Chapter 24

7.I adjure you, &c. Having evinced her warm and undiminished attachment to her beloved shepherd, the Shulamite adjures the court ladies, who, as we have seen, tried to gain her affections for the king, by everything dear and lovely, not to excite her love for anyone else till her own (‏אהבה‎)affectionswish (‏דוד אחר‎)for another object. The gazelle,‏צְבִי‎, so called from the beauty of its form, is an animal of the antelope kind, of very graceful and elegant figure, has very slender limbs, large and soft eyes. The great admiration in which this animal was held in the East, made the Hebrews use it as an emblem of everything beautiful (Prov. v. 19); and from its being charming and lovely, it also became an object by which to swear. Such adjurations are frequently used in the East. Comp. Reland, de Religio Mah. ii. p. 164: Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 146; v. 22. Dio, in the Æneid, lib. iv. 314; Bochart, Hieroz. i. p. 899.‏אֶתְכֶם‎,mas., for‏אֶתְכֶן‎,fem.Both masculine pronouns and verbs are sometimes used in reference to objects which are feminine. See Gesenius, § 121, Rem. i. § 137, 1; Ewald, § 184 c.‏אִם‎, after formulæ of swearing, has the effect of a negative particle (Isa. xxii. 14; Prov. xxvii. 14). This is owing to a part of the oath being omitted. Comp. 2 Sam. iii. 35; Gesen. § 155, 2 f.; Ewald, § 356 a.‏עוּר‎, here, is notto arouse,to wake from sleep(Gesen.), butto rouse,to excite the passions,affections; thus‏הֵעִיר קַנְאָה‎,he will arouse his zeal, Isa. xlii. 13; Prov. x. 12. The repetition of the same verb in the Hiphil and Piel expressesintensity,[144]Isa. xxix. 9; Zeph. ii. 1.‏אַהֲבָה‎is the abstract,love,affection, iii. 10; vii. 7. After‏שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ‎supply‏דוֹד אֲחַר‎. Similarly, Rashbam. The Sept. strangely renders‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַילוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎,ἐν δυνάμεσι καὶ ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ,by the powers and virtues of the field. Thus in this scene, the first attempts, both on the part of the king and the court ladies, to win the Shulamite’s affections, signally failed. The same formula re-occurs iii. 5, and viii. 4, to mark, at the end of the trials, her successful resistance.8.Hark! my beloved!Having alluded in the preceding Section (i. 6) to the ill-treatment which she had received from her brothers, the Shulamite now relates the cause of that treatment. Thus whilst this narrative forms the connecting link between this and the preceding Section, it also gradually acquaints us with her history. The description given of the arrival and conduct of her beloved is very graphic and beautiful. She first sees him at a distance, bounding over the hills with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle, and presently he is found behind the wall, peeping through the window, and imploring her in the sweetest language imaginable to go with him into the fields and enjoy the beauties and charms of nature.‏קוֹל‎is not‏קוֹל רַגְלָיו‎,the sound of his feet(Ibn Ezra, Hitzig), which could not be heard at such a distance from the mountains; northe voice of his song(Döpke, Philippson), for he could not very well sing when running at such a speed as here described; but simply meanshark!(Ewald, Magnus, Meier),[145]and is used in animated descriptions to arrest attention, Ewald, § 286 f.9My beloved is like, &c. To describe the speed of his approach the Shulamite compares him to the swift-footed gazelle, and nimble fawn. This comparison is also used in other parts of Scripture. Thus Asahel is called light-footed as a gazelle. 2 Sam. ii. 18; Prov. vi. 5; Hab. iii. 19. “The Eastern buildings generally surround a square inner court; the beloved is described as gradually making his approach, first to the wall, then looking through the window.” Here is another incontestable proof that the object of the damsel’s affection, whom she describes as coming to her, is not the king, but a shepherd, for the king could not consistently be represented as bounding over the hills. Though‏אַיָּל‎has a feminine,‏אַיָּלָה‎, which is used in ver. 7, yet instead of its being here‏לְעֹפֶר אֲיָלוֹת‎, we have‏הָאַיָּלִים‎: see also Ps. xlii. 2. This is owing to the neglect on the part of the writer to avail himself of the forms established by usage, Gesen. § 107, 1. Or it may be that such names were still of a common gender, and the feminines were only in the process of formation, but not as yet fixedly established, Ewald, § 175 b.‏כֹּתֶל‎occurs only here, but it is evident from Dan. v. 5, and the Targum, Josh. ii. 15, where it stands for the Hebrew‏קִיר‎, that it meansa wallforming a part of the house. The Sept. has here‏עַל הָרֵי בָתָר‎, from ii. 17.10, 11.Arise, my love, &c. The Shulamite introduces here her beloved as speaking. He urges her to go, since the rain is over, and everything without is charming.‏עָנָה‎is idiomatically used in reference even to the person speaking first, without any antecedent interrogation. (Deut. xxvi. 5; Isa. xiv. 10; xxi. 9.) The meaning of the word seems to be simplyto impart information, either asked for or not. In the former case‏עָנָה‎obtains the additional idea ofa reply, whereas in the latter it merely meansto inform,to tell, likeἀποκρίνομαιin the New Testament. Comp.ἀποκριθεῖς εἶπε, Matt. xvii. 4; Mark ix. 5. On the use of the dative‏לָךְ‎, see Gesen. § 154, 3 e. Ewald, § 315 a. Theἅπα.λέγ.‏סְתָו‎properly denotesthe winter=the rainy season, at the end of which, viz. February or March, the spring advances with surpassing quickness; it excludes the autumn, and thus differs from‏חֹרֶף‎. The form‏סְתָו‎(from‏סָתָה‎,to winter), is, according to the analogy of‏חֲגָו‎,‏מְדָו‎,‏קְצָו‎, see Fürst, Lexicon, under‏חֲגָו‎. The Sept. has mistaken the dative‏לָךְ‎for the imp.‏לְכִי‎, and adds‏יוֹנָתִי‎,my dove, after‏יָפָתִי‎,my beauty.12.The flowers appear, &c. The gradual development is exceedingly beautiful; the description unfolds with the season. After the graphic delineation of the meadows strewed with a profusion of variegated flowers; of the men in the fields, and the birds hovering over them, joining to pour forth a volume of various sounds; of the delicious odour of the embalmed fig, and fragrant vine, the beloved[146]exclaims: “Nature has prepared a rich banquet; come, let us go and enjoy it!” The Sept., Aquila, Sym., Vulg., Chald., Rashbam, render‏עֵת הַוָּמִיר‎, bythe season for the pruning of vines: Gesenius defends this rendering, but against the usage of the word‏זָמִיר‎, and the connexion. Wherever‏זָמִיר‎occurs, either in the singular (Isa. xxv. 5), or plural (2 Sam. xxiii. 1; Isa. xxiv. 16), it invariably meanssongorsinging. Moreover, the parallelism, and the whole of the description, demand that it should be rendered so here. All the pleasures and charms here depicted are gratifications for the senses, and are adduced by the beloved as the invitation of nature toenjoyher banquet; whereas the pruning of the vines would be a summons toengage in toil. Besides, the vine is mentioned afterwards in its rotation (v. 13), and it would mar the gradual progression of this minute description to suppose that it has been uselessly repeated. Hence it has been rightly renderedsingingby Rashi, Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, De Wette, Magnus, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Fürst, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The objection that‏זָמִיר‎,singing, means thesong of men, is obviated by referring it here to the season whenbothman and bird begin to sing.‏זָמִיר‎, like other words of the form‏קָטִיל‎, expresses thetimeof the action; comp.‏אָסִיף‎,harvest; properly the time when the fruit is gathered.‏חָרִישׁ‎,the time of ploughing. Gesen. § 84, 5; Ewald, § 149 e.The cooing of the turtle, &c. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird (Jer. viii. 7; Arist. Hist. Anim. viii. 3, 12, 16; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 36; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.); it resides in the winter farther south than Palestine, and returns in the spring, when its cooing voice in the woods announces the return of that season.13.The fig-tree sweetens her green figs.The word‏חָנַט‎is now rendered by many commentators, according to the example of Ibn Ezra,to sweeten,to embalm,to spice;i.e.the fig-tree sweetens her fruit by filling it with aromatic juice. This rendering is confirmed by the use of‏חָנַט‎,to embalm(Gen. l. 2, 26), which was done with spices and aromatic plants (2 Chron. xvi. 14; John xix. 40). The Sept., Aquila., and Vulg. render‏חָנַט‎,puts forth, but this signification cannot be deduced from the root. Ewald, Magnus, Hitzig, have “the fig-treereddens,” &c., but the verb is not used in this sense in Hebrew.‏פָּג‎(from‏פָּגַג‎immature),an unripe fig, Sept.ὄλυνθος, Vulg.grossus; so in the Talmud and IbnEzra,‏פרי טרם שיתבשל‎,the fruit before it is ripe.The vines blossom, &c. It is well known that the blossoming vine smells sweetly; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 2.‏וְהַנְּפָנִים סְמָדַר‎, lit.the vines are in blossom, i.e.the vines blossom; so Sym.οἰνάνθη, Vulg.florentes. Substantives are frequently used in Hebrew instead of adjectives to express properties; thus‏וְהַפִּשְׁתָּה גִבְעֹל‎,the flax was bolled. Exod. ix. 31; Ezra. x. 13. This peculiarity is to be accounted for by supposing either that the adjectives were not as yet formed, or if formed were still not currently used. Gesen. § 106, 1; Ewald, § 296 b.‏לָכְי‎stands for‏לָךְ‎; comp. ver. 10; the‏י‎has been occasioned by the preceding form‏קוּמִי‎, and succeeding words‏רַעֳיתִי יָפָהִי‎, which terminate in‏י‎. This is not unfrequently[147]the case, see Job xix. 29; Eccl. viii. 17; Prov. viii. 35; Mich. i. 8. The Sept. has here again‏לְכִי‎for‏לָךָ‎, and‏יֹונָתִי‎after‏יָפָיָתִי‎.14.My dove in the clefts, &c. Having described the charming aspect of nature, he repeated his invitation to her to go with him into the fields. Impatient at her apparent delay, the beloved, whilst calling her by the endearing epithet “dove,” delicately ascribed to her the timorous character of that bird. Doves in the East make their nests in the clefts of elevated rocks and cliffs (Jer. xxviii. 28), which they are exceedingly afraid to leave when once frightened. Thus Homer, Iliad, xxi. 493:Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.“As when the falcon wings her way above,To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”See also Virg. Æn. v. 213.‏חֲגְוֵי‎is the plural construct. of‏חֲגָוְ‎(from the root‏חָגָה‎,to make incisions in,to split or perforate rocks); according to the analogy of‏קַצְוֵי‎, plural const. of‏קְצָו‎and‏מַדְוֵי‎from‏מְדָו‎, vide sup. ii. 11.‏מַדְרֵגָה‎, (from‏דָּרָג‎, cognate with‏דָּרַךְ‎,to ascend,) a place reached by climbing or ascending,a steep,a precipice. The Mazora marks the‏י‎in‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎assuperfluous, evidently to avoid the apparent incongruity between the adjective‏נָאֲוָה‎, which is in thesingular, and the noun‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎, apparently plural. But the‏י‎here may be retained, and the word may still be singular. For many nouns from roots‏ל״ה‎preserve in the singular before a suffix the original‏י‎of the root, and thus have the appearance of the plural:e.g.‏מִקְנֶיךָ‎,thy castle(Isa. xxx. 23), from‏מִקְנֶה‎,‏מַרְאָיו‎, the same expression, Job xli. 1; Gesen. § 93, 9; Ewald, § 256 b.15.Catch us the foxes, &c. The Shulamite here quotes the words of her brothers, who had overheard the invitation. To prevent the meeting of the lovers, the brothers gave the damsel employment in the vineyard, to catch and keep out the foxes. To this she refers in i. 6, when, repelling the disdainful looks of the court ladies, and accounting for her brown complexion, she mentions the severe treatment of her brothers.‏שׁוּעָלִים‎,foxes, as well as jackals, were very numerous in Palestine (Judg. xv. 4; Lam. v. 18; Ps. lxiii. 11; Neh. iv. 3). There was a district actually called‏אֶרֶץ שׁוּעָל‎, from the abundance of these creatures, 1 Sam. xiii. 17. These animals are gregarious, found in packs of two or three hundred (Boch. Hieroz. lib. iii. 12), and are described, both by sacred and profane writers, as destructive to vineyards, Sam. i. 17, 18; and Theocritus, Idyl. v. 112:Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ ΜίκωνοςΑἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each nightSpoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”also Idyl. i. 47–50. The young foxes are especially injurious to the vineyards, because they burrow in holes in the ground, Neh. iv. 3. The brothers, in the last clause, assign a reason for their proposal; the‏ו‎in[148]‏וּכְרָמֵינוּ‎is therefore to be renderedfor, Gesen. § 155, 1 c. The Sept. inadvertently omits the word‏שׁוּעָלִים‎.16.My beloved is mine, &c. The Shulamite tells the court ladies how she had consoled herself under these circumstances of separation: “Though my brothers succeeded in separating us bodily by assigning to me this post of keeping the vineyards, yet our affections are inseparable; and though still separated from me, my beloved is mine and I am his; his who tends his flock in the meadows abounding with flowers.” It seems as if the words, “he who feeds his flock among the lilies,” were designedly added, whenever the damsel speaks of her beloved, to show unmistakably that he was a shepherd. How such passages can be reconciled with the supposition that the king is the object of the maiden’s attachment, or, according to others, that the maiden is the daughter of Pharaoh, is difficult to divine.17.When the day cools, &c. She also relates how she had comforted her beloved, telling him that this state of separation would not last long; that he must come in the evening, when unobserved, with the same swift-footed speed as he came in the morning.‏עַד שָׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,i.q.‏עַד שֶׁיָפוּחַ רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,when the day breeze blows,i.e.in the evening, shortly before sunset, when a gentle and cooling breeze blows in the East (see Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 47); hence‏רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, Gen. iii. 8, opposed to‏חוֹם הַיּוֹם‎, xviii. 1. That this is the sense of‏שֶׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, and notday-break(English Ver.), ormorning-breath(Good), is evident from the immediately following‏וְנָסוּ הַצְלָלִים‎, which expresses the same idea in other words,i.q.evening; comp. Job xiv. 2. The shadows are said to flee away when at sunset they become elongated and stretched out; thus as it were run away from us, further and further, till they eventually vanish in the dark of night. Hence David, speaking of the approaching sunset of his life, says,‏יָמַֹי כְּצֵל נָטוּי‎,My days are like an elongated shadow, Ps. cii. 12; cix. 23. Comp. also Virg. Eclog. i. 84, and ii. 66. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Gesen., Döpke, Rosenmüller, Magnus, Heiligstedt, Fürst, Philippson, Meier, Hengstenberg, Hitzig. The rendering of Hodgson, Good, &c., “till the day-breath,” and their reference to the passage of Milton, “Sweet is the breath of morn” (Par. Lost, iv. 641), is gratuitous. The words‏הֶרֵי בָתֶר‎are rendered by the Sept.ὄρη τῶν κοιλωμάτων,mountains of cavities,i.e.decussated mountains, from‏בָּתַר‎,to divide,to cut, which Gesenius and Heiligstedt explain,a region divided by mountains and valleys, but very unsatisfactorily. The Syriac and Theodo. haveθυμιαμάτων, taking‏בָּתֶר‎for‏בְּשָׂמִים‎, which is adopted by Meier; but this emendation is unsupported by MSS., and has evidently arisen from viii. 14. The Vulg. and Rashbam take‏בָּתֶר‎as a proper name,montes Bether; but neither place nor mountain is known by such name. The Chald., Ibn Ezra, Rashi explain‏הָרֵי בָתֶר‎bymountains of separation,i.e.mountains which separate thee from me: this is followed by Luther, Ewald, De Wette, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, and is most[149]consonant with the context. We have seen (ver. 9), that there were mountains separating the houses of the lovers, which the shepherd had to cross to reach the Shulamite; and as she told him to go back and return in the evening, it was evident that he had to cross again those separating mountains.1.When on my nightly couch, &c. Through some means or other her beloved did not come in the evening according to request, and, unable to wait any longer, she retired. Her thoughts, however, kept her awake, and her confidence in him made her look for him even when on her couch. The words‏עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי וְגו״‎do not mean, “I sought himin my bed,” at which unnecessary umbrage has been taken, but “Even when I reclined upon my nocturnal couch, I could not give him up; I still sought to find him.”