Chapter 25

10.How sweet is thy love, &c. Here[160]the lover tells his loved one why the sight of her is so animating and emboldening.For the comparison of love with wine, see i. 2, 3. The Sept., which is followed by the Syriac, Vulg., Arabic, and Luther, has here again‏דַדֶּיךָ‎,thy breasts; but see i. 2. The Sept. has alsoὀσμὴἱματίωνσου,‏וְרֵיחַ שִׂמְלֹתַיִךְ‎, for‏וְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנַיִךְ‎, evidently taken from the following verse.11.Thy lips, O my betrothed, &c. Every word which falls from her lips is like a drop from the honeycomb. This comparison is used in other parts of Scripture, and by the Greeks and Romans. Thus Prov. v. 3:—“The harlot’s lips distil honey,And her palate is smoother than oil.”Theocrit. Idyl. xx. 26:—τὸ στόμα καὶ πακτᾶς γλυκερώτερον· ἐκ στομάτων δὲἔῤῥεέ μοι φωνὰ γλυκερωτέραἢμέλι κήρω.“More sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.”Also Idyl. i. 146, 8, 82; Homer, Iliad, i. 249; Hor. Epist. i. 19, 44. That we are to understand by distilling honey, “lovely words,” and notsaliva oris osculantis, is evident from Prov. xvi. 24, where pleasant words are compared to a honeycomb, and the passage already quoted, just as slanderous words are represented as poisons, Ps. cxl. 3.And the odour of thy garments, &c. The Orientals were in the habit of perfuming their clothes with aromatics. Thus we are told that the garments of Jacob emitted a pleasant smell, Gen. xxviii. 27; Ps. xlv. 9; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 122. In consequence of the odoriferous trees which abounded on it, Lebanon became proverbial for fragrance. Hence the prophet Hosea (xiv. 7), describing the prosperous state of repenting Israel, says‏וְרֵיחַ לוֹ כַּלְבַנוֹן‎,and his odour shall be as that of Lebanon. This passage is sufficient to show the error of the Vulg. in rendering‏כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן‎bysicut odor thuris, as if it were‏כְּרֵיחַ לְבוֹנָה‎. The perfumed attire which the Shulamite had on, and which the shepherd here praises, is evidently not the humble clothes which she had brought with her, but some splendid apparel recently given to her by the king.12.A closed garden, &c. The trees of Lebanon, referred to at the end of the last verse, suggested this beautiful metaphor of a garden, under which the shepherd describes the unsullied purity and chastity of the Shulamite. Gardens in the East were generally hedged or walled in, to prevent the intrusion of strangers (Isa. v. 5; Joseph. De Bell. Jud. vii.). From this arose the epithet, “closed garden,” for a virtuous woman, shut up against every attempt to alienate her affections. The contrary figure is used in viii. 9; there accessibility is described as “a door,”i.e.open to seduction.A sealed fountain, &c. Another metaphor to express the same idea. The scarcity of water in arid countries renders fountains very valuable. To secure them against the encroachment of strangers, the proprietors formerly fastened their fountains with some ligament, and the impression of a seal upon clay, which would quickly harden in the sun, that would soon dissolve wax. This mode of rendering pits safe is found in Dan. vi. 18; Matt. xxvii. 66. A fountain sealed in this manner indicated that it was private property. Hence its metaphorical use, to represent chastity as an inaccessible[161]fountain. It is better, with the Sept., Syriac, Arabic, Chald., Vulg., upwards of fifty of Kennicott’s MSS., and many modern commentators, to read‏גַּן‎, instead of‏גַּל‎. This is confirmed by the intensive phraseology of the shepherd, used in his addresses, which is produced by a repetition of the same words. Comp. supra, vv. 8, 9.13.Thy shoots, &c. Having compared his loved one to a garden, the shepherd is anxious to show that the one she resembled is not of an ordinary character. It is an orchard full of the most costly trees, and producing the most delicious fruit.‏שְׁלָחַיִךְ‎, well rendered by the Sept.ἀποστολαί σου: and Kimchi,‏התפשטות‎,thy shoots,branches(Gen. xlix. 21; Ps. lxxx. 12) is figuratively used for the members of the body, and not for “the children who shall spring from her,” as Hodgson supposes.‏פַּרְדֵּס‎, found elsewhere only Eccl. ii. 5; Neh. ii. 8, has been derived by some from the Persian, and by others from the Sanscrit. There is no necessity, however, for seeking its etymology in other languages. The Hebrews, who had gardens at so early a period, would surely not borrow names for them from other nations.‏פַּרְדֵּס‎, according to the analogy of the quadriliteral‏פַּרְשֵׁז‎, is a compound of‏פָּרַד‎,to divide, and‏פָּרַס‎,to separate,to enclose; hencea protected, an enclosed place,a garden. This is corroborated by the fact that‏גַּן‎,a garden, is also derived from a root (‏גָּנַן‎), which meansto separate,to enclose. Compare also the German and English,Gärten,garden, and Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. p. 117. And like many other Hebrew expressions, this word was adopted in other languages.‏רִמּוֹנִים‎,pomegranate-trees: the Hebrews frequently use the same expression to denote the tree and its fruit, see supra, ii. 3.‏פְּרִי מְגָדִים‎,i.q.‏פִּרְיֵיְ מֶגָד‎,precious fruits: when a compound idea is to be expressed in the plural, the governed noun only is often put in the plural form;e.g.‏בֵּית אָבוֹת‎,ancestral houses, Numb. i. 2; Gesen. § 108, 3. The precious fruits are those of the pomegranate-tree. The words‏כְּפָרִים עִם נְרָדִים‎, are still genitives to‏פַּרְדֵּס‎. For‏כֹּפֶר‎, and‏נֵרְדְּ‎, see supra, i. 12, 13.14.Nard and crocus, &c. Both the ancient versions and modern commentators generally agree that by the word‏כַּרְכֹּﬦ‎, which occurs only here, the well-knownsaffron plantis meant. Calamus (‏קָנֶה‎,reed, also written‏קְנֵה בשֵֹׁם‎and‏קָנֶה הַטּוֹב‎,sweet calamus, Exod. xxx. 23; Jer. vi. 20,κάλαμος ἀρωματικός, Calamus odoratus), was well known and highly prized among the ancients, and was imported to Palestine from India (Jer. vi. 20; xxvii. 19); it was, however, also found in the valley of Mount Lebanon, (Polyb. v. 46; Strabo, xvi. 4). It has a reed-like stem, of a tawny colour, much jointed, breaking into splinters, and its hollow reed filled with pitch, like the web of a spider. The best, which, according to Pliny (Hist. Nat. xii. 12 or 48), grows in Arabia, diffuses around a very agreeable odour, and is soft to the touch (see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Cinnamon (‏קִנָּמוֹן‎,κίναμον,Laurus cinnamomum), indigenous to Ceylon in the East Indies, and is called by the nativesKaronda-gouhah; it is now, however, also cultivated on the Malabar coast, in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, in China and Cochin-China. The cinnamon-tree, which grows on the coast, is generally about twenty or thirty feet high, and reaches a still greater height in groves: it is adorned with numerous boughs, bearing oval and laurel-like leaves, of a scarlet[162]colour when young, but changing to bright green, and growing to the length of from four to six inches when matured, and putting forth whitish blossoms, which ripen into fruit, resembling those of the juniper-tree in June: the fruit, though possessing neither the smell nor the taste of the cinnamon, when boiled secretes an oil, which, after cooling, becomes hard, white, and fragrant. The wood itself, which is white, inodorous, and soft as fir, is used for a variety of purposes. It is the rind which, when peeled off and dried in the sun, yields the much-valued cinnamon. (See Rosenmüller, Bibl. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.)Aloe(‏אָהָל‎,Ἀλοή. John xix. 39.ἀγάλλοχον,ξυλαλοή,arbor alois), a tree which grows in India and the Moluccas, the wood of which is highly aromatic. The stem of this tree is as thick as a man’s thigh; the top is adorned with a bunch of thick and indented leaves, broad below, and narrowing gradually towards the point, and are about four feet long: its blossoms—which are red, intermixed with yellow, and double like a pink—yield the pod, producing a red and white fruit, about the size of a pea. This tree, in consequence of its singularly beautiful appearance and odoriferous wood, which is used as a perfume, is very gratifying both to the sight and smell, and is held by the Indians in sacred veneration. (See Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.)‏רֹאשׁ‎,headmetaph.,chief,most excellent. Exod. xxx. 23; Ps. cxxxvii. 6; Ezek. xxvii. 22.15.With a garden-fountain, &c. To finish the picture of this charming garden, the shepherd introduces into it fountains, streams, rills, and cooling breezes, to rouse and waft the balmy fragrance through its delightful retreats. The fact that the Shulamite has been called asealedfountain proves that this verse is not descriptive of her. For it would be contradictory to call her in one verse asealedfountain, and in the other a streamflowingfrom Lebanon, i.e. anopen stream.‏מַעְיַן גַּנִּים‎a fountain of gardens, i.e. a fountain belonging to gardens, usually found in gardens to irrigate them.‏נֹזְליִם‎, a part. noun plur., denoting flowing streams. The‏מִן‎indicatesthe placewhence these streams issue.‏מַיִם חַיִּים‎living water, i.e. perennial; waters, gushing forth from fountains, or moving along, appear as if they wereliving; whilst those in a stagnant condition seemdead. Gen. xxvi. 19; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiv. 8; see alsoὕδωρ ζῶν, Rev. vii. 17, andflumen vivum, Virg. Æn. ii. 719.16.Arise, O north wind!These are still the words of the shepherd, who, to complete the picture, invokes the gentle breezes to perflate this paradise. Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Williams, Good, Ewald, Delitzsch, Philippson, &c., take this clause to begin her reply; but this is incompatible with the figure. Sheherself, and not anythingseparate, has been described as this charming garden. She could, therefore, not say “blow throughMYgarden” (‏גַנִּי‎), which would imply that this garden of hers was somethingapartfrom her person. Moreover, the expression‏גַנּוֹ‎,his garden, which she uses, shows that‏גַנִּי‎,my garden, is spoken by him. So Rashi, Döpke, Magnus, Hitzig, &c. That the south and north winds are merely poetical[163]designations for a gale generally, without any particular reference to the peculiarities of the wind when blowing from these respective regions is evident from a comparison of Numb. xi. 31 with Ps. lxxviii. 