nnarrative, that the lovers are a shepherd and a shepherdess, and that\nthe king is a separate and distinct person from the beloved shepherd.\n\nThus he explains Ch. i. 4, \u201cI rejoice in THEE (the shepherd) more than\nif THE KING had brought me into his apartments.\u201d Again, verse 12, the\nshepherdess says to the shepherd, \u201cThough my fragrance is so sweet that\nTHE KING, whilst reclining, desires to smell my nard, yet MY BELOVED\n(the shepherd), who is a bundle of myrrh, diffuses a still sweeter\nfragrance.\u201d Compare also Ch. iii. 6\u201311, Ch. vi. 8, Ch. viii. 11, 12.\nThis is an important step to the right understanding of the Book.\n\nIbn Ezra also mentions that \u201cThe philosophers explain this book to\nrefer to the mysterious harmony of the universe, and to the union of\nthe divine soul with the earthly body; and that others, again, explain\nit literally.\u201d [56] In reference to the last mentioned mode of\ninterpretation, he exclaimed, \u201cFar be it! far be it! to think that the\nSong of Songs is an amatory composition.\u201d [57]\n\n1200\u20131250. The frequent mention made by the preceding commentators of\nthe different views entertained respecting this Song, will have\nprepared the reader for the philosophical interpretation which has been\nadopted and defended by a large and influential portion of the Jewish\ncommunity.\n\nJoseph Ibn Caspe, a learned author, who lived in the beginning of the\nthirteenth century, and who wrote expositions on several portions of\nthe Scriptures, maintains that \u201cthis book represents the union between\nthe ACTIVE INTELLECT (intellectus agens) and the RECEPTIVE MATERIAL\nINTELLECT (intellectus materialis),\u201d typified by the beloved and loved\none.\n\nAs Caspe\u2019s commentary is short and exceedingly rare, we give a\ntranslation of it, and subjoin the original in the footnote:\u2014\n\n\n    THE COMMENTARY OF IBN CASPE. [58]\n\n    Joseph Caspe saith: Having commented on Ecclesiastes and Proverbs,\n    which Solomon of blessed memory has in wisdom composed, it behoves\n    us also to write a few words on the Song of Songs, which is\n    likewise the composition of Solomon of blessed memory. I need not,\n    however, explain the words, since they have been explained long\n    before me. I shall, therefore, confine my remarks to the design of\n    the book in general, and now and then make some observations in\n    particular. The general design of this book, however, is not my\n    discovery; the luminary (Maimonides) that shone upon the earth has\n    enlightened our eyes also upon this subject when treating upon it,\n    especially in part iii. c. 51 (of the More Nebochim); and his hint\n    there is sufficient for us and for such as ourselves.\n\n    I therefore submit that this book undoubtedly belongs to the second\n    kind of parables which the teacher of blessed memory (Maimonides)\n    mentions in the beginning of his book, in which all the words used\n    in the comparison must not be applied to the thing compared, just\n    as in the case there quoted, which treats on the subject of a\n    beloved and loved one, like the book before us, with the only\n    difference that the instance there adduced refers to the union of\n    matter and mind, and this book represents the union between the\n    active intellect and the receptive, material intellect, which\n    latter is divided into four parts, the highest of which is the\n    imparted intellect. With all the particulars of this book, Solomon\n    merely designed to hint at the subject in general. It is most\n    certain that he calls here the highest order of the human intellect\n    \u201cthe fairest of women,\u201d and the active intellect \u201cthe graceful\n    lover;\u201d frequently the whole intellectual mind is meant by the\n    latter phrase, for this is the meaning demanded in several places\n    of this Book.\n\n    It is well known that the active intellect (intellectus agens)\n    stirs up or brings the receptive intellect (intellectus materialis)\n    from a possibility into activity, as it is known to the\n    philosophers; and that the receptive intellect requires to seek\n    after this; as it is written, \u201cIf thou wilt seek it, it shall be\n    found of thee.\u201d\n\n    Having explained the general design, we need not dwell upon the\n    particulars; the design is indicated in a few passages only, whilst\n    the whole is treated in accordance with the train of a poetical\n    composition and logical science; and this Solomon declares in the\n    beginning of the book by saying \u201cThe Song of Songs.\u201d\n\n    It is, moreover, known that Solomon composed three books which we\n    possess; and as the prophets of blessed memory spoke in three\n    different kinds of ways; the one, in a plain manner, containing\n    nothing beyond the obvious and literal sense, which is called all\n    silver; the second entirely symbolical, having no literal meaning\n    whatever, but consisting of mere allegories or parables, which is\n    called all gold; and the third comprising both the figurative and\n    the literal, which is called apples of gold (under plates of\n    silver); so Solomon wrote the three books\u2014Ecclesiastes, which\n    belongs to the first kind; the Song of Songs to the second; and\n    Proverbs to the third. Remember these distinctions, and observe how\n    we are in danger at every step to mistake in the Law, Hagiography,\n    and Prophets, one for the other, and thus change life into death.\n    And this leads us to commit one of two errors; we either put into\n    the words a thing which is false, or, to say the least, make the\n    author say what he did not intend; in such a case, our words can no\n    more be called a commentary, but form a separate composition or a\n    book for themselves. I only call that a commentary which thoroughly\n    comes up to the design of the author of the book. The appearance,\n    however, of each book of the Bible will indicate to a judicious,\n    clear-headed, and intellectual man, whether it belongs to the one\n    or the other of the above-mentioned classes. We cannot here give\n    rules whereby to test this; it is sufficient to say that truth is\n    her own witness.\n\n    There is another important remark to be made, viz., that allusions\n    are made in this book to the writings of Moses, as, indeed, Solomon\n    has made in his other books. This all the prophets have done, in\n    order to explain expressions and synonyms which occur in the Law of\n    Moses, especially when referring to that part of the Law which\n    treats on the Creation and the Chariot, the chief objects of the\n    Law. We must study deeply to understand the wonderful works of the\n    prophets, and after them, the rabbins of blessed memory, in their\n    respective books; for when they intended to be profound, they did\n    not mention the same terms employed in the Law, but changed them\n    for other expressions which are somewhat synonymous with those in\n    the former, e.g., \u200f\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05d7\u05de\u05e8, \u05e4\u05e8\u05d3\u05dd\u200e, wine, vine, vineyard, &c. From\n    this arose the great hyperbole in the writings of the Rabbins of\n    blessed memory, for wisdom was not hid from them. But this is not\n    necessary here. The above remarks will suffice for this book\n    according to our design. Praise be to God, and blessed be his name!\n    Amen.\n\n\nMoses Ibn Tibbon, a celebrated writer of the same age, wrote an\nelaborate commentary in which he maintains the same view that \u201cthe Song\nof Songs represents the union of the RECEPTIVE or MATERIAL INTELLECT\nwith the ACTIVE INTELLECT.\u201d\n\nThis commentary has not been printed. A defective MS. containing the\nPreface, which is very copious, is to be found in the British Museum,\nHarleian Collection, No. 5797; and a complete MS. is in the possession\nof the Bodleian Library at Oxford.\n\n1272\u20131350. The most powerful and ingenious defender of this view is\nImmanuel ben Solomon. This most charming Hebrew writer, who is\npoetically called \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e3 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u200e, the Prince of Science in Rome,\nwas born in Rome, in 1272, where he was the spiritual head of the\nJewish community, and where he died, in the first half of the\nfourteenth century. As Immanuel gives an analysis of this mode of\ninterpretation in his exposition on the first verse, and as this\ncommentary has not been published, we give a translation of this verse,\nwhich will enable the reader to see how this mode of interpretation is\napplied to the whole book. The MS. used for this purpose is in the\npossession of the British Museum, Harl. Col., No. 5797. [59]\n\n\n    The Song of Songs.\u2014Immanuel ben R. Solomon of blessed memory,\n    saith, Acknowledging the goodness of the Lord, I agree with the\n    opinion of our Rabbins, that this book is the most sublime of all\n    the Books given by inspiration. Expositors, however, differ in its\n    interpretation, and their opinions are divided, according to the\n    diversity of their knowledge. There are some\u2014but these are such as\n    go no further than the material world, and that which their eye\n    sees, looking forward to the good of this world and its glory, to\n    the great reward of their labours and a recompense from God,\n    desiring to be restored to their greatness, and to the land flowing\n    with milk and honey, and to have their stomachs filled with the\n    flesh of the Leviathan, and the best of wines preserved in its\n    grapes\u2014such men interpret this sublime song as having reference to\n    the history of the Patriarchs, their going down to Egypt, their\n    Exodus from thence with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, the\n    giving of the Law, the entry into the land of Canaan, the\n    settlement of Israel in it, their captivity, restoration, the\n    building of the second Temple, the present dispersion, and their\n    final ingathering which is to take place. Such interpreters regard\n    this book, which is holy of holies, as some common book, or\n    historical record of any of the kings, which is of very little use,\n    and the reading of which is only a loss of time. But there are\n    other sages and divines, who have attained to know the value of\n    true wisdom; they are separated from the material world, despise\n    the mere temporal things, heartily desire to know the courts of the\n    Lord, and have a footing in the Jerusalem which is above, and with\n    heart and flesh sing to the living God; these have put off the\n    garments of folly, and clothed themselves in the robes of wisdom,\n    and while searching after the mysteries of this precious book\n    through the openings of the figures of silver, glanced at golden\n    apples of the allegory concealed in it. They, in the vessel of\n    their understanding, traversed its sea, and brought to light from\n    the depth, the reality of the book. Thus they have declared that\n    the book was composed to explain the possibility of a reunion with\n    the incorporeal mind, which forms the perceptive faculty, and\n    influences it with abundant goodness.\n\n    The shepherds, accordingly, represent the corporeal intellect which\n    longs after the influence of the active intellect, and desires to\n    be like it, as much as possible, to cleave to it, and to come up to\n    its standing, which is the ultimate end of its purpose.\n\n    These learned divines above mentioned have expounded the design of\n    the book in general, and explained some of its verses indirectly;\n    but they did not explain it in regular order from beginning to end,\n    till the celebrated sage, R. Moses Ibn Tibbon, came and explained\n    the book according to wisdom, and his exposition is, indeed, full\n    of wisdom and excellency. As he, however, passed by several\n    particulars, not noticing their design, our wise contemporaries,\n    reading the writing of that learned author, and wishing to enter\n    more fully into all its parts, insisted, with a command of love,\n    that I should write a complete commentary on the book, keeping the\n    same path the learned author has pointed out, bringing out all its\n    particulars, and making discoveries not mentioned in the said book,\n    also paying attention to its literal meaning, as far as God may\n    enable me.\n\n    Seeing their entreaties, and regarding it a duty to yield to their\n    wishes, I gathered strength, and made the commentary on the book,\n    according to my feeble abilities. I kept the plan of the said\n    author, mentioned some of his words, and altered others, sometimes\n    adding to, and at other times diminishing from what he said, as I\n    was led by the heavenly Father. Thus I begin. It appears necessary\n    first to mention the design of the book in general, and its\n    division into sections.\n\n    I submit that all truly wise men who commented upon this book\n    philosophically, saw clearly that it is divisible into three\n    principal sections.\n\n    The first section extends from chap. i. 2, to ii. 17.\n\n    The second section extends from chap. iii. 1, to v. 1.\n\n    And the third from chap. v. 2, to the end of the book.\n\n    These three sections, moreover, refer to three different kinds of\n    men.\n\n    The first section\u2014Chap. i. 2,\u2013ii. 17,\u2014represents man, who either\n    ideally or actually, was in the garden of Eden before he sinned,\n    and brought into activity his choice for good and evil; as it is\n    written, \u201cAnd the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and\n    there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made\n    the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and\n    good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden,\n    and the tree of knowledge of good and evil\u201d (Gen. ii. 8, 9). The\n    Lord permitted, or commanded him to eat of all the fruit of the\n    garden; but He pointed out to him one tree of which he was not to\n    eat, lest he should die; as it is said, \u201cBut of the tree of the\n    knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the\n    day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die\u201d (Gen. ii. 17).\n    And if, as man, he had the choice to eat of the tree of life, he\n    might have eaten and lived for ever, without mortification or\n    trouble; as it is written, \u201cBehold, I have set before thee life and\n    good, and death and evil: choose, therefore, of the life, that thou\n    mayest live\u201d (Deut. xxx. 15). This represents one who endeavours to\n    learn wisdom in its order, but is afraid lest he should be\n    terrified when looking up to God, seeing that his fruit is not yet\n    ripe. This is the meaning of what is said in the section, \u201cTurn, my\n    beloved, and be thou like a gazelle or a young hind upon the\n    mountains of separation\u201d (Song of Songs ii. 17); and again, \u201cCatch\n    us the foxes, the little foxes, that destroy the vineyards; for our\n    vineyards are in blossom\u201d (ibid. 15). This teaches that the fruit\n    was not yet ripe. There is no mention in this first section that\n    the shepherdess did eat of the fruit. Her saying, \u201cI desired to sit\n    down under its shade, and its fruit is sweet to my taste\u201d (Song of\n    Songs ii. 3), merely declares her desire, which is evident from the\n    word \u200f\u05d7\u05de\u05d3\u05ea\u05d9\u200e. The expression \u200f\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e is here used in the sense of\n    words, wisdom, and instruction. The whole, therefore, of the first\n    section refers to the mind of man when still young, prior to its\n    developing the end for which its existence was designed, and when\n    the powers of the body have still the dominion over it, for he has\n    not pursued his studies farther than mathematics and physics. This\n    first section is again subdivided into two parts. The first part\n    begins chap. i. 2, and ends ii. 7, and represents one who fears God\n    and shuns evil; but his knowledge of God is derived from tradition,\n    and has no wisdom of his own. And the second part (chap. ii. 8 to\n    iii. 1) represents one who has studied mathematics and physics.\n\n    The second section (chap. iii. 1, v. 1) represents one who has\n    found the virtuous woman whose desire is to her husband, and who\n    seeks her beloved while upon her couch, and in whom her husband may\n    safely trust; that is, a mind which has brought out its possibility\n    into reality, and has, as it were, stretched out its hand and taken\n    of the tree of life, and eaten, and lives for ever. This is meant\n    by the declaration in this section, \u201cScarcely had I passed them,\n    when I found him whom my soul loveth. I seized him, and would not\n    let him go, till I brought him into the house of my mother, into\n    the apartment of her that gave me birth\u201d (Song of Songs iii. 4).\n    The nuptials, too, are mentioned, and the day of the gladness of\n    his heart (iii. 11), which is the true spiritual nuptial day and\n    union. It is also stated that he had a couch, as it is said,\n    \u201cBehold the couch of Solomon\u201d (iii. 7), as well as a palanquin, and\n    was fit for royalty. He is, moreover, called here King Solomon,\n    whereas, in the remainder, he is merely called Solomon, or\n    Shulamite, in the feminine, to denote the effeminate state. The\n    beloved also declares that he had found his loved one a closed\n    garden, and that her branches are an orchard of pomegranates with\n    delicious fruit: (iv. 12, 13), that is, though most of them are\n    generally sour, here, however, they are sweet, pleasant, and ripe:\n    he affirms that she is altogether beautiful, and there is no\n    blemish in her (ver. 7), and calls her bride six times, which he\n    has not done before; for she is his true wife, dear to him above\n    all. She therefore asks her beloved to \u201ccome to his garden, and eat\n    of his pleasant fruit\u201d (iv. 16), which befits him. This is the\n    import of the words, \u201cThy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates\n    with most delicious fruit\u201d (iv. 13): whereby, however, it must not\n    be understood that she will give to her husband, and make him eat\n    of the fruit, which properly belongs to the woman, who listened to\n    the words of the serpent, and was beguiled by him.\n\n    The beloved declares that he did come to his garden, and ate and\n    drank, and also caused his friends to eat and drink, and that they\n    indulged together in a sumptuous feast; for \u201cwhen the righteous\n    have the rule, the city rejoiceth\u201d (Prov. xi. 10). This is the\n    meaning of the words, \u201cI have come into my garden, my sister, my\n    spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my\n    honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O\n    ye friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!\u201d (v. 1.) He,\n    as it were, sent forth and took of the tree of life, and did eat\n    and lived for ever, without any trouble or hinderance; for he\n    passed through all the three (degrees) in proper order, he went in\n    and out in peace: that is, he passed through all the degrees, and\n    finished their proper course, without doing any mischief or\n    committing any error; and his carnal powers, which are the watchmen\n    who walk in the city, and especially his intellectual powers, which\n    are those that watch the walls, are all profitable, and point out\n    to the mind the right way, and never mislead, nor hinder, nor delay\n    its course. She then asks of the watchmen, \u201cHave you seen him whom\n    my soul loveth?\u201d (iii. 3,) for they (i.e., the watchmen, who\n    represent the bodily and intellectual powers) are upright, and\n    their knowledge is perfect, and, as it were, they see and guide;\n    yet they did not answer her, for it is not in their nature to\n    teach. But no sooner had she passed them, and was at a distance\n    from them, than she found her beloved, and was united to him, as it\n    is said, \u201cScarcely had I passed them, when I found him whom my soul\n    loveth. I seized him, and would not let him go till I brought him\n    into the house of my mother, and into the apartment of her that\n    gave me birth\u201d (iii. 4); whereupon they made themselves a couch and\n    a palanquin, rejoicing, and feasting, and banqueting, as we have\n    already explained.\n\n    This second section is also subdivided into two parts; the first is\n    from iii. 1 to verse 6, and the second from iii. 6 to v. 2; the\n    second part is epexegetical of the first.\n\n    The third section (v. 2, viii. 14 inclusive) represents a man who\n    has a sinful wife that has been beguiled by the carnal appetites,\n    and has listened to them, and eaten of the tree of knowledge of\n    good and evil, and given also to her husband with her and he has\n    eaten. Mark here the expression with her (\u200f\u05e2\u05de\u05d7\u200e), for man cannot\n    eat of it unless with her; for since God has not revealed it to\n    man, and will not; and man, indeed, has no access to it, except\n    through the woman; for she finds it and takes it up; and she is the\n    one who pursues after pleasure, and is drawn after sensual lust.\n    But she does not seek for her husband when retiring to bed, nor\n    does she wait for him; but, undressing herself, and washing her\n    feet, and perfuming her fingers with myrrh, which is temporal\n    instead of eternal ointment, falls asleep, and is even too lazy to\n    open when her beloved knocks at the door, saying, \u201cOpen to me, my\n    sister, my spouse, &c.\u201d Her husband, however, influences her, and\n    she repents, as she was not in a deep sleep, her heart being awake,\n    and she opens for her husband in spite of her great laziness; but\n    her beloved withdrew, and went away. She then sought him, and found\n    him not; she called him, but he answered her not. The guards of the\n    wall and the patrol of the city found her, and smote her, and\n    wounded her, and stripped her of her cloak; that is, they\n    misdirected her, had hindered her from getting to her beloved; for\n    sin once tasted is hard to forsake. As it is not mentioned in the\n    case of Adam, after being driven from the garden of Eden, that he\n    ever touched with his hand, and took of the tree of life, and was\n    cured, though it was open for him to do so; for it is written, \u201cAnd\n    now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,\n    and eat, and live for ever\u201d (Gen. iii. 22); by which is meant,\n    would that he should do so, for the Lord loves righteousness, and\n    he is not a God desiring condemnation; as it is written, \u201cAs I\n    live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the\n    wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.\u201d (Ezek.\n    xxxiii. 11.) Yet it is not stated in the Scriptures that after the\n    fall he ever ate of the tree of life. This is, perhaps, a hint that\n    it is almost impossible for one who once has eaten of the tree of\n    knowledge of good and evil, that he should afterwards eat of the\n    tree of life. \u201cFor the difficulty of uniting a couple a second time\n    is as great as dividing the Red Sea,\u201d which was supernatural,\n    although it is indeed not impossible. Thus Solomon left the thing\n    unexplained; and though he mentioned how they longed for each other\n    after their separation, and how they praised one another in the\n    manner of lovers, yet they are not any more found united, or to\n    have a nuptial couch, a palanquin, feast and joy, as a husband and\n    wife; nay, at the conclusion we even find the beloved reproving\n    her, saying, \u201cNeighbours hear thy voice,\u201d it being improper for a\n    woman to let her voice be heard by young men, for there is\n    dishonour in a woman\u2019s voice. He therefore asks her to let her\n    voice be heard by him only, and not by others. But she boldly\n    replied, \u201cHaste, my beloved, and be like the gazelle or the young\n    fawn upon the mountains of aromatics;\u201d as if the neighbours were\n    her husbands, and her husband a paramour who must conceal himself,\n    and run away, lest they meet him.\n\n    This section also is subdivided into two parts: the first is from\n    v. 2 to viii. 5, and the second from viii. 5, to the end of the\n    book; the second part being epexegetical of the first. The above is\n    the division of the Book in accordance with the learned, who wrote\n    expositions on it.\n\n\nThis union of the active with the passive intellect is represented by\nthe sincere and ardent attachment formed between a humble shepherd and\nshepherdess, the literal history of which Immanuel beautifully explains\nbefore he attempts to palm upon it his philosophical theory. It is of\nimportance to notice, that this distinguished poet also takes the hero\nand heroine of the plot to be a shepherd and a shepherdess, and regards\nSolomon as a separate person, whom the rustic maiden adduces in\nillustration of her deep and sincere love to her shepherd, affirming,\nthat if this great king were to bring her into his court, and offer her\nall its grandeur and luxuries, she would still rejoice in her humble\nlover. The commentary contains valuable philological remarks, and\nexcellent explanations of some of the poetical similes. Pity it has\nnever been published.\n\n1288\u20131370. Levi ben Gershon, also called Leon de Banolas and Ralbag, a\nlearned and influential expositor, who was born in 1288, and died about\n1370 [60], defends the same philosophical theory. His commentary, which\nis very lengthy, is published in the Amsterdam Rabbinical Bible 1724.\n\nIt will be remembered, that allusion has been made by preceding\ncommentators, to some who rejected the allegorical interpretation, and\ntook this book in its literal sense. A manuscript commentary, in the\npossession of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, Oppenheim Collection, No.\n625, interprets this Song as celebrating the virtuous love contracted\nbetween a humble shepherd and shepherdess; and likewise regards Solomon\nas a distinct person, whom the shepherdess adduces in illustration of\nher deep and sincere attachment to her beloved, affirming, that if this\ngreat king were to offer her all the splendour and luxury of his court\nto transfer her affections, she would spurn all, and remain faithful to\nher humble shepherd.\n\nThis commentary has no title-page, which renders it impossible to\nascertain the name of its author or its exact age. From the French\nexpressions, however, occurring in it, and from its style and\nappearance, it is evident that this commentary was written by a French\nJew in at least the twelfth or thirteenth century. The handwriting is\npeculiarly bad, and very much effaced; but the valuable remarks it\ncontains, both on the verbal difficulties and poetical figures of this\nbook, would amply repay any Hebrew scholar for publishing it, and would\nbe a boon to Biblical and Hebrew literature.\n\n1350. So numerous and diverse were the interpretations of this Song in\nthe middle of the fourteenth century, that R. Isaac Sehula, having been\nsolicited by his friends to comment upon it, consulted the existing\nexpositions, but finding himself so confused by their conflicting\ntheories, as some explained it literally, others referred it to the\nunion of the body with the soul, others again expounded it according to\nthe Medrash, and others again affirmed, that it represents the union of\nthe active with the passive intellect, he felt it necessary to reject\nthem all, and advanced a new theory, viz., that this book represents\nthe love of the people of Israel to their God. [61]\n\n1360\u20131730. For a space of about four hundred years, the battle-field\nwas simultaneously occupied by all the parties who strenuously defended\nthose different views. Thus, the commentary Shear Jashub, which was\nprinted together with that of Saadias and Caspe, and Meier Arma, who\nwas born in Saragossa about the year 1475, and whose commentary is\npublished in the Amsterdam Rabbinical Bible, 1724, maintain the\nphilosophical interpretation of this Song. Whilst Isaac Arma, the\nfather of Meier Arma, Obadiah Sforno, a physician, divine, and\ncommentator, who died in 1550, [62] and whose commentary is published\nin the Amsterdam Rabb. Bible, Moses Cordovero, born in 1522, and died\n1570, [63] whose commentary has not been published, Abraham Levi, whose\ncommentary has been printed, together with that of Ibn Shoeb,\nSabionnetta in Italy, 558, [64] Elisha Galicho, who flourished in the\nsecond half of the sixteenth century, [65] and whose commentary was\npublished 1587, Venice, and his contemporary, Moses Alshech, [66] whose\ncommentary was published in 1591, Venice, are the combatants for the\nother views.\n\nWhile this severe struggle was carried on between the conflicting\nparties for the maintenance of their respective views, another champion\nentered the battle-field, occupying and defending another position. It\nwas no less a personage than the celebrated Don Isaac Abravanel, who\naffirmed that the Bride of the Song represents Wisdom, with whom\nSolomon converses. [67]\n\nHis son, Leon Hebr\u00e6us, defended the same view. [68]\n\n1729\u20131786. With Moses Mendelssohn, a new era commenced in Biblical\nexegesis, and in Hebrew literature generally. This distinguished\nphilosopher translated the Song of Songs, which was first published in\nBerlin, 1788, with an introduction and commentary by his colleagues\nL\u00f6we and Wolfssohn. Though they did not deem their age prepared for the\nrejection of the allegorical interpretation, these commentators\ndistinctly stated, that as so many of the Rabbins have written upon\nthis book, and defended such various and conflicting views, they\nquestioned whether any were right, and affirmed that the literal\nexplanation is paramount, and therefore confined themselves in the\ncommentary to the literal and philological sense, referring those who\nare fond of labyrinths to the writings of Rashi, Rabe, Arma, &c.\n\nSeeing that this book describes the love of a shepherd and a\nshepherdess, and also speaks of a king, of humble rural life, as well\nas of courtly splendour, and unable to account for it, L\u00f6we and\nWolfssohn divided it into separate songs, some celebrating the love\nbetween a shepherd and shepherdess, others describing the same between\nthe king and his princes, and others again not speaking of that passion\nat all.\n\n1798\u20131821. L\u00f6wisohn, born in 1798, and died in 1821, was the first who\nrecognised and elucidated the true design of this book. This sweet\nsinger of modern Israel shows that the Song of Songs celebrates the\nvictory of true and virtuous love in humble life over the temptations\nof royalty; that this book records the virtuous attachment of a\nshepherdess to a shepherd; that the rustic maiden having been tempted\nby the wisest and most celebrated king to transfer her affections,\nspurned every allurement, and remained faithful to her humble lover.\n[69]\n\n1832. It is surprising that the profound and learned Zunz, [70] did not\nfollow up the remarks of L\u00f6wisohn; but regarded this Song as an\nepithalamium. [71]\n\n1848. This view, however, has not gained ground among the Jews; and Dr.\nSalomon Herxheimer, chief Rabbi of Anhalt-Bernburg, in his translation\nof the Old Testament with annotations, follows the opinion of L\u00f6wisohn.\n[72] His opinion is that \u201cthe Song of Songs celebrates ardent and\nvirtuous love which resists all allurements. The Shulamite, a rustic\nmaiden warmly attached to a young shepherd, is taken against her will\nto the court of King Solomon. The king offers everything to win her\naffections, but she does not suffer herself to be dazzled either by the\nroyal court, or by the sweet flatteries of the king himself, and\nremains faithful to her absent lover.\u201d\n\n1854. Dr. Philippson, Rabbi of Magdeburg, propounded the same view.\n[73] The design of the book is to show that true and virtuous love is\ninvincible, and is not to be bought, but is a flame of God (Ch. viii.\n6, 7), exemplified in the conduct of a humble shepherdess, who being\nattached to a shepherd, was tempted by King Solomon to transfer her\naffection, but who overcame all allurements, and remained faithful to\nher lover.\n\nThe two last-mentioned Rabbins, by virtue of their high position and\ngreat learning, may be regarded as representing the view now generally\nentertained by the Jews respecting the Song of Songs. [74]\n\n185\u2013254. We come now to the Christian Expositors of this book, whom we\nshall introduce in the same chronological order, and of whose views a\nconcise explanation will be given. The first of these is Origen, who\nhas been justly celebrated for his genius and extensive acquirements.\nHe was born in Alexandria in 185, and died in Tyros in 254. His\ncommentaries upon Scripture are very extensive, and though containing\nmuch that is valuable, abound with fanciful allegories and inexplicable\nmysteries. His attachment to the Platonic philosophy drew him aside\nfrom the simplicity of inspired truth, and his instruction in Hebrew by\nR. Hillel, [75] imbued him with Hagadic interpretations of the sacred\ntext.\n\nHis commentary upon the Song of Songs was very voluminous, of which\nfragments only remain, but these are of a very elaborate kind, and\nsufficient to reveal his whole design. He admits an historical sense as\nan epithalamium on the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh\u2019s daughter,\n[76] but in him we meet with a full exhibition of the allegorical\nallusion to the marriage union of Christ and his Church, which has been\nadopted by the majority of expositors to the present day. He says,\n\u201cBlessed is he who enters the holy place, but more blessed is he who\nenters the holy of holies; blessed is he who keeps the Sabbath, but\nmore blessed is he who keeps the Sabbath of Sabbaths; so blessed is he\nwho sings holy songs, but more blessed is he who sings the Song of\nSongs.\u201d\n\nHe finds in it four distinct parties; a bridegroom and bride with their\nseparate companions. By \u201cthe bridegroom,\u201d we are to understand Christ,\nby \u201cthe bride,\u201d the Church, by \u201cthe companions\u201d of the former, angels\nand saints in heaven, and by \u201cthe maidens\u201d of the latter, believers on\nthe earth.\n\nThe following is a specimen of Origen\u2019s method of interpretation:\u2014\n\n\n    2, 3. Let him kiss me, &c. This is the suppliant voice of the\n    bride, of which the meaning is, \u201cHow long will my bridegroom send\n    kisses by Moses and kisses by the Prophets? I want to touch his\n    lips. Let him come,\u201d she says to the father of the bridegroom, \u201cand\n    give me kisses of his mouth.\u201d The father hears and sends his son;\n    she seeing him near says, \u201cHow good are thy breasts above wine, and\n    the odour of thy perfumery above all sweet spices.\u201d The bridegroom\n    Christ, sent by the Father, comes anointed to the Spouse, who says\n    to him, \u201cThou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness: therefore\n    God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy\n    fellows.\u201d If the odour of that ointment be upon us, we shall become\n    a sweet savour of Christ. Sin has putrid effluvia, virtue breathes\n    forth sweet perfume. The one is an emanation of the flesh, the\n    other of the Spirit.\n\n    Thy name, &c. This is prophetic. Only so far as the name of God\n    comes into the world is this ointment poured forth. In the Gospel,\n    a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment poured it\n    upon the head of Christ. One who was a sinner poured it upon his\n    feet, and one who was not a sinner poured it upon his head. These\n    are not narratives merely, but mysteries. It is not wonderful that\n    the house was filled with the odour of the ointment, since the\n    world will be. It is written in the same place concerning Simon the\n    leper. I think the leprous Simon to be the prince of this world,\n    whose house at the coming of Christ was filled with sweet odour.\n    Therefore do the virgins love thee, because, through the Holy\n    Spirit, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. The maidens\n    at first are not present, but, upon hearing a chorus from them in\n    praise of the bridegroom, she says, The virgins love thee. By their\n    coming up it is said, \u2018After thee and the odour of thine ointments\n    we will run.\u2019\n\n    4. Draw me, &c. In a race all run, but one receiveth the prize.\n    This prize is Christ. The bride, pure and fair, having entered into\n    the royal apartments, returns to the maidens, and tells them what\n    she has seen. The king hath brought me into his chambers. He\n    praises the bride. He says, Justice hath loved thee. Then the bride\n    says to the maidens,\n\n    5. Black I am, &c. Do not look upon me because I am blackened, for\n    the sun hath looked upon me. How black and without whiteness, is\n    she beautiful? Black with sin, and comely because converted.\n    Because not yet purged from all sin she is called black, but her\n    dark colour will not remain. She is made white as she ascends to\n    greater things, according to ch. viii. 5. \u201cWho is this that cometh\n    up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?\u201d Tents of Kedar,\n    say the Hebrews, are dark: skins of Solomon, such as ornamented the\n    temple, were comely.\n\n\n296\u2013373. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born in that city in\n296, and died in 373. He was the principal defender of the Nicene\nfaith, in opposition to Arius. His zealous advocacy of the Deity of\nChrist led him to seek, and to find that doctrine everywhere. He looked\nupon the Song of Songs as a Jubilee song of the Church, at the\nincarnation of the Son of God, and thus differs from Origen, who refers\nit to the experience of the believing soul. The whole book, he says, is\nan allegory, and is to be understood enigmatically from the beginning\nto the end. Its doctrines are secrets, and those only who are well\nversed in allegory ought to study it, as it is sure to be corrupted in\nthe hands of others. It is called the Song of Songs, because it is the\nchief and last song, and the coming of Christ in the flesh, which other\nsongs regard as future, this celebrates as present. It is an\nEpithalamium in celebration of the marriage of Him who is the loved of\nGod and human flesh. Here are no threatenings and sorrows as in other\nbooks, but as the Bridegroom is present, all is turned into joy. The\nbook is full of dialogues between the Son of God and the human race;\nsometimes between men in general and Christ, sometimes between Him and\nhis ancient people; sometimes between Him and the Gentile Church,\nsometimes between the Gentiles and Jerusalem; and sometimes between\nministering angels and men.\n\nThe following is a specimen of Athanasius\u2019 Commentary:\u2014\n\n\n    2. Let him kiss me, &c. This is the entreaty of his ancient people\n    to the Word, that he would descend and take flesh; and also (ch.\n    vii. 13), \u201cThe mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all\n    manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for\n    thee, O my beloved,\u201d and (ch. viii. 1), \u201cOh, that thou wert as my\n    brother that sucked the breasts of my mother,\u201d which refers to\n    Christ being of the same nature as man, a brother, and yet in\n    reality having a mother only. In ch. v. 1, Christ speaks of his\n    having become incarnate, \u201cI am come into my garden, my sister, my\n    spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spices.\u201d The world is his\n    garden, because it is his creation; and his body breathes forth\n    fragrance, because it is joined to the Divine word. The Word having\n    put on flesh, he calls his ancient people to Him, and says (ch. ii.\n    10\u201313), \u201cRise up, my love, my fair one, and come, for lo, the\n    winter is past, &c.\u201d His first disciples would recognise in his\n    teaching what they had long been listening for, \u201cthe voice of the\n    turtle in their land.\u201d\n\n\nIn this fanciful manner our author descants upon the whole book.\n\n331\u2013396. Notwithstanding the authority and influence of the foregoing\nfathers, the allegorical interpretation was rejected by many at a very\nearly age. And Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, in Cappadocia, born about 331,\nand died about 396, who wrote an extensive commentary upon this book,\nhad strenuously to contend for the allegorical or spiritual\ninterpretation, and severely condemned those who adhered to the literal\nmeaning. The soul, he considers, as a spouse who enters into spiritual\nunion with God. The most perfect and blessed way of salvation is here\nshown to those who wish to come to the knowledge of the truth.\n\nThe following is a specimen of Gregory\u2019s Commentary:\u2014\n\n\n    2. Let him kiss me, &c., is the language of the soul to God, which\n    has become worthy to speak to God face to face. Thy breasts are\n    better than wine, that is, divine breasts are better than human\n    wine. All human wisdom cannot equal the milk of the divine word.\n\n    3. Thy name, &c. This signifies that all the virtues are nothing to\n    the graces received from above.\n\n\nThus he finds some spiritual meaning in every part, for the\nconfirmation of which some other part of Scripture is adduced.\n\n331\u2013420. Jerome, however, (born at Stridon in Dalmatia in 331, and died\nin the vicinity of Bethlehem in 420,) who was exceedingly fond of the\nGreek philosophers, and, like Origen, was instructed in Hebrew\nliterature by the Jews, [77] as might have been expected, was not\naffected by the objections against the allegorical interpretation, but\nintroduced it into the Western Churches. According to him, it is a\nnuptial and dramatic song on the occasion of the union of Christ with\nhis Church or the soul of man. The bride and her companions, and the\nbridegroom and his companions are the interlocutors in the drama. He\nseems to have embraced almost entirely the theory and interpretation of\nOrigen.\n\n354\u2013430. Augustin, who was born at Tagesta in Numidia, in 354, and died\nin 430, materially aided Jerome in the spread of the allegorical\ninterpretation in the West. He regards the Song of Songs as describing\n\u201cthe holy loves of Christ and his Church.\u201d\n\n\n    Of ch. i. 7, \u201cTell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou\n    feedest thy flock, where,\u201d &c., he says it is one testimony in\n    behalf of the church in Africa, which lies in the meridian of the\n    world. The church asks Christ to tell her where the one true church\n    is, where it feeds and reclines. The bridegroom answers, In the\n    meridian, I feed in the meridian, I recline in the meridian. The\n    church is in other parts, but in Africa is its meridian. This is\n    the language of believers out of Africa, who also say, \u201cFor why\n    should I be as one roaming among the flocks of thy companions?\u201d\n    that is, why remain concealed and unknown? Other churches are not\n    thy flock, but the flocks of thy companions. Upon the adjuration,\n    \u201cI adjure you,\u201d &c. vii. 7, he observes, The church in these words\n    addresses her own daughters. She is a field of God, fruitful in\n    graces, to which by loving Christ the martyrs come, whom he wishes\n    to lay down their lives as lovingly as he laid down his life for\n    them. Ch. ii. 15. \u201cTake us the foxes,\u201d &c., that is, withstand,\n    confute, subdue, heretics that injure the ecclesiastical vines.\n    Bind them by Scripture testimony, as Samson bound the foxes\n    together, and put fire to their tails, by warning them of the\n    condemnation they have deserved. In ch. iv. 16, \u201cAwake, O north,\n    and come, thou south wind,\u201d &c., he says, the north wind is from\n    the cold icy regions of the devil and his angels, and the south\n    wind is the spirit of grace blowing at noon from warm and shining\n    regions, that cause the spices to flow out, as the apostle says,\n    \u201cWe are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved,\n    and in them that perish.\u201d\n\n\n360\u2013429. Theodore, bishop of Mopsuestia, who wrote a commentary on this\nbook, also rejected the allegorical meaning, and adhered to its literal\nand obvious sense. Pity that his commentary is lost, and that the only\naccount of it is from his enemies.\n\n386\u2013457. So general was the dissatisfaction with the allegorical\ninterpretation of the Song of Songs, and so different were the theories\nrespecting it at the time of Theodoret or Theodorit, bishop of Cyrus in\nSyria, who was born at Antioch about 386, and died 457, that he was\nobliged to mention and refute them.\n\nThere are some, says this prelate, who do not admit that the Song of\nSongs has a spiritual sense, and make of it such a texture of fables,\nwhich is unbecoming even to the insane. Some maintain that Solomon is\nhere celebrating himself and the daughter of Pharaoh; others take the\nShulamite, not as Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, but as Abishag; and others,\nagain, considering the thing with a little more reverence, call this\nbook a Royal address, and take \u201cthe bride,\u201d to be the people of Israel,\nand \u201cthe bridegroom\u201d the king. I have, therefore, found it necessary,\nbefore proceeding with the interpretation, first, to refute this false\nand pernicious interpretation, and then to fix the obvious design of\nthis book.\n\n1. These people, he submits, ought to remember that those holy fathers\nwere much wiser, and had more spiritual minds than they had, that this\nbook was incorporated in the sacred writings, and that the Church\nrevered it for its spiritual meaning, &c.\n\n2. Through Manasseh and the destruction of Jerusalem, the writings of\nthe Old Testament were lost, but the Holy Spirit restored them to Ezra\nby inspiration. Now the Holy Spirit could not have inspired any other\nthan a divine book.\n\n3. Because the holy fathers saw this, they have either written\ndevotional commentaries on the entire book, or filled their writings\nwith its thoughts, as for instance, Eusebius and others, who were near\nthe apostolic age. Now, are we not to believe these holy fathers? not\nbelieve the Holy Ghost? not obey the voice of God rather than our own\nopinions? We must so deal with the sacred Scriptures as not to regard\nletters merely, but draw out the hidden spirit from obscurity.\n\n\u201cThe bridegroom\u201d is Christ, \u201cthe bride\u201d his church; \u201cthe daughters of\nJerusalem\u201d are pious, but still unfinished souls (young in a Christian\nsense), which have not as yet attained the perfection of the bride, but\nimitate her example; \u201cthe companions of the bridegroom\u201d are either the\nangels or the prophets.\n\nThe following is a specimen of his commentary:\u2014\n\n\n    1. The Song of Songs, &c. This book is called The Song of Songs,\n    because all other songs in the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and\n    Psalms are made for this song, which is not amatory, but a song\n    about the marriage of the Divine Bridegroom with the Church.\n\n    2. Let him kiss me, &c. This is the language of the spouse offering\n    a petition to the Father of the Bridegroom; for she has known both\n    the promises made to Abraham and the prophecies of Jacob; as well\n    as the prophecies of Moses, respecting her beloved, and the\n    description of his beauty and power as given in the Psalms; \u201cThou\n    art more beautiful than the sons of men,\u201d &c.; she has learned that\n    her beloved, who is adorned with beauty and grace, is both God and\n    the eternal Son; \u201cFor thy throne, Oh God, is for ever and ever,\u201d\n    &c. Having recognised the beauty, strength, riches, dominion, and\n    power of the bridegroom which he displays above all things, world\n    without end, she draws nigh to him to embrace him and to kiss him\n    in Spirit. Let none whose spirit is low, and who only tastes that\n    which is earthly, be misled by the expression \u201ckisses.\u201d Let him\n    remember that we ourselves embrace and kiss the limbs of the\n    beloved at the mysterious time (the Lord\u2019s Supper), and that which\n    we see with our eyes, store up in our hearts, and, as it were, feel\n    ourselves in conjugal embraces; so that it is with us as if we were\n    with him, embracing and kissing him, after, as the Scriptures say,\n    \u201clove has driven away fear.\u201d Therefore it is that the Bride wishes\n    to be kissed by the Bridegroom himself.\n\n\n390\u2013444. Cyril of Alexandria, who was born towards the close of the\nfourth century, and died in 444, went so far as to explain \u201cthe\npalanquin,\u201d to mean the cross; its \u201csilver legs,\u201d the thirty pieces of\nsilver which brought Christ to the cross; the \u201cpurple cushion,\u201d the\npurple garment in which the Saviour was mocked; \u201cthe nuptial crown,\u201d\nthe crown of thorns put on Christ\u2019s head, &c. &c.\n\n650. The influence of the Chaldee mode of interpretation seems now to\nbecome more apparent in the Christian Church. Aponius, who is quoted by\nthe venerable Bede, and must therefore have lived in the seventh\ncentury, regards the Song of Songs as describing what the Logos has\ndone for the Church from the beginning of the world, and what he will\ndo to the end of it; thus, like the Chaldee, he takes the book as a\nhistorico-prophetical description of the dealings of God with his\npeople, only that the Chaldee takes the Jews as the object of the\ndescription, but Aponius substitutes the Gentile Church.\n\n673\u2013735. Bede, called the venerable, who was born at Wearmouth, in\nDurham, in 673, and died in 735, wrote seven books on the Song of\nSongs, one being merely a copy from Gregory the Great, in which he\ndefends the doctrine of grace against the Pelagians.\n\n1091\u20131153. To the scholastics of the middle ages the Song of Songs\nseemed an unfathomable abyss of mysticism, into whose depths they could\ndive as deeply as their speculative minds and fertile imaginations\nprompted them. St. Bernard, who was born at Fountains, in the vicinity\nof Dijon, in Burgundy, and died in 1153, delivered eighty-six sermons\nupon this book, and this prodigious number comprises the first two\nchapters only. In the first sermon he says, \u201cThe unction and experience\ncan alone teach the understanding of such a Song. It is not to be heard\noutside, for its notes give no sound in the street; but she who sings\nit, she hears it and he to whom it is sung, that is the bridegroom and\nthe bride.\u201d He divides the Song into three parts; in the first part the\nbridegroom leads the bride into the garden, and in the second he\nconducts her into the cellar, and in the third he takes her home into\nhis apartments. Upon the words Let him kiss me, &c. (Chap. i. 2), which\nhe explains as referring to the incarnation of Christ, he remarks, \u201cO\nhappy kiss, marvellous because of amazing condescension; not that mouth\nis pressed upon mouth, but God is united with man.\u201d [78]\n\nGilbert Porretanus, the disciple of St. Bernard, continued these\nsermons, but only lived to deliver forty-eight, which extend to Chap.\nv. 10; so that the one hundred and thirty-four sermons only comprise\nfour chapters and a half.\n\n1270\u20131340. In the Commentary of the celebrated Nicolas De Lyra, a\nconverted Jew, and a native of Lire, in Normandy, we meet more fully\nthe Chaldee mode of interpretation as adopted by Aponius. Like the\nChaldee, De Lyra takes the Song of Songs to be a historico-prophetical\nbook, with this difference, however, that he regards Chap. ii.\u2013vii. as\ndescribing the history of the Israelites from their Exodus from Egypt\nto the birth of Christ, and from Chapter vii. to the end, the origin of\nthe Christian Church, her progress, and the peace which she attained in\nthe days of Constantine. Upon the words, \u201cWe have a little sister,\u201d he\nremarks, \u201cThis is the Church humble and abject among the worldly\nenemies, for so she was till the time of Constantine.\u201d [79]\n\n1538. The great reformer, Luther, could not reconcile his mind to\nbelieve that the Song of Songs describes the conjugal union of Christ,\nthe bridegroom, with the bride, i.e. the Church as a whole, or with the\nsoul of every individual believer. He therefore rejected the\nallegorical interpretation of the Fathers, and advanced a new theory,\nviz., \u201cthat the bride is the happy and peaceful State under the\ndominion of Solomon, and that the Song is a hymn of praise, in which\nSolomon thanks God for the obedience rendered unto him as a divine\ngift: for, where the Lord does not direct and rule there is neither\nobedience nor happy dominion, but where there is obedience or a happy\ndominion there the Lord lives and kisses and embraces his bride with\nhis word, and that is the kisses of his mouth.\u201d [80]\n\n1542. John Brentius, the Suabian reformer, adopted the same theory. He\ncalls the Song of Songs, \u201cCarmen encomiasticum, quod de laude regni et\npolitiae suae Solomon conscripsit.\u201d [81]\n\n1544. Castellio, seeing that Luther had rejected the allegorical\ninterpretation of the Fathers, and propounded a theory of his own\nequally untenable, maintained that the book has no allegorical meaning\nwhatever, but is merely a \u201ccolloquium Salomonis cum amica quadam\nSulamitha,\u201d and as such deemed it unworthy of a place in the sacred\ncanon. [82]\n\n1585. Thomas Wilcocks adhered to the opinion that this book celebrates\nthe marriage between Christ and his Church, and especially \u201cthe great\nlove of the bridegroom to his spouse, which is never removed, but\nalways abideth constant, how oft soever she fall away, and seem, as a\nman would say, to forsake her husband.\u201d [83] This commentary, which is\nrare, contains many useful remarks.\n\n1600. Thomas Brightman, however, adopted the view of Aponius and De\nLyra, that this book describes historico-prophetically, the condition\nof the Church, and \u201cagrees well-nigh in all things with the Revelation\nof St. John.\u201d Solomon, in this Song, and John, in the Apocalypse,\n\u201cforesaw the same events in like times, and either of them directed his\ncourse to the same mark.\u201d [84] He divides the book into two parts; the\nfirst, chap. i.\u2013iv. 6, describes the condition of the Legal Church from\nthe time of David to the death of Christ; and the second, chap. iv.\n7\u2013viii. 14, the state of the Evangelical Church, from A.D. 34 to the\nsecond coming of Christ. We give the following analysis of this curious\ncommentary.\n\n\n\nA. The Legal Church.\n\nChap. i.\u2013ii. 2, describes the condition of the Church before the\ncaptivity; 1, 2, under David; 3, under Solomon; 4\u20138, under Rehoboam;\n9\u201311, under Abijah and Asa; 12, under Jehoshaphat; 13, under Jehoram,\nAhaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz; 14, under Hezekiah;\n15, 16, under Manasseh and Josiah; chap. ii. 1, 2, under the other\nKings to the last Zedekiah.\n\nChap. ii. 3\u201314, describes the condition of the Church during the\ncaptivity; 3, the comforts of the few left in their own country; 4\u20137,\nthe preservation of the whole in the captivity; 8, 9, the foretold\ndeliverance; 10\u201313, its approach; 14, and the deliverance from it.\n\nChap. ii. 15\u2013iv. 6, describes the condition of the Church from the\ndeliverance to the death of Christ; 15, 16, the troublesome time from\nthe restoration of the Church by Cyrus to Alexander the Great; 17, the\npartial rest under Alexander; chap. iii. 1\u20133, the desolation in the\nChurch caused by Antiochus Epiphanes, and its effects in driving away\nthe beloved; 4, 5, the finding of the beloved; 6\u201311, the condition of\nthe Church during Christ\u2019s sojourn upon this earth; chap. iv. 1\u20136,\nChrist\u2019s description of her then beautiful aspect.\n\n\n\nB. The Evangelical Church.\n\nChap. iv. 7\u201311, describes the obedience and perfection of the Church\nfrom A.D. 34 to 334; 7, Christ\u2019s return to his disciples after his\nresurrection, and remaining with them forty days; 8, the preaching of\nthe Gospel by Peter and Philip to the Grecians, Samaritans, and in\nGaza; 9, the effects upon Antioch from the preaching of Paul and\nBarnabas; 10, 11, the marvellous constancy of the martyrs who died\nunder Nero, Domitian, Trajan, &c.; the spread of the Gospel through the\nfaithfulness of these sufferers; the beautiful orations of Dionysius\nthe Areopagite, Quadratus, Aristides the Athenian, Dionysius of\nCorinth, Melito, Apollinarius, Polycarp, &c., and through the setting\nforth of the sweetness of the garments by Justin, Tertullian, and\nCyprian.\n\nChap. iv. 12\u2013v. 16, describes the decayed state of the Church from\n334\u20131510; 12, the declension of the Church after the death of\nDioclesian, when many embraced Arianism; 13, 14, her rising again under\nConstantine; 15, the convocation of the Council of Nice; 16, Europe and\nAfrica defending the truth against Arian heresy; 17, the decayed state\nof the Church after the demise of Constantine. Chap. v. 1, Christ\nknocking by persecution (A.D. 368), in the time of Constance, Julian,\nand Valens; 2, the attempt of the Church to obtain justification by\ngood works; 3, the withdrawal of Christ in consequence of the Chalcedon\nCouncil refusing to root out heresy according to the exhortation of the\nEmperor Marcian; 4, the rising of the Church in the time of Leo\nIsaurus, Constantine his son (755), and Charles the Great, in Frankfort\n(795), who endeavoured to exterminate image-worship; 5, the failure of\nthis endeavour; 6, the Church smitten and wounded through the\nexcommunication of Leo Isaurus, and the conduct of the Council of Nice\nunder Constantine (788); verse 8 describes how, in 1100, a Florentine\nbishop, Arnold, a Roman, Hildegarde the prophetess, and Bernard, began\nto seek the bridegroom; 8, multitudes flocked to Peter Waldo, in 1160,\nto inquire after the beloved; 9, 10, Christ appearing again in 1200, at\nthe battle of the Albigenses with the anti-christian bands of Innocent\nthe Third; 11, the kingdom almost restored to Christ after the battle;\n12, the faithful teaching of Michael Cesenas, Peter de Corboria, and\nJohn de Poliaco, who were condemned in 1277 by Pope John; 13, the\npreaching in 1290 by Robert Trench; 14, the first resurrection, as\ndescribed in Rev. i. 20, which took place in 1300, when Dante the\nFlorentine, Marsilius Patavinus, William Ockham, and John of Gaunt,\nboldly declared the truth, when Philip, king of France, and Edward of\nEngland despised the authority of the Pope, and when John Wickliff\n(1370) taught openly; 15\u201317, the days of John Huss, Jerome of Prague\n(1415), and the shaking off of the Romish yoke by the Bohemians.\n\nChap. vi.\u2013viii., describes the Church restored, from 1517 to the second\ncoming of Christ; 1, the teaching of pure doctrine (1517), by Luther;\n2, the Church, in the mouth of Melancthon, claims her beloved before\nPrince Frederick; 3, the unpleasant state of the Church from 1429, when\nthe Argentinenses joined battle with the Helvetians, till the death of\nCharles the Fifth (1548); and her beauty, when, in the following year,\nthe Reformation spread in Scotland, Geneva, in the Helvetian and German\nchurches, in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; 4, the declaration of\njustification by faith by Luther; 5, the newly-called preachers of the\nGospel in 1550, such as Luther, Melancthon, Bucer, Zwinglius, &c.; 6,\nthe ecclesiastical and civil government of the Church as restored again\nin Geneva; 7, the splitting of the Church in 1563, by John Brentius and\nJames Andrewes; 8, the excellency of the faithful; 9\u201312, the conversion\nof the Jews, who are called princes. Chap. vii., their conversion a\nblessing to the Church. Chap. viii. 1\u20134, their zeal; 5\u20137, the calling\nin of the Assyrians and Egyptians, and all the nations bordering on the\neastern regions, and their glorious condition after their conversion;\n11, 12, the care which the bridegroom will exercise over the whole\nChurch; 13, what he requires of her; 14, her longing desire to be\ncarried with him into everlasting mansions.\n\nAs Brightman\u2019s Commentary may be regarded as the fullest development of\nthe Chaldee interpretation Christianized, we shall give a few specimens\nof his mode of exposition.\n\n\n    I sleep, but my heart, &c. chap. v. 1.\u2014The negligence of the Church\n    lying thus is declared first by her drowsiness, then by his\n    enticing call, and lastly by the slight causes of her excuse. Sleep\n    caused her outward senses to be benumbed, that she neither regarded\n    nor considered how superstitions arose, as it happened to the\n    householder in Matt. xiii. 25. Neither could it be otherwise (when\n    the bridegroom left the garden and his friends or fellows drunken\n    with prosperity, wholly gaping after riches and honours, all common\n    good despised), but sleep would overcome the spouse, wherein\n    outwardly she should not differ from a dead woman, however the\n    heart should move and live, the seed of faith not altogether\n    quenched. This drowsiness crept in, in the time of Constantine,\n    when a gaping heaviness, with a continued desire of sleeping, so\n    oppressed the spouse, that the sharpest-sighted pastors could not\n    use their outward senses: not perceiving how ambition crept in\n    among the bishops, and not only that, but how they began to\n    consecrate temples to saints, earnestly to seek their reliques, to\n    worship them with prayers, and to believe that prayers made in the\n    honour of saints at their sepulchres did profit much. Who could now\n    tell whether the Church were sleeping or waking? who neither\n    loathed nor perceived such things. When Constantine was dead,\n    Christ found the Church asleep, and sought by all means to stir her\n    up both by knocking and calling. He knocked by persecutions in the\n    times of Constance, Julian and Valens, of whom though Julian were a\n    professed enemy, (A.D. 368,) yet the other two exceeded him in\n    cruelty. After their tyrannous reign God stirred up Valentinian in\n    the west parts, by whom Christ lovingly called his spouse, that,\n    returning unto her former integrity, she should open and let him\n    in. Then taking away Valens, he called more earnestly at both doors\n    (as it were) as well in the west as in the east, by Gratian and\n    Theodosius the elder; after by Arcadius and Honorius, then by\n    Theodosius the younger, and Valentinian the third. And lastly,\n    (that there might be four pair as it were answerable to the four\n    voices, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled one,) by Marcion\n    alone in the east. These emperors studied and laboured very\n    religiously to defend and enlarge true religion; but the Church was\n    in all the fault, who having these helps prepared, would not use\n    them to recover her former brightness. To this readiness of the\n    emperors was added the voice of the most excellent bishops, and\n    best learned men of that time; as Basil, Gregory Nazianzen,\n    Ambrose, Hierome, Chrysostome, Augustine and others, the lights of\n    that time. But seeing his profession of love could nothing move\n    her, he tried what his shutting out of the doors at night would do.\n\n    My head is filled with dew, &c.\u2014The locks of hair signified, before\n    the congregation of the faithful, among whom true religion was now\n    so much deranged by new and foolish ceremonies, borrowed partly of\n    the Jews and Gentiles, and partly invented of their own idle\n    brains, that the grass is scarce more covered with drops of dew in\n    the night, than the Church was at that time with superstitions.\n\n    14. His hands are as gold rings, &c.\u2014Hitherto hath the bridegroom\n    been set forth to the world in some special members, from Frederick\n    the second to Robertus Gallus by almost 100 years. The hands are\n    the instruments of action, and in scripture they figuratively\n    signify works. The gems included in the rings seem to signify the\n    ministers of the word, which elsewhere Christ carried as stars in\n    his right hand (Rev. i. 20). But these times yielded not such\n    splendour. These things show a change and alteration of that which\n    Christ would bring to pass by the labour of his ministers, as it\n    happened about the year 1300, which was called the first\n    resurrection of the dead. For now the thousand years were ended\n    wherein Satan was bound, and the dead raised from their graves.\n    Very many began now more boldly to set forth the truth, as Dante\n    the Florentine, Marsilius Patavinus, William Ockham, John of Gaunt,\n    and many others. Philip the French king despised Pope Boniface,\n    Lewis of Bavaria strove long time with these most humble servants\n    of servants for the rights of the empire. Edward of England made\n    show unto many how little he esteemed the pope\u2019s authority.\n\n    His belly is as bright ivory, &c.\u2014By the belly or bowels, bright as\n    ivory overlaid with sapphires, may be understood the two\n    Sacraments. For the word of God is open to the view of every one,\n    as the mouth and countenance, neither is it wont to be hid from\n    strangers; but the Sacraments serve only for the household, as the\n    bowels, which are appointed only to that body whose members they\n    are, but serve to no use for strangers. These things therefore as\n    it were, with the finger, point to those times of John Wickliff\n    (1370), who taught openly, that the substance of the material bread\n    and wine remains in the sacrament of the altar; the accidents of\n    bread remain not without the subject in the same Sacrament; Christ\n    is not really in the Sacrament, in proper presence corporally.\n    Berengarius spoke against this wicked error 200 years before, but\n    the time was not yet come wherein the hands of the bridegroom\n    should be seen full of rings, whence his empire wanted success.\n\n\nHow different to this is the opinion of Henry Ainsworth, the celebrated\nNonconformist divine, who regards this \u201cbook as treating of man\u2019s\nreconciliation unto God, and peace by Jesus Christ, with joy in the\nHoly Spirit!