‏מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵילוֹת‎meansmy couch used at nights,i.q.‏מִשְׁכַּב הַלֵּילוֹת‎, in contradistinction to‏מִשְׁכַּב הַצָהֳרַיִם‎,a couch used at noonday, 2 Sam. iv. 5. This is evident from the plural‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,in the nights, and from ver. 8, where the same plural is used to describe nocturnal marauders. The affirmation of Harmer, therefore, that no reasonable doubt can be made that these are the words of one to whose bed the beloved was no stranger, falls to the ground. The Sept. adds,ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσεν ἐμὲ, from chap. v. 6.2.I must arise now, &c. Seeing, however, that her beloved did not come, and apprehending that some disaster might have befallen him on his way, the Shulamite determined to go and find him. The‏–ָה‎in‏אֲקוּמָה‎is expressive of self-summons and determination: “I said to myself, Come! I must arise now!” Comp. Ps. ii. 3; lv. 3; Gesen. § 128, 1; Ewald, § 228 a.3.The watchmen, &c., found her whilst engaged in seeking her beloved, and she at once inquired of them whether they had seen him. The interrogative particle is here omitted. This is sometimes the case when the whole sentence, as here, is interrogative, in which case it is distinguished by the prominence given to the word upon which the force or weight of the interrogation more especially falls; as by the tone in which it is uttered,e.g.‏זֶה חַסְדְּךָ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ‎, “Thisthy kindness to thy friend!” 2 Sam. xvi. 17; xviii. 29; Gesen. § 153, 1; Ewald, § 324 a.4.Scarcely had I passed them, &c. The abruptness of the description here is very characteristic. She informs us that she had put a question to the watchmen, but, in her hurry to find her beloved, does not tell us the answer which she received. The construction[150]‏כִּמְעַט שֶׁ—עַד‎,scarcely when, is nowhere else to be found in the Old Testament; it may be resolved to‏זמן אשר עברתי מהם כמעט‎,the time that I passed them amounted to a little while.5.I adjure you, &c. Having expressed her deep attachment to her beloved shepherd, she again adjures the court ladies not to persuade her to love any one else. Comp. ii. 7. The Sept. has again‏צְבָאוֹת‎,powers, and‏אֵילוֹת‎,virtues;vide supra, ii. 7.6.What is that, &c.The situation changes. The state tents have been 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[151]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.‏מִי‎is properly used ofpersons, but also ofthings, 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 of‏מִי‎, is evident from the answer,‏הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ‎,Behold, it is the palanquin.‏מִדְבָּר‎(from‏דָבַר‎,to range in order,to guide,to drive flocks), here is notdesert, but, as frequently,an uninhabited plainorcountry, where flocks are tended, in contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11; Jer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22.‏תִּימְרוֹת‎, the plur. of‏תִּמָרָה‎, like‏צִדְקוֹת‎, from‏צְדָקָה‎,columnsorclouds, only occurs once more, Joel iii. 3, and is most probably derived from‏תָּמַר‎,to ascend, to rise up like a column or cloud. The‏י‎has merely been inserted to help the pronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen MSS. and originally another omit the‏י‎, which is undoubtedly the correct reading. The‏כּ‎in‏כְּתִּימְרוֹת‎signifiesas in. Comp. Isa. v. 17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. § 118, 3, Rem.‏כֹּל‎is used for a plurality comprising, or consisting of,divers single thingsorobjects, and is to be renderedall kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; Fürst, Lexicon, under‏כֹּל‎5; 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. The‏גִבּרִֹים‎here 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. The‏מ‎in‏מִגִּבֹּרֵי‎is usedpartitively,vide supra, i. 2.‏אֲחוּזֵי חֶרֶב‎,skilled in the sword.‏אָחַז‎,to take hold, alsoto handle artfully, like‏תָּפַשׂ‎,to take hold,to handle skilfully. The participle‏אָחוּז‎, though[152]ofa passiveform, has anactive 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 onhis thigh.‏אִישׁ‎,a manis used asa distributiveforeach,every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. § 124, 2, Rem. 1; Ewald, § 278, b. We must supply‏חָגוּר‎after‏אִישׁ‎. Comp. Exod. xxii. 27; Ps. xlv. 4.‏פָּחַד‎,fear, metonymically forthe objectof fear (Gen. xxxi. 42, 53), heremarauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov. iii. 24.‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,inorduring 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 word‏אַפִּרְיֹון‎is most probably derived from‏פָּרָה‎,to run,to be borne quickly. Comp.τρόχος, fromτρέχειν,φορεῖον, fromφέρω,currusfromcurrendo,ferculumfromfero. The form‏אַפִּרְיּוֹן‎is, according to the analogy of‏דִּמְיוֹן‎,likeness(Ps. xvii. 12), and‏פִּדְיֹון‎,ransom(Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. § 84, 15; Ewald, § 163 c. with a prosthetic‏א‎(Gesen. § 19, 4; Ewald, § 162 c,) followed bya Dagesh fortelike‏אַפֶּדֶן‎,a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see Fürst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from‏פרה‎=‏ברה‎,to work out,to build,to form, hence‏אֲפִּרְיוֹן‎,ein Prachtstück. Kimchi derives it from‏פָּרָה‎,to be fruitful, and says it is called‏אַפִּרְיוֹן‎, because‏שפרין ורבין עליה‎,people increase and multiply therein. But this is contrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, abridal bedhas no (‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎)seat.‏עָשַׂה‎,to make, means alsoto 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. The‏מִן‎in‏מַעַצַי‎denotes 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 Williamsin 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)[153]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(from‏רָפַד‎,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 words‏תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם‎, are either to be translated:its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of Jerusalem;—the noun‏אַהֲבָה‎may be used adverbially forlovely,charmingly, comp.‏אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה‎, “I will love themfreely,” Hos. xiv. 4; Ewald, § 279 c, § 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; and the‏מִּן‎in‏מִבְּנוֹת‎may denote theauthororinstrument, 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; taking‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, forthe effect, orproofof it; comp.‏דוֹדִים‎, i. 2, andἀγάπηin 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 ofroyalty, but the emblem ofhappiness(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 bridegroom‏מֶלֶךְ‎, and the bride‏מַלְכָּה‎. 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,[154]as we see from ch. vi. 11, 12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home. The abnormal‏צְאֶינָה‎is here intentionally used instead of the normal‏צֵאנָה‎, to correspond in form with‏רְאֶינָה‎; just as‏מוֹבָא‎,entrance(Ezek. xliii. 11), is employed instead of‏מָבוֹא‎, to correspond with‏מוֹצָא‎, 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 called‏בְּנוֹת צִיוֹן‎, to distinguish them from the‏בְּנוֹת 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 גִּלְעָד‎is 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(from‏צָמַם‎,i.q.Chald.‏צַמְצַם‎,‏צָמַם‎,to bind,to twine,to veil), is well explained by Rashbam,‏ענין עילוף ומעטה היא‎,a kind of cover, orveil; 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 word‏גָּלַשׁ‎, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult interpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has hereἀπεκαλύφθησαν, and vi. 5,ἀνεφάνησαν, the Syriacܣܠܰܩ‎, the Vulg. hereascenderunt, and vi. 5,apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in their interpretations. Rashi explains it‏שנקרחו‎,that make bare, i.e.quitordescendthe 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 itshorn; 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 take‏גָּלַשׁ‎, like its kindred‏פָּלַשׁ‎, in the sense ofrolling down,running down; see Fürst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning[155]accords best with the comparison here used, and leaves to the preposition‏מִן‎its natural signification. The omission of‏הַר‎in 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 theshornskin 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 washedbeforeand notafterthey were shorn; 4. The passage in vi. 6, shows that‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is merely a poetical epithet for‏רְחֵלִים‎, not because they werethenshorn, but because they areperiodicallyshorn. The explanation of‏קְצוּבוֹת‎by wellnumbered(Rashi), or by‏יש 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 of‏תָּאַם‎,to be double,to be pairs(Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29),is to make double,to make pairs,to appear paired.‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎isdeprived,bereaved, Jer. xviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in‏כֻּלָּם‎and‏בָּהֶם‎, referring to‏קְצוּבוֹת‎,fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words‏שֶׁכֻּלָּם‎and‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎form a paranomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of‏מַתְאִימוֹת‎by‏כלם 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 therowsof the teeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing anewsubject.3.Thy mouth is lovely.‏מִדְבָּר‎is translated by the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam,speech,language; but this is incompatible with the description here given, which depictsthe membersof the body, and not theiractions. It is therefore more consonant with the context to take‏מִדְבָּר‎as a poetical expression forthe instrument of speech; not thetongue(Schultens, Kleuker, Döpke), which is kept within the mouth, and not when put out (‏נָאֲוָה‎)beautiful; butthe mouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenmüller, Meier, Philippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates itvoice), and of Hitzig (who translates itpalate), that the rendering ofmouthwould produce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and these have already been described, is[156]gratuitous: for an individual may have lips like scarlet, and yet not have alovely mouth. The‏מ‎in‏מִדְבָּר‎, added to the root‏דָבַר‎,to speak, in order to form the noun, denotesthe instrumentwith which one speaks: compare‏מַזְלֵג‎,an instrumentwith which to draw out =a fork, from‏זָלַג‎,to draw out;‏מַפְתֵּחַ‎,an instrumentfor opening =a key, from‏פָּתַח‎,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 Magnusin 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, explains‏פֶּלַח‎by‏ציץ הרמון האדום‎,the red flower of thepomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39, where the root‏פלח‎is 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 beingflatwould by no means represent theroundform of the coloured cheek here referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and beautiful, according to Rashi’s explanation of‏פֶּלַח‎, 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, orthe 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.‏ תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎is rendered by the Sept.Θαλφιώθ, as a proper name; but there is no place known by such a name. Aquila hasεἰςἐπάλξεις: 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 it‏תל שהכול פונים לו‎,an elevation towards which all look, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view that‏לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת‎is a compound of‏לְתַלוֹת 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 that‏פִּיוֹת‎, by itself, never meansswordsorarms. Besides, it is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the immediately following clause,‏אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו‎. Gesenius derives it from the Arabic‏תָּלַף‎,to destroy; hence‏תַּלְפִּי‎,destructive,deadly; poetically, forarms. But, apart from the difficulty of making‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎, even according to this derivation, to meanweapons, according to this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the figure.[157]It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎as a contraction for‏תְּאַלְפִּיּוֹת‎from the root‏אָלַף‎,to teach. The radical‏א‎in the feeble verbs‏פ״א‎, does not unfrequently fall away: thus‏וַתַּזְרֵנִי‎, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for‏וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי‎, and in the same verb,‏מַלְּפֵנוּ‎for‏מְאַלְּפֵנוּ‎, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. § 68, 2; Ewald, § 54.‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎(plur. of‏תלפית‎, according to the analogy of‏תַּבְנִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּבְנִית‎,‏תַּרְמִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּרְמִית‎), would therefore signifyinstruction; the plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This derivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎by‏אוּלְפַן דְּאֹורַיְתָא‎,instruction of thelaw, 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,thousandstands fora 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 twopapsrise 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 thenipplesorteatsupon 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[158]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, andSion,‏שִׂיאֹן‎; whence its plural name‏חֶרְבוֹנִים‎, 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 word‏תַּשׁוּרִי‎is well rendered by the Sept., Syriac, &c.,thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Versionlookis 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, renderedspousein the Authorized Version, is taken by some to denotea newly-married woman. The word however only meansbetrothed= a female underan engagementto marry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression. The Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates‏אִתִּי‎,δεῦρο, mistaking it for‏אֲתִי‎, the imp. of‏אָתָּה‎,to come. The Vulg. rendering of‏תָּשׁוּרִי‎bycoronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism. For the Septuagint’s rendering of‏אֲמָנָה‎, byπίστις, 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 anintensive, and sometimes aprivativemeaning (see Gesen. § 52, 2; Ewald, § 120), a difference[159]of opinion exists as to the signification of‏לִבֵּב‎here. The Sept. hasἐκκαρδίωσας 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 beenfull of heart, and notdisheartened. Hence Herder, Ewald, Döpke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate‏לִבַּבְתִּנִי‎,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, andsororin Latin. Good’s rendering of‏אַחֹתִי כַלָּה‎bymy sister-spouse, and his remark that the pronoun “my” between the two substantives, being a useless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous.‏כָּלָּה‎has no suffix here, not because it is to be joined with‏אֲחֹתי‎, but because this word, like‏אָב‎in 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, explains‏בְּאֶחַד מֵעֵינַיִךְ‎by‏בהבטה אחת שאת מבטת בי באחד מעיניך‎,one look of thine eyes. The renderingat once(Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to substitute‏בַּאַחַת‎,fem.,for‏בְּאֶחַד‎,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.‏עֲנָקָ‎is notlook(Vulg.), norturn(Percy, Good), norstone(Ewald, Magnus), butchain. 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–וֹן‎in‏צַּוָּרוֹן‎, like‏וּן‎, in Syriac, forms thediminutive; and, like diminutives in other languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. § 86, 2, 4; Ewald, 5, 167 a. The plur. termination‏–ָיִךְ‎in‏מִצֲוְּרֹנָיִךְ‎, 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.