26. This does away with the conflicting conjectures which have been hazarded, to account for the invocation of the wind from these opposite quarters of the earth.‏צָפוֹן‎and‏תֵּימָן‎, prop. the north and southernquarters, are poetically used,‏רוּחַ צָפוֹן‎, and‏רוּחַ תֵּימָן‎, the north and southwind. Ps. lxviii. 26.‏בְּשָׂמִים‎,spices, heretheir odours.Let my beloved come, &c. The Shulamite, continuing this beautiful apostrophe, responds: “If my person really resembles such a paradise, this garden is yours; yours are all its productions.”‏פְּרִי מְגָדָיו‎, literallythe fruit of his deliciousness, i.e. hisdeliciousfruit. When a compound idea is expressed by one noun followed by another in the genitive, a suffix which refers to this whole idea is sometimes appended to the second of the two nouns. Comp.‏אֱלִילֵי כַּסְפּוֹ‎,his silver idols, Isa. ii. 20; Gesen. § 129, b; Ewald, § 291, b;‏גַן‎being of a common gender, the suffix in‏מְגָדָיו‎may either refer togarden, or tobeloved; it is more in keeping with the construction to refer it to the beloved, just as the suffix in‏גַּנְּוֹ‎refers to him. The fruit is the beloved’s because the garden is his, and therefore he may enjoy it.1.I am coming into my garden, &c. The shepherd, as he embraces his beloved, expresses his unbounded delight in her charms. The perfect forms,‏בָּאתִי שָׁתִיתִי‎,‏אָכַלְתִּי‎,‏אָרִתִי‎, are used for thepresent, Gesen. § 126.Eat, O friends, &c. Some sympathizing court ladies, at a distance, seeing the mutual happiness of the lovers, urge them to take their fill of delight. The explanation of Rashbam and others, that this address is to the companions of the beloved to partake of a friendly meal; or, as others will have it, that it is an invitation to the marriage feast, is against the context. The expression‏אִכְלוּ‎,eat ye, must be taken in the same sense as‏אָכַלְתִי‎,I eat; and it would be most incongruous to suppose that the beloved, who enjoys the charms of his loved one, would call on his friends to do the same. Dr. Geddes, who is followed by Dr. Good, alters the text into‏אכל רעי שת ושכיר דודי‎,Eat, O my friend! drink, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved!and puts it into the mouth of the Shulamite; thus making it an answer to what the beloved said in the preceding clause. But such conjectural emendations ought to be repudiated. It is most in accordance with the context to take these words as an epiphonema of some sympathizing court ladies. The parallelism and the accents require us to take‏דוֹדִים‎as aconcrete, synonymous with‏רֵעִים‎,friends; so the Sept., Vulg., Syr., Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Rashi, Mendelssohn, &c.[164]2.I was sleeping, &c. The sympathies manifested by some of the court ladies for the Shulamite, at the close of the last section, encourage her to relate to them a dream which she recently had. The purpose of this narration is the description of the shepherd to which it leads, and which is necessary to the completion of the whole drama.‏יְשֵׁנָה‎, like the participle form generally, may be used to expressallthe relations of time. Comp.‏כִּי כֻלָּם יְשֵׁנִים‎,for all were sleeping, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12; 1 Kings iii. 20. Gesen. § 134, 1; Ewald, § 306 d.‏לֵב‎,heart, here theseat of thought. The Hebrews regarded the heart, not only as the seat of the passions, but also of the intellectual faculties of the mind. The whole clause is merely another way of saying‏בַּחֲלֹמִי‎, Gen. xli. 17. The circumlocution is chosen in preference to‏בַּחֲלמִי‎, to indicate that the powers under which the exhausted frame succumbed, could not keep her mind from dwelling upon the object of her affections.‏קֹל‎,hark;vide supra, ii. 8.‏דֹפֵק‎is best taken with the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., and many modern commentators, as a separate clause,he is knocking. The Sept. addsἐπὶ τὴν θύραν,at the door,after‏דֹפֵק‎, he is knocking.Open to me, &c. She introduces him speaking. To make his request the more urgent, he pleads that he had[165]been drenched with dew. The dew falls so copiously in the East, during certain months, that it saturates the clothes like rain. See Judges vi. 38; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 122; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A similar passage occurs in Anacreon, iii. 10, where love is represented as standing at night behind the door, begging for admittance, and pleading the same excuses.Ἄνοιγε, φησίΒρέφος εἰμί, μὴ φόβησαιΒρέχομαι δέ, κἀσέληνονΚατὰ νύκτα πεπλάνημαι.“ ‘Fear not,’ said he, with piteous din,‘Pray ope the door and let me in:A poor unshelter’d boy am I,For help who knows not where to fly:Lost in the dark, and with the dews,All cold and wet, that midnight brews.’”Comp. also Propert. i. 16, 23; Ovid Amor. ii. 19, 21.‏תַמָּתִי‎,my perfect one, is well explained by Rosenmüller by‏מוּם אֵין בָּךְ‎,there is no fault in thee, iv. 7; 2 Sam. xiv. 25.3.I have put off my tunic; was the answer she gave in her dream.‏כֻּתֹּנֶת‎,χιτών,tunic, is an inner garment, commonly of linen, descending to the ankles, which is taken off when one retires. On the costume of the Hebrews, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.; Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. c. 2.I have washed my feet, &c. In the East, where people wear sandals, which protect the soles only, or go barefoot, as in the passage before us, the feet soon get dirty and parched; it is therefore essential and refreshing to wash the feet after much walking (Gen. xviii. 4; xix. 2), or before retiring to rest: remembering this, we can appreciate the hospitality shown to travellers in providing for the washing of their feet, Judges xix. 21. On the masculine suffix in‏אֲטַנְּפַם‎, referring to the feminine‏רַגְלַי‎, see iv. 9.4.My beloved withdrew his hand, &c. Hearing her excuses for not getting up, he at last grew weary and ceased knocking, which immediately caused her uneasiness. The words‏שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחוֹר‎are better translated,he sent away his hand from the hole= withdrew; so the Sept. and Rashbam,‏ההזירה לעצמו מן החור בדלת‎,he took his hand back from the hole in the door. The expression‏מֵעִים‎, like‏רַחֲמִים‎, has not themodernsense of bowels, which is restricted to thelower viscera, but denotes, likeτὰ σπλάγχναin Greek, theupper viscera, comprising the heart, lungs, liver, &c. Hence it is used for the heart alone as the seat of passion, Isa. lxiii. 15; Jer. xxxi. 20; and for‏נֶפֶשׁ‎,soul, Job xxx. 27; Ps. xl. 9.‏הָמָה‎,to hum,to make a noise, which is frequently used for the roaring produced by the waves of the troubled sea (Isa. li. 15; Ps. xlvi. 4; Jer. v. 22), is employed to denote the motion of anagitated heart. With upwards of fifty MSS. and several editions we read‏עָלַי‎,in me, instead of‏עָלָיו‎,to him; the phrase thus exactly corresponds to‏תֶּהֱמִי נַפְשִׁי עָלָי‎, Ps. xlii. 6, 12.5.My hands dropped with myrrh, &c. Alarmed at his ceasing to knock, she flew at once to open the door, and in trying to unfasten it, her hands came[166]in contact with the liquid myrrh which her beloved had poured upon the bolts, and which dropped from her fingers. So Immanuel,‏כי שרצתי לפתח לדודי ונגעתי בידי במקום אשר נגע בו דודי כששלח ידו מן החור נתבשמו ידי וקבלו מן הריח שהיה בידי דודי עד שעבור‎Lovers, in ancient times, whilst suing for admission, used to ornament the door with wreaths, and perfume it with aromatics. Thus Lucretius, iv. 1171,At lacrimans exclusus amator limina sæpeFloribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbosUnguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.“Then, too, the wretched lover oft abroadBars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumesBathing the splendid portals, and aroundScattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.”Comp. also Tibul. i. 2, 14. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; Rashbam however is of opinion that the liquid myrrh which distilled from the Shulamite’s hand, was the perfume with which she had anointed herself after washing. Whilst Percy supposes that “she got up in such haste, that she spilt upon her hand the vessel of liquid myrrh, which she had brought to anoint and refresh his head, after having been exposed to the inclemencies of the night.”‏מוֹר עֹבֵר‎,liquid myrrh, see i. 2; and not, as Le Clercerroneouslysupposes,current myrrh, that kind of myrrh which is most passable in traffic. The Vulg. has,Et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima, evidently mistaking the prep.‏עַל‎for‏מָלְאוּ‎, and takes the words‏כַּפּוֹת הַמַּנְעוּל‎over to the following verse,Pessulum ostii mei aperui dilecto meo.6.My beloved had withdrawn, &c. To her great grief she found, when opening, that her beloved had gone. The asyndeton‏חָמַק עָבַר‎is very expressive, and the use of the two synonymous terms strengthens the sense. This figure, which is effected by the omission of theconjunctiveparticle, is used in animated descriptions, both by sacred and profane writers. Comp.Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο, Mark iv, 39. Winer, New Testament Gram. § 66, 4. The phrase‏יָצָא נֶפֶשׁ‎, properly denoting the departure of the soul from the body, (Gesen. xxxv. 18; Ps. cxlvi. 4,) like‏יָצָא לֵב‎, is used to expressthe momentary loss of the senses, i.e.to faint.‏בְּדַבְּרוֹ‎,in his speaking, i.e. when he had spoken of it, (Judg. viii. 3; 1 Sam. xvii. 28),i.e.of his going away: so Rashi,‏שאמר לא אבא אל ביתך כי מתחילה לא אבית לפתוח‎, “Because he said I will not now enter thy house, for thou didst at first refuse to open me,” and Immanuel,‏נפשי יצאה בדברו אלי הנני הולך לדרכי אחרי שלא תפתחתי הדלת‎. “My soul departed when he told me, Now I am going away, because thou wouldst not open me the door.” We must employ a finite verb with a conjunction to express in English the Hebrew construction of the infinitive with a preposition, and the relation of time must be gathered from the connection, Gesen. § 132, 2, 3.7.The watchmen who patrol the city, &c. That the seeking and calling mentioned in the last verse were not confined to the door, is evident from this verse.