\u201d \u201cIn Solomon\u2019s days,\u201d says Ainsworth, \u201cthe Church before\nChrist\u2019s coming had the greatest glory, having the temple builded,\nliving under that most wise, rich, and peaceable King; the Israelites\nbeing as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating, and\ndrinking, and making merry, and dwelling safely, every man under his\nvine and under his fig-tree.\u201d (1 Kings iv. 10, 25.) Notwithstanding\nSolomon, being a prophet, foresaw the ruin of his house and kingdom,\nand in his book of Ecclesiastes proclaimed all things under the sun to\nbe vanity, and in this Song prophesieth of the Church and Kingdom of\nChrist. And as he, with many other prophets, and kings, and righteous\nmen, desired to see Christ, and to hear his words, but did not (Luke x.\n24; Matt. xiii. 7), so here he manifesteth the desire of himself and of\nall the faithful to enjoy the blessings and graces of Christ, saying,\n\u2018Let him kiss me.\u2019 Whereby the Church desireth to have Christ\nmanifested in the flesh, and to have the loving and comfortable\ndoctrines of his Gospel applied unto her conscience, that she might not\nbe always under the schoolmaster of the law, which worketh wrath (Rom.\niv. 15), but might be prevented with the grace of Christ, and have the\nfeeling of his love towards her. [85]\n\nThe difference of opinion respecting the interpretation of this book,\nwhich obtained after the Reformation had laid open the Scriptures to\nall Protestants, and had established the right of private judgment, did\nnot, however, as yet affect the Romish Church. Her followers not only\nadhered to the allegorical interpretation, but, unlike their\npredecessors of the middle ages, took the bride of the Song to be the\nVirgin Mary. Thus Michael Ghislerius and Cornelius \u00e0 Lapide. The latter\nis especially to be noticed, since he was the first who endeavoured to\nshow that this Song is a drama in five acts.\n\n1583\u20131645. The fact, that the allegorical interpretation could with\nequal facility be made to describe the history of the Jewish nation and\nthat of the Virgin Mary, awakened the suspicion of Hugo Grotius, the\ncelebrated statesman, philosopher, and divine. He, therefore, adhered\nto the literal sense of the book, which, according to him, celebrates\nthe marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, but at the same time\nalso admitted that the ARCANA NUPTIARUM spiritually represent, first,\nthe love of God to the Israelites, and then the love of Christ to the\nChurch. [86] It will be remembered that Origen was already of opinion\nthat this Song primarily celebrates the marriage of Solomon with\nPharaoh\u2019s daughter, though with him the literal meaning was of no\nimportance, and that Theodoret mentions some who viewed the Song in no\nother light than this.\n\n1603\u20131699. It was to be expected that John Cocceius, the founder of the\ntheological school bearing his name, whose doctrine was, that the whole\nhistory of the Old Testament is a mirror, accurately reflecting the\ntransactions and events that were to happen under the New Testament\ndispensation to the end of the world, would find in this Song something\nin accordance with his views. Enlarging upon Aponius\u2019 and De Lyra\u2019s\nmode of interpretation, and, like Brightman, still more approaching the\nChaldee, in a manner peculiar to himself Cocceius regards this book as\na prophetical narrative of the transactions and events that are to\nhappen in the Church, and divides the whole into seven distinct\nperiods, similar to the seven trumpets and seven seals in the\nRevelation of St. John.\n\n\n                                                       Chapter.\n    1. The period of the preaching of the Gospel to\n       Jews and Gentiles                               i.\u2013ii.\n    2. The period of the increase of the Church, and\n       persecution from without                        iii.\u2013iv.\n    3. The period of peace from without and danger\n       within                                          v.\u2013vi. 8.\n    4. The period of the Reformation                   vi. 9\u2013vii. 10.\n    5. The period of unsettlement after the\n       Reformation                                     vii. 11\u2013viii. 3.\n    6. The period of the persecution                   viii. 4\u20136.\n    7. The period of rest after the sufferings and\n       longing for the spread of the Gospel            viii. 7\u201314. [87]\n\n\n1648. Strange as this mode of interpretation may appear, yet, as we\nhave seen, it is not confined to a single individual or country. John\nCotton also affirms that Solomon in this book \u201cdescribes the estate of\nthe Church towards Christ, and his respect towards her from his (i.e.\nSolomon\u2019s) own time to the last judgment.\u201d [88]\n\n\n    Chap. i. describes the estate of the Church from the days of\n    Solomon to the repair of the temple by Josiah.\n    Chap. ii. describes the estate of the Church from the repair of the\n    temple to the days of the Maccabees.\n    Chap. iii. describes the estate of the Church from the days of the\n    Maccabees to the time of Christ\u2019s sojourning here on earth.\n    Chap. iv. describes the estate of the Church\u2014first, in Christ\u2019s\n    time, under his ministry, ver. 1\u20136; secondly, after his ascension,\n    under the Apostles, ver. 7\u201311; thirdly, after their departure,\n    during the first ten persecutions, ver. 12\u201316.\n    Chap. v. describes the estate of the Church from the time that\n    Constantine entered it to the time of restoring the Gospel and\n    reforming of the Church by the ministry of Luther and other late\n    divines.\n    Chap. vi. describes the state of the Church reformed by the\n    ministry of Luther and other late divines, and the calling in of\n    the Jews.\n    Chap. vii.\u2013viii. 4, describes the estate of the Jewish Church when\n    they shall come to be converted unto the Lord.\n    Chap. viii. 5\u201314, describes the solicitude which the Church of\n    Judea and Assyria cherished for the growth and establishment of the\n    good people in Egypt, the destruction of the Turks, the union of\n    all Christians, the coming of the Lord, &c.\n\n\n\n1650. John Trapp, however, adhered to the more general view, and\nregarded this Song as \u201ca treasury of the most sacred and highest\nmysteries of Holy Scriptures, streaming out all along, under the\nparable of a marriage, that full torrent of spiritual love that is\nbetwixt Christ and the Church.\u201d ... \u201cThe form of it is dramatical and\ndialogistical; the chief speakers are, not Solomon and the Shulamite,\nas Castellio makes it, but Christ and his Church. Christ also hath\nassociates (those friends of the bridegroom), viz., the prophets,\napostles, pastors, and teachers, who put in a word sometimes; as\nlikewise do the fellow-friends of the bride, viz. whole churches or\nparticular Christians.\u201d [89]\n\n1688. Hennischius not only adopted the view of Brightman and Cocceius,\nbut even exceeded it, and called his commentary upon this book, [90]\n\u201cThe Apocalypse in the Canticles.\u201d He found in the Song of Songs seven\nperiods of the Church described, answerable to the states of the seven\nAsiatic Churches in the Revelation of St. John.\n\n\n                                 Rev.       Cant.             A.D.\n\n  1. The Church at Ephesus       ii. 1\u20137    i. 5\u201317           33\u2013370\n  2. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Smyrna        8\u201311       ii. 1\u201317         371\u2013707\n  3. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Pergamos      12\u201317      iii. 1\u201311        708\u2013104\n  4. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Thyatira      18\u201329      iv. 1\u2013v. 1      1046\u2013138\n  5. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Sardis        iii. 1\u20136   v. 2\u2013vi. 2      1384\u20131721\n  6. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Philadelphia  7\u201313       vi. 9\u2013vii. 14   1722\u20132059\n  7. ,,\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0,,\u00a0\u00a0 ,, Laodicea      14\u201322      viii. 1\u201314      2060 and\n                                                            onwards.\n\n\n1693. The profound scholarship and exquisite taste of Bossuet, though a\nRoman Catholic Bishop, would not allow him to follow these extravagant\ntheories. Presuming that the marriage of Solomon with the daughter of\nPharaoh is the primary object of this Song, and that the nuptial feast\namong the Jews was hebdomadal, Bossuet divides the poem into seven\nparts, corresponding to the seven days of the supposed duration of the\nwedding. [91] The following is his division:\u2014\n\n\n                                 Chapter.\n\n                       1st day   i.\u2013ii. 6.\n                       2nd day   ii. 7\u201317.\n                       3rd day   iii.\u2013v. 1.\n                       4th day   v. 2\u2013vi. 9.\n                       5th day   vi. 10\u2013vii. 11.\n                       6th day   vii. 12\u2013viii. 3.\n                       7th day   viii. 4\u201314.\n\n\n1700. Bishop Patrick, however, would not admit any literal meaning, but\nfound, almost in every word, some delightful mystery. Even the words,\n\u201cThy navel is like a round goblet which wanteth not liquor; thy belly\nis like a heap of wheat set about with lilies,\u201d (chap. vii. 2,) at\nwhich so much umbrage has been taken, this pious prelate says, may mean\n\u201cthe two Sacraments which the Church administers to her children; the\nFont in Baptism being represented by the former, and the Sacrament of\nthe Lord\u2019s Supper by the other part of the figure.\u201d [92]\n\n1710. Shortly after the publication of this commentary appeared the\nExposition of Matthew Henry. And though Henry confessed, \u201con the one\nhand, that if he who barely reads this book be asked, as the eunuch\nwas, Understandest thou what thou readest? he will have more reason\nthan he had to say, How can I, except some man shall guide me? that the\nbooks of Scripture history and prophecy are very much like one another,\nbut that this Song of Solomon is very much unlike the Songs of his\nfather David; here is not the name of God in it; it is never quoted in\nthe New Testament; we find not in it any expressions of natural\nreligion or pious devotion; no, nor is it introduced by vision, or any\nof the marks of immediate revelation; thus it seems as hard as any part\nof Scripture to be made a savour of life unto life.\u201d Yet he affirms,\n\u201con the other hand, that with the help of the many faithful guides we\nhave for the understanding of this book, it appears to be a very bright\nand powerful ray of heavenly light, admirably fitted to excite pious\nand devout affections in holy souls, to draw out their desires towards\nGod, to increase their delight in him, and improve their acquaintance\nand communion with him.\u201d [93]\n\n1723. Durham tells us the import of the Song of Songs much more\npositively and dogmatically than either Patrick or Henry. \u201cThe great\nscope of this Song is to set out that mutual love and carriage that is\nbetween Christ and the Church in five distinct branches. It holdeth out\nthe Church\u2019s case, and Christ\u2019s care of her, in all her several\nconditions, and under all dispensations; such as, I. Her sinful\ninfirmities, and failings in duties, chap. i. 6; v. 2, 3, and also\nunder liveliness in duties, chap. i. 2, 3, 4, and v. 5, and almost\nthroughout. II. Under crosses, chap. i. 6, as being \u2018a lily among\nthorns,\u2019 and hated of the world, ii. 2, and also in prosperity, wherein\nshe is commended as terrible, vi. 10. III. As deserted and sick of\nlove, chap. iii. 1, 2, and v. 4, 5, and again as enjoying her beloved,\ni. 4; iii. 4, 5. IV. As under faithful shepherds and lively ordinances,\nchap. i. 4; iii. 4, 5, and also as under carnal watchmen, v. 7. And in\nall these, her various conditions, in all ages, are painted forth,\nbefore Christ\u2019s incarnation, as well as now, without respect to any\nparticular time or age; for ceremonial things are not here meddled\nwith, but what was spiritual; besides the Church then and now is one,\nas in the next consideration will be cleared. V. As in private dealing\nwith Christ, and longing after him and praying for him, chap. iv. 16;\nviii. 1, and almost throughout, and also what she was in public duties,\ngoing to the watchmen, chap. v. 7, and iii. 3, and what she was in\nfellowship with others, v. 8, 9; vi. 1, 2. VI. It sets out believers as\nmore strong, and it furnishes a greater measure of grace and knowledge;\nand also, as more weak in gifts and grace. VII. And lastly, it holds\nforth the same believers as more and less lively in their conditions.\n\n\u201cThis book, in its matter, is a comprehensive sum of all those\nparticulars formed in a song, put together, and drawn as on a board,\nfor the believers\u2019 edification, to show, 1. What should be, and will be\ntheir carriage, when it is right with them as to their frame. 2. What\nare their infirmities, and what they use often to fall into, even they\nwho are believers, that they may be the more watchful. 3. To shew what\nthey meet with, that they may make for sufferings, and not stumble at\nthem when they come. 4. That the care and love of Christ to them, in\nreference to all these, may appear, that they may know upon what\ngrounds to comfort themselves in every condition, and may have this\nSong as a little magazine, for direction and consolation in every\ncondition.\u201d [94]\n\nUpon the words \u201cTake us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the\nvines,\u201d &c. (Chap. ii. 15), Durham remarks:\n\n\n    \u201cThis fifteenth verse contains the last part of Christ\u2019s Sermon;\n    wherein, as he had formerly given directions in reference to her\n    particular walk, so here he evidenceth his care of her external\n    peace. That Christ speaks these words, the continuation and series\n    of them with the former, the scope (which is to make full proof of\n    his case), and the manner how the duty here mentioned is laid on,\n    to wit, by way of authority, makes it clear. There are three things\n    in them, 1. On external evil incident to the Church, and that is,\n    to be spoiled by \u2018foxes.\u2019 2. A care given in a direction, \u2018Take\n    them,\u2019 &c. 3. He gives reasons to deter all from cruel pity in\n    sparing of them, \u2018For,\u2019 &c.\u201d\n\n\nHaving descanted at large upon the first and second heads, Durham\nremarks on the third:\n\n\n    \u201cThirdly. There is a motive to press, implied, while he (i.e.\n    Christ) saith this; \u2018Take us,\u2019 which words insinuate that it is\n    service both to him and her, and that ministers are his servants,\n    and the Church\u2019s for Christ\u2019s sake. It shows also his sympathy in\n    putting himself, as it were, in hazard with her (at least\n    mystically considered), and his love in comforting her, that he\n    thinks himself concerned in the restraint of these foxes as well as\n    she is.\n\n    \u201cFourthly. The direction is amplified, to remove an objection (say\n    some) \u2018All heresies, or all heretics are not equal; some\n    comparatively are little to be regarded, and it is cruelty to\n    meddle with these, that seem to profess fair.\u2019 \u2018No (saith he), take\n    them all, even THE LITTLE FOXES; for though they be but little, yet\n    they are foxes; though they be not of the grossest kind (as all\n    scandals in fact are not alike, yet none is to be dispensed with),\n    so they are (saith he) foxes, and corrupt others; for a little\n    leaven will leaven the whole lump (often small-like schisms, or\n    heresies, such as the Novations and Donatists, &c., have been\n    exceedingly defacing to the beauty of the Church), therefore, saith\n    he, hunt and take them up.\u2019 How small a friend is our Lord to\n    toleration! and how displeased is he with many errors, that the\n    world thinks little of! Magistrates, ministers and people may learn\n    here, what distance ought to be kept with the spreaders of the\n    least errors; and how every one ought to concur, in their stations,\n    for preventing the hurt that comes by them.\u201d [95]\n\n\n1723. Whether this commentary, with its affirmation that \u201cthis Song is\na little magazine, for direction and consolation in every condition,\u201d\nand whether the doctrine of intolerance palmed upon Chap. ii. 15 of the\nSong were published in time to be seen by Whiston, who was neither\nconvinced by Durham\u2019s arguments nor daunted by his appeal to the\nmagistrates, ministers, and people; or whether they appeared too late\nto be seen by him, I cannot tell. But, in the same year that Durham\u2019s\ncommentary was published Whiston\u2019s Essay appeared, in which he declares\nthat he finds in the Song of Solomon, \u201cfrom the beginning to the end\nmarks of folly, vanity, and looseness,\u201d and assures us that \u201cit was\nwritten by Solomon when he was wicked and foolish, and lascivious and\nidolatrous,\u201d [96] and that the sooner this immoral book is rejected\nfrom the sacred canon the better.\n\n1728. About five years afterwards appeared the bulky Exposition of Dr.\nGill on Solomon\u2019s Song, consisting of one hundred and twenty-two\nsermons, which the Doctor delivered to his congregation. In this\nconfused mass of accumulated learning Gill warmly refutes both Whiston\nand others who had written against this book. He acknowledges \u201cthe\nprofit and advantage\u201d which he had received from \u201cthe sweet\nobservations of the excellent Durham,\u201d and affirms that this divine\npoem is wholly allegorical; \u201cand sets forth in a most striking manner\nthe mutual love, union and communion, which are between Christ and his\nChurch; also expresses the several different frames, cases, and\ncircumstances which attend believers in this life, so that they can\ncome into no state or condition, but there is something in this Song\nsuited to their experience; which serves much to recommend it to\nbelievers, and discovers the excellency of it.\u201d [97] In vain do we look\neven here for an exposition based upon the sound rules of grammar and\nphilology.\n\n1753. It was reserved for Bishop Lowth to commence in this country a\nnew era in the interpretation of this book. Two of his admirable\n\u201cLectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews\u201d are devoted to the\ninvestigation of the import and interpretation of this Song, and the\nconclusion he arrived at is almost the same as that of Grotius and\nBossuet. \u201cThe subject of the Canticles,\u201d says this learned Prelate,\n\u201cappears to be the marriage-feast of Solomon, (who was, both in name\nand reality, the Prince of Peace); his bride is called Shulamite....\nWho this wife of Solomon was, is not clearly ascertained; but some of\nthe learned have conjectured, with an appearance of probability, that\nshe was the daughter of Pharaoh, to whom Solomon was known to be\nparticularly attached. May we not, therefore, with some shadow of\nreason, suspect that, under the allegory of Solomon choosing a wife\nfrom the Egyptians, might be darkly typified that other Prince of\nPeace, who was to espouse a church chosen from among the Gentiles?\u201d\n\nAs to the explanation of the allegory, this learned prelate properly\nadvises, \u201cthat we ought to be cautious of carrying the figurative\napplication too far, and of entering into a precise explication of\nevery particular; as these minute investigations are seldom conducted\nwith sufficient prudence not to offend the serious part of mankind,\nlearned as well as unlearned.\u201d [98]\n\nBishop Lowth also takes this poem to be of a dramatic form, and adopts\nthe division of Bossuet into seven parts.\n\n1764. The excellent and judicious remarks of Lowth were followed by an\nelegant version of Solomon\u2019s Song, with a brief Commentary and\nAnnotations, by Thomas Percy, D.D., Bishop of Dromore. The author\nvindicates the theory of Grotius, Lowth, &c., that this poem literally\ndescribes the nuptials of Solomon; and, like Bossuet and Lowth, divides\nit into seven parts, answering to the seven days of the supposed\nduration of the nuptials, which are distinguished from each other by\ndifferent solemnities. In terms, even more severe than those of Bishop\nLowth, Percy censures those commentators, \u201cwho have been so busily\nemployed in opening and unfolding the allegorical meaning of this book\nas wholly to neglect that literal sense which ought to be the basis of\ntheir discoveries. If a sacred allegory may be defined a figurative\ndiscourse, which, under a lower and more obvious meaning, delivers the\nmost sublime and important truths; then it is the first duty of an\nexpositor to ascertain the lower and more obvious meaning. For till\nthis is done, it is impossible to discover what truths are couched\nunder it. Without this all is vague and idle conjecture. It is erecting\nan edifice without a foundation, which, however fair and goodly to the\nview, will be blown down by the slightest breath of true criticism.\u201d\n[99]\n\n1765. Wesley, however, opposed this theory. He maintained that \u201cthe\ndescription of this bridegroom and bride is such as could not with\ndecency be used or meant concerning Solomon and Pharaoh\u2019s daughter;\nthat many expressions and descriptions, if applied to them, would be\nabsurd and monstrous; and that it therefore follows that this book is\nto be understood allegorically, concerning that spiritual love and\nmarriage which is between Christ and his Church.\u201d [100]\n\n1768. Harmer advanced a new theory. Whilst advocating with Grotius,\nBossuet, Lowth, Percy, &c., that this Song in its literal and primary\nsense celebrates the nuptials of Solomon with the daughter of Pharaoh,\nhe maintained that the heroes of the plot are not two, as generally\nbelieved, but three\u2014viz., Solomon, the Shulamite, who is the principal\nwife and a Jewish queen, and the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon\nafterwards married, with which the Jewish queen was exceedingly\ndispleased, and looked with jealousy upon the Gentile wife as an\nintruder. \u201cThis event of Solomon\u2019s marrying a Gentile princess, and\nmaking her equal in honour and privilege with his former Jewish queen,\nand of her being frequently mentioned afterwards in history, while the\nother is passed over in total silence, resembles the conduct of the\nMessiah towards the Gentile and Jewish Churches.\u201d ... \u201cNothing more,\naccording to that,\u201d says Harmer, \u201cis to be sought for of the mystic\nkind, than the making out the general resemblance between Solomon\u2019s\nbehaviour with respect to his two queens, and the situation of affairs\nbetween the Messiah and the two Churches; of those that observed the\nlaws of Moses and those that did not.\u201d [101]\n\nThe following analysis is gathered from Harmer\u2019s singularly confused\nwork. Chapter I. describes Solomon and his attendants meeting the\nEgyptian bride and her companions; ii. 1\u2013iii. 5, describes the\ncomplaining language of the Jewish queen; iii. 6\u2013v. 1, resumes the\naccount of Solomon\u2019s journey with the Egyptian bride up to Jerusalem,\nand describes the consummation of the marriage; v. 2\u2013vi. 3, relates\nSolomon\u2019s conversation with his Jewish wife; vi. 4\u20139, Solomon\u2019s\nconversation with the Egyptian wife in the garden; vi. 10\u2013viii. 7,\nbegins with Solomon\u2019s astonishment at his being surprised by his Jewish\nwife whilst in the garden with the Egyptian wife, and the ensuing\nconversation between them; viii. 8, describes the imaginative hope of\nthe Jewish wife that Solomon\u2019s marriage with the Egyptian would not be\nconsummated, and that she would, therefore, not be treated as a wife;\nviii. 9, gives Solomon\u2019s reply, that the Egyptian princess should be\ntreated with the highest honours; viii. 10\u201312, contains a smart reply\nof the Egyptian princess to the Jewish queen, in which she at the same\ntime also notices the addition her marriage had made to the King\u2019s\npossessions; viii. 13, states Solomon\u2019s appeal to the Jewish queen in\nthe presence of all to give her final thoughts respecting her future\nconduct; viii. 14, gives her resolution to keep her distance; but at\nthe same time there appears no thought of renouncing her relation to\nSolomon on her part, as \u201cthere was not on his.\u201d \u201cSuch actually,\u201d\nconcludes Harmer, \u201cis the state of things with respect to the Messiah,\nand the two churches of Jews and Gentiles. The Jewish Church persists\nin not receiving the Gentiles as fellow-heirs, but they renounce not\ntheir relation to the Messiah, nor has he utterly excluded them from\nhope. The state of distance has long continued, but as they still\nremain a distinct body of people, waiting for great events that are to\nhappen, so the New Testament leads us to expect their reconciliation.\u201d\n\n1770. Different to these strange outlines of Harmer were the effects\nwhich Lowth\u2019s remarks upon this Song produced in Germany. Michaelis,\nthe celebrated professor at the G\u00f6ttingen University, in his edition of\nthe Praelectiones, took a more advanced and decided step in the\ninterpretation of this book. He not only rejected the allegorical\ninterpretation, as unsupported by internal evidence, but denied the\ntheory, defended by Lowth, &c., that this poem celebrates the nuptials\nof Solomon, because there is no direct mention made in any part of this\nlong poem of the marriage ceremony, nor of any circumstance attending\nit; no time appearing appropriated to the nuptial banquet itself, the\nbride and the bridegroom being separated from and in quest of each\nother, wishing and enjoying solitude, always showing themselves in the\nstreet or field when conversing together, or with the virgins, and\nnever found with the guests or at the banquet; because it cannot be\npossibly imagined that a bridegroom would be so necessitated to labour\nas not to be able to devote the few days of his nuptial week to the\ncelebration of his marriage; that he would be compelled immediately to\nquit his spouse and his friends for whole days in order to attend his\ncattle in the pastures; and especially because we could not imagine\nthat the bridegroom would at this time of the festival leave his bride,\nto whom he professes to be so deeply attached, alone and unhappy, and\nnot return at night. The learned professor, therefore, concludes that\nthis Song describes the chaste passion of conjugal and domestic love;\nthe attachment of two delicate persons who have been long united in the\nsacred bond; and then asks, Can we suppose such happiness unworthy of\nbeing recommended as a pattern to mankind, and of being celebrated as a\nsubject of gratitude to the great Author of happiness? [102]\n\n1771. The honour, however, of first elucidating the true design of this\nbook is due to J. T. Jacobi; notwithstanding the imperfections of his\nattempt. He showed that the importance of this Song is not to describe\nthe chaste passion of conjugal love, but to celebrate fidelity. The\npattern of this conjugal fidelity is the Shulamite, the heroine of the\nbook. This humble woman was married to a shepherd. Solomon, being\nstruck with her beauty, tempted her with the luxuries and splendour of\nhis court to forsake her husband and enter the royal harem; but the\nShulamite spurned all the allurements, and remained faithful to her\nhumble husband. [103] However strange the manner in which Jacobi\ndivides this book, and the interpretation of separate passages, it must\nbe acknowledged that he was the first in Germany who showed that\nSolomon was not the object of the Shulamite\u2019s affections, and that the\nbeloved was a humble shepherd from whom the King endeavoured to\nseparate her. It will be remembered that Ibn Ezra, Immanuel, and the\nAnonymous Commentary, [104] have already taken the lovers to be a\nshepherd and shepherdess, and regarded Solomon as a separate person,\nwhom the rustic maiden adduces in illustration of her sincere\nattachment to her shepherd, affirming that if this great King were to\nbring her into his court, and offer her all its grandeur and luxuries,\nshe would still rejoice in her humble lover.\n\n1772. It seems unaccountable that though the increased attention paid\nin this country to the sound exegesis of the Scriptures compelled\nexpositors to propound the literal meaning of this book, that Durell\n[105] could still overlook the two distinct persons referred to in this\npoem, viz. the King and the Shepherd, and maintain that the Song of\nSongs is an epithalamium on Solomon\u2019s marriage with Pharaoh\u2019s daughter.\n\n1776. It was not to be expected that the opposition of sound critics,\nand much less the newly propounded view of Jacobi, would at once\nsubvert the old allegorical theories, or check fertile imaginations\nfrom inventing new speculations. The Song of Songs was too darling an\nobject of those whose minds were addicted to allegories and mysticisms\nto be so easily surrendered to the simple meaning of the text. So far\nfrom being surprised, we rather expect that every one who rejects the\nobvious sense of the Song will find in it some new view which his\npredecessors had overlooked. And Herr von Puffendorf\u2019s new theory,\ntherefore, only realises our expectations. He explained this Song\nhieroglyphically, and by a process of reasoning as sound as that of the\nother allegorisers, found his interpretation corroborated by analogy.\nThe sacred picture language constituted the wisdom of Solomon\u2019s days,\nand was therefore used among all nations to express everything divine.\nAs Solomon was more versed in the Egyptian mysteries than any of his\ncontemporaries, he would necessarily write the divine mysteries\ncontained in this book in hieroglyphics, in accordance with the custom\nof those days. According to the deciphering of these hieroglyphics by\nPuffendorf, \u201cthis much disputed Song treats almost exclusively of the\nsepulchre of the Saviour, and his death, and the communion of\nbelievers, especially of Old Testament saints; but it also describes\ntheir longing for his Advent, whereby, however, the condition of the\nNew Testament community, and even the resurrection from the dead, are\nrepresented in prophetical types.\u201d [106] On the clause,\n\n\n    \u201cThe virgins love thee.\u201d Puffendorf remarks, \u201cThese are the pure\n    and chaste souls which are locked up in the dark sepulchre, and\n    wait for the light;\u201d and in a note says, \u201cthe root \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\ufb26\u200e, whence\n    \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, virgins, is derived, signifies to be concealed, as those\n    souls were. The Egyptian Neitha, or Minerva, was the tutelar deity\n    of pious souls, and was covered with a veil, which none were\n    allowed to uncover. The virgins, concealed in the same manner, have\n    to expect that through marriage they will emerge into light. Thus\n    the souls are here represented, which in the dominion of darkness\n    wait for salvation and light.\u201d\n\n\nThe curious reader must consult the Commentary itself to see how this\nextraordinary mode of exposition is carried through the book.\n\n1778. About two years after the publication of the deciphered\nhieroglyphics of this Song, the allegorical interpretation sustained\nsome most severe blows from the eminently pious and celebrated poet\nHerder. He denounced the allegorisers as violating common sense, and\nthe established laws of language, and maintained that this Song\ncelebrated true and chaste love in its various stages.\n\nUpon the question, whether there may not be another sense concealed\nunder the obvious and literal meaning, Herder remarks\u2014\u201cWhen I read the\nbook itself I do not find the slightest intimation, or even the\nfaintest trace that such a sense was the design of the author. Were I\nto admit it, I should also expect to find it in the Song of Ibrahim, in\nthe odes of Hafiz, and in all the oriental erotic poems which in form\nentirely resemble this Song. In the life of Solomon I discover still\nless reason for this concealed sense, be it historical, mystical,\nmetaphysical, or political. For Solomon\u2019s wisdom did not consist in\nmysticism, much less in metaphysics, or scholastic church history. His\nwisdom was displayed in his common sense, as seen in his view of the\nthings of this life, in his acute penetration and extensive knowledge\nof nature. Subsequent Arabian tradition has indeed attributed to him\nalso the art of sorcery, and of driving out evil spirits, but never did\neven this tradition ascribe to him the downcast look of a mystic, or\nrepresent him as indulging in airy speculations, or as writing a\ncompendium of Christian Church History.\u201d [107]\n\nHerder admits that this book describes the love of a shepherd and\nshepherdess, as well as that of a king; but finding great difficulty to\naccount for this, he divides the book into separate songs, or amorets,\nwhile at the same time he acknowledges that there is a marked unity\nthroughout, and that love is described from its first germs to its full\nmaturity, its ripened fruit, and its first regermination.\n\n1780. This beautiful commentary was followed by an elaborate work of\nKleuker on this Song. [108] He too, with an overwhelming force of\nargument, opposes the allegorical interpretation, and maintains that\nthe book consists of detached songs.\n\n1781. Ann Francis, a lady of much poetical taste, who, assisted by the\nlearned Parkhurst, published a poetical version of the Song, [109] was\nthe first who adopted and defended the theory of Harmer, that this book\nspeaks of two wives, one a Jewish lady, who had been married to Solomon\nlong before, and the daughter of Pharaoh, whom the king had recently\nespoused.\n\n1786. Hodgson, however, was not influenced by the theory of Harmer,\nbut, with Bossuet, Lowth, Percy, &c., regarded this poem as \u201can\nepithalamium written by Solomon, on his marriage, as some have\nsupposed, with the daughter of Pharaoh.\u201d [110]\n\n1789. The theory maintained by Abrabanel and Leon Hebraeus, [111] seems\nat this time to have found its way into the Christian Church. An\nunknown author, mentioned by Magnus, [112] defended the view that the\nbride of the Song represents wisdom, with whom Solomon converses.\n\n1790. It is indeed cheering to meet again with some glimpses of light\namidst the dense darkness which gathered around this book. Ammon not\nonly vindicated its unity against some of his contemporaries, but\nshowed that it celebrates the victory of true and chaste love in humble\nlife over the allurements of courtly grandeur. [113]\n\n1801. In this country those who paid more regard to the established\nlaws of language, and were therefore constrained to admit a literal\nsense, mostly adhered to the opinion that this poem is a nuptial song.\nThus Williams maintained that it celebrates the marriage of Solomon\nwith Pharaoh\u2019s daughter. [114]\n\n1803. Mason Good could not acquiesce in this opinion, because the\nmatrimonial connexion of the Hebrew monarch with the Egyptian princess\nwas of an exclusively political character, without any preceding\npersonal intimacy or interchange of affection; whereas, the connexion\ncelebrated in this Song, \u201cproceeded from reciprocal affection, from the\ngentleness, modesty, and delicacy of mind, which are uniformly and\nperpetually attributed to this beautiful and accomplished fair one.\u201d\n[115] He, therefore, regards this book as celebrating in distinct\namorets, the reciprocal attachment of Solomon and a female, who was a\nnative of Sharon, which was a canton of Palestine; conveying also a\nspiritual allegory.\n\n1813. Hug, [116] rejecting the literal interpretation, exercised, like\nthe rest of the allegorisers, the right of introducing a new theory.\nAccording to him, \u201cthe bride\u201d means the ten tribes, and \u201cthe\nbridegroom\u201d is King Hezekiah, and the book describes\nallegorico-politically the longing of Israel after the destruction of\nSamaria to be re-united with Judah, and the opposition of the citizens\nof Judah, represented under the image of the brothers (chap. viii. 8,\n9) to this re-union.\n\n1820. The feeble arm raised by Jacobi, Ammon, &c. in the defence of the\ntrue design of this book against the mighty host of allegorisers, was\ngreatly supported by the learned Umbreit. In the introduction to his\nexposition of this Song, Umbreit maintains that the design of the poem\nis to celebrate the conquest of virtue in humble life over the\nallurements of royalty. A virtuous country-maiden, who was attached to\na shepherd, was brought into Solomon\u2019s harem, and there tempted by the\nking with flatteries and promises to transfer her affections; but she,\narmed by the power of virtue, resisted all his allurements, and\nremained faithful to her shepherd, to whom she was afterwards\nre-united. [117]\n\nThough it cannot be said that either Clarke or Boothroyd in any way\nelucidated the design of this book, yet they have done great service by\ntheir rejection of the allegorical interpretation.\n\n1825. We must, however, not suppose that the allegorisers, though\nconsiderably diminished in number, had exhausted their inventive\nfaculties. Kaiser maintains that \u201cthe bride\u201d is a new colony near the\nJordan, and the bridegroom represents Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah;\nand that the Song celebrates their restoration of the Jewish\nconstitution in the province of Judah. [118]\n\n1826. The little band, who struggled hard for the defence of the true\ndesign of this book, could now rejoice at the accession of a mighty\nleader to their ranks. The celebrated Ewald showed in a masterly manner\nthat \u201cthis poem celebrates chaste, virtuous, and sincere love, which no\nsplendour is able to dazzle, nor flattery to seduce.\u201d [119]\n\n1829. D\u00f6pke, in his elaborate philologico-critical commentary, though\nnot espousing this view, materially aided the combatants for the\nliteral interpretation. [120]\n\n1830. It is surprising that the sharp-sighted Rosenm\u00fcller, who could\nnot follow the allegorical interpretation of the church, instead of\nadhering to the obvious sense of the poem, adopted the view of\nAbrabanel, Leon Hebraeus, &c., that \u201cthe bride\u201d represents wisdom, with\nwhom Solomon is described as conversing. [121]\n\nWhilst the battle between the allegorisers and literalists was being\nwaged on the continent, the few champions who came forward in England\nto defend the literal interpretation received an important addition to\ntheir number in the person of Dr. Pye Smith, who denounced this method\nof treating Scripture as contrary to all laws of language, and\ndangerous to real religion. He regards this Song as \u201ca pastoral\neclogue, or a succession of eclogues, representing, in the vivid colour\nof Asiatic rural scenery, with a splendour of artificial decoration,\nthe honourable loves of a newly married bride and bridegroom, with some\nother interlocutors.\u201d [122]\n\n1839. The controversy between Drs. Pye Smith and Bennett [123] about\nthe Song of Songs produced a salutary effect, inasmuch as it added\nconsiderably to the number of those who in this country defended the\nliteral interpretation. A version of Chap. ii. 8\u201317 appeared in the\nCongregational Magazine, [124] in which the translator boldly affirms\nthat \u201cit celebrates the beautiful scenery of the spring, the attachment\nof two individuals to each other, and their meeting in that season of\nnature\u2019s gaiety and loveliness.\u201d He, moreover, declares that he can\n\u201csee no more reason for the spiritual interpretation which Mr.\nWilliams, Mr. Fry, and others give it, than for its application to the\nrevival of letters, the termination of feudalism, or any other\ngratifying circumstance in civil or political life.\u201d\n\n1840. Whilst the ranks of the literalists grew stronger in England, the\nband that defended the true design of this poem in Germany, also under\nthe able leadership of Ewald, became stronger, and Hirzel now contended\nfor the view that the Song of Songs celebrates the victory of virtuous\nlove in humble life over the allurements of royalty. [125]\n\n1842. The learned but \u201clynx-eyed\u201d Magnus, however, could see in this\nbook nothing else than a collection of various erotic pieces, some\nperfect, others imperfect, some amended, others interpolated, all the\nwork of different authors, and written in various ages. [126] Yet his\ncommentary is full of learning, and well deserves to be mentioned in\nthis historical sketch.\n\n1845. Entirely different is the opinion of Professor Stuart, the great\nBiblical scholar of America, who says, \u201cIt seems better and firmer\nground, to regard the Canticles as expressing the warm and earnest\ndesire of the soul after God, in language borrowed from that which\ncharacterises chaste affection between the Jews.\u201d [127]\n\n1846. It must not be supposed that all the American Professors were of\nthe same opinion. Dr. Noyes, Professor of Hebrew, &c. in Harvard\nUniversity, published a translation of the Canticles with notes,\nshortly after the appearance of Stuart\u2019s work, in which he maintains\nthat it is a collection of erotic songs, without any moral or religious\ndesign, [128] and most powerfully opposes the allegorical\ninterpretation.\n\n1847. Another Professor, Dr. Stowe, affirmed that \u201cthe general idea of\nthe book, which has just been pronounced \u2018as injurious to morals and\nreligion,\u2019 if interpreted allegorically, [129] is descriptive of the\nmutual love of God and his people; the vicissitudes, the trials, the\nbackslidings, the repentings, and finally the perfect and eternal union\nof the church with its Lord and Saviour.\u201d [130]\n\n1849. Though not entirely defeated, yet the ranks of the allegorisers\nwere materially thinned, and they were driven to adopt a different\ncourse. They no longer sought for some Christian mysteries and doctrine\nin every chapter, verse, and word of the Song, but satisfied themselves\nwith a general allegorical idea, which may be seen both from the above\narticle of Dr. Stowe, and Keil\u2019s \u201cIntroduction to the Song of Songs.\u201d\nDr. Keil submits that it allegorically describes the mutual love\nsubsisting between God and his chosen people, and how this communion\nwas in various ways interrupted through the unfaithfulness of Israel,\nand how, through their return to the true covenant-God, and through his\nunchanging love, it was again restored. [131]\n\n1851. Not even this mild view of the allegory, however, could\nconciliate Delitzsch. This learned author, after having interpreted the\nbook as representing \u201cthe mutual love subsisting between Solomon and\nWisdom,\u201d was at last constrained to reject every allegorical\ninterpretation as untenable. Though adopting the view that the book\npoetically describes a love-relationship formed by Solomon, and that\n\u201cthe idea of marriage is the idea of the Song,\u201d and may figuratively\nrepresent the union of God with his people, he frankly confesses, that\namongst other views, that which regards the poem as celebrating the\nvictory of virtuous love in humble life over the allurements of\nroyalty, is to be preferred. [132]\n\n1852. Immediately after the publication of this commentary, containing\nsome of the most cogent arguments against the allegorical\ninterpretation, a new translation appeared with an allegorical\nexposition by Hahn. Denying that Solomon represents the Messiah,\nbecause at that early period the notion of a personal Messiah was not\nyet developed in the minds of the people, this commentator advances a\nnew theory, that \u201cthe bridegroom\u201d represents the kingdom of Israel, and\n\u201cthe bride\u201d Japhetic heathenism, and that the poem describes,\nallegorically, \u201cthe kingdom of Israel as destined, in God\u2019s service,\neventually to overcome heathenism with the weapons of justice and love,\nand to bring the Heathen into a state of fellowship and love with\nitself, and consequently with God.\u201d [133] He takes the Song to be a\ndramatico-didactic poem, divisible into six sections.\n\nThe first section, Chap. i. 2\u2013ii. 7, describes the longing of the\nmaiden, who represents Japhetic heathenism, for the pleasurable love of\nthe king of Israel; her humble supplication to be received into his\nfellowship, and the ultimate realization of her desire in that union.\n\nThe second section, Chap. ii. 8\u2013iii. 5, supplementing the first,\ndescribes the friendly invitation which the king of Israel gives to\nthis maiden (the Japhetic heathen) to catch with him the foxes, which\nrepresent the kingdom of Satan upon earth, the Hametic heathen, and to\nunite herself with him in the land of Canaan, which is the kingdom of\nGod, and her acceptance of this invitation.\n\nThe third section, Chap. iii. 6\u2013v. 1, supplementing the first and\nsecond, represents this maiden, after being conquered by the power of\nthe king\u2019s love, and from sincere reciprocal attachment, devoting\nherself as an acceptable offering to the service of God, as introduced\ninto the land of Canaan, which is the type of the kingdom of God, and\ndescribes the completion of her never-ending union with the king of\nIsrael.\n\nThe fourth section, Chap. v. 2\u2013vi. 9, a supplementary explanation of\nthe first, describes the early love of the king of Israel when he\nvisited the maiden in the dark night as she lay in a deep sleep, void\nof all love to him, entreating to be admitted; her refusal; her\nrepentance after having become acquainted with his glory; her long\nsearch after him; his accepting her after her repentance had been\ntried, &c. &c.\n\nThe fifth section, Chap. vi. 10\u2013viii. 4, which explains the second, and\nsupplements the fourth, describes how the king of Israel revealed\nhimself ultimately to the maiden; the king, after being long and\npainfully sought by the maiden, who, despairing of success, and in a\ndejected state, had returned home, was again incited, by some new\ncharms of hers, followed her, attended by his martial hosts, once more\noffered her his love, met with a hearty response, and then she offered\nherself to him with all she had, as his property.\n\nThe sixth section, Chap. viii. 5\u201314, which is a supplementary\nexposition of the third, and a completion of the fifth, describes how\nthe maiden, after long and painfully searching, and longing for the\nking of Israel, yielded herself up to him in her home, whither he had\nfollowed her, and how she entreated for the favourable reception of her\nyounger sister, that is, the Hametic heathen, and how the king promised\nthe maiden that her sister shall eventually be received.\n\n1853. Though this allegorist has repudiated the idea that Solomon\nrepresents the Messiah, at the same time, another allegorist, and that\na no less writer than Hengstenberg, assures us that Solomon can be\nregarded only as the Messiah, and that the bride is not Japhetic\nheathenism, but the people of God. According to him, the poem\ncelebrates the Prince of Peace and all the mercies which through him\nflow to the people of God, and is divisible into two parts.\n\nThe first part, Chap. i.\u2013v. 1, describes the advent of Messiah, the\nheavenly Solomon, to save his people; the tribulations and sorrows\nwhich will precede his coming, and especially the bondage of the people\nof God to worldly power, as the merited punishment of their\nunfaithfulness. These sufferings are represented under the figure of\nswarthiness, i. 6; winter and rain, ii. 11; dark nights and a\nwilderness, iii. 6. Connected with the coming of Messiah is the\nadmission of the heathen into the kingdom of Christ, iii. 9\u201311,\neffected through the mediation of the Old Testament people, as\nindicated by the name \u201cdaughters of Jerusalem.\u201d\n\nThe second part, Chap. v. 2\u2013viii. 14, describes the sinning of the\ndaughter of Zion against the heavenly Solomon, her punishment,\nrepentance, and the re-union effected through the mediation of the\ndaughters of Jerusalem (the heathen), whose salvation she had first\nassisted to accomplish; the complete restoration of the former mutual\nlove, in consequence of which the daughter of Zion becomes again the\ncentre of the kingdom of God; and the immutability of the new covenant\nof love in contrast with the mutability of the old. [134]\n\n1853. Simultaneous with this commentary of Hengstenberg, an allegorical\nexposition appeared in America, by Professor Burrowes. He differs again\nfrom the preceding in regarding this Song as illustrating by imagery\ndrawn from the court of Solomon, the mutual love of Christ and the\nChurch, as exercised in the case of individual believers. He divides it\ninto three parts.\n\nThe first part, Chap. i.\u2013ii. 7, describes the way in which the soul,\nlonging after the manifestation of the love of Christ, is conducted in\nthe gratification of that desire, from one degree of pious enjoyment to\nanother, till, by the vicissitudes of fortune, and by the diversities\nin its progress towards heaven, and the enjoyment of Christ\u2019s love as\nmanifested in private communion in \u201chis chamber;\u201d 7\u201311, in the way of\nduty and self-denial; 12\u201314, in social communion with him; 15\u201317, in\ndelightful repose with him, amid enlarged prospects of spiritual\nbeauty; chap. ii. 1\u20133, in the protection and delight here set forth;\n4\u20137, it possesses the greatest possible pleasure on the earth.\n\nThe second part, Chap. ii. 8\u2013vii. 9, describes the motives by which the\nLord Jesus would allure such souls away from the present world to be\nwith him in glory; chap. ii. 8\u201317, as by the beauty of heaven; chap.\niii. 1\u201311, by the splendour of the reception awaiting them there, as\nwell as by the grandeur of the conveyance thither; chap. v. 1\u2013vii. 9,\nand by his love for them, which remains constant even amidst their\ngreatest neglect.\n\nThe third section, Chap. vii. 10\u2013viii. 14, describes the effects which\nthese manifestations of love produce on the heart of saints; chap. vii.\n10, assurance of hope; 11, desire to be much alone in communion with\nChrist; 12, their engagement in labours of love; 13, consecration to\nhim of all their gifts; chap. viii. 1, 2, a desire that everything\ninterposing between Christ and them may be removed; 3, 4, their\navoidance of everything that would cause the withdrawal of Christ\u2019s\nlove; 5, the pleasing consciousness of leaning on Jesus, and of being\nupheld by his everlasting arm; 6, their desire to be constantly near\nhim, and sustained by his power, and willingness to make every\nsacrifice for him; 7, their conviction of the insufficiency of\neverything the world could offer to tempt them from Christ; 8\u201310, their\ninterest for the salvation of the impenitent; 12, the sense of their\naccountability as stewards of God; 13, the privilege of continual\naccess to the throne of grace; 14, desire for the completion of their\nredemption, and for the perfecting of their love to Christ, and of his\nto them, by the prospect of his second coming. [135]\n\nFrom the analysis of the three latest commentaries upon this book, it\nwill be perceived that allegorical interpreters, even to this day,\ndiffer in their views of its application and design.\n\n1854. After quitting the bewildering maze of allegorism, it is cheering\nto come to the commentary of Meier, in which the view that this poem\ncelebrates the victory of virtuous love in humble life over the\nallurements of royalty is defended. [136]\n\n1855. This is also the view propounded by Friedrich [137] and Hitzig,\n[138] though the latter embraces a similar theory to Harmer, that there\nare two women as chief speakers in the poem.\n\n1856. In this opinion of the superiority of virtuous love to all the\ntemptations of royalty, the Jew and the Christian, the Englishman and\nthe German, are beginning to unite. The reviewer in the Jewish Monthly\nJournal of History and Science, declares himself in favour of regarding\nthe Shulamite as resisting all the offers of Solomon and remaining\nfaithful to her shepherd. [139] Meier, the author of a commentary\nmentioned above, in his History of the poetical National Literature of\nthe Hebrews, recently published, maintains the same opinion. [140] This\npoem, says Dr. Davidson, \u201cwarns against impure love, encourages\nchastity, fidelity, and virtue, by depicting the successful issue of\nsincere affection amid powerful temptations. The innocent and virtuous\nmaiden, true to her shepherd lover, resists the flatteries of a\nmonarch, and is allowed to return to her home.\u201d [141] Umbreit, in an\narticle upon this book, just published, states that he still adheres to\nthe view propounded in his commentary of 1828, [142] noticed above,\nthat it is a celebration of virtuous love over the allurements of\nroyalty.\n\nHow mournful is the thought which irresistibly forces itself upon the\nmind, in reviewing this imperfect sketch of what has befallen this\npoem! This book, we have seen, is made to describe the most\ncontradictory things. It contains the wanderings of the Jews, how they\nwill ultimately \u201cfill their stomachs with the flesh of the Leviathan\nand the best of wines preserved in grapes,\u201d and is the sanctum\nsanctorum of all Christian mysteries. It is denounced as a love song,\nand extolled as declaring the incarnation of Christ; it speaks of the\nmeridian church in Africa, and of the betrayal of the Saviour; it\ncontains a treatise upon the doctrine of free grace against\nPelagianism, and an Aristotelian disquisition upon the functions of the\nactive and passive mind; it is an apocalyptic vision, a duplicate of\nthe Revelations of St. John, and records the scholastic mysticisms of\nthe middle ages; it denounces Arianism, and describes the glories of\nthe Virgin Mary; it \u201ctreats of man\u2019s reconciliation unto God and peace\nby Jesus Christ, with joy in the Holy Ghost,\u201d and teaches lewdness, and\ncorrupts the morals; it records the conversation of Solomon and Wisdom,\nand describes the tomb of Christ in Egyptian hieroglyphics; it\ncelebrates the nuptials of Solomon, and gives us a compendium of\necclesiastical history to the second advent of Christ; it records the\nrestoration of a Jewish constitution by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah,\nand the mysteries of marriage; it advocates monogamy and encourages\npolygamy; it assists devotion and excites carnal passions. What a\nsolemn lesson we have here never to depart from the simple meaning of\nthe word of God!\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION VI.\u2014THE DIFFERENT VIEWS CLASSIFIED AND EXAMINED.\n\nThe various opinions, enumerated in the preceding section, respecting\nthe design of this book, may be divided into three classes, the\nliteral, the allegorical, and the typical. The first considers the\ndescription as real, that the words should be taken as representing an\nhistorical fact; the second considers that the description has no\nhistorical truth for its basis, but contains some latent meaning;\nwhilst the third admits the literal meaning, but regards it as typical\nof spiritual truth. The literal view adopted by us having been given in\nsections iii. and iv., we have to examine here only the claims of the\nallegorical and typical.\n\n\n\nTHE ALLEGORICAL VIEW.\n\nThe allegorical view principally maintained is, that this poem, in\nlanguage borrowed from that which characterises chaste affections\nbetween the sexes, expresses the mutual love subsisting between the\nLord and his Church.\n\n\n\nREASONS FOR THE ALLEGORICAL VIEW EXAMINED.\n\n1. The existence of this book in the sacred canon has been adduced as\nan argument for its allegorical interpretation.\n\n\u201cIn what part of the Hebrew Bible can we find any composition of an\nanalogous nature? All\u2014every Psalm, every piece of history, every part\nof prophecy\u2014has a religious aspect, and (the book of Esther perhaps\nexcepted) is filled with theocratic views of things. How came there\nhere to be such a solitary exception, so contrary to the genius and\nnature of the whole Bible? It is passing strange, if real amatory Idyls\nare mingled with so much, all of which is of a serious and religious\nnature. If the author viewed his composition as being of an amatory\nnature, would he have sought a place for it among the sacred books? And\nsubsequent redactors or editors\u2014would they have ranked it here, in case\nthey had regarded it in the same light? I can scarcely deem it\ncredible. So different was the reverence of the Jews for their\nScriptures from any mere approbation of an amatory poem as such, that I\nmust believe that the insertion of Canticles among the canonical books,\nwas the result of a full persuasion of its spiritual import. Had the\ncase stood otherwise, why did they not introduce other secular books,\nas well as this, into the canon?\u201d [143]\n\nGranting that the design of the book was simply to describe love, we\ndeny that it would have been deemed unworthy of a place in the sacred\ncanon. Why should the pleasures of chaste love be considered less\nworthy of record in the sacred books, than the sorrow for bereaved\nfriendship, in 2 Sam. i. 17, &c.? \u201cTo those,\u201d says Dr. Mason Good, a\ndefender of the allegorical interpretation, \u201cwho disbelieve the\nexistence of such an allegory they (the amorets) still afford a happy\nexample of the pleasures of holy and virtuous love; they inculcate,\nbeyond the power of didactic poetry, the tenderness which the husband\nshould manifest for his wife, and the deference, modesty, and fidelity\nwith which his affection should be returned; and, considered even in\nthis sense alone, they are fully entitled to the honour of constituting\na part of the sacred Scriptures.\u201d [144] \u201cWhy should a passion,\u201d remarks\nanother allegorical interpreter, \u201cso strong, so universal, so essential\nto happiness\u2014to the very existence of the human race, be denied a place\nin a Revelation from God to man? As a matter of fact, has it not a\nplace in every part of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation? God is\nthe author of the human constitution as well as of the Bible; and he\nhas in all respects adapted his revelation to the nature of the beings\nfor whom it was designed. It would be strange indeed, if one of the\nmost important and never absent phenomena in the moral and physical\ncreation of men should never be noticed in a revelation to him from his\nCreator. If the viciousness and licentiousness of men have loaded this\nsubject with vile and filthy associations in vile and filthy minds,\nthis is not the fault of God or of his revelation. The vine will not be\ndestroyed, nor the grapes annihilated, because wicked men make\nthemselves beasts with wine.\u201d [145]\n\nThe design of the book, in our view, however, is not to celebrate love,\nbut to record an example of virtue, which is still more worthy of a\nplace in the sacred canon.\n\n2. It has been urged, that the language put by the sacred writer into\nthe mouth of the bride, shows that the poem is to be allegorically\ninterpreted, because in its literal sense such language would be\ncontrary to nature and to the modesty of women.\n\n\u201cThat this is not a song of human loves,\u201d says Dr. Bennett, [146] \u201cis\nclear from the beginning to the end. It opens with the language of a\nfemale: \u2018Let him kiss me;\u2019 it is full of her solicitous seeking after\nhim; it abounds with praises of his person, and her dispraises of\nherself, of her person and her conduct; it invites other females to\nlove him, and it speaks of him as her brother, and of her as his\nsister. Let any one examine the Song, and then muse over these facts,\nrecollecting that Solomon is, in the opening of the poem itself, said\nto be the writer. Was ever such a human love-song composed by mortal,\nsince man either loved or wrote verses? What writer, with the feelings,\nor the reason, of a man, would begin a poem on his fair one by\ndescribing her as courting him? Let it not be said, \u2018We must not\ntransfer our modern and northern ideas to the ancient Orientals, who\nhad not our delicate notions of the female character;\u2019 for this would\nonly make my case stronger. It would be more abhorrent from the\nsecluded, submissive character of Eastern brides to ask the gentlemen\nto come and kiss them, than it would be from the dignified confidence\nof British women. It is not a question of climate or age, but of\nnature. The bridegroom, who is supposed to love this fairest of women,\nhimself puts into her lips this speech: \u2018Let him kiss me!\u2019 Never would\nhuman love speak thus. Though men like to court, they do not like to be\ncourted; and while they think it cruel to be rejected when they court,\nthey without mercy reject her that courts them; as the forward female\nhas usually found, from the days of Sappho to this hour. Women were\nendowed with the form and the qualities intended to attract courtship,\nand they feel it; and when they do not feel it, men despise them. No\nman, therefore, in his senses, would think to compliment his fair one\nby writing of her, to her, as if she had lost her retiring modesty, her\nfemale dignity, and degraded herself by doing that for which every man\nwould despise her. The very first word of this Song, then, stands a\nwitness against the notion of its being a human love-song; for it would\nbetter suit Solomon\u2019s strange woman, that with an impudent face caught\nand kissed the young simpleton, than Solomon\u2019s princess-bride, or Dr.\nSmith\u2019s supposed chaste monogamist. Till fishes mount to sing with\nlarks on the shady boughs, and nightingales dive to ocean\u2019s depths to\ncourt the whales, no man, of any age, of any clime, of any rank, can be\nsupposed to write ordinary love-songs in such a style. We are told, by\nthe first word, that a greater than Solomon is here, one who must be\ncourted, and that loves more than human are the theme. This is the\nBridegroom of whom the Psalmist says, \u2018He is thy Lord, and worship thou\nhim:\u2019 \u2018Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way.\u2019\nSuch a spouse may exhibit his Bride as asking for his love; every other\nmust present himself as asking for hers, and begging the acceptance of\nhis.\u201d\n\nIt is allowed by scholars of taste, that, regarded as a mere human\nproduction, this poem is inimitable. \u201cEvery part of this Song,\u201d says\nthe learned Bishop Bossuet, [147] \u201cabounds in poetical beauties; the\nobjects which present themselves on every side are the choicest plants,\nthe most beautiful flowers, the most delicious fruits, the bloom and\nvigour of spring, the sweet verdure of the fields, flourishing and\nwell-watered gardens, pleasant streams, and perennial fountains. The\nother senses are represented as regaled with the most precious odours,\nnatural and artificial; with the sweet singing of birds, and the soft\nvoice of the turtle; with milk and honey, and the choicest of wine. To\nthese enchantments are added all that is beautiful and graceful in the\nhuman form, the endearments, the caresses, the delicacy of love. If any\nobject be introduced which seems not to harmonize with this delightful\nscene, such as the awful prospect of tremendous precipices, the\nwildness of the mountains, or the haunts of lions, its effect is only\nto heighten, by the contrast, the beauty of the other objects, and to\nadd the charms of variety to those of grace and elegance.\u201d Bishop\nLowth, after having descanted upon some passages, remarks, \u201cNothing can\nbe imagined more truly elegant and poetical than all these, nothing\nmore apt or expressive than these comparisons.\u201d [148] If the poet is so\ncharming in his style, so exquisite and true in his picture of nature,\nsurely it is but reasonable to give him credit for understanding his\nart, that he was acquainted with the manners and habits of the women of\nhis age, and that he would be as true to nature in the description of\nthe bride as he is in depicting nature herself. If it be true that\nlanguage of such exquisite taste would outrage female decency and\nmodesty when addressed to a human love, it will surely be more\noutrageous when put into the mouth of the humble, penitent, and\nsubmissive Church in addresses to the Lord of lords. Where in the Old\nor New Testament do we find any address from the saints to God or\nChrist resembling the opening of this poem? The addresses of Abraham,\n(Gen. xviii. 23\u201333,) Jacob, (Gen. xxxii. 10\u201313,) and of Solomon\nhimself, (1 Kings viii. 23\u201353,) and the language in which Christ has\ntaught us to appeal to God, are characterized by the greatest reverence\nand humility. How, then, can it be affirmed, that language which would\nviolate female modesty and decency in the mouth of a woman to a lover\nwhom she prizes above all things, is becoming in the mouth of the\nChurch when addressing the Holy One of Israel?\n\nDr. Bennett, however, misunderstood the design of the book. The Song,\nin its literal meaning, does not begin with representing a woman\ncourting a man, but describes how a humble and virtuous rustic maiden\nwas taken away from her beloved into the court of Solomon, and tempted\nto transfer her affections, by the splendour and luxuries of royalty;\nbut even there, amidst all the grandeur, and in spite of all alluring\npromises, the maiden was faithful to her espousals, and desired that he\nwhom she prized above all things would come and rescue her.\n\n3. It is urged that the same language and imagery employed in the Song,\nand the bridegroom and the bride here introduced, are elsewhere\nspiritually applied to the Lord and his people.\n\n\u201cThis sort of imagery,\u201d says Professor Stuart, \u201cis frequent in the Old\nTestament, and in the New. Frequently are the Jews charged with \u2018going\na whoring after other gods,\u2019 Exod. xxxiv. 15, 16; Lev. xx. 5, 6; Numb.\nxv. 39; Deut. xxxi. 16; 2 Chron. xxi. 13; Ps. lxxiii. 27; Ezek. vi. 9.\nHere the idea is, that they were affianced to the true God, and could\nnot seek after idols without incurring the guilt of adultery. So God\ncalls himself the husband of the Jews, Isa. liv. 5. The nation of\nIsrael is his bride, Isa. lxii. 4, 5. In Isa. l. 1, Jehovah asks,\n\u2018Where is the bill of divorcement\u2019 on his part, that Israel has\ndeparted from Him? Jeremiah speaks of the espousals of Israel, when\nyoung, in the wilderness.