The Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon 6
Chapter VI · Vol. II, pp. 1134–1135
1 The church professeth her faith in Christ. 4 Christ showeth the graces of the church, 10 and his love towards her.
1 Whither is thy beloved gone, aO thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? bthat we may seek him with thee.
a Je.14.8. ver.9,10. ch.1.8,15; 5.9; 4.7. Eze.16.14.
b Zec.8.21-23. Ac.2.37; 16.30.
2 My beloved is gone down cinto his garden, to the beds of spices, to dfeed in the gardens, and eto gather lilies.
3 Ig am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.1
g ch.2.16; 7.10. Jn.10.28.
1 See ch.2.16.—C.
4 Thouh art beautiful, O my love, as iTirzah,2 comely as jJerusalem, kterrible3 as an army with banners.
h Col.2.2,5,19. Ps.87.3?
i Jos.12.24. 1 Ki.14.17; 15.21,33; 16.6.
2 See note * below.
k Nu.24.2,5. Ac.5.11. 2 Co.10.4. Ep.6.12,13.
3 Terrible. Rather, 'dazzling as a bannered host.'—C.
* Tirzah. This city became the capital of the ten tribes, 1 Ki.15.33. The word signifies 'benevolent,' in which we have the true principle of the comparison—'beautiful because benevolent.' See 1 Co.13.1. C.——Tirzah, now called Telluzeh, is situated among the mountains of Samaria, a few miles north-east of Shechem. Its site is one of the most beautiful and commanding in Palestine. It is surrounded by dense groves of olives and verdant valleys, while it overlooks a part of the Jordan valley and the whole of the picturesque mountains of Gilead away beyond.—P.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome 4me: lthy hair is nas a flock of goats that appear from Gilead:
A.M. cir. 3009. B.C. cir. 995.
4 Or, they have puffed me up, Ho.12.4. Mat.15.27,28.
l See ch.4.1-3.
n ch.4.1.
6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and othere is not one barren among them.
7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
8 Therep are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
p 1 Ki.11.3. 2 Ch.11.21. Ps.45.14. Re.7.9.
9 Myq dove, my undefiled is rbut one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one5 of her that bare her: sthe daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Whot is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible uas an army with banners?
11 Iv went down6 into the garden of nuts, to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
v Jn.15.16. ver.2; ch.5.1; 2.12,13; 7.12. Ps.92.12-14. Is.5.2,3.
6 I went down. The emblem here again to 'the garden of nuts;' rather, of 'rest or retirement.'—C.
12 Orx ever I was aware,7 my soul made me like the chariots of Ammi-nadib.8
x Je.31.18-20. Ho.11.8,9. ch.2.8.
7 Heb. I knew not.
8 Or, set me on the chariots of my willing people, Ps.110.3.
13 Return,y return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.9
y ch.2.14. Je.3.14,22; 31.18-20. Ho.14.1-4.
A.M. cir. 3009. B.C. cir. 995.
9 Or, of Mahanaim, Ge.32.2, or Jn.10.16. Ep.2.14,16,18; 3.6; 6.10-19. Ro.3.29; 7.23. Ga.5.17,24.
Notes
Daughters. 1. Precious saint, tell us where we may hope to find this thy beloved Saviour, that we may, after thy example, and in holy fellowship with thee, more heartily than ever seek him.
Believers. 2. Jesus, my beloved, is always present in his church, and is especially conversant in those assemblies where the graces of the people are most eminent; taking pleasure in and increasing their grace and comforts, and delighting to convert, and afterwards glorify, all who accept him. 3. And notwithstanding all my miscarriages, the mutual relation between him and me is as full and firm as ever; and he still delights himself in the assemblies of his people.
