broken up in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home, and the royal
train travels towards Jerusalem. Some of the inhabitants, as they see
at a distance the procession almost enveloped in the fragrant cloud of
smoke arising from the incense profusely burned, exclaim, “What is that
coming up from the country?” “The burning of perfumes in the East, in
the preceding part of processions, is both very ancient and very
general. Deities (images) were probably the first honoured with this
ceremony, and afterwards their supposed vicegerents, human divinities.
We have a relic of the same custom still existing among ourselves, in
the flowers strewed or borne in public processions, at coronations,
&c., and before our great officers of state: as the Lord Chancellor,
the Speaker of the House of Commons; and in some corporations, the
mace, as an ensign of office, has the same origin, though now reduced
to a gilded ornament only.” See Calmet, Dictionary, and Rosenmüller,
Orient. iv. 948. מִי is properly used of persons, but also of things,
especially when the notion of person or persons is in them, e.g. מִי לְךָ
כָּל הַמַּחְנֶה הַזֶּה, “What is all this company with thee?” Gen. xxxiii. 8;
Mich. i. 5. That this is here the meaning of מִי, is evident from the
answer, הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ, Behold, it is the palanquin. מִדְבָּר (from דָבַר, to
range in order, to guide, to drive flocks), here is not desert, but, as
frequently, an uninhabited plain or country, where flocks are tended,
in contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11;
Jer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22. תִּימְרוֹת, the plur. of תִּמָרָה, like
צִדְקוֹת, from צְדָקָה, columns or clouds, only occurs once more, Joel
iii. 3, and is most probably derived from תָּמַר, to ascend, to rise up
like a column or cloud. The י has merely been inserted to help the
pronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen
MSS. and originally another omit the י, which is undoubtedly the
correct reading. The כּ in כְּתִּימְרוֹת signifies as in. Comp. Isa. v.
17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. § 118, 3, Rem. כֹּל is used for a plurality
comprising, or consisting of, divers single things or objects, and is
to be rendered all kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; Fürst,
Lexicon, under כֹּל 5; Gesen. § 108, 4, § 111, 1. לְבֹנָה (λίβανος,
λιβανωτὸς, arbor thuris, thus), frankincense, so called from its white
colour, was early known and extensively used by the Jews (Exod. xxx.
34; Lev. ii. 1, 2; Isa. lxiii. 23) and other nations (Tibull. Lib.
Eleg. ii.; Ovid. Trist. Lib. V. Eleg. v. 11) in sacrifices for
fumigation. It is represented as a shrub, growing on mountains, and
thorny, both in Arabia (Isa. lx. 6; Jer. vi. 20) and in Palestine,
according to the passage here; reaches a height of about five feet, and
resembles in its leaves and fruit the myrtle. The frankincense is
obtained by incisions which are made twice a year; the first in the
beginning of autumn, which is white and pure (לְבֹנָה זָכָּה, Exod. xxx.
34), and is regarded as superior; and the second incision is made in
the winter, when the resin thus obtained is reddish, and considered
much inferior. Comp. Winer, Bibl. Dict. p. 681, et seq.; Pliny, Hist.
Nat. xxxii. 14.
7, 8. Lo! it is the palanquin, &c. Another bystander, recognizing it at
a distance, exclaims that it is the cortége of Solomon, consisting of
his palanquin and guard. מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִשְׁלמֹהֹ, i.q. מִטַּת שְׁלֹמֹה; comp. Gesen. §
121, 5, note; Ewald, § 309 c. This construction, however, has no real
analogy in the Scriptures; it frequently occurs in latter Hebrew
writings. Comp. תהתיתו של ההר, the bottom of the mountain, in Rashbam
on the Song of Songs, iv. 1. The גִבּרִֹים here mentioned, were a
separate class of the body-guard formed by David; and, as
co-religionists (גִבֹּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל), seem to have been chosen to protect the
monarch on his excursion against any attack of nocturnal marauders, so
frequent and so much dreaded in the East. Comp. Job i. 15, with Gen.
xvi. 12. The מ in מִגִּבֹּרֵי is used partitively, vide supra, i. 2.
אֲחוּזֵי חֶרֶב, skilled in the sword. אָחַז, to take hold, also to handle
artfully, like תָּפַשׂ, to take hold, to handle skilfully. The participle
אָחוּז, though of a passive form, has an active signification; this is
not unfrequently the case, especially when it belongs to an
intransitive verb. Comp. בּטוּחַ בַּיהוָֹה, he trusted in Jehovah, Ps. cxii.
7; Gesen. § 50, 3, Rem. 2; Ewald, § 149 d. This removes the apparent
contradiction caused by the Authorized Version, “They all hold swords;”
when in the next clause, as Hodgson and Good remarked, we are told that
each had his sword on his thigh. אִישׁ, a man is used as a distributive
for each, every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. § 124, 2, Rem. 1;
Ewald, § 278, b. We must supply חָגוּר after אִישׁ. Comp. Exod. xxii.
27; Ps. xlv. 4. פָּחַד, fear, metonymically for the object of fear (Gen.
xxxi. 42, 53), here marauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov.
iii. 24. בַּלֵילוֹת, in or during the nights, i.e. nocturnal marauders.
Vide supra, iii. 1.
9. A palanquin, &c. As the train draws nearer, a third person
recognizes it as the newly-made palanquin, of which he gives a
circumstantial description. Palanquins were and are still used in the
East by great personages. They are like a couch, sufficiently long for
the rider to recline, covered with a canopy resting on pillars at the
four corners, hung round with curtains to exclude the sun; they have a
door, sometimes of lattice-work, on each side. They are borne by four
or more men, by means of strong poles, like those of our sedan-chairs;
and in travelling great distances, there are always several sets of men
to relieve each other. The materials of which these palanquins are
made, and the style of their construction, depend upon the rank and
wealth of the owners. The word אַפִּרְיֹון is most probably derived from
פָּרָה, to run, to be borne quickly. Comp. τρόχος, from τρέχειν,
φορεῖον, from φέρω, currus from currendo, ferculum from fero. The form
אַפִּרְיּוֹן is, according to the analogy of דִּמְיוֹן, likeness (Ps. xvii.
12), and פִּדְיֹון, ransom (Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. § 84, 15; Ewald,
§ 163 c. with a prosthetic א (Gesen. § 19, 4; Ewald, § 162 c,)
followed by a Dagesh forte like אַפֶּדֶן, a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see
Fürst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from פרה = ברה, to work
out, to build, to form, hence אֲפִּרְיוֹן, ein Prachtstück. Kimchi derives
it from פָּרָה, to be fruitful, and says it is called אַפִּרְיוֹן, because
שפרין ורבין עליה, people increase and multiply therein. But this is
contrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, a
bridal bed has no (מֶרְכָּבָה) seat. עָשַׂה, to make, means also to have
made, to order to be made. A person is frequently described in
Scripture idiom as doing that which he orders to be done. 2 Sam. xv. 1;
Gal. ii. 5, 6. The מִן in מַעַצַי denotes the material of which the
frame-work was made. Ps. xlv. 4. The wood of Lebanon, i.e. cedars and
cypresses, Zech. xi. 1, 2; 1 Chron. ii. 8.
10. Its pillars he hath made, &c. The description here given of the
costly construction of this magnificent palanquin is by no means a mere
poetic embellishment. A similar litter was presented by the British
government in 1766 to the Nabob of the Carnatic, of which the following
account is given by Williams in loco, from the public prints of the
time: “The beams are solid gold, the inside beautifully decorated with
silver lining and fringe throughout; the panels are painted in the
highest style of finishing, and represent various groups and heads of
animals, after the manner of Asia, beaded with gold richly raised above
the surface, and engraved. The stays and different other ornaments are
of embossed silver.” Curtius (viii. 9, 23) gives us a description of
the procession of an Indian potentate, which strikingly resembles the
one here depicted. “When the king shows himself in public, his servants
go before him with silver censers, which fill the air, throughout the
way along which he is borne in the palanquin, with delicious odour. He
himself is reclining upon a golden couch, covered with pearls and
veiled with purple curtains, embroidered with gold; the life-guard
bring up the rear.” רְפִידָה (from רָפַד, to support, ii. 5), that which
supports the back when sitting; so the Sept. ἀνάκλινον; Vulg.
reclinatorium; Döpke, Rosenmüller, Hitzig, &c. מֶרְכָּב, a seat, comp.
Lev. xv. 9. The words תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם, are either to be
translated: its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of
Jerusalem;—the noun אַהֲבָה may be used adverbially for lovely,
charmingly, comp. אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה, “I will love them freely,” Hos. xiv. 4;
Ewald, § 279 c, § 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette,
Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; and the מִּן in מִבְּנוֹת may denote the
author or instrument, see Isa. xxii. 3; xxviii. 7; Eccl. xii. 11;
Gesen. Gram. § 143, 2;—or they may be rendered, the middle thereof is
wrought, as expressive of their love, by the daughters of Jerusalem;
taking אַהֲבָה, love, for the effect, or proof of it; comp. דוֹדִים, i.
2, and ἀγάπη in Greek; so Le Clerc, Bp. Percy, Drs. Good and Clark. The
interior of these couches is generally painted with baskets of flowers
and nosegays, intermixed with short sentences or mottoes, expressing
the power of love.
11. Come out, O ye daughters, &c. As the royal train begins to enter
the city, a fourth bystander calls the daughters of Zion to come out
and see the monarch in his joyful attire. Thus the inspired writer
beautifully puts into the mouth of several spectators the description
he desires to give. The crown here mentioned is not the symbol of
royalty, but the emblem of happiness (Job xix. 9). Crowns or chaplets
of flowers were worn in ancient times on occasions of festivity and
rejoicing; comp. Apocryp. Wisdom, ii. 7, 8. Conjugal life being
regarded as the most happy, it became a custom among the Jews, as well
as among other nations, to put crowns on the heads of the newly-married
people. Rosenmüller, Orient. iv. 196. “In the Greek Church in Egypt,”
says Maillet, “the parties are placed before a reading-desk on which is
the book of the Gospels, having two crowns upon it of flowers, cloth,
or tinsel. The priest, after benedictions and prayers, places one on
the bridegroom’s, the other on the bride’s head, covering both with a
veil.” (See also Talmud, Sotha, ix. 14; Selden, Uxor. Hebr. II. xv.
139; I. F. Hirt, de Coronis apud Hebraeos nuptialibus sposi sposaeque).
The Jews still call the bridegroom מֶלֶךְ, and the bride מַלְכָּה. The
design of Solomon in putting on this crown is evidently to dazzle the
rustic girl. The arrival and entrance of the royal train in the
capital, recorded in verses 6–11, evidently show that the circumstances
narrated in the preceding sections took place out of Jerusalem, and
that the apartments into which the king brought the damsel, as stated
in ch. i. 4, were not in the capital, but, as we see from ch. vi. 11,
12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home. The abnormal צְאֶינָה
is here intentionally used instead of the normal צֵאנָה, to correspond
in form with רְאֶינָה; just as מוֹבָא, entrance (Ezek. xliii. 11), is
employed instead of מָבוֹא, to correspond with מוֹצָא, see also Jer. l.