\n\n\u201cIn Jer. iii. 1\u201311, the prophet speaks of Israel as playing the harlot,\nand committing adultery, in forsaking Jehovah. In Ezekiel, two long\nchapters (xvi., xxiii.) are occupied with carrying through the imagery\ndrawn from such a connexion. Hosea (i.\u2013iii.) recognises the same\nprinciple, and carries out the imagery into much detail. These are\nmerely specimens. Ps. xlv. presents the Mediator, the King of Zion, in\nthe attitude of a husband to the Church, and celebrates the union\nbetween the former and the latter. So in the New Testament this imagery\nis very familiar: see Matt. ix. 25; John iii. 29; Rev. xix. 7; xxi. 2.\nEspecially consult 2 Cor. xi. 2, and Eph. v. 22\u201332, where the Apostle\nhas gone into much particularity as to the duties of the marriage\nrelation, and then avows that he \u2018speaks concerning Christ and the\nChurch.\u2019\n\n\u201cSuch is the custom of the Hebrew writers and of the Apostles. If, now,\nthis imagery is so often employed in all parts of the Bible, what\nforbids the idea, that there may be one short book in which it occupies\nan exclusive place, and is designed to symbolize the love that existed\nbetween God and his ancient people, or the Church; or rather, which\nought to have existed on their part between God and his spiritually\nregenerated people, who have become one (in a spiritual sense) with\nhim, and are for ever united to him? It cannot be shown, \u00e0 priori, that\nit is even improbable.\u201d\n\nFirst. What does this argument prove? Surely not what the\nrepresentation of this poem IS; it only shows what it might have been.\nIt shows that if we had indubitable proof, as in the passages cited,\nthat a whole book in the sacred canon is entirely devoted to symbolize,\nunder the figure of husband and wife, the covenant-relationship\nsubsisting between God and his people, we ought not to be surprised at\nit, since it would be in harmony with those alleged passages. But\nsurely it does not follow, that, because we are distinctly told in some\npassages of Scripture that the terms, husband and wife, are employed to\nsymbolize the relationship between God and his people, that they should\nhave this signification as often as they are employed.\n\nSecond. We utterly deny that the covenant-relation which subsisted\nbetween the Lord and Israel was represented by the terms, husband and\nwife, before the days of Solomon. The phrase, \u200f\u05d6\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\nto go whoring after other gods, to which reference has been made, does\nnot mean that Israel, by worshipping idols, committed spiritual\nadultery against the true God to whom they were affianced,\u2014thus\npresupposing God to be their husband, and Israel his wife,\u2014but\ndescribes a literal fact, the libidinous orgies and prostitutions\nidentified with heathen worship which the Jews indulged in when\nworshipping idols. Numb. xxv. 1; Hos. iv. 13, &c. This is evident from\nExod. xxxiv. 15, 17, where this phrase first occurs, and is applied to\nheathen women worshipping their own gods. And though these women stood\nin no such covenant-relation to the God of Israel, and therefore could\nnot incur the guilt of spiritual adultery, yet they are described as\n\u201cwhoring after THEIR gods.\u201d From these licentious rites, therefore,\noriginated this phrase, afterwards used to describe the worship of\nidols. But even admitting that it does suggest a marriage relationship\nbetween God and his people, the distance between a suggestive phrase of\nthis kind and an entire book of marital descriptions is so great, that\nthe one cannot be reasonably supposed to have suggested the other.\n\nThird. We deny that even the language used by the prophets after the\ndays of Solomon, in the passages cited, is at all analogous to that of\nthis poem. Let us examine some of the passages themselves. Isa. l. 1:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cWhere is the bill of your mother\u2019s divorce\n    With which I dismissed her?\u201d\n\n\nIsa. liv. 4\u20136:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cFear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed,\n    And be not abashed, for thou shalt not blush;\n    For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth,\n    And the reproach of thy widowhood thou shalt remember no more.\n    For he weddeth thee who made thee.\n    Jehovah of hosts is his name,\n    And the Holy One of Israel redeemeth thee.\n    He is called the God of the whole earth.\n    For Jehovah calleth thee, as a forsaken wife, when spirit-broken,\n    And as a wife of youth when melting in repentance, saith thy Lord.\u201d\n\n\nIsa. lxii. 4, 5:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cNo more shall it be said to thee, Thou forsaken!\n    And no more shall it be said to thy land, Thou desolate!\n    But thou shalt be called, The object of my delight,\n    And thy land, The married woman;\n    For Jehovah delighteth in thee,\n    And thy land shall be married;\n    For the young man shall marry the virgin;\n    Thy children shall marry thee;\n    And with the joy of a bridegroom over his bride\n    Shall thy God rejoice over thee.\u201d\n\n\nJer. iii. 20:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cAs a wife faithlessly departeth from her husband,\n    So have ye acted faithlessly towards me,\n    O house of Israel! saith Jehovah.\u201d\n\n\nThese, and several more of a similar kind, are the passages referred\nto, to prove that the bridegroom and bride in this Song mean the Lord\nand his people! How totally different is the strain of thought and\nexpression in those passages to that in the Song!\n\nIn the former, the wedded-relation forms the comparison; in the latter,\nante-nuptial love is the theme. In the former, the general idea of the\nfigure is briefly used, without any particulars of the accompaniments;\nin the latter, particulars of the persons, dresses, scenery, are\nlargely described. In the former, God is represented as the High and\nHoly One inhabiting eternity, and, in his infinite condescension and\ncompassion, loving, with the tenderness of a husband, Israel, who is\nrepresented as an unlovely, ungrateful, and unfaithful wife; in the\nlatter, the bridegroom and the bride are placed upon an equality, nay,\nthe bridegroom declares that his heart has been ravished by the charms\nand faithfulness of the bride. In the former we are distinctly told\nthat the husband means the Lord, and the wife the people of Israel, so\nthat the most superficial reader is compelled to perceive it; in the\nlatter we have no intimation whatever that the lovers are intended to\nrepresent God and his people, and no reader would ever gather it from\nthe poem. This will appear all the more forcible when we remember that,\nsupposing this poem to be a description of the covenant-relation\nsubsisting between God and his people, it contains the completest\nrepresentation of this kind. We should, therefore, naturally expect\nthat subsequent writers, employing the same figure, would borrow\nsomething of the imagery and colouring from it. But, so far from this\nbeing the case, there is not the slightest analogy between the strain\nof thought and expression of this poem and that of subsequent writers.\n\nFourth. The 45th Psalm, which is supposed to celebrate, allegorically,\nthe union of the Messiah and the Church, has been adduced as analogous\nto the Song of Songs, and therefore an evidence in behalf of the\nallegorical interpretation.\n\n\u201cIf we admit,\u201d says Hengstenberg, \u201cthe allegorical interpretation of\nthis Psalm, we shall also be obliged to drop the literal meaning of the\nSong of Songs.\u201d\n\nIs it certain, however, that this Psalm is all allegory? The Psalm\nitself gives not the slightest intimation that it is to be understood\nin any other than its literal sense. Let us examine it:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cMy heart boils with good matter;\n    When I think my work is for the king,\n    My tongue becomes as a style of a quick writer.\n    Thou art beautiful, beautiful above the sons of men:\n    Charm is poured upon thy lips,\n    Therefore God has blessed thee for ever.\n    Gird thy sword on thy thigh, O hero!\n    Thy splendour and thy glory, yea, thy glory,\n    Ride on victoriously for truth and mildness and right.\n    Great things shall thy right hand teach thee!\n    Thy arrows are sharp\u2014people fall under thee\u2014\n    They dart into the heart of the king\u2019s enemies!\n    Thy throne, O God, stands for ever and ever;\n    A sceptre of justice is the sceptre of thy kingdom;\n    Thou lovest right, and hatest wrong;\n    Therefore God, thy God, anointed thee\n    With gladdening oil above thy companions!\n    Myrrh, aloes, and cassia are all thy garments,\n    Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments joyfully greet thee;\n    Kings\u2019 daughters are among thy dear ones\u2014\n    Upon thy right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.\n\n      Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear;\n    Forget thy people and thy father\u2019s house,\n    That the king may desire thy beauty,\n    For he is thy Lord, and honour thou him.\n    O daughter of Tyre, now with presents\n    The rich of the people salute thy face.\n\n      The king\u2019s daughter stands in the palace in all the splendour,\n    Her clothing is of fabricated gold,\n    She is led to the king in wrought raiment;\n    Behind her are the virgins, her companions, brought for thee;\n    They are conducted with joy and rejoicing,\n    They enter the palace of the king.\n\n      Instead of thy fathers shall be thy sons;\n    Thou wilt set them as princes over the whole land.\n    I wilt celebrate thy name from generation to generation;\n    Therefore shall nations praise thee for ever and ever.\u201d\n\n\nThis Psalm is evidently a congratulatory nuptial-song, composed for the\noccasion of a king\u2019s marriage with a princess of Tyre. The sacred\nwriter begins by stating that such is the greatness of the subject,\nthat it awakens thoughts too big for utterance; but recollecting that\nhis work is for the king, at once his tongue is loosed, and glides as\nrapidly as the stylus of a quick writer (2). He then celebrates the\nking\u2019s beauty and eloquence, recognising in it God\u2019s blessing (3), his\nvalour, symbolized by the conquering sword, the prosperous chariot, the\nterrible arm, the well-directed arrow (4\u20136), his divine throne, and\nlove of justice (7), his great happiness, resulting from his love for\njustice (8), which consists in the splendour around him (9), in his\nmagnificent harem, and especially in the new princess-bride at his\nright hand (10). Having gradually arrived at the subject which is the\noccasion of the poem, the sacred writer now addresses the bride, and,\nin accordance with Eastern custom, which represents brides as unwilling\nto leave their parents on the day of espousals (Comp. Deut. xxi. 13),\ntelling her to forget her father\u2019s house, as she will have such glory\nas is just described (11, 12). The bride is then presented with gifts,\naccording to Oriental manners, from the first ladies of the kingdom\n(13); she appears in all the splendour in the first palace (14), and\nthence conducted in grand procession to the king\u2019s palace (15, 16). The\nmarital procession now being over, the inspired writer congratulates\nthe king, wishing him a happy issue (17), and concludes by saying that\nhis renown will rapidly spread (18).\n\nWhat is there in this Psalm compelling us to understand it\nallegorically? The quotation of the sixth verse in Hebrews i. 8, 9,\nonly proves that this verse refers in a higher sense to the Messiah,\nbut not that the whole Psalm is descriptive of him. Who would think of\nallegorizing the eighth chapter of Isaiah, because verses 17 and 18 are\nquoted in Hebrews ii. 13? The throne of David is declared to be an\neverlasting throne, 2 Sam. vii. 13, 16; a throne of God, i.e. a divine\nthrone, since the Messiah was to be the last and ever reigning king.\nHence it is said, \u200f\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05e1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05db\u05b0 \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, \u201cand\nSolomon sat upon the throne of Jehovah as king instead of his father\nDavid.\u201d\u20141 Chron. xxix. 23. Every king, therefore, of that lineage,\noccupying the throne, was regarded as the representative of God; as the\npredecessor and type of Him who was to be born of the seed of David to\noccupy the throne in the highest sense. So that, whether we translate\n\u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e thy throne, O God, taking \u200f\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e as a vocative, or thy\nGod-throne, i.e. the throne committed to thee by God, or, thou art\nseated upon a throne of God, or regard the phrase as an ellipsis for\n\u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05e1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, thy throne is a throne of God, comes substantially to\nthe same thing. It is, therefore, a groundless assertion, that the\nwhole Psalm is an allegory, and the reference to it in proof of the\nallegorical interpretation of the poem before us is nugatory.\n\nBut, even admitting that the 45th Psalm is an allegory, this would by\nno means prove that the Song of Songs is also an allegory, for the two\ncases differ essentially. In the former the bridegroom is addressed in\nverse 8 as God, and this verse is quoted in the New Testament, whereas\nin the latter there is nothing of the kind.\n\n4. The custom of oriental nations to express their religious and\ndevotional sentiments under the disguise of amatory and drinking songs\nhas been adduced as an argument in favour of the allegorical\ninterpretation of the Song of Songs.\n\n\u201cThe durweesh,\u201d [149] says Lane, \u201cpointed out the following poem as one\nof those most common at Zikrs, and as one which was sung at the Zikr\nwhich I have begun to describe. I translated it verse for verse, and\nimitate the measure and system of the original, with this difference\nonly, that the first, third, and fifth lines of each stanza rhyme with\neach other in the original, but not in my translation.\n\n\n    \u2018With love my heart is troubled,\n      And mine eyelid hindereth sleep:\n    My vitals are dissever\u2019d,\n      While with streaming tears I weep.\n\n    My union seems far distant,\n      Will my love e\u2019er meet mine eye?\n    Alas! did not estrangement\n      Draw my tears, I would not sigh.\n\n    \u2018By dreary nights I\u2019m wasted,\n      Absence makes my hopes expire;\n    My tears, like pearls, are dropping,\n      And my heart is wrapt in fire.\n    Whose is like my condition?\n      Scarcely know I remedy.\n    Alas! did not estrangement\n      Draw my tears, I would not sigh.\n\n    \u2018O turtle dove! acquaint me\n      Wherefore thus dost thou lament?\n    Art thou so stung by absence?\n      Of thy wings deprived, and pent?\n    He saith, \u2018Our griefs are equal;\n      Worn away with love, I lie.\u2019\n    Alas! did not estrangement\n      Draw my tears, I would not sigh.\n\n    \u2018O First and Everlasting!\n      Show thy favour yet to me.\n    Thy slave, Ahh\u2019mad El-Bek\u2019ree, [150]\n      Hath no Lord excepting Thee.\n    By T\u00e1-H\u00e1, [151] the great prophet,\n      Do thou not his wish deny.\n    Alas! did not estrangement\n      Draw my tears, I would not sigh.\u2019\n\n\n\u201cI must translate a few more lines, to show more strongly the\nsimilarity of these songs to that of Solomon; and lest it should be\nthought that I have varied the expressions, I shall not attempt to\ntranslate into verse. In the same collection of poems sung at Zikrs is\none which begins with these lines:\u2014\n\n\n    \u2018O gazelle from among the gazelles of El-Yem\u2019en!\n    I am thy slave without cost;\n    O thou small of age, and fresh of skin!\n    O thou who art scarce past the time of drinking milk!\u2019\n\n\n\u201cIn the first of these verses we have a comparison exactly agreeing\nwith that in the concluding verse of Solomon\u2019s Song; for the word\nwhich, in our Bible, is translated a \u2018roe,\u2019 is used in Arabic as\nsynonymous with ghaza\u2019l (or a gazelle); and the mountains of El-Yem\u2019en\nare \u2018the mountains of spices.\u2019 This poem ends with the following\nlines:\u2014\n\n\n    \u2018The phantom of thy form visited me in my slumber.\n    I said, \u201cO phantom of slumber! who sent thee?\u201d\n    He said, \u201cHe sent me whom thou knowest;\n    He whose love occupies thee!\u201d\n    The beloved of my heart visited me in the darkness of night;\n    I stood, to show him honour, until he sat down.\n    I said, \u201cO thou my petition, and all my desire,\n    Hast thou come at midnight, and not feared the watchmen?\u201d\n    He said to me, \u201cI feared, but, however, love\n    Had taken from me my soul and my breath.\u201d\u2019\n\n\n\u201cCompare the above with the second and five following verses of the\nfifth chapter of Solomon\u2019s Song. Finding that songs of this description\nare extremely numerous, and almost the only poems sung at Zikrs; that\nthey are composed for this purpose, and intended only to have a\nspiritual sense (though certainly not understood in such a sense by the\ngenerality of the vulgar); I cannot entertain any doubt as to the\ndesign of Solomon\u2019s Song.\u201d\n\nTo this we cannot do better than quote the able reply of Dr.\nNoyes:\u2014\u201cNow, as to the first of these religious love-songs of the\nMahometan dervishes, whatever slight resemblance it may have to any\npart of the Canticles, it differs essentially from any of them in the\ncircumstance, that the Supreme Being is expressly introduced as the\nobject of worship. Without this essential circumstance, no one could\ntell whether it were originally composed for a love-song, or a\nreligious hymn expressing a longing for a union of the soul with God,\naccording to the Sufi philosophy and religion.\n\n\u201cIn the second poem, quoted by Mr. Lane, it is to be regretted that he\ndid not quote the whole of it; for I can by no means admit the\ncircumstance, that it was sung by the dervishes in their morning\ndevotions, to be conclusive in regard to the original design of the\nhymn. Mr. Lane expressly tells us, in a note, that he found the last\nsix lines inserted, with some slight alterations, as a common\nlove-song, in a portion of the \u2018Thousand and One Nights,\u2019 printed at\nCalcutta, vol. i. p. 225; Lane\u2019s translation, ii. p. 349. Whether the\nwhole was originally composed as a love-song or a devotional hymn, does\nnot appear from the parts of it which Mr. Lane gives us. If in the\nparts omitted there is any clear reference to the Deity, it is unlike\nany of the Canticles. If there is no such reference, the meaning of the\nhymn is too doubtful to allow any inference to be drawn from it. For we\nmight as well allow the singing of Dr. Watts\u2019s version of the Canticles\nto be an argument for their original design, as to admit the singing of\nthe mystic dervishes to be an evidence of the original design of the\nhymns.\n\n\u201cBefore making some general remarks on this whole subject of attempting\nto show the character of the Canticles by reference to the pantheistic\npoetry of the Mahometan Sufis, it may be well to mention that reference\nhas been made even to the poets of Hindostan for the same purpose;\nespecially to the Gitagovinda, the production of a celebrated Hindoo\npoet, named Jayadeva. This appears to be a mystical poem, designed to\ncelebrate the loves of Crishna and Radha, or the reciprocal attraction\nbetween the divine goodness and the human soul. Now, whatever may be\nthe resemblance between the Gitagovinda and Canticles in some of their\nimagery, there is this essential difference, that, in the former,\nCrishna was the chief incarnate god of the Hindoos, [152] and that\nthere are references to other gods, and to various superstitions of the\nHindoo mythology; whilst in the Canticles there is no reference to any\nbut human characters. Besides, the author of the Gitagovinda clearly\nintimates its religious character in the conclusion of the poem.\n\n\u201cWe have seen, then, that there are material differences between the\nCanticles and the religious love-songs to which reference has been\nmade. But supposing the resemblance to be much greater than it is,\nthose mystical songs do not in any essential respect resemble the\nCanticles more than they do the odes of Anacreon, or some of the\neclogues of Virgil, and the idyls of Theocritus. And it is not easy to\nsee why the resemblance does not prove the religious character of the\nodes of Anacreon as much as that of the Canticles.\n\n\u201cBut, after all, the great objection remains to any conclusion drawn\nfrom the pantheistic mystic poets, whether of Persia or India, whether\nMahometans or Hindoos, namely, that their productions are founded on a\nreligion and philosophy entirely different from the Jewish. The\nCanticles are productions of a different country, and separated from\nany of the songs of the Sufi poets by an interval of nearly two\nthousand years. The Jewish religion has nothing in common with the\npantheistic mysticism on which those songs are founded. There is\nnothing in the Old Testament of a similar character. If any production\nsimilar to those mystical love-songs had existed in the religious\nliterature of the Hebrews, undoubtedly we should have found some in the\nBook of Psalms, which comprises compositions from the age preceding\nthat of David to a period long after the return of the Jews from the\ncaptivity at Babylon. But in the most fervent Psalms, the forty-second,\nfor instance, nothing of the kind is found. Neither is anything similar\nto those mystic songs ascribed to the Jewish sect, as described by\nJosephus and Philo. Nothing of the kind is laid to the charge of the\nEssenes. It is needless to say, that nothing approaching to the like\ncharacter is found in the New Testament. Nothing similar is discovered\neven in the allegorical paraphrase of the Targumist on the Canticles.\nAll those religious love-songs are founded on the Sufi religion, or\nrather religious philosophy, which, whether it was borrowed from India,\nas Von Hammer supposes, or arose independently among the Mahometans,\naccording to the opinion of Tholuck, has no connexion with, or\nresemblance to, the Jewish. It is as different from the latter as\ndarkness from light. The argument, therefore, which is drawn from the\nmystical songs of the Mahometan devotees for ascribing a mystical\ncharacter to the Canticles, is without foundation.\u201d [153]\n\n\n\nREASONS AGAINST THE ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION.\n\n1. In every allegory, or parable, employed in the Scripture, or in any\ngood human composition, something is wrought into its texture to\nindicate most unmistakably its allegorical design; that, under the garb\nof an immediate representation, is conveyed one more remote. Thus, in\nthe 80th Psalm, 9\u201317, where Israel is represented under the allegory of\na vine which came out of Egypt, the design is distinctly wrought into\nthe texture of the allegory. The expression, heathen (\u200f\u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e), at the\nvery beginning of the allegory, and especially the words, \u201cthe Son whom\nthou hast chosen for thyself,\u201d (\u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e) in the second clause\nof verse 15, which, when compared with \u201cthe Son of man, whom thou hast\nchosen for thyself,\u201d (\u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e) in verse 17, are evidently\nexplanatory of the words, \u201cand protect what thy right hand hath\nplanted,\u201d (\u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e) in the first clause, clearly to show\nthe more remote concealed under the immediate representation. Thus,\nalso, in the allegory of the vineyard, and by the prophet Isaiah (chap.\nv.), we are distinctly told, in verse 7, that \u201cthe vineyard of Jehovah\nof hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant\nplantation.\u201d Compare also Judges ix. 7\u201320; 2 Kings xiv. 9, 10; Ezek.\nxvi., xxxvii. 1\u201314; the parables of our Saviour, Acts x. 10\u201317; Gal.\niv. 22\u201331. Now, if the author of this poem had intended it to be\nunderstood allegorically, he would have given some indication to that\neffect; especially since the allegories occasionally used in some parts\nof this very book, chap. iv. 12, v. 1, vii. 7, 8, are rendered plain\nand obvious. As there is, however, not the slightest intimation in the\nwhole of this lengthy poem that it is designed to be allegorical, we\nare unwarranted to assume it. To take one portion of the Scriptures\nallegorically, without even an obscure hint of it in the writing\nitself, is to violate the established laws of language, and to expose\nall other portions of the sacred volume to a similar treatment. If one\nchooses to allegorize one part without any sanction, another may choose\nto allegorize another. But we have no right to depart from the literal\nand obvious meaning, without some authority for it from the inspired\nwriter. This argument is applicable to every allegorical\ninterpretation, whether historical or hieroglyphical, whether political\nor metaphysical.\n\n2. The total silence of our Lord and his apostles respecting this book\nis against its allegorical interpretation. If this Song, according to\nthe first and last allegorisers, \u201ccelebrates the glories of the\nMessiah, and all the mercies which through him flow to the people of\nGod,\u201d it is more spiritual and more evangelical than any other portion\nof the Old Testament; surpassing even the writings of Isaiah, who is\ncalled the fifth Evangelist, and is, in fact, what Origen called it,\n\u201cThe Holy of Holies.\u201d Is it possible, then, that our Saviour, and his\napostles, who, in their disputations with the Jews, so frequently\nquoted the prophecies of Isaiah and other passages of the Old\nTestament, far less evangelical and Messianic, would never have\nreferred to this book? Is it possible that the apostle Paul, who so\nfrequently describes the relation of Christ to the Church by the union\nsubsisting between husband and wife (2 Cor. xi. 2, Rom. vii. 4, Eph. v.\n23\u201332), would be silent about a book which, more than any other in the\nOld Testament, sets forth that union? The fact, therefore, that our\nSaviour and his apostles never once refer to this book is against the\nallegorical interpretation.\n\n3. Is Solomon the man from whom a production of such preeminent\nspirituality and evangelical truth could have been reasonably expected?\nIs there anything in his private history, his habits of thought, his\nmoral inclinations, or in the general tone and tendency of his\nreligious emotions, at any period of his life, as far as they can be\ngathered from his history and writings, that would lead us to\nanticipate such evangelical piety as this interpretation presupposes?\nThe same agreement which exists between ordinary writers and their\nproductions is perceptible in the inspired records. Inspiration, like\nProvidence, selected the fittest instruments for its work. Thus,\nbetween the history of Moses and his writings, of David and his\nwritings, of Paul and his writings, of John and his writings, a natural\nuniformity exists; and so of other sacred authors. Accordingly, we have\nnot only to suppose Solomon to have been more spiritually-minded than\nany under the Jewish economy, but to have stood upon a level with the\nmost enlightened and Christ-loving under the present dispensation, in\norder to write in such a strain. Where is any such qualification in\nSolomon, even remotely intimated in any part of Scripture? The wisdom\nwhich he asked, which he received, and for which he gained celebrity,\nwas that displayed in his civil government, in social and moral\nteaching, of which the first-fruit was given in the decision upon the\nlitigation of the two mothers. The poetry which he wrote, consisting of\none thousand and five songs, upon natural history, not having been\ndeemed worthy of a place in the sacred canon, shows that his muse did\nnot indulge in a devotional strain. The Book of Ecclesiastes, which is\nattributed to him by tradition, is the experience of a thorough-going\nworldling and libertine, and a confession to men rather than God. The\nextensive harem which he had, displays his inordinate desire for revels\nand foreign women, which in old age inveigled him into the practice of\nidolatry. \u201cHis wives,\u201d as the Scriptures teach us, \u201cturned away his\nheart after other gods.\u201d And the last we hear of him is, that \u201chis\nheart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of his\nfather David.\u201d Is this, then, the man whose love-song is to be regarded\nas pre-eminently spiritual, and to be exalted as more evangelically\nrapturous than any other portion of Holy Writ? To what period of his\nlife is this pre-eminent piety to be assigned? If to the latter, that\nis the period of his greatest degeneracy; if to the former, how are we\nto reconcile his apostasy with so high a degree of spirituality? It is\ndifficult to conceive of such a mind as that of Solomon brought at any\ntime into sympathy with the prevailing allegorical exposition of this\nSong. Who can conceive that he who caused an irreparable breach in his\nkingdom should represent himself as the Prince of Peace, or that he who\nwas the embodiment of the carnal propensities should describe, under\nthe figure of chaste love, the union of Christ and his Church? It is\ninconceivable. As David was not qualified to build the temple, because\nhe had been a man of war, and had shed blood, so Solomon was not\nqualified to write in such a spiritual strain concerning Christ and his\nChurch as the prevailing allegorical exposition of this Song, because\nhe had been a man of lust, and had turned aside to idolatry.\n\n4. For the same reason we cannot conceive that any other writer would\nrepresent the Messiah as symbolized by Solomon. Is it conceivable that\nhe of whom the whole congregation of Israel complained to Rehoboam,\n\u201cThy father made our yoke grievous\u2014now, therefore, make thou the\ngrievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon\nus, light,\u201d would be chosen to represent the Saviour of the world,\n\u201cwhose yoke is easy, and his burden light?\u201d We can understand why the\npainter of the Judgment Scene, among the celebrated frescoes in the\ncloisters of the Campo Santo at Pisa, in Italy, in which the righteous\nand the wicked are gathered in their respective positions, placed\nSolomon midway between them, as an intimation of his inability to\ndetermine to which he belonged; but we cannot understand how an\ninspired writer could choose Solomon, whose lusts were displayed in the\nrevels of an Eastern harem, and who was seduced to practise idolatry,\nto represent Him who was \u201choly, harmless, undefiled, and separate from\nsinners,\u201d together with the pure and holy union subsisting between him\nand the Church.\n\n5. In the allegorical interpretation language is attributed to Christ\ninconsistent with his dignity and purity. It is almost blasphemous to\nsuppose Christ thus to address his Church:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cThe circuits of thy thighs are like ornaments,\n    The work of a master\u2019s hand.\n    Thy navel is a round goblet,\n    Let not spiced wine be wanted in it!\n    Thy growth is like a palm tree,\n    And thy bosom like its clusters:\n    I long to climb this palm tree,\n    I long to clasp its branches.\n    May thy bosom be unto me\n    As the cluster of the vine,\n    And the odour of thy breath\n    As that of apples.\u201d\u2014Chap. vii. verses 2, 3, 7, 8.\n\n\nThis is the language of seduction, but it is blasphemous when put into\nthe mouth of Him who spake as never man spake.\n\n6. The fact that three individuals are the principal persons\nrepresented in this Song, and not two, is subversive of the allegorical\ntheory. That the poem speaks of three individuals, a shepherd, a\nshepherdess, and a king, and that the shepherd, and not the king, is\nthe object of the maiden\u2019s affections, will be evident to every\nunbiassed reader of the book, and has been recognised by some of the\nRabbins of the middle ages. For the sake of avoiding repetition, we\nrefer the reader to the commentary, where the passages pointing out the\ndistinctions of persons are dwelt upon at large.\n\n\n\nTHE TYPICAL INTERPRETATION.\n\nThe defenders of this view maintain that this book records an\nhistorical fact; that it celebrates the nuptials of Solomon with the\ndaughter of Pharaoh, or some other heathen princess; and that this\nmarriage typically represents the union of Christ with the Gentiles.\n\n\n\nREASONS AGAINST THIS NUPTIAL THEORY.\n\nAs we concur with those who seek \u201cnothing more than a general\nresemblance\u201d between the history recorded in this poem and the\nexperience of the people of God, we have merely to state here our\nreasons for rejecting their view of the narrative.\n\nNo direct mention is made in any part of this long poem of the marriage\nceremony, nor of any circumstance connected with it. The bride is\ndescribed as a shepherdess and keeper of the vineyards (chap. i. 6; ii.\n15; viii. 12, &c.); as walking in the streets in the night to seek her\nbeloved, and as being beaten by the watchmen (iii. 1\u20134; v. 6, &c.);\nwhich are incompatible with the notion that she was Pharaoh\u2019s daughter,\nor any other princess. Besides, the bridegroom is not a king, but a\nshepherd; Compare chap. i. 7, ii. 8, and v. 2\u20134. These, and other\nconsiderations which might have been mentioned, are entirely subversive\nof this nuptial theory.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION VII.\u2014AUTHOR, DATE, AND FORM OF THE BOOK.\n\nThe title of this poem designates Solomon as the author, but internal\nevidence is against it. The writer mentions David in such a manner as\nif he were not his father (iv. 4). The words, \u201cSolomon had a vineyard,\u201d\n(\u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e) in viii. 11, show that the author was not a\ncontemporary of Solomon. The subject, especially of the poem, is\ndecisive against Solomon\u2019s authorship. It is impossible that he should\ndescribe himself as having attempted to gain the espoused affections of\na country maiden, and being defeated by her virtue. The title is\nevidently the addition of some other person; for the author of the book\nnever uses the pronoun \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e, but invariably employs the form \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u200e; nor\nwould he announce his own production as \u201cthe finest or most celebrated\nSong.\u201d\n\nThe exact date of this poem has been much disputed. The powerful and\nfluent style in which it is written, the originality of the figures,\nthe freshness of the landscapes, the life-like descriptions of local\ncircumstances, the imagery drawn from the royal court of Solomon, the\nhorses of Pharaoh, the tower of David, the tower of Solomon, the pools\nof Heshbon, show that the poem must have been written in the most\nflourishing age of the Hebrew language, and about the time of Solomon.\nThe Aramaisms, which used formerly to be adduced in order to transfer\nthe book to an age after the captivity, are now rightly rejected by\nmodern critics as inconclusive, since almost every poetical composition\nof the earliest age contains such Aramaisms. The word \u200f\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05e1\u200e (iv. 13),\nto which a Persian etymology has been assigned, and which has\nespecially been used to show the late period of this poem, is of a\nShemitic origin. See Comment, in loco. The form, \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u200e for \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e8\u200e, is also\nused in Judges v. 7, vi. 17, vii. 12, viii. 26, and \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u200e with god in\nAmos vi. 5, ix. 11, Hos. iii. 5.\n\nThe form of the book has also been a matter of great dispute. From its\nearliest age it has been regarded as one continued poem in a dramatic\nform. Since the time of Richard Simon, however, who pronounced this\nbook, \u201csummam confusionem, in quo vix ac ne vix quidem personas\ndiscernere queas,\u201d [154] it has been split by many into fragments, and\nin turn been regarded as consisting of a number of eclogues, or\narmorets, as an epithalamium, or nuptial song, and as a regular drama.\nHaving traced the unity of the poem in Section III., we need not again\nshow the unsoundness of the fragmentary theory, which originated from a\nmisunderstanding of the design of the book. It seems to approach\nnearest in form to a drama. Yet we cannot think, with Ewald and others,\nthat it is a regular drama. The genius, character, and manners of the\nShemitic nations, their deficiency in plastic art, and their aversion\nto females appearing on a public stage, seem to militate against it.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION VIII.\u2014EXEGETICAL HELPS.\n\n\nANCIENT VERSIONS.\n\n1. The Septuagint, being the oldest version, occupies the first place;\nits deviations from the Hebrew have generally been noticed in the\nCommentary.\n\n2. The Vulgate, which chiefly follows the Septuagint.\n\n3. The Syriac, which is far superior to the Vulgate.\n\n\n\nJEWISH COMMENTATORS.\n\n4. Rashi, found in Buxtorf\u2019s Rabbinical Bible.\n\n5. Rashbam, recently printed for the first time.\n\n6. Ibn Ezra; found in Rabbinical Bible.\n\n7. Immanuel, MS. in the British Museum.\n\n8. An Anonymous MS. Commentary in the Bodleian.\n\n9. Philippson, an excellent modern commentator.\n\n\n\nCHRISTIAN COMMENTATORS.\n\n10. Wilcock, an old writer.\n\n11. Bishop Lowth, Praelect. xxx., xxxi.\n\n12. Bishop Percy, Commentary and Annotations.\n\n13. Michaelis, Notes to Bishop Lowth\u2019s Praelect.\n\n14. Jacobi, Das Gerettete Hohelied.\n\n15. Durell, Critical Remarks on Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and\nCanticles.\n\n16. Williams, The Song of Songs.\n\n17. Good, The Song of Songs.\n\n18. Umbreit, Lied der Liebe.\n\n19. Ewald, Das Hohe Lied Salomonis, &c.\n\n20. D\u00f6pke, Philologisch-critischer Comment.\n\n21. Rosenm\u00fcller, Scholia in Vet. Test.\n\n22. Hirzel, Das Lied der Lieder.\n\n23. Magnus, Kritische Bearbeitung und Erkl\u00e4rung des Hohen Liedes.\n\n24. Noyes, A New Translation of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the\nCanticles.\n\n25. Heligstedt\u2019s Continuation of Maurer\u2019s Commentary, which, by an\noversight, is omitted in the Historical Sketch, deserves special\nmention: Leipzig, 1847.\n\n26. Delitzsch, Das Hohe Lied untersucht und ausgelegt.\n\n27. Hengstenberg, Das Hohe Lied Salomonis.\n\n28. Meier, Das Hohe Lied in deutscher Uebersetzung.\n\n29. Friedrich, Cantici Canticorum.\n\n30. Hitzig, 16th Lief. des Kurzg. Exeg. Handb.\n\n\nFor a further description of the dates and places of these\ncommentaries, see the Historical Sketch.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE SONG OF SONGS,\nWHICH IS SOLOMON\u2019S.\n\n\nSECTION I.\n\nCHAPTERS I.\u2013II. 7.\n\nThe scene of this division is in the royal tent of Solomon. The\nShulamite, separated from her beloved shepherd, longs to be reunited\nwith him whom she prizes above all things (2, 3). She implores him to\ncome and rescue her; for, though brought by the king into his royal\ntent, her love continues the same (4). She repels the scornful\nreflection of the court ladies when they hear her soliloquy (5, 6). She\nimplores her lover to tell her where she may find him (7). The court\nladies ironically answer this request (8). Meanwhile the king comes in,\nand tries to win her affections by flatteries and promises (9\u201311). This\nattempt fails, and she opposes to the king\u2019s love her unabated\nattachment to her beloved shepherd (12\u2013ii. 6). In an ecstasy she\nadjures the court ladies not to attempt to persuade her to love any one\nelse (7).\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Oh for a kiss of the kisses of his mouth!\n    For sweet are thy caresses above wine.\n    Sweet is the odour of thy perfumes,\n      Which perfume thou art, by thy name diffused abroad,\n    Therefore do the damsels love thee.\n    Oh draw me after thee! Oh let us flee together!\n    The king has brought me into his apartments,\n    But we exult and rejoice in thee,\n    We praise thy love more than wine,\n    The upright love thee.\n    I am swarthy, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,\n    As the tents of Kedar,\n    But comely as the pavilions of Solomon.\n    Disdain me not because I am dark,\n    For the sun hath browned me.\n    My mother\u2019s sons were severe with me,\n    They made me keeper of their vineyards,\n    Though my own vineyard I never kept.\u2014\n    Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,\n    Where thou feedest thy flock,\n    Where thou causest it to lie down at noon,\n    Lest I should be roaming\n    Among the flocks of thy companions.\n\n\n    DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM.\n\n    If thou knowest not, O fairest among women,\n    Go in the footsteps of the flocks,\n    And feed thy kids\n    By the tents of the shepherds.\n\n\n    SOLOMON.\n\n    To my steed in the chariot of Pharaoh\n    Do I compare thee, O my love.\n    Beautiful is thy countenance in the circlet,\n    Thy neck in the necklace!\n    A golden circlet will we make thee,\n    With studs of silver.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    While the king is at his table\n    My nard shall diffuse its fragrance.\n    A bag of myrrh resting in my bosom\n    Is my beloved unto me.\n    A bunch of cypress-flowers from the garden of En-gedi\n    Is my beloved unto me.\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    Behold, thou art beautiful, my love;\n    Behold, thou art beautiful,\n    Thine eyes are doves.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Behold, thou art comely, my beloved,\n    Yea thou art lovely;\n    Yea, verdant is our couch;\n    Our bower is of cedar arches,\n    Our retreat of cypress roof:\n    Chap. II. I am a mere flower of the plain,\n    A lily of the valley.\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    As a lily among the thorns,\n    So is my loved one among the damsels.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    As an apple-tree among the wild trees,\n    So is my beloved among the youths.\n    I delight to sit beneath its shade,\n    For delicious is its fruit to my taste.\n    He led me into that bower of delight,\n    And overshaded me with love.\n    Oh, strengthen me with grape-cakes,\n    Refresh me with apples,\n    For I am sick with love!\n    Let his left hand be under my head,\n    And his right hand support me!\n    I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,\n    By the gazelles, or the hinds of the field,\n    Neither to excite nor to incite my affection\n    Till it wishes another love.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION II.\n\nCHAPTER II. 8\u2013III. 5.\n\n\nHere we have a second scene, which is also in the royal tent. The\nspeakers are the Shulamite and the court ladies. The Shulamite, to\naccount for the cause of the severity of her brothers, mentioned in ii.\n6, relates that her beloved shepherd came one charming morning in the\nspring to invite her to the fields (8\u201314); that her brothers, in order\nto prevent her from going, gave her employment in the gardens (15);\nthat she consoled herself with the assurance that her beloved, though\nseparated from her at that time, would come again in the evening (16,\n17); that seeing he did not come, she, under difficult circumstances,\nventured to seek him, and found him (ch. iii. 1\u20134). Having narrated\nthese events, and reiterated her ardent affection for her beloved, she\nconcludes as before, by adjuring the court ladies not to persuade her\nto change her love.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Hark! my beloved!\n    Lo, he came\n    Leaping over the mountains,\n    Bounding over the hills.\n    My beloved was like a gazelle,\n    Or the young one of a hind.\n    Lo! there he stood behind our wall,\n    He looked through the window,\n    He glanced through the lattice.\n    My beloved spake, he spake to me,\n    \u201cArise, my love, my fair one, and come!\n    For lo, the winter is past,\n    The rain is over, is gone.\n    The flowers appear upon the fields,\n    The time of singing is come,\n    The cooing of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.\n    The fig-tree sweetens her green figs,\n    The vines blossom,\n    They diffuse fragrance;\n    Arise, my love, my fair one, and come!\n    My dove in the clefts of the rock,\n    In the hiding-place of the cliff,\n    Let me see thy countenance,\n    Let me hear thy voice,\n    For sweet is thy voice,\n    And thy countenance lovely.\u201d\n\n\n    THE BROTHERS OF THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Catch us the foxes, the little foxes\n    Which destroy the vineyards,\n    For our vineyards are in bloom.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    My beloved is mine, and I am his,\n    His who feeds his flock among the lilies.\n    When the day cools,\n    And the shadows flee away,\n    Return, haste, O my beloved,\n    Like the gazelle or the young one of the hind,\n    Over the mountains of separation.\n    Chap. III. When on my nightly couch,\n    I still sought him whom my soul loveth;\n    I sought him, but found him not.\n    I must arise now and go about the city,\n    In the streets and in the squares;\n    I must seek him whom my soul loveth:\n    I sought him, but found him not.\n    The watchmen who patrol the city found me:\n    \u201cHave you seen him whom my soul loveth?\u201d\n    Scarcely had I passed them,\n    When I found him whom my soul loveth;\n    I seized him and would not let him go\n    Till I brought him to the house of my mother,\n    Into the apartment of her who gave me birth.\n    I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,\n    By the gazelles or the hinds of the field,\n    Neither to excite nor to incite my affection\n    Till it wishes another love.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION III.\n\nCHAPTERS III. 6.\u2013V. 1.\n\n\nThe royal tent in the country is broken up, and the royal train comes\nup to Jerusalem. Some of the inhabitants of the capital, as they behold\nit at a distance, hold a dialogue respecting it (6\u201311). The shepherd,\ncoming up to rescue his loved one, obtains an interview with her, and\nexpresses his delight in her charms (ch. iv. 1\u20135). The Shulamite moved,\nmodestly interrupts his description, and tells him that she is ready to\nescape with him that very evening (6). He immediately proffers his\nassistance, declaring that her charms had inspired him with courage\nsufficient for the occasion (7\u20139); he describes her charms (10, 11) and\nher faithfulness (12\u201316). The Shulamite declares that all she possesses\nshall be his (16). Some of the court ladies sympathize with them (ch.\nv. 1).\n\n\n    ONE OF THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM.\n\n    What is that coming up from the country,\n    As in columns of smoke,\n    Perfumed with myrrh, with frankincense,\n    And all sorts of aromatics from the merchants?\n\n\n    ANOTHER.\n\n    Lo! it is the palanquin of Solomon,\n    Around it are threescore valiant men\n    From the valiant of Israel:\n    All skilled in the sword, expert in war,\n    Each with his sword girded on his thigh\n    Against the nightly marauders.\n\n\n    A THIRD.\n\n    A palanquin hath king Solomon made for himself,\n    Of the wood of Lebanon.\n    Its pillars he hath made of silver,\n    Its support of gold, its seat of purple,\n    Its interior tesselated most lovely\n    By the daughters of Jerusalem.\n\n\n    A FOURTH.\n\n    Come out, ye daughters of Zion,\n    And behold King Solomon;\n    The crown with which his mother crowned him\n    On the day of his espousals,\n    On the day of his gladness of heart.\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD, ADVANCING TO THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Chap. IV. Behold, thou art beautiful, my loved one,\n    Behold, thou art beautiful!\n    Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil;\n    Thy hair is like a flock of goats,\n    Springing down Mount Gilead.\n    Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep\n    Which come up from the washing-pool,\n    All of which are paired,\n    And not one among them is bereaved.\n    Like a braid of scarlet are thy lips,\n    And thy mouth is lovely:\n    Like a part of the pomegranate\n    Are thy cheeks behind thy veil;\n    Thy neck is like the tower of David,\n    Reared for the builder\u2019s model:\n    A thousand shields are hung upon it,\n    All sorts of bucklers of the mighty.\n    Thy bosom like two young fawns,\n    Twins of a gazelle, feeding among lilies.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    When the day cools\n    And the shadows flee away,\n    I will go to the mount of myrrh,\n    To the hill of frankincense.\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    Thou art all beautiful, my loved one,\n    And there is no blemish in thee.\n    With me, with me, my betrothed,\n    Thou shalt go from Lebanon;\n    Thou shalt go from the heights of Amana,\n    From the summit of Shenir and Hermon,\n    From the habitations of lions,\n    From the mountains of panthers.\n    Thou hast emboldened me,\n    My sister, my betrothed,\n    Thou hast emboldened me,\n    With one of thine eyes,\n    With one of the chains of thy neck.\n    How sweet is thy love, O my sister, my betrothed!\n    How sweet is thy love above wine!\n    And the fragrance of thy perfumes above all the spices!\n    Thy lips, O my betrothed, distil honey:\n    Honey and milk are under thy tongue,\n    And the odour of thy garments is as the smell of Lebanon.\n    A closed garden art thou, my sister, my betrothed,\n    A closed garden, a sealed fountain.\n    Thy shoots like a garden of pomegranates,\n    With precious fruits,\n    Cypresses and nards,\n    Nard and crocus,\n    Calamus and cinnamon,\n    With all sorts of frankincense trees,\n    Myrrh and aloes;\n    With all kinds of excellent aromatics,\n    With a garden-fountain,\n    A well of living waters,\n    And streams flowing from Lebanon.\n    Arise, O north wind! and come, thou south!\n    Blow upon my garden,\n    That its perfumes may flow out!\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Let my beloved come into his garden\n    And eat its delicious fruits!\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    Chap. V. I am coming into my garden, my sister, my betrothed:\n    I am gathering my myrrh with my spices,\n    I am eating my honeycomb with my honey,\n    I am drinking my wine with my milk.\n\n\n    SOME OF THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM.\n\n    Eat, O friends!\n    Drink, and drink abundantly, O beloved!\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION IV.\n\nCHAPTER V. 2\u2013VIII. 4.\n\n\nThe Shulamite relates to the court ladies a dream which she has had, in\nwhich she manifests great attachment for her beloved (2\u20138). The court\nladies, surprised at this extraordinary enthusiasm, ask what there is\nparticular in his person to cause such an attachment (9). The Shulamite\nthen gives a description of him (10\u201316). Whereupon the court ladies\ninquire where he is, and offer to seek him (ch. vi. 1). The Shulamite,\nsuspecting their intention, gives an evasive answer to their inquiry\n(2, 3). The king, having heard the Shulamite\u2019s beloved mentioned,\nimmediately comes forward and seeks to win her affections (4\u20139); in\nexalting her beauty, he repeats how the court ladies had praised her\nwhen they first saw her (10). The Shulamite, having explained how she\ncame to be seen by the court ladies, withdraws (11, 12.) The king calls\nher back (ch. vii. 1); and, as she returns, describes her charms, and\nwishes to enjoy the love of one so beautiful (2\u201310). The Shulamite\nrefuses the king\u2019s desire, stating that her affections were espoused\n(11); then addressing herself to her beloved, she asks him to go home\nwith her, and descants upon their rural pleasures (12\u201314). Remembering,\nhowever, that circumstances even at home prevented the full\nmanifestation of her love, she longs for those obstacles to be removed\n(ch. viii. 1, 2). Overcome by her feelings, she wishes that none but\nher beloved may support her (3), and with the little strength she has\nleft, adjures the court ladies not to persuade her to change her love\n(4).\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    I was sleeping, but my heart kept awake,\n    Hark! my beloved! he is knocking!\n    Open to me, my sister, my love!\n    My dove, my perfect beauty!\n    For my head is filled with dew,\n    My locks with the drops of the night.\n    I have put off my tunic,\n    How shall I put it on?\n    I have washed my feet,\n    How shall I soil them?\n    My beloved withdrew his hand from the door hole,\n    And my heart was disquieted within me.\n    I immediately arose to open to my beloved,\n    And my hands dropped with myrrh,\n    And my fingers with liquid myrrh,\n    Upon the handles of the bolt.\n    I opened to my beloved,\n    But my beloved had withdrawn, was gone!\n    My soul departed when he spoke of it!\n    I sought him, and found him not;\n    I called him, and he answered me not.\n    The watchmen who patrol the city found me:\n    They beat me, they wounded me;\n    The keepers of the walls stripped me of my veiling garment.\n    I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,\n    If ye shall find my beloved,\n    What will ye tell him?\n    Tell him that I am sick of love.\n\n\n    DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM.\n\n    What is thy beloved more than another beloved,\n    O thou fairest among women?\n    What is thy beloved, more than another beloved,\n    That thou thus adjurest us?\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    My beloved is white and ruddy,\n    Distinguished above thousands;\n    His head is as the finest gold,\n    His flowing locks are black as the raven.\n    His eyes, like doves in water streams,\n    Are bathing in milk, sitting on fulness;\n    His cheeks are like beds of balsam,\n    Elevations of aromatic plants;\n    His lips are like lilies distilling liquid myrrh.\n    His hands like golden cylinders, inlaid with chrysolite,\n    His body is like polished ivory, covered with sapphires.\n    His legs are like pillars of marble\n    Based upon pedestals of gold.\n    His aspect is like that of Lebanon.\n    He is distinguished as the cedars.\n    His voice is exquisitely sweet;\n    Yea, his whole person is exceedingly lovely.\n    Such is my beloved, such my friend,\n    O daughters of Jerusalem.\n\n\n    DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM.\n\n    Chap. VI. Whither is thy beloved gone,\n    O thou fairest among women?\n    Whither is thy beloved turned away?\n    Say, that we may seek him with thee.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    My beloved is gone down into his garden,\n    To the beds of aromatics,\n    To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.\n    I am my beloved\u2019s, and my beloved is mine;\n    He who feeds his flock among the lilies.\n\n\n    SOLOMON.\n\n    Graceful art thou, O my love, as Tirzah,\n    Beautiful as Jerusalem,\n    Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts!\n    Turn away thine eyes from me,\n    For they inspire me with awe!\n    Thy hair is like a flock of goats\n    Springing down Mount Gilead;\n    Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep,\n    Which come up from the washing-pool;\n    All of which are paired,\n    And not one among them is bereaved.\n    Like a part of the pomegranate\n    Are thy cheeks behind thy veil.\n    I have threescore queens,\n    And fourscore concubines,\n    And maidens without number;\n    But she is my only one, my dove, my perfect beauty,\n    She, the delight of her mother,\n    She, the darling of her parent!\n    The damsels saw her and praised her;\n    The queens also, and the concubines, and extolled her thus:\n    \u201cWho is she that looks forth as the morn,\n    Beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,\n    Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts?\u201d\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    I went down into the nut-garden,\n    To look among the green plants by the river,\n    To see whether the vine was budding,\n    Whether the pomegranates were in bloom.\n    Unwittingly had my longing soul brought me\n    To the chariots of the companions of the prince.\n\n                                    (She goes away).\n\n\n    SOLOMON.\n\n    Chap. VII. Return, return, O Shulamite,\n    Return, return, that we may look at thee.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    What will you behold in the Shulamite?\n\n\n    SOLOMON.\n\n    Like a dance to double choirs.\n    How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O noble maiden!\n    The circuits of thy thighs like ornaments,\n    The work of a master\u2019s hands.\n    Thy navel is like a round goblet,\n    Let not spiced wine be wanted in it;\n    Thy body is like a heap of wheat,\n    Hedged round with lilies.\n    Thy bosom is like two young fawns,\n    Twins of a gazelle.\n    Thy neck is like an ivory tower;\n    Thine eyes are as the pools in Heshbon,\n    By the populous gate;\n    Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon,\n    Looking towards Damascus.\n    Thy head upon thee as purple,\n    And the tresses of thy head as crimson.\n    The king is captivated by the ringlets:\n    How beautiful and how charming,\n    O love, in thy fascinations!\n    This thy growth is like a palm-tree,\n    And thy bosom like its clusters.\n    I long to climb this palm-tree,\n    I long to clasp its branches.\n    May thy bosom be unto me\n    As the clusters of the vine,\n    And the odour of thy breath\n    As that of apples;\n    And thy speech as delicious wine,\n    Which to my friend flows down with mellowed sweetness,\n    And causes slumbering lips to speak.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    I belong to my beloved,\n    And it is for me to desire him.\n    Come, my beloved, let us go into the country,\n    Let us abide in the villages.\n    We will go early to the vineyards,\n    We will see whether the vine flourishes;\n    Whether the buds open;\n    Whether the pomegranates blossom;\n    There will I give thee my love.\n    The mandrakes diffuse fragrance,\n    And at our door are all sorts of delicious fruit,\n    Both new and old;\n    I have reserved them, O my beloved, for thee!\n    Chap. VIII. Oh that thou wert as my brother,\n    As one who had been nourished in the bosom of my mother!\n    If I found thee in the street I would kiss thee,\n    And should no more be reproached.\n    I would lead thee thence,\n    I would bring thee into the house of my mother;\n    Thou shouldst be my teacher,\n    I would cause thee to drink\n    Of the aromatic wine,\n    Of my pomegranate juice.\n    Let his left hand be under my head,\n    And his right hand support me!\n    I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,\n    Neither to incite nor to excite my affection\n    Till it desires another love.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION V.\n\nCHAPTER VIII. 5\u201314.\n\n\nThe Shulamite, released from the palace, returns to her native place\nwith her beloved (5). On their way home they visit the spot where they\nhad been first pledged to each other; and there they renew their vows\n(6, 7). On their arrival at the Shulamite\u2019s home, her brothers are\nreminded of the promise they had made to reward their sister\u2019s virtue\n(9, 10). The Shulamite mentions the greatness of her temptations, and\nher victory over them (11, 12). The shepherds visit her, to whom she\ndeclares, according to request, her unabated attachment to her beloved\nshepherd (13, 14).\n\n\n    THE COMPANIONS OF THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    Who is it that comes up from the plain,\n    Leaning upon her beloved?\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Under this apple-tree I won thy heart,\n    Here thy mother travailed,\n    Here labouring she gave thee birth.\n    Oh, place me as a seal upon thy heart,\n    As a seal upon thine hand!\n    For love is strong as death,\n    Affection as inexorable as Hades.\n    Its flames are flames of fire,\n    The flames of the Eternal.\n    Floods cannot quench love;\n    Streams cannot sweep it away.\n    If one should offer all his wealth for love,\n    He would be utterly despised.\n\n\n    ONE OF THE BROTHERS OF THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Our sister is still young,\n    And is not yet marriageable.\n    What shall we do for our sister,\n    When she shall be demanded in marriage?\n\n\n    ANOTHER BROTHER.\n\n    If she be like a wall,\n    We will build upon her a silver turret.\n    But if she be like a door,\n    We will enclose her with boards of cedar.\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    I am like a wall,\n    And my bosom is as towers!\n    Then I was in his eyes\n    As one that findeth favour.\n    Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hammon;\n    He let out the vineyard to tenants;\n    Each of whom yielded for the fruit of it\n    A thousand shekels of silver.\n    I will keep my own vineyard:\n    Be the thousands thine, O Solomon,\n    And the two hundreds to the keepers of its fruit!\n\n\n    THE SHEPHERD.\n\n    O thou that dwellest in the gardens,\n    My companions are listening to thy voice,\n    Let me hear thy voice!\n\n\n    THE SHULAMITE.\n\n    Haste, O my beloved,\n    And be like the gazelle, as the young one of the hind,\n    Over the mountains of spices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNOTES\n\n\n2. Oh for a kiss, &c. That the speaker is a Shulamite shepherdess who\nhad been separated by king Solomon from her beloved, and that she\ndesires to be reunited with him, is evident from verses 4, 7, 8; vii.\n1, &c. Excited by the pain of separation, the damsel wishes that her\nbeloved were present, that he could kiss her, for his caresses would\ncheer her fainting heart more than the best of wines. Wine, either pure\nor mixed (see infra, vii. 3), is often spoken of by the sacred and\nprofane poets as delighting the hearts of both gods and men, and\nreviving their drooping spirits. (Judges ix. 13; Ps. civ. 15; Prov.\nxxxi. 6; Eccl. x. 19.) Hence Helen gave a bowl of mixed wine to her\nguests oppressed with grief, to raise their spirits. (Hom. Odyss. iv.\n220.) Yet the Shulamite declares that she preferred the caresses of her\nbeloved to this highly prized cordial.\n\nThe imperfect form \u200f\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b7\u05bc\u05c1\u05e7\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is used optatively or voluntatively, \u201cOh\nthat he would kiss me!\u201d (Gesen. \u00a7 127, 3 b; Ewald, \u00a7 224 a); i.e. a\nkiss: the subject, either in the singular (Gen. xxviii. 11, compare v.\n18; Exod. vi. 25; Ps. cxxxvii. 3), or plural (Gen. xxx. 14; Exod. xvii.\n5; 2 Sam. xi. 17), is to be supplied from the plural noun \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, as\nindicated by the partitive \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e. (Compare Gesen. \u00a7 154, 3 c; Ewald, \u00a7\n217, b, i. b.) The singular, however, is preferable, for the Shulamite\ndoes not wish so much for a number of kisses as for the presence of her\nbeloved; one would be sufficient if he could only come. We thus obtain\na phrase \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e7 \u05e0\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to kiss a kiss, i.e. to give a kiss;\ncorresponding to \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05e5 \u05e2\u05b5\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to counsel a counsel, i.e. to give counsel,\n2 Sam. xvi. 23; \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d7\u05b3\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, 2 Kings xiii. 14. This construction is of\nfrequent occurrence in Hebrew, and is also found in Greek and Latin;\n(Compare \u03bd\u03bf\u03c3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd \u03bd\u03cc\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd, pugnam pugnare; Gesen. \u00a7 138 i., Rem. 1; Ewald,\n\u00a7 281 a.) The rendering, therefore, of \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e by with (Luther, English\nVersion, Good, Williams, &c.) is incorrect. Ewald\u2019s and Herxheimer\u2019s\ntranslation, Let one of the kisses kiss me, is both incongruous and\nungrammatical; for in the first place, it is not the kiss that kisses,\nbut the individual; and secondly, \u200f\u05e0\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is feminine, which would\nrequire \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b7\u05bc\u05c1\u05e7\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, the third fem. \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, prop. love, the abstract,\nwhich, as in Greek and Latin, is in Hebrew frequently expressed by the\nplural, (comp. \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, life, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, sweetness, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b4\u05de\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, beauty;\nvide infra, v. 16; Gesen. \u00a7 108, 2 a; Ewald, \u00a7 179 a), here\nmetonomically for the expressions of it\u2014love-tokens, caresses. So Lee,\nMagnus, Noyes, F\u00fcrst, Philippson, &c. This rendering is demanded by the\ncontext, for this clause gives the cause of the statement in the\npreceding one. The change from the third person \u200f\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b7\u05bc\u05c1\u05e7\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, to the second\n\u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, or from the second to the third person, is an enallage of\nfrequent occurrence in sacred poetry. (Deut. xxxii. 