7.I adjure you, &c. Having evinced her warm and undiminished attachment to her beloved shepherd, the Shulamite adjures the court ladies, who, as we have seen, tried to gain her affections for the king, by everything dear and lovely, not to excite her love for anyone else till her own (‏אהבה‎)affectionswish (‏דוד אחר‎)for another object. The gazelle,‏צְבִי‎, so called from the beauty of its form, is an animal of the antelope kind, of very graceful and elegant figure, has very slender limbs, large and soft eyes. The great admiration in which this animal was held in the East, made the Hebrews use it as an emblem of everything beautiful (Prov. v. 19); and from its being charming and lovely, it also became an object by which to swear. Such adjurations are frequently used in the East. Comp. Reland, de Religio Mah. ii. p. 164: Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 146; v. 22. Dio, in the Æneid, lib. iv. 314; Bochart, Hieroz. i. p. 899.‏אֶתְכֶם‎,mas., for‏אֶתְכֶן‎,fem.Both masculine pronouns and verbs are sometimes used in reference to objects which are feminine. See Gesenius, § 121, Rem. i. § 137, 1; Ewald, § 184 c.‏אִם‎, after formulæ of swearing, has the effect of a negative particle (Isa. xxii. 14; Prov. xxvii. 14). This is owing to a part of the oath being omitted. Comp. 2 Sam. iii. 35; Gesen. § 155, 2 f.; Ewald, § 356 a.‏עוּר‎, here, is notto arouse,to wake from sleep(Gesen.), butto rouse,to excite the passions,affections; thus‏הֵעִיר קַנְאָה‎,he will arouse his zeal, Isa. xlii. 13; Prov. x. 12. The repetition of the same verb in the Hiphil and Piel expressesintensity,[144]Isa. xxix. 9; Zeph. ii. 1.‏אַהֲבָה‎is the abstract,love,affection, iii. 10; vii. 7. After‏שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ‎supply‏דוֹד אֲחַר‎. Similarly, Rashbam. The Sept. strangely renders‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַילוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎,ἐν δυνάμεσι καὶ ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ,by the powers and virtues of the field. Thus in this scene, the first attempts, both on the part of the king and the court ladies, to win the Shulamite’s affections, signally failed. The same formula re-occurs iii. 5, and viii. 4, to mark, at the end of the trials, her successful resistance.8.Hark! my beloved!Having alluded in the preceding Section (i. 6) to the ill-treatment which she had received from her brothers, the Shulamite now relates the cause of that treatment. Thus whilst this narrative forms the connecting link between this and the preceding Section, it also gradually acquaints us with her history. The description given of the arrival and conduct of her beloved is very graphic and beautiful. She first sees him at a distance, bounding over the hills with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle, and presently he is found behind the wall, peeping through the window, and imploring her in the sweetest language imaginable to go with him into the fields and enjoy the beauties and charms of nature.‏קוֹל‎is not‏קוֹל רַגְלָיו‎,the sound of his feet(Ibn Ezra, Hitzig), which could not be heard at such a distance from the mountains; northe voice of his song(Döpke, Philippson), for he could not very well sing when running at such a speed as here described; but simply meanshark!(Ewald, Magnus, Meier),[145]and is used in animated descriptions to arrest attention, Ewald, § 286 f.9My beloved is like, &c. To describe the speed of his approach the Shulamite compares him to the swift-footed gazelle, and nimble fawn. This comparison is also used in other parts of Scripture. Thus Asahel is called light-footed as a gazelle. 2 Sam. ii. 18; Prov. vi. 5; Hab. iii. 19. “The Eastern buildings generally surround a square inner court; the beloved is described as gradually making his approach, first to the wall, then looking through the window.” Here is another incontestable proof that the object of the damsel’s affection, whom she describes as coming to her, is not the king, but a shepherd, for the king could not consistently be represented as bounding over the hills. Though‏אַיָּל‎has a feminine,‏אַיָּלָה‎, which is used in ver. 7, yet instead of its being here‏לְעֹפֶר אֲיָלוֹת‎, we have‏הָאַיָּלִים‎: see also Ps. xlii. 2. This is owing to the neglect on the part of the writer to avail himself of the forms established by usage, Gesen. § 107, 1. Or it may be that such names were still of a common gender, and the feminines were only in the process of formation, but not as yet fixedly established, Ewald, § 175 b.‏כֹּתֶל‎occurs only here, but it is evident from Dan. v. 5, and the Targum, Josh. ii. 15, where it stands for the Hebrew‏קִיר‎, that it meansa wallforming a part of the house. The Sept. has here‏עַל הָרֵי בָתָר‎, from ii. 17.10, 11.Arise, my love, &c. The Shulamite introduces here her beloved as speaking. He urges her to go, since the rain is over, and everything without is charming.‏עָנָה‎is idiomatically used in reference even to the person speaking first, without any antecedent interrogation. (Deut. xxvi. 5; Isa. xiv. 10; xxi. 9.) The meaning of the word seems to be simplyto impart information, either asked for or not. In the former case‏עָנָה‎obtains the additional idea ofa reply, whereas in the latter it merely meansto inform,to tell, likeἀποκρίνομαιin the New Testament. Comp.ἀποκριθεῖς εἶπε, Matt. xvii. 4; Mark ix. 5. On the use of the dative‏לָךְ‎, see Gesen. § 154, 3 e. Ewald, § 315 a. Theἅπα.λέγ.‏סְתָו‎properly denotesthe winter=the rainy season, at the end of which, viz. February or March, the spring advances with surpassing quickness; it excludes the autumn, and thus differs from‏חֹרֶף‎. The form‏סְתָו‎(from‏סָתָה‎,to winter), is, according to the analogy of‏חֲגָו‎,‏מְדָו‎,‏קְצָו‎, see Fürst, Lexicon, under‏חֲגָו‎. The Sept. has mistaken the dative‏לָךְ‎for the imp.‏לְכִי‎, and adds‏יוֹנָתִי‎,my dove, after‏יָפָתִי‎,my beauty.12.The flowers appear, &c. The gradual development is exceedingly beautiful; the description unfolds with the season. After the graphic delineation of the meadows strewed with a profusion of variegated flowers; of the men in the fields, and the birds hovering over them, joining to pour forth a volume of various sounds; of the delicious odour of the embalmed fig, and fragrant vine, the beloved[146]exclaims: “Nature has prepared a rich banquet; come, let us go and enjoy it!” The Sept., Aquila, Sym., Vulg., Chald., Rashbam, render‏עֵת הַוָּמִיר‎, bythe season for the pruning of vines: Gesenius defends this rendering, but against the usage of the word‏זָמִיר‎, and the connexion. Wherever‏זָמִיר‎occurs, either in the singular (Isa. xxv. 5), or plural (2 Sam. xxiii. 1; Isa. xxiv. 16), it invariably meanssongorsinging. Moreover, the parallelism, and the whole of the description, demand that it should be rendered so here. All the pleasures and charms here depicted are gratifications for the senses, and are adduced by the beloved as the invitation of nature toenjoyher banquet; whereas the pruning of the vines would be a summons toengage in toil. Besides, the vine is mentioned afterwards in its rotation (v. 13), and it would mar the gradual progression of this minute description to suppose that it has been uselessly repeated. Hence it has been rightly renderedsingingby Rashi, Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, De Wette, Magnus, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Fürst, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The objection that‏זָמִיר‎,singing, means thesong of men, is obviated by referring it here to the season whenbothman and bird begin to sing.‏זָמִיר‎, like other words of the form‏קָטִיל‎, expresses thetimeof the action; comp.‏אָסִיף‎,harvest; properly the time when the fruit is gathered.‏חָרִישׁ‎,the time of ploughing. Gesen. § 84, 5; Ewald, § 149 e.The cooing of the turtle, &c. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird (Jer. viii. 7; Arist. Hist. Anim. viii. 3, 12, 16; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 36; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.); it resides in the winter farther south than Palestine, and returns in the spring, when its cooing voice in the woods announces the return of that season.13.The fig-tree sweetens her green figs.The word‏חָנַט‎is now rendered by many commentators, according to the example of Ibn Ezra,to sweeten,to embalm,to spice;i.e.the fig-tree sweetens her fruit by filling it with aromatic juice. This rendering is confirmed by the use of‏חָנַט‎,to embalm(Gen. l. 2, 26), which was done with spices and aromatic plants (2 Chron. xvi. 14; John xix. 40). The Sept., Aquila., and Vulg. render‏חָנַט‎,puts forth, but this signification cannot be deduced from the root. Ewald, Magnus, Hitzig, have “the fig-treereddens,” &c., but the verb is not used in this sense in Hebrew.‏פָּג‎(from‏פָּגַג‎immature),an unripe fig, Sept.ὄλυνθος, Vulg.grossus; so in the Talmud and IbnEzra,‏פרי טרם שיתבשל‎,the fruit before it is ripe.The vines blossom, &c. It is well known that the blossoming vine smells sweetly; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 2.‏וְהַנְּפָנִים סְמָדַר‎, lit.the vines are in blossom, i.e.the vines blossom; so Sym.οἰνάνθη, Vulg.florentes. Substantives are frequently used in Hebrew instead of adjectives to express properties; thus‏וְהַפִּשְׁתָּה גִבְעֹל‎,the flax was bolled. Exod. ix. 31; Ezra. x. 13. This peculiarity is to be accounted for by supposing either that the adjectives were not as yet formed, or if formed were still not currently used. Gesen. § 106, 1; Ewald, § 296 b.‏לָכְי‎stands for‏לָךְ‎; comp. ver. 10; the‏י‎has been occasioned by the preceding form‏קוּמִי‎, and succeeding words‏רַעֳיתִי יָפָהִי‎, which terminate in‏י‎. This is not unfrequently[147]the case, see Job xix. 29; Eccl. viii. 17; Prov. viii. 35; Mich. i. 8. The Sept. has here again‏לְכִי‎for‏לָךָ‎, and‏יֹונָתִי‎after‏יָפָיָתִי‎.14.My dove in the clefts, &c. Having described the charming aspect of nature, he repeated his invitation to her to go with him into the fields. Impatient at her apparent delay, the beloved, whilst calling her by the endearing epithet “dove,” delicately ascribed to her the timorous character of that bird. Doves in the East make their nests in the clefts of elevated rocks and cliffs (Jer. xxviii. 28), which they are exceedingly afraid to leave when once frightened. Thus Homer, Iliad, xxi. 493:Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.“As when the falcon wings her way above,To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”See also Virg. Æn. v. 213.‏חֲגְוֵי‎is the plural construct. of‏חֲגָוְ‎(from the root‏חָגָה‎,to make incisions in,to split or perforate rocks); according to the analogy of‏קַצְוֵי‎, plural const. of‏קְצָו‎and‏מַדְוֵי‎from‏מְדָו‎, vide sup. ii. 11.‏מַדְרֵגָה‎, (from‏דָּרָג‎, cognate with‏דָּרַךְ‎,to ascend,) a place reached by climbing or ascending,a steep,a precipice. The Mazora marks the‏י‎in‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎assuperfluous, evidently to avoid the apparent incongruity between the adjective‏נָאֲוָה‎, which is in thesingular, and the noun‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎, apparently plural. But the‏י‎here may be retained, and the word may still be singular. For many nouns from roots‏ל״ה‎preserve in the singular before a suffix the original‏י‎of the root, and thus have the appearance of the plural:e.g.‏מִקְנֶיךָ‎,thy castle(Isa. xxx. 23), from‏מִקְנֶה‎,‏מַרְאָיו‎, the same expression, Job xli. 1; Gesen. § 93, 9; Ewald, § 256 b.15.Catch us the foxes, &c. The Shulamite here quotes the words of her brothers, who had overheard the invitation. To prevent the meeting of the lovers, the brothers gave the damsel employment in the vineyard, to catch and keep out the foxes. To this she refers in i. 6, when, repelling the disdainful looks of the court ladies, and accounting for her brown complexion, she mentions the severe treatment of her brothers.‏שׁוּעָלִים‎,foxes, as well as jackals, were very numerous in Palestine (Judg. xv. 4; Lam. v. 18; Ps. lxiii. 11; Neh. iv. 3). There was a district actually called‏אֶרֶץ שׁוּעָל‎, from the abundance of these creatures, 1 Sam. xiii. 17. These animals are gregarious, found in packs of two or three hundred (Boch. Hieroz. lib. iii. 12), and are described, both by sacred and profane writers, as destructive to vineyards, Sam. i. 17, 18; and Theocritus, Idyl. v. 112:Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ ΜίκωνοςΑἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each nightSpoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”also Idyl. i. 47–50. The young foxes are especially injurious to the vineyards, because they burrow in holes in the ground, Neh. iv. 3. The brothers, in the last clause, assign a reason for their proposal; the‏ו‎in[148]‏וּכְרָמֵינוּ‎is therefore to be renderedfor, Gesen. § 155, 1 c. The Sept. inadvertently omits the word‏שׁוּעָלִים‎.16.My beloved is mine, &c. The Shulamite tells the court ladies how she had consoled herself under these circumstances of separation: “Though my brothers succeeded in separating us bodily by assigning to me this post of keeping the vineyards, yet our affections are inseparable; and though still separated from me, my beloved is mine and I am his; his who tends his flock in the meadows abounding with flowers.” It seems as if the words, “he who feeds his flock among the lilies,” were designedly added, whenever the damsel speaks of her beloved, to show unmistakably that he was a shepherd. How such passages can be reconciled with the supposition that the king is the object of the maiden’s attachment, or, according to others, that the maiden is the daughter of Pharaoh, is difficult to divine.17.When the day cools, &c. She also relates how she had comforted her beloved, telling him that this state of separation would not last long; that he must come in the evening, when unobserved, with the same swift-footed speed as he came in the morning.‏עַד שָׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,i.q.‏עַד שֶׁיָפוּחַ רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,when the day breeze blows,i.e.in the evening, shortly before sunset, when a gentle and cooling breeze blows in the East (see Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 47); hence‏רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, Gen. iii. 8, opposed to‏חוֹם הַיּוֹם‎, xviii. 1. That this is the sense of‏שֶׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, and notday-break(English Ver.), ormorning-breath(Good), is evident from the immediately following‏וְנָסוּ הַצְלָלִים‎, which expresses the same idea in other words,i.q.evening; comp. Job xiv. 2. The shadows are said to flee away when at sunset they become elongated and stretched out; thus as it were run away from us, further and further, till they eventually vanish in the dark of night. Hence David, speaking of the approaching sunset of his life, says,‏יָמַֹי כְּצֵל נָטוּי‎,My days are like an elongated shadow, Ps. cii. 12; cix. 23. Comp. also Virg. Eclog. i. 84, and ii. 66. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Gesen., Döpke, Rosenmüller, Magnus, Heiligstedt, Fürst, Philippson, Meier, Hengstenberg, Hitzig. The rendering of Hodgson, Good, &c., “till the day-breath,” and their reference to the passage of Milton, “Sweet is the breath of morn” (Par. Lost, iv. 641), is gratuitous. The words‏הֶרֵי בָתֶר‎are rendered by the Sept.ὄρη τῶν κοιλωμάτων,mountains of cavities,i.e.decussated mountains, from‏בָּתַר‎,to divide,to cut, which Gesenius and Heiligstedt explain,a region divided by mountains and valleys, but very unsatisfactorily. The Syriac and Theodo. haveθυμιαμάτων, taking‏בָּתֶר‎for‏בְּשָׂמִים‎, which is adopted by Meier; but this emendation is unsupported by MSS., and has evidently arisen from viii. 14. The Vulg. and Rashbam take‏בָּתֶר‎as a proper name,montes Bether; but neither place nor mountain is known by such name. The Chald., Ibn Ezra, Rashi explain‏הָרֵי בָתֶר‎bymountains of separation,i.e.mountains which separate thee from me: this is followed by Luther, Ewald, De Wette, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, and is most[149]consonant with the context. We have seen (ver. 9), that there were mountains separating the houses of the lovers, which the shepherd had to cross to reach the Shulamite; and as she told him to go back and return in the evening, it was evident that he had to cross again those separating mountains.1.When on my nightly couch, &c. Through some means or other her beloved did not come in the evening according to request, and, unable to wait any longer, she retired. Her thoughts, however, kept her awake, and her confidence in him made her look for him even when on her couch. The words‏עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי וְגו״‎do not mean, “I sought himin my bed,” at which unnecessary umbrage has been taken, but “Even when I reclined upon my nocturnal couch, I could not give him up; I still sought to find him.”‏מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵילוֹת‎meansmy couch used at nights,i.q.‏מִשְׁכַּב הַלֵּילוֹת‎, in contradistinction to‏מִשְׁכַּב הַצָהֳרַיִם‎,a couch used at noonday, 2 Sam. iv. 5. This is evident from the plural‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,in the nights, and from ver. 8, where the same plural is used to describe nocturnal marauders. The affirmation of Harmer, therefore, that no reasonable doubt can be made that these are the words of one to whose bed the beloved was no stranger, falls to the ground. The Sept. adds,ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσεν ἐμὲ, from chap. v. 6.2.I must arise now, &c. Seeing, however, that her beloved did not come, and apprehending that some disaster might have befallen him on his way, the Shulamite determined to go and find him. The‏–ָה‎in‏אֲקוּמָה‎is expressive of self-summons and determination: “I said to myself, Come! I must arise now!” Comp. Ps. ii. 3; lv. 3; Gesen. § 128, 1; Ewald, § 228 a.3.The watchmen, &c., found her whilst engaged in seeking her beloved, and she at once inquired of them whether they had seen him. The interrogative particle is here omitted. This is sometimes the case when the whole sentence, as here, is interrogative, in which case it is distinguished by the prominence given to the word upon which the force or weight of the interrogation more especially falls; as by the tone in which it is uttered,e.g.‏זֶה חַסְדְּךָ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ‎, “Thisthy kindness to thy friend!” 2 Sam. xvi. 17; xviii. 29; Gesen. § 153, 1; Ewald, § 324 a.4.Scarcely had I passed them, &c. The abruptness of the description here is very characteristic. She informs us that she had put a question to the watchmen, but, in her hurry to find her beloved, does not tell us the answer which she received. The construction[150]‏כִּמְעַט שֶׁ—עַד‎,scarcely when, is nowhere else to be found in the Old Testament; it may be resolved to‏זמן אשר עברתי מהם כמעט‎,the time that I passed them amounted to a little while.5.I adjure you, &c. Having expressed her deep attachment to her beloved shepherd, she again adjures the court ladies not to persuade her to love any one else. Comp. ii. 7. The Sept. has again‏צְבָאוֹת‎,powers, and‏אֵילוֹת‎,virtues;vide supra, ii. 7.6.What is that, &c.The situation changes. The state tents have been 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[151]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.‏מִי‎is properly used ofpersons, but also ofthings, 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 of‏מִי‎, is evident from the answer,‏הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ‎,Behold, it is the palanquin.‏מִדְבָּר‎(from‏דָבַר‎,to range in order,to guide,to drive flocks), here is notdesert, but, as frequently,an uninhabited plainorcountry, where flocks are tended, in contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11; Jer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22.‏תִּימְרוֹת‎, the plur. of‏תִּמָרָה‎, like‏צִדְקוֹת‎, from‏צְדָקָה‎,columnsorclouds, only occurs once more, Joel iii. 3, and is most probably derived from‏תָּמַר‎,to ascend, to rise up like a column or cloud. The‏י‎has merely been inserted to help the pronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen MSS. and originally another omit the‏י‎, which is undoubtedly the correct reading. The‏כּ‎in‏כְּתִּימְרוֹת‎signifiesas in. Comp. Isa. v. 17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. § 118, 3, Rem.‏כֹּל‎is used for a plurality comprising, or consisting of,divers single thingsorobjects, and is to be renderedall kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; Fürst, Lexicon, under‏כֹּל‎5; 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. The‏גִבּרִֹים‎here 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. The‏מ‎in‏מִגִּבֹּרֵי‎is usedpartitively,vide supra, i. 2.‏אֲחוּזֵי חֶרֶב‎,skilled in the sword.‏אָחַז‎,to take hold, alsoto handle artfully, like‏תָּפַשׂ‎,to take hold,to handle skilfully. The participle‏אָחוּז‎, though[152]ofa passiveform, has anactive 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 onhis thigh.‏אִישׁ‎,a manis used asa distributiveforeach,every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. § 124, 2, Rem. 1; Ewald, § 278, b. We must supply‏חָגוּר‎after‏אִישׁ‎. Comp. Exod. xxii. 27; Ps. xlv. 4.‏פָּחַד‎,fear, metonymically forthe objectof fear (Gen. xxxi. 42, 53), heremarauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov. iii. 24.‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,inorduring 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 word‏אַפִּרְיֹון‎is most probably derived from‏פָּרָה‎,to run,to be borne quickly. Comp.τρόχος, fromτρέχειν,φορεῖον, fromφέρω,currusfromcurrendo,ferculumfromfero. The form‏אַפִּרְיּוֹן‎is, according to the analogy of‏דִּמְיוֹן‎,likeness(Ps. xvii. 12), and‏פִּדְיֹון‎,ransom(Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. § 84, 15; Ewald, § 163 c. with a prosthetic‏א‎(Gesen. § 19, 4; Ewald, § 162 c,) followed bya Dagesh fortelike‏אַפֶּדֶן‎,a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see Fürst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from‏פרה‎=‏ברה‎,to work out,to build,to form, hence‏אֲפִּרְיוֹן‎,ein Prachtstück. Kimchi derives it from‏פָּרָה‎,to be fruitful, and says it is called‏אַפִּרְיוֹן‎, because‏שפרין ורבין עליה‎,people increase and multiply therein. But this is contrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, abridal bedhas no (‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎)seat.‏עָשַׂה‎,to make, means alsoto 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. The‏מִן‎in‏מַעַצַי‎denotes 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 Williamsin 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)[153]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(from‏רָפַד‎,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 words‏תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם‎, are either to be translated:its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of Jerusalem;—the noun‏אַהֲבָה‎may be used adverbially forlovely,charmingly, comp.‏אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה‎, “I will love themfreely,” Hos. xiv. 4; Ewald, § 279 c, § 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; and the‏מִּן‎in‏מִבְּנוֹת‎may denote theauthororinstrument, 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; taking‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, forthe effect, orproofof it; comp.‏דוֹדִים‎, i. 2, andἀγάπηin 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 ofroyalty, but the emblem ofhappiness(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 bridegroom‏מֶלֶךְ‎, and the bride‏מַלְכָּה‎. 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,[154]as we see from ch. vi. 11, 12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home. The abnormal‏צְאֶינָה‎is here intentionally used instead of the normal‏צֵאנָה‎, to correspond in form with‏רְאֶינָה‎; just as‏מוֹבָא‎,entrance(Ezek. xliii. 11), is employed instead of‏מָבוֹא‎, to correspond with‏מוֹצָא‎, 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 called‏בְּנוֹת צִיוֹן‎, to distinguish them from the‏בְּנוֹת 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 גִּלְעָד‎is 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(from‏צָמַם‎,i.q.Chald.‏צַמְצַם‎,‏צָמַם‎,to bind,to twine,to veil), is well explained by Rashbam,‏ענין עילוף ומעטה היא‎,a kind of cover, orveil; 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 word‏גָּלַשׁ‎, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult interpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has hereἀπεκαλύφθησαν, and vi. 5,ἀνεφάνησαν, the Syriacܣܠܰܩ‎, the Vulg. hereascenderunt, and vi. 5,apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in their interpretations. Rashi explains it‏שנקרחו‎,that make bare, i.e.quitordescendthe 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 itshorn; 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 take‏גָּלַשׁ‎, like its kindred‏פָּלַשׁ‎, in the sense ofrolling down,running down; see Fürst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning[155]accords best with the comparison here used, and leaves to the preposition‏מִן‎its natural signification. The omission of‏הַר‎in 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 theshornskin 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 washedbeforeand notafterthey were shorn; 4. The passage in vi. 6, shows that‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is merely a poetical epithet for‏רְחֵלִים‎, not because they werethenshorn, but because they areperiodicallyshorn. The explanation of‏קְצוּבוֹת‎by wellnumbered(Rashi), or by‏יש 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 of‏תָּאַם‎,to be double,to be pairs(Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29),is to make double,to make pairs,to appear paired.‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎isdeprived,bereaved, Jer. xviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in‏כֻּלָּם‎and‏בָּהֶם‎, referring to‏קְצוּבוֹת‎,fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words‏שֶׁכֻּלָּם‎and‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎form a paranomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of‏מַתְאִימוֹת‎by‏כלם 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 therowsof the teeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing anewsubject.3.Thy mouth is lovely.‏מִדְבָּר‎is translated by the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam,speech,language; but this is incompatible with the description here given, which depictsthe membersof the body, and not theiractions. It is therefore more consonant with the context to take‏מִדְבָּר‎as a poetical expression forthe instrument of speech; not thetongue(Schultens, Kleuker, Döpke), which is kept within the mouth, and not when put out (‏נָאֲוָה‎)beautiful; butthe mouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenmüller, Meier, Philippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates itvoice), and of Hitzig (who translates itpalate), that the rendering ofmouthwould produce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and these have already been described, is[156]gratuitous: for an individual may have lips like scarlet, and yet not have alovely mouth. The‏מ‎in‏מִדְבָּר‎, added to the root‏דָבַר‎,to speak, in order to form the noun, denotesthe instrumentwith which one speaks: compare‏מַזְלֵג‎,an instrumentwith which to draw out =a fork, from‏זָלַג‎,to draw out;‏מַפְתֵּחַ‎,an instrumentfor opening =a key, from‏פָּתַח‎,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 Magnusin 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, explains‏פֶּלַח‎by‏ציץ הרמון האדום‎,the red flower of thepomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39, where the root‏פלח‎is 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 beingflatwould by no means represent theroundform of the coloured cheek here referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and beautiful, according to Rashi’s explanation of‏פֶּלַח‎, 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, orthe 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.‏ תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎is rendered by the Sept.Θαλφιώθ, as a proper name; but there is no place known by such a name. Aquila hasεἰςἐπάλξεις: 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 it‏תל שהכול פונים לו‎,an elevation towards which all look, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view that‏לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת‎is a compound of‏לְתַלוֹת 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 that‏פִּיוֹת‎, by itself, never meansswordsorarms. Besides, it is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the immediately following clause,‏אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו‎. Gesenius derives it from the Arabic‏תָּלַף‎,to destroy; hence‏תַּלְפִּי‎,destructive,deadly; poetically, forarms. But, apart from the difficulty of making‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎, even according to this derivation, to meanweapons, according to this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the figure.[157]It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎as a contraction for‏תְּאַלְפִּיּוֹת‎from the root‏אָלַף‎,to teach. The radical‏א‎in the feeble verbs‏פ״א‎, does not unfrequently fall away: thus‏וַתַּזְרֵנִי‎, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for‏וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי‎, and in the same verb,‏מַלְּפֵנוּ‎for‏מְאַלְּפֵנוּ‎, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. § 68, 2; Ewald, § 54.‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎(plur. of‏תלפית‎, according to the analogy of‏תַּבְנִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּבְנִית‎,‏תַּרְמִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּרְמִית‎), would therefore signifyinstruction; the plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This derivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎by‏אוּלְפַן דְּאֹורַיְתָא‎,instruction of thelaw, 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,thousandstands fora 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 twopapsrise 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 thenipplesorteatsupon 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[158]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, andSion,‏שִׂיאֹן‎; whence its plural name‏חֶרְבוֹנִים‎, 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 word‏תַּשׁוּרִי‎is well rendered by the Sept., Syriac, &c.,thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Versionlookis 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, renderedspousein the Authorized Version, is taken by some to denotea newly-married woman. The word however only meansbetrothed= a female underan engagementto marry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression. The Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates‏אִתִּי‎,δεῦρο, mistaking it for‏אֲתִי‎, the imp. of‏אָתָּה‎,to come. The Vulg. rendering of‏תָּשׁוּרִי‎bycoronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism. For the Septuagint’s rendering of‏אֲמָנָה‎, byπίστις, 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 anintensive, and sometimes aprivativemeaning (see Gesen. § 52, 2; Ewald, § 120), a difference[159]of opinion exists as to the signification of‏לִבֵּב‎here. The Sept. hasἐκκαρδίωσας 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 beenfull of heart, and notdisheartened. Hence Herder, Ewald, Döpke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate‏לִבַּבְתִּנִי‎,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, andsororin Latin. Good’s rendering of‏אַחֹתִי כַלָּה‎bymy sister-spouse, and his remark that the pronoun “my” between the two substantives, being a useless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous.‏כָּלָּה‎has no suffix here, not because it is to be joined with‏אֲחֹתי‎, but because this word, like‏אָב‎in 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, explains‏בְּאֶחַד מֵעֵינַיִךְ‎by‏בהבטה אחת שאת מבטת בי באחד מעיניך‎,one look of thine eyes. The renderingat once(Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to substitute‏בַּאַחַת‎,fem.,for‏בְּאֶחַד‎,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.‏עֲנָקָ‎is notlook(Vulg.), norturn(Percy, Good), norstone(Ewald, Magnus), butchain. 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–וֹן‎in‏צַּוָּרוֹן‎, like‏וּן‎, in Syriac, forms thediminutive; and, like diminutives in other languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. § 86, 2, 4; Ewald, 5, 167 a. The plur. termination‏–ָיִךְ‎in‏מִצֲוְּרֹנָיִךְ‎, 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.