‏פְצָעוּנִי‎,‏הִכּוּנִי‎are again an asyndeton.‏רָדִיד‎, which occurs only once more, Is. iii. 23, is a kind ofveil-garment, which Oriental ladies still wear, and denotes more properly an out-door[167]cloak. See Schroeder, Vestit. Mul. p. 368; Gesen. on Isa. iii. 23; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.; Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. p. 28.8.I adjure you, &c. Having mentioned the indifference with which she had treated her beloved, the Shulamite is anxious to impress upon the court-ladies that this was in a dream, and that in reality, so far from her affections being abated, she was as dotingly attached to him as ever; and begs of them, if they should see him, to tell him so. For the masculine termination in‏תִּמְצְאוּ אֶתְכֶם‎and‏תַּגִּידוּ‎, see ii. 7. We must supply‏הַגִּידוּ לוֹ‎,tell him, after‏מַה תַּגִּיודוּ לוֹ‎,what will you tell him?The omission is designedly made, to give animation to the request. The emendation proposed by Houbigant, to read‏הגידנו‎, instead of‏חגידו‎, is gratuitous, like all his emendations. The Sept. addsἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσιν τοῦ ἀγροῦ, “by the powers, and by the virtues of the field,” the false rendering of‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎, from the preceding formula of adjuration.9.What is thy beloved, &c. The great solicitude manifested by the Shulamite for her beloved, induces the court ladies to ask what peculiar attractions there were in him more than in an ordinary lover, to cause such an unusual manifestation of feeling, and thus an opportunity is afforded her to give a description of him. It is evident from this question of the court ladies that Solomon is not the beloved of whom the Shulamite has been speaking in the preceding verses. For surely these court ladies knew the aspect and character of Solomon better than the Shulamite. This is, moreover, established beyond doubt from ch. vi. 2, 3, where the damsel, at the end of the description, designedly states that the object of her delineation and attachment, is the shepherd. The particle‏מִן‎, prefixed to‏דוֹד‎, with which the comparison is made, expresses the comparative, Gesen. § 191, 1. For‏הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים‎, see i. 8, and for the form‏הִשְׁבַּעְתָּנוּ‎, Ewald, § 249, d.10.My beloved is white, &c. The Shulamite answers this question by giving a very graphic description of her beloved. The colour of his countenance and body is such a beautiful mingling of white and red as is seldom seen, and by which he is distinguished above thousands. A similar description is found in Virg. Æn. xii. 65, seq.Flagrantes perfusa genas: cui plurimus ignemSubjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro,Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multâAlba rosâ; tales virgo dabat ore colores.“At this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;A crimson blush her beauteous face o’erspread.Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.The driving colours, never at a stay,Run here and there, and flush and fade away.Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.”Comp. also Ovid. Am. ii.; Eleg. v. 39;[168]Hor. Od. i. 13, v. 2; iv. 10; v. 4; Tibul. Eleg.III, 4; vv. 29, 30.‏צַח‎,bright,white; compare Lam. iv. 7, where it stands in parallelism with‏זַךְ‎,clear; from the same passage we also see that the predicates‏צַח‎,white, and‏אָדַם‎,red, are not restricted to the countenance, but refer to all the parts of the body which the Oriental costume left exposed, to the carnation as it were of the picture.‏דָּגוּל‎denom. from‏דָּגֶל‎,banner; prop.to be furnished with a banner, i.e. his singular beauty renders him as distinguished above multitudes, just as a standard-bearer is marked above all other soldiers.‏מִן‎,more,above,vide supra, ver. 9,‏רְבָבָה‎indefinitely for a large number, see Gesen. xxiv. 60.11.His head is as pure gold.That is of consummate excellency. Having characterized his whole person as charming, the Shulamite describes the beauty of the individual parts of his body, and begins with his head. Gold is frequently used, both in Scripture and in profane writers, to denoteconsummate excellencyandbeauty. Thus the illustrious personages are called gold and fine gold in Lam. iv. 1; and Theocritus (Idyl. iii. 28.) calls the beautiful Helengolden. The words‏כֶּתֶם פָּז‎are variously rendered. The Sept. hasχρυσίου καιφάζ,gold ofCephaz, Aquila and Sym.λίθεα τοῦχρυσίου, so the Syriacܒܐܦܷܐ ܕܕܰܗܒܳܐ‎,a precious stone of gold. The Chald. has‏דְהַב טָב‎; so the Vulg.aurum optimum. The Rabbins too vary in their explanations of these words. Ibn Ezra takes‏כֶּתֶם‎to bea diadem, and‏פָּז‎,precious stones. Rashi indefinitely‏סגולת מלכים‎,choice things, which kings treasure up. Rashbam explains‏כָּתֶם‎bya heap of gold, and‏פָּז‎by‏זהב מופז‎, and says it is called‏פָּז‎, “because its colour is like pearl.” The majority of modern commentators, after the Sept., Vulg., Chald., take‏כֶּתֶם‎as a poetical expression forgold, and derive it from‏כָּתַם‎,to hide,to conceal; like‏סְגוֹר‎,gold(Job. xxviii. 15), from‏סָגַר‎,to shut up,to conceal, because precious metals are generally kept shut up or concealed. This meaning and derivation of the word are supported by the fact that treasures and precious things are generally expressed in Hebrew by words whose roots signify toconceal; comp.‏אוֹצָר‎,a treasure(1 Kings vii. 51; xiv. 26), from‏אָצַר‎,to shut up;‏מַטְמוֹן‎,a treasure,gold(Isa. liv. 2; Prov. ii. 4), from‏טָמַן‎,to hide;‏צָפוּן‎,riches(Job xx. 26), from‏צָפַן‎,to conceal. As for‏פָּז‎, it is translated by somepurified,pure, from‏פָּזַז‎,to separate,to purify(Gesenius, &c.); and by otherssolid,massy, from‏פָּזַז‎,to be strong,solid(Rosenmüller, &c.). But‏פָּז‎never occurs as an adjective to‏כֶּתֶם‎, or to‏זָהָב‎(‏זָהָב מוּפָז‎, 1 Kings x. 18, is a contraction of‏זָהָב מְאוּפָז‎, comp. Jer. x. 9); the word itself invariably meansgold(see Job xxvii. 17; Ps. xix. 11; xxi. 4; cxix. 27; Prov. viii. 19; Cant. v. 15; Isa. xiii. 12; Lam. iv. 2.); and accordingly ought to be rendered so here: “thy head is as gold, gold.” As this, however, would produce tautology, it is therefore best to take‏פָּז‎as a contraction of‏אוּפָז‎(a variation of‏אוֹפּיר‎; see Gesenius, s.v.; Henderson on Jer. x. 9, and Stuart on Dan. x. 5), with which this word goes together, 1 Kings x. 18; Jer. x. 9; Dan. x. 5. As‏אוּפָן‎=‏כֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר‎, is regarded as the best gold; hence the rendering of the Vulg.aurum optimum, and Chald.‏דְהַב טָב‎.Black as the raven,i.e.of the purest and most jet black, so highly esteemed by the Orientals as well as by the classical writers. Thus Hafiz, as quoted by Dr. Good:—“Thy face is brighter than the cheek of day.Blacker thy locks than midnight’s deepest sway.”And Ossian, Fingal, 2: “Her hair was the wing of the raven.” Comp. also Anac. xxix.; Ovid. Am. El. xiv. 9.‏תַּלְהַּלִּים‎, is rendered by the Sept.ἐλαταί,the young leaves of the palm; so the Vulg.sicut elatæ palmarum; similarly[169]Gesenius, De Wette, &c.,pendulous branches of the palm; but this signification does not lie in the root‏תָּלַל‎, which simply meanswaving,hanging, orflowing down; hence‏תַּלְתַּלִּים‎(according to the analogy of‏זַלְזַלִּים‎and‏סַלְסַלִּים‎, comp. Ewald, § 158, b)flowing curls,locks.12.His eyes, like doves, &c. The vivid and black pupils of his eyes, sparkling forth from the encircling lactean white, in which they are, as it were, bathing and sitting on the fountain of tears, resemble doves bathing gaily in pellucid streams. The doves themselves, and not their eyes, are the point of comparison (vide supra, i. 15, and iv. 1.) Doves are very fond of bathing, and hence choose for their abode regions abounding with streams (Boch. Hieroz. ii. 1, c. 2.) The deep blue or grey dove, reflecting the lustrous dark hue about its neck when bathing in the limpid brook, suggested this beautiful simile. A similar figure occurs in the Gitagovinda: “The glances of her eyes played likea pair of water-birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full-blown lotos in a pool in the season of dew.” The words‏רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב‎,bathing in milk, referring to the eyes, are descriptive of the milky white in which the black pupils of the eyes are, as it were, bathing.‏עַל מִלֵּאת‎,on the fulness, also referring to the eyes, correspond to the‏עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם‎,by the brooks of water, which are predicated of the doves. Hodgson’s rendering of‏יֹשְׁבוֹתעַל מִלֵּאת‎, by “and dwell among the ripe corn,” is absurd.13.His cheeks are like beds of balsam, &c. His round cheeks with the pullulating beard, resemble beds growing aromatic plants. The Sept., Arabic, Æth., Chald., read‏מְגַדִּלוֹת‎, the part. Piel, instead of‏מִגְדְּלוֹת‎, which many modern commentators follow, but without MS. authority. The lily here referred to is most probably thecrown imperial, of a deep red colour, whose leaves contain an aqueous humidity, which gathers itself in the form of pearls, especially at noon, and distils clear and pellucid drops; see Rosenmüller, Alther, iv. 138; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. There is, however, no necessity for referring the words “distilling liquid myrrh,” to the lilies. Indeed, it seems to be more consonant with the context, to take them as predicated of the lips, expressing the sweetness of his conversation. Comp. iv. 11.14.His hands are like, &c. His rounded arms and fingers tipped with well-shaped nails, as if inlaid with precious stones, resemble golden cylinders: and his white and smooth body, covered with a delicate blue vest, resembles polished ivory.