20; Ezek. xvi. 50; infra, viii. 5; Gesen. § 59, Rem. 3; Ewald, § 118 d.
The female inhabitants of the town are designedly called בְּנוֹת צִיוֹן,
to distinguish them from the בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, which is the appellation
of the court ladies.
1. Behold, thou art, &c. The shepherd, who had followed afar off the
royal train in which his beloved was conveyed to the capital, obtains
an interview with her, and is now addressing her. Thine eyes are doves;
see supra, i. 15. Thy hair is like a flock of goats, i.e. the tresses,
dangling from the crown of her head, are as beautiful as Mount Gilead
covered with the shaggy herd. The hair of Oriental goats is exceedingly
delicate, soft (Gen. xxvii. 16), long, and black (1 Sam. xix. 13); and
when the sun shines upon it, reflects such a glare that the eye can
hardly bear the lustre (see Boch. Hieroz. i. 2, 51. Rosenmüller,
Orient. i. 85). הַר גִּלְעָד is the name of a chain of limestone mountains
beyond Jordan, intersected by numerous valleys (Gen. xxxi. 21; Jer. l.
19). This ridge extends over the regions inhabited by the tribes of
Reuben, Gad, and the northern part of Manasseh (Numb. xxxii. 40; Deut.
iii. 13; Josh. xvii. 1–6). It was famous for its luxuriant verdure,
aromatic simples, and rich pastures; and hence attracted the flocks
(Numb. xxxii. 1); and animals from this region were regarded as of a
superior quality, like gold from Ophir. Nothing, therefore, could more
beautifully express the curly hair of a woman, dangling down from the
crown of her head, than the sight, at a distance, of a flock of goats
running down from the summit of this verdant hill on a beautiful day.
צַמָּה (from צָמַם, i.q. Chald. צַמְצַם, צָמַם, to bind, to twine, to
veil), is well explained by Rashbam, ענין עילוף ומעטה היא, a kind of
cover, or veil; so Sym., Sept., Isa. xlvii. 2, Michaelis, Döpke,
Gesenius, De Wette, Lee, Percy, Williams, Hitzig, &c. The rendering of
the Sept. here, ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου, behind thy silence, which is
followed by the Syriac and Arabic, is both contrary to the etymology of
the word, and meaningless. The other translations, viz. locks (Auth.
Vers., Ewald), a plait of hair (Hengstenberg), cannot be substantiated.
The word גָּלַשׁ, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult
interpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has
here ἀπεκαλύφθησαν, and vi. 5, ἀνεφάνησαν, the Syriac ܣܠܰܩ, the Vulg.
here ascenderunt, and vi. 5, apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in
their interpretations. Rashi explains it שנקרחו, that make bare, i.e.
quit or descend the mountain. Ibn Ezra, שנשקפו, which look down;
Rashbam, שנראו, which are seen, i.e. while coming down from the
mount. Modern commentators are not less at variance. Luther translates
it shorn; Houbigant, which hang down; Kleuker, Ewald, which shows
itself; Döpke, Gesenius, Hitzig, Philippson, which lie down; Magnus,
which climb up; Percy, Hengstenberg, which come up, i.e. from
Jerusalem. Amidst these conflicting opinions, it appears best to take
גָּלַשׁ, like its kindred פָּלַשׁ, in the sense of rolling down, running
down; see Fürst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning accords best with the
comparison here used, and leaves to the preposition מִן its natural
signification. The omission of הַר in the Sept., Arabic, and a few
MSS., is evidently owing to the carelessness of a transcriber.
2. Thy teeth, &c. The compliment passed upon the black hair is followed
by another on the white teeth: “Thy teeth resemble in whiteness woolly
sheep just washed.” This comparison will appear more striking when we
remember that the wool of Scripture is proverbial for its whiteness,
and is placed in juxtaposition with the colour of snow, Isa. i. 18;
Dan. vii. 9; Rev. i. 14; Book of Enoch xlvi. 1. The Sept., which is
followed by many modern commentators, takes the comparison to be
between the shorn skin of the sheep and the teeth; but this is
untenable. For, 1. The skin of shorn sheep can never have the whiteness
which the context here demands; 2. Shorn sheep would yield a very
incongruous figure, if teeth were compared with them; 3. Sheep, as now,
were generally washed before and not after they were shorn; 4. The
passage in vi. 6, shows that קְצוּבוֹת is merely a poetical epithet for
רְחֵלִים, not because they were then shorn, but because they are
periodically shorn. The explanation of קְצוּבוֹת by well numbered
(Rashi), or by יש להן מדה אחת כאילו נחצבת כל אחת כמו חברתה, same size
(Kimchi, Ibn Ezra), are against vi. 6.
All of which are paired. That is, each upper tooth has its
corresponding lower one; thus they, as it were, appear in pairs, like
this flock of white sheep, each of which keeps to its mate, as they
come up from the washing-pool. And no one of them is deprived of its
fellow, i.e. no tooth is deprived of its corresponding one, just as
none of the sheep is bereaved of its companion. The Hiphil of תָּאַם, to
be double, to be pairs (Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29), is to make double,
to make pairs, to appear paired. שַׁכֻּלָּה is deprived, bereaved, Jer.
xviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in כֻּלָּם and בָּהֶם, referring to
קְצוּבוֹת, fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words שֶׁכֻּלָּם and שַׁכֻּלָּה form a
paranomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of מַתְאִימוֹת by כלם יולדות
תאומים, all bearing twins (Kimchi, &c.), which some try to justify by
submitting that sheep as well as goats in the East frequently bear
twins (Arist. Hist. Anim. i. 6, 19; Theocret. i. 25; iii. 34), is
incompatible with the figure. The teeth surely, which are here compared
to the flock, cannot be said to bear twins like the sheep. Those who
attempt to get over this difficulty by referring it to the rows of the
teeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing a new subject.
3. Thy mouth is lovely. מִדְבָּר is translated by the Sept., Syriac,
Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, speech, language; but this is
incompatible with the description here given, which depicts the members
of the body, and not their actions. It is therefore more consonant with
the context to take מִדְבָּר as a poetical expression for the instrument
of speech; not the tongue (Schultens, Kleuker, Döpke), which is kept
within the mouth, and not when put out (נָאֲוָה) beautiful; but the
mouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenmüller, Meier,
Philippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates it voice), and
of Hitzig (who translates it palate), that the rendering of mouth would
produce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and
these have already been described, is gratuitous: for an individual may
have lips like scarlet, and yet not have a lovely mouth. The מ in
מִדְבָּר, added to the root דָבַר, to speak, in order to form the noun,
denotes the instrument with which one speaks: compare מַזְלֵג, an
instrument with which to draw out = a fork, from זָלַג, to draw out;
מַפְתֵּחַ, an instrument for opening = a key, from פָּתַח, to open, Gesen.
§ 84, 14; Ewald, § 160, 6. This corroborates the rendering we defended.
Like a part of, &c. That is, the rosy cheeks visible beneath the veil
resemble the vermilioned part of the pomegranate. Eastern poets
frequently compare the colour of the cheeks with pomegranates and
apples. Thus in a Persian ode quoted by Sir William Jones: “The
pomegranate brings to my mind the blushes of my beloved, when her
cheeks are covered with a modest resentment:” and Ibn Challecan, as
adduced by Magnus in loco: “Believest thou that the apple can divert my
looks from thee, when I behold thy cheeks?” Ibn Ezra, who is followed
by some modern commentators, explains פֶּלַח by ציץ הרמון האדום, the
red flower of the pomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39,
where the root פלח is used for dissecting fruit, and 1 Sam. xxx. 12.
Others again take the simile to be between the interior of the
pomegranate, when cut or burst open, and the cheeks; but this being
flat would by no means represent the round form of the coloured cheek
here referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and
beautiful, according to Rashi’s explanation of פֶּלַח, viz. חצי רמון
שבחוץ שהוא אדום, that external half of the pomegranate which is red,
one half of the pomegranate being brown, and the other beautifully
vermilioned, intermixed with yellow and white; and it is to the latter
part to which reference is here made. So the Sept. λέπυρον, the peel,
or the external. Rashbam, Döpke, Hitzig.
4. Thy neck is like, &c. That is, “The erect and bold carriage of thy
neck, decked with ornaments, resembles that high, commanding tower,
adorned with trophies.” Though the text supplies us with no clue for
finding out what tower this was, yet the comparison implies that it
must have been one well known and celebrated for its imposing aspect
and symmetrical proportions. Sandys (iii. 137), who is followed by
others, identifies this tower with some ruins still found in the
uttermost angle of Mount Zion, which bears that name. תַּלְפִּיּוֹת is
rendered by the Sept. Θαλφιώθ, as a proper name; but there is no place
known by such a name. Aquila has εἰς ἐπάλξεις: so Vulg. cum
propugnaculis, battlements, Sym. ὕψη, heights; but it is difficult to
divine how these renderings are to be made out from the form and
meaning of the word. The Talmud Jerushalmi, Berachoth, section 4, and
Saadias explain it תל שהכול פונים לו, an elevation towards which all
look, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view
that לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת is a compound of לְתַלוֹת פִּיוֹת, for the suspension of
arms. But the Talmudic explanation rests upon the favourite whim of
making a word of every letter. Ibn Ezra’s explanation incurs the
objection that פִּיוֹת, by itself, never means swords or arms. Besides,
it is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the
immediately following clause, אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו. Gesenius derives it
from the Arabic תָּלַף, to destroy; hence תַּלְפִּי, destructive, deadly;
poetically, for arms. But, apart from the difficulty of making
תַּלְפִּיּוֹת, even according to this derivation, to mean weapons, according
to this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the
figure. It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take
תַּלְפִּיּוֹת as a contraction for תְּאַלְפִּיּוֹת from the root אָלַף, to teach.
The radical א in the feeble verbs פ״א, does not unfrequently fall
away: thus וַתַּזְרֵנִי, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי, and in the same
verb, מַלְּפֵנוּ for מְאַלְּפֵנוּ, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. § 68, 2; Ewald, § 54.
תַּלְפִּיּוֹת (plur. of תלפית, according to the analogy of תַּבְנִיוֹת, from
תַּבְנִית, תַּרְמִיוֹת, from תַּרְמִית), would therefore signify instruction;
the plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This
derivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases תַּלְפִּיּוֹת by
אוּלְפַן דְּאֹורַיְתָא, instruction of the law, and bears out the figure, and
yields a beautiful sense. The Shulamite’s neck is not compared to some
common turret, but to that splendid tower which was built for a model,
that, as Rashbam rightly remarks, כל אומנין בנאים מתלמדים ממנו, all
architects might learn their designs from it.
A thousand shields, &c. It was customary to adorn the walls of towers
and castles with all sorts of splendid arms, Ezek. xxvii. 11. The
castles of the maritime people, whose conquest is recorded by the
Kouyunjik bas-reliefs, and distinguished by the shields hung round the
walls. Layard’s Nineveh, ii. 296. אֶלֶף, thousand stands for a round,
large member, Isa. xxx. 17; lx. 22; Ps. cv. 8; Eccl. vi. 6. כֹּל, all
kinds, all sorts, see supra, iii. 6.