Christ. 4. In respect of oracles, ordinances, officers, and order, thou, my church, art extremely beautiful in my view, and terrible to enemies around. And in respect to real righteousness, glorious grace, and holy conversation, thou, O particular believer, art transcendently comely, and thy assured faith and fervent prayer overcome every opponent. 5-7. Such was my delight in the vigorous actings of thy faith and love, and in thy importunate prayers, that I could no longer absent myself; and being returned, I assure thee, for thy comfort, that thy holy thoughts and gracious exercise, thy unfeigned and operative faith, thy spiritual meditations, thy regular and active zeal, thy humility and self-abasement, together with all thy privileges, and everything belonging to my church, are as precious and comely as ever. 8, 9. Whatever beauties there be in earthly courts, there are none comparable to a true saint. In the one true church, nay, in one heavenly-begotten soul, there is more real comeliness than in all the world beside; all those of principal esteem, in either church or state, are disposed to express their approbation of it. 10. Gradual was the increasing light and glory of the church in her patriarchal, ceremonial, and gospel periods. Gradual and diversified is the growing comeliness and glory of every believer who truly turns to the light: they shine as the morning light, going on to perfection. In their borrowed and imperfect holiness they show fair as the moon; and in their genuine righteousness shine clear as the meridian sun; and, armed with the whole armour of God, they are terrible to every opposer. 11. Such is my regard to my church that, even while absent from thee, I was occupied among my outwardly mean but inwardly glorious and hidden ones, carefully observing if her fruitfulness in saints and in good works was answerable to her new-covenant soil, and how her various members did thrive in the advanced progress or weak beginnings of grace. 12. And thy vigorous actings of faith and fervent supplications took such hold of me, that I was constrained, as in a surprising transport of affection, speedily to return to thee in loving-kindness and in tender mercies. 13. Notwithstanding every former offence, return, therefore, my perfect and peaceable one, by faith and repentance, to thy wonted familiarity with me, that I and my Father, and blessed Spirit, and ministering angels may, with pleasure and satisfaction, behold thy beauties. However mean and worthless thou art in thy own eyes, yet how pleasant is it for me to behold Jews and Gentiles united into one society of saints, and to contemplate heavenly graces and holy duties withstanding and conquering the remains of inward corruptions, temptations, and fears!
Ver. 1. O thou fairest. This character of superlative female beauty, like the panegyric on male beauty, ch. 5. 10, &c., should have led every expositor to see that the book was never intended for any daughter of Eve; to any one of whom it had been the grossest flattery, alike degrading to the deceiving utterer and the credulous listener. But how literal the description when applied to her who is adorned by the Spirit with 'the beauty of holiness!' C.
Ver. 5. Turn away thine eyes. That is, thine eyes suffused with tears from seeking and suffering, ch 5. 6, 7; see Ps. 116. 8. C.
Ver. 8. This is no enumeration of Solomon's family establishment, as it does not accord with the account in 1 Ki. 11. 3. It is an emblematic classification of the church, in which queens, concubines, and virgins are exactly equivalent to the triple classification, 1 Jn. 2. 12-14, fathers, young men, children. C.
Ver. 9. That is, the church in its progressive tripartite condition on earth, saw and praised the church in its glorified and perfected condition in heaven, as the most wondrous monument of the wisdom and grace of its Lord. C.
Ver. 11. The speaker in the first person from ver. 4 has been the bridegroom; and after the question, ver. 10, he resumes ver. 11. This must be the key, ver. 12, in which, not the bride, but the bridegroom speaks, saying, 'or ever I was aware'—before I had time for farther inquiry—'my soul,' my strong affection, 'set me on the chariots of my willing people'—the people promised to Christ 'in the day of his power,' Ps. 110. 3, and whom 'the love of Christ constraineth' (carries along with him) to judge and live, 2 Co. 5. 14. C.
Ver. 13. Shulamite. The Hebrew feminine of Solomon; 'the peaceful and the perfect.'—The company of two armies. The word Mahanaim is applied to the two bands into which Jacob divided his family, also to the two hosts of angels that he saw, Ge. xxxii.; and may well represent the two bands of 'Jews and Gentiles' in the church, Jn. 10. 16, and the correspondent 'ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation,' He. 1. 14. C.
Reflections.—The believer's hearty commendations of Christ are glorious, when blessed by him, to make others inquire after him. And it is prudent for deserted saints frequently and boldly to recognize the mutual relation betwixt Christ and their soul. Great is the mercy that, though he often for a time deserts a particular child, he never totally forsakes his church and ordinances, and often does much good while it is little perceived. How sweet and often surprising are the returns of his sensible presence! For unchangeable is his esteem of, love to, desire after, and delight in all people amidst all the changes of his countenance and providence. Engaging, honourable, and awful are the beauties of holiness when they shine in churches, ordinances, and saints. And unbounded is Jesus' care about all people, and to have them fruitful in graces and good works. He daily seeks to return them his sensible favours, and to see them cordially united among themselves, and valiantly contending with their spiritual enemies.