Chapter 26

Σὺ μὲν λέγεις τὰ Θήβης,Ὁ δ’ αὖ Φρυγῶν ἀϋτάς·Ἐγὼ δ’ ἐμὰς ἁλώσεις.Οὐχ ἵππος ὤλεσέν με,Οὐ πεζὸς, οὐχὶ νῆες·Στρατὸς δὲ καινὸς ἄλλος,Ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων με βάλων.“Sing thou of Thebes—let others tellHow Troy’s foundations rose and fell;My numbers shall alone repeatMy own rencounters and defeat.Me fleets and armies ne’er appal—’Tis to a different host I fall:A host within thine eyes, my fair,That lurk and ply their arrows there.”Comp. also Ode ii.‏רָהַב‎, in Kal,to tremble(Isa. lx. 5), and Hiphil,to cause to trembleorfear,to frighten,to awe. Similarly the Sept.ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Vulg.me avolarefecerunt, “they make me flee for fear;” and the Syriacܐܰܪܗܶܒ‎,they make me fear. The explanation of Ibn Ezra,‏חזקו ממני‎, which is followed by the Authorized Version, cannot be deduced from the root; nor does it suit the context. Equally untenable is the explanation‏הגיסו לבי‎, Rashi and Rashbam. For‏הֵם‎,mas, with‏עֵינַיִךְ‎,fem.see supra, iv. 9.6,7.Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep, &c. For the interpretation of the second half of ver. 5 and vers. 6, 7, see iv. 1–3, where the same description is given, with the exception that there‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is used for sheep, and here‏רְחֵלִים‎, and that the first half of ver. 3 is here omitted in the Hebrew, which is here given by the Sept. We cannot refrain from quoting the beautiful explanation of these figures from the manuscript commentary of Immanuel:‏תלתלי שערך ושורותיו נופלים זה על זה לדמיון עדר העזים שהם נתלים זה על זה בהריםושניך הﬦ לבניﬦ ושויﬦ לדמיון עדר הרחליﬦ,שצמדם לבן והם עולים מן הרחצה שכלם מתאימות שב אל שניה שהם שוות, ושכולה אין בהם שאין שן משניה נגרע ונחסר או הם תואר הרחלים שהם שוות ואין בהם שכילה וכן שניה דומות אליהם.‏‎The Septuagint adds after‏וְשַׁכֻּלָּה אֵין בָּהֶם‎,and not one among them is bereaved, in ver. 6;ὡς σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον χείλη σου, καὶ λαλιά σου ὠραία,like a braid of scarlet are thy lips, and thy mouth is lovely, from chap iv. 3.8,9.I have threescore queens, &c. The flattery and praise here exceed all that have been previously offered. Solomon protests that, though he is surrounded by a numerous retinue of women of all ranks, the Shulamite is the sole possessor of his heart: she who is the[174]best beloved of her mother, and whose consummate beauty has elicited the highest praises from the queens, concubines and maidens. The discrepancy between the number of Solomon’s wives and concubines here stated, and that described in 1 Kings xi. 3, maybe reconciled by taking‏שִׁשִׁים‎,‏שְׁמֹנִים‎and‏אֵין מִסְפָּר‎for indefinite and large numbers:many,very many,without number: so Kleuker, Rosenmüller, Magnus, &c. “We must supply‏לִי‎,to me, after‏הֵמָּה‎,there. For‏הֵמָּה‎,mas, instead of‏הֵנָּה‎,fem., see ii. 7. The pronoun‏הִיא‎,she, is the subject in all the three clauses, and‏אַחַת‎in the first and second clause, and‏בַּרָה‎in the third are predicates. We must supply‏לִי‎after‏אַחַת הִיא‎,she is my only one; just as‏אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּה‎. The word‏אֶחָד‎is used forthe only oneof its kind (Job xxiii. 13; Ezek. ii. 64; vii. 5),favourite; comp.