5. Thy bosom, &c. The point of comparison is the lovely sight which
these objects present. The gazelles, as we have seen (ii. 7), are the
symbol of beauty. To add however to their native charms, they are
represented here as browzing in pasture-ground abounding with lilies.
To this lovely spectacle, than which nothing could be more beautiful to
an Oriental, her breasts are compared. The explanation which Bochart,
Patrick, Henley, Percy, Good, give of this comparison, viz. “The two
paps rise upon the breast like lilies from the ground; among which, if
we conceive two red kids feeding, that were twins and perfectly alike,
they appeared like the nipples or teats upon the paps, to those that
behold them afar off,” is extravagant.
6. When the day cools, &c. Transported with joy at the sight of her
beloved shepherd, the Shulamite interrupts the praises of her personal
charms, which, on seeing her again, he began to pour forth, by
exclaiming: When the day cools, that is, “this very evening, as soon as
it gets dark, I will quit the royal abode, and go to our beautiful and
open country, to the flowery meads, where are found aromatic plants
growing in abundance.” For an explanation of the first part of this
verse, see ii. 17, also spoken by the Shulamite. That such mountains of
myrrh and hills of frankincense actually existed, is evident from
Florus, Epitome Rerum Rom., lib. iii. c. 6., where Pompey the Great is
said to have passed over Lebanon, and by Damascus, “per nemora illa
odorata, per thuris et balsami sylvas.”
7, 8. Thou art all beautiful, &c. Gladdened with her declaration, the
shepherd, crowning and closing his description in the words, “Thou art
a perfect beauty,” responds, “Thou shalt go with me, I will help thee
to quit these lofty heights, the abode of lions and panthers—the royal
residence; and safely conduct thee to the place whither thou wouldst
go.” Lebanon is the name of a long range of mountains on the north of
Palestine (Deut. ii. 24; Josh. i. 4), consisting of two parallel
chains, which run from south-west to north-east. Though the Scriptures
have only one name, viz. Lebanon, for both these chains, yet the
present inhabitants of that country, as well as modern Travellers, have
found it convenient to call the westermost chain, facing the
Mediterranean,—Lebanon; and the eastern one, facing the plain of
Damascus,—Anti-Libanus, from its being at Tyre, parallel with and
opposite to the Syrian Lebanon. Amana, אֲמָנָה, is the name of the
southern part of Anti-Libanus, at the root of which, it is supposed,
issues the river of the same name; see 2 Kings v. 12. Hermon, חֶרְמֹון,
is the name of the highest summit of a chain at the northernmost
boundary of Palestine, and belongs also to Anti-Libanus (Josh. xi. 17;
xiii. 5), and is now identified with Jebel-el-Sheikh. It consists of
several mountains, viz. Sirion, שִׁרְיוֹן, Shenir, שְׁנִיר, and Sion,
שִׂיאֹן; whence its plural name חֶרְבוֹנִים, see Fürst, Lexicon, s.v.
Lebanon, Amana, Shenir and Hermon are here not intended to denote
various parts of the range of mountains, but are merely different names
of the royal residence. The word תַּשׁוּרִי is well rendered by the Sept.,
Syriac, &c., thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Version look
is incompatible with the context and parallelism. Surely no one would
invite his beloved to go with him to dangerous mountain-tops, to take a
view of the country! Persons are generally anxious to avoid perilous
places. The lions and panthers denote the king and his courtiers, Ezek.
xix. 7; xxii. 25; Nahum ii. 12. כָּלָה, rendered spouse in the
Authorized Version, is taken by some to denote a newly-married woman.
The word however only means betrothed = a female under an engagement to
marry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression.
The Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates אִתִּי,
δεῦρο, mistaking it for אֲתִי, the imp. of אָתָּה, to come. The Vulg.
rendering of תָּשׁוּרִי by coronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism.
For the Septuagint’s rendering of אֲמָנָה, by πίστις, see Introduction,
p. 21.
9. Thou hast put heart into me, &c. This extraordinary amount of
strength and courage which he feels, to enable him to rescue her from
the abode of the lion, and to lead her safely home, has been infused
into his heart, he says, by the sight of his beloved one. So the
Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, שבשביל אהבתך נתגברתי ונבוא לי לב חדש שיש
לי כח ללחם עם האריות והנמרים. As the Piel has sometimes an intensive,
and sometimes a privative meaning (see Gesen. § 52, 2; Ewald, § 120), a
difference of opinion exists as to the signification of לִבֵּב here. The
Sept. has ἐκκαρδίωσας ἡμᾶς, thou hast unhearted us; the Vulg.
Vulnerasti cor meum; Ibn Ezra, לקחת לבי, thou hast taken away my
heart; Gesenius, De Wette, &c. adopt this rendering. Against this
however it is urged, that it is incompatible with the context. The
beloved here accounts for his extraordinary strength and courage, which
would enable him to rescue his beloved one from her critical position;
and to say, “Thou hast deprived me of all heart,” would be a positive
contradiction. To be in such an unusually courageous frame, the
individual must have been full of heart, and not disheartened. Hence
Herder, Ewald, Döpke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate לִבַּבְתִּנִי, thou hast
put heart into me; thou hast made me bold. This is confirmed by Sym.,
Syriac, Arabic, and Chald. אַחוֹתִי, my sister, does not imply that the
betrothed was related to her beloved, but is used as an expression of
endearment, Prov. vii. 14; Tobit vii. 12; the Apoc. Esth. xv. 8, and
soror in Latin. Good’s rendering of אַחֹתִי כַלָּה by my sister-spouse, and
his remark that the pronoun “my” between the two substantives, being a
useless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous. כָּלָּה has no
suffix here, not because it is to be joined with אֲחֹתי, but because
this word, like אָב in Chald., never takes the suffix 1 pers.; and
versions therefore made in languages whose idioms allow of the suffix
are right in so expressing it.
With one of thine eyes, &c. It is customary with Eastern women to
unveil one of their eyes in conversation, in which case a part of their
neck ornaments becomes also visible. Niebuhr, Travels in Arabia, i.
262; see Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. Art. Veil, figure 536, and infra,
viii. 9. The Anonymous MS., however, explains בְּאֶחַד מֵעֵינַיִךְ by בהבטה
אחת שאת מבטת בי באחד מעיניך, one look of thine eyes. The rendering at
once (Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to
substitute בַּאַחַת, fem., for בְּאֶחַד, mas., having evidently arisen from
their anxiety to avoid the apparent incongruity of coupling a masculine
numeral with a feminine noun, is unnecessary. The true solution lies in
the fact, that members of the human body, although usually feminine,
are most of them employed occasionally as masculine. Job xxi. 20; Zech.
iv. 10; and infra, vi. 5; Gesen. § 107, 4 b; Ewald, § 174 d. עֲנָקָ is
not look (Vulg.), nor turn (Percy, Good), nor stone (Ewald, Magnus),
but chain. This is evident from Judg. viii. 26, and Prov. i. 9, the
only two passages where this word occurs again (except as a proper
name), and is translated by the Sept. (Judg. and Prov.) κλοιός,
necklace, Aquila, περιτραχήλιος, πλόκαμος, neckband, neck-work; Sym.
κλοιός, ὁρμίσκος, necklace; Vulg. (Judg. and Prov.) torques. So Ibn
Ezra, מני חלי קשוריﬦ על הצואר, a kind of ornamental band, tied round
the neck, Rashi, Rashbam, Gesenius, De Wette, Döpke, Lee, Philippson,
Meier, Hengstenberg, &c. The objection urged by Hitzig, that an
inanimate ornament could not effect such great things, is obviated by a
reference to the Book of Judith, xvi. 9, where we are informed that the
fair one succeeded in captivating even the savage Holofernes with her
sandals: τὸ σανδάλιον αὐτῆς ἥρπασεν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ. Besides, the
meaning here is, that the slightest view of her is sufficient to
inspire him with vigour and courage. The termination –וֹן in צַּוָּרוֹן,
like וּן, in Syriac, forms the diminutive; and, like diminutives in
other languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. § 86, 2, 4; Ewald,
5, 167 a. The plur. termination –ָיִךְ in מִצֲוְּרֹנָיִךְ, is to be accounted
for on the score that the Hebrews sometimes use plural forms for
certain members of the body. Comp. פָּנִיﬦ, face, Gesen. § 108, 2 a;
Ewald, § 178 a.
10. How sweet is thy love, &c. Here the lover tells his loved one why
the sight of her is so animating and emboldening. For the comparison of
love with wine, see i. 2, 3. The Sept., which is followed by the
Syriac, Vulg., Arabic, and Luther, has here again דַדֶּיךָ, thy breasts;
but see i. 2. The Sept. has also ὀσμὴ ἱματίων σου, וְרֵיחַ שִׂמְלֹתַיִךְ, for
וְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנַיִךְ, evidently taken from the following verse.
11. Thy lips, O my betrothed, &c. Every word which falls from her lips
is like a drop from the honeycomb. This comparison is used in other
parts of Scripture, and by the Greeks and Romans. Thus Prov. v. 3:—
“The harlot’s lips distil honey,
And her palate is smoother than oil.”
Theocrit. Idyl. xx. 26:—
τὸ στόμα καὶ πακτᾶς γλυκερώτερον· ἐκ στομάτων δὲ
ἔῤῥεέ μοι φωνὰ γλυκερωτέρα ἢ μέλι κήρω.
“More sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,
Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.”
Also Idyl. i. 146, 8, 82; Homer, Iliad, i. 249; Hor. Epist. i. 19, 44.
That we are to understand by distilling honey, “lovely words,” and not
saliva oris osculantis, is evident from Prov. xvi. 24, where pleasant
words are compared to a honeycomb, and the passage already quoted, just
as slanderous words are represented as poisons, Ps. cxl. 3.
And the odour of thy garments, &c. The Orientals were in the habit of
perfuming their clothes with aromatics. Thus we are told that the
garments of Jacob emitted a pleasant smell, Gen. xxviii. 27; Ps. xlv.
9; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 122. In consequence of the odoriferous trees
which abounded on it, Lebanon became proverbial for fragrance. Hence
the prophet Hosea (xiv. 7), describing the prosperous state of
repenting Israel, says וְרֵיחַ לוֹ כַּלְבַנוֹן, and his odour shall be as that
of Lebanon. This passage is sufficient to show the error of the Vulg.
in rendering כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן by sicut odor thuris, as if it were כְּרֵיחַ
לְבוֹנָה. The perfumed attire which the Shulamite had on, and which the
shepherd here praises, is evidently not the humble clothes which she
had brought with her, but some splendid apparel recently given to her
by the king.
12. A closed garden, &c. The trees of Lebanon, referred to at the end
of the last verse, suggested this beautiful metaphor of a garden, under
which the shepherd describes the unsullied purity and chastity of the
Shulamite. Gardens in the East were generally hedged or walled in, to
prevent the intrusion of strangers (Isa. v. 5; Joseph. De Bell. Jud.
vii.). From this arose the epithet, “closed garden,” for a virtuous
woman, shut up against every attempt to alienate her affections. The
contrary figure is used in viii. 9; there accessibility is described as
“a door,” i.e. open to seduction.