‏גָּלִיל‎(from‏גָּלַל‎,to roll),a roller,a cylinder. Kleuker, Gesenius, Döpke, &c., translate‏יָדָיוגְּלִילֵיזָהָבוגו״‎,his hands are like golden rings, adorned with gems of Tarshish, comparing the hand when closed or bent to a golden ring, and the dyed nails to the gems in the rings. But‏גָּלִיל‎never occurs in the sense of a ring worn on the finger; the word so used is‏טַבַּעַת‎, which would have been used here had the figure meant what Kleuker, &c. understood by it.‏תַּרְשִׁישׁ‎, according to the Sept., Aquila, Josephus, and modern writers, is the chrysolite, and owes its Hebrew name to the circumstance that it was first found in Tartessus, that ancient city in Spain, between the two mouths of the riverBaetis(Guadalquiver). The chrysolite, as its name imports[170](χρυσός,gold, andλίθος,a stone), is of a yellow or gold colour, and pellucid. Being of a glass lustre, the chrysolite is beautifully chosen to represent the nails. The words‏מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ‎refer to‏יָדָיו‎. The expression‏מֵעִים‎, prop.the internal partsof the human frame (v. 4), is here used for theexternal= the body; so Dan. ii. 32.‏עֶשֶׁת‎is taken by most modern commentators to denotesomething fabricated, orwrought; anartificial work; thus deducing this sense from the secondary meaning of‏עָשַׁת‎, which the Syriac (ܥܰܒܕܳܐ‎,work,) seems to favour; but this is incompatible with the description here given of the beloved. The Shulamite, throughout the whole of this delineation, depicts the splendour and colour of the body as they dazzlethe eye, but makes no reference to the wondrous construction of the frame, which could have been discerned only by the exercise of theintellect. It is therefore better, with Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, Rashi, Rashbam, Luther, Auth. Version, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Williams, Good, Hengstenberg, &c. to take‏עֶשֶׁת‎, from‏עָשַׁת‎, in its primary meaning,to shine,to be bright, in the sense ofbrightness,polish; comp. Jer. v. 28.Covered with sapphires.These words refer to his body, and describe the purple tunic covering the snowy white skin. Good, Meier, &c. take it to describe the blue veins which were seen through his clear snowy skin, like a sapphire stone through a thin transparent plate of ivory. But this is against the meaning of‏מְעֻלֶּפֶת‎, which signifiescovered, and notinlaid; the external covering, and not the internal seen through the outer cover. Commentators are not agreed whether that which we call the genuine sapphire, a transparent stone of a beautiful sky-blue colour, in hardness and value next to the diamond, is meant by‏סַפִּיר‎; or the sapphire of the ancients, which, according to Pliny, (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 39; Theophrast. De Lapid. 231,) is a stone of a pure blue colour, and has frequently pebble spots of a golden yellow hue, which were formerly thought to be really gold, and is evidently our lapis lazuli, lazure-stone. As the latter does neither suit Job xxviii. 6, for the lazure-stone is not very precious; nor Exod. xxviii. 18, since it is too soft to bear engraving, it is more probable that the real sapphire is meant by‏סַפִּיר‎in the Scriptures. This stone is often found in collections of ancient gems; see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot. and Miner.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v. The Syriac, which translates‏מְעֻלֶּפֶתסַפִּירִים‎byܥܰܠ ܡܰܦܚܳܐ ܣܦܻܝܐܳܐ‎,upon the sapphire breathing, must have had another reading.15.His legs are like pillars of marble, &c. His white legs, standing upon beautiful feet, resemble the purest marble columns based upon golden pedestals.‏שׁוֹק‎, as Kimchi well explains it,‏מה שהוא על הרגל חליל ויגיע עד הברכים‎, is that part of the limb from the knee to the foot. That‏אַדְנֵי פָז‎refers to his feet (Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Kleuker, Meier, Hitzig, &c.), and not to his sandals (Good, Williams, &c.), is evident from ver. 11 and 14, where the head and the hands, the visible parts of the body, are described as golden; and it is but natural that the feet, the only remaining exposed parts, should also be described as golden.His aspect is like that of Lebanon.Having depicted the single parts of his body, the Shulamite now joins them together, and presents them in one whole, the appearance of which impresses the mind with a sense of beauty and majesty, like that of Lebanon. “That goodly mountain,[171]even Lebanon” (Deut. iii. 25), being so luxuriant in its vegetation and rich in scenery, appeared very beautiful and majestic at a distance. “Lebanon is a noble range of mountains, well worthy of the fame it has so long maintained. It is cultivated in a wonderful manner, by the help of terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its eminences, more than 2,000 feet high, villages and luxuriant vegetation; and on some of its peaks, 6,000 feet high, we could discern tall pines against the clear sky beyond. At first the clouds were on the lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and we saw Tannin, which is generally regarded as the highest peak of Lebanon. There is a deep ravine that seems to run up the whole way, and Tannin rises to the height of 10,000 feet. The rays of the setting sun gave a splendid tint to the lofty brow of the mountain.”—Mission of Inquiry to the Jews, p. 240, &c.; comp. also Isa. xxxv. 2; Rosenmüller, Alterth. i. 2. p. 239; Volney, Travels, i. 293.He is distinguished as the cedars,i.e., in his stature. The lofty cedar, towering above all other trees, is easily distinguished from the rest (Ezek. xxxi. 3–16; Amos ii. 9). A similar comparison occurs in Theocritus, xviii. 30, as quoted above, i. 9. The Chald., Ewald, Magnus, Philippson, &c., take‏בַּחוּר‎foryoung man,youth; comp. Ruth iii. 10; Isa. lxii. 5, “A young man like the cedars;” but the point of comparison is lost in this case. Besides, we should then expect the sing.‏אֶרֶז‎, and not the plur.‏אֲרָזִים‎. Moreover, 2 Kings xix. 23, and Jer. xxii. 7, where the same phrase‏מִבְחַר אֲרָזִים‎is used, is against it.16.His voice is exquisitely sweet, &c. The members, after being analysed separately, have been viewed as a whole; but the beautiful person thus described is inanimate, like the splendid marble columns or the lofty cedars, to which she had compared him. In this verse the Shulamite represents the charms of his speech; and thus affirms his whole person, bodily and mentally, as most lovely. “Such,” she triumphantly exclaims, “is my friend; and now, ye daughters of Jerusalem, judge for yourselves wherein my beloved is more than another beloved.”‏חֵךְ‎, prop.palate, is used forthe organ of speech, andspeechitself, Job vi. 30; xxxi. 10; Prov. v. 3. That‏חֵךְ‎here does not mean any part of the body, is evident from the context; for it would be preposterous to recur to thepalateormouthafter the whole person had been described.‏מַמְתַּקִּים‎and‏מַחֲמַדִּים‎areabstracts(see i. 2),adjectivelyused (Gesen. § 106, 1, Rem. 1), to give intensity to the idea; comp. Gen. i. 2.‏כֻּלּוֹ‎,his whole person, bodily and mentally.1.Whither is thy beloved gone, &c.? The court ladies, moved by this charming description, inquire of the Shulamite what direction he took, and offer to seek him. The word‏הַגִּדִי‎is omitted after‏דֹודֵךְ‎, for the sake of brevity and pathos. For the superlative force of‏הַיָפָה בַּנָּשִׁים‎,vide supra, i. 8.[172]2,3.My beloved is gone down into his garden, &c. The Shulamite, knowing that the court ladies are anxious to induce her to transfer her affections to the king, replies in a vague manner, that he is gone to his garden, he is not lost, nor has her affection to him abated, though they are now separated, nor does she fear that his love for her is diminished. This incontestably proves that the object of the damsel’s affection, of whom she gave a description in the preceding, is not the king, but, as she herself tells us here most unequivocally, a shepherd. For ver. 3, comp. chap. ii. 16.4.Graceful art thou, O my love, &c. Just as before (i. 9), Solomon made his appearance as soon as the Shulamite inquired after her beloved, so here he comes forward again when she speaks of her absent lover; thus endeavouring to show his own attachment to her. He addresses her, as before, in the most flattering terms: “Thou art as graceful as the delectable Tirzah, as charming as the delightful Jerusalem, as striking and conquering as an imposing army in full battle array.” Tirzah was the royal residence of the kings of Israel after the revolt of Rehoboam, and retained that distinction till the time of Omri, who built Samaria (1 Kings x. 15–21; xvi. 14; 2 Kings xv. 4). It was a city of fascinating appearance, as its name,‏תִּרְצָה‎,delightful, indicates; and hence yielded a very flattering comparison. The Sept. takes‏תִּרְצָה‎as an appellative,ὡς εὐδοκία; so Aquila,κατ’ εὐδοκίαν, Sym.εὐδοκήτη, Syriac,ܐܝܰܟ ܨܶܒܝܳܢܳܐ‎The Chald. paraphrases it‏בִּזְמַן דצְבוּתֵךְ‎,in the time of thy willingness, and Rashi inclines to it; the Vulg. hassuavis et decora. But there can be no doubt, as Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, and all modern commentators take it, that it is a proper name, Tirzah, the capital of Jeroboam’s kingdom. It may be that the ancient versions resorted to the expediency of taking‏תִּרְצָה‎as an appellative, because they wished to avoid the contrast of the two capitals, since this would speak against Solomon being the author of this book. Jerusalem, “the perfection of beauty” (Lam. ii. 15), afforded another excellent figure.Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts!The fascinating power of a woman is frequently compared to the prowess of an armed host. Comp. Prov. vii. 26.‏אָיוֹם‎, which occurs once more in connexion with‏נוֹרָא‎, Hab. i. 7, meansawful,awe-inspiring,imposing.‏נִדְגָּלוֹת‎, Niph. part. prop.bannered,people furnished, orarrayed with banners, hencearmies,hosts. The feminine is here used to express a collective idea; comp.‏אֹרְחוֹת‎,caravans, Isa. xxi. 13; Gesen. § 107, 3 d; Ewald, § 179 c.5.Turn away thine eyes from me, &c. These awe-inspiring hosts are described as concentrated in her eyes, which[173]Solomon implores the Shulamite to remove from him. “The artillery of the eyes,” says Dr. Good,in loco, “is an idea common to poets of every nation.” Thus Anacreon, xvi.