15; Isa. i. 29;\nJer. xxii. 24; Gesen. \u00a7 137, 3, Rem. 3.) The Sept. and Vulg. have\n\u200f\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy breasts, instead of \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy caresses. That this is a\ngross error is evident from the fact that a man and not a woman is here\naddressed. To appeal to the catachresis in Isa. lx. 16, would be\npreposterous.\n\n3. Sweet is the odour, &c. Ointments, like wines, were used by the\nancients as cordials (Prov. xxvii. 9), and as restoratives in\nconsequence of their supposed sanative properties. Hence the anointing\nof the sick. (Isa. i. 6, &c.; Jer. viii. 22.) The fainting Shulamite,\ntherefore, mentions this second cordial. The \u200f\u05dc\u200e in \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u200e signifies\nin, as regards, quoad, and is frequently used for the sake of giving\nprominence to an idea. Thus \u201cSolomon was greater than all the kings of\nthe earth \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05db\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, in or as regards riches and wisdom.\u201d (1 Kings\nx. 23.) Compare also Exod. xx. 5, 6; Ewald, \u00a7 217 a. F\u00fcrst, Lexicon,\n\u200f\u05dc\u200e 5, f. The Sept. has \u200f\u05d5\u200e instead of \u200f\u05dc\u200e; or it may be, favours the\nview of D\u00f6pke, Heiligstedt, Meier, &c., that the \u200f\u05dc\u200e introduces the\nnominative; but this requires another anomaly, viz., to refer \u200f\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\nto the nomen rectum, instead of regens, and does not at all improve the\nsense. The Syriac, Ibn Ezra, Authorized Version, Percy, Williams,\nNoyes, &c., take the \u200f\u05dc\u200e in the sense of \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05df\u200e, because, and connect\nit with \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05db\u05b5\u05bc\u05df\u200e, therefore, of the last clause; but these words are\nnever used together for cause and effect. Besides, this explanation,\nlike the former, interrupts the sense; for the fainting damsel\nevidently refers here to the second restorative. Luther strangely\nrenders this clause, dass man deine gute Salbe rieche. Kleuker,\nRosenm\u00fcller, Ewald, Delitzsch, Philippson, &c., translate \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u200e to the\nsmell; but this is contrary to the usus loquendi, as \u200f\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u200e is never\nused for the organ which inhales, but invariably means something\nexhaled or emitted. Hodgson renders \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, like the scent; but \u200f\u05dc\u200e\nnever signifies like. The instance in Deut. xi. 18, adduced in support\nof his assertion, is gratuitous, for the \u200f\u05dc\u200e in \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d8\u05b8\u05e4\u05b9\u05ea\u200e has not that\nmeaning.\n\nWhich perfume thou art, by thy name, &c. This clause is explanatory of\nthe preceding one, \u201cSweet is the odour of thy perfumes, because thou\nart that perfume.\u201d The comparison of an agreeable person to perfumes\narose from the great requisition of aromatics in the East. In warm\nclimates perspiration is profuse, and much care is needful to prevent\nits offensiveness. Hence the use of perfumes particularly at weddings,\nfeasts, on visits to persons of rank (2 Sam. xii. 20; Ps. xlv. 8; Prov.\nvii. 17; Amos vi. 6), and most of the occasions which bring people\ntogether with the intention of being agreeable to one another. Hence\nthe pleasant odours diffused by perfumes soon became a metaphor to\nexpress the attractions which an agreeable person throws around him\n(Eccl. vii. 1), just as an offensive smell is used to express the\ncontrary idea. (Gen. xxxiv. 30; Exod. v. 21.) The word \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05e7\u200e, being\ntaken as the third person fem., has greatly perplexed interpreters. For\nneither \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05de\u05b6\u05df\u200e, to which the Sept., Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Immanuel, &c.,\nrefer it, nor \u200f\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05dd\u200e, to which it is referred by Ewald, Gesenius, &c.,\never occurs as feminine. Others, to overcome this difficulty, have\neither taken \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05e7\u200e as a proper name (Syria. R. Tobiah) or as an\nappellative (Bochart, Hieron. ii. 4, 26.) The true solution seems to be\nthat the word in question is not the third person feminine but the\nsecond person masculine. So Rashi, Michaelis, Hengstenberg, &c. The\nwords literally translated would be, like oil art thou poured forth,\nwith regard to thy name. \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e, is the second accusative, comp. Ps.\nlxxxiii. 19; Ewald, \u00a7 281, 3 c. The words \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05de\u05b6\u05df\u200e and \u200f\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05dd\u200e form a\nparanomasia. This figure, which consists of words ranged together of\nsimilar sound, but differing in sense, is frequently used in the Old\nTestament; and also occurs in the New. (Compare \u03bb\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u1f76 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u1f76, Luke\nxxi. 11, and Acts xvii. 25.)\n\nTherefore do the damsels love thee. How natural for a woman, greatly\nadmiring, and dotingly attached to her beloved, to think that every\ndamsel must be enamoured of him! The most probable derivation of the\nmuch-disputed \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, is from \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u200e = \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, to come up, to grow up;\nhence the Poel \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b5\u05dc\u200e, a growth, a child, \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, one growing up; with\nthe termination \u200f\u2013\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, (Compare Alma, in Latin, from alo, \u1f04\u03bb\u03b4\u03c9, and\nF\u00fcrst, Lexicon, \u200f\u05de\u200e 2 c,) and the feminine \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, a growing damsel,\nwithout any reference to the idea of virginity, for which \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is\ninvariably used; Joel i. 8, not excepted. \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e is here used, not to\nindicate that the marriage was consummated, but because the Jews\nregarded parties consecrated to each other from the very moment they\nwere betrothed. Hence Mary is called the wife of Joseph, and he her\nhusband. (Compare Matt. i. 19, 20, &c.) Other derivations assigned to\n\u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, such as \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd\u200e = \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to be fat, full, ripe, marriageable\n(Gesenius, &c.), or being excited, hence youth as being peculiarly\nsubject to it (Lee); or \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to hide, be concealed, unrevealed,\nunknown; hence \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, persons of a youthful age who were\ndestitute of the knowledge which springs from sexual intercourse\n(Henderson) are exceedingly forced. Jerome\u2019s assertion, as also\nWordsworth\u2019s, on Matt. i. 23, that \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, is the designation of a\nvirgin, because it signifies kept secret, as a virgin is under the care\nof her parents, is gratuitous, for \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, is formed from \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, a\nyoung man, of whom this cannot be said.\n\n4. Oh draw me, &c. The Shulamite wishes that her beloved should not\nonly come and cheer her fainting heart with the tokens of his love, but\ntake her away altogether. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e belongs to \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e. (Compare Job xxi.\n33.) So the Chaldee, Immanuel, Luther, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Percy,\nHodgson, Ewald, Meier, Hitzig, Philippson, &c. The Septuagint renders\n\u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, by \u03b5\u1f35\u03bb\u03ba\u03c5\u03c3\u03ac\u03bd \u03c3\u03b5, mistaking it for \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u200e, and adds \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\n\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05d3\u05b8\u200e after \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, evidently an interpolation from the first clause\nof the third verse, which the Vulgate, Percy, &c., follow.\n\nThe king has brought me, &c. It was the king, she tells us, who brought\nher into his apartments, and thus separated her from her beloved, in\nwhom, however, she still delights. That this is the import of this\nclause is obvious from the words and connexion. The Shulamite began\nwith invoking her absent beloved in the third person; but no sooner had\nshe expressed her desire to be with him, than he is, as it were,\npresent to her mind, and she forthwith, dropping the third person,\naddresses him in the second, and so continues to speak to him\nthroughout the third verse. She begins the fourth verse in the same\nway, imploring her beloved, in the second person, to take her away,\ntelling him that \u201cthe king, \u2018HE,\u2019 has brought her into his apartments\u201d\n(mark the change from the second to the third person); and then\ncontinues and finishes her address to her beloved in the second person.\nNow we ask, do not the words \u200f\u05d4\u05b1\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b7\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d7\u05b2\u05d3\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, the king, \u201cHE,\u201d has\nbrought me into his apartments, placed between \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, do \u201cTHOU\u201d\ndraw me after thee, and \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05d5\u05d2\u05d5\u05f3\u200e, we exult and rejoice in\n\u201cTHEE,\u201d &c., clearly show that the king here referred to is a separate\nperson from the beloved to whom the maiden is addressing herself? We\nventure to affirm that few readers of the original Hebrew, whose minds\nare not biassed by a preconceived theory, can carefully peruse these\nthree verses without observing that TWO persons are here\nintroduced\u2014viz. the beloved to whom, and the king of whom, the damsel\nspeaks. Ibn Ezra, Immanuel, the Anonymous MS. Commentary, &c., could\nnot help seeing this, and explained the passage, \u201cWere even the king to\nbring me into his apartments, I should rejoice and be glad in thee\u201d\n(the shepherd). The Septuagint, which is followed by the Vulgate, has\nagain \u200f\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy breast, instead of \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy love; but see supra,\nver. 2.\n\nThe upright love thee. The word \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, is explained by Rashi,\nRashbam, D\u00f6pke, De Wette, Rosenm\u00fcller, Gesenius, &c., by sincerely,\nuprightly; Ibn Ezra, who is followed by Houbigant, takes it as an\nadjective for wine, i.e. \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05d4\u05b9\u05dc\u05b5\u05da \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, wine that glides down\nsmoothly; and Ewald, Boothroyd, Magnus, Hitzig, &c., render it\ndeservedly, justly. As for \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u200e, it is either referred to \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e,\nthe damsels love thee more than wine (Ibn Ezra); or is taken\nimpersonally, i.e. thou art sincerely or deservedly beloved. (Ewald,\nMagnus, &c.) But this is against the structure of these verses. For the\nsecond and third verses, consisting of five members, form one stanza,\nfinishing with the words \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u200e; and it is evident that the\nfourth verse, also consisting of five members, is of the same\nstructure, and that the concluding words \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u200e, are intended\nto correspond to those at the end of the first stanza. \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\ntherefore, must be taken as a parallelism with \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, and means the\nupright. So the Septuagint (\u03b5\u1f50\u03b8\u03cd\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u1f20\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7\u03c3\u03ad \u03c3\u03b5, the abstract for\nconcrete), Symmachus, (\u03bf\u1f31 \u03b5\u1f50\u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f31 \u03b1\u03b3\u03b1\u03c0\u1ff6\u03bd\u03c4\u03ad\u03c2 \u03c3\u03b5,) the Vulgate (recti\ndiligant te), the Chaldee (\u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e7\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u200e), English Version (margin),\nMendelssohn, Philippson, &c. \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, the upright, is designedly\nchosen in preference to \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, damsels, in order to give an indirect\nand gentle blow to him who had separated her from her beloved. \u201cThee,\nthe upright, and not the seduced love.\u201d\n\n5. I am swarthy, &c. The court ladies, indignant at this statement,\nlooked with affected disdain upon the discoloured rustic girl. The\nShulamite repels these disdainful looks, for she knows that, though\nswarthy, she is comely, else the king would not have noticed her. A\nsimilar idea occurs in Theocritus (Idyl. x. 26\u201329), where Bambyce,\nthough sun-burnt, is called beautiful.\n\n\n        \u0392\u03bf\u03bc\u03b2\u03cd\u03ba\u03b1 \u03c7\u03b1\u03c1\u03af\u03b5\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1, \u03a3\u03cd\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03ad\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2,\n        \u1f38\u03c3\u03c7\u03bd\u1f70\u03bd, \u1f01\u03bb\u03b9\u03cc\u03ba\u03b1\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd\u00b7 \u1f10\u03b3\u1f7c \u03b4\u1f72 \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bc\u03b5\u03bb\u03af\u03c7\u03bb\u03c9\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd.\n        \u039a\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f34\u03bf\u03bd \u03bc\u03ad\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd\u03c4\u1f76, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f01 \u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c0\u03c4\u1f70 \u1f51\u03ac\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03b8\u03bf\u03c2.\n        \u1f08\u03bb\u03bb\u2019 \u1f14\u03bc\u03c0\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c6\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03c1\u1fb6\u03c4\u03b1 \u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\n        \u201cCharming Bambyce, though some call you thin,\n        And blame the tawny colour of your skin;\n        Yet I the lustre of your beauty own,\n        And deem you like Hyblaean honey-brown.\n        The letter\u2019d hyacinth\u2019s of darksome hue,\n        And the sweet violet a sable blue;\n        Yet these in crowns ambrosial odours shed,\n        And grace fair garlands that adorn the head.\u201d\n\n\nCompare also Virgil, Eclog. x. 38. The comparison between the dark\ncomplexion and the tents of the Kedareens, and between the comeliness\nand the pavilions of Solomon, arose from the custom of nomades and\ntravellers in the East of carrying with them moveable tents, which were\ntemporarily pitched for the purpose of the pernoctation or protection\nagainst meridian sun. The tents of the Kedareens, a nomadic tribe of\nNorth Arabia (Gen. xxv. 13; Isa. xxi. 17), were and still are to this\nday made of coarse cloth, obtained from the shaggy hair of their black\ngoats (Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. iv. 939; Saalsch\u00fctz, Arch\u00e4ologie der\nHebr\u00e4er, Erster Theil, p. 63). Whereas, the curtains of which Solomon\u2019s\npavilion was constructed were, most probably, very fine and beautiful.\nFrom this passage, confirmed by chap. iii. 6, and vi. 12, we see that\nthis scene took place in the royal tent of Solomon, pitched in the open\nair of some favourite spot to which the king resorted in the summer. It\nis still the custom of Oriental potentates to go once a-year to some\nattractive neighbourhood, where they erect their magnificent tents,\nwhich serve as their temporary abodes. (Morier, Zweite Reise in\nPersien, p. 223; Jaubert, Voyage, p. 334). \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, swarthy, refers to\n\u200f\ufb21\u05b8\u05d4\u05b3\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e7\u05b5\u05d3\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, the tents of Kedar, and \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, comely, to \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e the\npavilion of Solomon. \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\ufb21\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, a contraction of \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\ufb21\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, from the root\n\u200f\u05e0\u05b8\ufb21\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, is formed from the Pilel. The third radical, which this\nconjugation requires to be doubled, appears in this and in two other\nwords, under the form \u200f\u05d5\u05d4\u200e. Compare \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d7\u05b7\u05d4\u200e, to bow, Pilel, \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d7\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, hence\nthe reflexive \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to bow, or prostrate oneself; \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d8\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\narchers, Gen. xxi. 16; Gesen. \u00a7 75, Rem. 18; Ewald, \u00a7 121 c. \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4\u200e,\nprop. a vail, a curtain of a tent, Exod. xxvi. 12, and metonomically\nfor the tent itself, 2 Sam. vii. 2; 1 Chron. xvii. 1, and like here, in\nparallelism with \u200f\u05d0\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05dc\u200e, Jer. iv. 20; x. 20; xi. 29. The Septuagint,\nfollowed by the Vulgate, erroneously renders \u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, \u1f65\u03c2 \u03b4\u03ad\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2\n\u03a3\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03bc\u1f7c\u03bd, as the skins of Solomon, and Bishop Foliot refers it to the\nbeautiful skin of Solomon\u2019s body, with which the Church compares\nherself to set forth her comeliness. Hodgson, misunderstanding the\nfigure, absurdly renders \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u05b3\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e7\u05b5\u05d3\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, like the spices of Kedar, and\nmakes the Shulamite compare herself to the odoriferous trees and\nbeautiful figures in the (\u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e), fine tapestry.\n\n6. Disdain me not. In repelling these disdainful looks the Shulamite\nstates first that her dark complexion is adventitious, being merely\nsun-burnt, and as Rashi remarks, \u200f\u05e0\u05d5\u05d7 \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05dc\u05d1\u05df \u05db\u05e9\u05d9\u05e2\u05de\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d1\u05e6\u05dc\u200e, will be\nwhite again under the protection of the shade: and secondly, how she\ncame to be so much exposed to the sun, and this she ascribes to the\nanger of her brothers. This anger, however, as it appears from ii.\n8\u201317, was merely a fraternal solicitude for her reputation, which\ninduced them to give her employment in the vineyards, in order to\nprevent her meeting her beloved in the field. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e (i.q. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\n\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b2\u05bd\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, Ewald, \u00a7 248), is well explained by the Chald., Rashi, Ibn\nEzra, Rashbam, Immanuel, &c., \u200f\u05d0\u05dc\u05b9 \u05ea\u05d1\u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u200e, do not disdain me. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to\nsee, is also used for looking down upon any one, Job. xli. 26. Instead\nof \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05bb\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, four of Kennicott\u2019s MSS., two of De Rossi\u2019s, and two more,\noriginally read \u200f\u05ea\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u200e, fear me not, which is adopted by D\u00f6derlein;\nbut the reading of the received text is both more supported, and suits\nthe connexion better; for it can hardly be possible that the damsel was\nactually so black as to inspire terror; or that the court ladies were\nso highly nervous as to be so easily frightened. Hodgson\u2019s rendering,\nmind me not, is incorrect. The \u200f\u05e9\u200e in \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, stands for \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e, the \u200f\u05d0\u200e\nbeing rejected by aphaeresis, and the \u200f\u05e8\u200e assimilated; Gesen. \u00a7 36.\n\u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b9\u05e8\u200e, blackish; adjectives denoting colour have frequently the last\ntwo stem letters repeated to render them diminutives; as \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd\u200e,\nreddish, Lev. xiii. 19; \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05e7\u200e, greenish, Lev. xiii. 49. So Rashi, Ibn\nEzra, Rashbam, Immanuel, Gesen. \u00a7 84. 23; Ewald, \u00a7 157 c. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d6\u05b8\u05e3\u200e, i.q.\n\u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to scorch, to burn, Gen. xxiii. 17; xli. 6. So the Syriac,\nAquila, Theodotion, Ewald, Gesenius, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The \u200f\u05d6\u200e and \u200f\u05d3\u200e\nfrequently interchange, compare \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05d6\u05b7\u05e2\u200e and \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u200e, to cut down; and are\neven found to do so by the same inspired writer; compare \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e2\u05b2\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, Job.\nvi. 17, with \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05e2\u05b2\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, xvii. 1. \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, not step-brothers,\n(Houbigant, Ewald, Good,) who would not have such power over their\nsister, but poetically used for \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, my brothers. Comp. Gen. xxvii.\n20; Ps. l. 20; lxix. 9. \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u200e is the Niphal of \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to burn, (comp.\nPs. cii. 4; Gesen. \u00a7 6, 7, 8, Rem. 5; Ewald, \u00a7 140 a. \u00a7 193 c.), and\nnot from \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e (Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Immanuel, &c.) which would be \u200f\u05e0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b1\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u200e,\nIs. xli. 11.\n\nThough my own vineyard, &c. The word \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, is either taken to denote\nthe Shulamite\u2019s personal appearance, or to mean her beloved: and the\nphrase is explained, \u201cThrough the constant watch which my brothers made\nme keep over their vineyard, I could not take care of (\u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e) my\ncomplexion; or could not attend to (\u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e) my beloved.\u201d But it is a\nhazardous mode of interpretation to take an expression in the same\nverse in an ordinary and in an extraordinary sense, which ought never\nto be done unless required by absolute necessity, which is not the case\nhere. Dr. Good indeed escapes this inconsistency by assigning a\nspiritual meaning to \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, (viz. personal estate, one\u2019s own person) in\nboth clauses; and he submits that \u201cthe bride asserts that she had been\ncompelled to neglect her own person, through the perpetual attention\nwhich was demanded of her by her brothers or sisters in decorating\nthemselves, or in assisting in their concerns.\u201d But apart from the\nunnecessary and unjustifiable deviation from the literal meaning, this\ninterpretation is entirely at variance with the context. For in the\nwords, \u201cThey have made me keeper of their vineyards,\u201d the Shulamite\nevidently means to explain how she came to be exposed to the tanning\nsun. Whereas, the supposition of her perpetual attention to the\nadornment of her brothers, fails to account for the brown complexion.\nIf however, with Ibn Ezra, we take these words to explain the severity\nof her brothers, everything will be plain and unforced. The damsel\nsays, \u201cMy brothers were so angry\u2014so severe with me that, resolved to\ncarry out their purpose, they made me keep their vineyards, \u200f\u05d5\u05d1\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4\n\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9\u200e, a thing which I had never done\nbefore, even to my own vineyard. It is utterly inconceivable how those\nwho maintain that this Song celebrates the marriage of Solomon with the\ndaughter of Pharaoh can reconcile it with the facts that the damsel\u2019s\ndark complexion is here described as adventitious; whereas the\nEgyptians, even of the highest and most secluded classes, are naturally\ndark, and that she has been made keeper of the vineyards, which would\nill agree with any prince\u2019s daughter. \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd\u200e is most probably derived\nfrom \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e = \u200f\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u200e, to dig, hence a garden cultivated by means of axes\nand spades in contradistinction to fields worked with ploughs and\nharrows. (Compare Saalsch\u00fctz, Arch\u00e4ologie der Hebr\u00e4er, vol. i. p. 119.)\nFor the term. \u200f\u2013\u05b6\u05dd\u200e vide supra, p. 131. \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is used\nemphatically after \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, to mark the contrast, and not, as Houbigant\nerroneously supposes, in the sense of \u200f\u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u200e, tranquill\u00e8, mine own\nvineyard I kept not quietly.\n\n7. Tell me, O thou, &c. Having repelled the disdainful looks of the\ncourt ladies, the Shulamite now resumes her address to her beloved; so\nthat this verse is intimately connected with the fourth; and verses\nfive and six are, as it were, parenthetical. Is it not surprising that\nsome can read this verse, and yet believe that the king was the object\nof the damsel\u2019s attachment, when this shows so clearly that it was a\nshepherd? The violent heat of noonday compels people in the East to\ndesist from labour, and recline in some cool part of the house (2 Sam.\niv. 5). Shepherds especially, being more exposed to the burning rays of\nthe sun, lead their flocks under some shady tree near wells and\nstreams. (Gen. xxix. 7; Ps. xxiii.; Isa. xix. 10.) We have beautiful\ndescriptions of the same custom by Greeks and Romans. Thus Virgil,\nGeorg. iii. 331\u2014\n\n\n        Aestibus at mediis umbrosam exquirere vallem,\n        Sicubi magna Jovis antiquo robore quercus\n        Ingentis tendat ramos, aut sicubi nigrum\n        Ilicibus crebris sacra nemus adcubet umbra.\n\n        \u201cWhen noon-tide flames, down cool sequester\u2019d glades,\n        Lead where some giant oak the dell o\u2019ershades,\n        Or where the gloom of many an ilex throws\n        The sacred darkness that invites repose.\u201d\n\n\nCompare also Theocritus, i. 14, 15: vi. 1, 16, 38, 39. \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b8\u05d4\u200e prop.\nhow, but also of place, where, 2 Kings xvi. 13. Twenty-eight MSS. of\nKenn. and De Rossi, read \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, but this weakens the sentence. We\nmust supply \u200f\u05e6\u05b9\u05d0\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e after \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, and \u200f\u2013\u05dd\u200e after \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e5\u200e, see Ezek.\nxxxiv. 15. Immanuel accounts for the dual, \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b3\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, because \u200f\u05e9\u05d6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd\n\u05e0\u05d5\u05e4\u05dc \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d7\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d1\u05dc\u05d1\u05d3 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d2\u05dd \u05e2\u05dc \u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05de\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05e7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d7\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05de\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05de\u05e2\u05d8\n\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05d7\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea\u200e, it speaks of that part of the day immediately preceding noon\nas well as of that part which immediately follows noon. \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, i.q.\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, Dan. i. 10, ut ne, well rendered by the Sept. \u03bc\u03ae\u03c0\u03bf\u03c4\u03b5, Vulg.\nne. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e is used as a conjunction, the \u200f\u05dc\u200e to express design, or\npurpose, and \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e for negation, Ewald, \u00a7 337, 6. \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b9\u05d8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u200e has caused\nmuch perplexity to interpreters. It is explained to mean like one\nveiled (\u1f61\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b2\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7, Sept.), as a sign of mourning (Rashi, compare\n2 Sam. xv. 30; xix. 5); of harlotry (Rosenm\u00fcller, comp. xxviii. 5); of\nshame (Umbreit, Hengstenberg, comp. Jer. xiv. 3; Mal. iii. 7); and of\nwandering or roaming (Philippson, comp. Jer. xliii. 12). But wherever\ncovering is used to signify mourning or shame, the part of the body\nusually covered, in order to indicate the existence of the emotion, is\ninvariably stated. Equally untenable is the rendering of harlot; for\nTamar covered her face, not as a sign that she was a prostitute, but to\ndisguise herself, so that she might not be recognised, and Judah took\nher to be a harlot because she sat by the way side, Comp. Jer. iii. 2.\nEwald renders it like one unknown; but this, to say the least, is\nremote from the context; Gesenius, like one fainting; but this incurs\nthe same objection. The explanation of Philippson would have been the\nmost plausible, if Rashbam and the anonymous MS. had not shown that\n\u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05d8\u05b7\u05d4\u200e itself means to roam, to wander, by referring to Isa. xxii. 17,\nwhere, according to its parallel, \u200f\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, to cast down, it must signify\nto roll about. This meaning bests suits the context here, and is\nconfirmed by Symach., Vulg., Syriac, Chald.\n\n8. If thou knowest not. The court ladies, hearing the rustic girl say\nthat she wished to be with her shepherd, tell her ironically to go, and\nbe employed in the low and toilsome occupation of a shepherdess, rather\nthan enjoy the exalted and easy life of a royal favourite. Some have\nput this answer into the mouth of the beloved; but it is evident from\nv. 9, and vi. 1, the only two places where the appellation \u201cfairest of\nwomen\u201d occurs, that it is the reply of the court ladies, which even\nD\u00f6pke, Good and Noyes, the defenders of the fragmentary theory, admit.\nNothing can be more plain and incontrovertible than the statement in\nthis verse, that the damsel is a shepherdess, and the beloved a\nshepherd, whom, she is told, she would find among his fellow-shepherds.\nIt is for those who maintain the theory that this Song celebrates the\nmarriage of Solomon with the daughter of Pharaoh, or some other\nprince\u2019s daughter, to get over this fact. \u200f\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05e2\u200e is unnecessarily and\nincorrectly rendered by Ewald, Meier, Hitzig, &c., unwise. The Sept.,\nwhich is followed by Luther, mistaking the usage of \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u200e, translates\nthis clause \u1f10\u1f70\u03bd \u03bc\u1f74 \u03b3\u03bd\u1ff7\u03bd \u03c3\u03b5\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03ae\u03bd, as if the original were \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05dd \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05ea\u05b5\u05d3\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\n\u05e0\u05b4\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05da\u05b8\u200e. The prepo. \u200f\u05d1\u05bc\u200e in \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e gives to \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4\u200e the force of the\nsuperlative. Besides the several modes of expressing the superlative\nadduced by Gesenius, \u00a7 119, 2, this degree is sometimes also expressed\nby the positive and the prepo. \u200f\u05d1\u200e prefixed to the noun designating the\nclass to which the person or thing compared belongs: thus \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\n\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05e0\u05b7\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4\u200e, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, Judg. xvi. 5; Prov. xxx.\n30, comp. also \u03b5\u1f50\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7 \u03c3\u03c5 \u1f10\u03bd \u03b3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03be\u03af\u03bd, thou art the most blessed of\nwomen, Luke i. 28, Ewald, \u00a7 313 c.\n\n9. To my steed, &c. The court-ladies having turned from her and told\nher to go back to her menial employment, her severest trial begins. The\nking, having watched his opportunity, enters at that moment, and thus\nbegins his flattering address. He first praises her beauty and\ngracefulness by comparing her to his stately and noble chariot steed.\nThe anonymous MS. commentary rightly remarks, \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05e1\u05d1 \u05dc\u05de\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4\n\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4 \u05d3\u05de\u05d9\u05ea\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05e1\u05d5\u05e1\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e8\u05db\u05d1\u05d9 \u05e4\u05e8\u05e2\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05e1\u05d5\u05e1 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d9\u05e4\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0\n\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05de\u05e9\u05d0\u05e8 \u05e1\u05d5\u05e1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, that this simile was suggested by the reference which\nthe damsel has made in the preceding verse to her dark complexion. The\nking, therefore, compares her to his noble steed, whose dark colour\nrenders it more beautiful than the other horses. Such a comparison must\nhave been very striking and flattering in the East, where this animal\nwas so much celebrated for its preeminent beauty. \u201cA young chestnut\nmare,\u201d says Layard, Nineveh, i. 91, \u201cbelonging to the sheik, was one of\nthe most beautiful creatures I ever beheld. As she struggled to free\nherself from the spear to which she was tied, she showed the lightness\nand elegance of the gazelle. Her limbs were in perfect symmetry; her\nears long, slender, and transparent; her nostrils high, dilated and\ndeep red, her neck gracefully arched; and her mane and texture of\nsilk.... No one can look at the horses of the early Assyrian sculptures\nwithout being convinced that they were drawn from the finest models.\u201d\nCompare also the exquisite and inimitable description of this noble\nanimal in Job xxxix. 19, &c. and Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. iv. 941. The same\ncomparison is used by the Greek and Roman poets. Thus Theocritus, Idyl.\nxviii. 30, 31:\u2014\n\n\n        \u1f22 \u03ba\u03ac\u03c0\u1ff3 \u03ba\u03c5\u03c0\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c3\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f22 \u1f05\u03c1\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9 \u0398\u03b5\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1\u03bb\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f35\u03c0\u03c0\u03bf\u03c2,\n        \u1f67\u03b4\u03b5 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f01 \u1fe5\u03bf\u03b4\u03cc\u03c7\u03c1\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f19\u03bb\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1 \u039b\u03b1\u03ba\u03b5\u03b4\u03b1\u03af\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03b9 \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2.\n\n        \u201cAs towers the cypress mid the garden\u2019s bloom,\n        As in the chariot proud Thessalian steed,\n        Thus graceful rose-complexion\u2019d Helen moves.\u201d\n\n\nCompare also Horace, Ode iii. 11. This shows the futility both of those\nwho affirm that the strangeness of the simile is against the literal\nmeaning of this Song, and of those who accuse the writer of\nuncouthness. Besides, is this comparison more strange or uncouth than\nthat of a man with a bony ass? (Gen. xlix. 14.) Mark also the other\ncomparison used in the same chapter, such as of an ox, serpent, &c.\n\u200f\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is not equitatus, (Vulg. Rashi, Rashbam, English Version,) but\nas Ibn Ezra and Immanuel rightly remark, \u200f\u05e0\u05e7\u05d1\u05ea \u05e1\u05d5\u05e1\u200e, mare, the regular\nfeminine of \u200f\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e1\u200e. The \u200f\u2013\u05b4\u05d9\u200e in \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is the suffix of the first\nperson, as the ancient versions have it; and refers to a well-known and\ncelebrated mare which Solomon possessed and highly prized, and which he\nalways put into one of Pharaoh\u2019s chariots. \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e4\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, one of\nPharaoh\u2019s chariots, like \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d2\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d3\u200e, one of the cities of Gilead.\nJudg. xii. 7.\n\n10, 11. Beautiful is thy countenance, &c. The flattering praises are\nfollowed by enticing promises. \u201cThou art indeed beautiful,\u201d says the\ntempting king, \u201ceven in humble ornaments, but thou shalt have more\ncostly adornments, which will show off thy beauty to greater\nadvantage.\u201d The mention of the noble steed which was adorned with\ncostly trappings, contributing so much to its stately and elegant\nappearance, naturally suggested the reference here made to the damsel\u2019s\nornaments. The reader will not fail to observe that it is not the\nshepherd, but the king who is speaking in verses 9\u201311. The poor\nshepherd had no prancing steed, no Egyptian chariots; he could not\npromise the shepherdess such costly ornaments as are here described.\n\u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (from \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u200e, to go round, hence \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e, something round, a\ncircle, Esth. ii. 12, 15,) small rings or beads strung upon threads,\nworn as a head-dress. It is customary in the East for women to wear\nstrings of beads hanging down from the temples over the cheeks.\nRosenm\u00fcller, Orient. iv. 942. Niebuhr, Reise nach Arab. i. 163.\n\u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, cheeks (dual of \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u200e), by a synecdoche for the whole face.\n\u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (from \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d6\u200e, to pierce, to perforate), little perforated\nballs, or beads strung upon a thread and worn around the neck; i.q. a\nnecklace. \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e are plurals, because the circlet and\nnecklace consisted of many composite parts. Whether the circlet was of\ngold or brass, or whether the necklace consisted of real pearls,\ncorals, or steel, the etymology of the words does not at all intimate.\nThe context alone must decide this. The fact that the Shulamite was a\nhumble rustic girl, and that Solomon promises to present to her a\ngolden circlet with silver studs, proves that they were of a common\ndescription. This is another proof that the bride was not a prince\u2019s\ndaughter; since her ornaments were not even of gold or silver,\nnotwithstanding the impassionate desire of Eastern ladies for costly\nadornments. The Sept. and Vulg. have \u1f61\u03c2 \u03c4\u03c1\u03c5\u03b3\u03cc\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2, i.e. \u201cthy neck is as\nbeautiful as doves, \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e; they have also \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, like a\nnecklace; but they have evidently mistaken the \u200f\u05d1\u200e for \u200f\u05db\u200e, as well as\nthe meaning of \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e.\n\n12. While the king is at his table. Here we see how signally the first\nattempt of Solomon failed to win the affections of the Shulamite. For\nno sooner did he go to his repast than the damsel indulges in sweet\nexpressions of love with her beloved shepherd. Two distinct persons are\nhere spoken of; the king at the table, and a beloved shepherd, called\n\u201cnard.\u201d That by the expression \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my nard, the Shulamite means her\nbeloved is evident from the following verse, where, led on by the\nfigure of this odorous plant, she continues to call him by the fragrant\nnames, \u201cbag of myrrh,\u201d \u201cbunch of cypress flowers,\u201d &c. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u200e, as long\nas, while, Sept. \u1f15\u03c9\u03c2, Vulg. dum. \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05e1\u05b7\u05d1\u200e (from \u200f\u05e1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05d1\u200e to sit round a\ntable, to recline. 1 Sam. xvi. 11, comp. Sept., Chald., Syriac, Arabic,\nVulg. in loco,) seats set round, couches set in a circle, for reclining\nat the repast, according to the Oriental custom, (see Rosenm\u00fcller,\nOrient. iii. 631;) so the Sept. \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03ba\u03bb\u03b9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2. Vulg. accubitus, Rashbam,\n\u200f\u05d1\u05d4\u05e1\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05db\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d4\u200e, in the couch at the partaking of the repast;\nand comp. Ps. cxxviii. 3. The reading of \u200f\u05d1\u05de\u05e1\u05db\u05d5\u200e, in aulaeo, tentorio,\ninstead of \u200f\u05d1\u05de\u05e1\u05d1\u05d5\u200e, proposed by Houbigant, is both needless and\nunauthorized. \u200f\u05e0\u05b5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u200e, spikenard or nard, \u03bd\u03ac\u03c1\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2, is the Valeriana\nJatamansi, a plant peculiar to Hither India. It was obtained from India\nby way of Arabia and Southern Asia. The perfume extracted from it was\nhighly prized. Thus we are told (Mark xiv. 31), when the Saviour sat at\nmeat in Bethany, \u201cthere came a woman having an alabaster box of\nointment of spikenard very precious, and she broke the box, and poured\nit upon his head,\u201d (comp. also John xii. 31,) which Judas, the\nbetrayer, estimated at three hundred pence, about eight pounds ten\nshillings. The Romans considered this perfume so precious that Horace\npromises Virgil a whole cadus, about nine gallons, of wine for a small\nonyx-box full of spikenard. See Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiii. 2; Sir W.\nJones, Asiatic Researches, vol. ii. p. 416; Rosenm\u00fcller, Mineralogy and\nBotany of the Bible, p. 166; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit.; Winer, Bib.\nDict. s.v.\n\n13. A bag of myrrh, &c. This appellation is a continuation of the\nfigurative expression \u201cnard,\u201d under which the Shulamite described her\nbeloved in the preceding verse. The Hebrew women were in the habit of\nwearing little bags or bottles filled with perfumes, especially with\nmyrrh, suspended from the neck, and hanging down between their breasts,\nunder the dress. Comp. Mishna, Sabbath vi. 3; Schroeder de Vestit.\nMulier. p. 155; Hartmann, Hebr. ii. 235. The Shulamite says that her\nbeloved is to her what this delightful perfume is to others; having him\nshe did not require any other fragrance. \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b9\u05e8\u200e (from \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to tie up,\nto close), is a leather smelling-bag or bottle, i.q. \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05e0\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, tied\nup, or closed at the top. \u200f\u05de\u05b9\u05e8\u200e, \u03c3\u03bc\u03cd\u03c1\u03bd\u03b1, \u03bc\u03cd\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03b1, Balsamodendron myrrha,\n(from \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to flow,) myrrh, so called from its flowing down, is a\nperfume obtained from a shrub growing in Arabia, and much more\nprofusely in Abyssinia. It formed an article of earliest commerce, was\nhighly prized by the ancients, and is still much esteemed both in the\nEast and in Europe. This aromatic liquid either exudes spontaneously\nfrom cracks in the bark, and is called \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05e8\u200e, \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d3\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e,\nstilicidious or profluent myrrh (vide infra, v. 5; Exod. xxx. 23), and\non that account is esteemed superior; or is elicited artificially by\nbruises or incisions made with stones, and is therefore regarded as\ninferior. It was used for incense (Exod. xxx. 23), for perfuming\ndresses (Ps. xlv. 9), and couches (Prov. vii. 17), for the purification\nof women (Esth. ii. 12), for embalming dead bodies (John xix. 39), and\nwas worn by women in the bosom. See Pliny, lib. xii. cap. 35;\nRosenm\u00fcller, Altherth. iv. 1, 159; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop.\nBib. Lit. s.v. \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05df\u200e is a relative clause, with \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e implied\n(See Gesen. \u00a7 123, 3; Ewald, \u00a7 332), and refers to \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b9\u05bc\u05e8\u200e. This is\nevident from \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e0\u05b6\u05bc\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, which refers to \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u200e; comp. also\niv. 4. The verb \u200f\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05df\u200e is not here, \u201clie all night,\u201d but to abide, to\nrest, like Job xix. 4, \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d2\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, where even the Authorized\nVersion has \u201cmine error remaineth with myself.\u201d Ps. xlix. 13.\n\n14. A bunch of cypress flowers, &c. \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u200e is unanimously regarded by\nthe ancient versions and the Rabbins to denote the plant called \u03ba\u03cd\u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2\nby the Greek, and Al-henna by the Arabs. This plant, which grows in\nmany places, both in Palestine and Egypt, (Plin. Hist. Nat. xii. 24,)\nis a tall shrub, growing from the height of eight to ten feet; it is\nexceedingly beautiful and odoriferous. \u201cThe dark colour of its bark,\nthe light green of its foliage, the softened mixture of white and\nyellow, with which the flowers, collected into long clusters like the\nlilac, are coloured, the red tint of the ramifications which support\nthem,\u2014form a combination the effect of which is highly agreeable. The\nflowers, whose shades are so delicate, diffuse around the most grateful\nodours, and embalm with their strong fragrance the gardens in which\nthey grow, and the apartments which they beautify.... The women take\npleasure in adorning their persons and apartments with those delightful\nblossoms.\u201d See Pliny, lib. xii. c. 14; Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib. Miner. and\nBot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v. The flowers grow\nin dense clusters, whence \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u200e, cluster of cypress flowers.\nEn-gedi, more anciently called Hazezon-Tamar, which modern explorers\nidentify with the present Ain-Jidy, abounded with the best of those\ndelightful shrubs, (Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.;\nRobinson, Palest, ii. 209\u2013216.) Hence this beautiful appellation, \u201ca\nbunch of cypress flowers,\u201d than which nothing could be more expressive\nof sweetness and beauty to an Oriental. The word \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e is most\nprobably derived from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05da\u05b0\u200e, to bind, to twine together; hence \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05da\u05b0\u200e, a\nbundle, a string, with the addition of \u200f\u2013\u05b9\u05dc\u200e like \u200f\u05d2\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05dc\u200e, \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, Gesen.\n\u00a7 30, 3; Ewald, \u00a7 163 f. This is confirmed by the Talm. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea\u200e,\ndisciples, (Sota 47, a), i.e. a combination of youths; comp. \u200f\u05d7\u05b6\u05d1\u05b6\u05e8\u200e, and\nF\u00fcrst, Lexicon, s.v. \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd\u200e here is a field cultivated as a garden;\ncomp. \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd \u05d6\u05b8\u05d9\u05b4\u05ea\u200e, an olive-yard. Judg. xv. 5; Job xxiv. 18, and supra,\nver. 6.\n\n15. Behold, thou art beautiful. That is, \u201cIt is not I who possess such\nattraction, it is thou who art beautiful, yea superlatively beautiful!\u201d\nThe repetition of \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05e0\u05b8\u05da\u05b0 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4\u200e enhances the idea. \u201cThine eyes are doves,\u201d\ni.e. \u201cThine eyes, in which \u2018the rapt soul is sitting,\u2019 beams forth the\npurity and constancy of the dove.\u201d As the eye is the inlet of ideas to\nthe mind, so it is also the outlet of inward feelings. Thus it\nexpresses many of the passions, such as pity, mildness, humility,\nanger, envy, pride, &c.; hence the phrases \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05d9\u05df \u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u200e (which we also\nhave), to look with an eye of compassion, Prov. xxii. 9; \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05e8\u05b7\u05e2\u200e,\n\u1f40\u03c6\u03b8\u03b1\u03bb\u03bc\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03b7\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2, an evil eye, Deut. xv. 9, Mark vii. 22. The dove is\nthe emblem of purity and constancy. Ps. lvi. 1; Matt. x. 16. \u200f\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\n\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e are taken by the Syriac, Vulg., Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Immanuel,\nLuther, Authorized Version, Kleuker, Percy, Gesenius, D\u00f6pke,\nRosenm\u00fcller, Meier, &c. as an ellipsis for \u200f\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, thine\neyes are doves\u2019 eyes. Gesen. \u00a7 144, Rem. Ewald, \u00a7 296, b. But such an\nellipsis can be tolerated only in extreme emergencies, whereas here the\nnatural construction yields an excellent sense. Besides, v. 2 proves\nthat the doves themselves, and not the eyes, are the point of\ncomparison, just as the hair and the teeth are (iv. 1, 2) compared to\nthe goats and sheep themselves, and not merely to their hair and teeth.\nAnd \u200f\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0 \u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05db\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e (vii. 4), which does not mean, thou hast fish-ponds\neyes, but, thine eyes are like the fish-ponds themselves. Hence the\nSept., Chald., Rashi, Mendelssohn, Hodgson, Ewald, Umbreit, Magnus,\nWilliams, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, rightly reject this\nelliptical construction.\n\n16. Behold, thou art comely. The Shulamite, refusing to receive all the\npraise, responds: \u201cIt is thou who art lovely and attractive;\u201d and\nreferring to their meeting-spot, she adds, \u201cLovely is our flowery\ncouch; the arches of our bowers are formed of the spreading and\ninterweaving branches of the majestic and odoriferous cedars and\ncypresses.\u201d \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e is to be mentally supplied before \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e8\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e;\ncomp. Prov. iii. 11, i.e. Yea, lovely is our verdant couch. The adj.\n\u200f\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is formed from the Pilel of the verb \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05df\u200e. This conjugation,\nwhich is formed by doubling the third radical (see supra, 5), is used\nto describe permanent states or conditions, or some striking property;\ncomp. Job xii. 5; Gesen. \u00a7 55, 2; Ewald, \u00a7 120 a. \u200f\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, beam, roof\n(Gen. xix. 8), here arch, vault. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e in the \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05da\u200e (the\n\u200f\u05d4\u200e is sometimes pronounced harshly like the \u200f\u05d7\u200e, comp. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e, Exod.\nii. 16, where the Samaritan has \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e, and Gesen. \u00a7 7, 4), is rendered\nby the Sept., Vulg., Ewald, Gesenius, &c. fretted ceilings; by Kimchi\ngalleries; and the anonymous manuscript explains it bolt, and adds,\n\u200f\u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e0\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0 \u05e8\u05d4\u05d9\u05d8 \u05dc\u05e4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d4\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05d4\u200e, \u201cit is called bolt because it runs\nbackward and forward.\u201d But this is not in keeping with the structure of\nthe verse. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e stands evidently in parallelism with \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, and\naccordingly is of a similar import. Rashbam has therefore rightly\nrendered it \u200f\u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05de\u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, one of the apartments of the house. As\nhowever the house here described is a bower, \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e would be an arbour.\nThe etymology of the word is in keeping with this sense. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05d8\u200e, i.q.\n\u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d8\u200e = \u200f\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e5\u200e, to run, to flow, hence \u200f\u05e8\u05b7\u05d4\u05b7\u05d8\u200e, 1. a gutter, from the\nwater running down, Gen. xxx. 38; 2. a curl, from its flowing down\n(vide infra, vii. 6), and 3. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e, a place upon which one runs, a\ncharming spot much frequented; just like \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u200e, a place where people\nrun, a street, from \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u200e, to run. It is now pretty generally agreed\nthat \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, the Aram. for \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, is not the fir, but the cypress. It\nis quite natural that this lofty tree, which grows to a height of from\nfifty to sixty feet, of so hard and durable a nature, and so highly\nesteemed among the ancients, (Virg. Georg. ii. 443,) should be placed\ntogether with the majestic cedar. Comp. Sirach, xxiv. 13; Virg. Georg.\nii. 44; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib. Miner. and Bot. p. 260;\nKitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.\n\n1. I am a mere flower of the plain. \u201cAs for me,\u201d the Shulamite modestly\ninsinuates, \u201cmy beauty is not peculiar, but is of an ordinary\ncharacter, like these flowers which are found in great profusion in the\nplain and in the valley. The word \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d1\u05b7\u05e6\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea\u200e, which occurs only once more\n(Isa. xxxv. 1), is variously explained. The ancient versions vary in\ntheir rendering of it. Thus the Sept. and Vulg. have here \u1f04\u03bd\u03b8\u03bf\u03c2, flos,\nflower; the Chald., \u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, narcissus; so Saadias: whereas in Isa. the\nSept., Vulg., Chald., render it lily. Modern critics are no less\ndivided. Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, &c., explain it rose; Michaelis, Ewald,\nGesenius, D\u00f6pke, Henderson, Meier, &c., take it to be autumn crocus,\ncolchicum autumnale; De Wette, Rosenm\u00fcller, Royle, Winer, &c.,\nnarcissus; Professor Lee, lily. The etymology of the word is likewise\ndisputed. Some derive it from \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e6\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, a bulb, with \u200f\u05d7\u200e prefixed, as \u200f\u05d7\u200e\nlike \u200f\u05d0\u200e is sometimes put before triliterals, in order to form a\nquadriliteral, (Gesenius, Lehrg. p. 863, Rosenm\u00fcller, Henderson,\nHengstenberg, &c.,) and others take it as a compound of \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e5\u200e and\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e6\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, acrid bulb. (Ewald, Heiligstedt, &c.) The most probable\nderivation, however, seems to be \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e5\u200e = \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e5\u200e, to be bright, to shine;\nhence \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d1\u05b7\u05e6\u05b6\u05dc\u200e (with the termination \u200f\u2013\u05b6\u05dc\u200e like \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u200e, \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05e4\u05b6\u05dc\u200e), a flower;\nas most verbs which signify shining are used also to denote verdure and\nbloom. Compare \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05e6\u05b8\u05df\u200e, a flower, from \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05e6\u05b7\u05e5\u200e, to shine; and Simonis\nArcanum Formarum, p. 352. The word \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e (for \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05e8\u05b9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, like \u200f\u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e for\n\u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e, from \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e8\u200e, to be straight, plain, with the termination \u200f\u2013\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e,\ncomp. Gesen. \u00a7 84, 15), is here best translated a plain, or field; so\nthe Sept., Vulg., Percy, &c. render \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d1\u05b7\u05e6\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, a flower of the\nfield; and this admirably suits the \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, lily of the\nvalley\u2014a flower common in the valley.\n\n2. As a lily among the thorns. Beautifully and ingeniously does the\nshepherd take up this humble figure of the Shulamite, and, by a happy\nturn, make it symbolical of her surpassing beauty. \u201cIt is true, that\nthou art a lily, but as a lily surrounded by a multitude of brambles;\nso thou appearest among all the damsels.\u201d The expressions \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df\u200e and \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u200e\nare not merely used for son and daughter, but also, idiomatically,\ndenote lad and lass, youth and damsel. Gen. xxx. 13; Judg. xii. 9;\nProv. vii. 7.\n\n3. As an apple-tree, &c. The Shulamite returns the compliment: \u201cAs the\ncharming apple-tree, covered with beautifully tinged and sweetly\nsmelling fruit, appears amidst the wild and barren trees, so doest\nthou, my beloved, look among the youths. I delight,\u201d continues the\nShulamite, \u201cto repose beneath the shady tree, because of its charming\nfruit.\u201d The comparison between the delight which she had in the company\nof her beloved, and the agreeable enjoyment which a shady tree affords,\nwill especially be appreciated by those who have travelled in the East,\nand had the opportunity of exchanging, in the heat of the day, their\nclose tents for an airy and fragrant bower. Comp. Gen. xviii. 4, 8; 1\nSam. xxii. 6; Rosenm. Morgenl. i. 49; iii. 528. \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e is taken by the\nChald. for \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, citron; by Rosenm\u00fcller and others, for quince. The\nexpression occurs only six times in the Scriptures; four times in this\nbook (besides the present instance, see also ii. 5; vii. 9; viii. 5);\nonce in Prov. xxv. 11; and once in Joel i. 12. It is used in three\npassages out of the six for the tree itself, and in the other three for\nits fruit. But in all these places the common apple-tree or apple is\nquite in keeping with the context, and the etymology of the word, viz.,\n\u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05e4\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, to breathe, to breathe sweetly; hence \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, from its fragrant\nbreath, is an appropriate description of the common apple in Syria\n(Ovid. Met. viii. 675), and, indeed, in all other countries. It is\nevident from proper names (Josh. xii. 17; xvi. 8), that this tree was\nmuch cultivated in Palestine at a very early period. In the Talmud we\nfrequently meet \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, used to denote the common apple. It is worthy\nof notice that the shepherd calls his beloved \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, fem., whilst she\ncalls him \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, mas. The second verb \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e is subordinated to the\n\u200f\u05d7\u05b4\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, by means of the \u200f\u05d5\u200e and the two words are well rendered by the\nChald. \u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05ea\u05b7\u05d1\u200e, I delight to sit; comp. \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b8\u05db\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05dc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, how\nshall I endure and witness, for how shall I endure to witness, Esth.\nviii. 6. This subordination also occurs without the \u200f\u05d5\u200e; comp. infra,\nvii. 8; viii. 2; Job x. 16; xix. 3; Gesen. \u00a7 142, 3 a, b; Ewald, \u00a7 285.\n\n4. He led me, &c. Having represented her beloved, in the preceding\nverse, as a tree, forming with its widely-spread branches and rich\nfoliage a shady bower, in which she delighted to repose and enjoy its\ndelicious fruit, the Shulamite here narrates, in the same metaphorical\nlanguage, how he took her into that bower of delight, that arbour of\nlove. The words \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\u05df\u200e mean bower of delight, wine being frequently\nused in this book for delight; and are but a designation of the\nmanifestations of love denoted in the preceding verse by \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e,\ndelicious apple-tree. So also the word \u200f\u05d3\u05b6\u05d2\u05b6\u05dc\u200e, from \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, to cover,\nretaining here its primary meaning, cover, shade, corresponds to \u200f\u05e6\u05b5\u05dc\u200e,\nshade, in the last verse. The Sept., Sym., Syriac, Arab., which are\nfollowed by many moderns, read \u200f\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05bb\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, and \u200f\u05d3\u05b4\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, bring me, and\ncover me, imper., arising most likely from a wish to produce uniformity\nin this and the following verses.\n\n5. Oh, strengthen me, &c. The rehearsal of their past union and\nenjoyment kindled the Shulamite\u2019s affections, and made her wish again\nfor that delicious fruit, i.e. the tokens of his love. The cakes here\nmentioned were held in high estimation in the East; here, however, both\nthe cakes and the apples are to be taken figuratively as expressions of\nlove. This is obvious from the preceding verse, and from the words,\n\u201cfor I am sick with love,\u201d for no real cake or apple could cure a heart\nsuffering from this complaint. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4\u200e (from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, to burn, to fire;\nhence \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, fire, like \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05dd\u200e, mother, from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to join, to unite),\nsomething made by fire, a sort of sweet cake prepared with fire, and is\nmost probably the same which in Hos. iii. 1 is written more fully\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, grape-cakes. The meaning, cake, is retained in the Sept.\nin all the passages (except Isa. xvi. 7, where the Sept. reads \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d9\u200e,\ninstead of \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d9\u200e, see the parallel place, Jer. xlviii. 31), where\nthis word occurs. Thus \u03bb\u03ac\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u03b7\u03b3\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5, a cake from the frying-pan,\n2 Sam. vi. 19; and in the parallel passage, 1 Chron. xvi. 3, \u1f00\u03bc\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2,\na sweet cake; in Hos. iii. 1, \u03c0\u03ad\u03bc\u03bc\u03b1, a baked cake; and \u1f00\u03bc\u03cc\u03c1\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2, sweet\ncakes, in the passage before us. This meaning is supported by the\nChald. on Exod. xvi. 31, where \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d9\u05b8\u05df\u200e is used for the Hebrew\n\u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, and Mishna Nedarim, vi. 10. Gesenius, Hitzig, Henderson,\nF\u00fcrst, &c., derive it from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, to press, to compress, whence, they\nsay, \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4\u200e, a cake made of dried grapes pressed together, and \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e,\na foundation (Isa. xvi. 7), which is pressed down by treading on it.\nBut as the transition from cake to foundation is not so easily\nconceived, and especially as the meaning to press, attached to \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05e9\u05c1\u200e,\nis nowhere to be found in Hebrew (the word in Isa. xvi. 7 is to be\ntranslated cake, see Hengstenberg, Christ. i. p. 315), it is far better\nto derive this word as above from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, to burn. The Rabbinical\nexplanation, \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d3\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, flagons of wine, which the Authorized\nVersion follows, is not borne out by the etymology, nor does it suit\nthe passages in which this word occurs, and is therefore rightly\nabandoned by modern lexicographers. The rendering of Hodgson, \u201cSupport\nme with cups, around me strew apples;\u201d and that of Michaelis, \u201cSupport\nme with verdant herbs, spread fragrant fruits under me,\u201d are contrary\nto the meaning of the words.\n\n6. Let his right hand, &c. The pressure of the attempts to alienate her\naffections from him whom her soul loveth, and the burning desire to be\nre-united with him, though well sustained by her noble mind, yet\novercame her body; and whilst momentarily sinking beneath the weight,\nthe Shulamite desires that no other hand should raise her drooping\nhead, no other arm support her exhausted frame than that of her\nbeloved. This verse is to be taken in the optative mood. Comp. Ps. vii.\n9; xlv. 2; Ewald, \u00a7 329 a.\n\n7. I adjure you, &c. Having evinced her warm and undiminished\nattachment to her beloved shepherd, the Shulamite adjures the court\nladies, who, as we have seen, tried to gain her affections for the\nking, by everything dear and lovely, not to excite her love for anyone\nelse till her own (\u200f\u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05d4\u200e) affections wish (\u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u200e) for another\nobject. The gazelle, \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, so called from the beauty of its form, is\nan animal of the antelope kind, of very graceful and elegant figure,\nhas very slender limbs, large and soft eyes. The great admiration in\nwhich this animal was held in the East, made the Hebrews use it as an\nemblem of everything beautiful (Prov. v. 19); and from its being\ncharming and lovely, it also became an object by which to swear. Such\nadjurations are frequently used in the East. Comp. Reland, de Religio\nMah. ii. p. 164: Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. i. 146; v. 22. Dio, in the \u00c6neid,\nlib. iv. 314; Bochart, Hieroz. i. p. 899. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, mas., for \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05df\u200e,\nfem. Both masculine pronouns and verbs are sometimes used in reference\nto objects which are feminine. See Gesenius, \u00a7 121, Rem. i. \u00a7 137, 1;\nEwald, \u00a7 184 c. \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, after formul\u00e6 of swearing, has the effect of a\nnegative particle (Isa. xxii. 14; Prov. xxvii. 14). This is owing to a\npart of the oath being omitted. Comp. 2 Sam. iii. 35; Gesen. \u00a7 155, 2\nf.; Ewald, \u00a7 356 a. \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u200e, here, is not to arouse, to wake from sleep\n(Gesen.), but to rouse, to excite the passions, affections; thus \u200f\u05d4\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\n\u05e7\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, he will arouse his zeal, Isa. xlii. 13; Prov. x. 12. The\nrepetition of the same verb in the Hiphil and Piel expresses intensity,\nIsa. xxix. 9; Zeph. ii. 1. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is the abstract, love, affection,\niii. 10; vii. 7. After \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea\u05b6\u05bc\u05d7\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e5\u200e supply \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8\u200e. Similarly, Rashbam.\nThe Sept. strangely renders \u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c2\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, \u1f10\u03bd \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n\u1f30\u03c3\u03c7\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f00\u03b3\u03c1\u03bf\u1fe6, by the powers and virtues of the field. Thus in\nthis scene, the first attempts, both on the part of the king and the\ncourt ladies, to win the Shulamite\u2019s affections, signally failed. The\nsame formula re-occurs iii. 5, and viii. 4, to mark, at the end of the\ntrials, her successful resistance.\n\n8. Hark! my beloved! Having alluded in the preceding Section (i. 6) to\nthe ill-treatment which she had received from her brothers, the\nShulamite now relates the cause of that treatment. Thus whilst this\nnarrative forms the connecting link between this and the preceding\nSection, it also gradually acquaints us with her history. The\ndescription given of the arrival and conduct of her beloved is very\ngraphic and beautiful. She first sees him at a distance, bounding over\nthe hills with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle, and presently he\nis found behind the wall, peeping through the window, and imploring her\nin the sweetest language imaginable to go with him into the fields and\nenjoy the beauties and charms of nature. \u200f\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u200e is not \u200f\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc \u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, the\nsound of his feet (Ibn Ezra, Hitzig), which could not be heard at such\na distance from the mountains; nor the voice of his song (D\u00f6pke,\nPhilippson), for he could not very well sing when running at such a\nspeed as here described; but simply means hark! (Ewald, Magnus, Meier),\nand is used in animated descriptions to arrest attention, Ewald, \u00a7 286\nf.\n\n9 My beloved is like, &c. To describe the speed of his approach the\nShulamite compares him to the swift-footed gazelle, and nimble fawn.\nThis comparison is also used in other parts of Scripture. Thus Asahel\nis called light-footed as a gazelle. 2 Sam. ii. 18; Prov. vi. 5; Hab.\niii. 19. \u201cThe Eastern buildings generally surround a square inner\ncourt; the beloved is described as gradually making his approach, first\nto the wall, then looking through the window.\u201d Here is another\nincontestable proof that the object of the damsel\u2019s affection, whom she\ndescribes as coming to her, is not the king, but a shepherd, for the\nking could not consistently be represented as bounding over the hills.\nThough \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u200e has a feminine, \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, which is used in ver. 7, yet\ninstead of its being here \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, we have \u200f\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e: see also Ps.\nxlii. 2. This is owing to the neglect on the part of the writer to\navail himself of the forms established by usage, Gesen. \u00a7 107, 1. Or it\nmay be that such names were still of a common gender, and the feminines\nwere only in the process of formation, but not as yet fixedly\nestablished, Ewald, \u00a7 175 b. \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dc\u200e occurs only here, but it is evident\nfrom Dan. v. 5, and the Targum, Josh. ii. 15, where it stands for the\nHebrew \u200f\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, that it means a wall forming a part of the house. The\nSept. has here \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, from ii. 17.\n\n10, 11. Arise, my love, &c. The Shulamite introduces here her beloved\nas speaking. He urges her to go, since the rain is over, and everything\nwithout is charming. \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is idiomatically used in reference even to\nthe person speaking first, without any antecedent interrogation. (Deut.\nxxvi. 5; Isa. xiv. 10; xxi. 9.) The meaning of the word seems to be\nsimply to impart information, either asked for or not. In the former\ncase \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e obtains the additional idea of a reply, whereas in the\nlatter it merely means to inform, to tell, like \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9 in the New\nTestament. Comp. \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u03b9\u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f36\u03c0\u03b5, Matt. xvii. 4; Mark ix. 5. On the use\nof the dative \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e, see Gesen. \u00a7 154, 3 e. Ewald, \u00a7 315 a. The \u1f05\u03c0\u03b1.\n\u03bb\u03ad\u03b3.\u1f05\u03c0\u03b1\u03be \u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u200f\u05e1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05d5\u200e properly denotes the winter = the rainy\nseason, at the end of which, viz. February or March, the spring\nadvances with surpassing quickness; it excludes the autumn, and thus\ndiffers from \u200f\u05d7\u05b9\u05e8\u05b6\u05e3\u200e. The form \u200f\u05e1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05d5\u200e (from \u200f\u05e1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to winter), is,\naccording to the analogy of \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d2\u05b8\u05d5\u200e, \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u200e, \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d5\u200e, see F\u00fcrst, Lexicon,\nunder \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d2\u05b8\u05d5\u200e. The Sept. has mistaken the dative \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e for the imp. \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u200e,\nand adds \u200f\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my dove, after \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my beauty.\n\n12. The flowers appear, &c. The gradual development is exceedingly\nbeautiful; the description unfolds with the season. After the graphic\ndelineation of the meadows strewed with a profusion of variegated\nflowers; of the men in the fields, and the birds hovering over them,\njoining to pour forth a volume of various sounds; of the delicious\nodour of the embalmed fig, and fragrant vine, the beloved exclaims:\n\u201cNature has prepared a rich banquet; come, let us go and enjoy it!\u201d The\nSept., Aquila, Sym., Vulg., Chald., Rashbam, render \u200f\u05e2\u05b5\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05d5\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, by the\nseason for the pruning of vines: Gesenius defends this rendering, but\nagainst the usage of the word \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, and the connexion. Wherever\n\u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e occurs, either in the singular (Isa. xxv. 5), or plural (2 Sam.\nxxiii. 1; Isa. xxiv. 16), it invariably means song or singing.\nMoreover, the parallelism, and the whole of the description, demand\nthat it should be rendered so here. All the pleasures and charms here\ndepicted are gratifications for the senses, and are adduced by the\nbeloved as the invitation of nature to enjoy her banquet; whereas the\npruning of the vines would be a summons to engage in toil. Besides, the\nvine is mentioned afterwards in its rotation (v. 13), and it would mar\nthe gradual progression of this minute description to suppose that it\nhas been uselessly repeated. Hence it has been rightly rendered singing\nby Rashi, Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, Mendelssohn,\nKleuker, Ewald, D\u00f6pke, Rosenm\u00fcller, De Wette, Magnus, Hengstenberg,\nPhilippson, F\u00fcrst, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The objection that \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e,\nsinging, means the song of men, is obviated by referring it here to the\nseason when both man and bird begin to sing. \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, like other words\nof the form \u200f\u05e7\u05b8\u05d8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e, expresses the time of the action; comp. \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e3\u200e,\nharvest; properly the time when the fruit is gathered. \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, the time\nof ploughing. Gesen. \u00a7 84, 5; Ewald, \u00a7 149 e.\n\nThe cooing of the turtle, &c. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird (Jer.\nviii. 7; Arist. Hist. Anim. viii. 3, 12, 16; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 36;\nWiner, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.); it resides in the\nwinter farther south than Palestine, and returns in the spring, when\nits cooing voice in the woods announces the return of that season.\n\n13. The fig-tree sweetens her green figs. The word \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e0\u05b7\u05d8\u200e is now\nrendered by many commentators, according to the example of Ibn Ezra, to\nsweeten, to embalm, to spice; i.e. the fig-tree sweetens her fruit by\nfilling it with aromatic juice. This rendering is confirmed by the use\nof \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e0\u05b7\u05d8\u200e, to embalm (Gen. l. 2, 26), which was done with spices and\naromatic plants (2 Chron. xvi. 14; John xix. 40). The Sept., Aquila.,\nand Vulg. render \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05e0\u05b7\u05d8\u200e, puts forth, but this signification cannot be\ndeduced from the root. Ewald, Magnus, Hitzig, have \u201cthe fig-tree\nreddens,\u201d &c., but the verb is not used in this sense in Hebrew. \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u200e\n(from \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05b7\u05d2\u200e immature), an unripe fig, Sept. \u1f44\u03bb\u03c5\u03bd\u03b8\u03bf\u03c2, Vulg. grossus; so\nin the Talmud and Ibn Ezra, \u200f\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d8\u05e8\u05dd \u05e9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u200e, the fruit before it is\nripe.\n\nThe vines blossom, &c. It is well known that the blossoming vine smells\nsweetly; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 2. \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e1\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, lit. the vines\nare in blossom, i.e. the vines blossom; so Sym. \u03bf\u1f30\u03bd\u03ac\u03bd\u03b8\u03b7, Vulg.\nflorentes. Substantives are frequently used in Hebrew instead of\nadjectives to express properties; thus \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d2\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05dc\u200e, the flax was\nbolled. Exod. ix. 31; Ezra. x. 13. This peculiarity is to be accounted\nfor by supposing either that the adjectives were not as yet formed, or\nif formed were still not currently used. Gesen. \u00a7 106, 1; Ewald, \u00a7 296\nb. \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b0\u05d9\u200e stands for \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e; comp. ver. 10; the \u200f\u05d9\u200e has been occasioned by\nthe preceding form \u200f\u05e7\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, and succeeding words \u200f\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2\u05b3\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, which\nterminate in \u200f\u05d9\u200e. This is not unfrequently the case, see Job xix. 29;\nEccl. viii. 17; Prov. viii. 35; Mich. i. 8. The Sept. has here again\n\u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u200e for \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b8\u200e, and \u200f\u05d9\u05b9\u05d5\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e after \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e.\n\n14. My dove in the clefts, &c. Having described the charming aspect of\nnature, he repeated his invitation to her to go with him into the\nfields. Impatient at her apparent delay, the beloved, whilst calling\nher by the endearing epithet \u201cdove,\u201d delicately ascribed to her the\ntimorous character of that bird. Doves in the East make their nests in\nthe clefts of elevated rocks and cliffs (Jer. xxviii. 28), which they\nare exceedingly afraid to leave when once frightened. Thus Homer,\nIliad, xxi. 493:\n\n\n        \u0394\u03b1\u03ba\u03c1\u03c5\u03cc\u03b5\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f55\u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03b8\u03b1 \u03b8\u03b5\u1f70 \u03c6\u03cd\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd, \u1f65\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c0\u03ad\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1,\n        \u1f2b \u1fe5\u03ac \u03b8\u2019 \u1f51\u03c0\u2019 \u1f34\u03c1\u03b7\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2 \u03ba\u03bf\u03af\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd \u03b5\u1f30\u03c3\u03ad\u03c0\u03c4\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03c0\u03ad\u03c4\u03c1\u03b7\u03bd,\n        \u03a7\u03b7\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u1f78\u03bd, \u03bf\u1f50 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f04\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03b3\u03b5 \u1f01\u03bb\u03ce\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b1\u1f34\u03c3\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd \u1f26\u03b5\u03bd.\n\n        \u201cAs when the falcon wings her way above,\n        To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten\u2019d dove,\n        Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.\u201d\n\n\nSee also Virg. \u00c6n. v. 213. \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d2\u05b0\u05d5\u05b5\u05d9\u200e is the plural construct. of \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d2\u05b8\u05d5\u05b0\u200e\n(from the root \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05d2\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to make incisions in, to split or perforate\nrocks); according to the analogy of \u200f\u05e7\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05d5\u05b5\u05d9\u200e, plural const. of \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d5\u200e and\n\u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05d5\u05b5\u05d9\u200e from \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u200e, vide sup. ii. 11. \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d2\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, (from \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d2\u200e, cognate with\n\u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05da\u05b0\u200e, to ascend,) a place reached by climbing or ascending, a steep, a\nprecipice. The Mazora marks the \u200f\u05d9\u200e in \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05da\u05b0\u200e as superfluous,\nevidently to avoid the apparent incongruity between the adjective\n\u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, which is in the singular, and the noun \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05da\u05b0\u200e, apparently\nplural. But the \u200f\u05d9\u200e here may be retained, and the word may still be\nsingular. For many nouns from roots \u200f\u05dc\u05f4\u05d4\u200e preserve in the singular\nbefore a suffix the original \u200f\u05d9\u200e of the root, and thus have the\nappearance of the plural: e.g. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy castle (Isa. xxx. 23), from\n\u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, the same expression, Job xli. 1; Gesen. \u00a7 93, 9;\nEwald, \u00a7 256 b.\n\n15. Catch us the foxes, &c. The Shulamite here quotes the words of her\nbrothers, who had overheard the invitation. To prevent the meeting of\nthe lovers, the brothers gave the damsel employment in the vineyard, to\ncatch and keep out the foxes. To this she refers in i. 6, when,\nrepelling the disdainful looks of the court ladies, and accounting for\nher brown complexion, she mentions the severe treatment of her\nbrothers. \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, foxes, as well as jackals, were very numerous in\nPalestine (Judg. xv. 4; Lam. v. 18; Ps. lxiii. 11; Neh. iv. 3). There\nwas a district actually called \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u200e, from the abundance of these\ncreatures, 1 Sam. xiii. 17. These animals are gregarious, found in\npacks of two or three hundred (Boch. Hieroz. lib. iii. 12), and are\ndescribed, both by sacred and profane writers, as destructive to\nvineyards, Sam. i. 17, 18; and Theocritus, Idyl. v. 112:\n\n\n        \u039c\u03b9\u03c3\u03ad\u03c9 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c5\u03ba\u03ad\u03c1\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bb\u03ce\u03c0\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1\u03c2, \u03b1\u1f33 \u03c4\u1f70 \u039c\u03af\u03ba\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2\n        \u0391\u1f30\u03b5\u1f76 \u03c6\u03bf\u03b9\u03c4\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03bf\u03b8\u03ad\u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1 \u1fe5\u03b1\u03b3\u03af\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9.\n\n        \u201cI hate those brush-tail\u2019d foxes, that each night\n        Spoil Micon\u2019s vineyards with their deadly bite:\u201d\n\n\nalso Idyl. i. 47\u201350. The young foxes are especially injurious to the\nvineyards, because they burrow in holes in the ground, Neh. iv. 3. The\nbrothers, in the last clause, assign a reason for their proposal; the\n\u200f\u05d5\u200e in \u200f\u05d5\u05bc\u05db\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e is therefore to be rendered for, Gesen. \u00a7 155, 1 c.\nThe Sept. inadvertently omits the word \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e.\n\n16. My beloved is mine, &c. The Shulamite tells the court ladies how\nshe had consoled herself under these circumstances of separation:\n\u201cThough my brothers succeeded in separating us bodily by assigning to\nme this post of keeping the vineyards, yet our affections are\ninseparable; and though still separated from me, my beloved is mine and\nI am his; his who tends his flock in the meadows abounding with\nflowers.\u201d It seems as if the words, \u201che who feeds his flock among the\nlilies,\u201d were designedly added, whenever the damsel speaks of her\nbeloved, to show unmistakably that he was a shepherd. How such passages\ncan be reconciled with the supposition that the king is the object of\nthe maiden\u2019s attachment, or, according to others, that the maiden is\nthe daughter of Pharaoh, is difficult to divine.\n\n17. When the day cools, &c. She also relates how she had comforted her\nbeloved, telling him that this state of separation would not last long;\nthat he must come in the evening, when unobserved, with the same\nswift-footed speed as he came in the morning. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\n\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, when the day breeze blows, i.e. in the evening,\nshortly before sunset, when a gentle and cooling breeze blows in the\nEast (see Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 47); hence \u200f\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, Gen. iii. 8,\nopposed to \u200f\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, xviii. 1. That this is the sense of \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\n\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, and not day-break (English Ver.), or morning-breath (Good), is\nevident from the immediately following \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc \u05d4\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, which expresses\nthe same idea in other words, i.q. evening; comp. Job xiv. 2. The\nshadows are said to flee away when at sunset they become elongated and\nstretched out; thus as it were run away from us, further and further,\ntill they eventually vanish in the dark of night. Hence David, speaking\nof the approaching sunset of his life, says, \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05b9\u05d9 \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e6\u05b5\u05dc \u05e0\u05b8\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, My days\nare like an elongated shadow, Ps. cii. 12; cix. 23. Comp. also Virg.\nEclog. i. 84, and ii. 66. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Gesen., D\u00f6pke,\nRosenm\u00fcller, Magnus, Heiligstedt, F\u00fcrst, Philippson, Meier,\nHengstenberg, Hitzig. The rendering of Hodgson, Good, &c., \u201ctill the\nday-breath,\u201d and their reference to the passage of Milton, \u201cSweet is\nthe breath of morn\u201d (Par. Lost, iv. 641), is gratuitous. The words \u200f\u05d4\u05b6\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\n\u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05e8\u200e are rendered by the Sept. \u1f44\u03c1\u03b7 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03bf\u03b9\u03bb\u03c9\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd, mountains of\ncavities, i.e. decussated mountains, from \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to divide, to cut,\nwhich Gesenius and Heiligstedt explain, a region divided by mountains\nand valleys, but very unsatisfactorily. The Syriac and Theodo. have\n\u03b8\u03c5\u03bc\u03b9\u03b1\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd, taking \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05e8\u200e for \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, which is adopted by Meier; but\nthis emendation is unsupported by MSS., and has evidently arisen from\nviii. 14. The Vulg. and Rashbam take \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05e8\u200e as a proper name, montes\nBether; but neither place nor mountain is known by such name. The\nChald., Ibn Ezra, Rashi explain \u200f\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05e8\u200e by mountains of separation,\ni.e. mountains which separate thee from me: this is followed by Luther,\nEwald, De Wette, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, and is most\nconsonant with the context. We have seen (ver. 9), that there were\nmountains separating the houses of the lovers, which the shepherd had\nto cross to reach the Shulamite; and as she told him to go back and\nreturn in the evening, it was evident that he had to cross again those\nseparating mountains.\n\n1. When on my nightly couch, &c. Through some means or other her\nbeloved did not come in the evening according to request, and, unable\nto wait any longer, she retired. Her thoughts, however, kept her awake,\nand her confidence in him made her look for him even when on her couch.\nThe words \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05d5\u05f4\u200e do not mean, \u201cI sought him in my bed,\u201d at\nwhich unnecessary umbrage has been taken, but \u201cEven when I reclined\nupon my nocturnal couch, I could not give him up; I still sought to\nfind him.\u201d \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e means my couch used at nights, i.q. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\n\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, in contradistinction to \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b3\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, a couch used at\nnoonday, 2 Sam. iv. 5. This is evident from the plural \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, in the\nnights, and from ver. 8, where the same plural is used to describe\nnocturnal marauders. The affirmation of Harmer, therefore, that no\nreasonable doubt can be made that these are the words of one to whose\nbed the beloved was no stranger, falls to the ground. The Sept. adds,\n\u1f10\u03ba\u03ac\u03bb\u03b5\u03c3\u03b1 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7 \u1f51\u03c0\u03b7\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd \u1f10\u03bc\u1f72, from chap. v. 6.\n\n2. I must arise now, &c. Seeing, however, that her beloved did not\ncome, and apprehending that some disaster might have befallen him on\nhis way, the Shulamite determined to go and find him. The \u200f\u2013\u05b8\u05d4\u200e in\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e7\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is expressive of self-summons and determination: \u201cI said to\nmyself, Come! I must arise now!\u201d Comp. Ps. ii. 3; lv. 3; Gesen. \u00a7 128,\n1; Ewald, \u00a7 228 a.\n\n3. The watchmen, &c., found her whilst engaged in seeking her beloved,\nand she at once inquired of them whether they had seen him. The\ninterrogative particle is here omitted. This is sometimes the case when\nthe whole sentence, as here, is interrogative, in which case it is\ndistinguished by the prominence given to the word upon which the force\nor weight of the interrogation more especially falls; as by the tone in\nwhich it is uttered, e.g. \u200f\u05d6\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d7\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e8\u05b5\u05e2\u05b6\u05da\u05b8\u200e, \u201cThis thy kindness to thy\nfriend!\u201d 2 Sam. xvi. 17; xviii. 29; Gesen. \u00a7 153, 1; Ewald, \u00a7 324 a.\n\n4. Scarcely had I passed them, &c. The abruptness of the description\nhere is very characteristic. She informs us that she had put a question\nto the watchmen, but, in her hurry to find her beloved, does not tell\nus the answer which she received. The construction \u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05d8 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u2014\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u200e,\nscarcely when, is nowhere else to be found in the Old Testament; it may\nbe resolved to \u200f\u05d6\u05de\u05df \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d1\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05db\u05de\u05e2\u05d8\u200e, the time that I passed them\namounted to a little while.\n\n5. I adjure you, &c. Having expressed her deep attachment to her\nbeloved shepherd, she again adjures the court ladies not to persuade\nher to love any one else. Comp. ii. 7. The Sept. has again \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e,\npowers, and \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, virtues; vide supra, ii. 7.\n\n6. What is that, &c. The situation changes. The state tents have been\nbroken up in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite\u2019s home, and the royal\ntrain travels towards Jerusalem. Some of the inhabitants, as they see\nat a distance the procession almost enveloped in the fragrant cloud of\nsmoke arising from the incense profusely burned, exclaim, \u201cWhat is that\ncoming up from the country?\u201d \u201cThe burning of perfumes in the East, in\nthe preceding part of processions, is both very ancient and very\ngeneral. Deities (images) were probably the first honoured with this\nceremony, and afterwards their supposed vicegerents, human divinities.\nWe have a relic of the same custom still existing among ourselves, in\nthe flowers strewed or borne in public processions, at coronations,\n&c., and before our great officers of state: as the Lord Chancellor,\nthe Speaker of the House of Commons; and in some corporations, the\nmace, as an ensign of office, has the same origin, though now reduced\nto a gilded ornament only.\u201d See Calmet, Dictionary, and Rosenm\u00fcller,\nOrient. iv. 948. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is properly used of persons, but also of things,\nespecially when the notion of person or persons is in them, e.g. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\n\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, \u201cWhat is all this company with thee?\u201d Gen. xxxiii. 8;\nMich. i. 5. That this is here the meaning of \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, is evident from the\nanswer, \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05e0\u05b5\u05bc\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, Behold, it is the palanquin. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e (from \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to\nrange in order, to guide, to drive flocks), here is not desert, but, as\nfrequently, an uninhabited plain or country, where flocks are tended,\nin contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11;\nJer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22. \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, the plur. of \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, like\n\u200f\u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, from \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, columns or clouds, only occurs once more, Joel\niii. 3, and is most probably derived from \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to ascend, to rise up\nlike a column or cloud. The \u200f\u05d9\u200e has merely been inserted to help the\npronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen\nMSS. and originally another omit the \u200f\u05d9\u200e, which is undoubtedly the\ncorrect reading. The \u200f\u05db\u05bc\u200e in \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e signifies as in. Comp. Isa. v.\n17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. \u00a7 118, 3, Rem. \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e is used for a plurality\ncomprising, or consisting of, divers single things or objects, and is\nto be rendered all kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; F\u00fcrst,\nLexicon, under \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e 5; Gesen. \u00a7 108, 4, \u00a7 111, 1. \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e (\u03bb\u03af\u03b2\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2,\n\u03bb\u03b9\u03b2\u03b1\u03bd\u03c9\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2, arbor thuris, thus), frankincense, so called from its white\ncolour, was early known and extensively used by the Jews (Exod. xxx.\n34; Lev. ii. 1, 2; Isa. lxiii. 23) and other nations (Tibull. Lib.\nEleg. ii.; Ovid. Trist. Lib. V. Eleg. v. 11) in sacrifices for\nfumigation. It is represented as a shrub, growing on mountains, and\nthorny, both in Arabia (Isa. lx. 6; Jer. vi. 20) and in Palestine,\naccording to the passage here; reaches a height of about five feet, and\nresembles in its leaves and fruit the myrtle. The frankincense is\nobtained by incisions which are made twice a year; the first in the\nbeginning of autumn, which is white and pure (\u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d6\u05b8\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, Exod. xxx.\n34), and is regarded as superior; and the second incision is made in\nthe winter, when the resin thus obtained is reddish, and considered\nmuch inferior. Comp. Winer, Bibl. Dict. p. 681, et seq.; Pliny, Hist.\nNat. xxxii. 14.\n\n7, 8. Lo! it is the palanquin, &c. Another bystander, recognizing it at\na distance, exclaims that it is the cort\u00e9ge of Solomon, consisting of\nhis palanquin and guard. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u05b9\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e; comp. Gesen. \u00a7\n121, 5, note; Ewald, \u00a7 309 c. This construction, however, has no real\nanalogy in the Scriptures; it frequently occurs in latter Hebrew\nwritings. Comp. \u200f\u05ea\u05d4\u05ea\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d4\u05d4\u05e8\u200e, the bottom of the mountain, in Rashbam\non the Song of Songs, iv. 1. The \u200f\u05d2\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05b9\u05d9\u05dd\u200e here mentioned, were a\nseparate class of the body-guard formed by David; and, as\nco-religionists (\u200f\u05d2\u05b4\u05d1\u05b9\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u200e), seem to have been chosen to protect the\nmonarch on his excursion against any attack of nocturnal marauders, so\nfrequent and so much dreaded in the East. Comp. Job i. 15, with Gen.\nxvi. 12. The \u200f\u05de\u200e in \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b9\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u200e is used partitively, vide supra, i. 2.\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05d1\u200e, skilled in the sword. \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05d6\u200e, to take hold, also to handle\nartfully, like \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05e4\u05b7\u05e9\u05c2\u200e, to take hold, to handle skilfully. The participle\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u200e, though of a passive form, has an active signification; this is\nnot unfrequently the case, especially when it belongs to an\nintransitive verb. Comp. \u200f\u05d1\u05bc\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, he trusted in Jehovah, Ps. cxii.\n7; Gesen. \u00a7 50, 3, Rem. 2; Ewald, \u00a7 149 d. This removes the apparent\ncontradiction caused by the Authorized Version, \u201cThey all hold swords;\u201d\nwhen in the next clause, as Hodgson and Good remarked, we are told that\neach had his sword on his thigh. \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, a man is used as a distributive\nfor each, every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. \u00a7 124, 2, Rem. 1;\nEwald, \u00a7 278, b. We must supply \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u200e after \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e. Comp. Exod. xxii.\n27; Ps. xlv. 4. \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05d3\u200e, fear, metonymically for the object of fear (Gen.\nxxxi. 42, 53), here marauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov.\niii. 24. \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, in or during the nights, i.e. nocturnal marauders.\nVide supra, iii. 1.\n\n9. A palanquin, &c. As the train draws nearer, a third person\nrecognizes it as the newly-made palanquin, of which he gives a\ncircumstantial description. Palanquins were and are still used in the\nEast by great personages. They are like a couch, sufficiently long for\nthe rider to recline, covered with a canopy resting on pillars at the\nfour corners, hung round with curtains to exclude the sun; they have a\ndoor, sometimes of lattice-work, on each side. They are borne by four\nor more men, by means of strong poles, like those of our sedan-chairs;\nand in travelling great distances, there are always several sets of men\nto relieve each other. The materials of which these palanquins are\nmade, and the style of their construction, depend upon the rank and\nwealth of the owners. The word \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b9\u05d5\u05df\u200e is most probably derived from\n\u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to run, to be borne quickly. Comp. \u03c4\u03c1\u03cc\u03c7\u03bf\u03c2, from \u03c4\u03c1\u03ad\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd,\n\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd, from \u03c6\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9, currus from currendo, ferculum from fero. The form\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e is, according to the analogy of \u200f\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, likeness (Ps. xvii.\n12), and \u200f\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05d9\u05b9\u05d5\u05df\u200e, ransom (Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. \u00a7 84, 15; Ewald,\n\u00a7 163 c. with a prosthetic \u200f\u05d0\u200e (Gesen. \u00a7 19, 4; Ewald, \u00a7 162 c,)\nfollowed by a Dagesh forte like \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05df\u200e, a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see\nF\u00fcrst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from \u200f\u05e4\u05e8\u05d4\u200e = \u200f\u05d1\u05e8\u05d4\u200e, to work\nout, to build, to form, hence \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, ein Prachtst\u00fcck. Kimchi derives\nit from \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to be fruitful, and says it is called \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, because\n\u200f\u05e9\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05df \u05d5\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u200e, people increase and multiply therein. But this is\ncontrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, a\nbridal bed has no (\u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e) seat. \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05d4\u200e, to make, means also to have\nmade, to order to be made. A person is frequently described in\nScripture idiom as doing that which he orders to be done. 2 Sam. xv. 1;\nGal. ii. 5, 6. The \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e in \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05b7\u05d9\u200e denotes the material of which the\nframe-work was made. Ps. xlv. 4. The wood of Lebanon, i.e. cedars and\ncypresses, Zech. xi. 1, 2; 1 Chron. ii. 8.\n\n10. Its pillars he hath made, &c. The description here given of the\ncostly construction of this magnificent palanquin is by no means a mere\npoetic embellishment. A similar litter was presented by the British\ngovernment in 1766 to the Nabob of the Carnatic, of which the following\naccount is given by Williams in loco, from the public prints of the\ntime: \u201cThe beams are solid gold, the inside beautifully decorated with\nsilver lining and fringe throughout; the panels are painted in the\nhighest style of finishing, and represent various groups and heads of\nanimals, after the manner of Asia, beaded with gold richly raised above\nthe surface, and engraved. The stays and different other ornaments are\nof embossed silver.\u201d Curtius (viii. 9, 23) gives us a description of\nthe procession of an Indian potentate, which strikingly resembles the\none here depicted. \u201cWhen the king shows himself in public, his servants\ngo before him with silver censers, which fill the air, throughout the\nway along which he is borne in the palanquin, with delicious odour. He\nhimself is reclining upon a golden couch, covered with pearls and\nveiled with purple curtains, embroidered with gold; the life-guard\nbring up the rear.\u201d \u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4\u200e (from \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05e4\u05b7\u05d3\u200e, to support, ii. 5), that which\nsupports the back when sitting; so the Sept. \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03ba\u03bb\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd; Vulg.\nreclinatorium; D\u00f6pke, Rosenm\u00fcller, Hitzig, &c. \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u200e, a seat, comp.\nLev. xv. 9. The words \u200f\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e8\u05b8\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05e3 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, are either to be\ntranslated: its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of\nJerusalem;\u2014the noun \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e may be used adverbially for lovely,\ncharmingly, comp. \u200f\u05d0\u05b9\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b5\u05dd \u05e0\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, \u201cI will love them freely,\u201d Hos. xiv. 4;\nEwald, \u00a7 279 c, \u00a7 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette,\nRosenm\u00fcller, Philippson, &c.; and the \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05df\u200e in \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e may denote the\nauthor or instrument, see Isa. xxii. 3; xxviii. 7; Eccl. xii. 11;\nGesen. Gram. \u00a7 143, 2;\u2014or they may be rendered, the middle thereof is\nwrought, as expressive of their love, by the daughters of Jerusalem;\ntaking \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, love, for the effect, or proof of it; comp. \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, i.\n2, and \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7 in Greek; so Le Clerc, Bp. Percy, Drs. Good and Clark. The\ninterior of these couches is generally painted with baskets of flowers\nand nosegays, intermixed with short sentences or mottoes, expressing\nthe power of love.\n\n11. Come out, O ye daughters, &c. As the royal train begins to enter\nthe city, a fourth bystander calls the daughters of Zion to come out\nand see the monarch in his joyful attire. Thus the inspired writer\nbeautifully puts into the mouth of several spectators the description\nhe desires to give. The crown here mentioned is not the symbol of\nroyalty, but the emblem of happiness (Job xix. 9). Crowns or chaplets\nof flowers were worn in ancient times on occasions of festivity and\nrejoicing; comp. Apocryp. Wisdom, ii. 7, 8. Conjugal life being\nregarded as the most happy, it became a custom among the Jews, as well\nas among other nations, to put crowns on the heads of the newly-married\npeople. Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. iv. 196. \u201cIn the Greek Church in Egypt,\u201d\nsays Maillet, \u201cthe parties are placed before a reading-desk on which is\nthe book of the Gospels, having two crowns upon it of flowers, cloth,\nor tinsel. The priest, after benedictions and prayers, places one on\nthe bridegroom\u2019s, the other on the bride\u2019s head, covering both with a\nveil.\u201d (See also Talmud, Sotha, ix. 14; Selden, Uxor. Hebr. II. xv.\n139; I. F. Hirt, de Coronis apud Hebraeos nuptialibus sposi sposaeque).\nThe Jews still call the bridegroom \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e, and the bride \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e. The\ndesign of Solomon in putting on this crown is evidently to dazzle the\nrustic girl. The arrival and entrance of the royal train in the\ncapital, recorded in verses 6\u201311, evidently show that the circumstances\nnarrated in the preceding sections took place out of Jerusalem, and\nthat the apartments into which the king brought the damsel, as stated\nin ch. i. 4, were not in the capital, but, as we see from ch. vi. 11,\n12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite\u2019s home. The abnormal \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e\nis here intentionally used instead of the normal \u200f\u05e6\u05b5\u05d0\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to correspond\nin form with \u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e; just as \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, entrance (Ezek. xliii. 11), is\nemployed instead of \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05d0\u200e, to correspond with \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, see also Jer. l.\n20; Ezek. xvi. 50; infra, viii. 5; Gesen. \u00a7 59, Rem. 3; Ewald, \u00a7 118 d.\nThe female inhabitants of the town are designedly called \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e6\u05b4\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e,\nto distinguish them from the \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, which is the appellation\nof the court ladies.\n\n1. Behold, thou art, &c. The shepherd, who had followed afar off the\nroyal train in which his beloved was conveyed to the capital, obtains\nan interview with her, and is now addressing her. Thine eyes are doves;\nsee supra, i. 15. Thy hair is like a flock of goats, i.e. the tresses,\ndangling from the crown of her head, are as beautiful as Mount Gilead\ncovered with the shaggy herd. The hair of Oriental goats is exceedingly\ndelicate, soft (Gen. xxvii. 16), long, and black (1 Sam. xix. 13); and\nwhen the sun shines upon it, reflects such a glare that the eye can\nhardly bear the lustre (see Boch. Hieroz. i. 2, 51. Rosenm\u00fcller,\nOrient. i. 85). \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d3\u200e is the name of a chain of limestone mountains\nbeyond Jordan, intersected by numerous valleys (Gen. xxxi. 21; Jer. l.\n19). This ridge extends over the regions inhabited by the tribes of\nReuben, Gad, and the northern part of Manasseh (Numb. xxxii. 40; Deut.\niii. 13; Josh. xvii. 1\u20136). It was famous for its luxuriant verdure,\naromatic simples, and rich pastures; and hence attracted the flocks\n(Numb. xxxii. 1); and animals from this region were regarded as of a\nsuperior quality, like gold from Ophir. Nothing, therefore, could more\nbeautifully express the curly hair of a woman, dangling down from the\ncrown of her head, than the sight, at a distance, of a flock of goats\nrunning down from the summit of this verdant hill on a beautiful day.\n\u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e (from \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, i.q. Chald. \u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05e6\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to bind, to twine, to\nveil), is well explained by Rashbam, \u200f\u05e2\u05e0\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d5\u05de\u05e2\u05d8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0\u200e, a kind of\ncover, or veil; so Sym., Sept., Isa. xlvii. 2, Michaelis, D\u00f6pke,\nGesenius, De Wette, Lee, Percy, Williams, Hitzig, &c. The rendering of\nthe Sept. here, \u1f10\u03ba\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03b9\u03c9\u03c0\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03ce\u03c2 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, behind thy silence, which is\nfollowed by the Syriac and Arabic, is both contrary to the etymology of\nthe word, and meaningless. The other translations, viz. locks (Auth.\nVers., Ewald), a plait of hair (Hengstenberg), cannot be substantiated.\nThe word \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult\ninterpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has\nhere \u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03cd\u03c6\u03b8\u03b7\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd, and vi. 5, \u1f00\u03bd\u03b5\u03c6\u03ac\u03bd\u03b7\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd, the Syriac \u0723\u0720\u0730\u0729\u200e, the Vulg.\nhere ascenderunt, and vi. 5, apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in\ntheir interpretations. Rashi explains it \u200f\u05e9\u05e0\u05e7\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5\u200e, that make bare, i.e.\nquit or descend the mountain. Ibn Ezra, \u200f\u05e9\u05e0\u05e9\u05e7\u05e4\u05d5\u200e, which look down;\nRashbam, \u200f\u05e9\u05e0\u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u200e, which are seen, i.e. while coming down from the\nmount. Modern commentators are not less at variance. Luther translates\nit shorn; Houbigant, which hang down; Kleuker, Ewald, which shows\nitself; D\u00f6pke, Gesenius, Hitzig, Philippson, which lie down; Magnus,\nwhich climb up; Percy, Hengstenberg, which come up, i.e. from\nJerusalem. Amidst these conflicting opinions, it appears best to take\n\u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, like its kindred \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, in the sense of rolling down, running\ndown; see F\u00fcrst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning accords best with the\ncomparison here used, and leaves to the preposition \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e its natural\nsignification. The omission of \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u200e in the Sept., Arabic, and a few\nMSS., is evidently owing to the carelessness of a transcriber.\n\n2. Thy teeth, &c. The compliment passed upon the black hair is followed\nby another on the white teeth: \u201cThy teeth resemble in whiteness woolly\nsheep just washed.\u201d This comparison will appear more striking when we\nremember that the wool of Scripture is proverbial for its whiteness,\nand is placed in juxtaposition with the colour of snow, Isa. i. 18;\nDan. vii. 9; Rev. i. 14; Book of Enoch xlvi. 1. The Sept., which is\nfollowed by many modern commentators, takes the comparison to be\nbetween the shorn skin of the sheep and the teeth; but this is\nuntenable. For, 1. The skin of shorn sheep can never have the whiteness\nwhich the context here demands; 2. Shorn sheep would yield a very\nincongruous figure, if teeth were compared with them; 3. Sheep, as now,\nwere generally washed before and not after they were shorn; 4. The\npassage in vi. 6, shows that \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e is merely a poetical epithet for\n\u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b5\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, not because they were then shorn, but because they are\nperiodically shorn. The explanation of \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e by well numbered\n(Rashi), or by \u200f\u05d9\u05e9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05df \u05de\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d7\u05ea \u05db\u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d7\u05e6\u05d1\u05ea \u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05d7\u05ea \u05db\u05de\u05d5 \u05d7\u05d1\u05e8\u05ea\u05d4\u200e, same size\n(Kimchi, Ibn Ezra), are against vi. 6.\n\nAll of which are paired. That is, each upper tooth has its\ncorresponding lower one; thus they, as it were, appear in pairs, like\nthis flock of white sheep, each of which keeps to its mate, as they\ncome up from the washing-pool. And no one of them is deprived of its\nfellow, i.e. no tooth is deprived of its corresponding one, just as\nnone of the sheep is bereaved of its companion. The Hiphil of \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to\nbe double, to be pairs (Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29), is to make double,\nto make pairs, to appear paired. \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e is deprived, bereaved, Jer.\nxviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in \u200f\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, referring to\n\u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e form a\nparanomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e by \u200f\u05db\u05dc\u05dd \u05d9\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05ea\n\u05ea\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, all bearing twins (Kimchi, &c.), which some try to justify by\nsubmitting that sheep as well as goats in the East frequently bear\ntwins (Arist. Hist. Anim. i. 6, 19; Theocret. i. 25; iii. 34), is\nincompatible with the figure. The teeth surely, which are here compared\nto the flock, cannot be said to bear twins like the sheep. Those who\nattempt to get over this difficulty by referring it to the rows of the\nteeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing a new subject.\n\n3. Thy mouth is lovely. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e is translated by the Sept., Syriac,\nVulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, speech, language; but this is\nincompatible with the description here given, which depicts the members\nof the body, and not their actions. It is therefore more consonant with\nthe context to take \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e as a poetical expression for the instrument\nof speech; not the tongue (Schultens, Kleuker, D\u00f6pke), which is kept\nwithin the mouth, and not when put out (\u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4\u200e) beautiful; but the\nmouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenm\u00fcller, Meier,\nPhilippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates it voice), and\nof Hitzig (who translates it palate), that the rendering of mouth would\nproduce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and\nthese have already been described, is gratuitous: for an individual may\nhave lips like scarlet, and yet not have a lovely mouth. The \u200f\u05de\u200e in\n\u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e, added to the root \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to speak, in order to form the noun,\ndenotes the instrument with which one speaks: compare \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d6\u05b0\u05dc\u05b5\u05d2\u200e, an\ninstrument with which to draw out = a fork, from \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d2\u200e, to draw out;\n\u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, an instrument for opening = a key, from \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, to open, Gesen.\n\u00a7 84, 14; Ewald, \u00a7 160, 6. This corroborates the rendering we defended.\n\nLike a part of, &c. That is, the rosy cheeks visible beneath the veil\nresemble the vermilioned part of the pomegranate. Eastern poets\nfrequently compare the colour of the cheeks with pomegranates and\napples. Thus in a Persian ode quoted by Sir William Jones: \u201cThe\npomegranate brings to my mind the blushes of my beloved, when her\ncheeks are covered with a modest resentment:\u201d and Ibn Challecan, as\nadduced by Magnus in loco: \u201cBelievest thou that the apple can divert my\nlooks from thee, when I behold thy cheeks?\u201d Ibn Ezra, who is followed\nby some modern commentators, explains \u200f\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u200e by \u200f\u05e6\u05d9\u05e5 \u05d4\u05e8\u05de\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05d0\u05d3\u05d5\u05dd\u200e, the\nred flower of the pomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39,\nwhere the root \u200f\u05e4\u05dc\u05d7\u200e is used for dissecting fruit, and 1 Sam. xxx. 12.\nOthers again take the simile to be between the interior of the\npomegranate, when cut or burst open, and the cheeks; but this being\nflat would by no means represent the round form of the coloured cheek\nhere referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and\nbeautiful, according to Rashi\u2019s explanation of \u200f\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, viz. \u200f\u05d7\u05e6\u05d9 \u05e8\u05de\u05d5\u05df\n\u05e9\u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e5 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d3\u05d5\u05dd\u200e, that external half of the pomegranate which is red,\none half of the pomegranate being brown, and the other beautifully\nvermilioned, intermixed with yellow and white; and it is to the latter\npart to which reference is here made. So the Sept. \u03bb\u03ad\u03c0\u03c5\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd, the peel,\nor the external. Rashbam, D\u00f6pke, Hitzig.\n\n4. Thy neck is like, &c. That is, \u201cThe erect and bold carriage of thy\nneck, decked with ornaments, resembles that high, commanding tower,\nadorned with trophies.\u201d Though the text supplies us with no clue for\nfinding out what tower this was, yet the comparison implies that it\nmust have been one well known and celebrated for its imposing aspect\nand symmetrical proportions. Sandys (iii. 137), who is followed by\nothers, identifies this tower with some ruins still found in the\nuttermost angle of Mount Zion, which bears that name. \u200f \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e is\nrendered by the Sept. \u0398\u03b1\u03bb\u03c6\u03b9\u03ce\u03b8, as a proper name; but there is no place\nknown by such a name. Aquila has \u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c0\u03ac\u03bb\u03be\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2: so Vulg. cum\npropugnaculis, battlements, Sym. \u1f55\u03c8\u03b7, heights; but it is difficult to\ndivine how these renderings are to be made out from the form and\nmeaning of the word. The Talmud Jerushalmi, Berachoth, section 4, and\nSaadias explain it \u200f\u05ea\u05dc \u05e9\u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05dc \u05e4\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d5\u200e, an elevation towards which all\nlook, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view\nthat \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e is a compound of \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, for the suspension of\narms. But the Talmudic explanation rests upon the favourite whim of\nmaking a word of every letter. Ibn Ezra\u2019s explanation incurs the\nobjection that \u200f\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, by itself, never means swords or arms. Besides,\nit is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the\nimmediately following clause, \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05e3 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05b5\u05df \u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e. Gesenius derives it\nfrom the Arabic \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to destroy; hence \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, destructive, deadly;\npoetically, for arms. But, apart from the difficulty of making\n\u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, even according to this derivation, to mean weapons, according\nto this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the\nfigure. It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take\n\u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e as a contraction for \u200f\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e from the root \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to teach.\nThe radical \u200f\u05d0\u200e in the feeble verbs \u200f\u05e4\u05f4\u05d0\u200e, does not unfrequently fall\naway: thus \u200f\u05d5\u05b7\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for \u200f\u05d5\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d6\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, and in the same\nverb, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e for \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. \u00a7 68, 2; Ewald, \u00a7 54.\n\u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e (plur. of \u200f\u05ea\u05dc\u05e4\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, according to the analogy of \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, from\n\u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, from \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u200e), would therefore signify instruction;\nthe plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This\nderivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e by\n\u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05df \u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b9\u05d5\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, instruction of the law, and bears out the figure, and\nyields a beautiful sense. The Shulamite\u2019s neck is not compared to some\ncommon turret, but to that splendid tower which was built for a model,\nthat, as Rashbam rightly remarks, \u200f\u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e0\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05ea\u05dc\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05de\u05e0\u05d5\u200e, all\narchitects might learn their designs from it.\n\nA thousand shields, &c. It was customary to adorn the walls of towers\nand castles with all sorts of splendid arms, Ezek. xxvii. 11. The\ncastles of the maritime people, whose conquest is recorded by the\nKouyunjik bas-reliefs, and distinguished by the shields hung round the\nwalls. Layard\u2019s Nineveh, ii. 296. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05e3\u200e, thousand stands for a round,\nlarge member, Isa. xxx. 17; lx. 22; Ps. cv. 8; Eccl. vi. 6. \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, all\nkinds, all sorts, see supra, iii. 6.\n\n5. Thy bosom, &c. The point of comparison is the lovely sight which\nthese objects present. The gazelles, as we have seen (ii. 7), are the\nsymbol of beauty. To add however to their native charms, they are\nrepresented here as browzing in pasture-ground abounding with lilies.\nTo this lovely spectacle, than which nothing could be more beautiful to\nan Oriental, her breasts are compared. The explanation which Bochart,\nPatrick, Henley, Percy, Good, give of this comparison, viz. \u201cThe two\npaps rise upon the breast like lilies from the ground; among which, if\nwe conceive two red kids feeding, that were twins and perfectly alike,\nthey appeared like the nipples or teats upon the paps, to those that\nbehold them afar off,\u201d is extravagant.\n\n6. When the day cools, &c. Transported with joy at the sight of her\nbeloved shepherd, the Shulamite interrupts the praises of her personal\ncharms, which, on seeing her again, he began to pour forth, by\nexclaiming: When the day cools, that is, \u201cthis very evening, as soon as\nit gets dark, I will quit the royal abode, and go to our beautiful and\nopen country, to the flowery meads, where are found aromatic plants\ngrowing in abundance.\u201d For an explanation of the first part of this\nverse, see ii. 17, also spoken by the Shulamite. That such mountains of\nmyrrh and hills of frankincense actually existed, is evident from\nFlorus, Epitome Rerum Rom., lib. iii. c. 6., where Pompey the Great is\nsaid to have passed over Lebanon, and by Damascus, \u201cper nemora illa\nodorata, per thuris et balsami sylvas.