A sealed fountain, &c. Another metaphor to express the same idea. The
scarcity of water in arid countries renders fountains very valuable. To
secure them against the encroachment of strangers, the proprietors
formerly fastened their fountains with some ligament, and the
impression of a seal upon clay, which would quickly harden in the sun,
that would soon dissolve wax. This mode of rendering pits safe is found
in Dan. vi. 18; Matt. xxvii. 66. A fountain sealed in this manner
indicated that it was private property. Hence its metaphorical use, to
represent chastity as an inaccessible fountain. It is better, with the
Sept., Syriac, Arabic, Chald., Vulg., upwards of fifty of Kennicott’s
MSS., and many modern commentators, to read גַּן, instead of גַּל. This
is confirmed by the intensive phraseology of the shepherd, used in his
addresses, which is produced by a repetition of the same words. Comp.
supra, vv. 8, 9.
13. Thy shoots, &c. Having compared his loved one to a garden, the
shepherd is anxious to show that the one she resembled is not of an
ordinary character. It is an orchard full of the most costly trees, and
producing the most delicious fruit. שְׁלָחַיִךְ, well rendered by the Sept.
ἀποστολαί σου: and Kimchi, התפשטות, thy shoots, branches (Gen. xlix.
21; Ps. lxxx. 12) is figuratively used for the members of the body, and
not for “the children who shall spring from her,” as Hodgson supposes.
פַּרְדֵּס, found elsewhere only Eccl. ii. 5; Neh. ii. 8, has been derived
by some from the Persian, and by others from the Sanscrit. There is no
necessity, however, for seeking its etymology in other languages. The
Hebrews, who had gardens at so early a period, would surely not borrow
names for them from other nations. פַּרְדֵּס, according to the analogy of
the quadriliteral פַּרְשֵׁז, is a compound of פָּרַד, to divide, and פָּרַס,
to separate, to enclose; hence a protected, an enclosed place, a
garden. This is corroborated by the fact that גַּן, a garden, is also
derived from a root (גָּנַן), which means to separate, to enclose.
Compare also the German and English, Gärten, garden, and Saalschütz,
Archäologie der Hebräer, vol. i. p. 117. And like many other Hebrew
expressions, this word was adopted in other languages. רִמּוֹנִים,
pomegranate-trees: the Hebrews frequently use the same expression to
denote the tree and its fruit, see supra, ii. 3. פְּרִי מְגָדִים, i.q.
פִּרְיֵיְ מֶגָד, precious fruits: when a compound idea is to be expressed in
the plural, the governed noun only is often put in the plural form;
e.g. בֵּית אָבוֹת, ancestral houses, Numb. i. 2; Gesen. § 108, 3. The
precious fruits are those of the pomegranate-tree. The words כְּפָרִים עִם
נְרָדִים, are still genitives to פַּרְדֵּס. For כֹּפֶר, and נֵרְדְּ, see supra,
i. 12, 13.
14. Nard and crocus, &c. Both the ancient versions and modern
commentators generally agree that by the word כַּרְכֹּﬦ, which occurs only
here, the well-known saffron plant is meant. Calamus (קָנֶה, reed, also
written קְנֵה בשֵֹׁם and קָנֶה הַטּוֹב, sweet calamus, Exod. xxx. 23; Jer.
vi. 20, κάλαμος ἀρωματικός, Calamus odoratus), was well known and
highly prized among the ancients, and was imported to Palestine from
India (Jer. vi. 20; xxvii. 19); it was, however, also found in the
valley of Mount Lebanon, (Polyb. v. 46; Strabo, xvi. 4). It has a
reed-like stem, of a tawny colour, much jointed, breaking into
splinters, and its hollow reed filled with pitch, like the web of a
spider. The best, which, according to Pliny (Hist. Nat. xii. 12 or 48),
grows in Arabia, diffuses around a very agreeable odour, and is soft to
the touch (see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto,
Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Cinnamon (קִנָּמוֹן, κίναμον, Laurus cinnamomum),
indigenous to Ceylon in the East Indies, and is called by the natives
Karonda-gouhah; it is now, however, also cultivated on the Malabar
coast, in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, in China and Cochin-China.
The cinnamon-tree, which grows on the coast, is generally about twenty
or thirty feet high, and reaches a still greater height in groves: it
is adorned with numerous boughs, bearing oval and laurel-like leaves,
of a scarlet colour when young, but changing to bright green, and
growing to the length of from four to six inches when matured, and
putting forth whitish blossoms, which ripen into fruit, resembling
those of the juniper-tree in June: the fruit, though possessing neither
the smell nor the taste of the cinnamon, when boiled secretes an oil,
which, after cooling, becomes hard, white, and fragrant. The wood
itself, which is white, inodorous, and soft as fir, is used for a
variety of purposes. It is the rind which, when peeled off and dried in
the sun, yields the much-valued cinnamon. (See Rosenmüller, Bibl. Bot.;
Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Aloe (אָהָל, Ἀλοή.
John xix. 39. ἀγάλλοχον, ξυλαλοή, arbor alois), a tree which grows in
India and the Moluccas, the wood of which is highly aromatic. The stem
of this tree is as thick as a man’s thigh; the top is adorned with a
bunch of thick and indented leaves, broad below, and narrowing
gradually towards the point, and are about four feet long: its
blossoms—which are red, intermixed with yellow, and double like a
pink—yield the pod, producing a red and white fruit, about the size of
a pea. This tree, in consequence of its singularly beautiful appearance
and odoriferous wood, which is used as a perfume, is very gratifying
both to the sight and smell, and is held by the Indians in sacred
veneration. (See Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.) רֹאשׁ,
head metaph., chief, most excellent. Exod. xxx. 23; Ps. cxxxvii. 6;
Ezek. xxvii. 22.
15. With a garden-fountain, &c. To finish the picture of this charming
garden, the shepherd introduces into it fountains, streams, rills, and
cooling breezes, to rouse and waft the balmy fragrance through its
delightful retreats. The fact that the Shulamite has been called a
sealed fountain proves that this verse is not descriptive of her. For
it would be contradictory to call her in one verse a sealed fountain,
and in the other a stream flowing from Lebanon, i.e. an open stream.
מַעְיַן גַּנִּים a fountain of gardens, i.e. a fountain belonging to
gardens, usually found in gardens to irrigate them. נֹזְליִם, a part.
noun plur., denoting flowing streams. The מִן indicates the place
whence these streams issue. מַיִם חַיִּים living water, i.e. perennial;
waters, gushing forth from fountains, or moving along, appear as if
they were living; whilst those in a stagnant condition seem dead. Gen.
xxvi. 19; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiv. 8; see also ὕδωρ ζῶν, Rev. vii. 17,
and flumen vivum, Virg. Æn. ii. 719.
16. Arise, O north wind! These are still the words of the shepherd,
who, to complete the picture, invokes the gentle breezes to perflate
this paradise. Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Williams, Good, Ewald, Delitzsch,
Philippson, &c., take this clause to begin her reply; but this is
incompatible with the figure. She herself, and not anything separate,
has been described as this charming garden. She could, therefore, not
say “blow through MY garden” (גַנִּי), which would imply that this
garden of hers was something apart from her person. Moreover, the
expression גַנּוֹ, his garden, which she uses, shows that גַנִּי, my
garden, is spoken by him. So Rashi, Döpke, Magnus, Hitzig, &c. That the
south and north winds are merely poetical designations for a gale
generally, without any particular reference to the peculiarities of the
wind when blowing from these respective regions is evident from a
comparison of Numb. xi. 31 with Ps. lxxviii. 26. This does away with
the conflicting conjectures which have been hazarded, to account for
the invocation of the wind from these opposite quarters of the earth.
צָפוֹן and תֵּימָן, prop. the north and southern quarters, are
poetically used, רוּחַ צָפוֹן, and רוּחַ תֵּימָן, the north and south wind.
Ps. lxviii. 26. בְּשָׂמִים, spices, here their odours.
Let my beloved come, &c. The Shulamite, continuing this beautiful
apostrophe, responds: “If my person really resembles such a paradise,
this garden is yours; yours are all its productions.” פְּרִי מְגָדָיו,
literally the fruit of his deliciousness, i.e. his delicious fruit.
When a compound idea is expressed by one noun followed by another in
the genitive, a suffix which refers to this whole idea is sometimes
appended to the second of the two nouns. Comp. אֱלִילֵי כַּסְפּוֹ, his silver
idols, Isa. ii. 20; Gesen. § 129, b; Ewald, § 291, b; גַן being of a
common gender, the suffix in מְגָדָיו may either refer to garden, or to
beloved; it is more in keeping with the construction to refer it to the
beloved, just as the suffix in גַּנְּוֹ refers to him. The fruit is the
beloved’s because the garden is his, and therefore he may enjoy it.
1. I am coming into my garden, &c. The shepherd, as he embraces his
beloved, expresses his unbounded delight in her charms. The perfect
forms, בָּאתִי שָׁתִיתִי, אָכַלְתִּי, אָרִתִי, are used for the present, Gesen.
§ 126.
Eat, O friends, &c. Some sympathizing court ladies, at a distance,
seeing the mutual happiness of the lovers, urge them to take their fill
of delight. The explanation of Rashbam and others, that this address is
to the companions of the beloved to partake of a friendly meal; or, as
others will have it, that it is an invitation to the marriage feast, is
against the context. The expression אִכְלוּ, eat ye, must be taken in
the same sense as אָכַלְתִי, I eat; and it would be most incongruous to
suppose that the beloved, who enjoys the charms of his loved one, would
call on his friends to do the same. Dr. Geddes, who is followed by Dr.
Good, alters the text into אכל רעי שת ושכיר דודי, Eat, O my friend!
drink, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved! and puts it into the mouth
of the Shulamite; thus making it an answer to what the beloved said in
the preceding clause. But such conjectural emendations ought to be
repudiated. It is most in accordance with the context to take these
words as an epiphonema of some sympathizing court ladies. The
parallelism and the accents require us to take דוֹדִים as a concrete,
synonymous with רֵעִים, friends; so the Sept., Vulg., Syr., Rashbam,
Ibn Ezra, Rashi, Mendelssohn, &c.
2. I was sleeping, &c. The sympathies manifested by some of the court
ladies for the Shulamite, at the close of the last section, encourage
her to relate to them a dream which she recently had. The purpose of
this narration is the description of the shepherd to which it leads,
and which is necessary to the completion of the whole drama. יְשֵׁנָה,
like the participle form generally, may be used to express all the
relations of time. Comp. כִּי כֻלָּם יְשֵׁנִים, for all were sleeping, 1 Sam.
xxvi. 12; 1 Kings iii. 20. Gesen. § 134, 1; Ewald, § 306 d. לֵב,
heart, here the seat of thought. The Hebrews regarded the heart, not
only as the seat of the passions, but also of the intellectual
faculties of the mind. The whole clause is merely another way of saying
בַּחֲלֹמִי, Gen. xli. 17. The circumlocution is chosen in preference to
בַּחֲלמִי, to indicate that the powers under which the exhausted frame
succumbed, could not keep her mind from dwelling upon the object of her
affections. קֹל, hark; vide supra, ii. 8. דֹפֵק is best taken with the
Sept., Syriac, Vulg., and many modern commentators, as a separate
clause, he is knocking. The Sept. adds ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν, at the door,
after דֹפֵק, he is knocking.