11.Thy lips, O my betrothed, &c. Every word which falls from her lips is like a drop from the honeycomb. This comparison is used in other parts of Scripture, and by the Greeks and Romans. Thus Prov. v. 3:—

“The harlot’s lips distil honey,And her palate is smoother than oil.”

“The harlot’s lips distil honey,

And her palate is smoother than oil.”

Theocrit. Idyl. xx. 26:—

τὸ στόμα καὶ πακτᾶς γλυκερώτερον· ἐκ στομάτων δὲἔῤῥεέ μοι φωνὰ γλυκερωτέραἢμέλι κήρω.“More sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.”

τὸ στόμα καὶ πακτᾶς γλυκερώτερον· ἐκ στομάτων δὲἔῤῥεέ μοι φωνὰ γλυκερωτέραἢμέλι κήρω.

τὸ στόμα καὶ πακτᾶς γλυκερώτερον· ἐκ στομάτων δὲ

ἔῤῥεέ μοι φωνὰ γλυκερωτέραἢμέλι κήρω.

“More sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.”

“More sweet my lips than milk in luscious rills,

Lips, whence pure honey, as I speak, distils.”

Also Idyl. i. 146, 8, 82; Homer, Iliad, i. 249; Hor. Epist. i. 19, 44. That we are to understand by distilling honey, “lovely words,” and notsaliva oris osculantis, is evident from Prov. xvi. 24, where pleasant words are compared to a honeycomb, and the passage already quoted, just as slanderous words are represented as poisons, Ps. cxl. 3.

And the odour of thy garments, &c. The Orientals were in the habit of perfuming their clothes with aromatics. Thus we are told that the garments of Jacob emitted a pleasant smell, Gen. xxviii. 27; Ps. xlv. 9; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 122. In consequence of the odoriferous trees which abounded on it, Lebanon became proverbial for fragrance. Hence the prophet Hosea (xiv. 7), describing the prosperous state of repenting Israel, says‏וְרֵיחַ לוֹ כַּלְבַנוֹן‎,and his odour shall be as that of Lebanon. This passage is sufficient to show the error of the Vulg. in rendering‏כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן‎bysicut odor thuris, as if it were‏כְּרֵיחַ לְבוֹנָה‎. The perfumed attire which the Shulamite had on, and which the shepherd here praises, is evidently not the humble clothes which she had brought with her, but some splendid apparel recently given to her by the king.

12.A closed garden, &c. The trees of Lebanon, referred to at the end of the last verse, suggested this beautiful metaphor of a garden, under which the shepherd describes the unsullied purity and chastity of the Shulamite. Gardens in the East were generally hedged or walled in, to prevent the intrusion of strangers (Isa. v. 5; Joseph. De Bell. Jud. vii.). From this arose the epithet, “closed garden,” for a virtuous woman, shut up against every attempt to alienate her affections. The contrary figure is used in viii. 9; there accessibility is described as “a door,”i.e.open to seduction.

A sealed fountain, &c. Another metaphor to express the same idea. The scarcity of water in arid countries renders fountains very valuable. To secure them against the encroachment of strangers, the proprietors formerly fastened their fountains with some ligament, and the impression of a seal upon clay, which would quickly harden in the sun, that would soon dissolve wax. This mode of rendering pits safe is found in Dan. vi. 18; Matt. xxvii. 66. A fountain sealed in this manner indicated that it was private property. Hence its metaphorical use, to represent chastity as an inaccessible[161]fountain. It is better, with the Sept., Syriac, Arabic, Chald., Vulg., upwards of fifty of Kennicott’s MSS., and many modern commentators, to read‏גַּן‎, instead of‏גַּל‎. This is confirmed by the intensive phraseology of the shepherd, used in his addresses, which is produced by a repetition of the same words. Comp. supra, vv. 8, 9.

13.Thy shoots, &c. Having compared his loved one to a garden, the shepherd is anxious to show that the one she resembled is not of an ordinary character. It is an orchard full of the most costly trees, and producing the most delicious fruit.‏שְׁלָחַיִךְ‎, well rendered by the Sept.ἀποστολαί σου: and Kimchi,‏התפשטות‎,thy shoots,branches(Gen. xlix. 21; Ps. lxxx. 12) is figuratively used for the members of the body, and not for “the children who shall spring from her,” as Hodgson supposes.‏פַּרְדֵּס‎, found elsewhere only Eccl. ii. 5; Neh. ii. 8, has been derived by some from the Persian, and by others from the Sanscrit. There is no necessity, however, for seeking its etymology in other languages. The Hebrews, who had gardens at so early a period, would surely not borrow names for them from other nations.‏פַּרְדֵּס‎, according to the analogy of the quadriliteral‏פַּרְשֵׁז‎, is a compound of‏פָּרַד‎,to divide, and‏פָּרַס‎,to separate,to enclose; hencea protected, an enclosed place,a garden. This is corroborated by the fact that‏גַּן‎,a garden, is also derived from a root (‏גָּנַן‎), which meansto separate,to enclose. Compare also the German and English,Gärten,garden, and Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. p. 117. And like many other Hebrew expressions, this word was adopted in other languages.‏רִמּוֹנִים‎,pomegranate-trees: the Hebrews frequently use the same expression to denote the tree and its fruit, see supra, ii. 3.‏פְּרִי מְגָדִים‎,i.q.‏פִּרְיֵיְ מֶגָד‎,precious fruits: when a compound idea is to be expressed in the plural, the governed noun only is often put in the plural form;e.g.‏בֵּית אָבוֹת‎,ancestral houses, Numb. i. 2; Gesen. § 108, 3. The precious fruits are those of the pomegranate-tree. The words‏כְּפָרִים עִם נְרָדִים‎, are still genitives to‏פַּרְדֵּס‎. For‏כֹּפֶר‎, and‏נֵרְדְּ‎, see supra, i. 12, 13.

14.Nard and crocus, &c. Both the ancient versions and modern commentators generally agree that by the word‏כַּרְכֹּﬦ‎, which occurs only here, the well-knownsaffron plantis meant. Calamus (‏קָנֶה‎,reed, also written‏קְנֵה בשֵֹׁם‎and‏קָנֶה הַטּוֹב‎,sweet calamus, Exod. xxx. 23; Jer. vi. 20,κάλαμος ἀρωματικός, Calamus odoratus), was well known and highly prized among the ancients, and was imported to Palestine from India (Jer. vi. 20; xxvii. 19); it was, however, also found in the valley of Mount Lebanon, (Polyb. v. 46; Strabo, xvi. 4). It has a reed-like stem, of a tawny colour, much jointed, breaking into splinters, and its hollow reed filled with pitch, like the web of a spider. The best, which, according to Pliny (Hist. Nat. xii. 12 or 48), grows in Arabia, diffuses around a very agreeable odour, and is soft to the touch (see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.) Cinnamon (‏קִנָּמוֹן‎,κίναμον,Laurus cinnamomum), indigenous to Ceylon in the East Indies, and is called by the nativesKaronda-gouhah; it is now, however, also cultivated on the Malabar coast, in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, in China and Cochin-China. The cinnamon-tree, which grows on the coast, is generally about twenty or thirty feet high, and reaches a still greater height in groves: it is adorned with numerous boughs, bearing oval and laurel-like leaves, of a scarlet[162]colour when young, but changing to bright green, and growing to the length of from four to six inches when matured, and putting forth whitish blossoms, which ripen into fruit, resembling those of the juniper-tree in June: the fruit, though possessing neither the smell nor the taste of the cinnamon, when boiled secretes an oil, which, after cooling, becomes hard, white, and fragrant. The wood itself, which is white, inodorous, and soft as fir, is used for a variety of purposes. It is the rind which, when peeled off and dried in the sun, yields the much-valued cinnamon. (See Rosenmüller, Bibl. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.)Aloe(‏אָהָל‎,Ἀλοή. John xix. 39.ἀγάλλοχον,ξυλαλοή,arbor alois), a tree which grows in India and the Moluccas, the wood of which is highly aromatic. The stem of this tree is as thick as a man’s thigh; the top is adorned with a bunch of thick and indented leaves, broad below, and narrowing gradually towards the point, and are about four feet long: its blossoms—which are red, intermixed with yellow, and double like a pink—yield the pod, producing a red and white fruit, about the size of a pea. This tree, in consequence of its singularly beautiful appearance and odoriferous wood, which is used as a perfume, is very gratifying both to the sight and smell, and is held by the Indians in sacred veneration. (See Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot.; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.)‏רֹאשׁ‎,headmetaph.,chief,most excellent. Exod. xxx. 23; Ps. cxxxvii. 6; Ezek. xxvii. 22.

15.With a garden-fountain, &c. To finish the picture of this charming garden, the shepherd introduces into it fountains, streams, rills, and cooling breezes, to rouse and waft the balmy fragrance through its delightful retreats. The fact that the Shulamite has been called asealedfountain proves that this verse is not descriptive of her. For it would be contradictory to call her in one verse asealedfountain, and in the other a streamflowingfrom Lebanon, i.e. anopen stream.‏מַעְיַן גַּנִּים‎a fountain of gardens, i.e. a fountain belonging to gardens, usually found in gardens to irrigate them.‏נֹזְליִם‎, a part. noun plur., denoting flowing streams. The‏מִן‎indicatesthe placewhence these streams issue.‏מַיִם חַיִּים‎living water, i.e. perennial; waters, gushing forth from fountains, or moving along, appear as if they wereliving; whilst those in a stagnant condition seemdead. Gen. xxvi. 19; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiv. 8; see alsoὕδωρ ζῶν, Rev. vii. 17, andflumen vivum, Virg. Æn. ii. 719.

16.Arise, O north wind!These are still the words of the shepherd, who, to complete the picture, invokes the gentle breezes to perflate this paradise. Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Williams, Good, Ewald, Delitzsch, Philippson, &c., take this clause to begin her reply; but this is incompatible with the figure. Sheherself, and not anythingseparate, has been described as this charming garden. She could, therefore, not say “blow throughMYgarden” (‏גַנִּי‎), which would imply that this garden of hers was somethingapartfrom her person. Moreover, the expression‏גַנּוֹ‎,his garden, which she uses, shows that‏גַנִּי‎,my garden, is spoken by him. So Rashi, Döpke, Magnus, Hitzig, &c. That the south and north winds are merely poetical[163]designations for a gale generally, without any particular reference to the peculiarities of the wind when blowing from these respective regions is evident from a comparison of Numb. xi. 31 with Ps. lxxviii. 26. This does away with the conflicting conjectures which have been hazarded, to account for the invocation of the wind from these opposite quarters of the earth.‏צָפוֹן‎and‏תֵּימָן‎, prop. the north and southernquarters, are poetically used,‏רוּחַ צָפוֹן‎, and‏רוּחַ תֵּימָן‎, the north and southwind. Ps. lxviii. 26.‏בְּשָׂמִים‎,spices, heretheir odours.

Let my beloved come, &c. The Shulamite, continuing this beautiful apostrophe, responds: “If my person really resembles such a paradise, this garden is yours; yours are all its productions.”‏פְּרִי מְגָדָיו‎, literallythe fruit of his deliciousness, i.e. hisdeliciousfruit. When a compound idea is expressed by one noun followed by another in the genitive, a suffix which refers to this whole idea is sometimes appended to the second of the two nouns. Comp.‏אֱלִילֵי כַּסְפּוֹ‎,his silver idols, Isa. ii. 20; Gesen. § 129, b; Ewald, § 291, b;‏גַן‎being of a common gender, the suffix in‏מְגָדָיו‎may either refer togarden, or tobeloved; it is more in keeping with the construction to refer it to the beloved, just as the suffix in‏גַּנְּוֹ‎refers to him. The fruit is the beloved’s because the garden is his, and therefore he may enjoy it.