7.I adjure you, &c. Having evinced her warm and undiminished attachment to her beloved shepherd, the Shulamite adjures the court ladies, who, as we have seen, tried to gain her affections for the king, by everything dear and lovely, not to excite her love for anyone else till her own (‏אהבה‎)affectionswish (‏דוד אחר‎)for another object. The gazelle,‏צְבִי‎, so called from the beauty of its form, is an animal of the antelope kind, of very graceful and elegant figure, has very slender limbs, large and soft eyes. The great admiration in which this animal was held in the East, made the Hebrews use it as an emblem of everything beautiful (Prov. v. 19); and from its being charming and lovely, it also became an object by which to swear. Such adjurations are frequently used in the East. Comp. Reland, de Religio Mah. ii. p. 164: Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 146; v. 22. Dio, in the Æneid, lib. iv. 314; Bochart, Hieroz. i. p. 899.‏אֶתְכֶם‎,mas., for‏אֶתְכֶן‎,fem.Both masculine pronouns and verbs are sometimes used in reference to objects which are feminine. See Gesenius, § 121, Rem. i. § 137, 1; Ewald, § 184 c.‏אִם‎, after formulæ of swearing, has the effect of a negative particle (Isa. xxii. 14; Prov. xxvii. 14). This is owing to a part of the oath being omitted. Comp. 2 Sam. iii. 35; Gesen. § 155, 2 f.; Ewald, § 356 a.‏עוּר‎, here, is notto arouse,to wake from sleep(Gesen.), butto rouse,to excite the passions,affections; thus‏הֵעִיר קַנְאָה‎,he will arouse his zeal, Isa. xlii. 13; Prov. x. 12. The repetition of the same verb in the Hiphil and Piel expressesintensity,[144]Isa. xxix. 9; Zeph. ii. 1.‏אַהֲבָה‎is the abstract,love,affection, iii. 10; vii. 7. After‏שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ‎supply‏דוֹד אֲחַר‎. Similarly, Rashbam. The Sept. strangely renders‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַילוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎,ἐν δυνάμεσι καὶ ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ,by the powers and virtues of the field. Thus in this scene, the first attempts, both on the part of the king and the court ladies, to win the Shulamite’s affections, signally failed. The same formula re-occurs iii. 5, and viii. 4, to mark, at the end of the trials, her successful resistance.8.Hark! my beloved!Having alluded in the preceding Section (i. 6) to the ill-treatment which she had received from her brothers, the Shulamite now relates the cause of that treatment. Thus whilst this narrative forms the connecting link between this and the preceding Section, it also gradually acquaints us with her history. The description given of the arrival and conduct of her beloved is very graphic and beautiful. She first sees him at a distance, bounding over the hills with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle, and presently he is found behind the wall, peeping through the window, and imploring her in the sweetest language imaginable to go with him into the fields and enjoy the beauties and charms of nature.‏קוֹל‎is not‏קוֹל רַגְלָיו‎,the sound of his feet(Ibn Ezra, Hitzig), which could not be heard at such a distance from the mountains; northe voice of his song(Döpke, Philippson), for he could not very well sing when running at such a speed as here described; but simply meanshark!(Ewald, Magnus, Meier),[145]and is used in animated descriptions to arrest attention, Ewald, § 286 f.9My beloved is like, &c. To describe the speed of his approach the Shulamite compares him to the swift-footed gazelle, and nimble fawn. This comparison is also used in other parts of Scripture. Thus Asahel is called light-footed as a gazelle. 2 Sam. ii. 18; Prov. vi. 5; Hab. iii. 19. “The Eastern buildings generally surround a square inner court; the beloved is described as gradually making his approach, first to the wall, then looking through the window.” Here is another incontestable proof that the object of the damsel’s affection, whom she describes as coming to her, is not the king, but a shepherd, for the king could not consistently be represented as bounding over the hills. Though‏אַיָּל‎has a feminine,‏אַיָּלָה‎, which is used in ver. 7, yet instead of its being here‏לְעֹפֶר אֲיָלוֹת‎, we have‏הָאַיָּלִים‎: see also Ps. xlii. 2. This is owing to the neglect on the part of the writer to avail himself of the forms established by usage, Gesen. § 107, 1. Or it may be that such names were still of a common gender, and the feminines were only in the process of formation, but not as yet fixedly established, Ewald, § 175 b.‏כֹּתֶל‎occurs only here, but it is evident from Dan. v. 5, and the Targum, Josh. ii. 15, where it stands for the Hebrew‏קִיר‎, that it meansa wallforming a part of the house. The Sept. has here‏עַל הָרֵי בָתָר‎, from ii. 17.10, 11.Arise, my love, &c. The Shulamite introduces here her beloved as speaking. He urges her to go, since the rain is over, and everything without is charming.‏עָנָה‎is idiomatically used in reference even to the person speaking first, without any antecedent interrogation. (Deut. xxvi. 5; Isa. xiv. 10; xxi. 9.) The meaning of the word seems to be simplyto impart information, either asked for or not. In the former case‏עָנָה‎obtains the additional idea ofa reply, whereas in the latter it merely meansto inform,to tell, likeἀποκρίνομαιin the New Testament. Comp.ἀποκριθεῖς εἶπε, Matt. xvii. 4; Mark ix. 5. On the use of the dative‏לָךְ‎, see Gesen. § 154, 3 e. Ewald, § 315 a. Theἅπα.λέγ.‏סְתָו‎properly denotesthe winter=the rainy season, at the end of which, viz. February or March, the spring advances with surpassing quickness; it excludes the autumn, and thus differs from‏חֹרֶף‎. The form‏סְתָו‎(from‏סָתָה‎,to winter), is, according to the analogy of‏חֲגָו‎,‏מְדָו‎,‏קְצָו‎, see Fürst, Lexicon, under‏חֲגָו‎. The Sept. has mistaken the dative‏לָךְ‎for the imp.‏לְכִי‎, and adds‏יוֹנָתִי‎,my dove, after‏יָפָתִי‎,my beauty.12.The flowers appear, &c. The gradual development is exceedingly beautiful; the description unfolds with the season. After the graphic delineation of the meadows strewed with a profusion of variegated flowers; of the men in the fields, and the birds hovering over them, joining to pour forth a volume of various sounds; of the delicious odour of the embalmed fig, and fragrant vine, the beloved[146]exclaims: “Nature has prepared a rich banquet; come, let us go and enjoy it!” The Sept., Aquila, Sym., Vulg., Chald., Rashbam, render‏עֵת הַוָּמִיר‎, bythe season for the pruning of vines: Gesenius defends this rendering, but against the usage of the word‏זָמִיר‎, and the connexion. Wherever‏זָמִיר‎occurs, either in the singular (Isa. xxv. 5), or plural (2 Sam. xxiii. 1; Isa. xxiv. 16), it invariably meanssongorsinging. Moreover, the parallelism, and the whole of the description, demand that it should be rendered so here. All the pleasures and charms here depicted are gratifications for the senses, and are adduced by the beloved as the invitation of nature toenjoyher banquet; whereas the pruning of the vines would be a summons toengage in toil. Besides, the vine is mentioned afterwards in its rotation (v. 13), and it would mar the gradual progression of this minute description to suppose that it has been uselessly repeated. Hence it has been rightly renderedsingingby Rashi, Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, De Wette, Magnus, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Fürst, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The objection that‏זָמִיר‎,singing, means thesong of men, is obviated by referring it here to the season whenbothman and bird begin to sing.‏זָמִיר‎, like other words of the form‏קָטִיל‎, expresses thetimeof the action; comp.‏אָסִיף‎,harvest; properly the time when the fruit is gathered.‏חָרִישׁ‎,the time of ploughing. Gesen. § 84, 5; Ewald, § 149 e.The cooing of the turtle, &c. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird (Jer. viii. 7; Arist. Hist. Anim. viii. 3, 12, 16; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 36; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.); it resides in the winter farther south than Palestine, and returns in the spring, when its cooing voice in the woods announces the return of that season.13.The fig-tree sweetens her green figs.The word‏חָנַט‎is now rendered by many commentators, according to the example of Ibn Ezra,to sweeten,to embalm,to spice;i.e.the fig-tree sweetens her fruit by filling it with aromatic juice. This rendering is confirmed by the use of‏חָנַט‎,to embalm(Gen. l. 2, 26), which was done with spices and aromatic plants (2 Chron. xvi. 14; John xix. 40). The Sept., Aquila., and Vulg. render‏חָנַט‎,puts forth, but this signification cannot be deduced from the root. Ewald, Magnus, Hitzig, have “the fig-treereddens,” &c., but the verb is not used in this sense in Hebrew.‏פָּג‎(from‏פָּגַג‎immature),an unripe fig, Sept.ὄλυνθος, Vulg.grossus; so in the Talmud and IbnEzra,‏פרי טרם שיתבשל‎,the fruit before it is ripe.The vines blossom, &c. It is well known that the blossoming vine smells sweetly; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 2.‏וְהַנְּפָנִים סְמָדַר‎, lit.the vines are in blossom, i.e.the vines blossom; so Sym.οἰνάνθη, Vulg.florentes. Substantives are frequently used in Hebrew instead of adjectives to express properties; thus‏וְהַפִּשְׁתָּה גִבְעֹל‎,the flax was bolled. Exod. ix. 31; Ezra. x. 13. This peculiarity is to be accounted for by supposing either that the adjectives were not as yet formed, or if formed were still not currently used. Gesen. § 106, 1; Ewald, § 296 b.‏לָכְי‎stands for‏לָךְ‎; comp. ver. 10; the‏י‎has been occasioned by the preceding form‏קוּמִי‎, and succeeding words‏רַעֳיתִי יָפָהִי‎, which terminate in‏י‎. This is not unfrequently[147]the case, see Job xix. 29; Eccl. viii. 17; Prov. viii. 35; Mich. i. 8. The Sept. has here again‏לְכִי‎for‏לָךָ‎, and‏יֹונָתִי‎after‏יָפָיָתִי‎.14.My dove in the clefts, &c. Having described the charming aspect of nature, he repeated his invitation to her to go with him into the fields. Impatient at her apparent delay, the beloved, whilst calling her by the endearing epithet “dove,” delicately ascribed to her the timorous character of that bird. Doves in the East make their nests in the clefts of elevated rocks and cliffs (Jer. xxviii. 28), which they are exceedingly afraid to leave when once frightened. Thus Homer, Iliad, xxi. 493:Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.“As when the falcon wings her way above,To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”See also Virg. Æn. v. 213.‏חֲגְוֵי‎is the plural construct. of‏חֲגָוְ‎(from the root‏חָגָה‎,to make incisions in,to split or perforate rocks); according to the analogy of‏קַצְוֵי‎, plural const. of‏קְצָו‎and‏מַדְוֵי‎from‏מְדָו‎, vide sup. ii. 11.‏מַדְרֵגָה‎, (from‏דָּרָג‎, cognate with‏דָּרַךְ‎,to ascend,) a place reached by climbing or ascending,a steep,a precipice. The Mazora marks the‏י‎in‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎assuperfluous, evidently to avoid the apparent incongruity between the adjective‏נָאֲוָה‎, which is in thesingular, and the noun‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎, apparently plural. But the‏י‎here may be retained, and the word may still be singular. For many nouns from roots‏ל״ה‎preserve in the singular before a suffix the original‏י‎of the root, and thus have the appearance of the plural:e.g.‏מִקְנֶיךָ‎,thy castle(Isa. xxx. 23), from‏מִקְנֶה‎,‏מַרְאָיו‎, the same expression, Job xli. 1; Gesen. § 93, 9; Ewald, § 256 b.15.Catch us the foxes, &c. The Shulamite here quotes the words of her brothers, who had overheard the invitation. To prevent the meeting of the lovers, the brothers gave the damsel employment in the vineyard, to catch and keep out the foxes. To this she refers in i. 6, when, repelling the disdainful looks of the court ladies, and accounting for her brown complexion, she mentions the severe treatment of her brothers.‏שׁוּעָלִים‎,foxes, as well as jackals, were very numerous in Palestine (Judg. xv. 4; Lam. v. 18; Ps. lxiii. 11; Neh. iv. 3). There was a district actually called‏אֶרֶץ שׁוּעָל‎, from the abundance of these creatures, 1 Sam. xiii. 17. These animals are gregarious, found in packs of two or three hundred (Boch. Hieroz. lib. iii. 12), and are described, both by sacred and profane writers, as destructive to vineyards, Sam. i. 17, 18; and Theocritus, Idyl. v. 112:Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ ΜίκωνοςΑἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each nightSpoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”also Idyl. i. 47–50. The young foxes are especially injurious to the vineyards, because they burrow in holes in the ground, Neh. iv. 3. The brothers, in the last clause, assign a reason for their proposal; the‏ו‎in[148]‏וּכְרָמֵינוּ‎is therefore to be renderedfor, Gesen. § 155, 1 c. The Sept. inadvertently omits the word‏שׁוּעָלִים‎.16.My beloved is mine, &c. The Shulamite tells the court ladies how she had consoled herself under these circumstances of separation: “Though my brothers succeeded in separating us bodily by assigning to me this post of keeping the vineyards, yet our affections are inseparable; and though still separated from me, my beloved is mine and I am his; his who tends his flock in the meadows abounding with flowers.” It seems as if the words, “he who feeds his flock among the lilies,” were designedly added, whenever the damsel speaks of her beloved, to show unmistakably that he was a shepherd. How such passages can be reconciled with the supposition that the king is the object of the maiden’s attachment, or, according to others, that the maiden is the daughter of Pharaoh, is difficult to divine.17.When the day cools, &c. She also relates how she had comforted her beloved, telling him that this state of separation would not last long; that he must come in the evening, when unobserved, with the same swift-footed speed as he came in the morning.‏עַד שָׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,i.q.‏עַד שֶׁיָפוּחַ רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,when the day breeze blows,i.e.in the evening, shortly before sunset, when a gentle and cooling breeze blows in the East (see Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 47); hence‏רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, Gen. iii. 8, opposed to‏חוֹם הַיּוֹם‎, xviii. 1. That this is the sense of‏שֶׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, and notday-break(English Ver.), ormorning-breath(Good), is evident from the immediately following‏וְנָסוּ הַצְלָלִים‎, which expresses the same idea in other words,i.q.evening; comp. Job xiv. 2. The shadows are said to flee away when at sunset they become elongated and stretched out; thus as it were run away from us, further and further, till they eventually vanish in the dark of night. Hence David, speaking of the approaching sunset of his life, says,‏יָמַֹי כְּצֵל נָטוּי‎,My days are like an elongated shadow, Ps. cii. 12; cix. 23. Comp. also Virg. Eclog. i. 84, and ii. 66. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Gesen., Döpke, Rosenmüller, Magnus, Heiligstedt, Fürst, Philippson, Meier, Hengstenberg, Hitzig. The rendering of Hodgson, Good, &c., “till the day-breath,” and their reference to the passage of Milton, “Sweet is the breath of morn” (Par. Lost, iv. 641), is gratuitous. The words‏הֶרֵי בָתֶר‎are rendered by the Sept.ὄρη τῶν κοιλωμάτων,mountains of cavities,i.e.decussated mountains, from‏בָּתַר‎,to divide,to cut, which Gesenius and Heiligstedt explain,a region divided by mountains and valleys, but very unsatisfactorily. The Syriac and Theodo. haveθυμιαμάτων, taking‏בָּתֶר‎for‏בְּשָׂמִים‎, which is adopted by Meier; but this emendation is unsupported by MSS., and has evidently arisen from viii. 14. The Vulg. and Rashbam take‏בָּתֶר‎as a proper name,montes Bether; but neither place nor mountain is known by such name. The Chald., Ibn Ezra, Rashi explain‏הָרֵי בָתֶר‎bymountains of separation,i.e.mountains which separate thee from me: this is followed by Luther, Ewald, De Wette, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, and is most[149]consonant with the context. We have seen (ver. 9), that there were mountains separating the houses of the lovers, which the shepherd had to cross to reach the Shulamite; and as she told him to go back and return in the evening, it was evident that he had to cross again those separating mountains.1.When on my nightly couch, &c. Through some means or other her beloved did not come in the evening according to request, and, unable to wait any longer, she retired. Her thoughts, however, kept her awake, and her confidence in him made her look for him even when on her couch. The words‏עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי וְגו״‎do not mean, “I sought himin my bed,” at which unnecessary umbrage has been taken, but “Even when I reclined upon my nocturnal couch, I could not give him up; I still sought to find him.”‏מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵילוֹת‎meansmy couch used at nights,i.q.‏מִשְׁכַּב הַלֵּילוֹת‎, in contradistinction to‏מִשְׁכַּב הַצָהֳרַיִם‎,a couch used at noonday, 2 Sam. iv. 5. This is evident from the plural‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,in the nights, and from ver. 8, where the same plural is used to describe nocturnal marauders. The affirmation of Harmer, therefore, that no reasonable doubt can be made that these are the words of one to whose bed the beloved was no stranger, falls to the ground. The Sept. adds,ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσεν ἐμὲ, from chap. v. 6.2.I must arise now, &c. Seeing, however, that her beloved did not come, and apprehending that some disaster might have befallen him on his way, the Shulamite determined to go and find him. The‏–ָה‎in‏אֲקוּמָה‎is expressive of self-summons and determination: “I said to myself, Come! I must arise now!” Comp. Ps. ii. 3; lv. 3; Gesen. § 128, 1; Ewald, § 228 a.3.The watchmen, &c., found her whilst engaged in seeking her beloved, and she at once inquired of them whether they had seen him. The interrogative particle is here omitted. This is sometimes the case when the whole sentence, as here, is interrogative, in which case it is distinguished by the prominence given to the word upon which the force or weight of the interrogation more especially falls; as by the tone in which it is uttered,e.g.‏זֶה חַסְדְּךָ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ‎, “Thisthy kindness to thy friend!” 2 Sam. xvi. 17; xviii. 29; Gesen. § 153, 1; Ewald, § 324 a.4.Scarcely had I passed them, &c. The abruptness of the description here is very characteristic. She informs us that she had put a question to the watchmen, but, in her hurry to find her beloved, does not tell us the answer which she received. The construction[150]‏כִּמְעַט שֶׁ—עַד‎,scarcely when, is nowhere else to be found in the Old Testament; it may be resolved to‏זמן אשר עברתי מהם כמעט‎,the time that I passed them amounted to a little while.5.I adjure you, &c. Having expressed her deep attachment to her beloved shepherd, she again adjures the court ladies not to persuade her to love any one else. Comp. ii. 7. The Sept. has again‏צְבָאוֹת‎,powers, and‏אֵילוֹת‎,virtues;vide supra, ii. 7.6.What is that, &c.The situation changes. The state tents have been 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[151]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.‏מִי‎is properly used ofpersons, but also ofthings, 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 of‏מִי‎, is evident from the answer,‏הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ‎,Behold, it is the palanquin.‏מִדְבָּר‎(from‏דָבַר‎,to range in order,to guide,to drive flocks), here is notdesert, but, as frequently,an uninhabited plainorcountry, where flocks are tended, in contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11; Jer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22.‏תִּימְרוֹת‎, the plur. of‏תִּמָרָה‎, like‏צִדְקוֹת‎, from‏צְדָקָה‎,columnsorclouds, only occurs once more, Joel iii. 3, and is most probably derived from‏תָּמַר‎,to ascend, to rise up like a column or cloud. The‏י‎has merely been inserted to help the pronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen MSS. and originally another omit the‏י‎, which is undoubtedly the correct reading. The‏כּ‎in‏כְּתִּימְרוֹת‎signifiesas in. Comp. Isa. v. 17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. § 118, 3, Rem.‏כֹּל‎is used for a plurality comprising, or consisting of,divers single thingsorobjects, and is to be renderedall kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; Fürst, Lexicon, under‏כֹּל‎5; 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. The‏גִבּרִֹים‎here 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. The‏מ‎in‏מִגִּבֹּרֵי‎is usedpartitively,vide supra, i. 2.‏אֲחוּזֵי חֶרֶב‎,skilled in the sword.‏אָחַז‎,to take hold, alsoto handle artfully, like‏תָּפַשׂ‎,to take hold,to handle skilfully. The participle‏אָחוּז‎, though[152]ofa passiveform, has anactive 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 onhis thigh.‏אִישׁ‎,a manis used asa distributiveforeach,every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. § 124, 2, Rem. 1; Ewald, § 278, b. We must supply‏חָגוּר‎after‏אִישׁ‎. Comp. Exod. xxii. 27; Ps. xlv. 4.‏פָּחַד‎,fear, metonymically forthe objectof fear (Gen. xxxi. 42, 53), heremarauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov. iii. 24.‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,inorduring 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 word‏אַפִּרְיֹון‎is most probably derived from‏פָּרָה‎,to run,to be borne quickly. Comp.τρόχος, fromτρέχειν,φορεῖον, fromφέρω,currusfromcurrendo,ferculumfromfero. The form‏אַפִּרְיּוֹן‎is, according to the analogy of‏דִּמְיוֹן‎,likeness(Ps. xvii. 12), and‏פִּדְיֹון‎,ransom(Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. § 84, 15; Ewald, § 163 c. with a prosthetic‏א‎(Gesen. § 19, 4; Ewald, § 162 c,) followed bya Dagesh fortelike‏אַפֶּדֶן‎,a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see Fürst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from‏פרה‎=‏ברה‎,to work out,to build,to form, hence‏אֲפִּרְיוֹן‎,ein Prachtstück. Kimchi derives it from‏פָּרָה‎,to be fruitful, and says it is called‏אַפִּרְיוֹן‎, because‏שפרין ורבין עליה‎,people increase and multiply therein. But this is contrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, abridal bedhas no (‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎)seat.‏עָשַׂה‎,to make, means alsoto 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. The‏מִן‎in‏מַעַצַי‎denotes 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 Williamsin 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)[153]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(from‏רָפַד‎,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 words‏תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם‎, are either to be translated:its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of Jerusalem;—the noun‏אַהֲבָה‎may be used adverbially forlovely,charmingly, comp.‏אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה‎, “I will love themfreely,” Hos. xiv. 4; Ewald, § 279 c, § 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; and the‏מִּן‎in‏מִבְּנוֹת‎may denote theauthororinstrument, 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; taking‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, forthe effect, orproofof it; comp.‏דוֹדִים‎, i. 2, andἀγάπηin 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 ofroyalty, but the emblem ofhappiness(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 bridegroom‏מֶלֶךְ‎, and the bride‏מַלְכָּה‎. 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,[154]as we see from ch. vi. 11, 12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home. The abnormal‏צְאֶינָה‎is here intentionally used instead of the normal‏צֵאנָה‎, to correspond in form with‏רְאֶינָה‎; just as‏מוֹבָא‎,entrance(Ezek. xliii. 11), is employed instead of‏מָבוֹא‎, to correspond with‏מוֹצָא‎, 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 called‏בְּנוֹת צִיוֹן‎, to distinguish them from the‏בְּנוֹת 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 גִּלְעָד‎is 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(from‏צָמַם‎,i.q.Chald.‏צַמְצַם‎,‏צָמַם‎,to bind,to twine,to veil), is well explained by Rashbam,‏ענין עילוף ומעטה היא‎,a kind of cover, orveil; 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 word‏גָּלַשׁ‎, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult interpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has hereἀπεκαλύφθησαν, and vi. 5,ἀνεφάνησαν, the Syriacܣܠܰܩ‎, the Vulg. hereascenderunt, and vi. 5,apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in their interpretations. Rashi explains it‏שנקרחו‎,that make bare, i.e.quitordescendthe 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 itshorn; 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 take‏גָּלַשׁ‎, like its kindred‏פָּלַשׁ‎, in the sense ofrolling down,running down; see Fürst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning[155]accords best with the comparison here used, and leaves to the preposition‏מִן‎its natural signification. The omission of‏הַר‎in 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 theshornskin 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 washedbeforeand notafterthey were shorn; 4. The passage in vi. 6, shows that‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is merely a poetical epithet for‏רְחֵלִים‎, not because they werethenshorn, but because they areperiodicallyshorn. The explanation of‏קְצוּבוֹת‎by wellnumbered(Rashi), or by‏יש 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 of‏תָּאַם‎,to be double,to be pairs(Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29),is to make double,to make pairs,to appear paired.‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎isdeprived,bereaved, Jer. xviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in‏כֻּלָּם‎and‏בָּהֶם‎, referring to‏קְצוּבוֹת‎,fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words‏שֶׁכֻּלָּם‎and‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎form a paranomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of‏מַתְאִימוֹת‎by‏כלם 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 therowsof the teeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing anewsubject.3.Thy mouth is lovely.‏מִדְבָּר‎is translated by the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam,speech,language; but this is incompatible with the description here given, which depictsthe membersof the body, and not theiractions. It is therefore more consonant with the context to take‏מִדְבָּר‎as a poetical expression forthe instrument of speech; not thetongue(Schultens, Kleuker, Döpke), which is kept within the mouth, and not when put out (‏נָאֲוָה‎)beautiful; butthe mouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenmüller, Meier, Philippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates itvoice), and of Hitzig (who translates itpalate), that the rendering ofmouthwould produce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and these have already been described, is[156]gratuitous: for an individual may have lips like scarlet, and yet not have alovely mouth. The‏מ‎in‏מִדְבָּר‎, added to the root‏דָבַר‎,to speak, in order to form the noun, denotesthe instrumentwith which one speaks: compare‏מַזְלֵג‎,an instrumentwith which to draw out =a fork, from‏זָלַג‎,to draw out;‏מַפְתֵּחַ‎,an instrumentfor opening =a key, from‏פָּתַח‎,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 Magnusin 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, explains‏פֶּלַח‎by‏ציץ הרמון האדום‎,the red flower of thepomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39, where the root‏פלח‎is 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 beingflatwould by no means represent theroundform of the coloured cheek here referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and beautiful, according to Rashi’s explanation of‏פֶּלַח‎, 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, orthe 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.‏ תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎is rendered by the Sept.Θαλφιώθ, as a proper name; but there is no place known by such a name. Aquila hasεἰςἐπάλξεις: 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 it‏תל שהכול פונים לו‎,an elevation towards which all look, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view that‏לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת‎is a compound of‏לְתַלוֹת 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 that‏פִּיוֹת‎, by itself, never meansswordsorarms. Besides, it is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the immediately following clause,‏אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו‎. Gesenius derives it from the Arabic‏תָּלַף‎,to destroy; hence‏תַּלְפִּי‎,destructive,deadly; poetically, forarms. But, apart from the difficulty of making‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎, even according to this derivation, to meanweapons, according to this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the figure.[157]It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎as a contraction for‏תְּאַלְפִּיּוֹת‎from the root‏אָלַף‎,to teach. The radical‏א‎in the feeble verbs‏פ״א‎, does not unfrequently fall away: thus‏וַתַּזְרֵנִי‎, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for‏וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי‎, and in the same verb,‏מַלְּפֵנוּ‎for‏מְאַלְּפֵנוּ‎, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. § 68, 2; Ewald, § 54.‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎(plur. of‏תלפית‎, according to the analogy of‏תַּבְנִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּבְנִית‎,‏תַּרְמִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּרְמִית‎), would therefore signifyinstruction; the plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This derivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎by‏אוּלְפַן דְּאֹורַיְתָא‎,instruction of thelaw, 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,thousandstands fora 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 twopapsrise 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 thenipplesorteatsupon 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[158]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, andSion,‏שִׂיאֹן‎; whence its plural name‏חֶרְבוֹנִים‎, 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 word‏תַּשׁוּרִי‎is well rendered by the Sept., Syriac, &c.,thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Versionlookis 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, renderedspousein the Authorized Version, is taken by some to denotea newly-married woman. The word however only meansbetrothed= a female underan engagementto marry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression. The Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates‏אִתִּי‎,δεῦρο, mistaking it for‏אֲתִי‎, the imp. of‏אָתָּה‎,to come. The Vulg. rendering of‏תָּשׁוּרִי‎bycoronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism. For the Septuagint’s rendering of‏אֲמָנָה‎, byπίστις, 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 anintensive, and sometimes aprivativemeaning (see Gesen. § 52, 2; Ewald, § 120), a difference[159]of opinion exists as to the signification of‏לִבֵּב‎here. The Sept. hasἐκκαρδίωσας 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 beenfull of heart, and notdisheartened. Hence Herder, Ewald, Döpke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate‏לִבַּבְתִּנִי‎,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, andsororin Latin. Good’s rendering of‏אַחֹתִי כַלָּה‎bymy sister-spouse, and his remark that the pronoun “my” between the two substantives, being a useless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous.‏כָּלָּה‎has no suffix here, not because it is to be joined with‏אֲחֹתי‎, but because this word, like‏אָב‎in 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, explains‏בְּאֶחַד מֵעֵינַיִךְ‎by‏בהבטה אחת שאת מבטת בי באחד מעיניך‎,one look of thine eyes. The renderingat once(Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to substitute‏בַּאַחַת‎,fem.,for‏בְּאֶחַד‎,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.‏עֲנָקָ‎is notlook(Vulg.), norturn(Percy, Good), norstone(Ewald, Magnus), butchain. 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–וֹן‎in‏צַּוָּרוֹן‎, like‏וּן‎, in Syriac, forms thediminutive; and, like diminutives in other languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. § 86, 2, 4; Ewald, 5, 167 a. The plur. termination‏–ָיִךְ‎in‏מִצֲוְּרֹנָיִךְ‎, 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.