Open to me, &c. She introduces him speaking. To make his request the
more urgent, he pleads that he had been drenched with dew. The dew
falls so copiously in the East, during certain months, that it
saturates the clothes like rain. See Judges vi. 38; Rosenmüller,
Orient. i. 122; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A similar passage occurs in
Anacreon, iii. 10, where love is represented as standing at night
behind the door, begging for admittance, and pleading the same excuses.
Ἄνοιγε, φησί
Βρέφος εἰμί, μὴ φόβησαι
Βρέχομαι δέ, κἀσέληνον
Κατὰ νύκτα πεπλάνημαι.
“‘Fear not,’ said he, with piteous din,
‘Pray ope the door and let me in:
A poor unshelter’d boy am I,
For help who knows not where to fly:
Lost in the dark, and with the dews,
All cold and wet, that midnight brews.’”
Comp. also Propert. i. 16, 23; Ovid Amor. ii. 19, 21. תַמָּתִי, my
perfect one, is well explained by Rosenmüller by מוּם אֵין בָּךְ, there is
no fault in thee, iv. 7; 2 Sam. xiv. 25.
3. I have put off my tunic; was the answer she gave in her dream.
כֻּתֹּנֶת, χιτών, tunic, is an inner garment, commonly of linen,
descending to the ankles, which is taken off when one retires. On the
costume of the Hebrews, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19; Winer, Bib.
Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.; Saalschütz, Archäologie der
Hebräer, vol. i. c. 2.
I have washed my feet, &c. In the East, where people wear sandals,
which protect the soles only, or go barefoot, as in the passage before
us, the feet soon get dirty and parched; it is therefore essential and
refreshing to wash the feet after much walking (Gen. xviii. 4; xix. 2),
or before retiring to rest: remembering this, we can appreciate the
hospitality shown to travellers in providing for the washing of their
feet, Judges xix. 21. On the masculine suffix in אֲטַנְּפַם, referring to
the feminine רַגְלַי, see iv. 9.
4. My beloved withdrew his hand, &c. Hearing her excuses for not
getting up, he at last grew weary and ceased knocking, which
immediately caused her uneasiness. The words שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחוֹר are
better translated, he sent away his hand from the hole = withdrew; so
the Sept. and Rashbam, ההזירה לעצמו מן החור בדלת, he took his hand
back from the hole in the door. The expression מֵעִים, like רַחֲמִים,
has not the modern sense of bowels, which is restricted to the lower
viscera, but denotes, like τὰ σπλάγχνα in Greek, the upper viscera,
comprising the heart, lungs, liver, &c. Hence it is used for the heart
alone as the seat of passion, Isa. lxiii. 15; Jer. xxxi. 20; and for
נֶפֶשׁ, soul, Job xxx. 27; Ps. xl. 9. הָמָה, to hum, to make a noise,
which is frequently used for the roaring produced by the waves of the
troubled sea (Isa. li. 15; Ps. xlvi. 4; Jer. v. 22), is employed to
denote the motion of an agitated heart. With upwards of fifty MSS. and
several editions we read עָלַי, in me, instead of עָלָיו, to him; the
phrase thus exactly corresponds to תֶּהֱמִי נַפְשִׁי עָלָי, Ps. xlii. 6, 12.
5. My hands dropped with myrrh, &c. Alarmed at his ceasing to knock,
she flew at once to open the door, and in trying to unfasten it, her
hands came in contact with the liquid myrrh which her beloved had
poured upon the bolts, and which dropped from her fingers. So Immanuel,
כי שרצתי לפתח לדודי ונגעתי בידי במקום אשר נגע בו דודי כששלח ידו מן
החור נתבשמו ידי וקבלו מן הריח שהיה בידי דודי עד שעבור Lovers, in
ancient times, whilst suing for admission, used to ornament the door
with wreaths, and perfume it with aromatics. Thus Lucretius, iv. 1171,
At lacrimans exclusus amator limina sæpe
Floribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbos
Unguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.
“Then, too, the wretched lover oft abroad
Bars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,
Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumes
Bathing the splendid portals, and around
Scattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.”
Comp. also Tibul. i. 2, 14. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke,
Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; Rashbam however is of opinion that the
liquid myrrh which distilled from the Shulamite’s hand, was the perfume
with which she had anointed herself after washing. Whilst Percy
supposes that “she got up in such haste, that she spilt upon her hand
the vessel of liquid myrrh, which she had brought to anoint and refresh
his head, after having been exposed to the inclemencies of the night.”
מוֹר עֹבֵר, liquid myrrh, see i. 2; and not, as Le Clerc erroneously
supposes, current myrrh, that kind of myrrh which is most passable in
traffic. The Vulg. has, Et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima,
evidently mistaking the prep. עַל for מָלְאוּ, and takes the words
כַּפּוֹת הַמַּנְעוּל over to the following verse, Pessulum ostii mei aperui
dilecto meo.
6. My beloved had withdrawn, &c. To her great grief she found, when
opening, that her beloved had gone. The asyndeton חָמַק עָבַר is very
expressive, and the use of the two synonymous terms strengthens the
sense. This figure, which is effected by the omission of the
conjunctive particle, is used in animated descriptions, both by sacred
and profane writers. Comp. Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο, Mark iv, 39. Winer, New
Testament Gram. § 66, 4. The phrase יָצָא נֶפֶשׁ, properly denoting the
departure of the soul from the body, (Gesen. xxxv. 18; Ps. cxlvi. 4,)
like יָצָא לֵב, is used to express the momentary loss of the senses,
i.e. to faint. בְּדַבְּרוֹ, in his speaking, i.e. when he had spoken of it,
(Judg. viii. 3; 1 Sam. xvii. 28), i.e. of his going away: so Rashi,
שאמר לא אבא אל ביתך כי מתחילה לא אבית לפתוח, “Because he said I will
not now enter thy house, for thou didst at first refuse to open me,”
and Immanuel, נפשי יצאה בדברו אלי הנני הולך לדרכי אחרי שלא תפתחתי
הדלת. “My soul departed when he told me, Now I am going away, because
thou wouldst not open me the door.” We must employ a finite verb with a
conjunction to express in English the Hebrew construction of the
infinitive with a preposition, and the relation of time must be
gathered from the connection, Gesen. § 132, 2, 3.
7. The watchmen who patrol the city, &c. That the seeking and calling
mentioned in the last verse were not confined to the door, is evident
from this verse. פְצָעוּנִי, הִכּוּנִי are again an asyndeton. רָדִיד,
which occurs only once more, Is. iii. 23, is a kind of veil-garment,
which Oriental ladies still wear, and denotes more properly an out-door
cloak. See Schroeder, Vestit. Mul. p. 368; Gesen. on Isa. iii. 23;
Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.; Saalschütz, Archäologie der Hebräer, vol. i. p.
28.
8. I adjure you, &c. Having mentioned the indifference with which she
had treated her beloved, the Shulamite is anxious to impress upon the
court-ladies that this was in a dream, and that in reality, so far from
her affections being abated, she was as dotingly attached to him as
ever; and begs of them, if they should see him, to tell him so. For the
masculine termination in תִּמְצְאוּ אֶתְכֶם and תַּגִּידוּ, see ii. 7. We must
supply הַגִּידוּ לוֹ, tell him, after מַה תַּגִּיודוּ לוֹ, what will you tell
him? The omission is designedly made, to give animation to the request.
The emendation proposed by Houbigant, to read הגידנו, instead of
חגידו, is gratuitous, like all his emendations. The Sept. adds ἐν
ταῖς δυνάμεσιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσιν τοῦ ἀγροῦ, “by the powers, and by
the virtues of the field,” the false rendering of בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת
הַשָּׂדֶה, from the preceding formula of adjuration.
9. What is thy beloved, &c. The great solicitude manifested by the
Shulamite for her beloved, induces the court ladies to ask what
peculiar attractions there were in him more than in an ordinary lover,
to cause such an unusual manifestation of feeling, and thus an
opportunity is afforded her to give a description of him. It is evident
from this question of the court ladies that Solomon is not the beloved
of whom the Shulamite has been speaking in the preceding verses. For
surely these court ladies knew the aspect and character of Solomon
better than the Shulamite. This is, moreover, established beyond doubt
from ch. vi. 2, 3, where the damsel, at the end of the description,
designedly states that the object of her delineation and attachment, is
the shepherd. The particle מִן, prefixed to דוֹד, with which the
comparison is made, expresses the comparative, Gesen. § 191, 1. For
הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים, see i. 8, and for the form הִשְׁבַּעְתָּנוּ, Ewald, § 249, d.
10. My beloved is white, &c. The Shulamite answers this question by
giving a very graphic description of her beloved. The colour of his
countenance and body is such a beautiful mingling of white and red as
is seldom seen, and by which he is distinguished above thousands. A
similar description is found in Virg. Æn. xii. 65, seq.
Flagrantes perfusa genas: cui plurimus ignem
Subjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.
Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro,
Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multâ
Alba rosâ; tales virgo dabat ore colores.
“At this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;
A crimson blush her beauteous face o’erspread.
Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.
The driving colours, never at a stay,
Run here and there, and flush and fade away.
Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,
Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;
Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.”
Comp. also Ovid. Am. ii.; Eleg. v. 39; Hor. Od. i. 13, v. 2; iv. 10; v.
4; Tibul. Eleg. III, 4; vv. 29, 30. צַח, bright, white; compare Lam.
iv. 7, where it stands in parallelism with זַךְ, clear; from the same
passage we also see that the predicates צַח, white, and אָדַם, red,
are not restricted to the countenance, but refer to all the parts of
the body which the Oriental costume left exposed, to the carnation as
it were of the picture. דָּגוּל denom. from דָּגֶל, banner; prop. to be
furnished with a banner, i.e. his singular beauty renders him as
distinguished above multitudes, just as a standard-bearer is marked
above all other soldiers. מִן, more, above, vide supra, ver. 9, רְבָבָה
indefinitely for a large number, see Gesen. xxiv. 60.
11. His head is as pure gold. That is of consummate excellency. Having
characterized his whole person as charming, the Shulamite describes the
beauty of the individual parts of his body, and begins with his head.
Gold is frequently used, both in Scripture and in profane writers, to
denote consummate excellency and beauty. Thus the illustrious
personages are called gold and fine gold in Lam. iv. 1; and Theocritus
(Idyl. iii. 28.) calls the beautiful Helen golden. The words כֶּתֶם פָּז
are variously rendered. The Sept. has χρυσίου καιφάζ, gold of Cephaz,
Aquila and Sym. λίθεα τοῦ χρυσίου, so the Syriac ܒܐܦܷܐ ܕܕܰܗܒܳܐ, a
precious stone of gold. The Chald. has דְהַב טָב; so the Vulg. aurum
optimum. The Rabbins too vary in their explanations of these words. Ibn
Ezra takes כֶּתֶם to be a diadem, and פָּז, precious stones. Rashi
indefinitely סגולת מלכים, choice things, which kings treasure up.