\u201d\n\n7, 8. Thou art all beautiful, &c. Gladdened with her declaration, the\nshepherd, crowning and closing his description in the words, \u201cThou art\na perfect beauty,\u201d responds, \u201cThou shalt go with me, I will help thee\nto quit these lofty heights, the abode of lions and panthers\u2014the royal\nresidence; and safely conduct thee to the place whither thou wouldst\ngo.\u201d Lebanon is the name of a long range of mountains on the north of\nPalestine (Deut. ii. 24; Josh. i. 4), consisting of two parallel\nchains, which run from south-west to north-east. Though the Scriptures\nhave only one name, viz. Lebanon, for both these chains, yet the\npresent inhabitants of that country, as well as modern Travellers, have\nfound it convenient to call the westermost chain, facing the\nMediterranean,\u2014Lebanon; and the eastern one, facing the plain of\nDamascus,\u2014Anti-Libanus, from its being at Tyre, parallel with and\nopposite to the Syrian Lebanon. Amana, \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, is the name of the\nsouthern part of Anti-Libanus, at the root of which, it is supposed,\nissues the river of the same name; see 2 Kings v. 12. Hermon, \u200f\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b9\u05d5\u05df\u200e,\nis the name of the highest summit of a chain at the northernmost\nboundary of Palestine, and belongs also to Anti-Libanus (Josh. xi. 17;\nxiii. 5), and is now identified with Jebel-el-Sheikh. It consists of\nseveral mountains, viz. Sirion, \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, Shenir, \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, and Sion,\n\u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05d9\u05d0\u05b9\u05df\u200e; whence its plural name \u200f\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, see F\u00fcrst, Lexicon, s.v.\nLebanon, Amana, Shenir and Hermon are here not intended to denote\nvarious parts of the range of mountains, but are merely different names\nof the royal residence. The word \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is well rendered by the Sept.,\nSyriac, &c., thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Version look\nis incompatible with the context and parallelism. Surely no one would\ninvite his beloved to go with him to dangerous mountain-tops, to take a\nview of the country! Persons are generally anxious to avoid perilous\nplaces. The lions and panthers denote the king and his courtiers, Ezek.\nxix. 7; xxii. 25; Nahum ii. 12. \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, rendered spouse in the\nAuthorized Version, is taken by some to denote a newly-married woman.\nThe word however only means betrothed = a female under an engagement to\nmarry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression.\nThe Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e,\n\u03b4\u03b5\u1fe6\u03c1\u03bf, mistaking it for \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, the imp. of \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, to come. The Vulg.\nrendering of \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u200e by coronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism.\nFor the Septuagint\u2019s rendering of \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, by \u03c0\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03c2, see Introduction,\np. 21.\n\n9. Thou hast put heart into me, &c. This extraordinary amount of\nstrength and courage which he feels, to enable him to rescue her from\nthe abode of the lion, and to lead her safely home, has been infused\ninto his heart, he says, by the sight of his beloved one. So the\nAnonymous Oxford Manuscript, \u200f\u05e9\u05d1\u05e9\u05d1\u05d9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05ea\u05da \u05e0\u05ea\u05d2\u05d1\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d5\u05e0\u05d1\u05d5\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d1 \u05d7\u05d3\u05e9 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e9\n\u05dc\u05d9 \u05db\u05d7 \u05dc\u05dc\u05d7\u05dd \u05e2\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05de\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u200e. As the Piel has sometimes an intensive,\nand sometimes a privative meaning (see Gesen. \u00a7 52, 2; Ewald, \u00a7 120), a\ndifference of opinion exists as to the signification of \u200f\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d1\u200e here. The\nSept. has \u1f10\u03ba\u03ba\u03b1\u03c1\u03b4\u03af\u03c9\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u1fb6\u03c2, thou hast unhearted us; the Vulg.\nVulnerasti cor meum; Ibn Ezra, \u200f\u05dc\u05e7\u05d7\u05ea \u05dc\u05d1\u05d9\u200e, thou hast taken away my\nheart; Gesenius, De Wette, &c. adopt this rendering. Against this\nhowever it is urged, that it is incompatible with the context. The\nbeloved here accounts for his extraordinary strength and courage, which\nwould enable him to rescue his beloved one from her critical position;\nand to say, \u201cThou hast deprived me of all heart,\u201d would be a positive\ncontradiction. To be in such an unusually courageous frame, the\nindividual must have been full of heart, and not disheartened. Hence\nHerder, Ewald, D\u00f6pke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate \u200f\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, thou hast\nput heart into me; thou hast made me bold. This is confirmed by Sym.,\nSyriac, Arabic, and Chald. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my sister, does not imply that the\nbetrothed was related to her beloved, but is used as an expression of\nendearment, Prov. vii. 14; Tobit vii. 12; the Apoc. Esth. xv. 8, and\nsoror in Latin. Good\u2019s rendering of \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05b7\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e by my sister-spouse, and\nhis remark that the pronoun \u201cmy\u201d between the two substantives, being a\nuseless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous. \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e has no\nsuffix here, not because it is to be joined with \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05b9\u05ea\u05d9\u200e, but because\nthis word, like \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u200e in Chald., never takes the suffix 1 pers.; and\nversions therefore made in languages whose idioms allow of the suffix\nare right in so expressing it.\n\nWith one of thine eyes, &c. It is customary with Eastern women to\nunveil one of their eyes in conversation, in which case a part of their\nneck ornaments becomes also visible. Niebuhr, Travels in Arabia, i.\n262; see Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. Art. Veil, figure 536, and infra,\nviii. 9. The Anonymous MS., however, explains \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b7\u05d3 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e by \u200f\u05d1\u05d4\u05d1\u05d8\u05d4\n\u05d0\u05d7\u05ea \u05e9\u05d0\u05ea \u05de\u05d1\u05d8\u05ea \u05d1\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05de\u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05da\u200e, one look of thine eyes. The rendering at\nonce (Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to\nsubstitute \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea\u200e, fem., for \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b7\u05d3\u200e, mas., having evidently arisen from\ntheir anxiety to avoid the apparent incongruity of coupling a masculine\nnumeral with a feminine noun, is unnecessary. The true solution lies in\nthe fact, that members of the human body, although usually feminine,\nare most of them employed occasionally as masculine. Job xxi. 20; Zech.\niv. 10; and infra, vi. 5; Gesen. \u00a7 107, 4 b; Ewald, \u00a7 174 d. \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05e7\u05b8\u200e is\nnot look (Vulg.), nor turn (Percy, Good), nor stone (Ewald, Magnus),\nbut chain. This is evident from Judg. viii. 26, and Prov. i. 9, the\nonly two passages where this word occurs again (except as a proper\nname), and is translated by the Sept. (Judg. and Prov.) \u03ba\u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03cc\u03c2,\nnecklace, Aquila, \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03c7\u03ae\u03bb\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2, \u03c0\u03bb\u03cc\u03ba\u03b1\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2, neckband, neck-work; Sym.\n\u03ba\u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03cc\u03c2, \u1f41\u03c1\u03bc\u03af\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2, necklace; Vulg. (Judg. and Prov.) torques. So Ibn\nEzra, \u200f\u05de\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d7\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e7\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\ufb26 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05e6\u05d5\u05d0\u05e8\u200e, a kind of ornamental band, tied round\nthe neck, Rashi, Rashbam, Gesenius, De Wette, D\u00f6pke, Lee, Philippson,\nMeier, Hengstenberg, &c. The objection urged by Hitzig, that an\ninanimate ornament could not effect such great things, is obviated by a\nreference to the Book of Judith, xvi. 9, where we are informed that the\nfair one succeeded in captivating even the savage Holofernes with her\nsandals: \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c3\u03b1\u03bd\u03b4\u03ac\u03bb\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f25\u03c1\u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd \u1f40\u03c6\u03b8\u03b1\u03bb\u03bc\u1f78\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6. Besides, the\nmeaning here is, that the slightest view of her is sufficient to\ninspire him with vigour and courage. The termination \u200f\u2013\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e in \u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05bc\u05d5\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e,\nlike \u200f\u05d5\u05bc\u05df\u200e, in Syriac, forms the diminutive; and, like diminutives in\nother languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. \u00a7 86, 2, 4; Ewald,\n5, 167 a. The plur. termination \u200f\u2013\u05b8\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e in \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b2\u05d5\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e, is to be accounted\nfor on the score that the Hebrews sometimes use plural forms for\ncertain members of the body. Comp. \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, face, Gesen. \u00a7 108, 2 a;\nEwald, \u00a7 178 a.\n\n10. How sweet is thy love, &c. Here the lover tells his loved one why\nthe sight of her is so animating and emboldening. For the comparison of\nlove with wine, see i. 2, 3. The Sept., which is followed by the\nSyriac, Vulg., Arabic, and Luther, has here again \u200f\u05d3\u05b7\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u200e, thy breasts;\nbut see i. 2. The Sept. has also \u1f40\u03c3\u03bc\u1f74 \u1f31\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03af\u03c9\u03bd \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05ea\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e, for\n\u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e, evidently taken from the following verse.\n\n11. Thy lips, O my betrothed, &c. Every word which falls from her lips\nis like a drop from the honeycomb. This comparison is used in other\nparts of Scripture, and by the Greeks and Romans. Thus Prov. v. 3:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cThe harlot\u2019s lips distil honey,\n        And her palate is smoother than oil.\u201d\n\n\nTheocrit. Idyl. xx. 26:\u2014\n\n\n        \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc\u03bc\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u1fb6\u03c2 \u03b3\u03bb\u03c5\u03ba\u03b5\u03c1\u03ce\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd\u00b7 \u1f10\u03ba \u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b4\u1f72\n        \u1f14\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03b5\u03ad \u03bc\u03bf\u03b9 \u03c6\u03c9\u03bd\u1f70 \u03b3\u03bb\u03c5\u03ba\u03b5\u03c1\u03c9\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1 \u1f22 \u03bc\u03ad\u03bb\u03b9 \u03ba\u03ae\u03c1\u03c9.\n\n        \u201cMore sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,\n        Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.\u201d\n\n\nAlso Idyl. i. 146, 8, 82; Homer, Iliad, i. 249; Hor. Epist. i. 19, 44.\nThat we are to understand by distilling honey, \u201clovely words,\u201d and not\nsaliva oris osculantis, is evident from Prov. xvi. 24, where pleasant\nwords are compared to a honeycomb, and the passage already quoted, just\nas slanderous words are represented as poisons, Ps. cxl. 3.\n\nAnd the odour of thy garments, &c. The Orientals were in the habit of\nperfuming their clothes with aromatics. Thus we are told that the\ngarments of Jacob emitted a pleasant smell, Gen. xxviii. 27; Ps. xlv.\n9; Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. i. 122. In consequence of the odoriferous trees\nwhich abounded on it, Lebanon became proverbial for fragrance. Hence\nthe prophet Hosea (xiv. 7), describing the prosperous state of\nrepenting Israel, says \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b7\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, and his odour shall be as that\nof Lebanon. This passage is sufficient to show the error of the Vulg.\nin rendering \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e by sicut odor thuris, as if it were \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\n\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e. The perfumed attire which the Shulamite had on, and which the\nshepherd here praises, is evidently not the humble clothes which she\nhad brought with her, but some splendid apparel recently given to her\nby the king.\n\n12. A closed garden, &c. The trees of Lebanon, referred to at the end\nof the last verse, suggested this beautiful metaphor of a garden, under\nwhich the shepherd describes the unsullied purity and chastity of the\nShulamite. Gardens in the East were generally hedged or walled in, to\nprevent the intrusion of strangers (Isa. v. 5; Joseph. De Bell. Jud.\nvii.). From this arose the epithet, \u201cclosed garden,\u201d for a virtuous\nwoman, shut up against every attempt to alienate her affections. The\ncontrary figure is used in viii. 9; there accessibility is described as\n\u201ca door,\u201d i.e. open to seduction.\n\nA sealed fountain, &c. Another metaphor to express the same idea. The\nscarcity of water in arid countries renders fountains very valuable. To\nsecure them against the encroachment of strangers, the proprietors\nformerly fastened their fountains with some ligament, and the\nimpression of a seal upon clay, which would quickly harden in the sun,\nthat would soon dissolve wax. This mode of rendering pits safe is found\nin Dan. vi. 18; Matt. xxvii. 66. A fountain sealed in this manner\nindicated that it was private property. Hence its metaphorical use, to\nrepresent chastity as an inaccessible fountain. It is better, with the\nSept., Syriac, Arabic, Chald., Vulg., upwards of fifty of Kennicott\u2019s\nMSS., and many modern commentators, to read \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05df\u200e, instead of \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u200e. This\nis confirmed by the intensive phraseology of the shepherd, used in his\naddresses, which is produced by a repetition of the same words. Comp.\nsupra, vv. 8, 9.\n\n13. Thy shoots, &c. Having compared his loved one to a garden, the\nshepherd is anxious to show that the one she resembled is not of an\nordinary character. It is an orchard full of the most costly trees, and\nproducing the most delicious fruit. \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e, well rendered by the Sept.\n\u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5: and Kimchi, \u200f\u05d4\u05ea\u05e4\u05e9\u05d8\u05d5\u05ea\u200e, thy shoots, branches (Gen. xlix.\n21; Ps. lxxx. 12) is figuratively used for the members of the body, and\nnot for \u201cthe children who shall spring from her,\u201d as Hodgson supposes.\n\u200f\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05bc\u05e1\u200e, found elsewhere only Eccl. ii. 5; Neh. ii. 8, has been derived\nby some from the Persian, and by others from the Sanscrit. There is no\nnecessity, however, for seeking its etymology in other languages. The\nHebrews, who had gardens at so early a period, would surely not borrow\nnames for them from other nations. \u200f\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05bc\u05e1\u200e, according to the analogy of\nthe quadriliteral \u200f\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d6\u200e, is a compound of \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05d3\u200e, to divide, and \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05e1\u200e,\nto separate, to enclose; hence a protected, an enclosed place, a\ngarden. This is corroborated by the fact that \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05df\u200e, a garden, is also\nderived from a root (\u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05df\u200e), which means to separate, to enclose.\nCompare also the German and English, G\u00e4rten, garden, and Saalsch\u00fctz,\nArch\u00e4ologie der Hebr\u00e4er, vol. i. p. 117. And like many other Hebrew\nexpressions, this word was adopted in other languages. \u200f\u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\npomegranate-trees: the Hebrews frequently use the same expression to\ndenote the tree and its fruit, see supra, ii. 3. \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, i.q.\n\u200f\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d9\u05b0 \u05de\u05b6\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u200e, precious fruits: when a compound idea is to be expressed in\nthe plural, the governed noun only is often put in the plural form;\ne.g. \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, ancestral houses, Numb. i. 2; Gesen. \u00a7 108, 3. The\nprecious fruits are those of the pomegranate-tree. The words \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05b4\u05dd\n\u05e0\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, are still genitives to \u200f\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05bc\u05e1\u200e. For \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u200e, and \u200f\u05e0\u05b5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u200e, see supra,\ni. 12, 13.\n\n14. Nard and crocus, &c. Both the ancient versions and modern\ncommentators generally agree that by the word \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\ufb26\u200e, which occurs only\nhere, the well-known saffron plant is meant. Calamus (\u200f\u05e7\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, reed, also\nwritten \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e9\u05b5\u05b9\u05c1\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05e7\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d8\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u200e, sweet calamus, Exod. xxx. 23; Jer.\nvi. 20, \u03ba\u03ac\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03cc\u03c2, Calamus odoratus), was well known and\nhighly prized among the ancients, and was imported to Palestine from\nIndia (Jer. vi. 20; xxvii. 19); it was, however, also found in the\nvalley of Mount Lebanon, (Polyb. v. 46; Strabo, xvi. 4). It has a\nreed-like stem, of a tawny colour, much jointed, breaking into\nsplinters, and its hollow reed filled with pitch, like the web of a\nspider. The best, which, according to Pliny (Hist. Nat. xii. 12 or 48),\ngrows in Arabia, diffuses around a very agreeable odour, and is soft to\nthe touch (see Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto,\nCyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Cinnamon (\u200f\u05e7\u05b4\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, \u03ba\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd, Laurus cinnamomum),\nindigenous to Ceylon in the East Indies, and is called by the natives\nKaronda-gouhah; it is now, however, also cultivated on the Malabar\ncoast, in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, in China and Cochin-China.\nThe cinnamon-tree, which grows on the coast, is generally about twenty\nor thirty feet high, and reaches a still greater height in groves: it\nis adorned with numerous boughs, bearing oval and laurel-like leaves,\nof a scarlet colour when young, but changing to bright green, and\ngrowing to the length of from four to six inches when matured, and\nputting forth whitish blossoms, which ripen into fruit, resembling\nthose of the juniper-tree in June: the fruit, though possessing neither\nthe smell nor the taste of the cinnamon, when boiled secretes an oil,\nwhich, after cooling, becomes hard, white, and fragrant. The wood\nitself, which is white, inodorous, and soft as fir, is used for a\nvariety of purposes. It is the rind which, when peeled off and dried in\nthe sun, yields the much-valued cinnamon. (See Rosenm\u00fcller, Bibl. Bot.;\nWiner, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Aloe (\u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05dc\u200e, \u1f08\u03bb\u03bf\u03ae.\nJohn xix. 39. \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c7\u03bf\u03bd, \u03be\u03c5\u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03ae, arbor alois), a tree which grows in\nIndia and the Moluccas, the wood of which is highly aromatic. The stem\nof this tree is as thick as a man\u2019s thigh; the top is adorned with a\nbunch of thick and indented leaves, broad below, and narrowing\ngradually towards the point, and are about four feet long: its\nblossoms\u2014which are red, intermixed with yellow, and double like a\npink\u2014yield the pod, producing a red and white fruit, about the size of\na pea. This tree, in consequence of its singularly beautiful appearance\nand odoriferous wood, which is used as a perfume, is very gratifying\nboth to the sight and smell, and is held by the Indians in sacred\nveneration. (See Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.) \u200f\u05e8\u05b9\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1\u200e,\nhead metaph., chief, most excellent. Exod. xxx. 23; Ps. cxxxvii. 6;\nEzek. xxvii. 22.\n\n15. With a garden-fountain, &c. To finish the picture of this charming\ngarden, the shepherd introduces into it fountains, streams, rills, and\ncooling breezes, to rouse and waft the balmy fragrance through its\ndelightful retreats. The fact that the Shulamite has been called a\nsealed fountain proves that this verse is not descriptive of her. For\nit would be contradictory to call her in one verse a sealed fountain,\nand in the other a stream flowing from Lebanon, i.e. an open stream.\n\u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05d9\u05b7\u05df \u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e a fountain of gardens, i.e. a fountain belonging to\ngardens, usually found in gardens to irrigate them. \u200f\u05e0\u05b9\u05d6\u05b0\u05dc\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, a part.\nnoun plur., denoting flowing streams. The \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e indicates the place\nwhence these streams issue. \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e living water, i.e. perennial;\nwaters, gushing forth from fountains, or moving along, appear as if\nthey were living; whilst those in a stagnant condition seem dead. Gen.\nxxvi. 19; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiv. 8; see also \u1f55\u03b4\u03c9\u03c1 \u03b6\u1ff6\u03bd, Rev. vii. 17,\nand flumen vivum, Virg. \u00c6n. ii. 719.\n\n16. Arise, O north wind! These are still the words of the shepherd,\nwho, to complete the picture, invokes the gentle breezes to perflate\nthis paradise. Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Williams, Good, Ewald, Delitzsch,\nPhilippson, &c., take this clause to begin her reply; but this is\nincompatible with the figure. She herself, and not anything separate,\nhas been described as this charming garden. She could, therefore, not\nsay \u201cblow through MY garden\u201d (\u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e), which would imply that this\ngarden of hers was something apart from her person. Moreover, the\nexpression \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, his garden, which she uses, shows that \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, my\ngarden, is spoken by him. So Rashi, D\u00f6pke, Magnus, Hitzig, &c. That the\nsouth and north winds are merely poetical designations for a gale\ngenerally, without any particular reference to the peculiarities of the\nwind when blowing from these respective regions is evident from a\ncomparison of Numb. xi. 31 with Ps. lxxviii. 26. This does away with\nthe conflicting conjectures which have been hazarded, to account for\nthe invocation of the wind from these opposite quarters of the earth.\n\u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e and \u200f\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b8\u05df\u200e, prop. the north and southern quarters, are\npoetically used, \u200f\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e6\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, and \u200f\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b8\u05df\u200e, the north and south wind.\nPs. lxviii. 26. \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, spices, here their odours.\n\nLet my beloved come, &c. The Shulamite, continuing this beautiful\napostrophe, responds: \u201cIf my person really resembles such a paradise,\nthis garden is yours; yours are all its productions.\u201d \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e,\nliterally the fruit of his deliciousness, i.e. his delicious fruit.\nWhen a compound idea is expressed by one noun followed by another in\nthe genitive, a suffix which refers to this whole idea is sometimes\nappended to the second of the two nouns. Comp. \u200f\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, his silver\nidols, Isa. ii. 20; Gesen. \u00a7 129, b; Ewald, \u00a7 291, b; \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05df\u200e being of a\ncommon gender, the suffix in \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e may either refer to garden, or to\nbeloved; it is more in keeping with the construction to refer it to the\nbeloved, just as the suffix in \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e refers to him. The fruit is the\nbeloved\u2019s because the garden is his, and therefore he may enjoy it.\n\n1. I am coming into my garden, &c. The shepherd, as he embraces his\nbeloved, expresses his unbounded delight in her charms. The perfect\nforms, \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05db\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, are used for the present, Gesen.\n\u00a7 126.\n\nEat, O friends, &c. Some sympathizing court ladies, at a distance,\nseeing the mutual happiness of the lovers, urge them to take their fill\nof delight. The explanation of Rashbam and others, that this address is\nto the companions of the beloved to partake of a friendly meal; or, as\nothers will have it, that it is an invitation to the marriage feast, is\nagainst the context. The expression \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, eat ye, must be taken in\nthe same sense as \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05db\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, I eat; and it would be most incongruous to\nsuppose that the beloved, who enjoys the charms of his loved one, would\ncall on his friends to do the same. Dr. Geddes, who is followed by Dr.\nGood, alters the text into \u200f\u05d0\u05db\u05dc \u05e8\u05e2\u05d9 \u05e9\u05ea \u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u200e, Eat, O my friend!\ndrink, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved! and puts it into the mouth\nof the Shulamite; thus making it an answer to what the beloved said in\nthe preceding clause. But such conjectural emendations ought to be\nrepudiated. It is most in accordance with the context to take these\nwords as an epiphonema of some sympathizing court ladies. The\nparallelism and the accents require us to take \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e as a concrete,\nsynonymous with \u200f\u05e8\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, friends; so the Sept., Vulg., Syr., Rashbam,\nIbn Ezra, Rashi, Mendelssohn, &c.\n\n2. I was sleeping, &c. The sympathies manifested by some of the court\nladies for the Shulamite, at the close of the last section, encourage\nher to relate to them a dream which she recently had. The purpose of\nthis narration is the description of the shepherd to which it leads,\nand which is necessary to the completion of the whole drama. \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e,\nlike the participle form generally, may be used to express all the\nrelations of time. Comp. \u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05db\u05bb\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, for all were sleeping, 1 Sam.\nxxvi. 12; 1 Kings iii. 20. Gesen. \u00a7 134, 1; Ewald, \u00a7 306 d. \u200f\u05dc\u05b5\u05d1\u200e,\nheart, here the seat of thought. The Hebrews regarded the heart, not\nonly as the seat of the passions, but also of the intellectual\nfaculties of the mind. The whole clause is merely another way of saying\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, Gen. xli. 17. The circumlocution is chosen in preference to\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, to indicate that the powers under which the exhausted frame\nsuccumbed, could not keep her mind from dwelling upon the object of her\naffections. \u200f\u05e7\u05b9\u05dc\u200e, hark; vide supra, ii. 8. \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05e4\u05b5\u05e7\u200e is best taken with the\nSept., Syriac, Vulg., and many modern commentators, as a separate\nclause, he is knocking. The Sept. adds \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03b8\u03cd\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd, at the door,\nafter \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05e4\u05b5\u05e7\u200e, he is knocking.\n\nOpen to me, &c. She introduces him speaking. To make his request the\nmore urgent, he pleads that he had been drenched with dew. The dew\nfalls so copiously in the East, during certain months, that it\nsaturates the clothes like rain. See Judges vi. 38; Rosenm\u00fcller,\nOrient. i. 122; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A similar passage occurs in\nAnacreon, iii. 10, where love is represented as standing at night\nbehind the door, begging for admittance, and pleading the same excuses.\n\n\n        \u1f0c\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03b3\u03b5, \u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03af\n        \u0392\u03c1\u03ad\u03c6\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03af, \u03bc\u1f74 \u03c6\u03cc\u03b2\u03b7\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9\n        \u0392\u03c1\u03ad\u03c7\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b4\u03ad, \u03ba\u1f00\u03c3\u03ad\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd\n        \u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03bd\u03cd\u03ba\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9.\n\n        \u201c\u2018Fear not,\u2019 said he, with piteous din,\n        \u2018Pray ope the door and let me in:\n        A poor unshelter\u2019d boy am I,\n        For help who knows not where to fly:\n        Lost in the dark, and with the dews,\n        All cold and wet, that midnight brews.\u2019\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Propert. i. 16, 23; Ovid Amor. ii. 19, 21. \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my\nperfect one, is well explained by Rosenm\u00fcller by \u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05da\u05b0\u200e, there is\nno fault in thee, iv. 7; 2 Sam. xiv. 25.\n\n3. I have put off my tunic; was the answer she gave in her dream.\n\u200f\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05ea\u05b9\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05ea\u200e, \u03c7\u03b9\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd, tunic, is an inner garment, commonly of linen,\ndescending to the ankles, which is taken off when one retires. On the\ncostume of the Hebrews, see Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. ii. 19; Winer, Bib.\nDict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.; Saalsch\u00fctz, Arch\u00e4ologie der\nHebr\u00e4er, vol. i. c. 2.\n\nI have washed my feet, &c. In the East, where people wear sandals,\nwhich protect the soles only, or go barefoot, as in the passage before\nus, the feet soon get dirty and parched; it is therefore essential and\nrefreshing to wash the feet after much walking (Gen. xviii. 4; xix. 2),\nor before retiring to rest: remembering this, we can appreciate the\nhospitality shown to travellers in providing for the washing of their\nfeet, Judges xix. 21. On the masculine suffix in \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d8\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, referring to\nthe feminine \u200f\u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, see iv. 9.\n\n4. My beloved withdrew his hand, &c. Hearing her excuses for not\ngetting up, he at last grew weary and ceased knocking, which\nimmediately caused her uneasiness. The words \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9 \u05de\u05b4\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e are\nbetter translated, he sent away his hand from the hole = withdrew; so\nthe Sept. and Rashbam, \u200f\u05d4\u05d4\u05d6\u05d9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d5 \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d1\u05d3\u05dc\u05ea\u200e, he took his hand\nback from the hole in the door. The expression \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, like \u200f\u05e8\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\nhas not the modern sense of bowels, which is restricted to the lower\nviscera, but denotes, like \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c3\u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03b3\u03c7\u03bd\u03b1 in Greek, the upper viscera,\ncomprising the heart, lungs, liver, &c. Hence it is used for the heart\nalone as the seat of passion, Isa. lxiii. 15; Jer. xxxi. 20; and for\n\u200f\u05e0\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, soul, Job xxx. 27; Ps. xl. 9. \u200f\u05d4\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, to hum, to make a noise,\nwhich is frequently used for the roaring produced by the waves of the\ntroubled sea (Isa. li. 15; Ps. xlvi. 4; Jer. v. 22), is employed to\ndenote the motion of an agitated heart. With upwards of fifty MSS. and\nseveral editions we read \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, in me, instead of \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, to him; the\nphrase thus exactly corresponds to \u200f\u05ea\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4\u05b1\u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u200e, Ps. xlii. 6, 12.\n\n5. My hands dropped with myrrh, &c. Alarmed at his ceasing to knock,\nshe flew at once to open the door, and in trying to unfasten it, her\nhands came in contact with the liquid myrrh which her beloved had\npoured upon the bolts, and which dropped from her fingers. So Immanuel,\n\u200f\u05db\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e8\u05e6\u05ea\u05d9 \u05dc\u05e4\u05ea\u05d7 \u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05e0\u05d2\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d1\u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e0\u05d2\u05e2 \u05d1\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05db\u05e9\u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d5 \u05de\u05df\n\u05d4\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e0\u05ea\u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05e7\u05d1\u05dc\u05d5 \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d7 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d3 \u05e9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u200e Lovers, in\nancient times, whilst suing for admission, used to ornament the door\nwith wreaths, and perfume it with aromatics. Thus Lucretius, iv. 1171,\n\n\n        At lacrimans exclusus amator limina s\u00e6pe\n        Floribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbos\n        Unguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.\n\n        \u201cThen, too, the wretched lover oft abroad\n        Bars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,\n        Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumes\n        Bathing the splendid portals, and around\n        Scattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Tibul. i. 2, 14. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, D\u00f6pke,\nRosenm\u00fcller, Philippson, &c.; Rashbam however is of opinion that the\nliquid myrrh which distilled from the Shulamite\u2019s hand, was the perfume\nwith which she had anointed herself after washing. Whilst Percy\nsupposes that \u201cshe got up in such haste, that she spilt upon her hand\nthe vessel of liquid myrrh, which she had brought to anoint and refresh\nhis head, after having been exposed to the inclemencies of the night.\u201d\n\u200f\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05e8\u200e, liquid myrrh, see i. 2; and not, as Le Clerc erroneously\nsupposes, current myrrh, that kind of myrrh which is most passable in\ntraffic. The Vulg. has, Et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima,\nevidently mistaking the prep. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e for \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, and takes the words\n\u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e over to the following verse, Pessulum ostii mei aperui\ndilecto meo.\n\n6. My beloved had withdrawn, &c. To her great grief she found, when\nopening, that her beloved had gone. The asyndeton \u200f\u05d7\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e7 \u05e2\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8\u200e is very\nexpressive, and the use of the two synonymous terms strengthens the\nsense. This figure, which is effected by the omission of the\nconjunctive particle, is used in animated descriptions, both by sacred\nand profane writers. Comp. \u03a3\u03b9\u03ce\u03c0\u03b1, \u03c0\u03b5\u03c6\u03af\u03bc\u03c9\u03c3\u03bf, Mark iv, 39. Winer, New\nTestament Gram. \u00a7 66, 4. The phrase \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e0\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, properly denoting the\ndeparture of the soul from the body, (Gesen. xxxv. 18; Ps. cxlvi. 4,)\nlike \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0 \u05dc\u05b5\u05d1\u200e, is used to express the momentary loss of the senses,\ni.e. to faint. \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, in his speaking, i.e. when he had spoken of it,\n(Judg. viii. 3; 1 Sam. xvii. 28), i.e. of his going away: so Rashi,\n\u200f\u05e9\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d0\u05dc \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u05da \u05db\u05d9 \u05de\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05dc\u05e4\u05ea\u05d5\u05d7\u200e, \u201cBecause he said I will\nnot now enter thy house, for thou didst at first refuse to open me,\u201d\nand Immanuel, \u200f\u05e0\u05e4\u05e9\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05da \u05dc\u05d3\u05e8\u05db\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e4\u05ea\u05d7\u05ea\u05d9\n\u05d4\u05d3\u05dc\u05ea\u200e. \u201cMy soul departed when he told me, Now I am going away, because\nthou wouldst not open me the door.\u201d We must employ a finite verb with a\nconjunction to express in English the Hebrew construction of the\ninfinitive with a preposition, and the relation of time must be\ngathered from the connection, Gesen. \u00a7 132, 2, 3.\n\n7. The watchmen who patrol the city, &c. That the seeking and calling\nmentioned in the last verse were not confined to the door, is evident\nfrom this verse. \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e are again an asyndeton. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u200e,\nwhich occurs only once more, Is. iii. 23, is a kind of veil-garment,\nwhich Oriental ladies still wear, and denotes more properly an out-door\ncloak. See Schroeder, Vestit. Mul. p. 368; Gesen. on Isa. iii. 23;\nWiner, Bib. Dict. s.v.; Saalsch\u00fctz, Arch\u00e4ologie der Hebr\u00e4er, vol. i. p.\n28.\n\n8. I adjure you, &c. Having mentioned the indifference with which she\nhad treated her beloved, the Shulamite is anxious to impress upon the\ncourt-ladies that this was in a dream, and that in reality, so far from\nher affections being abated, she was as dotingly attached to him as\never; and begs of them, if they should see him, to tell him so. For the\nmasculine termination in \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05e6\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, see ii. 7. We must\nsupply \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, tell him, after \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d4 \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, what will you tell\nhim? The omission is designedly made, to give animation to the request.\nThe emendation proposed by Houbigant, to read \u200f\u05d4\u05d2\u05d9\u05d3\u05e0\u05d5\u200e, instead of\n\u200f\u05d7\u05d2\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u200e, is gratuitous, like all his emendations. The Sept. adds \u1f10\u03bd\n\u03c4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f30\u03c3\u03c7\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f00\u03b3\u03c1\u03bf\u1fe6, \u201cby the powers, and by\nthe virtues of the field,\u201d the false rendering of \u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\n\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c2\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, from the preceding formula of adjuration.\n\n9. What is thy beloved, &c. The great solicitude manifested by the\nShulamite for her beloved, induces the court ladies to ask what\npeculiar attractions there were in him more than in an ordinary lover,\nto cause such an unusual manifestation of feeling, and thus an\nopportunity is afforded her to give a description of him. It is evident\nfrom this question of the court ladies that Solomon is not the beloved\nof whom the Shulamite has been speaking in the preceding verses. For\nsurely these court ladies knew the aspect and character of Solomon\nbetter than the Shulamite. This is, moreover, established beyond doubt\nfrom ch. vi. 2, 3, where the damsel, at the end of the description,\ndesignedly states that the object of her delineation and attachment, is\nthe shepherd. The particle \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e, prefixed to \u200f\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u200e, with which the\ncomparison is made, expresses the comparative, Gesen. \u00a7 191, 1. For\n\u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, see i. 8, and for the form \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, Ewald, \u00a7 249, d.\n\n10. My beloved is white, &c. The Shulamite answers this question by\ngiving a very graphic description of her beloved. The colour of his\ncountenance and body is such a beautiful mingling of white and red as\nis seldom seen, and by which he is distinguished above thousands. A\nsimilar description is found in Virg. \u00c6n. xii. 65, seq.\n\n\n        Flagrantes perfusa genas: cui plurimus ignem\n        Subjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.\n        Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro,\n        Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia mult\u00e2\n        Alba ros\u00e2; tales virgo dabat ore colores.\n\n        \u201cAt this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;\n        A crimson blush her beauteous face o\u2019erspread.\n        Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.\n        The driving colours, never at a stay,\n        Run here and there, and flush and fade away.\n        Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,\n        Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;\n        Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Ovid. Am. ii.; Eleg. v. 39; Hor. Od. i. 13, v. 2; iv. 10; v.\n4; Tibul. Eleg. III, 4; vv. 29, 30. \u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, bright, white; compare Lam.\niv. 7, where it stands in parallelism with \u200f\u05d6\u05b7\u05da\u05b0\u200e, clear; from the same\npassage we also see that the predicates \u200f\u05e6\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, white, and \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, red,\nare not restricted to the countenance, but refer to all the parts of\nthe body which the Oriental costume left exposed, to the carnation as\nit were of the picture. \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e denom. from \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05b6\u05dc\u200e, banner; prop. to be\nfurnished with a banner, i.e. his singular beauty renders him as\ndistinguished above multitudes, just as a standard-bearer is marked\nabove all other soldiers. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05df\u200e, more, above, vide supra, ver. 9, \u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e\nindefinitely for a large number, see Gesen. xxiv. 60.\n\n11. His head is as pure gold. That is of consummate excellency. Having\ncharacterized his whole person as charming, the Shulamite describes the\nbeauty of the individual parts of his body, and begins with his head.\nGold is frequently used, both in Scripture and in profane writers, to\ndenote consummate excellency and beauty. Thus the illustrious\npersonages are called gold and fine gold in Lam. iv. 1; and Theocritus\n(Idyl. iii. 28.) calls the beautiful Helen golden. The words \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd \u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e\nare variously rendered. The Sept. has \u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03c6\u03ac\u03b6, gold of Cephaz,\nAquila and Sym. \u03bb\u03af\u03b8\u03b5\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03c5, so the Syriac \u0712\u0710\u0726\u0737\u0710 \u0715\u0715\u0730\u0717\u0712\u0733\u0710\u200e, a\nprecious stone of gold. The Chald. has \u200f\u05d3\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1 \u05d8\u05b8\u05d1\u200e; so the Vulg. aurum\noptimum. The Rabbins too vary in their explanations of these words. Ibn\nEzra takes \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd\u200e to be a diadem, and \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e, precious stones. Rashi\nindefinitely \u200f\u05e1\u05d2\u05d5\u05dc\u05ea \u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, choice things, which kings treasure up.\nRashbam explains \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd\u200e by a heap of gold, and \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e by \u200f\u05d6\u05d4\u05d1 \u05de\u05d5\u05e4\u05d6\u200e, and\nsays it is called \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e, \u201cbecause its colour is like pearl.\u201d The\nmajority of modern commentators, after the Sept., Vulg., Chald., take\n\u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd\u200e as a poetical expression for gold, and derive it from \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to\nhide, to conceal; like \u200f\u05e1\u05b0\u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u200e, gold (Job. xxviii. 15), from \u200f\u05e1\u05b8\u05d2\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to\nshut up, to conceal, because precious metals are generally kept shut up\nor concealed. This meaning and derivation of the word are supported by\nthe fact that treasures and precious things are generally expressed in\nHebrew by words whose roots signify to conceal; comp. \u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e6\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, a\ntreasure (1 Kings vii. 51; xiv. 26), from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e6\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to shut up; \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d8\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, a\ntreasure, gold (Isa. liv. 2; Prov. ii. 4), from \u200f\u05d8\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05df\u200e, to hide; \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05df\u200e,\nriches (Job xx. 26), from \u200f\u05e6\u05b8\u05e4\u05b7\u05df\u200e, to conceal. As for \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e, it is\ntranslated by some purified, pure, from \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u05b7\u05d6\u200e, to separate, to purify\n(Gesenius, &c.); and by others solid, massy, from \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u05b7\u05d6\u200e, to be strong,\nsolid (Rosenm\u00fcller, &c.). But \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e never occurs as an adjective to\n\u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, or to \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u200e (\u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1 \u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05d6\u200e, 1 Kings x. 18, is a contraction of \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\n\u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05d6\u200e, comp. Jer. x. 9); the word itself invariably means gold (see\nJob xxvii. 17; Ps. xix. 11; xxi. 4; cxix. 27; Prov. viii. 19; Cant. v.\n15; Isa. xiii. 12; Lam. iv. 2.); and accordingly ought to be rendered\nso here: \u201cthy head is as gold, gold.\u201d As this, however, would produce\ntautology, it is therefore best to take \u200f\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u200e as a contraction of \u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05d6\u200e\n(a variation of \u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u200e; see Gesenius, s.v.; Henderson on Jer. x. 9,\nand Stuart on Dan. x. 5), with which this word goes together, 1 Kings\nx. 18; Jer. x. 9; Dan. x. 5. As \u200f\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05df\u200e = \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, is regarded as\nthe best gold; hence the rendering of the Vulg. aurum optimum, and\nChald. \u200f\u05d3\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1 \u05d8\u05b8\u05d1\u200e.\n\nBlack as the raven, i.e. of the purest and most jet black, so highly\nesteemed by the Orientals as well as by the classical writers. Thus\nHafiz, as quoted by Dr. Good:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cThy face is brighter than the cheek of day.\n        Blacker thy locks than midnight\u2019s deepest sway.\u201d\n\n\nAnd Ossian, Fingal, 2: \u201cHer hair was the wing of the raven.\u201d Comp. also\nAnac. xxix.; Ovid. Am. El. xiv. 9. \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, is rendered by the Sept.\n\u1f10\u03bb\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03af, the young leaves of the palm; so the Vulg. sicut elat\u00e6\npalmarum; similarly Gesenius, De Wette, &c., pendulous branches of the\npalm; but this signification does not lie in the root \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, which\nsimply means waving, hanging, or flowing down; hence \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e\n(according to the analogy of \u200f\u05d6\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05d6\u05b7\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05e1\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e1\u05b7\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, comp. Ewald, \u00a7 158,\nb) flowing curls, locks.\n\n12. His eyes, like doves, &c. The vivid and black pupils of his eyes,\nsparkling forth from the encircling lactean white, in which they are,\nas it were, bathing and sitting on the fountain of tears, resemble\ndoves bathing gaily in pellucid streams. The doves themselves, and not\ntheir eyes, are the point of comparison (vide supra, i. 15, and iv. 1.)\nDoves are very fond of bathing, and hence choose for their abode\nregions abounding with streams (Boch. Hieroz. ii. 1, c. 2.) The deep\nblue or grey dove, reflecting the lustrous dark hue about its neck when\nbathing in the limpid brook, suggested this beautiful simile. A similar\nfigure occurs in the Gitagovinda: \u201cThe glances of her eyes played like\na pair of water-birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full-blown\nlotos in a pool in the season of dew.\u201d The words \u200f\u05e8\u05b9\u05d7\u05b2\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05d7\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d1\u200e, bathing\nin milk, referring to the eyes, are descriptive of the milky white in\nwhich the black pupils of the eyes are, as it were, bathing. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea\u200e,\non the fulness, also referring to the eyes, correspond to the \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u05e7\u05b5\u05d9\n\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, by the brooks of water, which are predicated of the doves.\nHodgson\u2019s rendering of \u200f\u05d9\u05b9\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea\u200e, by \u201cand dwell among the ripe\ncorn,\u201d is absurd.\n\n13. His cheeks are like beds of balsam, &c. His round cheeks with the\npullulating beard, resemble beds growing aromatic plants. The Sept.,\nArabic, \u00c6th., Chald., read \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, the part. Piel, instead of\n\u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d2\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, which many modern commentators follow, but without MS.\nauthority. The lily here referred to is most probably the crown\nimperial, of a deep red colour, whose leaves contain an aqueous\nhumidity, which gathers itself in the form of pearls, especially at\nnoon, and distils clear and pellucid drops; see Rosenm\u00fcller, Alther,\niv. 138; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. There is, however, no necessity for\nreferring the words \u201cdistilling liquid myrrh,\u201d to the lilies. Indeed,\nit seems to be more consonant with the context, to take them as\npredicated of the lips, expressing the sweetness of his conversation.\nComp. iv. 11.\n\n14. His hands are like, &c. His rounded arms and fingers tipped with\nwell-shaped nails, as if inlaid with precious stones, resemble golden\ncylinders: and his white and smooth body, covered with a delicate blue\nvest, resembles polished ivory. \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e (from \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, to roll), a roller,\na cylinder. Kleuker, Gesenius, D\u00f6pke, &c., translate \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d2\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\n\u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03cc\u03c2, gold, and \u03bb\u03af\u03b8\u03bf\u03c2, a stone), is of a yellow or gold colour, and\npellucid. Being of a glass lustre, the chrysolite is beautifully chosen\nto represent the nails. The words \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05de\u05bb\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e refer to \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e. The\nexpression \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, prop. the internal parts of the human frame (v. 4),\nis here used for the external = the body; so Dan. ii. 32. \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea\u200e is\ntaken by most modern commentators to denote something fabricated, or\nwrought; an artificial work; thus deducing this sense from the\nsecondary meaning of \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05ea\u200e, which the Syriac (\u0725\u0730\u0712\u0715\u0733\u0710\u200e, work,) seems to\nfavour; but this is incompatible with the description here given of the\nbeloved. The Shulamite, throughout the whole of this delineation,\ndepicts the splendour and colour of the body as they dazzle the eye,\nbut makes no reference to the wondrous construction of the frame, which\ncould have been discerned only by the exercise of the intellect. It is\ntherefore better, with Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, Rashi, Rashbam, Luther, Auth.\nVersion, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Williams, Good, Hengstenberg, &c. to\ntake \u200f\u05e2\u05b6\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea\u200e, from \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05ea\u200e, in its primary meaning, to shine, to be bright,\nin the sense of brightness, polish; comp. Jer. v. 28.\n\nCovered with sapphires. These words refer to his body, and describe the\npurple tunic covering the snowy white skin. Good, Meier, &c. take it to\ndescribe the blue veins which were seen through his clear snowy skin,\nlike a sapphire stone through a thin transparent plate of ivory. But\nthis is against the meaning of \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05bb\u05dc\u05b6\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05ea\u200e, which signifies covered, and\nnot inlaid; the external covering, and not the internal seen through\nthe outer cover. Commentators are not agreed whether that which we call\nthe genuine sapphire, a transparent stone of a beautiful sky-blue\ncolour, in hardness and value next to the diamond, is meant by \u200f\u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u200e;\nor the sapphire of the ancients, which, according to Pliny, (Hist. Nat.\nxxxvii. 39; Theophrast. De Lapid. 231,) is a stone of a pure blue\ncolour, and has frequently pebble spots of a golden yellow hue, which\nwere formerly thought to be really gold, and is evidently our lapis\nlazuli, lazure-stone. As the latter does neither suit Job xxviii. 6,\nfor the lazure-stone is not very precious; nor Exod. xxviii. 18, since\nit is too soft to bear engraving, it is more probable that the real\nsapphire is meant by \u200f\u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u200e in the Scriptures. This stone is often\nfound in collections of ancient gems; see Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib. Bot. and\nMiner.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v. The Syriac, which translates\n\u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05bb\u05dc\u05b6\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05ea \u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e by \u0725\u0730\u0720 \u0721\u0730\u0726\u071a\u0733\u0710 \u0723\u0726\u073b\u071d\u0710\u0733\u0710\u200e, upon the sapphire breathing, must\nhave had another reading.\n\n15. His legs are like pillars of marble, &c. His white legs, standing\nupon beautiful feet, resemble the purest marble columns based upon\ngolden pedestals. \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e7\u200e, as Kimchi well explains it, \u200f\u05de\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05e8\u05d2\u05dc\n\u05d7\u05dc\u05d9\u05dc \u05d5\u05d9\u05d2\u05d9\u05e2 \u05e2\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\u05db\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, is that part of the limb from the knee to the\nfoot. That \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e4\u05b8\u05d6\u200e refers to his feet (Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Kleuker,\nMeier, Hitzig, &c.), and not to his sandals (Good, Williams, &c.), is\nevident from ver. 11 and 14, where the head and the hands, the visible\nparts of the body, are described as golden; and it is but natural that\nthe feet, the only remaining exposed parts, should also be described as\ngolden.\n\nHis aspect is like that of Lebanon. Having depicted the single parts of\nhis body, the Shulamite now joins them together, and presents them in\none whole, the appearance of which impresses the mind with a sense of\nbeauty and majesty, like that of Lebanon. \u201cThat goodly mountain, even\nLebanon\u201d (Deut. iii. 25), being so luxuriant in its vegetation and rich\nin scenery, appeared very beautiful and majestic at a distance.\n\u201cLebanon is a noble range of mountains, well worthy of the fame it has\nso long maintained. It is cultivated in a wonderful manner, by the help\nof terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its\neminences, more than 2,000 feet high, villages and luxuriant\nvegetation; and on some of its peaks, 6,000 feet high, we could discern\ntall pines against the clear sky beyond. At first the clouds were on\nthe lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and we saw\nTannin, which is generally regarded as the highest peak of Lebanon.\nThere is a deep ravine that seems to run up the whole way, and Tannin\nrises to the height of 10,000 feet. The rays of the setting sun gave a\nsplendid tint to the lofty brow of the mountain.\u201d\u2014Mission of Inquiry to\nthe Jews, p. 240, &c.; comp. also Isa. xxxv. 2; Rosenm\u00fcller, Alterth.\ni. 2. p. 239; Volney, Travels, i. 293.\n\nHe is distinguished as the cedars, i.e., in his stature. The lofty\ncedar, towering above all other trees, is easily distinguished from the\nrest (Ezek. xxxi. 3\u201316; Amos ii. 9). A similar comparison occurs in\nTheocritus, xviii. 30, as quoted above, i. 9. The Chald., Ewald,\nMagnus, Philippson, &c., take \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u200e for young man, youth; comp. Ruth\niii. 10; Isa. lxii. 5, \u201cA young man like the cedars;\u201d but the point of\ncomparison is lost in this case. Besides, we should then expect the\nsing. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05d6\u200e, and not the plur. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e. Moreover, 2 Kings xix. 23, and\nJer. xxii. 7, where the same phrase \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e is used, is against\nit.\n\n16. His voice is exquisitely sweet, &c. The members, after being\nanalysed separately, have been viewed as a whole; but the beautiful\nperson thus described is inanimate, like the splendid marble columns or\nthe lofty cedars, to which she had compared him. In this verse the\nShulamite represents the charms of his speech; and thus affirms his\nwhole person, bodily and mentally, as most lovely. \u201cSuch,\u201d she\ntriumphantly exclaims, \u201cis my friend; and now, ye daughters of\nJerusalem, judge for yourselves wherein my beloved is more than another\nbeloved.\u201d \u200f\u05d7\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e, prop. palate, is used for the organ of speech, and\nspeech itself, Job vi. 30; xxxi. 10; Prov. v. 3. That \u200f\u05d7\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e here does\nnot mean any part of the body, is evident from the context; for it\nwould be preposterous to recur to the palate or mouth after the whole\nperson had been described. \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e7\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e are abstracts (see i.\n2), adjectively used (Gesen. \u00a7 106, 1, Rem. 1), to give intensity to\nthe idea; comp. Gen. i. 2. \u200f\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, his whole person, bodily and\nmentally.\n\n1. Whither is thy beloved gone, &c.? The court ladies, moved by this\ncharming description, inquire of the Shulamite what direction he took,\nand offer to seek him. The word \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is omitted after \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05d5\u05d3\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e, for the\nsake of brevity and pathos. For the superlative force of \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e,\nvide supra, i. 8.\n\n2, 3. My beloved is gone down into his garden, &c. The Shulamite,\nknowing that the court ladies are anxious to induce her to transfer her\naffections to the king, replies in a vague manner, that he is gone to\nhis garden, he is not lost, nor has her affection to him abated, though\nthey are now separated, nor does she fear that his love for her is\ndiminished. This incontestably proves that the object of the damsel\u2019s\naffection, of whom she gave a description in the preceding, is not the\nking, but, as she herself tells us here most unequivocally, a shepherd.\nFor ver. 3, comp. chap. ii. 16.\n\n4. Graceful art thou, O my love, &c. Just as before (i. 9), Solomon\nmade his appearance as soon as the Shulamite inquired after her\nbeloved, so here he comes forward again when she speaks of her absent\nlover; thus endeavouring to show his own attachment to her. He\naddresses her, as before, in the most flattering terms: \u201cThou art as\ngraceful as the delectable Tirzah, as charming as the delightful\nJerusalem, as striking and conquering as an imposing army in full\nbattle array.\u201d Tirzah was the royal residence of the kings of Israel\nafter the revolt of Rehoboam, and retained that distinction till the\ntime of Omri, who built Samaria (1 Kings x. 15\u201321; xvi. 14; 2 Kings xv.\n4). It was a city of fascinating appearance, as its name, \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u200e,\ndelightful, indicates; and hence yielded a very flattering comparison.\nThe Sept. takes \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u200e as an appellative, \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f50\u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03af\u03b1; so Aquila, \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u2019\n\u03b5\u1f50\u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03af\u03b1\u03bd, Sym. \u03b5\u1f50\u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03ae\u03c4\u03b7, Syriac, \u0710\u071d\u0730\u071f \u0728\u0736\u0712\u071d\u0733\u0722\u0733\u0710\u200e The Chald. paraphrases it\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d6\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05df \u05d3\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e, in the time of thy willingness, and Rashi inclines to\nit; the Vulg. has suavis et decora. But there can be no doubt, as Ibn\nEzra, Rashbam, and all modern commentators take it, that it is a proper\nname, Tirzah, the capital of Jeroboam\u2019s kingdom. It may be that the\nancient versions resorted to the expediency of taking \u200f\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4\u200e as an\nappellative, because they wished to avoid the contrast of the two\ncapitals, since this would speak against Solomon being the author of\nthis book. Jerusalem, \u201cthe perfection of beauty\u201d (Lam. ii. 15),\nafforded another excellent figure.