7.I adjure you, &c. Having evinced her warm and undiminished attachment to her beloved shepherd, the Shulamite adjures the court ladies, who, as we have seen, tried to gain her affections for the king, by everything dear and lovely, not to excite her love for anyone else till her own (‏אהבה‎)affectionswish (‏דוד אחר‎)for another object. The gazelle,‏צְבִי‎, so called from the beauty of its form, is an animal of the antelope kind, of very graceful and elegant figure, has very slender limbs, large and soft eyes. The great admiration in which this animal was held in the East, made the Hebrews use it as an emblem of everything beautiful (Prov. v. 19); and from its being charming and lovely, it also became an object by which to swear. Such adjurations are frequently used in the East. Comp. Reland, de Religio Mah. ii. p. 164: Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 146; v. 22. Dio, in the Æneid, lib. iv. 314; Bochart, Hieroz. i. p. 899.‏אֶתְכֶם‎,mas., for‏אֶתְכֶן‎,fem.Both masculine pronouns and verbs are sometimes used in reference to objects which are feminine. See Gesenius, § 121, Rem. i. § 137, 1; Ewald, § 184 c.‏אִם‎, after formulæ of swearing, has the effect of a negative particle (Isa. xxii. 14; Prov. xxvii. 14). This is owing to a part of the oath being omitted. Comp. 2 Sam. iii. 35; Gesen. § 155, 2 f.; Ewald, § 356 a.‏עוּר‎, here, is notto arouse,to wake from sleep(Gesen.), butto rouse,to excite the passions,affections; thus‏הֵעִיר קַנְאָה‎,he will arouse his zeal, Isa. xlii. 13; Prov. x. 12. The repetition of the same verb in the Hiphil and Piel expressesintensity,[144]Isa. xxix. 9; Zeph. ii. 1.‏אַהֲבָה‎is the abstract,love,affection, iii. 10; vii. 7. After‏שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ‎supply‏דוֹד אֲחַר‎. Similarly, Rashbam. The Sept. strangely renders‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַילוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎,ἐν δυνάμεσι καὶ ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ,by the powers and virtues of the field. Thus in this scene, the first attempts, both on the part of the king and the court ladies, to win the Shulamite’s affections, signally failed. The same formula re-occurs iii. 5, and viii. 4, to mark, at the end of the trials, her successful resistance.