1.I am coming into my garden, &c. The shepherd, as he embraces his beloved, expresses his unbounded delight in her charms. The perfect forms,‏בָּאתִי שָׁתִיתִי‎,‏אָכַלְתִּי‎,‏אָרִתִי‎, are used for thepresent, Gesen. § 126.

Eat, O friends, &c. Some sympathizing court ladies, at a distance, seeing the mutual happiness of the lovers, urge them to take their fill of delight. The explanation of Rashbam and others, that this address is to the companions of the beloved to partake of a friendly meal; or, as others will have it, that it is an invitation to the marriage feast, is against the context. The expression‏אִכְלוּ‎,eat ye, must be taken in the same sense as‏אָכַלְתִי‎,I eat; and it would be most incongruous to suppose that the beloved, who enjoys the charms of his loved one, would call on his friends to do the same. Dr. Geddes, who is followed by Dr. Good, alters the text into‏אכל רעי שת ושכיר דודי‎,Eat, O my friend! drink, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved!and puts it into the mouth of the Shulamite; thus making it an answer to what the beloved said in the preceding clause. But such conjectural emendations ought to be repudiated. It is most in accordance with the context to take these words as an epiphonema of some sympathizing court ladies. The parallelism and the accents require us to take‏דוֹדִים‎as aconcrete, synonymous with‏רֵעִים‎,friends; so the Sept., Vulg., Syr., Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Rashi, Mendelssohn, &c.[164]

2.I was sleeping, &c. The sympathies manifested by some of the court ladies for the Shulamite, at the close of the last section, encourage her to relate to them a dream which she recently had. The purpose of this narration is the description of the shepherd to which it leads, and which is necessary to the completion of the whole drama.‏יְשֵׁנָה‎, like the participle form generally, may be used to expressallthe relations of time. Comp.‏כִּי כֻלָּם יְשֵׁנִים‎,for all were sleeping, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12; 1 Kings iii. 20. Gesen. § 134, 1; Ewald, § 306 d.‏לֵב‎,heart, here theseat of thought. The Hebrews regarded the heart, not only as the seat of the passions, but also of the intellectual faculties of the mind. The whole clause is merely another way of saying‏בַּחֲלֹמִי‎, Gen. xli. 17. The circumlocution is chosen in preference to‏בַּחֲלמִי‎, to indicate that the powers under which the exhausted frame succumbed, could not keep her mind from dwelling upon the object of her affections.‏קֹל‎,hark;vide supra, ii. 8.‏דֹפֵק‎is best taken with the Sept., Syriac, Vulg., and many modern commentators, as a separate clause,he is knocking. The Sept. addsἐπὶ τὴν θύραν,at the door,after‏דֹפֵק‎, he is knocking.

Open to me, &c. She introduces him speaking. To make his request the more urgent, he pleads that he had[165]been drenched with dew. The dew falls so copiously in the East, during certain months, that it saturates the clothes like rain. See Judges vi. 38; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 122; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A similar passage occurs in Anacreon, iii. 10, where love is represented as standing at night behind the door, begging for admittance, and pleading the same excuses.

Ἄνοιγε, φησίΒρέφος εἰμί, μὴ φόβησαιΒρέχομαι δέ, κἀσέληνονΚατὰ νύκτα πεπλάνημαι.“ ‘Fear not,’ said he, with piteous din,‘Pray ope the door and let me in:A poor unshelter’d boy am I,For help who knows not where to fly:Lost in the dark, and with the dews,All cold and wet, that midnight brews.’”

Ἄνοιγε, φησίΒρέφος εἰμί, μὴ φόβησαιΒρέχομαι δέ, κἀσέληνονΚατὰ νύκτα πεπλάνημαι.

Ἄνοιγε, φησί

Βρέφος εἰμί, μὴ φόβησαι

Βρέχομαι δέ, κἀσέληνον

Κατὰ νύκτα πεπλάνημαι.

“ ‘Fear not,’ said he, with piteous din,‘Pray ope the door and let me in:A poor unshelter’d boy am I,For help who knows not where to fly:Lost in the dark, and with the dews,All cold and wet, that midnight brews.’”

“ ‘Fear not,’ said he, with piteous din,

‘Pray ope the door and let me in:

A poor unshelter’d boy am I,

For help who knows not where to fly:

Lost in the dark, and with the dews,

All cold and wet, that midnight brews.’”

Comp. also Propert. i. 16, 23; Ovid Amor. ii. 19, 21.‏תַמָּתִי‎,my perfect one, is well explained by Rosenmüller by‏מוּם אֵין בָּךְ‎,there is no fault in thee, iv. 7; 2 Sam. xiv. 25.

3.I have put off my tunic; was the answer she gave in her dream.‏כֻּתֹּנֶת‎,χιτών,tunic, is an inner garment, commonly of linen, descending to the ankles, which is taken off when one retires. On the costume of the Hebrews, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.; Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. c. 2.

I have washed my feet, &c. In the East, where people wear sandals, which protect the soles only, or go barefoot, as in the passage before us, the feet soon get dirty and parched; it is therefore essential and refreshing to wash the feet after much walking (Gen. xviii. 4; xix. 2), or before retiring to rest: remembering this, we can appreciate the hospitality shown to travellers in providing for the washing of their feet, Judges xix. 21. On the masculine suffix in‏אֲטַנְּפַם‎, referring to the feminine‏רַגְלַי‎, see iv. 9.

4.My beloved withdrew his hand, &c. Hearing her excuses for not getting up, he at last grew weary and ceased knocking, which immediately caused her uneasiness. The words‏שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחוֹר‎are better translated,he sent away his hand from the hole= withdrew; so the Sept. and Rashbam,‏ההזירה לעצמו מן החור בדלת‎,he took his hand back from the hole in the door. The expression‏מֵעִים‎, like‏רַחֲמִים‎, has not themodernsense of bowels, which is restricted to thelower viscera, but denotes, likeτὰ σπλάγχναin Greek, theupper viscera, comprising the heart, lungs, liver, &c. Hence it is used for the heart alone as the seat of passion, Isa. lxiii. 15; Jer. xxxi. 20; and for‏נֶפֶשׁ‎,soul, Job xxx. 27; Ps. xl. 9.‏הָמָה‎,to hum,to make a noise, which is frequently used for the roaring produced by the waves of the troubled sea (Isa. li. 15; Ps. xlvi. 4; Jer. v. 22), is employed to denote the motion of anagitated heart. With upwards of fifty MSS. and several editions we read‏עָלַי‎,in me, instead of‏עָלָיו‎,to him; the phrase thus exactly corresponds to‏תֶּהֱמִי נַפְשִׁי עָלָי‎, Ps. xlii. 6, 12.

5.My hands dropped with myrrh, &c. Alarmed at his ceasing to knock, she flew at once to open the door, and in trying to unfasten it, her hands came[166]in contact with the liquid myrrh which her beloved had poured upon the bolts, and which dropped from her fingers. So Immanuel,‏כי שרצתי לפתח לדודי ונגעתי בידי במקום אשר נגע בו דודי כששלח ידו מן החור נתבשמו ידי וקבלו מן הריח שהיה בידי דודי עד שעבור‎Lovers, in ancient times, whilst suing for admission, used to ornament the door with wreaths, and perfume it with aromatics. Thus Lucretius, iv. 1171,

At lacrimans exclusus amator limina sæpeFloribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbosUnguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.“Then, too, the wretched lover oft abroadBars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumesBathing the splendid portals, and aroundScattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.”

At lacrimans exclusus amator limina sæpeFloribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbosUnguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.

At lacrimans exclusus amator limina sæpe

Floribus, et sertis operit, posteisque superbos

Unguit amaracino, et foribus miser oscula figit.

“Then, too, the wretched lover oft abroadBars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumesBathing the splendid portals, and aroundScattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.”

“Then, too, the wretched lover oft abroad

Bars she, who at her gate loud weeping stands,

Kissing the walls that clasp her; with perfumes

Bathing the splendid portals, and around

Scattering rich wreaths and odoriferous flowers.”

Comp. also Tibul. i. 2, 14. So Herder, Kleuker, Ewald, Döpke, Rosenmüller, Philippson, &c.; Rashbam however is of opinion that the liquid myrrh which distilled from the Shulamite’s hand, was the perfume with which she had anointed herself after washing. Whilst Percy supposes that “she got up in such haste, that she spilt upon her hand the vessel of liquid myrrh, which she had brought to anoint and refresh his head, after having been exposed to the inclemencies of the night.”‏מוֹר עֹבֵר‎,liquid myrrh, see i. 2; and not, as Le Clercerroneouslysupposes,current myrrh, that kind of myrrh which is most passable in traffic. The Vulg. has,Et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima, evidently mistaking the prep.‏עַל‎for‏מָלְאוּ‎, and takes the words‏כַּפּוֹת הַמַּנְעוּל‎over to the following verse,Pessulum ostii mei aperui dilecto meo.

6.My beloved had withdrawn, &c. To her great grief she found, when opening, that her beloved had gone. The asyndeton‏חָמַק עָבַר‎is very expressive, and the use of the two synonymous terms strengthens the sense. This figure, which is effected by the omission of theconjunctiveparticle, is used in animated descriptions, both by sacred and profane writers. Comp.Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο, Mark iv, 39. Winer, New Testament Gram. § 66, 4. The phrase‏יָצָא נֶפֶשׁ‎, properly denoting the departure of the soul from the body, (Gesen. xxxv. 18; Ps. cxlvi. 4,) like‏יָצָא לֵב‎, is used to expressthe momentary loss of the senses, i.e.to faint.‏בְּדַבְּרוֹ‎,in his speaking, i.e. when he had spoken of it, (Judg. viii. 3; 1 Sam. xvii. 28),i.e.of his going away: so Rashi,‏שאמר לא אבא אל ביתך כי מתחילה לא אבית לפתוח‎, “Because he said I will not now enter thy house, for thou didst at first refuse to open me,” and Immanuel,‏נפשי יצאה בדברו אלי הנני הולך לדרכי אחרי שלא תפתחתי הדלת‎. “My soul departed when he told me, Now I am going away, because thou wouldst not open me the door.” We must employ a finite verb with a conjunction to express in English the Hebrew construction of the infinitive with a preposition, and the relation of time must be gathered from the connection, Gesen. § 132, 2, 3.