\n\nAwe-inspiring as bannered hosts! The fascinating power of a woman is\nfrequently compared to the prowess of an armed host. Comp. Prov. vii.\n26. \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, which occurs once more in connexion with \u200f\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u200e, Hab. i. 7,\nmeans awful, awe-inspiring, imposing. \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, Niph. part. prop.\nbannered, people furnished, or arrayed with banners, hence armies,\nhosts. The feminine is here used to express a collective idea; comp.\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b9\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, caravans, Isa. xxi. 13; Gesen. \u00a7 107, 3 d; Ewald, \u00a7 179 c.\n\n5. Turn away thine eyes from me, &c. These awe-inspiring hosts are\ndescribed as concentrated in her eyes, which Solomon implores the\nShulamite to remove from him. \u201cThe artillery of the eyes,\u201d says Dr.\nGood, in loco, \u201cis an idea common to poets of every nation.\u201d Thus\nAnacreon, xvi.\n\n\n        \u03a3\u1f7a \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f70 \u0398\u03ae\u03b2\u03b7\u03c2,\n        \u1f49 \u03b4\u2019 \u03b1\u1f56 \u03a6\u03c1\u03c5\u03b3\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f00\u03cb\u03c4\u03ac\u03c2\u00b7\n        \u1f18\u03b3\u1f7c \u03b4\u2019 \u1f10\u03bc\u1f70\u03c2 \u1f01\u03bb\u03ce\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2.\n        \u039f\u1f50\u03c7 \u1f35\u03c0\u03c0\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f64\u03bb\u03b5\u03c3\u03ad\u03bd \u03bc\u03b5,\n        \u039f\u1f50 \u03c0\u03b5\u03b6\u1f78\u03c2, \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7\u1f76 \u03bd\u1fc6\u03b5\u03c2\u00b7\n        \u03a3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f04\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2,\n        \u1f08\u03c0\u2019 \u1f40\u03bc\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03bc\u03b5 \u03b2\u03ac\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd.\n\n        \u201cSing thou of Thebes\u2014let others tell\n        How Troy\u2019s foundations rose and fell;\n        My numbers shall alone repeat\n        My own rencounters and defeat.\n        Me fleets and armies ne\u2019er appal\u2014\n        \u2019Tis to a different host I fall:\n        A host within thine eyes, my fair,\n        That lurk and ply their arrows there.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Ode ii. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u200e, in Kal, to tremble (Isa. lx. 5), and Hiphil,\nto cause to tremble or fear, to frighten, to awe. Similarly the Sept.\n\u1f00\u03bd\u03b5\u03c0\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03c3\u03ac\u03bd \u03bc\u03b5. Vulg. me avolare fecerunt, \u201cthey make me flee for\nfear;\u201d and the Syriac \u0710\u0730\u072a\u0717\u0736\u0712\u200e, they make me fear. The explanation of Ibn\nEzra, \u200f\u05d7\u05d6\u05e7\u05d5 \u05de\u05de\u05e0\u05d9\u200e, which is followed by the Authorized Version, cannot\nbe deduced from the root; nor does it suit the context. Equally\nuntenable is the explanation \u200f\u05d4\u05d2\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d1\u05d9\u200e, Rashi and Rashbam. For \u200f\u05d4\u05b5\u05dd\u200e,\nmas, with \u200f\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05da\u05b0\u200e, fem. see supra, iv. 9.\n\n6, 7. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep, &c. For the interpretation\nof the second half of ver. 5 and vers. 6, 7, see iv. 1\u20133, where the\nsame description is given, with the exception that there \u200f\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e is\nused for sheep, and here \u200f\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b5\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, and that the first half of ver. 3 is\nhere omitted in the Hebrew, which is here given by the Sept. We cannot\nrefrain from quoting the beautiful explanation of these figures from\nthe manuscript commentary of Immanuel: \u200f\u05ea\u05dc\u05ea\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e2\u05e8\u05da \u05d5\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d5\u05e4\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4\n\u05e2\u05dc \u05d6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d3\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05e2\u05d3\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d6\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e0\u05ea\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d4\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05da \u05d4\ufb26 \u05dc\u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\ufb26 \u05d5\u05e9\u05d5\u05d9\ufb26\n\u05dc\u05d3\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05e2\u05d3\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d7\u05dc\u05d9\ufb26, \u05e9\u05e6\u05de\u05d3\u05dd \u05dc\u05d1\u05df \u05d5\u05d4\u05dd \u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05e8\u05d7\u05e6\u05d4 \u05e9\u05db\u05dc\u05dd \u05de\u05ea\u05d0\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05dc \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4\n\u05e9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea, \u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e9\u05df \u05de\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e0\u05d2\u05e8\u05e2 \u05d5\u05e0\u05d7\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05dd \u05ea\u05d5\u05d0\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d7\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05dd\n\u05e9\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05db\u05df \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd.\u200f\u200e The Septuagint adds after\n\u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05db\u05bb\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, and not one among them is bereaved, in ver. 6; \u1f61\u03c2\n\u03c3\u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03c4\u03af\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78 \u03ba\u03cc\u03ba\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03c7\u03b5\u03af\u03bb\u03b7 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03b9\u03ac \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f60\u03c1\u03b1\u03af\u03b1, like a braid of\nscarlet are thy lips, and thy mouth is lovely, from chap iv. 3.\n\n8, 9. I have threescore queens, &c. The flattery and praise here exceed\nall that have been previously offered. Solomon protests that, though he\nis surrounded by a numerous retinue of women of all ranks, the\nShulamite is the sole possessor of his heart: she who is the best\nbeloved of her mother, and whose consummate beauty has elicited the\nhighest praises from the queens, concubines and maidens. The\ndiscrepancy between the number of Solomon\u2019s wives and concubines here\nstated, and that described in 1 Kings xi. 3, maybe reconciled by taking\n\u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e and \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e for indefinite and large numbers: many,\nvery many, without number: so Kleuker, Rosenm\u00fcller, Magnus, &c. \u201cWe\nmust supply \u200f\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, to me, after \u200f\u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, there. For \u200f\u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, mas, instead of\n\u200f\u05d4\u05b5\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, fem., see ii. 7. The pronoun \u200f\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u200e, she, is the subject in all\nthe three clauses, and \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea\u200e in the first and second clause, and \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u200e\nin the third are predicates. We must supply \u200f\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e after \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u200e, she\nis my only one; just as \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e. The word \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d3\u200e is used for the\nonly one of its kind (Job xxiii. 13; Ezek. ii. 64; vii. 5), favourite;\ncomp. \u200f\u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d3 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5\u200e, 2 Sam. vii. 23.\n\n10. Who is she that looks forth, &c. That Solomon quotes here the\neulogy mentioned in the preceding verse, which the court ladies\npronounced upon the superlative beauty of the Shulamite when they first\nbeheld her, has long been recognised by the Rabbins, and is now\nadmitted by most interpreters. This is, moreover, confirmed by Prov.\nxxxi. 28, where the same words, \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05e9\u05b5\u05bc\u05c1\u05e8\u200e and \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, are used, and the\nfollowing verse contains the eulogy which the husband utters. The\nrising morning, with its red light looking down from heaven over the\nmountains (Joel ii. 2); the beautiful and placid complexion of the\nmoon, and the refulgent and resplendent appearance of the sun, have\noften afforded, both to the Oriental and to the Greek and Latin\nwriters, exquisite similes for beauty and grandeur. Thus Sirach (l. 5,\n6), describing the High Priest, says:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cHow splendid he was in his interview with the people.\n    In his coming out from the house of the veil!\n    As the morning star amid the clouds,\n    As the moon when full in her days,\n    As the sun when beaming upon the temple of the Most High.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Rev. i. 16; Theocritus\u2019 description of Helen, xviii. 26\u201328;\nLane\u2019s Arabian Nights, i. 29. \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e and \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d7\u200e are poetical epithets\nfor the sun and moon, Isa. xxiv. 23.\n\n11, 12. I went down into the nut-garden, &c. As Solomon had referred,\nin uttering his encomium, to her first coming within sight of the court\nladies, the Shulamite here instantly interrupts the king, in order to\nexplain how that came to pass. \u201cI did not go to meet the king, to\nexhibit myself and be admired by him or his royal retinue; I merely\nwent into the garden with the intention of seeing whether there were\nany herbs to take home for use, and whether the fruit promised well;\nand this (\u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u200e) intention of mine brought me unawares near the\nmonarch and his cort\u00e9ge.\u201d Though \u200f\u05d0\u05b1\u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d6\u200e, nut-tree, (so Sept., Vulg.,\nChald.,) nut occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, yet its meaning\nis established from the cognate languages, and its frequent usage in\nthe Talmud and latter Hebrew writers, \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u200e, to look among (Gen.\nxxxiv.), with the intention of choosing that which pleases, Gen. vi. 2.\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, the green or vegetables growing by the river side; so the\nSept. \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bc\u03ac\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03bf\u03c5, and Rashbam, \u200f\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05e4\u05ea \u05d4\u05e0\u05d7\u05dc\u200e. The Sept. has\nhere \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dd \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e, from chap. vii. 14, which the Arabic,\n\u00c6thiopic, and several modern commentators wrongly follow, as it has no\nMS. authority, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of this\npassage.\n\n12. Unwittingly, &c. This verse has caused much perplexity to\ninterpreters. The ancient versions, finding the sense obscure, have\naltered almost every word, and hence increased the difficulty. Thus the\nSept. has \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f14\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9 \u1f21 \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5\u00b7 \u1f14\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03cc \u03bc\u03b5 \u1f05\u03c1\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 \u1f08\u03bc\u03b9\u03bd\u03b1\u03b4\u03ac\u03b2, which Luther\nfollows: \u201cMeine Seele wusste es nicht, dass er mich zum Wagen Aminadib\ngezetzt hatte:\u201d They take \u200f\u05e0\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u200e as the subject, alter \u200f\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, the\nfirst person com., into \u200f\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, the third fem., to agree with \u200f\u05e0\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u200e,\na fem. noun, \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, the third fem., into \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, the third masc.\nreferring it to Solomon, and regard \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e as a proper name. The\nVulg. has Nescivi, anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab;\naltering \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, the Kal of \u200f\u05e9\u05c2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dd\u200e, to put, to place, into the Hiphil\nof \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b5\u05dd\u200e, to be astonished, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e into \u200f\u05de\u05b5\u05e8\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, the plural of\n\u200f\u05e8\u05b6\u05db\u05b6\u05d1\u200e, with the preposition \u200f\u05de\u200e, and taking \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e as a proper\nname. Passing over these textual alterations, and the emendations\nproposed by modern commentators, as unauthorized, we shall first\nexamine the words as they are in the text, and then the most plausible\ninterpretations deducible therefrom. \u200f\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e are rightly taken by\nmost, though differing in their opinion as to the rendering of the\nremainder of the verse, as adverbial, in the sense of suddenly,\nunwittingly, and as subordinate to \u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my soul has\nunwittingly put me, or placed me; comp. Job v. 9; Isa. xlvii. 11; Jer.\nl. 24. The verb \u200f\u05e9\u05c2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dd\u200e, to put, to place, may be construed with two\naccusatives, one of the person, and the other of the thing; and\n\u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e may be taken as the second accusative (comp. Ps. xxxix. 9; 1\nSam. viii. 1; Mich. i. 7), or \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e may be taken as a designation of\nplace after \u200f\u05e9\u05c2\u05d5\u05bc\u05dd\u200e, a verb of motion; comp. Isa. xl. 26. \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, a\nchariot, used for warlike purposes, or for state or pleasure, Gen.\nxlvi. 29; Exod. xv. 4; 2 Sam. xv. 1. The expression \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e may either\nmean populares mei\u2014(the Hebrews having no separate word for\n\u201ccountryman,\u201d use this expression to denote one of their own people\n(Gesen. xxiii. 11; Lam. ii. 11), and \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e may be an adjective for\n\u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e, as the article is sometimes omitted through following a noun\nwith suffix)\u2014or \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e may here be used, like \u200f\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e, for companions,\nattendants, followers, (Eccl. iv. 16,) the \u200f\u05d9\u200e in \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e not being a\nsuffix, but paragogic, and a mark of the const. state (Deut. xxxiii.\n16; Lam. i. 1), and \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e, a noun in the genitive of the king or\nprince. As to how much stress there is to be laid on the Sept., which\ntakes \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e as a proper name, and is followed by the Arabic,\n\u00c6thiop., Vulg., and which also produced some variations in the\northography of these words, we need only refer to vii. 2, where the\nsame version renders \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e by \u03b8\u03c5\u03b3\u03ac\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1 \u1f08\u03bc\u03b9\u03bd\u03b1\u03b4\u1f70\u03b2. The verse,\ntherefore, may either be translated: \u201cMy soul has unwittingly made me\nthe chariots of my noble countrymen,\u201d or, \u201cMy soul has unwittingly\nplaced at, or brought me to the chariots of my noble people, or to the\nchariots of the companions of the prince.\u201d Now against the first\nrendering we urge, in the first place, that if the chariots be taken in\nthe accusative, and hence in a figurative sense, we are unavoidably led\ninto a bewildering maze of conjectural and fanciful opinions. The\nfollowing may serve as a specimen. Rashi takes the chariots to be a\nsign of ignominy. \u200f\u05e0\u05e4\u05e9\u05d9 \u05e9\u05de\u05ea\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05e8\u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05d4\u05e8\u05db\u05d9\u05d1 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05d0\u05e8\n\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u200e, \u201cMy soul has made me to be chariots for foreign princes to ride\nupon\u201d; i.e. I have willingly brought upon me a foreign yoke. Ibn Ezra\ntakes the chariots as a figure for swiftness, \u200f\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d5\u05dc\u05db\u05ea\n\u05d1\u05de\u05e8\u05d5\u05e6\u05d4 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05da \u05db\u05de\u05d5 \u05de\u05e8\u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d3\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc \u05e9\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d1\u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u200e, \u201cI did not know that I\nwas hurrying on to thee with the rapidity of the chariots of the great\nprince who is among my people;\u201d which the Syriac, \u0710\u0733\u0710 \u071d\u0736\u0715\u0725\u0730\u072c \u0722\u0730\u0726\u072b\u071d \u0723\u0733\u0721\u072c\u0730\u0725\u071d\n\u0712\u0721\u0733\u072a\u0712\u0733\u0712\u072c\u0710\u200e, though sharing somewhat in the errors of the Sept. and Vulg.,\nseems to favour. Herder takes the chariots as a symbol of martial\npower, guard, and protection (Ps. xx. 8; 2 Kings ii. 11, 12).\nHengstenberg affirms that the chariots signify champion, guard,\ndefence. And secondly, this translation interrupts the connexion of\nthis verse with the preceding one. Now the second rendering avoids all\nthis. Solomon has repeated in verse 10 the praise which the court\nladies had pronounced on the Shulamite when they first saw her; the\nShulamite (in ver. 11, 12), in reply, explains how she came to the\ncarriages of the court ladies.\n\n1. Return, return, &c. Here we see how little all the persuasions,\npromises, and eulogies of the king and courtiers affected the sincere\nand deeply rooted affections of the Shulamite for her beloved shepherd.\nNo sooner had she explained (as she incidentally informs us) how she\ncame to be noticed and taken up by the king, than she actually started\noff. But the king entreated her to return, that he might look at her\nonce more. The Shulamite, pausing a little, turns round and modestly\nasks:\n\nWhat will you behold in the Shulamite? That is, what can ye see in a\nhumble rustic girl? \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, as is evident from the article, is a\ngentile noun, according to the analogy of \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea\u200e, (1 Kings i. 3; 2\nKings iv. 12, 25.) Ewald, \u00a7 156 c: and a female inhabitant of Shulem,\ni.q. Shunem. Shulem still exists as a village, now called S\u00f4lam, about\nthree miles and a half north of Zer\u00een, (Jezreel), and lies on the\ndeclivity, at the western end of the mountain of Duhy, the so-called\nLittle Hermon. \u201cThere is little room for doubt that it is the ancient\nShunem of the tribe of Issachar, where the Philistines encamped before\nSaul\u2019s last battle, (Josh. xix. 18; 1 Sam. xxviii. 4.) From the same\nplace, apparently, Abishag the Shunammite was brought to the aged\nDavid; and here it was probably that Elisha often lodged in the house\nof the Shunammite woman, and afterwards raised her son from the dead (1\nKings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 8\u201337; viii. 1\u20136). Eusebius and Jerome describe\nit in their day as a village lying five Roman miles from Mount Tabor,\ntowards the southern quarter, and they write the name already Sulem.\u201d\nRobinson, Palestine, iii. 169, &c. The transition of \u200f\u05dc\u200e into \u200f\u05e0\u200e is of\nfrequent occurrence; comp. \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05e5\u200e and \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05e5\u200e, to burn. (Gesen. Lexicon,\n\u200f\u05dc\u200e a; Ewald, \u00a7 156, c.) \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea\u200e is not the feminine of the name\n\u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, which would be \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u200e; comp. Lev. xxiv. 11; 1 Chron. iii. 19;\nEwald, \u00a7 274, f.\n\nLike a dance to double choirs, replies the king, i.e. \u201cto see thee is\nlike gazing at the charming view of a festive choir expressing their\nmerriment in a sacred dance. The Hebrews, in common with other nations\n(Strabo, 10), used sacred dancing, accompanied by vocal and\ninstrumental music, as expressive of joy and rejoicing (Exod. xv. 20; 2\nSam. vi. 15; Ps. cxlix. 3). A sight of such an assemblage of various\nbeauties, all swelling their voices into one song of joy, and blending\ntheir several forms in one choral dance of joy, must have afforded a\ndelightful picture. No wonder that such a scene is described by Homer\n(Iliad, xviii. 590,) as portrayed on the famous shield of Achilles, and\nthat\n\n\n        \u201cOn either side spectators numerous stood,\n        Delighted.\u201d\n\n\nTo this charming scene, therefore, does the captivated monarch compare\nthe view of the Shulamite. \u200f\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, from \u200f\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, to turn round, a dance,\nthe joyous dancing on a festive occasion. \u200f\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, prop. a camp, also a\nmultitude, a band of people, Gen. l. 9. \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e is the regular dual,\nand not the plural (Sept., Vulg., Gesenius, D\u00f6pke, &c.), and is here\nused because this dance consisted of a band arranged in a double line,\nsomething like our country dance. On the different kinds of Oriental\ndances, see Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. ii. 19\u201322; Wilkinson, Manners, &c.,\nii. 328\u2013340. Saalsch\u00fctz, Arch\u00e4ologie der Hebr\u00e4er, vol. i. 302. The\nwords \u200f\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b9\u05dc\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e have elicited a variety of interpretations. Some\ntake \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e as a proper name, and say that reference is here made to\nsome particular mode of worship practised in that place in consequence\nof Jacob\u2019s sojourn there; but this is purely imaginary. Others again\nsuppose that an allusion is made to Gen. xxxii. 2, 3, and hence render\n\u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e by \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e or \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e; but this is unfounded, since we\nhave not the slightest intimation in that passage that the angels were\nengaged in dancing.\n\n2. How beautiful are thy feet in sandals! The Shulamite, in obedience\nto the king\u2019s request, returns, and as she advances, Solomon is\narrested by her beautiful feet, with which he begins his last highly\nflattering delineation of her beauty, and his last attempt to win her\naffections. \u200f\u05e0\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, Chald. \u200f\u05e1\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05df\u200e, sandals, formed an important part\nof an Oriental costume (Ezek. xvi. 10; Judith xvi. 9). The ladies\nbestowed great pains upon, and evinced much taste in ornamenting this\narticle of dress, which attracted the notice of the opposite sex. \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\n\u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u200e does not mean a descendant of a titled family, but, according to\na common Hebrew idiom, which applies \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df\u200e, and other terms of human\nkindred to relations of every kind, expresses that she herself was of a\nnoble character. Comp. 1 Sam. i. 16; Gesen. \u00a7 106, 2 a; Ewald, \u00a7 287 f.\n\nThe circuits of thy thighs like ornaments, &c. To describe the\nbeautiful appearance of an object, the Orientals frequently compared it\nto some precious metal or gem; see supra, v. 11; Prov. xxv. 12. The\nsimple metal or gem, however, seems not to suffice here to express the\nexquisite symmetry of these parts of the body; they are, therefore,\ncompared with some beautifully-wrought and highly-finished ornaments,\nformed of such materials. The rendering of \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e by steps (Sept.,\nVulg., Ewald, D\u00f6pke, Hengstenberg, &c.), and \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u05b5\u05d9\u200e by Schwingungen,\nmovements (Hengstenberg), is contrary to the scope of the description,\nwhich obviously depicts the several members of the body (beginning with\nthe feet and gradually ascending to the head), and not their actions.\n\u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e is not the dual (Luther), but the plural; according to the\nanalogy of \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e; \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e. The \u200f\u05d0\u200e in the plural is\npreferred to the \u200f\u05d9\u200e in consequence of the preceding A sound. Gesen. \u00a7\n93, 66; Ewald, \u00a7 186 e.\n\n3. Thy navel is like a round goblet, &c. The reference and the import\nof the figure are obvious. \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05d6\u05b6\u05d2\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05e1\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e, mixture, mixed wine. The\nancients were in the habit of mixing wine with spices, to make it more\nstimulating and exciting. Wine thus mixed was called \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u05b6\u05e7\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, viii.\n2, the vinum aromatites of the Greeks and Romans. (Comp. Ps. lxxv. 9;\nProv. ix. 5; Isa. v. 22; Mishna, Maaser sheni, ii. 1; Baba Mez. v. 2;\nPliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 15; Gesen. Thesaurus, p. 808; Winer, Bib. Dict.\ns.v.) \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e is one of the few instances in which \u200f\u05e2\u05e2\u05f4\u200e are resolved\nbefore suffixes, owing to the broadness of the vowels when preceding\n\u200f\u05dc\u200e, or \u200f\u05e8\u200e. Comp. \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u200e with suffix \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u200e: \u200f\u05e6\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e6\u05b7\u05dc\u200e: \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u200e,\nEwald, \u00a7 265; F\u00fcrst, Lexicon, s.v. \u200f\u2013\u05d2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e. The particle \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u200e expresses a\nsubjective wish, Gesen. Lexicon, \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, ii. 6, Ewald, \u00a7 320.\n\nThy body is like a heap of wheat, &c. The point of analogy seems to\nsubsist between the appearance of the body and that of a quantity of\ncorn heaped up, \u200f\u05e2\u05b2\u05e8\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, which Ibn Ezra well explains \u200f\u05e2\u05d1\u05d4 \u05de\u05dc\u05de\u05d8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d3\u05e7\u05d4\n\u05de\u05dc\u05de\u05e2\u05dc\u05d4\u200e; so also Rashbam. Remembering that corpulency was deemed\nessential to an Eastern beauty, this comparison will appear obvious.\nSelden, who is followed by others, takes this passage as a prediction\nof the bride\u2019s fertility: as:\u2014\u201cWheat and barley were among the ancient\nHebrews emblems of fertility; and it was usual for standers-by to\nscatter these grains upon the married couple, with a wish that they\nmight increase and multiply.\u201d Uxor Hebraica, lib. ii. cap. 15. \u201cA\ncustom,\u201d adds Williams, \u201cwhich might probably originate from this\npassage, or vice vers\u00e2.\u201d\n\nBut though it is true that it was a common practice among the Jews at\nmarriages to distribute among the company dried seeds (Talm.\nChethuboth, ii. 1), probably to indicate a wish that the newly-married\ncouple might be fruitful, it does not follow that it was the practice\nat so early an age, or that it is the meaning here. Were this the sense\nhere, we should expect that the Jewish commentators, who well knew and\npractised the manners and customs of their own people, would have\nrecognised it. Whereas, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, &c., explain this\nfigure as referring to the appearance.\n\nHedged round with, &c. The threshing-floors in ancient times were in\nthe open air; and when the wheat had been threshed out, fanned and\nheaped up, each heap was stuck round with thorns, in order to keep off\nthe cattle. (Hos. ii. 5, 6.) To render the figure more beautiful, and\nthe compliment more flattering, the enamoured king changes the hedge of\nthorns into a fence of lilies. Others, however, refer these words to a\nrobe embroidered with lilies, covering her body; and others, again, to\nsome ancient custom of surrounding or covering the newly-threshed heap\nof wheat with a sort of garland of flowers, indicating the joy of the\nhusbandman at the return of the harvest.\n\n4, 5. Thy bosom is like, &c. These verses, with a little variation\narising from the fact that a different person is the speaker here,\ncontain the same figures as iv. 4, 5. The comparison between the\nbeautiful symmetry, erect bearing, and ivory colour of the neck, and\nbetween the elegant structure, lofty altitude, and white colour of a\ntower, appears more striking and apposite from the description given by\nJosephus of the towers of Jerusalem: \u201cThey were so very tall, they\nappeared much taller by the place on which they stood; for that very\nold wall, wherein they were, was built on a high hill, and was itself a\nkind of elevation that was still thirty cubits taller, over which were\nthe towers situated, and thereby were made much higher to appearance.\nThe largeness also of the stones was wonderful; for they were not made\nof common small stones, nor of such large ones only as men could carry,\nbut they were of white marble, cut out of the rocks: each stone was\ntwenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in breadth, and five in depth.\nThey were so exactly united to one another, that each tower looked like\none entire block of stone, so growing naturally, and afterwards cut by\nthe hand of the artificer into the present shape and corners; so\nlittle, or not at all, did their joints or connexion appear.\u201d (Jewish\nWar, book v. chap. iv. 4.\u2014Whiston\u2019s translation.) The comparison of the\nneck with ivory is also used by Anacreon (Ode xxix. 28, 29), in his\ndescription of Bathyllus:\u2014\n\n\n        \u03a4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f08\u03b4\u03ce\u03bd\u03b9\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u1f7c\u03bd\n        \u1f10\u03bb\u03b5\u03c6\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c7\u03b7\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2.\n\n        \u201cBut never can thy pencil trace\n        His ivory neck of Paphian grace.\u201d\n\n\nThine eyes, &c. That is, are as bright and serene as the celebrated\ntranslucent pools of this city. Heshbon, a town in the southern parts\nof the Hebrew territory, about twenty miles east of the point where the\nJordan enters the Dead Sea, originally belonged to the Moabites (Numb.\nxxi. 25), and afterwards came into possession of the Amorite king Sihon\n(ibid.; Deut. ii. 24; Josh. iii. 10). It was conquered by Moses shortly\nbefore his death (Numb. xxi. 25), and was first assigned to the tribe\nof Reuben (Numb. xxxii. 37; Josh. xiii. 17), and afterwards to the\ntribe of Gad, and became a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 39; 1 Chron. vi.\n81). It was retaken by the Moabites when the ten tribes were carried\ninto exile (Isa. xv. 4; xvi. 9; Jer. xlviii. 2), but the Jews conquered\nit again afterwards (Joseph. Antiq. lib. xiii.) The ruins of Heshbon,\nthe name by which the place is still known, have been visited and\ndescribed by modern travellers. (Burckhardt, Travels, p. 365; Biblical\nRepos. for 1833, p. 650; Robinson, Palestine, ii. 278.) Heshbon was the\npride of Moab, was famous for its fertility, verdure of plantation, and\nbeautiful reservoirs. Hence the simile here. A similar comparison is\nused by Ovid, De Arte Ama. ii. 722:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cAdspicies oculos tremulo fulgare meiantes,\n        Ut sol a liquida saepe refulget aqua.\u201d\n\n\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e is well explained by Rashbam, the populous, \u200f\u05e9\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d9\u05e8\n\u05d9\u05d5\u05e6\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d5\u05e0\u05db\u05e0\u05e1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d4\u200e, \u201cbecause, through it a multitude of the inhabitants\nof the town walk in and out;\u201d \u200f\u05e9\u05d4\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05e1\u05ea\u05db\u05dc \u05e9\u05dd\u200e, \u201cbecause it is\nthe chief place of concourse.\u201d \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u200e, daughter, like \u200f\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05df\u200e, son, is\nidiomatically used in Hebrew to express quality. Compare \u200f\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05df\u05be\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05de\u05b6\u05df\u200e, a\nson of fatness, i.e. fat; Isa. v. 1, and supra, vii. 2. The Septuagint,\nwhich is followed by the Vulgate, not understanding this idiom, renders\nit literally \u1f10\u03bd \u03c0\u03cd\u03bb\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b8\u03c5\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u1ff6\u03bd, by the gates of the daughter of\nmany.\n\nThy nose, &c. This tower must have contained a projection or an\noverhanging part, celebrated for its great symmetry and elegance. Hence\nthe comparison between the beautifully projecting tower and the\nwell-proportioned nose.\n\n6. Thy head upon thee, &c. \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u200e stands here for \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e, purpura; so\nIbn Gamach, Ibn Ezra, F\u00fcrst, &c. This shell-fish is of a spiral form,\nand \u201cthe exquisite juice which is so greatly sought after for the\npurpose of dyeing cloth is situate in the middle of the throat. This\nsecretion consists of a tiny drop contained in a white vein, from which\nthe precious liquid used for dyeing is distilled, being of the tint of\na rose, somewhat inclined to black.\u201d Pliny, Hist. Nat. ix. 60, 61;\nArist. Hist. Anim. lib. v. c. 14. The simile here subsists between the\nspiral form of this shell-fish and the pyramidal shape in which the\nhair was anciently tied up on the top of the head. The Chinese and\nother Eastern women still wear their hair rolled up into a knot or\nbunch at the top of the head; and even in this country ladies used to\ndress their hair in a somewhat similar manner. The rendering of the\nancient versions of \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05dc\u200e, by Mount Carmel, which the majority of\nmodern interpreters follow: they take the simile to be between the\nbeautiful appearance of the bride\u2019s head and the charming, luxuriant,\nand picturesque summit of this celebrated mountain; but this is against\nthe parallelism and 2 Chron. ii. 16, 13; iii. 14. \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u200e = \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e is\nderived from \u200f\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to be shiningly red, with \u200f\u2013\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e appended, according\nto the analogy of \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u200e; vide F\u00fcrst, Lexicon in voce; or it may be\nthat this shell-fish was so called because it was found on the shore\nnear Carmel. At all events, there is no need to look for the etymology\nof this word out of the Shemitic family.\n\nAnd the tresses, &c. Fine hair is frequently compared by the Greeks and\nRomans with purple. Thus Anacreon, xxviii. 11, 13.\n\n\n        \u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03b5 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f10\u03be \u1f45\u03bb\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9\u1fc6\u03c2\n        \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c0\u03bf\u03c1\u03c6\u03cd\u03c1\u03b1\u03b9\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c7\u03b1\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2\n        \u1f10\u03bb\u03b5\u03c6\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03bc\u03ad\u03c4\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd.\n\n        Then paint, from her full cheeks,\n        Beneath her purple hair,\n        Her ivory forehead.\n\n\nCompare also Virgil, Georg. i. 405; Tibul. i. 4, 63. The purple here\nreferred to is that kind which Pliny describes as \u201cnigrans adspectu\nidemque suspectu refulgens.\u201d \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05df\u200e, the costly colour extracted from\nthe shell-fish, is from \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d2\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, kind. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05e7\u05b7\u05dd\u200e, to colour, with the\nprostetic \u200f\u05d0\u200e and termination \u200f\u2013\u05b8\u05df\u200e; vide supra, chap. iii. 9.\n\nThe king is captivated, &c. The ringlets, like the lashes of the\neyelids, are frequently represented as the net of love. Prov. vi. 25;\nSirach ix. 3, 4. Thus Jami, in his Joseph and Zuleikha, chap. i., as\nquoted by Dr. Good, says:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cWhen Love in graceful ringlets plants his toils,\n        The fool he catches, and the wise man foils;\n        But, thence released, the sage his snare discerns,\n        And Reason\u2019s lamp with wonted lustre burns.\u201d\n\n\n\u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e stands for \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e; the article is not unfrequently omitted in\npoetry; comp. Ps. ii. 2; xxi. 2; Gesen. \u00a7 109; Ewald, \u00a7 277, b. \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u200e,\na ringlet, so called from its flowing down over the shoulders; vide\nsupra, chap. i. 16. The construction of \u200f\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e with \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05df\u200e, i.e. royal\npurple (one of the Greek translators in the Hexapla, Vulgate, Syriac,\nLuther, Houbigant, &c.), is against the punctuation and the evenness of\nthe metre, interferes with the interpretation of the remaining words,\nand has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of the passage.\nBesides, no people is known by such a name. It was owing to a feeling\nof being consistent that the editor of Calmet felt himself constrained\nto take \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05df\u200e as a proper name, Argamen, to correspond with the\nparallel \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u200e; and to explain this clause as alluding to a particular\nmode of plaiting the hair, like the weaving of Arech, a city in\nBabylonia, supposed to be famous for its weaving manufactories.\n\nHow beautiful, &c. The captivated king, having described the beauty of\nthe several parts of the body, now combines the separate members into\none lovely form, and endows it with life and fascination, which none of\nthe inanimate beauties to which he had compared her, however admirable,\npossessed. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4\u200e, love, abstract for concrete, loved one, vide supra,\nchap. v. 1. \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05d2\u200e, charm, attraction, such as living beings possess.\nAquila and the Syriac, separating the word \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05bb\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, render it \u03b8\u03c5\u03b3\u03ac\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\n\u03c4\u03c1\u03c5\u03c6\u1ff6\u03bd, \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05bb\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e.\n\n7. This thy growth, &c. The beautiful growth of the palm-tree, like\nthat of the cedar and cypress, supplied a forcible image to the\nancients. Thus the Son of Sirach, xxiv. 13, 14:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cI grew up as a cedar of Lebanon,\n        And as a cypress upon Mount Hermon;\n        I grew up as a palm-tree in En-gedi,\n        And as a rose-tree in Jericho.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Homer, Odyss. vi. 162, and supra, chap. v. 15. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e,\nbunch, cluster, of grapes, dates, or flowers; the context must decide\nwhich. Here, from its close proximity to \u200f\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, palm-tree, dates are\nmost probably intended. For the etymology of \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, see supra, chap.\ni. 14; and for its form, both here and in ver. 9, Ewald, \u00a7 212 d.\n\n8. I long to climb, &c. After this flattering description Solomon tells\nthe Shulamite how greatly he desires, and how happy he should be to\nenjoy, the affections of one so lovely and charming. We earnestly\nrequest those who maintain the allegorical interpretation of the Song\nseriously to reflect whether this verse, and indeed the whole of this\naddress, can be put into the mouth of Christ as speaking to the Church.\nWould not our minds recoil with horror were we to hear a Christian\nusing it publicly, or even privately, to illustrate the love of Christ\nfor his Church?\u2014\u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u200e, to speak, also to wish, to desire, Gen. xliv.\n28; Exod. ii. 14; 1 Sam. xx. 4. \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e does not express the past, but\nthe present; comp. \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05de\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05d4\u200e in the preceding verse; Gesen. \u00a7 126, 3;\nEwald, \u00a7 135 b. The second verb \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e2\u05b1\u05dc\u05b6\u05d4\u200e is subordinate to the first,\nvide supra, chap. ii. 3. \u200f\u05d2\u05b6\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05df\u200e is added to \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc\u200e, to distinguish it\nfrom the dates in ver. 7.\n\nAnd the odour of thy breath, &c. That is, be as sweet and as quickening\nas that of apples. \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u200e is used in preference to \u200f\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, because the\nnostril, or the breathing (which \u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u200e literally means) is regarded by\nthe Hebrews as that which in distension betokens pleasure, anger, &c.\nThe appropriateness of this expression will be more manifest when we\nremember that hitherto all that the Shulamite showed towards Solomon\nwere resistance and independence. There is also a play of words here,\n\u200f\u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u200e being derived from \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to breathe, and \u200f\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u200e, from \u200f\u05e0\u05b8\u05e4\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, to\nbreathe. Hodgson strangely renders \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b5\u05e3\u200e, \u201cthe fragrance of thy\nface,\u201d because several MSS. read \u200f\u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05da\u200e with a yod.\n\n9. And thy speech, &c. That is, Let thy language to me be as the\nsweetness of delicious wine. Rosenm\u00fcller, D\u00f6pke, De Wette, Noyes,\nDelitzsch, Hengstenberg, &c., put these words into the mouth of the\nmaiden. But it is incredible that this modest woman would approve of\nthese expressions with regard to her own person, and that she would\ncontinue the words \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05d1 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05e4\u05b0\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e. \u200f\u05d7\u05b5\u05da\u05b0\u200e, palate, metonymically for\nspeech; vide supra, chap. v. 16. \u200f\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u200e is used as a substantive, and\nplaced in the genitive after \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df\u200e; comp. Ps. xxi. 4; Prov. xxiv. 25;\nEwald, \u00a7 287 b. The phrase \u200f\u05d4\u05b9\u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e describes the smooth or mellow\nwine, which is of a very superior quality, and highly prized, Prov.\nxxiii. 31. The expression \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is added in order to describe still\nmore forcibly the nature of the wine, and affords a more striking\nillustration of the pleasantness of the damsel\u2019s speech. Her voice is\nnot merely compared to wine, valued because it is sweet to everybody;\nbut to such wine as would be sweet to a friend, and on that account is\nmore valuable and pleasant. Ammon, Ewald, Heiligstedt, Hitzig, &c.\nregard \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e as having erroneously crept in here from ver. 11, whilst\nVelthusen, Meier, &c. point it \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\u200e in the plural; but this is\nunsupported by MSS. Hodgson, taking \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e for \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, translates it\nad amores, delightfully, corresponding to \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e in the next clause.\nBut this rendering, to say the least, is contrary to the general\nmeaning of this word. The rendering of Williams, \u201cwhich I sent to those\nwhom I love for their integrity,\u201d is preposterous.\n\nAnd causes slumbering lips, &c. The wine is of such an animating\nnature, that it even causes silent lips to speak. Thus Horace, Epist.\nlib. i. Ep. v. 19:\u2014\n\n\n        Fecundi calices quem non fecere disertum?\n\n        \u201cWhom have not soul-inspiring cups made eloquent?\u201d\n\n\nOthers, however, with less probability, explain these words to mean\nwine of so excellent a flavour, as to induce those who have indulged in\nit to dream of it, and converse about it; or wine so delicious and\ntempting that it leads to excess, in consequence of which the drinkers\nfall asleep, and then either disclose the subject of their dream, or\nmutter unintelligible words. \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05d1\u200e is not gently flowing, suffusing\n(Ewald, D\u00f6pke, Gesenius, De Wette, Lee, Magnus, Noyes, Meier,\nPhilippson, Hitzig, &c.), but causing to speak (Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra,\nRashbam, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Hengstenberg, F\u00fcrst, Delitzsch, &c.)\nThis is corroborated by the derivative \u200f\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e, which primarily means\nsomething spoken, a report, either good or bad, as is evident from Gen.\nxxvii. 2; Numb. xiv. 37, where the adjective \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b3\u05d4\u200e, evil, is joined to\nit; and from Ezek. xxxvi. 3, where it stands in parallelism with \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e4\u05b7\u05ea\n\u05dc\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, and by the frequent usage in the Talmud and other Hebrew writers\nof the word \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d1\u200e, for speaking. \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05d1\u200e is the Poel of \u200f\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d1\u200e, a form\nfrequently used in verbs \u200f\u05e2\u05f4\u05e2\u200e (comp. \u200f\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05dc\u05b5\u05dc\u200e, Eccl. vii. 7; \u200f\u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05d1\u200e, Ps.\nlix. 7; Gesen. \u00a7 67, 8), and, like the Piel, is often the causative of\nKal, Gesen. \u00a7 55, 1. The Sept., Vulg., Sym., Syr., read \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e4\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\ufb26 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\ufb26\u200e,\nthe lips and the teeth, instead of \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05e4\u05b0\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e; but this is neither\nsupported by MSS., nor yields a better sense.\n\n10. I belong to my beloved, &c. The Shulamite gently but decidedly\nrefuses the wishes of the king, declaring that her affections are fixed\non one whom she ardently loves, and on whom alone it is her sacred duty\nto look. Even Ibn Ezra and Rashbam, though explaining it differently,\nadmit that the maiden here refuses the petitioner of the last verse on\nthe plea that she belonged to her beloved. \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, lit. on me, i.e. it\nis upon me as a duty. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e is frequently used to denote duty or\nobligation, which rests upon one like a burden, and must be discharged.\nThus \u200f\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b5\u05ea\u200e, \u201cit was my duty to give,\u201d 2 Sam. xviii. 11; \u200f\u05d6\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05d7\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\n\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, \u201cpeace-offerings are due from me,\u201d Prov. vii. 14; Gesen. Lexicon,\n\u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e A. 1, \u03b1 \u03b3. Ewald, \u00a7 217, 4 \u03b3. The suffix in \u200f\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u05b8\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u200e expresses the\nobject, i.e. the desire for him. This is often the case; comp. \u200f\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u200e,\nhis fear, i.e. the fear for him, Exod. xx. 20; Gesen. \u00a7 121, 5; Ewald,\n\u00a7 286 b. We thus obtain the same sense of this clause which Hodgson\ngives it, without changing the words into \u200f\u05d6\u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05ea\u05e9\u05d5\u05e7\u05ea\u05d9\u200e, upon the\nslender authority of one MS. to support the first, and three MSS. to\nsupport the second alteration.\n\n11. Come, my beloved, &c. Having distinctly and finally refused the\nking, who forthwith quitted her, the Shulamite now addresses her\nbeloved shepherd, who approached her, urging their departure from the\nroyal palace for their festive bowers in Nature\u2019s hall. The want of\nseparate names, or initial letters of names, generally used in profane\ncomposition to indicate the speaker or the person spoken to, is amply\nsupplied here by the skill of the inspired poet in putting into the\nmouth of the Shulamite such rural language as shows most plainly that\nshe was a rustic maiden, and that her beloved, whom she here addresses,\nis a shepherd. Comp. also chap. i. 7; ii. 8; v. 2, 4, &c. To ascribe\nthese words to a princess addressing king Solomon is preposterous.\nD\u00f6derlein, Ewald, Meier, &c., take \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e as the plural of \u200f\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u200e,\ncypress, vide supra, i. 14; iv. 13; but 1 Chron. xxvii. 25, where\n\u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, like here, coupled with \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, field, forms a contrast to\n\u200f\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u200e, city, is against it. \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4\u200e is the accusative of place, 1 Sam.\nxx. 11; Gesen. \u00a7 118, 1.\n\n12. We will go early, &c. Transported with the thought of her speedy\narrival at her mother\u2019s house, the Shulamite vividly depicts to her\nbeloved the scenes of home, where they will again together enjoy rural\nlife. It may be that Milton thought of this passage when he wrote the\nwords:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cTo-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east\n        With first approach of light, we must be risen,\n        And at our pleasant labour, to reform\n        Yon flowery arbours, yonder alleys green,\n        Our walks at noon with branches overgrown.\u201d\n\n                                Paradise Lost, iv. 623, &c.\n\n\n\u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e is constructio praegnans, and is well explained by\nRashbam, \u200f\u05e0\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05de\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d8\u05d9\u05d9\u05dc \u05d1\u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, \u201cwe will rise early to stroll in the\nvineyards.\u201d Comp. Gen. xliv. 33; Numb. xiv. 24; Gesen. \u00a7 141.\n\nThere will I give, &c. The shepherd, gladdened with the fact that his\nloved one is restored to him, is desirous of expressing his joy and\naffection, but the Shulamite, anxious to get off as quickly as\npossible, tells him that at home, amidst the charms of nature, they may\nindulge in sweet effusions of love. The Sept. and Vulg. have here again\n\u200f\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, breasts, instead of \u200f\u05d3\u05b9\u05d5\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, love. But in addition to what has\nalready been remarked, we would state that whenever breasts are\nmentioned in this Song, \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e is invariably used.\n\n13. The mandrakes diffuse, &c. Another reason for hastening away from\nthe royal prison into the rural home. There nothing will be wanting;\nthey have there the highly prized apples, they have all sorts of\nprecious fruit, which she left on the trees for him. A similar passage\noccurs in Virgil, Ecl. i. 37, where the loved one kept fruit on the\ntree for her lover:\u2014\n\n\n        Mirabar, quid moesta deos, Amarylli, vocares;\n        Cui pendere su\u00e2 patereris in arbore poma:\n        Tityrus hinc aberat.\n\n        \u201cWe stood amazed to see your mistress mourn;\n        Unknowing that she pined for your return:\n        We wonder\u2019d why she kept her fruit so long,\n        For whom so late th\u2019 ungather\u2019d apples hung:\n        But no, the wonder ceases, since I see\n        She kept them only, Tityrus, for thee.\u201d\n\n\n\u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, which occurs only once more, (Gen. xxx. 14), is, according to\nthe testimony of the ancient versions, the mass of commentators and\nmodern travellers, the mandrake-plant, Atropa mandragora, called\nyabrochack by the Arabs, the fruit of which is highly valued by the\nOrientals for its supposed exhilarating, aphrodisiac, and procreative\nproperties. \u201cIt grows low, like lettuce, to which its leaves have a\nstrong resemblance, except that they have a dark green colour. The\nflowers are purple, and the root is for the most part forked. The\nfruit, when ripe, in the beginning of May, is of the size and colour of\na small apple, exceedingly ruddy, and of a most agreeable flavour.\u201d See\nKitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit.; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. Here, however, this\nplant is mentioned merely to fill out the picture of charming and\nhighly prized plants, without reference to any supposed internal\nproperties, and has evidently been suggested by the preceding \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u200e,\nbeloved. \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, lit. love-apples, is the plural of \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, from the\nroot \u200f\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u200e, to love, with the termination \u200f\u2013\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, like \u200f\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, the\nplural of \u200f\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u200e, from the root \u200f\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u200e. Gesen. \u00a7 93, 6, 6; Ewald, \u00a7 189\ng. \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e is well explained by Rashbam, \u200f\u05d0\u05e6\u05dc \u05e4\u05ea\u05d7 \u05e4\u05e8\u05d3\u05e1 \u05e9\u05dc\u05e0\u05d5\u200e, \u201cin\nour garden, close to our door,\u201d &c. \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e has not unfrequently the sense\nof neighbourhood and contiguity. Gesen. Lexicon, \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e 3. Others however\nrender \u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u200e, over, i.e. \u201cand over our doors grow,\u201d &c.; others again\ntranslate in, i.e. \u201cin our house are,\u201d &c., taking \u200f\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05d7\u200e in the sense\nof house; comp. Prov. xiv. 19, but with less probability. Houbigant\u2019s\ntransposition of letters, viz. \u200f\u05e2\u05dc \u05ea\u05e4\u05d7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u200e, in nostris malis aureis,\ninstead of \u200f\u05e2\u05dc \u05e4\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u200e, is an idle conjecture.\n\n1. Oh that thou wert as my brother, &c. The charming description which\nthe Shulamite gave of their happiness when at home, recalled to her\nmind the obstacles which they met with, even there; and hence she is\nled to wish that he had sustained to her the relation of a brother,\nthat, whether in the street or the house, none might misinterpret or\ninterrupt the manifestation of their attachment. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05df\u200e is used to\nexpress the optative. Comp. Deut. v. 29; xxviii. 67; Ps. xiv. 7; Job\nvi. 8; Gesen. \u00a7 136, 1; Ewald, \u00a7 329 c. \u200f\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05d7\u200e is the accusative. The\nrendering of the Septuag., \u03a4\u1f76\u03c2 \u03b4\u1ff4\u03b7 \u03c3\u03b5, \u1f00\u03b4\u03b5\u03bb\u03c6\u03b9\u03b4\u03ad \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5, \u03b8\u03b7\u03bb\u03ac\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2\n\u03bc\u03b7\u03c4\u03c1\u03cc\u03c2 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5; and Luther, \u201cO dass ich dich, mein Bruder, der du meiner\nMutter Br\u00fcste saugest, draussen f\u00e4nde,\u201d are wrong. \u200f\u05d9\u05b9\u05d5\u05e0\u05b5\u05e7 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, does\nnot mean \u201can infant still sucking the breasts.\u201d (Grotius, Gill, Good,\nWilliams, &c.), but \u201cone who had sucked and is now a youth;\u201d it is the\nsecond accusative to \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05ea\u05b6\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e, and stands in parallelism with \u200f\u05d0\u05b8\u05d7\u200e,\nbrother; like the participle \u200f\u05d9\u05b9\u05d5\u05dc\u05b6\u05d3\u05b6\u05ea\u200e (which does not mean one who just\ngave birth), and \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\ufb26\u200e, vide supra, chap. vi. 9. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05de\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05da\u05b8\u200e is conditional,\nwith the particle \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\ufb26\u200e implied, Judg. xi. 36; Prov. xxiv. 10; Ewald, \u00a7\n367 b. \u200f\u05d2\u05b7\u05dd\u200e is used poetically for \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u200e, and, Judg. v. 4; Joel i. 12.\n\u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05bb\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc\u200e: the third person is used to express the indeterminate third\nperson, the passive in English. Gen. xli. 14; Gesen. \u00a7 157, 3. For\n\u200f\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, me, five MSS. and two editions read \u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u200e, thee, which Ewald\nadopts. But this is against the majority of MSS. and all the versions,\nand does not at all improve the sense.\n\n2. I would lead thee, &c. As a brother, she could unreservedly bring\nhim from the spot, where she met him in the street, to her mother\u2019s\nhouse. We must supply \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05dd\u200e, thence, before \u200f\u05d0\u05b1\u05e0\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d2\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e; so Rashbam. Simple\nas the word \u200f\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05d3\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e seems to be, it has nevertheless produced a\nvariety of renderings. The Septuagint and Syriac, followed by Percy,\nentirely omit it, and interpolate here \u200f\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05d7\u05b6\u05d3\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, and into the\napartment of her who gave me birth, from chap. iii. 4; after \u200f\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e,\nthe house of my mother. Ibn Ezra, the Authorized Version, Kleuker,\nD\u00f6derlein, Hitzig, &c., supply \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e, who, before \u200f\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05d3\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, and refer\nit to \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, my mother. But this interrupts the construction, and,\nagainst the scope of the description, introduces the mother as an\nactress. Hodgson and the editor of Calmet, strangely enough, render it\nTalmudni, as a proper name of the maiden\u2019s mother. The most natural way\nseems to be to take it with the Vulgate, Chaldee, Rashbam, Luther,\nEwald, D\u00f6pke, De Wette, Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, Philippson, &c., as\nthe second person masculine.\n\nI would cause thee to drink, &c. On the aromatic wine, see supra, chap.\nvii. 3. The pomegranate-juice was and still is a favourite beverage in\nthe East. \u201cThe Orientals,\u201d says Dr. Kitto, \u201cindulge largely in\nbeverages made with fresh juice of various kinds of fruits. Among\nthese, sherbet made with pomegranate-juice is particularly esteemed,\nand, from its agreeable and cooling acidity, the present writer was\nhimself accustomed to prefer it to any other drink of this\ndescription.\u201d \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df\u200e, is either an anomalous construct (Gesenius; F\u00fcrst,\nLex. s.v.), or the absolute, and \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u05b6\u05e7\u05b7\u05d7\u200e, apposition in the accusative.\nCompare \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05e5\u200e, 1 Kings xx. 27; Gesen. \u00a7 116, 6, Rem. b; Ewald, \u00a7\n287 h. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e7\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e and \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e7\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e are a paranomasia, vide supra, chap. i. 3.\n\u200f\u05e2\u05b7\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e1 \u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05b9\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e, my pomegranate-juice, i.e. which I myself have prepared.\nThe noun in the genitive, expressing the quality of the nominative, has\nthe suffix; compare \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u200e, my holy mountain, Ps. ii. 6; Gesen. \u00a7\n121 b; Ewald, \u00a7 291 b. From an oversight of this most probably arose\nthe readings of \u200f\u05e8\u05de\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd\u200e or \u200f\u05e8\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (several MSS.), \u200f\u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05b9\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u200e (Vulgate,\nSyriac), the supposition that \u200f\u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05b9\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u200e is an adjective (Schultens), and\nthe opinion that it is an abbreviated plural from \u200f\u05e8\u05b4\u05de\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, like \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e\nfor \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, (Ps. xlv. 9, Meier, F\u00fcrst, Lexicon, \u200f\u05de\u200e, 3 b.)\n\n3. Let his left hand, &c. Exhausted with the attempt to describe her\nunfailing attachment for her beloved shepherd, an attachment far deeper\nthan external circumstances permit her to manifest, the Shulamite\ndesires that no other hand should raise her drooping head, no other arm\nsupport her enfeebled frame, than those of her beloved; compare chap.\nii. 6.\n\n4. I adjure you, &c. This last affecting scene, having brought the\nShulamite\u2019s struggle to a successful termination, is closed by her\nadjuring the court ladies as before (ii. 7, and v. 3), to make no more\nattempt to draw her affections away from her beloved to any one else,\nsince they were unalterably fixed. The Septuagint, which is followed by\nGood, &c., supplies here \u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c2\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4\u200e, from ii. 7, and v. 3.