8.Hark! my beloved!Having alluded in the preceding Section (i. 6) to the ill-treatment which she had received from her brothers, the Shulamite now relates the cause of that treatment. Thus whilst this narrative forms the connecting link between this and the preceding Section, it also gradually acquaints us with her history. The description given of the arrival and conduct of her beloved is very graphic and beautiful. She first sees him at a distance, bounding over the hills with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle, and presently he is found behind the wall, peeping through the window, and imploring her in the sweetest language imaginable to go with him into the fields and enjoy the beauties and charms of nature.‏קוֹל‎is not‏קוֹל רַגְלָיו‎,the sound of his feet(Ibn Ezra, Hitzig), which could not be heard at such a distance from the mountains; northe voice of his song(Döpke, Philippson), for he could not very well sing when running at such a speed as here described; but simply meanshark!(Ewald, Magnus, Meier),[145]and is used in animated descriptions to arrest attention, Ewald, § 286 f.

9My beloved is like, &c. To describe the speed of his approach the Shulamite compares him to the swift-footed gazelle, and nimble fawn. This comparison is also used in other parts of Scripture. Thus Asahel is called light-footed as a gazelle. 2 Sam. ii. 18; Prov. vi. 5; Hab. iii. 19. “The Eastern buildings generally surround a square inner court; the beloved is described as gradually making his approach, first to the wall, then looking through the window.” Here is another incontestable proof that the object of the damsel’s affection, whom she describes as coming to her, is not the king, but a shepherd, for the king could not consistently be represented as bounding over the hills. Though‏אַיָּל‎has a feminine,‏אַיָּלָה‎, which is used in ver. 7, yet instead of its being here‏לְעֹפֶר אֲיָלוֹת‎, we have‏הָאַיָּלִים‎: see also Ps. xlii. 2. This is owing to the neglect on the part of the writer to avail himself of the forms established by usage, Gesen. § 107, 1. Or it may be that such names were still of a common gender, and the feminines were only in the process of formation, but not as yet fixedly established, Ewald, § 175 b.‏כֹּתֶל‎occurs only here, but it is evident from Dan. v. 5, and the Targum, Josh. ii. 15, where it stands for the Hebrew‏קִיר‎, that it meansa wallforming a part of the house. The Sept. has here‏עַל הָרֵי בָתָר‎, from ii. 17.