Rashbam explains כָּתֶם by a heap of gold, and פָּז by זהב מופז, and
says it is called פָּז, “because its colour is like pearl.” The
majority of modern commentators, after the Sept., Vulg., Chald., take
כֶּתֶם as a poetical expression for gold, and derive it from כָּתַם, to
hide, to conceal; like סְגוֹר, gold (Job. xxviii. 15), from סָגַר, to
shut up, to conceal, because precious metals are generally kept shut up
or concealed. This meaning and derivation of the word are supported by
the fact that treasures and precious things are generally expressed in
Hebrew by words whose roots signify to conceal; comp. אוֹצָר, a
treasure (1 Kings vii. 51; xiv. 26), from אָצַר, to shut up; מַטְמוֹן, a
treasure, gold (Isa. liv. 2; Prov. ii. 4), from טָמַן, to hide; צָפוּן,
riches (Job xx. 26), from צָפַן, to conceal. As for פָּז, it is
translated by some purified, pure, from פָּזַז, to separate, to purify
(Gesenius, &c.); and by others solid, massy, from פָּזַז, to be strong,
solid (Rosenmüller, &c.). But פָּז never occurs as an adjective to
כֶּתֶם, or to זָהָב (זָהָב מוּפָז, 1 Kings x. 18, is a contraction of זָהָב
מְאוּפָז, comp. Jer. x. 9); the word itself invariably means gold (see
Job xxvii. 17; Ps. xix. 11; xxi. 4; cxix. 27; Prov. viii. 19; Cant. v.
15; Isa. xiii. 12; Lam. iv. 2.); and accordingly ought to be rendered
so here: “thy head is as gold, gold.” As this, however, would produce
tautology, it is therefore best to take פָּז as a contraction of אוּפָז
(a variation of אוֹפּיר; see Gesenius, s.v.; Henderson on Jer. x. 9,
and Stuart on Dan. x. 5), with which this word goes together, 1 Kings
x. 18; Jer. x. 9; Dan. x. 5. As אוּפָן = כֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר, is regarded as
the best gold; hence the rendering of the Vulg. aurum optimum, and
Chald. דְהַב טָב.
Black as the raven, i.e. of the purest and most jet black, so highly
esteemed by the Orientals as well as by the classical writers. Thus
Hafiz, as quoted by Dr. Good:—
“Thy face is brighter than the cheek of day.
Blacker thy locks than midnight’s deepest sway.”
And Ossian, Fingal, 2: “Her hair was the wing of the raven.” Comp. also
Anac. xxix.; Ovid. Am. El. xiv. 9. תַּלְהַּלִּים, is rendered by the Sept.
ἐλαταί, the young leaves of the palm; so the Vulg. sicut elatæ
palmarum; similarly Gesenius, De Wette, &c., pendulous branches of the
palm; but this signification does not lie in the root תָּלַל, which
simply means waving, hanging, or flowing down; hence תַּלְתַּלִּים
(according to the analogy of זַלְזַלִּים and סַלְסַלִּים, comp. Ewald, § 158,
b) flowing curls, locks.
12. His eyes, like doves, &c. The vivid and black pupils of his eyes,
sparkling forth from the encircling lactean white, in which they are,
as it were, bathing and sitting on the fountain of tears, resemble
doves bathing gaily in pellucid streams. The doves themselves, and not
their eyes, are the point of comparison (vide supra, i. 15, and iv. 1.)
Doves are very fond of bathing, and hence choose for their abode
regions abounding with streams (Boch. Hieroz. ii. 1, c. 2.) The deep
blue or grey dove, reflecting the lustrous dark hue about its neck when
bathing in the limpid brook, suggested this beautiful simile. A similar
figure occurs in the Gitagovinda: “The glances of her eyes played like
a pair of water-birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full-blown
lotos in a pool in the season of dew.” The words רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב, bathing
in milk, referring to the eyes, are descriptive of the milky white in
which the black pupils of the eyes are, as it were, bathing. עַל מִלֵּאת,
on the fulness, also referring to the eyes, correspond to the עַל אֲפִיקֵי
מַיִם, by the brooks of water, which are predicated of the doves.
Hodgson’s rendering of יֹשְׁבוֹת עַל מִלֵּאת, by “and dwell among the ripe
corn,” is absurd.
13. His cheeks are like beds of balsam, &c. His round cheeks with the
pullulating beard, resemble beds growing aromatic plants. The Sept.,
Arabic, Æth., Chald., read מְגַדִּלוֹת, the part. Piel, instead of
מִגְדְּלוֹת, which many modern commentators follow, but without MS.
authority. The lily here referred to is most probably the crown
imperial, of a deep red colour, whose leaves contain an aqueous
humidity, which gathers itself in the form of pearls, especially at
noon, and distils clear and pellucid drops; see Rosenmüller, Alther,
iv. 138; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. There is, however, no necessity for
referring the words “distilling liquid myrrh,” to the lilies. Indeed,
it seems to be more consonant with the context, to take them as
predicated of the lips, expressing the sweetness of his conversation.
Comp. iv. 11.
14. His hands are like, &c. His rounded arms and fingers tipped with
well-shaped nails, as if inlaid with precious stones, resemble golden
cylinders: and his white and smooth body, covered with a delicate blue
vest, resembles polished ivory. גָּלִיל (from גָּלַל, to roll), a roller,
a cylinder. Kleuker, Gesenius, Döpke, &c., translate יָדָיו גְּלִילֵי זָהָב
χρυσός, gold, and λίθος, a stone), is of a yellow or gold colour, and
pellucid. Being of a glass lustre, the chrysolite is beautifully chosen
to represent the nails. The words מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ refer to יָדָיו. The
expression מֵעִים, prop. the internal parts of the human frame (v. 4),
is here used for the external = the body; so Dan. ii. 32. עֶשֶׁת is
taken by most modern commentators to denote something fabricated, or
wrought; an artificial work; thus deducing this sense from the
secondary meaning of עָשַׁת, which the Syriac (ܥܰܒܕܳܐ, work,) seems to
favour; but this is incompatible with the description here given of the
beloved. The Shulamite, throughout the whole of this delineation,
depicts the splendour and colour of the body as they dazzle the eye,
but makes no reference to the wondrous construction of the frame, which
could have been discerned only by the exercise of the intellect. It is
therefore better, with Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, Rashi, Rashbam, Luther, Auth.
Version, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Williams, Good, Hengstenberg, &c. to
take עֶשֶׁת, from עָשַׁת, in its primary meaning, to shine, to be bright,
in the sense of brightness, polish; comp. Jer. v. 28.
Covered with sapphires. These words refer to his body, and describe the
purple tunic covering the snowy white skin. Good, Meier, &c. take it to
describe the blue veins which were seen through his clear snowy skin,
like a sapphire stone through a thin transparent plate of ivory. But
this is against the meaning of מְעֻלֶּפֶת, which signifies covered, and
not inlaid; the external covering, and not the internal seen through
the outer cover. Commentators are not agreed whether that which we call
the genuine sapphire, a transparent stone of a beautiful sky-blue
colour, in hardness and value next to the diamond, is meant by סַפִּיר;
or the sapphire of the ancients, which, according to Pliny, (Hist. Nat.
xxxvii. 39; Theophrast. De Lapid. 231,) is a stone of a pure blue
colour, and has frequently pebble spots of a golden yellow hue, which
were formerly thought to be really gold, and is evidently our lapis
lazuli, lazure-stone. As the latter does neither suit Job xxviii. 6,
for the lazure-stone is not very precious; nor Exod. xxviii. 18, since
it is too soft to bear engraving, it is more probable that the real
sapphire is meant by סַפִּיר in the Scriptures. This stone is often
found in collections of ancient gems; see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot. and
Miner.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v. The Syriac, which translates
מְעֻלֶּפֶת סַפִּירִים by ܥܰܠ ܡܰܦܚܳܐ ܣܦܻܝܐܳܐ, upon the sapphire breathing, must
have had another reading.
15. His legs are like pillars of marble, &c. His white legs, standing
upon beautiful feet, resemble the purest marble columns based upon
golden pedestals. שׁוֹק, as Kimchi well explains it, מה שהוא על הרגל
חליל ויגיע עד הברכים, is that part of the limb from the knee to the
foot. That אַדְנֵי פָז refers to his feet (Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Kleuker,
Meier, Hitzig, &c.), and not to his sandals (Good, Williams, &c.), is
evident from ver. 11 and 14, where the head and the hands, the visible
parts of the body, are described as golden; and it is but natural that
the feet, the only remaining exposed parts, should also be described as
golden.
His aspect is like that of Lebanon. Having depicted the single parts of
his body, the Shulamite now joins them together, and presents them in
one whole, the appearance of which impresses the mind with a sense of
beauty and majesty, like that of Lebanon. “That goodly mountain, even
Lebanon” (Deut. iii. 25), being so luxuriant in its vegetation and rich
in scenery, appeared very beautiful and majestic at a distance.
“Lebanon is a noble range of mountains, well worthy of the fame it has
so long maintained. It is cultivated in a wonderful manner, by the help
of terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its
eminences, more than 2,000 feet high, villages and luxuriant
vegetation; and on some of its peaks, 6,000 feet high, we could discern
tall pines against the clear sky beyond. At first the clouds were on
the lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and we saw
Tannin, which is generally regarded as the highest peak of Lebanon.
There is a deep ravine that seems to run up the whole way, and Tannin
rises to the height of 10,000 feet. The rays of the setting sun gave a
splendid tint to the lofty brow of the mountain.”—Mission of Inquiry to
the Jews, p. 240, &c.; comp. also Isa. xxxv. 2; Rosenmüller, Alterth.
i. 2. p. 239; Volney, Travels, i. 293.
He is distinguished as the cedars, i.e., in his stature. The lofty
cedar, towering above all other trees, is easily distinguished from the
rest (Ezek. xxxi. 3–16; Amos ii. 9). A similar comparison occurs in
Theocritus, xviii. 30, as quoted above, i. 9. The Chald., Ewald,
Magnus, Philippson, &c., take בַּחוּר for young man, youth; comp. Ruth
iii. 10; Isa. lxii. 5, “A young man like the cedars;” but the point of
comparison is lost in this case. Besides, we should then expect the
sing. אֶרֶז, and not the plur. אֲרָזִים. Moreover, 2 Kings xix. 23, and
Jer. xxii. 7, where the same phrase מִבְחַר אֲרָזִים is used, is against
it.
16. His voice is exquisitely sweet, &c. The members, after being
analysed separately, have been viewed as a whole; but the beautiful
person thus described is inanimate, like the splendid marble columns or
the lofty cedars, to which she had compared him. In this verse the
Shulamite represents the charms of his speech; and thus affirms his
whole person, bodily and mentally, as most lovely. “Such,” she
triumphantly exclaims, “is my friend; and now, ye daughters of
Jerusalem, judge for yourselves wherein my beloved is more than another
beloved.” חֵךְ, prop. palate, is used for the organ of speech, and
speech itself, Job vi. 30; xxxi. 10; Prov. v. 3. That חֵךְ here does
not mean any part of the body, is evident from the context; for it
would be preposterous to recur to the palate or mouth after the whole
person had been described. מַמְתַּקִּים and מַחֲמַדִּים are abstracts (see i.
2), adjectively used (Gesen. § 106, 1, Rem. 1), to give intensity to
the idea; comp. Gen. i. 2. כֻּלּוֹ, his whole person, bodily and
mentally.