7.The watchmen who patrol the city, &c. That the seeking and calling mentioned in the last verse were not confined to the door, is evident from this verse.‏פְצָעוּנִי‎,‏הִכּוּנִי‎are again an asyndeton.‏רָדִיד‎, which occurs only once more, Is. iii. 23, is a kind ofveil-garment, which Oriental ladies still wear, and denotes more properly an out-door[167]cloak. See Schroeder, Vestit. Mul. p. 368; Gesen. on Isa. iii. 23; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.; Saalschütz,Archäologieder Hebräer, vol. i. p. 28.

8.I adjure you, &c. Having mentioned the indifference with which she had treated her beloved, the Shulamite is anxious to impress upon the court-ladies that this was in a dream, and that in reality, so far from her affections being abated, she was as dotingly attached to him as ever; and begs of them, if they should see him, to tell him so. For the masculine termination in‏תִּמְצְאוּ אֶתְכֶם‎and‏תַּגִּידוּ‎, see ii. 7. We must supply‏הַגִּידוּ לוֹ‎,tell him, after‏מַה תַּגִּיודוּ לוֹ‎,what will you tell him?The omission is designedly made, to give animation to the request. The emendation proposed by Houbigant, to read‏הגידנו‎, instead of‏חגידו‎, is gratuitous, like all his emendations. The Sept. addsἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσιν τοῦ ἀγροῦ, “by the powers, and by the virtues of the field,” the false rendering of‏בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה‎, from the preceding formula of adjuration.

9.What is thy beloved, &c. The great solicitude manifested by the Shulamite for her beloved, induces the court ladies to ask what peculiar attractions there were in him more than in an ordinary lover, to cause such an unusual manifestation of feeling, and thus an opportunity is afforded her to give a description of him. It is evident from this question of the court ladies that Solomon is not the beloved of whom the Shulamite has been speaking in the preceding verses. For surely these court ladies knew the aspect and character of Solomon better than the Shulamite. This is, moreover, established beyond doubt from ch. vi. 2, 3, where the damsel, at the end of the description, designedly states that the object of her delineation and attachment, is the shepherd. The particle‏מִן‎, prefixed to‏דוֹד‎, with which the comparison is made, expresses the comparative, Gesen. § 191, 1. For‏הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים‎, see i. 8, and for the form‏הִשְׁבַּעְתָּנוּ‎, Ewald, § 249, d.

10.My beloved is white, &c. The Shulamite answers this question by giving a very graphic description of her beloved. The colour of his countenance and body is such a beautiful mingling of white and red as is seldom seen, and by which he is distinguished above thousands. A similar description is found in Virg. Æn. xii. 65, seq.

Flagrantes perfusa genas: cui plurimus ignemSubjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro,Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multâAlba rosâ; tales virgo dabat ore colores.“At this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;A crimson blush her beauteous face o’erspread.Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.The driving colours, never at a stay,Run here and there, and flush and fade away.Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.”

Flagrantes perfusa genas: cui plurimus ignem

Subjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.

Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro,

Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multâ

Alba rosâ; tales virgo dabat ore colores.

“At this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;A crimson blush her beauteous face o’erspread.Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.The driving colours, never at a stay,Run here and there, and flush and fade away.Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.”

“At this a flood of tears Lavinia shed;

A crimson blush her beauteous face o’erspread.

Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.

The driving colours, never at a stay,

Run here and there, and flush and fade away.

Delightful change! thus Indian ivory shows,

Which, with the bordering paint of purple glows;

Or lilies damask by the neighbouring rose.”

Comp. also Ovid. Am. ii.; Eleg. v. 39;[168]Hor. Od. i. 13, v. 2; iv. 10; v. 4; Tibul. Eleg.III, 4; vv. 29, 30.‏צַח‎,bright,white; compare Lam. iv. 7, where it stands in parallelism with‏זַךְ‎,clear; from the same passage we also see that the predicates‏צַח‎,white, and‏אָדַם‎,red, are not restricted to the countenance, but refer to all the parts of the body which the Oriental costume left exposed, to the carnation as it were of the picture.‏דָּגוּל‎denom. from‏דָּגֶל‎,banner; prop.to be furnished with a banner, i.e. his singular beauty renders him as distinguished above multitudes, just as a standard-bearer is marked above all other soldiers.‏מִן‎,more,above,vide supra, ver. 9,‏רְבָבָה‎indefinitely for a large number, see Gesen. xxiv. 60.

11.His head is as pure gold.That is of consummate excellency. Having characterized his whole person as charming, the Shulamite describes the beauty of the individual parts of his body, and begins with his head. Gold is frequently used, both in Scripture and in profane writers, to denoteconsummate excellencyandbeauty. Thus the illustrious personages are called gold and fine gold in Lam. iv. 1; and Theocritus (Idyl. iii. 28.) calls the beautiful Helengolden. The words‏כֶּתֶם פָּז‎are variously rendered. The Sept. hasχρυσίου καιφάζ,gold ofCephaz, Aquila and Sym.λίθεα τοῦχρυσίου, so the Syriacܒܐܦܷܐ ܕܕܰܗܒܳܐ‎,a precious stone of gold. The Chald. has‏דְהַב טָב‎; so the Vulg.aurum optimum. The Rabbins too vary in their explanations of these words. Ibn Ezra takes‏כֶּתֶם‎to bea diadem, and‏פָּז‎,precious stones. Rashi indefinitely‏סגולת מלכים‎,choice things, which kings treasure up. Rashbam explains‏כָּתֶם‎bya heap of gold, and‏פָּז‎by‏זהב מופז‎, and says it is called‏פָּז‎, “because its colour is like pearl.” The majority of modern commentators, after the Sept., Vulg., Chald., take‏כֶּתֶם‎as a poetical expression forgold, and derive it from‏כָּתַם‎,to hide,to conceal; like‏סְגוֹר‎,gold(Job. xxviii. 15), from‏סָגַר‎,to shut up,to conceal, because precious metals are generally kept shut up or concealed. This meaning and derivation of the word are supported by the fact that treasures and precious things are generally expressed in Hebrew by words whose roots signify toconceal; comp.‏אוֹצָר‎,a treasure(1 Kings vii. 51; xiv. 26), from‏אָצַר‎,to shut up;‏מַטְמוֹן‎,a treasure,gold(Isa. liv. 2; Prov. ii. 4), from‏טָמַן‎,to hide;‏צָפוּן‎,riches(Job xx. 26), from‏צָפַן‎,to conceal. As for‏פָּז‎, it is translated by somepurified,pure, from‏פָּזַז‎,to separate,to purify(Gesenius, &c.); and by otherssolid,massy, from‏פָּזַז‎,to be strong,solid(Rosenmüller, &c.). But‏פָּז‎never occurs as an adjective to‏כֶּתֶם‎, or to‏זָהָב‎(‏זָהָב מוּפָז‎, 1 Kings x. 18, is a contraction of‏זָהָב מְאוּפָז‎, comp. Jer. x. 9); the word itself invariably meansgold(see Job xxvii. 17; Ps. xix. 11; xxi. 4; cxix. 27; Prov. viii. 19; Cant. v. 15; Isa. xiii. 12; Lam. iv. 2.); and accordingly ought to be rendered so here: “thy head is as gold, gold.” As this, however, would produce tautology, it is therefore best to take‏פָּז‎as a contraction of‏אוּפָז‎(a variation of‏אוֹפּיר‎; see Gesenius, s.v.; Henderson on Jer. x. 9, and Stuart on Dan. x. 5), with which this word goes together, 1 Kings x. 18; Jer. x. 9; Dan. x. 5. As‏אוּפָן‎=‏כֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר‎, is regarded as the best gold; hence the rendering of the Vulg.aurum optimum, and Chald.‏דְהַב טָב‎.

Black as the raven,i.e.of the purest and most jet black, so highly esteemed by the Orientals as well as by the classical writers. Thus Hafiz, as quoted by Dr. Good:—

“Thy face is brighter than the cheek of day.Blacker thy locks than midnight’s deepest sway.”

“Thy face is brighter than the cheek of day.

Blacker thy locks than midnight’s deepest sway.”

And Ossian, Fingal, 2: “Her hair was the wing of the raven.” Comp. also Anac. xxix.; Ovid. Am. El. xiv. 9.‏תַּלְהַּלִּים‎, is rendered by the Sept.ἐλαταί,the young leaves of the palm; so the Vulg.sicut elatæ palmarum; similarly[169]Gesenius, De Wette, &c.,pendulous branches of the palm; but this signification does not lie in the root‏תָּלַל‎, which simply meanswaving,hanging, orflowing down; hence‏תַּלְתַּלִּים‎(according to the analogy of‏זַלְזַלִּים‎and‏סַלְסַלִּים‎, comp. Ewald, § 158, b)flowing curls,locks.

12.His eyes, like doves, &c. The vivid and black pupils of his eyes, sparkling forth from the encircling lactean white, in which they are, as it were, bathing and sitting on the fountain of tears, resemble doves bathing gaily in pellucid streams. The doves themselves, and not their eyes, are the point of comparison (vide supra, i. 15, and iv. 1.) Doves are very fond of bathing, and hence choose for their abode regions abounding with streams (Boch. Hieroz. ii. 1, c. 2.) The deep blue or grey dove, reflecting the lustrous dark hue about its neck when bathing in the limpid brook, suggested this beautiful simile. A similar figure occurs in the Gitagovinda: “The glances of her eyes played likea pair of water-birds of azure plumage, that sport near a full-blown lotos in a pool in the season of dew.” The words‏רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב‎,bathing in milk, referring to the eyes, are descriptive of the milky white in which the black pupils of the eyes are, as it were, bathing.‏עַל מִלֵּאת‎,on the fulness, also referring to the eyes, correspond to the‏עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם‎,by the brooks of water, which are predicated of the doves. Hodgson’s rendering of‏יֹשְׁבוֹתעַל מִלֵּאת‎, by “and dwell among the ripe corn,” is absurd.

13.His cheeks are like beds of balsam, &c. His round cheeks with the pullulating beard, resemble beds growing aromatic plants. The Sept., Arabic, Æth., Chald., read‏מְגַדִּלוֹת‎, the part. Piel, instead of‏מִגְדְּלוֹת‎, which many modern commentators follow, but without MS. authority. The lily here referred to is most probably thecrown imperial, of a deep red colour, whose leaves contain an aqueous humidity, which gathers itself in the form of pearls, especially at noon, and distils clear and pellucid drops; see Rosenmüller, Alther, iv. 138; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. There is, however, no necessity for referring the words “distilling liquid myrrh,” to the lilies. Indeed, it seems to be more consonant with the context, to take them as predicated of the lips, expressing the sweetness of his conversation. Comp. iv. 11.