10, 11.Arise, my love, &c. The Shulamite introduces here her beloved as speaking. He urges her to go, since the rain is over, and everything without is charming.‏עָנָה‎is idiomatically used in reference even to the person speaking first, without any antecedent interrogation. (Deut. xxvi. 5; Isa. xiv. 10; xxi. 9.) The meaning of the word seems to be simplyto impart information, either asked for or not. In the former case‏עָנָה‎obtains the additional idea ofa reply, whereas in the latter it merely meansto inform,to tell, likeἀποκρίνομαιin the New Testament. Comp.ἀποκριθεῖς εἶπε, Matt. xvii. 4; Mark ix. 5. On the use of the dative‏לָךְ‎, see Gesen. § 154, 3 e. Ewald, § 315 a. Theἅπα.λέγ.‏סְתָו‎properly denotesthe winter=the rainy season, at the end of which, viz. February or March, the spring advances with surpassing quickness; it excludes the autumn, and thus differs from‏חֹרֶף‎. The form‏סְתָו‎(from‏סָתָה‎,to winter), is, according to the analogy of‏חֲגָו‎,‏מְדָו‎,‏קְצָו‎, see Fürst, Lexicon, under‏חֲגָו‎. The Sept. has mistaken the dative‏לָךְ‎for the imp.‏לְכִי‎, and adds‏יוֹנָתִי‎,my dove, after‏יָפָתִי‎,my beauty.

12.The flowers appear, &c. The gradual development is exceedingly beautiful; the description unfolds with the season. After the graphic delineation of the meadows strewed with a profusion of variegated flowers; of the men in the fields, and the birds hovering over them, joining to pour forth a volume of various sounds; of the delicious odour of the embalmed fig, and fragrant vine, the beloved[146]exclaims: “Nature has prepared a rich banquet; come, let us go and enjoy it!” The Sept., Aquila, Sym., Vulg., Chald., Rashbam, render‏עֵת הַוָּמִיר‎, bythe season for the pruning of vines: Gesenius defends this rendering, but against the usage of the word‏זָמִיר‎, and the connexion. Wherever‏זָמִיר‎occurs, either in the singular (Isa. xxv. 5), or plural (2 Sam. xxiii. 1; Isa. xxiv. 16), it invariably meanssongorsinging. Moreover, the parallelism, and the whole of the description, demand that it should be rendered so here. All the pleasures and charms here depicted are gratifications for the senses, and are adduced by the beloved as the invitation of nature toenjoyher banquet; whereas the pruning of the vines would be a summons toengage in toil. Besides, the vine is mentioned afterwards in its rotation (v. 13), and it would mar the gradual progression of this minute description to suppose that it has been uselessly repeated. Hence it has been rightly renderedsingingby Rashi, Kimchi, Ibn Ezra, Anonymous Oxford Manuscript, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, De Wette, Magnus, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Fürst, Meier, Hitzig, &c. The objection that‏זָמִיר‎,singing, means thesong of men, is obviated by referring it here to the season whenbothman and bird begin to sing.‏זָמִיר‎, like other words of the form‏קָטִיל‎, expresses thetimeof the action; comp.‏אָסִיף‎,harvest; properly the time when the fruit is gathered.‏חָרִישׁ‎,the time of ploughing. Gesen. § 84, 5; Ewald, § 149 e.

The cooing of the turtle, &c. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird (Jer. viii. 7; Arist. Hist. Anim. viii. 3, 12, 16; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 36; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.); it resides in the winter farther south than Palestine, and returns in the spring, when its cooing voice in the woods announces the return of that season.

13.The fig-tree sweetens her green figs.The word‏חָנַט‎is now rendered by many commentators, according to the example of Ibn Ezra,to sweeten,to embalm,to spice;i.e.the fig-tree sweetens her fruit by filling it with aromatic juice. This rendering is confirmed by the use of‏חָנַט‎,to embalm(Gen. l. 2, 26), which was done with spices and aromatic plants (2 Chron. xvi. 14; John xix. 40). The Sept., Aquila., and Vulg. render‏חָנַט‎,puts forth, but this signification cannot be deduced from the root. Ewald, Magnus, Hitzig, have “the fig-treereddens,” &c., but the verb is not used in this sense in Hebrew.‏פָּג‎(from‏פָּגַג‎immature),an unripe fig, Sept.ὄλυνθος, Vulg.grossus; so in the Talmud and IbnEzra,‏פרי טרם שיתבשל‎,the fruit before it is ripe.

The vines blossom, &c. It is well known that the blossoming vine smells sweetly; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 2.‏וְהַנְּפָנִים סְמָדַר‎, lit.the vines are in blossom, i.e.the vines blossom; so Sym.οἰνάνθη, Vulg.florentes. Substantives are frequently used in Hebrew instead of adjectives to express properties; thus‏וְהַפִּשְׁתָּה גִבְעֹל‎,the flax was bolled. Exod. ix. 31; Ezra. x. 13. This peculiarity is to be accounted for by supposing either that the adjectives were not as yet formed, or if formed were still not currently used. Gesen. § 106, 1; Ewald, § 296 b.‏לָכְי‎stands for‏לָךְ‎; comp. ver. 10; the‏י‎has been occasioned by the preceding form‏קוּמִי‎, and succeeding words‏רַעֳיתִי יָפָהִי‎, which terminate in‏י‎. This is not unfrequently[147]the case, see Job xix. 29; Eccl. viii. 17; Prov. viii. 35; Mich. i. 8. The Sept. has here again‏לְכִי‎for‏לָךָ‎, and‏יֹונָתִי‎after‏יָפָיָתִי‎.

14.My dove in the clefts, &c. Having described the charming aspect of nature, he repeated his invitation to her to go with him into the fields. Impatient at her apparent delay, the beloved, whilst calling her by the endearing epithet “dove,” delicately ascribed to her the timorous character of that bird. Doves in the East make their nests in the clefts of elevated rocks and cliffs (Jer. xxviii. 28), which they are exceedingly afraid to leave when once frightened. Thus Homer, Iliad, xxi. 493:

Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.“As when the falcon wings her way above,To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”

Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.

Δακρυόεσσα δ’ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν, ὥστε πέλεια,

Ἣ ῥά θ’ ὑπ’ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην,

Χηραμὸν, οὐ δ’ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν.

“As when the falcon wings her way above,To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”

“As when the falcon wings her way above,

To the cleft cavern speeds the frighten’d dove,

Straight to her shelter thus the goddess flew.”

See also Virg. Æn. v. 213.‏חֲגְוֵי‎is the plural construct. of‏חֲגָוְ‎(from the root‏חָגָה‎,to make incisions in,to split or perforate rocks); according to the analogy of‏קַצְוֵי‎, plural const. of‏קְצָו‎and‏מַדְוֵי‎from‏מְדָו‎, vide sup. ii. 11.‏מַדְרֵגָה‎, (from‏דָּרָג‎, cognate with‏דָּרַךְ‎,to ascend,) a place reached by climbing or ascending,a steep,a precipice. The Mazora marks the‏י‎in‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎assuperfluous, evidently to avoid the apparent incongruity between the adjective‏נָאֲוָה‎, which is in thesingular, and the noun‏מַרְאֵיךְ‎, apparently plural. But the‏י‎here may be retained, and the word may still be singular. For many nouns from roots‏ל״ה‎preserve in the singular before a suffix the original‏י‎of the root, and thus have the appearance of the plural:e.g.‏מִקְנֶיךָ‎,thy castle(Isa. xxx. 23), from‏מִקְנֶה‎,‏מַרְאָיו‎, the same expression, Job xli. 1; Gesen. § 93, 9; Ewald, § 256 b.

15.Catch us the foxes, &c. The Shulamite here quotes the words of her brothers, who had overheard the invitation. To prevent the meeting of the lovers, the brothers gave the damsel employment in the vineyard, to catch and keep out the foxes. To this she refers in i. 6, when, repelling the disdainful looks of the court ladies, and accounting for her brown complexion, she mentions the severe treatment of her brothers.‏שׁוּעָלִים‎,foxes, as well as jackals, were very numerous in Palestine (Judg. xv. 4; Lam. v. 18; Ps. lxiii. 11; Neh. iv. 3). There was a district actually called‏אֶרֶץ שׁוּעָל‎, from the abundance of these creatures, 1 Sam. xiii. 17. These animals are gregarious, found in packs of two or three hundred (Boch. Hieroz. lib. iii. 12), and are described, both by sacred and profane writers, as destructive to vineyards, Sam. i. 17, 18; and Theocritus, Idyl. v. 112:

Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ ΜίκωνοςΑἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each nightSpoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”

Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ ΜίκωνοςΑἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.

Μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας,αἳτὰ Μίκωνος

Αἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι.

“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each nightSpoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”

“I hate those brush-tail’d foxes, that each night

Spoil Micon’s vineyards with their deadly bite:”

also Idyl. i. 47–50. The young foxes are especially injurious to the vineyards, because they burrow in holes in the ground, Neh. iv. 3. The brothers, in the last clause, assign a reason for their proposal; the‏ו‎in[148]‏וּכְרָמֵינוּ‎is therefore to be renderedfor, Gesen. § 155, 1 c. The Sept. inadvertently omits the word‏שׁוּעָלִים‎.

16.My beloved is mine, &c. The Shulamite tells the court ladies how she had consoled herself under these circumstances of separation: “Though my brothers succeeded in separating us bodily by assigning to me this post of keeping the vineyards, yet our affections are inseparable; and though still separated from me, my beloved is mine and I am his; his who tends his flock in the meadows abounding with flowers.” It seems as if the words, “he who feeds his flock among the lilies,” were designedly added, whenever the damsel speaks of her beloved, to show unmistakably that he was a shepherd. How such passages can be reconciled with the supposition that the king is the object of the maiden’s attachment, or, according to others, that the maiden is the daughter of Pharaoh, is difficult to divine.

17.When the day cools, &c. She also relates how she had comforted her beloved, telling him that this state of separation would not last long; that he must come in the evening, when unobserved, with the same swift-footed speed as he came in the morning.‏עַד שָׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,i.q.‏עַד שֶׁיָפוּחַ רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎,when the day breeze blows,i.e.in the evening, shortly before sunset, when a gentle and cooling breeze blows in the East (see Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 47); hence‏רוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, Gen. iii. 8, opposed to‏חוֹם הַיּוֹם‎, xviii. 1. That this is the sense of‏שֶׁיָפוּחַ הַיּוֹם‎, and notday-break(English Ver.), ormorning-breath(Good), is evident from the immediately following‏וְנָסוּ הַצְלָלִים‎, which expresses the same idea in other words,i.q.evening; comp. Job xiv. 2. The shadows are said to flee away when at sunset they become elongated and stretched out; thus as it were run away from us, further and further, till they eventually vanish in the dark of night. Hence David, speaking of the approaching sunset of his life, says,‏יָמַֹי כְּצֵל נָטוּי‎,My days are like an elongated shadow, Ps. cii. 12; cix. 23. Comp. also Virg. Eclog. i. 84, and ii. 66. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Gesen., Döpke, Rosenmüller, Magnus, Heiligstedt, Fürst, Philippson, Meier, Hengstenberg, Hitzig. The rendering of Hodgson, Good, &c., “till the day-breath,” and their reference to the passage of Milton, “Sweet is the breath of morn” (Par. Lost, iv. 641), is gratuitous. The words‏הֶרֵי בָתֶר‎are rendered by the Sept.ὄρη τῶν κοιλωμάτων,mountains of cavities,i.e.decussated mountains, from‏בָּתַר‎,to divide,to cut, which Gesenius and Heiligstedt explain,a region divided by mountains and valleys, but very unsatisfactorily. The Syriac and Theodo. haveθυμιαμάτων, taking‏בָּתֶר‎for‏בְּשָׂמִים‎, which is adopted by Meier; but this emendation is unsupported by MSS., and has evidently arisen from viii. 14. The Vulg. and Rashbam take‏בָּתֶר‎as a proper name,montes Bether; but neither place nor mountain is known by such name. The Chald., Ibn Ezra, Rashi explain‏הָרֵי בָתֶר‎bymountains of separation,i.e.mountains which separate thee from me: this is followed by Luther, Ewald, De Wette, Hengstenberg, Philippson, Hitzig, and is most[149]consonant with the context. We have seen (ver. 9), that there were mountains separating the houses of the lovers, which the shepherd had to cross to reach the Shulamite; and as she told him to go back and return in the evening, it was evident that he had to cross again those separating mountains.