1. Whither is thy beloved gone, &c.? The court ladies, moved by this
charming description, inquire of the Shulamite what direction he took,
and offer to seek him. The word הַגִּדִי is omitted after דֹודֵךְ, for the
sake of brevity and pathos. For the superlative force of הַיָפָה בַּנָּשִׁים,
vide supra, i. 8.
2, 3. My beloved is gone down into his garden, &c. The Shulamite,
knowing that the court ladies are anxious to induce her to transfer her
affections to the king, replies in a vague manner, that he is gone to
his garden, he is not lost, nor has her affection to him abated, though
they are now separated, nor does she fear that his love for her is
diminished. This incontestably proves that the object of the damsel’s
affection, of whom she gave a description in the preceding, is not the
king, but, as she herself tells us here most unequivocally, a shepherd.
For ver. 3, comp. chap. ii. 16.
4. Graceful art thou, O my love, &c. Just as before (i. 9), Solomon
made his appearance as soon as the Shulamite inquired after her
beloved, so here he comes forward again when she speaks of her absent
lover; thus endeavouring to show his own attachment to her. He
addresses her, as before, in the most flattering terms: “Thou art as
graceful as the delectable Tirzah, as charming as the delightful
Jerusalem, as striking and conquering as an imposing army in full
battle array.” Tirzah was the royal residence of the kings of Israel
after the revolt of Rehoboam, and retained that distinction till the
time of Omri, who built Samaria (1 Kings x. 15–21; xvi. 14; 2 Kings xv.
4). It was a city of fascinating appearance, as its name, תִּרְצָה,
delightful, indicates; and hence yielded a very flattering comparison.
The Sept. takes תִּרְצָה as an appellative, ὡς εὐδοκία; so Aquila, κατ’
εὐδοκίαν, Sym. εὐδοκήτη, Syriac, ܐܝܰܟ ܨܶܒܝܳܢܳܐ The Chald. paraphrases it
בִּזְמַן דצְבוּתֵךְ, in the time of thy willingness, and Rashi inclines to
it; the Vulg. has suavis et decora. But there can be no doubt, as Ibn
Ezra, Rashbam, and all modern commentators take it, that it is a proper
name, Tirzah, the capital of Jeroboam’s kingdom. It may be that the
ancient versions resorted to the expediency of taking תִּרְצָה as an
appellative, because they wished to avoid the contrast of the two
capitals, since this would speak against Solomon being the author of
this book. Jerusalem, “the perfection of beauty” (Lam. ii. 15),
afforded another excellent figure.
Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts! The fascinating power of a woman is
frequently compared to the prowess of an armed host. Comp. Prov. vii.
26. אָיוֹם, which occurs once more in connexion with נוֹרָא, Hab. i. 7,
means awful, awe-inspiring, imposing. נִדְגָּלוֹת, Niph. part. prop.
bannered, people furnished, or arrayed with banners, hence armies,
hosts. The feminine is here used to express a collective idea; comp.
אֹרְחוֹת, caravans, Isa. xxi. 13; Gesen. § 107, 3 d; Ewald, § 179 c.
5. Turn away thine eyes from me, &c. These awe-inspiring hosts are
described as concentrated in her eyes, which Solomon implores the
Shulamite to remove from him. “The artillery of the eyes,” says Dr.
Good, in loco, “is an idea common to poets of every nation.” Thus
Anacreon, xvi.
Σὺ μὲν λέγεις τὰ Θήβης,
Ὁ δ’ αὖ Φρυγῶν ἀϋτάς·
Ἐγὼ δ’ ἐμὰς ἁλώσεις.
Οὐχ ἵππος ὤλεσέν με,
Οὐ πεζὸς, οὐχὶ νῆες·
Στρατὸς δὲ καινὸς ἄλλος,
Ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων με βάλων.
“Sing thou of Thebes—let others tell
How Troy’s foundations rose and fell;
My numbers shall alone repeat
My own rencounters and defeat.
Me fleets and armies ne’er appal—
’Tis to a different host I fall:
A host within thine eyes, my fair,
That lurk and ply their arrows there.”
Comp. also Ode ii. רָהַב, in Kal, to tremble (Isa. lx. 5), and Hiphil,
to cause to tremble or fear, to frighten, to awe. Similarly the Sept.
ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Vulg. me avolare fecerunt, “they make me flee for
fear;” and the Syriac ܐܰܪܗܶܒ, they make me fear. The explanation of Ibn
Ezra, חזקו ממני, which is followed by the Authorized Version, cannot
be deduced from the root; nor does it suit the context. Equally
untenable is the explanation הגיסו לבי, Rashi and Rashbam. For הֵם,
mas, with עֵינַיִךְ, fem. see supra, iv. 9.
6, 7. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep, &c. For the interpretation
of the second half of ver. 5 and vers. 6, 7, see iv. 1–3, where the
same description is given, with the exception that there קְצוּבוֹת is
used for sheep, and here רְחֵלִים, and that the first half of ver. 3 is
here omitted in the Hebrew, which is here given by the Sept. We cannot
refrain from quoting the beautiful explanation of these figures from
the manuscript commentary of Immanuel: תלתלי שערך ושורותיו נופלים זה
על זה לדמיון עדר העזים שהם נתלים זה על זה בהרים ושניך הﬦ לבניﬦ ושויﬦ
לדמיון עדר הרחליﬦ, שצמדם לבן והם עולים מן הרחצה שכלם מתאימות שב אל שניה
שהם שוות, ושכולה אין בהם שאין שן משניה נגרע ונחסר או הם תואר הרחלים שהם
שוות ואין בהם שכילה וכן שניה דומות אליהם. The Septuagint adds after
וְשַׁכֻּלָּה אֵין בָּהֶם, and not one among them is bereaved, in ver. 6; ὡς
σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον χείλη σου, καὶ λαλιά σου ὠραία, like a braid of
scarlet are thy lips, and thy mouth is lovely, from chap iv. 3.
8, 9. I have threescore queens, &c. The flattery and praise here exceed
all that have been previously offered. Solomon protests that, though he
is surrounded by a numerous retinue of women of all ranks, the
Shulamite is the sole possessor of his heart: she who is the best
beloved of her mother, and whose consummate beauty has elicited the
highest praises from the queens, concubines and maidens. The
discrepancy between the number of Solomon’s wives and concubines here
stated, and that described in 1 Kings xi. 3, maybe reconciled by taking
שִׁשִׁים, שְׁמֹנִים and אֵין מִסְפָּר for indefinite and large numbers: many,
very many, without number: so Kleuker, Rosenmüller, Magnus, &c. “We
must supply לִי, to me, after הֵמָּה, there. For הֵמָּה, mas, instead of
הֵנָּה, fem., see ii. 7. The pronoun הִיא, she, is the subject in all
the three clauses, and אַחַת in the first and second clause, and בַּרָה
in the third are predicates. We must supply לִי after אַחַת הִיא, she
is my only one; just as אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּה. The word אֶחָד is used for the
only one of its kind (Job xxiii. 13; Ezek. ii. 64; vii. 5), favourite;
comp. גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ, 2 Sam. vii. 23.
10. Who is she that looks forth, &c. That Solomon quotes here the
eulogy mentioned in the preceding verse, which the court ladies
pronounced upon the superlative beauty of the Shulamite when they first
beheld her, has long been recognised by the Rabbins, and is now
admitted by most interpreters. This is, moreover, confirmed by Prov.
xxxi. 28, where the same words, אִשֵּׁר and הַלֵּל, are used, and the
following verse contains the eulogy which the husband utters. The
rising morning, with its red light looking down from heaven over the
mountains (Joel ii. 2); the beautiful and placid complexion of the
moon, and the refulgent and resplendent appearance of the sun, have
often afforded, both to the Oriental and to the Greek and Latin
writers, exquisite similes for beauty and grandeur. Thus Sirach (l. 5,
6), describing the High Priest, says:—
“How splendid he was in his interview with the people.
In his coming out from the house of the veil!
As the morning star amid the clouds,
As the moon when full in her days,
As the sun when beaming upon the temple of the Most High.”
Comp. also Rev. i. 16; Theocritus’ description of Helen, xviii. 26–28;
Lane’s Arabian Nights, i. 29. חַמָּה and לְבָנָח are poetical epithets
for the sun and moon, Isa. xxiv. 23.
11, 12. I went down into the nut-garden, &c. As Solomon had referred,
in uttering his encomium, to her first coming within sight of the court
ladies, the Shulamite here instantly interrupts the king, in order to
explain how that came to pass. “I did not go to meet the king, to
exhibit myself and be admired by him or his royal retinue; I merely
went into the garden with the intention of seeing whether there were
any herbs to take home for use, and whether the fruit promised well;
and this (נַפְשִׁי) intention of mine brought me unawares near the
monarch and his cortége.” Though אֱגוֹז, nut-tree, (so Sept., Vulg.,
Chald.,) nut occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, yet its meaning
is established from the cognate languages, and its frequent usage in
the Talmud and latter Hebrew writers, רָאָה ב, to look among (Gen.
xxxiv.), with the intention of choosing that which pleases, Gen. vi. 2.
אִבֵּי הַנָּחַל, the green or vegetables growing by the river side; so the
Sept. γενήματι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου, and Rashbam, על שפת הנחל. The Sept. has
here שָׁם אֶתֵּן אֶת דּוֹדַי לָךְ, from chap. vii. 14, which the Arabic,
Æthiopic, and several modern commentators wrongly follow, as it has no
MS. authority, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of this
passage.
12. Unwittingly, &c. This verse has caused much perplexity to
interpreters. The ancient versions, finding the sense obscure, have
altered almost every word, and hence increased the difficulty. Thus the
Sept. has οὐκ ἔγνω ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔθετό με ἅρματα Ἀμιναδάβ, which Luther
follows: “Meine Seele wusste es nicht, dass er mich zum Wagen Aminadib
gezetzt hatte:” They take נֶפֶשׁ as the subject, alter לֹא יָדַעְתִּי, the
first person com., into לֹא יָדְעָה, the third fem., to agree with נֶפֶשׁ,
a fem. noun, שָׂמַתְנִי, the third fem., into שַׂמְנִי, the third masc.
referring it to Solomon, and regard עַמִּי נָדִיב as a proper name. The
Vulg. has Nescivi, anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab;
altering שָׂמַתְנִי, the Kal of שׂוּם, to put, to place, into the Hiphil
of שָׂמֵם, to be astonished, מַרְכְּבוֹת into מֵרִכְבוֹת, the plural of
רֶכֶב, with the preposition מ, and taking עַמִּי נָדִיב as a proper
name. Passing over these textual alterations, and the emendations
proposed by modern commentators, as unauthorized, we shall first
examine the words as they are in the text, and then the most plausible
interpretations deducible therefrom. לֹא יָדַעְתִּי are rightly taken by
most, though differing in their opinion as to the rendering of the
remainder of the verse, as adverbial, in the sense of suddenly,
unwittingly, and as subordinate to נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי, my soul has
unwittingly put me, or placed me; comp. Job v. 9; Isa. xlvii. 11; Jer.
l. 24. The verb שׂוּם, to put, to place, may be construed with two
accusatives, one of the person, and the other of the thing; and
מַרְכְּבוֹת may be taken as the second accusative (comp. Ps. xxxix. 9; 1
Sam. viii. 1; Mich. i. 7), or מַרְכְּבוֹת may be taken as a designation of
place after שׂוּם, a verb of motion; comp. Isa. xl. 26. מֶרְכָּבָה, a
chariot, used for warlike purposes, or for state or pleasure, Gen.
xlvi. 29; Exod. xv. 4; 2 Sam. xv. 1. The expression עַמִּי may either
mean populares mei—(the Hebrews having no separate word for
“countryman,” use this expression to denote one of their own people
(Gesen. xxiii. 11; Lam. ii. 11), and נָדִיב may be an adjective for
הַנַּדִיב, as the article is sometimes omitted through following a noun
with suffix)—or עַמִּי may here be used, like עִישׁ, for companions,
attendants, followers, (Eccl. iv. 16,) the י in עַמִּי not being a
suffix, but paragogic, and a mark of the const. state (Deut. xxxiii.