14.His hands are like, &c. His rounded arms and fingers tipped with well-shaped nails, as if inlaid with precious stones, resemble golden cylinders: and his white and smooth body, covered with a delicate blue vest, resembles polished ivory.‏גָּלִיל‎(from‏גָּלַל‎,to roll),a roller,a cylinder. Kleuker, Gesenius, Döpke, &c., translate‏יָדָיוגְּלִילֵיזָהָבוגו״‎,his hands are like golden rings, adorned with gems of Tarshish, comparing the hand when closed or bent to a golden ring, and the dyed nails to the gems in the rings. But‏גָּלִיל‎never occurs in the sense of a ring worn on the finger; the word so used is‏טַבַּעַת‎, which would have been used here had the figure meant what Kleuker, &c. understood by it.‏תַּרְשִׁישׁ‎, according to the Sept., Aquila, Josephus, and modern writers, is the chrysolite, and owes its Hebrew name to the circumstance that it was first found in Tartessus, that ancient city in Spain, between the two mouths of the riverBaetis(Guadalquiver). The chrysolite, as its name imports[170](χρυσός,gold, andλίθος,a stone), is of a yellow or gold colour, and pellucid. Being of a glass lustre, the chrysolite is beautifully chosen to represent the nails. The words‏מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ‎refer to‏יָדָיו‎. The expression‏מֵעִים‎, prop.the internal partsof the human frame (v. 4), is here used for theexternal= the body; so Dan. ii. 32.‏עֶשֶׁת‎is taken by most modern commentators to denotesomething fabricated, orwrought; anartificial work; thus deducing this sense from the secondary meaning of‏עָשַׁת‎, which the Syriac (ܥܰܒܕܳܐ‎,work,) seems to favour; but this is incompatible with the description here given of the beloved. The Shulamite, throughout the whole of this delineation, depicts the splendour and colour of the body as they dazzlethe eye, but makes no reference to the wondrous construction of the frame, which could have been discerned only by the exercise of theintellect. It is therefore better, with Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, Rashi, Rashbam, Luther, Auth. Version, Mendelssohn, Kleuker, Williams, Good, Hengstenberg, &c. to take‏עֶשֶׁת‎, from‏עָשַׁת‎, in its primary meaning,to shine,to be bright, in the sense ofbrightness,polish; comp. Jer. v. 28.

Covered with sapphires.These words refer to his body, and describe the purple tunic covering the snowy white skin. Good, Meier, &c. take it to describe the blue veins which were seen through his clear snowy skin, like a sapphire stone through a thin transparent plate of ivory. But this is against the meaning of‏מְעֻלֶּפֶת‎, which signifiescovered, and notinlaid; the external covering, and not the internal seen through the outer cover. Commentators are not agreed whether that which we call the genuine sapphire, a transparent stone of a beautiful sky-blue colour, in hardness and value next to the diamond, is meant by‏סַפִּיר‎; or the sapphire of the ancients, which, according to Pliny, (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 39; Theophrast. De Lapid. 231,) is a stone of a pure blue colour, and has frequently pebble spots of a golden yellow hue, which were formerly thought to be really gold, and is evidently our lapis lazuli, lazure-stone. As the latter does neither suit Job xxviii. 6, for the lazure-stone is not very precious; nor Exod. xxviii. 18, since it is too soft to bear engraving, it is more probable that the real sapphire is meant by‏סַפִּיר‎in the Scriptures. This stone is often found in collections of ancient gems; see Rosenmüller, Bib. Bot. and Miner.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v. The Syriac, which translates‏מְעֻלֶּפֶתסַפִּירִים‎byܥܰܠ ܡܰܦܚܳܐ ܣܦܻܝܐܳܐ‎,upon the sapphire breathing, must have had another reading.

15.His legs are like pillars of marble, &c. His white legs, standing upon beautiful feet, resemble the purest marble columns based upon golden pedestals.‏שׁוֹק‎, as Kimchi well explains it,‏מה שהוא על הרגל חליל ויגיע עד הברכים‎, is that part of the limb from the knee to the foot. That‏אַדְנֵי פָז‎refers to his feet (Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Kleuker, Meier, Hitzig, &c.), and not to his sandals (Good, Williams, &c.), is evident from ver. 11 and 14, where the head and the hands, the visible parts of the body, are described as golden; and it is but natural that the feet, the only remaining exposed parts, should also be described as golden.

His aspect is like that of Lebanon.Having depicted the single parts of his body, the Shulamite now joins them together, and presents them in one whole, the appearance of which impresses the mind with a sense of beauty and majesty, like that of Lebanon. “That goodly mountain,[171]even Lebanon” (Deut. iii. 25), being so luxuriant in its vegetation and rich in scenery, appeared very beautiful and majestic at a distance. “Lebanon is a noble range of mountains, well worthy of the fame it has so long maintained. It is cultivated in a wonderful manner, by the help of terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its eminences, more than 2,000 feet high, villages and luxuriant vegetation; and on some of its peaks, 6,000 feet high, we could discern tall pines against the clear sky beyond. At first the clouds were on the lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and we saw Tannin, which is generally regarded as the highest peak of Lebanon. There is a deep ravine that seems to run up the whole way, and Tannin rises to the height of 10,000 feet. The rays of the setting sun gave a splendid tint to the lofty brow of the mountain.”—Mission of Inquiry to the Jews, p. 240, &c.; comp. also Isa. xxxv. 2; Rosenmüller, Alterth. i. 2. p. 239; Volney, Travels, i. 293.

He is distinguished as the cedars,i.e., in his stature. The lofty cedar, towering above all other trees, is easily distinguished from the rest (Ezek. xxxi. 3–16; Amos ii. 9). A similar comparison occurs in Theocritus, xviii. 30, as quoted above, i. 9. The Chald., Ewald, Magnus, Philippson, &c., take‏בַּחוּר‎foryoung man,youth; comp. Ruth iii. 10; Isa. lxii. 5, “A young man like the cedars;” but the point of comparison is lost in this case. Besides, we should then expect the sing.‏אֶרֶז‎, and not the plur.‏אֲרָזִים‎. Moreover, 2 Kings xix. 23, and Jer. xxii. 7, where the same phrase‏מִבְחַר אֲרָזִים‎is used, is against it.

16.His voice is exquisitely sweet, &c. The members, after being analysed separately, have been viewed as a whole; but the beautiful person thus described is inanimate, like the splendid marble columns or the lofty cedars, to which she had compared him. In this verse the Shulamite represents the charms of his speech; and thus affirms his whole person, bodily and mentally, as most lovely. “Such,” she triumphantly exclaims, “is my friend; and now, ye daughters of Jerusalem, judge for yourselves wherein my beloved is more than another beloved.”‏חֵךְ‎, prop.palate, is used forthe organ of speech, andspeechitself, Job vi. 30; xxxi. 10; Prov. v. 3. That‏חֵךְ‎here does not mean any part of the body, is evident from the context; for it would be preposterous to recur to thepalateormouthafter the whole person had been described.‏מַמְתַּקִּים‎and‏מַחֲמַדִּים‎areabstracts(see i. 2),adjectivelyused (Gesen. § 106, 1, Rem. 1), to give intensity to the idea; comp. Gen. i. 2.‏כֻּלּוֹ‎,his whole person, bodily and mentally.

1.Whither is thy beloved gone, &c.? The court ladies, moved by this charming description, inquire of the Shulamite what direction he took, and offer to seek him. The word‏הַגִּדִי‎is omitted after‏דֹודֵךְ‎, for the sake of brevity and pathos. For the superlative force of‏הַיָפָה בַּנָּשִׁים‎,vide supra, i. 8.[172]

2,3.My beloved is gone down into his garden, &c. The Shulamite, knowing that the court ladies are anxious to induce her to transfer her affections to the king, replies in a vague manner, that he is gone to his garden, he is not lost, nor has her affection to him abated, though they are now separated, nor does she fear that his love for her is diminished. This incontestably proves that the object of the damsel’s affection, of whom she gave a description in the preceding, is not the king, but, as she herself tells us here most unequivocally, a shepherd. For ver. 3, comp. chap. ii. 16.

4.Graceful art thou, O my love, &c. Just as before (i. 9), Solomon made his appearance as soon as the Shulamite inquired after her beloved, so here he comes forward again when she speaks of her absent lover; thus endeavouring to show his own attachment to her. He addresses her, as before, in the most flattering terms: “Thou art as graceful as the delectable Tirzah, as charming as the delightful Jerusalem, as striking and conquering as an imposing army in full battle array.” Tirzah was the royal residence of the kings of Israel after the revolt of Rehoboam, and retained that distinction till the time of Omri, who built Samaria (1 Kings x. 15–21; xvi. 14; 2 Kings xv. 4). It was a city of fascinating appearance, as its name,‏תִּרְצָה‎,delightful, indicates; and hence yielded a very flattering comparison. The Sept. takes‏תִּרְצָה‎as an appellative,ὡς εὐδοκία; so Aquila,κατ’ εὐδοκίαν, Sym.εὐδοκήτη, Syriac,ܐܝܰܟ ܨܶܒܝܳܢܳܐ‎The Chald. paraphrases it‏בִּזְמַן דצְבוּתֵךְ‎,in the time of thy willingness, and Rashi inclines to it; the Vulg. hassuavis et decora. But there can be no doubt, as Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, and all modern commentators take it, that it is a proper name, Tirzah, the capital of Jeroboam’s kingdom. It may be that the ancient versions resorted to the expediency of taking‏תִּרְצָה‎as an appellative, because they wished to avoid the contrast of the two capitals, since this would speak against Solomon being the author of this book. Jerusalem, “the perfection of beauty” (Lam. ii. 15), afforded another excellent figure.

Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts!The fascinating power of a woman is frequently compared to the prowess of an armed host. Comp. Prov. vii. 26.‏אָיוֹם‎, which occurs once more in connexion with‏נוֹרָא‎, Hab. i. 7, meansawful,awe-inspiring,imposing.‏נִדְגָּלוֹת‎, Niph. part. prop.bannered,people furnished, orarrayed with banners, hencearmies,hosts. The feminine is here used to express a collective idea; comp.‏אֹרְחוֹת‎,caravans, Isa. xxi. 13; Gesen. § 107, 3 d; Ewald, § 179 c.

5.Turn away thine eyes from me, &c. These awe-inspiring hosts are described as concentrated in her eyes, which[173]Solomon implores the Shulamite to remove from him. “The artillery of the eyes,” says Dr. Good,in loco, “is an idea common to poets of every nation.” Thus Anacreon, xvi.

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