1.When on my nightly couch, &c. Through some means or other her beloved did not come in the evening according to request, and, unable to wait any longer, she retired. Her thoughts, however, kept her awake, and her confidence in him made her look for him even when on her couch. The words‏עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי וְגו״‎do not mean, “I sought himin my bed,” at which unnecessary umbrage has been taken, but “Even when I reclined upon my nocturnal couch, I could not give him up; I still sought to find him.”‏מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵילוֹת‎meansmy couch used at nights,i.q.‏מִשְׁכַּב הַלֵּילוֹת‎, in contradistinction to‏מִשְׁכַּב הַצָהֳרַיִם‎,a couch used at noonday, 2 Sam. iv. 5. This is evident from the plural‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,in the nights, and from ver. 8, where the same plural is used to describe nocturnal marauders. The affirmation of Harmer, therefore, that no reasonable doubt can be made that these are the words of one to whose bed the beloved was no stranger, falls to the ground. The Sept. adds,ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσεν ἐμὲ, from chap. v. 6.

2.I must arise now, &c. Seeing, however, that her beloved did not come, and apprehending that some disaster might have befallen him on his way, the Shulamite determined to go and find him. The‏–ָה‎in‏אֲקוּמָה‎is expressive of self-summons and determination: “I said to myself, Come! I must arise now!” Comp. Ps. ii. 3; lv. 3; Gesen. § 128, 1; Ewald, § 228 a.

3.The watchmen, &c., found her whilst engaged in seeking her beloved, and she at once inquired of them whether they had seen him. The interrogative particle is here omitted. This is sometimes the case when the whole sentence, as here, is interrogative, in which case it is distinguished by the prominence given to the word upon which the force or weight of the interrogation more especially falls; as by the tone in which it is uttered,e.g.‏זֶה חַסְדְּךָ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ‎, “Thisthy kindness to thy friend!” 2 Sam. xvi. 17; xviii. 29; Gesen. § 153, 1; Ewald, § 324 a.

4.Scarcely had I passed them, &c. The abruptness of the description here is very characteristic. She informs us that she had put a question to the watchmen, but, in her hurry to find her beloved, does not tell us the answer which she received. The construction[150]‏כִּמְעַט שֶׁ—עַד‎,scarcely when, is nowhere else to be found in the Old Testament; it may be resolved to‏זמן אשר עברתי מהם כמעט‎,the time that I passed them amounted to a little while.

5.I adjure you, &c. Having expressed her deep attachment to her beloved shepherd, she again adjures the court ladies not to persuade her to love any one else. Comp. ii. 7. The Sept. has again‏צְבָאוֹת‎,powers, and‏אֵילוֹת‎,virtues;vide supra, ii. 7.

6.What is that, &c.The situation changes. The state tents have been 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[151]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.‏מִי‎is properly used ofpersons, but also ofthings, 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 of‏מִי‎, is evident from the answer,‏הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ‎,Behold, it is the palanquin.‏מִדְבָּר‎(from‏דָבַר‎,to range in order,to guide,to drive flocks), here is notdesert, but, as frequently,an uninhabited plainorcountry, where flocks are tended, in contradistinction to town, where people dwell. Comp. Isa. xlii. 11; Jer. xxiii. 10; Joel ii. 22.‏תִּימְרוֹת‎, the plur. of‏תִּמָרָה‎, like‏צִדְקוֹת‎, from‏צְדָקָה‎,columnsorclouds, only occurs once more, Joel iii. 3, and is most probably derived from‏תָּמַר‎,to ascend, to rise up like a column or cloud. The‏י‎has merely been inserted to help the pronunciation (comp. Exod. xxv. 31; Ps. xix. 4.), and, indeed, nineteen MSS. and originally another omit the‏י‎, which is undoubtedly the correct reading. The‏כּ‎in‏כְּתִּימְרוֹת‎signifiesas in. Comp. Isa. v. 17; xxix. 7; Gesen. Gram. § 118, 3, Rem.‏כֹּל‎is used for a plurality comprising, or consisting of,divers single thingsorobjects, and is to be renderedall kinds. Comp. Lev. xix. 23; Neh. xiii. 16; Fürst, Lexicon, under‏כֹּל‎5; 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. The‏גִבּרִֹים‎here 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. The‏מ‎in‏מִגִּבֹּרֵי‎is usedpartitively,vide supra, i. 2.‏אֲחוּזֵי חֶרֶב‎,skilled in the sword.‏אָחַז‎,to take hold, alsoto handle artfully, like‏תָּפַשׂ‎,to take hold,to handle skilfully. The participle‏אָחוּז‎, though[152]ofa passiveform, has anactive 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 onhis thigh.‏אִישׁ‎,a manis used asa distributiveforeach,every. Comp. Gen. xv. 18; xlii. 25; Gesen. § 124, 2, Rem. 1; Ewald, § 278, b. We must supply‏חָגוּר‎after‏אִישׁ‎. Comp. Exod. xxii. 27; Ps. xlv. 4.‏פָּחַד‎,fear, metonymically forthe objectof fear (Gen. xxxi. 42, 53), heremarauders. This is evident from Ps. xci. 5; Prov. iii. 24.‏בַּלֵילוֹת‎,inorduring 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 word‏אַפִּרְיֹון‎is most probably derived from‏פָּרָה‎,to run,to be borne quickly. Comp.τρόχος, fromτρέχειν,φορεῖον, fromφέρω,currusfromcurrendo,ferculumfromfero. The form‏אַפִּרְיּוֹן‎is, according to the analogy of‏דִּמְיוֹן‎,likeness(Ps. xvii. 12), and‏פִּדְיֹון‎,ransom(Exod. xxi. 30); comp. Gesen. § 84, 15; Ewald, § 163 c. with a prosthetic‏א‎(Gesen. § 19, 4; Ewald, § 162 c,) followed bya Dagesh fortelike‏אַפֶּדֶן‎,a palace, Dan. xi. 45; see Fürst, Lexicon. Ewald, however, derives it from‏פרה‎=‏ברה‎,to work out,to build,to form, hence‏אֲפִּרְיוֹן‎,ein Prachtstück. Kimchi derives it from‏פָּרָה‎,to be fruitful, and says it is called‏אַפִּרְיוֹן‎, because‏שפרין ורבין עליה‎,people increase and multiply therein. But this is contrary to the description here given of the procession. Besides, abridal bedhas no (‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎)seat.‏עָשַׂה‎,to make, means alsoto 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. The‏מִן‎in‏מַעַצַי‎denotes 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 Williamsin 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)[153]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(from‏רָפַד‎,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 words‏תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם‎, are either to be translated:its centre is tesselated most lovely, by the daughters of Jerusalem;—the noun‏אַהֲבָה‎may be used adverbially forlovely,charmingly, comp.‏אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה‎, “I will love themfreely,” Hos. xiv. 4; Ewald, § 279 c, § 204; so Luther, Kleuker, Herder, De Wette, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; and the‏מִּן‎in‏מִבְּנוֹת‎may denote theauthororinstrument, 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; taking‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, forthe effect, orproofof it; comp.‏דוֹדִים‎, i. 2, andἀγάπηin 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 ofroyalty, but the emblem ofhappiness(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 bridegroom‏מֶלֶךְ‎, and the bride‏מַלְכָּה‎. 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,[154]as we see from ch. vi. 11, 12, in the neighbourhood of the Shulamite’s home. The abnormal‏צְאֶינָה‎is here intentionally used instead of the normal‏צֵאנָה‎, to correspond in form with‏רְאֶינָה‎; just as‏מוֹבָא‎,entrance(Ezek. xliii. 11), is employed instead of‏מָבוֹא‎, to correspond with‏מוֹצָא‎, 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 called‏בְּנוֹת צִיוֹן‎, to distinguish them from the‏בְּנוֹת 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 גִּלְעָד‎is 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(from‏צָמַם‎,i.q.Chald.‏צַמְצַם‎,‏צָמַם‎,to bind,to twine,to veil), is well explained by Rashbam,‏ענין עילוף ומעטה היא‎,a kind of cover, orveil; 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 word‏גָּלַשׁ‎, which occurs only here and vi. 5, is of difficult interpretation, and has produced a variety of renderings. The Sept. has hereἀπεκαλύφθησαν, and vi. 5,ἀνεφάνησαν, the Syriacܣܠܰܩ‎, the Vulg. hereascenderunt, and vi. 5,apparuerunt. The Rabbins also differ in their interpretations. Rashi explains it‏שנקרחו‎,that make bare, i.e.quitordescendthe 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 itshorn; 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 take‏גָּלַשׁ‎, like its kindred‏פָּלַשׁ‎, in the sense ofrolling down,running down; see Fürst. Lexicon, s.v. This meaning[155]accords best with the comparison here used, and leaves to the preposition‏מִן‎its natural signification. The omission of‏הַר‎in 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 theshornskin 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 washedbeforeand notafterthey were shorn; 4. The passage in vi. 6, shows that‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is merely a poetical epithet for‏רְחֵלִים‎, not because they werethenshorn, but because they areperiodicallyshorn. The explanation of‏קְצוּבוֹת‎by wellnumbered(Rashi), or by‏יש 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 of‏תָּאַם‎,to be double,to be pairs(Exod. xxvi. 24; xxxvi. 29),is to make double,to make pairs,to appear paired.‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎isdeprived,bereaved, Jer. xviii. 21. On the masculine suffixes in‏כֻּלָּם‎and‏בָּהֶם‎, referring to‏קְצוּבוֹת‎,fem., see supra, ii. 7. The words‏שֶׁכֻּלָּם‎and‏שַׁכֻּלָּה‎form a paranomasia; see i. 2. The rendering of‏מַתְאִימוֹת‎by‏כלם 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 therowsof the teeth, are, to say the least, guilty of introducing anewsubject.

3.Thy mouth is lovely.‏מִדְבָּר‎is translated by the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam,speech,language; but this is incompatible with the description here given, which depictsthe membersof the body, and not theiractions. It is therefore more consonant with the context to take‏מִדְבָּר‎as a poetical expression forthe instrument of speech; not thetongue(Schultens, Kleuker, Döpke), which is kept within the mouth, and not when put out (‏נָאֲוָה‎)beautiful; butthe mouth itself, (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Rosenmüller, Meier, Philippson, &c.) The objection of Magnus (who translates itvoice), and of Hitzig (who translates itpalate), that the rendering ofmouthwould produce tautology, inasmuch as the mouth consists of the lips, and these have already been described, is[156]gratuitous: for an individual may have lips like scarlet, and yet not have alovely mouth. The‏מ‎in‏מִדְבָּר‎, added to the root‏דָבַר‎,to speak, in order to form the noun, denotesthe instrumentwith which one speaks: compare‏מַזְלֵג‎,an instrumentwith which to draw out =a fork, from‏זָלַג‎,to draw out;‏מַפְתֵּחַ‎,an instrumentfor opening =a key, from‏פָּתַח‎,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 Magnusin 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, explains‏פֶּלַח‎by‏ציץ הרמון האדום‎,the red flower of thepomegranate; but this is contrary to 2 Kings iv. 39, where the root‏פלח‎is 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 beingflatwould by no means represent theroundform of the coloured cheek here referred to. The comparison appears natural, striking, and beautiful, according to Rashi’s explanation of‏פֶּלַח‎, 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, orthe 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.‏ תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎is rendered by the Sept.Θαλφιώθ, as a proper name; but there is no place known by such a name. Aquila hasεἰςἐπάλξεις: 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 it‏תל שהכול פונים לו‎,an elevation towards which all look, i.e. by which they are guided. Ibn Ezra seems to favour the view that‏לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת‎is a compound of‏לְתַלוֹת 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 that‏פִּיוֹת‎, by itself, never meansswordsorarms. Besides, it is evident that this interpretation owes its origin to the immediately following clause,‏אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו‎. Gesenius derives it from the Arabic‏תָּלַף‎,to destroy; hence‏תַּלְפִּי‎,destructive,deadly; poetically, forarms. But, apart from the difficulty of making‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎, even according to this derivation, to meanweapons, according to this rendering there is no connexion between this clause and the figure.[157]It is therefore better, with Rashi and Rashbam, to take‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎as a contraction for‏תְּאַלְפִּיּוֹת‎from the root‏אָלַף‎,to teach. The radical‏א‎in the feeble verbs‏פ״א‎, does not unfrequently fall away: thus‏וַתַּזְרֵנִי‎, 2 Sam. xxii. 40, for‏וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי‎, and in the same verb,‏מַלְּפֵנוּ‎for‏מְאַלְּפֵנוּ‎, Job xxxv. 11; Gesen. § 68, 2; Ewald, § 54.‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎(plur. of‏תלפית‎, according to the analogy of‏תַּבְנִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּבְנִית‎,‏תַּרְמִיוֹת‎, from‏תַּרְמִית‎), would therefore signifyinstruction; the plural being here used for the abstract, see supra, i. 2. This derivation is confirmed by the Chald., which periphrases‏תַּלְפִּיּוֹת‎by‏אוּלְפַן דְּאֹורַיְתָא‎,instruction of thelaw, 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,thousandstands fora 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 twopapsrise 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 thenipplesorteatsupon 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[158]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, andSion,‏שִׂיאֹן‎; whence its plural name‏חֶרְבוֹנִים‎, 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 word‏תַּשׁוּרִי‎is well rendered by the Sept., Syriac, &c.,thou shalt go; comp. Isa. lvii. 9. The Common Versionlookis 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, renderedspousein the Authorized Version, is taken by some to denotea newly-married woman. The word however only meansbetrothed= a female underan engagementto marry. This is the sense in which the Jews still use the expression. The Sept., which is followed by the Vulg. and Luther, translates‏אִתִּי‎,δεῦρο, mistaking it for‏אֲתִי‎, the imp. of‏אָתָּה‎,to come. The Vulg. rendering of‏תָּשׁוּרִי‎bycoronaberis, evidently savours of allegorism. For the Septuagint’s rendering of‏אֲמָנָה‎, byπίστις, 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 anintensive, and sometimes aprivativemeaning (see Gesen. § 52, 2; Ewald, § 120), a difference[159]of opinion exists as to the signification of‏לִבֵּב‎here. The Sept. hasἐκκαρδίωσας 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 beenfull of heart, and notdisheartened. Hence Herder, Ewald, Döpke, Lee, Meier, &c., translate‏לִבַּבְתִּנִי‎,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, andsororin Latin. Good’s rendering of‏אַחֹתִי כַלָּה‎bymy sister-spouse, and his remark that the pronoun “my” between the two substantives, being a useless interpretation of the versions, are gratuitous.‏כָּלָּה‎has no suffix here, not because it is to be joined with‏אֲחֹתי‎, but because this word, like‏אָב‎in 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, explains‏בְּאֶחַד מֵעֵינַיִךְ‎by‏בהבטה אחת שאת מבטת בי באחד מעיניך‎,one look of thine eyes. The renderingat once(Hodgson, Good) is incongruous. The attempt of the Masorites to substitute‏בַּאַחַת‎,fem.,for‏בְּאֶחַד‎,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.‏עֲנָקָ‎is notlook(Vulg.), norturn(Percy, Good), norstone(Ewald, Magnus), butchain. 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–וֹן‎in‏צַּוָּרוֹן‎, like‏וּן‎, in Syriac, forms thediminutive; and, like diminutives in other languages, is expressive of affection; Gesen. § 86, 2, 4; Ewald, 5, 167 a. The plur. termination‏–ָיִךְ‎in‏מִצֲוְּרֹנָיִךְ‎, 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.

Back to IndexNext