16; Lam. i. 1), and נָדִיב, a noun in the genitive of the king or
prince. As to how much stress there is to be laid on the Sept., which
takes עַמִּי נָדִיב as a proper name, and is followed by the Arabic,
Æthiop., Vulg., and which also produced some variations in the
orthography of these words, we need only refer to vii. 2, where the
same version renders בַּת נָדִיב by θυγάτηρ Ἀμιναδὰβ. The verse,
therefore, may either be translated: “My soul has unwittingly made me
the chariots of my noble countrymen,” or, “My soul has unwittingly
placed at, or brought me to the chariots of my noble people, or to the
chariots of the companions of the prince.” Now against the first
rendering we urge, in the first place, that if the chariots be taken in
the accusative, and hence in a figurative sense, we are unavoidably led
into a bewildering maze of conjectural and fanciful opinions. The
following may serve as a specimen. Rashi takes the chariots to be a
sign of ignominy. נפשי שמתני להיות מרכבות להרכיב עלי נדיבות שאר
אומות, “My soul has made me to be chariots for foreign princes to ride
upon”; i.e. I have willingly brought upon me a foreign yoke. Ibn Ezra
takes the chariots as a figure for swiftness, לא ידעתי שהייתי הולכת
במרוצה אליך כמו מרכבות עמי נדיב הגדול שיש בעמי, “I did not know that I
was hurrying on to thee with the rapidity of the chariots of the great
prince who is among my people;” which the Syriac, ܐܳܐ ܝܶܕܥܰܬ ܢܰܦܫܝ ܣܳܡܬܰܥܝ
ܒܡܳܪܒܳܒܬܐ, though sharing somewhat in the errors of the Sept. and Vulg.,
seems to favour. Herder takes the chariots as a symbol of martial
power, guard, and protection (Ps. xx. 8; 2 Kings ii. 11, 12).
Hengstenberg affirms that the chariots signify champion, guard,
defence. And secondly, this translation interrupts the connexion of
this verse with the preceding one. Now the second rendering avoids all
this. Solomon has repeated in verse 10 the praise which the court
ladies had pronounced on the Shulamite when they first saw her; the
Shulamite (in ver. 11, 12), in reply, explains how she came to the
carriages of the court ladies.
1. Return, return, &c. Here we see how little all the persuasions,
promises, and eulogies of the king and courtiers affected the sincere
and deeply rooted affections of the Shulamite for her beloved shepherd.
No sooner had she explained (as she incidentally informs us) how she
came to be noticed and taken up by the king, than she actually started
off. But the king entreated her to return, that he might look at her
once more. The Shulamite, pausing a little, turns round and modestly
asks:
What will you behold in the Shulamite? That is, what can ye see in a
humble rustic girl? הַשּׁוּלַמּית, as is evident from the article, is a
gentile noun, according to the analogy of הַשּׁוּנַמִּית, (1 Kings i. 3; 2
Kings iv. 12, 25.) Ewald, § 156 c: and a female inhabitant of Shulem,
i.q. Shunem. Shulem still exists as a village, now called Sôlam, about
three miles and a half north of Zerîn, (Jezreel), and lies on the
declivity, at the western end of the mountain of Duhy, the so-called
Little Hermon. “There is little room for doubt that it is the ancient
Shunem of the tribe of Issachar, where the Philistines encamped before
Saul’s last battle, (Josh. xix. 18; 1 Sam. xxviii. 4.) From the same
place, apparently, Abishag the Shunammite was brought to the aged
David; and here it was probably that Elisha often lodged in the house
of the Shunammite woman, and afterwards raised her son from the dead (1
Kings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 8–37; viii. 1–6). Eusebius and Jerome describe
it in their day as a village lying five Roman miles from Mount Tabor,
towards the southern quarter, and they write the name already Sulem.”
Robinson, Palestine, iii. 169, &c. The transition of ל into נ is of
frequent occurrence; comp. לָחַץ and נָחַץ, to burn. (Gesen. Lexicon,
ל a; Ewald, § 156, c.) שׁוּלַמִּית is not the feminine of the name
שְׁלֹמֹה, which would be שְׁלֹמִית; comp. Lev. xxiv. 11; 1 Chron. iii. 19;
Ewald, § 274, f.
Like a dance to double choirs, replies the king, i.e. “to see thee is
like gazing at the charming view of a festive choir expressing their
merriment in a sacred dance. The Hebrews, in common with other nations
(Strabo, 10), used sacred dancing, accompanied by vocal and
instrumental music, as expressive of joy and rejoicing (Exod. xv. 20; 2
Sam. vi. 15; Ps. cxlix. 3). A sight of such an assemblage of various
beauties, all swelling their voices into one song of joy, and blending
their several forms in one choral dance of joy, must have afforded a
delightful picture. No wonder that such a scene is described by Homer
(Iliad, xviii. 590,) as portrayed on the famous shield of Achilles, and
that
“On either side spectators numerous stood,
Delighted.”
To this charming scene, therefore, does the captivated monarch compare
the view of the Shulamite. מְחוֹלָה, from חוּל, to turn round, a dance,
the joyous dancing on a festive occasion. ַחְנֶה, prop. a camp, also a
multitude, a band of people, Gen. l. 9. מַחֲנַיִם is the regular dual,
and not the plural (Sept., Vulg., Gesenius, Döpke, &c.), and is here
used because this dance consisted of a band arranged in a double line,
something like our country dance. On the different kinds of Oriental
dances, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19–22; Wilkinson, Manners, &c.,
ii. 328–340. Saalschütz, Archäologie der Hebräer, vol. i. 302. The
words כִּמְחֹלַת הַמַּחֲנַיִם have elicited a variety of interpretations. Some
take מַחֲנַיִם as a proper name, and say that reference is here made to
some particular mode of worship practised in that place in consequence
of Jacob’s sojourn there; but this is purely imaginary. Others again
suppose that an allusion is made to Gen. xxxii. 2, 3, and hence render
מַחֲנַיִם by מַחֲנֵי אֱלֹהִים or צְבָאוֹת; but this is unfounded, since we
have not the slightest intimation in that passage that the angels were
engaged in dancing.
2. How beautiful are thy feet in sandals! The Shulamite, in obedience
to the king’s request, returns, and as she advances, Solomon is
arrested by her beautiful feet, with which he begins his last highly
flattering delineation of her beauty, and his last attempt to win her
affections. נְעָלִים, Chald. סַנְדְלִין, sandals, formed an important part
of an Oriental costume (Ezek. xvi. 10; Judith xvi. 9). The ladies
bestowed great pains upon, and evinced much taste in ornamenting this
article of dress, which attracted the notice of the opposite sex. בַּת
נָדִיב does not mean a descendant of a titled family, but, according to
a common Hebrew idiom, which applies בַּת בֵּן, and other terms of human
kindred to relations of every kind, expresses that she herself was of a
noble character. Comp. 1 Sam. i. 16; Gesen. § 106, 2 a; Ewald, § 287 f.
The circuits of thy thighs like ornaments, &c. To describe the
beautiful appearance of an object, the Orientals frequently compared it
to some precious metal or gem; see supra, v. 11; Prov. xxv. 12. The
simple metal or gem, however, seems not to suffice here to express the
exquisite symmetry of these parts of the body; they are, therefore,
compared with some beautifully-wrought and highly-finished ornaments,
formed of such materials. The rendering of פְּעָמִים by steps (Sept.,
Vulg., Ewald, Döpke, Hengstenberg, &c.), and חַמוּקֵי by Schwingungen,
movements (Hengstenberg), is contrary to the scope of the description,
which obviously depicts the several members of the body (beginning with
the feet and gradually ascending to the head), and not their actions.
חֲלָאִים is not the dual (Luther), but the plural; according to the
analogy of צְבִי, צְבָאִים; פְּתִי, פְּתָאִים. The א in the plural is
preferred to the י in consequence of the preceding A sound. Gesen. §
93, 66; Ewald, § 186 e.
3. Thy navel is like a round goblet, &c. The reference and the import
of the figure are obvious. מֶזֶג, i.q. מֶסֶךְ, mixture, mixed wine. The
ancients were in the habit of mixing wine with spices, to make it more
stimulating and exciting. Wine thus mixed was called יַיִן הַרֶקַח, viii.
2, the vinum aromatites of the Greeks and Romans. (Comp. Ps. lxxv. 9;
Prov. ix. 5; Isa. v. 22; Mishna, Maaser sheni, ii. 1; Baba Mez. v. 2;
Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 15; Gesen. Thesaurus, p. 808; Winer, Bib. Dict.
s.v.) שָׁרְרֵךְ is one of the few instances in which עע״ are resolved
before suffixes, owing to the broadness of the vowels when preceding
ל, or ר. Comp. גַּל with suffix גַּלְלוֹ: צִלְלוֹ צַל: הַרֲרָם הַר,
Ewald, § 265; Fürst, Lexicon, s.v. –גַל. The particle אַל expresses a
subjective wish, Gesen. Lexicon, אַל, ii. 6, Ewald, § 320.
Thy body is like a heap of wheat, &c. The point of analogy seems to
subsist between the appearance of the body and that of a quantity of
corn heaped up, עֲרַמָה, which Ibn Ezra well explains עבה מלמטה ודקה
מלמעלה; so also Rashbam. Remembering that corpulency was deemed
essential to an Eastern beauty, this comparison will appear obvious.
Selden, who is followed by others, takes this passage as a prediction
of the bride’s fertility: as:—“Wheat and barley were among the ancient
Hebrews emblems of fertility; and it was usual for standers-by to
scatter these grains upon the married couple, with a wish that they
might increase and multiply.” Uxor Hebraica, lib. ii. cap. 15. “A
custom,” adds Williams, “which might probably originate from this
passage, or vice versâ.”
But though it is true that it was a common practice among the Jews at
marriages to distribute among the company dried seeds (Talm.
Chethuboth, ii. 1), probably to indicate a wish that the newly-married
couple might be fruitful, it does not follow that it was the practice
at so early an age, or that it is the meaning here. Were this the sense
here, we should expect that the Jewish commentators, who well knew and
practised the manners and customs of their own people, would have
recognised it. Whereas, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, &c., explain this
figure as referring to the appearance.