\nIt is obvious, from the change of \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05dd\u200e into the more urgent negative\nparticle \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d4\u200e, (comp. Job xxxi.; Ewald, \u00a7 325 b), that the variation is\ndesignedly made; and indeed the haste in which the Shulamite is to\ndepart with her beloved does not permit her to use the lengthy\nadjuration.\n\n5. Who is it that comes up, &c. The last successful resistance secured\nfor the Shulamite her liberty. Convinced that even the blandishments of\na king cannot overcome the power of virtuous love in the heart of a\nrustic damsel; satisfied that \u201call the wealth of his house\u201d could not\nbuy it, Solomon dismisses her. Then, reunited to her beloved shepherd,\nthe happy pair immediately depart for home. As they approach their\nnative place the inhabitants, beholding them at a distance, exclaim,\n\u201cWho is it that comes up from the plain, leaning upon her beloved?\u201d\n\u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u200e, the plain (vide supra, iii. 6), most probably the plain of\nEsdraelon, at present known by the name of Merij Ibn \u2019Amir, lying\nbetween Jezreel and Sulem (Robinson, Palestine, iii. 169), which the\nlovers had to cross on their way home. \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e7\u05b6\u05ea\u200e (from \u200f\u05e8\u05b8\u05e4\u05b7\u05e7\u200e, to lean;\nhence \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b5\u05bc\u05e7\u200e, an arm, on which one leans, Talm. Sabbath, 92),\nsupporting herself, being weary with so long a journey. So the Sept.\n\u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u03b9\u03b6\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7; the Vulg. innixa, &c. As for the additional\n\u03bb\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u03c5\u03ba\u03b1\u03bd\u03b8\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7 in the Sept., and deliciis affluens in the Vulg., the\none most probably arose from the word \u200f\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05d4\u200e, used in chap. vi. 10,\nwhere a similar question occurs, and the other from a marginal gloss,\n\u200f\u05de\u05ea\u05e4\u05e0\u05e7\u05ea\u200e or \u200f\u05de\u05ea\u05e0\u05e2\u05e0\u05e2\u05ea\u200e.\n\nUnder this apple-tree, &c. As they drew nearer home they beheld the\nendeared spot\u2014the memorable shady tree under which the shepherd was\nborn, and where their mutual love was first kindled. These sweet\nmusings are at length terminated by the Shulamite, who joyfully\nrecounts the pleasing reminiscences of that place. The frequent\nmeetings of shepherds and shepherdesses under shady trees, (vide supra,\nchap. i. 7), often resulted in the formation of a sacred tie. The\nsolemn vow of love was then engraven on the bark of the tree, as a\nwitness of their union. Thus Theocritus, Idyl. xviii. 47, 48:\u2014\n\n\n        \u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03bc\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f10\u03bd \u03c6\u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u1ff7 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03c8\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, \u1f61\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b9\u03ce\u03bd \u03c4\u03b9\u03c2\n        \u1f00\u03bd\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03bc\u1fc3, \u0394\u03c9\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u1f76, \u03c3\u03ad\u03b2\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bc\u2019\u00b7 \u1f19\u03bb\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c6\u03c5\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03af.\n\n                                \u201c\u2014\u2014and on the bark,\n        In Doric, shall be engraven for all to mark,\n        \u2018To me pay honour\u2014I am Helen\u2019s tree.\u2019\u201d\n\n\nCompare also Idyl. xxiii. 46; Propert. I. xviii. 22; Virg. Ecl. x. 53;\nand Pope, Past. iii. 66, 67.\n\nHere thy mother, &c. Confinements in the open air are of frequent\noccurrence in the East (Gen. xv. 16). \u201cThere are in Asia,\u201d says Dr.\nChardin in his manuscript notes, \u201clarge districts in which no midwives\nare to be found, and even if some live there they are little known, for\nmothers assist their daughters, and often female relatives or\nneighbours fill the place of the former. In Kurman, I saw a woman who\nwas delivered without any assistance in the open fields, three hours\nfrom a village, and to my great surprise, she arrived not much later in\ntown where I was. The people there smiled at my astonishment, remarking\nthat similar cases were very frequent in their country.\u201d (See\nRosenm\u00fcller, Orient. i. 188; Paxton, Illustrations of Scripture, i.\n462; Kalisch on Exod. p. 18.) \u200f\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b5\u05e8\u200e, to excite, to move to love, vide\nsupra, ii. 7; iii. 5; viii. 4. \u200f\u05d7\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e does not mean conceived thee\n(Aquila, Schultens, Hitzig, &c.), which the Shulamite could not know,\nnor plighted, or engaged thee, (Houbigant, Michaelis, Percy, Kleuker,\nGood, Williams, Boothroyd, Magnus, Meier, &c.), which is contrary to\nthe Piel signification of this verb, but signifies laboured with thee,\n(Sept., Syriac, Chaldee, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Luther, Ewald, De\nWette, Gesenius, Philippson, &c.); compare Ps. vii. 15, and Hupheld in\nloco. To put these words into the mouth of the bridegroom as addressing\nhis bride, (Percy, Good, Williams, Boothroyd, Delitzsch, Hitzig, &c.),\nis contrary to the words in the text, which have masculine suffixes.\nThe form \u200f\u05d7\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e is used instead of \u200f\u05d7\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e, to correspond in sound\nwith \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e in pause, vide supra, iii. 11. \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e.\nThe Vulgate, which seems here to savour of allegorism, translates \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\n\u05d7\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d7\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e, ibi corrupta est mater tua, ibi violata est\ngenitrix tua. \u201cThe tree,\u201d the Roman Catholics explain of the cross;\n\u201cthe individual\u201d excited to love under it, the Gentiles redeemed by\nChrist at the foot of the cross; and \u201cthe deflowered and corrupted\nmother\u201d means, the synagogue of the Jews (the mother of the Church),\nwhich was corrupted by denying and crucifying the Saviour.\n\n6. Oh, place me as a seal, &c. That is, \u201cLet me be near and dear to\nthee.\u201d The Shulamite, having shown her faithfulness during a period of\nextraordinary trials, could now look up to the witnessing tree with an\ninward satisfaction. It is therefore very natural that she should\nremind her beloved, in the presence of this witness, of his vows. In\nancient times, when the art of writing was confined to a very few, and\nwriting materials were not so easily procurable, rings or signets, with\nnames engraven upon them, were generally used as manual signs. This\ncontrivance for a signature soon became used as an ornament. People who\ncould afford it had these seals or signets made of silver or gold,\ninlaid with precious stones. Being indispensable articles of use, and\nhighly prized as decorations, they were carried in the bosom, suspended\nfrom the neck by a string (Gen. xxxviii. 15), or were worn on the right\nhand (Jer. xxii. 24; Sirach xlix. 11), and thus became a symbol of what\nis dear and indispensable. Jehovah himself uses this metaphor, Jer.\nxxii. 24:\u2014\n\n\n        \u201cThough Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,\n        Were as a seal on my right hand,\n        Yet I would pluck thee thence.\u201d\n\n\nComp. also Hag. ii. 23; Sirach xvii. 22; Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. vi. 252;\ni. 183; iv. 190; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.\n\nFor love is strong as death, &c. True love seizes with a tenacious\ngrasp. Like death, it rules with resistless sway; like Hades, it is\nnever moved to give up its object: neither power nor prayer can\novercome it. \u200f\u05e7\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4\u200e, hard, firm, inexorable. \u200f\u05e7\u05b4\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e is not jealousy\n(Sept., Vulg., Authorized Version, Percy, Kleuker, Good, Williams,\n&c.), but devout affection, ardent love (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette,\nNoyes, Meier, Hitzig, Philippson &c.); it is here used as an\nintensitive term for love, as is evident from the parallelism and the\nconnexion.\n\nThe flames of the Eternal. These words are exegetical of \u201cflames of\nfire;\u201d i.e. the flames of love, though having the same energy as those\nof fire, are not of the same origin; they emanate from the Eternal, the\nsource of all love. Whether, with Ben Asher, we read \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e,\nconjointly, like \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05e4\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e, Jer. ii. 31; or with Ben Naphtali, \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b6\u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\n\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e, separately, which is followed by most editions, Rashi, Ibn Ezra,\nand the majority of modern critics, and which is required by the\nparallelism; this predicate does not state that the flames of love are\n\u201cmost vehement,\u201d but affirms that they emanate from the Eternal. \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u200e,\nan abbreviation of \u200f\u05d9\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d5\u05b6\u05d4\u200e (see Kalisch on Exod. iii. 14; xi. 2; F\u00fcrst,\nLexicon, s.v.), like \u200f\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u200e, Isa. xiv. 13, is the genitive of cause or\norigin. Comp. \u1f21 \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7 \u1f10\u03ba \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f14\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9, 1 John iv. 7. \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u200e, flame,\nmay either be a quadriliteral, formed from \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u200e, Arabic, to burn, with\nthe insertion of the \u200f\u05dc\u200e after the first radical, according to the\nanalogy of \u200f\u05d6\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, violent heat, (Ps. ii. 6), from the root \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to\nbe hot; or, which is more probable, is the Shaphel conjugation of\n\u200f\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u200e, to burn. F\u00fcrst, Lexicon, s.v.; Gesen. \u00a7 55, 6; Ewald, \u00a7 122 a.\nThe Sept. has \u03c6\u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03b5\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2, \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8\u200e. That the original reading of the\ntext was \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8 \u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e (Ewald, D\u00f6pke, Hitzig, &c.) is purely\nconjectural.\n\n7. Floods cannot quench love. Being a flame of celestial origin no\nterrestrial influence, however great, can destroy or wash it away; it\nis not subjected to means resorted to for the extinction of ordinary\nfires. \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, prop. much water, i.e. a great quantity of it (Numb.\nxx. 11), floods. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d8\u05b7\u05e3\u200e, to wash, or sweep away, Job xiv. 19; Isa.\nxxviii. 17.\n\nIf one should offer all, &c. Such divine love spontaneously flows from\nthe heart, and cannot be purchased with money; though one offered all\nhis riches for it, they would be utterly despised. This affirmation,\nwhilst true in itself, is levelled against the king, who attempted to\ngain love by flatteries and praises (vide supra, i. 11; vi. 8), but was\nutterly rejected (vii. 11). \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e any one, one, Gen. xiii. 16; Exod.\nxvi. 29; Gesen. \u00a7 122, Rem. 2. \u200f\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d6\u200e, the infinitive absolute, is\nemployed before the finite verb \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, to express intensity, Gen.\nxliii. 3; 1 Sam. xx. 6; Gesen. \u00a7 131, 3 a; Ewald, \u00a7 280 b. \u200f\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, the\nthird person plural, is used for the passive, see supra, chap. viii. 1.\n\n8. Our sister is still young, &c. The brothers are here introduced, on\nthe arrival of the Shulamite, as repeating the promise which they had\nonce given to their sister if she kept virtuous, and, when espoused,\nremained true to her vows. One of the brothers inquires of the others\nwhat they should do for the Shulamite when she reached womanhood, and\nis demanded in marriage. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, our sister, and is\nwell rendered by the Sept. \u1f00\u03b4\u03b5\u03bb\u03c6\u1f74 \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd, the Vulg. soror nostra, Luther,\nunsere Schwester. The adjective \u200f\u05e7\u05b8\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, like \u200f\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u200e, prop. denoting\nsize, is also used with reference to age. Gen. ix. 24; xxvii. 15; Judg.\nxv. 2. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e, i.e. she has not yet reached puberty. \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\ufb26\u200e,\nwhen, Gen. ii. 4. \u200f\u05d3\u05b4\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u200e, to speak for, to demand in marriage, 1 Sam.\nxiii. 9; xxv. 39.\n\n9. If she be like a wall, &c. To this inquiry the second brother\nreplied, that if, having reached that age, she should firmly resist\nevery allurement as a battlement resists the attack of an enemy, they\nwould decorate her as an impregnable wall; i.e. highly reward her. The\nexpression \u201cwall\u201d is figuratively used for impregnability, Jer. ii. 18;\nso Immanuel, \u200f\u05e9\u05e2\u05de\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d6\u05e7\u05d4 \u05db\u05d4\u05d5\u05de\u05d4\u200e. The silver turret here mentioned most\nprobably refers to the silver horn, a highly prized ornament which\nwomen wear on their heads. \u201cOne of the most extraordinary parts of the\nattire of their females\u201d (Druses of Lebanon), says Dr. Macmichael, \u201cis\na silver horn, sometimes studded with jewels, worn on the head in\nvarious positions, distinguishing different conditions. A married woman\nhas it affixed to the right side of the head, a widow to the left, and\na virgin is pointed out by its being placed on the very crown. Over\nthis silver projection the long veil is thrown, with which they so\ncompletely conceal their faces as to rarely have more than one eye\n(vide supra, chap. iv. 9), visible.\u201d Comp. also Bowring, Report on\nSyria, p. 8.\n\nBut if she be like a door, &c. That is, accessible (vide supra, chap.\niv. 12), she shall be barricaded with cedar planks\u2014be punished by being\nlocked up. The word \u201cdoor\u201d is metaphorically used for open to\nseduction. The cedar wood is mentioned because it is exceedingly\nstrong, and increases the idea of strict vigilance. Similarly Immanuel,\n\u200f\u05d5\u05d0\u05dd \u05d3\u05dc\u05ea \u05e9\u05db\u05d1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05e4\u05ea\u05d7 \u05e0\u05e6\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e8\u05d7 \u05d0\u05e8\u05d6 \u05db\u05dc\u05de\u05f3 \u05e0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05e0\u05e1\u05d2\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d3\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\ufb21\n\u05ea\u05e8\u05d0\u05d4, \u05d5\u05db\u05dc\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d3\u05d6 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d6\u05e7 \u05d5\u05ea\u05e7\u05d9\u05e3\u200e.\n\n10. I am a wall, &c. The Shulamite now triumphantly responds, that she\nhad proved impregnable as a wall, and had now reached womanhood, and\ntherefore the promised reward was due to her. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d2\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, i.q. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\n\u05e0\u05b8\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u200e, Ezek. xvi. 7, is well explained by Rashbam, \u200f\u05d4\u05d2\u05d9\u05e2 \u05d6\u05de\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05e0\u05e9\u05d0\u200e,\nmy time for marriage has arrived, and is an answer to \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc\u200e, in\nthe preceding verse.\n\nThen I was in his eyes, &c. That is, in her brother\u2019s eyes. He now,\nbeing convinced of his sister\u2019s chastity, gave her the reward of\nvirtue. The suffix in \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u200e, his eyes, does not refer to Solomon\n(Ewald, Hitzig, Philippson, &c.), whose name has not been mentioned,\nbut to the brother (Ibn Ezra, &c.), who last spoke. \u200f\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e, peace, has\nno reference to the name \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, but is used in the sense of \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05df\u200e,\nfavour, and refers to chap. i. 6; comp. Gen. xxxiv. 7 with ver. 11.\n\n11. Solomon had a vineyard, &c. Having been obliged, when demanding her\npromised reward, to describe her virtue as an impregnable wall, the\nShulamite now relates more circumstantially how she had resisted the\nattempt to gain her affections. Solomon had a large vineyard in\nBaal-hammon, which he offered to consign to her if she granted his\nrequest; but the Shulamite refused his offer, telling him he might keep\nhis large estate to himself, for she was quite satisfied with her\nhumble possession. Many are the conjectures hazarded as to the locality\nof Baal-hammon, which occurs nowhere else, and no place is known by\nthis name. It is taken for Baal-Gad, or Heliopolis (Rosenm\u00fcller, Bib.\nGeog. ii. p. 253), for \u200f\u05d7\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, Hammon, a place in the tribe of Asher,\nJosh. xix. 28 (Ewald), and for \u0392\u03b5\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u1f7c\u03bd or \u0392\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u1f7c\u03bd, Belamon or Balamon,\na place mentioned in the book of Judith, viii. 3, not far from the\nplain of Esdraelon, Judith iii. 9 (Meier, Hitzig). It is, however, more\nprobable, according to Rashi, that Baal-hammon was in or near\nJerusalem, and was called \u200f\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, place of the multitude, because\nits beauties and charms attracted a multitude of people, thus\npresenting a greater temptation for the Shulamite. The Vulgate\nstrangely renders \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e, vinea fuit pacifico in ea,\nquae habet populos.\n\nHe let out the vineyard, &c. This is intended to show the value of the\nvineyard. It was so extensive that it was leased out to a number of\ntenants, and every one of them paid a thousand shekels annually, and\nyet had two hundred shekels left for himself. \u200f\u05e0\u05b9\u05d8\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, an indefinite\nnumber of keepers or farmers. \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u200e each, vide supra, ver. 7. The\nsuffix in \u200f\u05d1\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u200e, his fruit, refers to \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05dd\u200e, vineyard, which is\nmasculine. \u200f\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e1\u05b6\u05e3\u200e, silver, stands for \u200f\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e7\u05b6\u05dc \u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e1\u05b6\u05e3\u200e, silver shekel:\nsubstantives denoting weight, measure, or time, are frequently omitted.\nGen. xx. 16; xxxvii. 28; Acts xix. 9; Gesen. \u00a7 120, 4, Rem. 2; Ewald, \u00a7\n287 i. The amount of a shekel is supposed to be about two shillings and\nsevenpence. The shekel of the sanctuary, however, like all the weights\nand measures of the Temple, was computed at double the ordinary. See\nEzek. xlv. 12; 1 Kings x. 17; comp. with 2 Chron. ix. 16; Mishna,\nShekalim, Maaser Sheni; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A thousand shekels,\ntherefore, would be about one hundred and thirty pounds. Remembering\nthat each of these farmers had to pay this sum annually, and that money\nin those days had fifteen or twenty, nay, according to Michaelis (Mos.\nRech. \u00a7 243), fifty times its present value, we shall be able to judge\nof the allurement which this ample estate offered.\n\n12. I will keep my own vineyard, &c. And yet, notwithstanding all this,\nthe Shulamite prefers to keep her little vineyard, and be with her\nbeloved shepherd, rather than unfaithfully give him up for riches and\nhonours. \u200f\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u200e, my own vineyard, the vineyard which belongs to me;\nvide supra, chap. i. 6. \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u200e lit. is before me; it is mine, and I\nwill keep it: this is obvious from the immediately following \u200f\u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u200e,\nthine, keep thou it. The words \u200f\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05e3 \u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05d2\u05d5\u05f4\u200e are to be taken as an\nexclamatory phrase, Ewald, \u00a7 329 a. \u200f\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05e3\u200e is here used collectively for\nall the thousands put together, which come in annually from the\nfarmers; so \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05d0\u05ea\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e, the two hundreds. The Vulgate translates here\nagain the proper \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e, mille tui pacifici.\n\n13. O thou that dwellest in the gardens, &c. The companions of the\nshepherd, who had manifested their joy at the successful arrival of the\nhappy pair (vide supra, ver. 5), and rejoice that one of their humble\noccupation has brought such honour upon the whole class, visit the\nShulamite, to hear from her own mouth her avowed attachment to her\nbeloved. The shepherd, therefore, requests her to gratify this desire.\nShe is no more \u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1\u05b6\u05ea \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u200e, sitting in the apartments of the\nking, vide supra, chap. i. 4, but has the honourable appellation of\n\u200f\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1\u05b6\u05ea \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d2\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, dwelling in the gardens. \u200f\u05d7\u05b2\u05d1\u05b5\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, companions, i.e. my\ncompanions, fellow-shepherds, i. 8.\n\n14. Haste, O my beloved, &c. The Shulamite complies with the request.\nIn the presence of all, she calls the shepherd her beloved, and tells\nhim always to hasten to her with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle;\nvide supra ii. 9, 17. He has no more to cross \u201cthe mountains of\nseparation\u201d (see ii. 17), for they are united. These rugged mountains\nhave now given place to the much-wished-for aromatic hills, iv. 6.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n\n[1] \u200f\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05e8\u05f4\u05e9 \u05d1\u05df \u05e2\u05d6\u05d0\u05d9 \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05d1\u05dc \u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05de\u05e4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05e7\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e8\u05f3\n\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05e2\u05d6\u05e8\u05d1\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05dd \u05d5\u05e7\u05d4\u05dc\u05ea \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd. \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05e8\u05f3 \u05e2\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d4 \u05d7\u05dd\n\u05d5\u05e9\u05c1\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d0\u05d3\u05b4\u05dd \u05de\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e2\u05d3\u05b9 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\ufb26 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05b9\u05dd\n\u05db\u05d3\u05d0\u05d9 \u05db\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05e9\u05db\u05ea\u05df \u05d1\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, \u05e9\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05e7\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\n\u05e7\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd.\u200e As the phrase \u200f\u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, polluting the hands, has\nrecently been quoted by Dr. Davidson (The Text of the Old Testament,\n&c. p. 796), in direct contrariety to its meaning, we shall here give\nan explanation of it. Let it be observed, that in the Mishna, whence\nthe above passage is quoted, the phrase is applied to all the Holy\nScriptures (\u200f\u05db\u05dc \u05db\u05ea\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9 \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd\u200e). The reason of this is\ngiven in the Talmud, (Sabbath, 14 a,) where the question is asked, why\nHoly Writ is reckoned among the eighteen subjects which are decreed as\npolluting the hands? The answer there given is, because the\nTheruma-food and the Thorah, both being regarded as holy, used to be\nplaced near each other. When it was afterwards discovered that the\nsacred books were thereby exposed to danger (damage by mice), the\nRabbins decreed that they should henceforth be regarded as unclean, in\norder to prohibit them from coming in contact with those sacred\neatables. Hence the decree \u200f\u05db\u05dc \u05db\u05ea\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9 \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, all Holy\nScripture pollutes the hands, which exclusively applies to holy, i.e.\ninspired books. Wherever, therefore, it is said that a book is \u200f\u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea\n\u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, polluting the hands, it affirms that it is canonical; and when\nit is said \u200f\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd\u200e, it does not pollute the hands, it means\nthat the book is not canonical. Thus we are told \u200f\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea\n\u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e0\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05d7 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u200e, \u201cthe Song of Songs pollutes the hands because\nit is inspired.\u201d And of the non-canonical \u200f\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d1\u05df \u05e1\u05d9\u05e8\u05f3 \u05d5\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\n\u05e9\u05e0\u05db\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5 \u05de\u05db\u05d0\u05df \u05d5\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05da \u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05df \u05de\u05d8\u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\ufb26\u200e, \u201cThe book of the Son of\nSirach, and all the books written from that time and afterwards, do not\npollute the hands.\u201d\n\n[2] Baba Bathra, 14.\n\n[3] Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. iv. 26.\n\n[4] For a full elucidation of this verse, see Henderson, \u201cDivine\nInspiration,\u201d pp. 219\u2013224.\n\n[5] See Gesenius, Lexicon in voce.\n\n[6] Herodotus, i. 196.\n\n[7] \u00c6lian, V. H. iv. 1. Strabo, xvi. 745.\n\n[8] Homer, Odyss. viii. 318, &c.; Pausanias, iii. 12, 2.\n\n[9] Tacitus, Germ. xviii.\n\n[10] Michaelis, the Laws of Moses, \u00a7 85; Rosenm\u00fcller, Orient. i. p.\n132, &c.; Grant\u2019s Nestorians, p. 214; Perkins, Eight Years in Persia,\np. 236.\n\n[11] Est. ii. 3, 14, 15; iv. 4; Joseph. Ant. lib. xv. c. 7, 4.\n\n[12] Plutarch\u2019s Lives. Themistocles.\n\n[13] Alexander, History of Women, Introd. p. vii.\n\n[14] Lane, Arabian Nights, Vol. I. pp. 38, 39.\n\n[15] Euripides, Iphi. in Aulis.\n\n[16] Ant. lib. iv. c. 8, 15.\n\n[17] Hilochoth Eduth, c. ix. 1.\n\n[18] This is the date according to Aristobulus, which has, however,\nbeen questioned. See Frankel, Vorstudien zu der Septuaginta; De Wette,\nEinleitung, \u00a7\u00a7 40, 41; Herzog, Real-Encyklop\u00e4die f\u00fcr protestantische\nTheologie, art. Alexandrinische Bibel\u00fcbersetzung; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib.\nLit., under Septuagint.\n\n[19] H\u00e4vernick\u2019s Einleitung Dritter Theil, p. 475.\n\n[20] Ewald, p. 34. D\u00f6pke, philologisch-critischer Commentar zum\nHohenliede, p. 34.\n\n[21] Vide Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit., art. Wisdom of Jesus; De Wette,\nEinleitung, \u00a7 316.\n\n[22] Keil, in H\u00e4vernick\u2019s Einleitung Dritter Theil, p. 476.\n\n[23] Das Hohelied Salomonis, p. 254.\n\n[24] Vide Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit., under, Wisdom of Solomon; De Wette,\nEinleitung, \u00a7 314.\n\n[25] Rosenm\u00fcller, Scholia, p. 270, sqq. Delitzsch, Das Hohelied, p. 66.\n\n[26] Cont. Apion. 1. \u00a7 8.\n\n[27] Kleuker, Samlung der Gedichte Salomon\u2019s, p. 54. Hengstenberg, p.\n255.\n\n[28] Vide Stuart on the Old Testament Canon, sect. 12, p. 245.\nDavidson\u2019s Edit. Henderson, Divine Inspiration, p. 349.\n\n[29] Succa ad fin.\n\n[30] Torath Cohanim. Tosiftha Synhedrin, c. 7. Aboth di R. Nathan, c.\n27. Graetz, Geschichte der Juden, Dritter Band, p. 211.\n\n[31] Vide Jost, Allgemeine Geschichte des Israelitischen Volkes (1850),\nZweiter Band, pp. 63, 130, sqq. 153, Graetz, Geschichte der Juden,\nDritter Band, p. 210. Vierter Band, pp. 243\u2013246, 441\u2013443, 446, 473.\nZunz, Vortr\u00e4ge, p. 52.\n\n[32] \u200f\u05d0\u05f4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05e2 \u05d1\u05df \u05dc\u05d5\u05d9 \u05de\u05d0\u05d9 \u05d3\u05db\u05ea\u05d9\u05d1 \u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05df \u05e1\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d9\u05dc\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05f3\n\u05db\u05d2\u05e1\u05ea \u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05dc\u05e4\u05d2\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d1\u05f4\u05d4 \u05e8\u05d1\u05f4\u05e9\u05e2 \u05d0\u05e3 \u05e2\u05f4\u05e1 \u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e6\u05e8 \u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d2\u05e3 \u05e9\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d9\u05dc\u05d9\u05df\n\u05d0\u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05e2\u05e4 \u05d2\u05d3\u05d9 \u05de\u05d9 \u05e1\u05d4\u05db\u05dc \u05d8\u05dc\u05d5 \u05de\u05db\u05e4\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05d2\u05d3\u05d9 \u05e1\u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05ea\u05d9\n\u05dc\u05d9 \u05de\u05d0\u05d9 \u05de\u05e9\u05de\u05e2 \u05d3\u05d4\u05d0\u05d9 \u05db\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9\u05e9\u05d2\u05d0 \u05d3\u05de\u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e8 \u05d6\u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05e8\u05d1 \u05e0\u05d7\u05de\u05df \u05db\u05d3\u05ea\u05e0\u05df\n\u05db\u05e1\u05d0 \u05e9\u05dc \u05db\u05d9\u05e0\u05e1 \u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05de\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05de: \u05d5\u05d0\u05f4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05e2 \u05d1\u05df \u05dc\u05d5\u05d9 \u05de\u05d0\u05d9 \u05d3\u05db\u05ea\u05d9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05e8\n\u05db\u05e2\u05e8\u05d2\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e9\u05dd \u05db\u05dc \u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05de\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d1\u05f4\u05d4 \u05e0\u05ea\u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd\n\u05d5\u05db\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05e0\u05ea\u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05db\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05d7\u05d5\u05e6\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d1\u05f4\u05d4 \u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d7\n\u05de\u05d0\u05d5\u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05de\u05e2\u05d1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05d5\u05f4\u05d0 \u05e9\u05e4\u05ea\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e0\u05d5\u05d8\u05e4\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d5\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05dc\n\u05d4\u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd: \u05d5\u05d0\u05f4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05e2 \u05d1\u05df \u05dc\u05d5\u05d9 \u05db\u05dc \u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05de\u05e4\u05d9\n\u05d4\u05e7\u05d1\u05f4\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e6\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e0\u05e9\u05de\u05ea\u05df \u05e9\u05dc \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e9\u05e0\u05f4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d5\u05de\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05e9\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05d9\u05e6\u05ea\u05d4\n\u05e0\u05e9\u05de\u05ea\u05df \u05d3\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0\u05df \u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d8\u05dc \u05e9\u05e2\u05ea\u05bc\u05d9\u05d3 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d7\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05d5 \u05de\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d4\u05d7\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05dd\n\u05e9\u05e0\u05d0\u05f4 \u05e0\u05e9\u05dd \u05e0\u05e8\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05d7\u05e0\u05d9\u05e3 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e0\u05d7\u05dc\u05ea. \u05d5\u05e0\u05dc\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05e0\u05ea\u05d4. \u05de\u05e1\u05e0\u05ea \u05e9\u05d1\u05ea \u05e4\u05d7\u200e\n\n[33] Daily Bible Illustrations, the Song of Songs, p. 449.\n\n[34] Einleitung in das Alte Testament, Zweite Auflage, Erster Theil,\nErste Abtheilung, \u00a7 82, p. 401.\n\n[35] The Hebrew word \u200f\u05d9\u05d9\u05df\u200e, consisting of two \u200f\u05d9\u05d9\u200e 20, and \u200f\u05df\u200e 50,\ncaused this explanation. This mode of interpretation is called\n\u200f\u05d2\u05b5\u05d9\u05de\u05b7\u05d8\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u200e, Gematria, \u03b3\u03b5\u03c9\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03b1, each letter of the word being taken\naccording to its numerical value and the text interpreted accordingly.\n\n[36] This interpretation is derived from reducing the word \u200f\u05d1\u05da\u200e to its\nnumerical value, 22. See note on verse 1.\n\n[37] Vide supra, p. 26.\n\n[38] Hieros. Berach. p. 3. b.\n\n[39] Vide supra, p. 26.\n\n[40] Ibid. p. 28.\n\n[41] Comp. Wolfii Bibl. Rabbin. Vol. i. pp. 932\u2013936; Ewald und Dukes,\nBeitr\u00e4ge zur Geschichte der Alten Auslegung und Spracherkl\u00e4rung des\nAlten Testamentes, Zweites B\u00e4ndchen, p. 5, seqq. We must confess that\nDukes\u2019 arguments, here produced against the genuineness of this\ncommentary, appear inconclusive. Such an allegorical exposition is just\nwhat might have been expected from Saadias, judging from his\npredilection for Rabbinisms and allegorising, which appears in his\ntranslation of the Pentateuch. Moreover, \u200f\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05d4\u05d4\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd\u200e does not\nnecessarily imply commentaries written before Saadias, but may refer to\nthe opinions of some of his contemporaries. It is, however, probable\nthat the translator of it into Hebrew has omitted some verbal\nexplanations, deeming them unnecessary for his purpose.\n\n[42] \u200f\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d3\u05e2 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d9 \u05db\u05d9 \u05ea\u05de\u05e6\u05d0 \u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05ea\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e9 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d1\u05d0\u05de\u05ea \u05d4\u05dd\n\u05de\u05ea\u05d4\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05de \u05e9\u05e0\u05de\u05e9\u05dc \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05de\u05e0\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d1\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5 \u05de\u05e4\u05ea\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d4\u05df \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\n\u05e2\u05dc \u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9 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\u05d4\u05e0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d5\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05db\u05d9 \u05db\u05e8\u05dd \u05d4\u05f3 \u05e6\u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d5\u05d6\u05db\u05e8 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8\n\u05de\u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05d0\u05ea \u05de\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05d3 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05d7 \u05d5\u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05dc \u05dc\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e2\u05dd \u05d4\u05e7\u05f4\u05d1\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d7\u05ea\u05df \u05e2\u05dd \u05db\u05dc\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0\n\u05e7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05db\u05e9\u05d1\u05d0 \u05e2\u05de\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05de\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e7\u05e8\u05d0\u05d4 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\u05d5\u05d4\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u05ea \u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05ea \u05d0\u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05ea\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d6\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d0\u05e0\u05de\u05e8\n\u05d5\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05dd \u05d1\u05ea\u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05ea \u05e9\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d0\u05d5\u05db\u05dc \u05e2\u05e9\u05d1\u200e\n\n[43] Vide Sachs, Religi\u00f6se Poesie der Juden in Spanien, p. 267. Zunz,\ndie Synagogale Poesie des Mittelalters, pp. 63, 64.\n\n[44] This refers to the giving of the Law, and God\u2019s speaking face to\nface. Compare the Chaldee on the verse.\n\n[45] Through receiving the law Israel was anointed, i.e., became wise,\nand the fame of their wisdom was diffused abroad. Compare Saadias on\nthe passage.\n\n[46] i.e., Let the guiding Pillar allure us in the path of obedience.\n\n[47] i.e., Swarthy through the sin of the calf, comely through the\nreception of the Law. Compare the Chaldee.\n\n[48] Zunz, Zeitschrift f\u00fcr die Wissenschaft des Judenthums, 1823, p.\n272, seqq. Jost, Allgemeine Geschichte des Israelitischen Volkes,\nZweiter Band, p. 374.\n\n[49] Introduction to the Commentary.\n\n[50] Introduction to the Commentary.\n\n[51] Commentar zu Kohelot und dem Hohen Liede von R. Samuel ben Meier\nherausgegeben von Adolph Jellineck. Leipz. 1855. This Commentary has\njust been published for the first time, edited by the learned Adolph\nJellineck, who constantly enriches the Hebrew literature by bringing\nbefore the public some ancient writings.\n\n[52] See Zunz, zur Literatur und Geschichte, i. 70, 71.\n\n[53] Introduction to the Commentary.\n\n[54] See Reland, Analecta Rabbinica, Vit\u00e6 celeberrimorum Rabbinorum, p.\n69\u201380. F\u00fcrst, Biblioth. Judaica, i. p. 251\u2013257. Herzog,\nRealencyklop\u00e4die, art. Aben Ezra.\n\n[55] Introduction to the Second Gloss.\n\n[56] Introduction to the First Gloss.\n\n[57] Preface to the Commentary.\n\n[58] \u200f\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e9 \u05f3\u05df \u05db\u05e1\u05e4\u05d9. \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d5\u05e1\u05d9\u05df \u05db\u05e1\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05e9\u05e7\u05d3\ufb26 \u05dc\u05d6\u05d5 \u05e4\u05d9\u05f3 \u05e7\u05d4\u05dc\u05ea \u05d5\u05de\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\n\u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05e2\u05f4\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u05d9 \u05dc\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e9\u05e0\u05db\u05ea\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e4\u05d9\u05f3 \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d7\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d2\u05dd \u05db\u05df\n\u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05e2 \u05f4\u05d4, \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05e4\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d4\u05de\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea \u05db\u05d9 \u05db\u05d1\u05e8 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\u05d5\u05e8\u05e2 \u05dc\u05d0\u05db\u05d5\u05dc \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3 \u05de\u05e2\u05e5 \u05d4\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u201d\u05db\u05d9 \u05d6\u05d5\u05d2 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e7\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d6\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e7\u05e8\u05d9\u05e2\u05ea\n\u05d9\u05dd \u05e1\u05d5\u05e3\u201c \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d5\u05d9 \u05d8\u05d1\u05e2, \u05d0\u05f3\u05e2\u05f3\u05e4 \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e0\u05de\u05e0\u05e2 \u05dc\u05d2\u05de\u05e8\u05d9 \u05dc\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05de\u05ea \u05d5\u05db\u05df \u05d4\u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4\n\u05d4\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b8\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05dd \u05d5\u05d0\u05dd \u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d2\u05d5\u05e8\u05dc \u05d7\u05e9\u05e7\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05db\u05df, \u05d5\u05e9\u05d1\u05d7 \u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d7\u05d1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 \u05db\u05d3\u05e8\u05da\n\u05d7\u05d5\u05e9\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd, \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e0\u05de\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05e0\u05d3\u05d1\u05e7\u05d5 \u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd, \u05d5\u05e9\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5 \u05d7\u05ea\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d5\u05de\u05d8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05d5\u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e9\u05de\u05d7\u05d4\n\u05db\u05d3\u05e8\u05da \u05d0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d0\u05e9\u05ea\u05d5, \u05d5\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05ea \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4 \u05de\u05d6\u05d4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d4, \u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4 \u05d7\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\n\u05de\u05e7\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05e7\u05d5\u05dc\u05da \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e8\u05da \u05d4\u05d0\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e2 \u05e7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u201d\u05db\u05d9 \u05e7\u05d5\u05dc \u05d1\u05d0\u05e9\u05d4 \u05e2\u05e8\u05d5\u05d4\u201c \u05d5\u05d7\u05dc\u05d4\n\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e2 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05e7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8, \u05d5\u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d6\u05d4 \u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05ea\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d5, \u05d1\u05e8\u05d7 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d3\u05de\u05d4 \u05dc\u05da\n\u05dc\u05e6\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e2\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd, \u05db\u05d0\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d7\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d1\u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d5\u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4\n\u05d4\u05d7\u05d5\u05e9\u05e7 \u05de\u05e1\u05ea\u05ea\u05e8 \u05d5\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05de\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e4\u05df \u05d9\u05e4\u05d2\u05e2\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d5. \u05d5\u05d4\u05e4\u05e8\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05d2\u05dd \u05db\u05df \u05e0\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7\u05ea \u05dc\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\n\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d4\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05de\u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e2\u05e8 \u05de\u05d9 \u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05de\u05df \u05de\u05d9 \u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4\n\u05e2\u05d3 \u05e1\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8, \u05d5\u05d4\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df. \u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05ea \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e4\u05d9 \u05de\u05d4\n\u05e9\u05d4\u05e1\u05db\u05d9\u05de\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d6\u05d4.\u200e\n\n[60] De Rossi, pp. 114\u2013117. F\u00fcrst, Bibl. Jud., vol. i. pp. 82\u201384.\n\n[61] \u200f\u05d5\u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05db\u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05e6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d5\u05de\u05ea\u05e8\u05d3\u05ea \u05e9\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05e6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5\u05e0\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8\n\u05d4\u05d2\u05d9\u05e2\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d0\u05de\u05ea\u05d9\u05e7 \u05e1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05dd \u05d7\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d0\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05db\u05d5\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05dc \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d3\u05d1\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd, \u05de\u05d4\u05dd\n\u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d3\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e7 \u05de\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05e0\u05e2\u05dd \u05de\u05dc\u05d9\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d7\u05e9\u05e7 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05d4 \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05db\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d1\u05e2\u05dc\n\u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d7 \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05dc \u05de\u05d2\u05d6\u05e8 \u05de\u05db\u05dc \u05e1\u05d1\u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05e9\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e2\u05e0\u05d1\u05d5, \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e4\u05e8\u05e9\n\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05e9\u05de\u05d4, \u05d0\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d4\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05dc \u05d4\u05d3\u05e8\u05da \u05d4\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05d5 \u05de\u05d2\u05df\n\u05d5\u05e2\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4, \u05d5\u05d6\u05db\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d5\u05e1\u05d9\u05e3 \u05d5\u05d2\u05e8\u05e2 \u05d5\u05d3\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d7\u05d1\u05e8, \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d3\u05e8\u05da\n\u05d4\u05de\u05d3\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e1\u05ea\u05d5\u05dd \u05d0\u05e1\u05e4 \u05d5\u05d3\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05e4\u05dc\u05d9\u05d0 \u05db\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d9\u05e7 \u05de\u05db\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc \u05db\u05dc\u05d9, \u05de\u05d4\u05dd\n\u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e4\u05d9\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d3\u05e8\u05da \u05e2\u05e0\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05e4\u05e1\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e6\u05e2 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05d5 \u05db\u05d9 \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\n\u05d3\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05db\u05d7 \u05d0\u05dc \u05d4\u05e4\u05d5\u05e2\u05dc \u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d9\u05e8\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05db\u05dc\n\u05d4\u05e4\u05d5\u05e2\u05dc \u05d1\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d7\u05e9\u05d5\u05e7\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e0\u05e4\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e0\u05e8\u05d9\u05dc \u05d2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d4\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d1\u05de\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05e0\u05db\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\n\u05e9\u05e2\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e2\u05d3 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d1\u05d5 \u05d1\u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e8\u05db\u05dc \u05e0\u05dc\u05d0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05db\u05dc\u05db\u05dc \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d5\u05db\u05dc \u05d5\u05d0\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05ea\n\u05d4\u05d7\u05db\u05dd \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05e2\u05d9\u05dc \u05e9\u05d1\u05d7\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d6\u05de\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d9\u05ea\u05e8 \u05de\u05d6\u05d4 \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e4\u05dc\u05d5\u05e1\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e7\u05e6\u05e8 \u05e2\u05e0\u05d9\u05df\n\u05d5\u05d1\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d6\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05de\u05dc\u05d7\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d6\u05d4 \u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d5\u05ea\u05e4\u05d0\u05e8\u05ea\u05d5\n\u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05de\u05e0\u05d2 \u05d0\u05ea\u05d5.\u200f\u200e\n\nFrom a MS. in the possession of the Bodleian. Oppenheim Collection, No.\n261.\n\n[62] De Rossi, pp. 294, 295.\n\n[63] F\u00fcrst, Bib. Jud. vol. i. p. 187.\n\n[64] This commentary is erroneously called Tamach\u2019s, the euphemic\nexpression \u200f\u05ea\u05de\u05f4\u05da\u200e, i.e. \u200f\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b8\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05db\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05b8\u05e8\u200e, used for the departed, being\nmistaken for a proper name. Vide F\u00fcrst, Bib. Jud. vol. ii. p. 243.\n\n[65] Ibid. vol. i. p. 314.\n\n[66] Ibid. vol. i. pp. 41, 42.\n\n[67] Vide Magnus, Das Hohe Lied Salomo\u2019s, p. 26.\n\n[68] De Amore dial., c. iii. Delitzsch im Literaturblatt des Orients,\n1840, No. 6, &c.\n\n[69] Melizat Jeshurun. Vienna, 1816.\n\n[70] Gottesdienstliche Vortr\u00e4ge. Berlin, 1832, p. 334.\n\n[71] 1834\u2014Dr. Zunz also wrote a valuable introduction to Rebenstein\u2019s\nCommentary on the Song of Songs (Berlin, 1834), in which he gives a\ncatalogue of Hebrew writers on this book, existing in MS. I am sorry\nthat all my exertions to obtain it have proved abortive.\n\n[72] Vierter Band., p. 367.\n\n[73] Israelitische Bibel, Dritter Theil. 1854, pp. 660, 661.\n\n[74] The following is a list of the names of some of the commentators\nand their works, selected from a large number of authors who have\nwritten upon this book, and which we could not analyse in our\nhistorical sketch.\n\nAbi-Simra, \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05d3\u200e (printed, according to de Rossi, at\nConstantinople). Affendopulo, \u200f\u05e1\u05b5\u05f3 \u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e (Dod Mordechai, c. 3,\nVienna, 1830). Allemanno, \u200f\u05d7\u05b6\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e7 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b9\u05de\u05b9\u05d4\u200e. Almosneno, \u200f\u05d9\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9 \u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4\u200e (Venice,\n1597). Arepol, \u200f\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05e8 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u200e (Ssafet, 1579). Asulai, \u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05dc \u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u200e, and \u200f\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\n\u05d7\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u200e (Leghorn, 1800.) B\u00e4r. b. Naphtali, \u200f\u05de\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05bb\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u200e (Amsterdam, 1725).\nBaruch b. Isaac, \u200f\u05d6\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u200e (Amsterdam, 1730). Birs, \u200f\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d3\u200e\n(Grodno, 1797). Chiquitilla, in MS. Cohen, \u200f\u05d6\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05df \u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e8\u05b9\u05df\u200e (Venice, 1657).\nEliezer b. Judah, \u200f\u05d9\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e7\u05b7\u05d7\u200e (Lublin, 1608). Elijah b. Salomon-Abraham,\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc \u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d2\u05f3\u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u200e, in MS. Gensburg, \u200f\u05e0\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05d1\u05b7\u05e2 \u05e8\u05b8\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05df\u200e (Hamburg, 1708).\nJaabez, \u200f\u05e7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d4\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (in Frankfurter\u2019s Bible, Amsterdam, 1724\u201327). Ibn\nJaehaj (in the Amsterdam Rab. Bible, 1724). Ibn Jaish, \u200f\u05de\u05b8\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05e8\u05bc\u05da \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\n\u05e9\u05d4\u05f4\u05e9\u200e (Constantinople, 1576). Jacob b. Isaac, \u200f\u05e6\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u200e (Berlin,\n1709). Jacob b. Joel, \u200f\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d0\u05b5\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e7\u05b9\u05d1\u200e (Altona, 1727). Jacob-Lissa, \u200f\u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\n\u05d9\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u200e (Dyrhenfurt, 1815\u201319). Joseph-Jossel, \u200f\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e1\u05b5\u05e3\u200e (Wandsbeck,\n1727). Kara, in MS. Dav. Kimchi, in MS. Landsberger, \u200f\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b5\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b1\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u200e\n(Offenbach, 1724). Lando, \u200f\u05e0\u05b4\u05e7\u05bb\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05e1\u05b6\u05e3\u200e (Venice, 1619). Libowitzer, \u200f\u05e1\u05b5\u05f3\n\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea \u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e (Korez, 1791), Loanz, surnamed Baal Shem, \u200f\u05e8\u05b4\u05e0\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u200e\n(Basle, 1606). L\u00f6w b. Joshua, \u200f\u05dc\u05b5\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d4\u200e (Wilmersdorf, 1674). Saul L\u00f6w,\n\u200f\u05d1\u05b4\u05e0\u05b0\u05d9\u05b7\u05df \u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u200e (Amsterdam, 1778). Meyer (Frankfort on the Main, 1679).\nSolomon Ibn Melech, \u200f\u05de\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05dc \u05d9\u05b9\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u200e (Amsterdam, 1661). Salomon b. Jacob\n(Prague, 1628).\n\n[75] Origenes Selecta in Psalmos 1. Hieronymus Apologia adversus\nRufinum. See on this subject Frankel, Monatschrift, 1852, p. 219, and\nGraetz, Geschichte der Juden, Vierter Band, p. 279.\n\n[76] Davidson, Introduction to the Old Testament, &c., p. 790.\n\n[77] Comp. Hieronymus ad Pamachium; Prefacio in Paralipomena, in\nTobiam, in Job. To his ingratitude and bitter vituperations against the\nJews, this people may trace many of their subsequent sufferings from\nso-called Christians. (Com. Hiero. adversus Rufinum ii., Graetz,\nGeschichte der Juden, Vierter Band, p. 462.)\n\n[78] Bernardi Oper. vol. ii. (Paris, 1719), p. 276, et seqq.\n\n[79] \u201cEcclesia humilis et abjecta inter hostes saeculi, et hoc fuit\nusque ad tempus Constantini.\u201d\n\n[80] Comment. in Cant. Canticor.\n\n[81] Homil. xxxii.\n\n[82] Bib. Sac., book vi. haer. xiii. p. 664.\n\n[83] An Exposition upon the Book of Canticles. London, 1624, p. 2.\n\n[84] A Commentary on the Canticles. Amsterdam, 1644, p. 2.\n\n[85] Annotations upon the Five Books of Moses, the Book of the Psalms,\nand the Song of Songs (London, 1639), pp. 4, 5.\n\n[86] Est \u1f40\u03b1\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u1f7a\u03c2 inter Salomonem et filiam regis Aegypti,\ninterloquentibus etiam choris duobus tum juvenum tum virginum, qui in\nproximis thalamo locis excubabant. Nuptiarum arcana sub honestis\nverborum involucris hic latent: quae etiam causa est, cur Hebraei\nveteres hunc librum legi noluerint nisi a jam conjugio proximis.\nCreditur autem Salomon, quo magis perennaret hoc scriptum, ea arte id\ncomposuisse, ut sine multa distorsione \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03b9 in eo inveniri\npossent; quae Dei amorem adversus populum Israeliticum exprimerent;\nquod et sensit et ostendit Chaldaeus hic paraphrastes, nec aliter\naccepit Maimonides. Ille autem amor typus cum fuerit amoris Christi\nerga ecclesiam, Christiani ingenia sua ad applicanda ad eam rem hujus\ncarminis verba exercuerunt laudabili studio. Nam et Apostoli Christi\ncum ecclesia conjunctionem matrimonio comparaverant. Eph. v. 32; 2 Cor.\nii. 2; Apoc. vii. 8. Annot. in Vet. Test.\n\n[87] Vide Opera Cocceii, Tom. viii. fol. Amstel. Tom. ii. Synopsis et\nMedulla prophet. Cantici.\n\n[88] A brief Exposition of the whole book of Canticles (London, 1648),\np. 4.\n\n[89] A Commentary upon the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song\nof Songs (London, 1650), pp. 174, 175.\n\n[90] Comm. Apocalypticus in Canticum Canticorum, 1688.\n\n[91] Praef. in Cant. Paris, 1693.\n\n[92] Paraphrase and Annotations on the Song of Songs, in loco.\n\n[93] Preface to the Exposition of the Song of Solomon.\n\n[94] Clavis Cantici, or an Exposition of the Song of Solomon\n(Edinburgh, 1723), pp. 11, 12.\n\n[95] Exposition, pp. 103, 106.\n\n[96] A Supplement to Whiston\u2019s late Essay towards restoring the true\ntext of the Old Testament (London, 1723), pp. 5, 7.\n\n[97] An Exposition of the book of Solomon\u2019s Song, &c. (London, 1854),\np. 10.\n\n[98] See Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews, Lect. xxx.; p.\n345, Gregory\u2019s Translation, Third Edition.\n\n[99] Preface to the Song of Solomon, newly translated from the original\nHebrew, with a Commentary and Annotations, London, 1764.\n\n[100] Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament, by John Wesley,\n(Bristol, 1765.) Vol. III. p. 1926.\n\n[101] The Outlines of a new Commentary on Solomon\u2019s Song, London, 1768;\nsecond edition, 1775, pp. 74, 75, 81.\n\n[102] Notes to Bishop Lowth\u2019s Praelectiones.\n\n[103] Das durch eine leichte und ungek\u00fcnstelte Erkl\u00e4rung von seinen\nVorw\u00fcrfen gerettete Hohelied, 1771.\n\n[104] Vide supra, pp. 46, 56.\n\n[105] Critical Remarks on Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles,\n1772.\n\n[106] Umschreibung des Hohenliedes, oder die Gemeine mit Christo und\nden Engeln im Grabe, nebst andern biblischen Erkl\u00e4rungen. Herausgegeben\nvon D. Conrad Heinrich Runge. Bremen, 1776.\n\n[107] Salomon\u2019s Lieder der Liebe, &c. Herder\u2019s S\u00e4mmtliche Werke in\nvierzig B\u00e4nden, Dritter Band, pp. 82, 83. Stuttgart und T\u00fcbingen, 1852.\n\n[108] Sammlung der Gedichte Salomons, &c. Hamm, 1780.\n\n[109] A poetical Translation of the Song of Solomon, London, 1781.\n\n[110] Solomon\u2019s Song, translated from the Hebrew, by Bernard Hodgson,\nLL.D. Principal of Hertford College, Oxford, 1786.\n\n[111] Vide supra, p. 58.\n\n[112] Neueste Uebersetzung des Hohen Liedes, Basel, 1789; see Magnus,\nComment, p. 26.\n\n[113] Salomon\u2019s verschm\u00e4hte Liebe, oder die belohnte Treue. Leipzig,\n1790.\n\n[114] The Song of Songs, a new translation, with a Commentary and\nNotes. London, 1801, pp. 54, 55.\n\n[115] Song of Songs, &c., translated from the original Hebrew, with\nNotes, critical and explanatory. London, 1803, Preface pp. xii. xiii.\nxiv.\n\n[116] Das Hohelied, in einer noch unversuchten Deutung. Freyburg, 1803.\n\n[117] Lied der Liebe, das \u00e4lteste und sch\u00f6nste aus dem Morgenlande.\nG\u00f6ttingen, 1820, second edition, 1828, pp. 20, 21.\n\n[118] Das Hohelied, ein Collectiv-Gesang auf Serubabel, Ezra und\nNehemia, als die Wiederhersteller einer J\u00fcdischen Verfassung in der\nProvinz Juda. Erlangen, 1825.\n\n[119] Das Hohelied Salomo\u2019s \u00fcbersetzt mit Einleitung, Anmerkungen, &c.\nG\u00f6ttingen, 1826.\n\n[120] Philologisch-critischer Commentar zum Hohen Liede Salomo\u2019s.\nLeipzig, 1829.\n\n[121] Rosenm\u00fcller, Scholia, ix. 2, p. 270.\n\n[122] Script. Test. to the Messiah, vol. i. book i. chap. ii. note A;\nand Congregational Magazine for 1837, p. 415.\n\n[123] Congregational Magazine for 1837 and 1838.\n\n[124] For 1838, p. 471, et seq.\n\n[125] Das Lied der Lieder oder Sieg der Treue. Z\u00fcrich, 1840.\n\n[126] Kritische Bearbeitung und Erkl\u00e4rung des Hohen Liedes Salomo\u2019s.\nHalle, 1842.\n\n[127] Critical History and Defence of the Old Testament Canon, p. 360,\ned. Davidson.\n\n[128] A New Translation of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the\nCanticles. Boston, 1846, p. 119.\n\n[129] Ibid. p. 132.\n\n[130] Article in the Biblical Repository for April, 1847, reprinted in\nthe Journal of Sacred Literature for 1852, p. 338.\n\n[131] H\u00e4vernick\u2019s Einleitung in das Alte Testament. Dritter Theil, p.\n504.\n\n[132] Das Hohelied untersucht und ausgelegt von Franz Delitzsch.\nLeipzig, 1851, pp. 31, 175.\n\n[133] Das Hohe Lied von Salomo, \u00fcbersetzt und erkl\u00e4rt von Heinrich\nAugustus Hahn. Breslau, 1852, p. 7.\n\n[134] Das Hohe Lied Salomonis ausgelegt von W. Hengstenberg. Berlin,\n1853, p. 239.\n\n[135] A Commentary on the Song of Solomon, by the Rev. George Burrowes,\nProfessor in Lafayette College, Easton, Pa. Philadelphia, 1853, pp.\n87\u201390.\n\n[136] Das Hohe Lied in deutscher Uebersetzung, Erkl\u00e4rung, und\nkritischer Textausgabe, von Ernst Meier, Professor der Morgenl\u00e4ndischen\nSprachen. T\u00fcbingen, 1854.\n\n[137] Cantici Canticorum poetica forma; dissertatio Ernesti Fred.\nFriedrich. K\u00f6nigsberg, 1855.\n\n[138] Das Hohe Lied erkl\u00e4rt von Ferd. Hitzig. 16te Lieferung des\nKurzgef. exegetischen Handbuch\u2019s zum Alten Testament. Leipzig, 1855.\n\n[139] Monatschrift f\u00fcr Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judenthums,\nherausgegeben vom Oberrabbiner Dr. Frankel. Leipzig, 1856, p. 215, et\nseq.\n\n[140] Geschichte der poetischen National-Literatur der Hebr\u00e4er von Dr.\nErnst Meier. Leipzig, 1856, p. 215, et seq.\n\n[141] The Text of the Old Testament considered, &c., by Samuel\nDavidson, D.D. London, 1856, p. 806.\n\n[142] Herzog\u2019s Real-Encyklop\u00e4die f\u00fcr protestantische Theologie und\nKirche. Stuttgart, 1856, vol. vi. p. 220.\n\n[143] Stuart, Critical History and Defence of the Old Testament Canon,\npp. 342, 343, ed. Davidson.\n\n[144] Song of Songs, &c., Preface, p. 19.\n\n[145] An Article on Solomon\u2019s Song, by the Rev. C. E. Stowe, D.D.,\nProfessor of Biblical Literature, reprinted in Kitto\u2019s Journal of\nSacred Literature, 1852, pp. 331, 332.\n\n[146] Reply to Dr. Pye Smith, Congregational Magazine for 1838, pp.\n148, 149.\n\n[147] Praef. in Canticum Canticorum, \u0152uvres, tom. i. p. 467, 4to. edit.\n\n[148] Lecture xxxi. p. 350, third edition.\n\n[149] Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, vol.\nii. p. 215, et seqq.\n\n[150] The author of the poem. The singer sometimes puts his own name in\nthe place of this.\n\n[151] T\u00e1-H\u00e1 is a name of the Arabian prophet.\n\n[152] Crishna continues to this hour the darling god of the Indian\nwomen. The sect of Hindoos, who adore him with enthusiastic and almost\nexclusive devotion, have broached a doctrine which they maintain with\neagerness, and which seems general in those provinces, that he was\ndistinct from all the Avatars, who had only an ansa, or portion of his\ndivinity; while Crishna was the person of Vishnu himself in a human\nform.\u2014Sir W. Jones, Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 260.\n\n[153] Noyes, A New Translation of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and\nCanticles, pp. 130\u2013132.\n\n[154] Historia Crit. Vet. Test. l. i. c. iv. p. 28.","title":"The Song of Songs: Translated from the Original Hebrew, with a Commentary, Historical and Critical","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":88558}