‏גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ‎, 2 Sam. vii. 23.10.Who is she that looks forth, &c. That Solomon quotes here the eulogy mentioned in the preceding verse, which the court ladies pronounced upon the superlative beauty of the Shulamite when they first beheld her, has long been recognised by the Rabbins, and is now admitted by most interpreters. This is, moreover, confirmed by Prov. xxxi. 28, where the same words,‏אִשֵּׁר‎and‏הַלֵּל‎, are used, and the following verse contains the eulogy which the husband utters. The rising morning, with its red light looking down from heaven over the mountains (Joel ii. 2); the beautiful and placid complexion of the moon, and the refulgent and resplendent appearance of the sun, have often afforded, both to the Oriental and to the Greek and Latin writers, exquisite similes for beauty and grandeur. Thus Sirach (l. 5, 6), describing the High Priest, says:—“How splendid he was in his interview with the people.In his coming out from the house of the veil!As the morning star amid the clouds,As the moon when full in her days,As the sun when beaming upon the temple of the Most High.”Comp. also Rev. i. 16; Theocritus’ description of Helen, xviii. 26–28; Lane’s Arabian Nights, i. 29.‏חַמָּה‎and‏לְבָנָח‎are poetical epithets for thesunandmoon, Isa. xxiv. 23.11, 12.I went down into the nut-garden, &c. As Solomon had referred, in uttering his encomium, to her first coming within sight of the court ladies, the Shulamite here instantly interrupts the king, in order to explain how that came to pass. “I did not go to meet the king, to exhibit myself and be admired by him or his royal retinue; I merely went into the garden with the intention of seeing whether there were any herbs to take home for use, and whether the fruit promised well; and this (‏נַפְשִׁי‎)intentionof mine brought me unawares near the monarch and his cortége.” Though‏אֱגוֹז‎,nut-tree, (so Sept., Vulg., Chald.,)nutoccurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, yet its meaning is established from the cognate languages, and its frequent usage in the Talmud and latter Hebrew writers,‏רָאָה ב‎,to look among(Gen. xxxiv.), with the intention ofchoosing[175]that which pleases, Gen. vi. 2.‏אִבֵּיהַנָּחַל‎,the greenorvegetables growing by the river side; so the Sept.γενήματι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου, and Rashbam,‏על שפת הנחל‎. The Sept. has here‏שָׁם אֶתֵּן אֶת דּוֹדַי לָךְ‎, from chap. vii. 14, which the Arabic,Æthiopic, and several modern commentators wrongly follow, as it has no MS. authority, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of this passage.12.Unwittingly, &c. This verse has caused much perplexity to interpreters. The ancient versions, finding the sense obscure, have altered almost every word, and hence increased the difficulty. Thus the Sept. hasοὐκ ἔγνω ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔθετό με ἅρματα Ἀμιναδάβ, which Luther follows: “Meine Seele wusste es nicht, dass er mich zum Wagen Aminadib gezetzt hatte:” They take‏נֶפֶשׁ‎as the subject, alter‏לֹא יָדַעְתִּי‎, the first person com., into‏לֹא יָדְעָה‎, the third fem., to agree with‏נֶפֶשׁ‎, a fem. noun,‏שָׂמַתְנִי‎, the third fem., into‏שַׂמְנִי‎, the third masc. referring it to Solomon, and regard‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎as a proper name. The Vulg. hasNescivi, anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab; altering‏שָׂמַתְנִי‎, the Kal of‏שׂוּם‎,to put,to place, into the Hiphil of‏שָׂמֵם‎,to be astonished,‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎into‏מֵרִכְבוֹת‎, the plural of‏רֶכֶב‎, with the preposition‏מ‎, and taking‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎as a proper name. Passing over these textual alterations, and the emendations proposed by modern commentators, as unauthorized, we shall first examine the words as they are in the text, and then the most plausible interpretations deducible therefrom.‏לֹא יָדַעְתִּי‎are rightly taken by most, though differing in their opinion as to the rendering of the remainder of the verse, asadverbial, in the sense ofsuddenly,unwittingly, and as subordinate to‏נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי‎,my soul has unwittingly put me, orplaced me; comp. Job v. 9; Isa. xlvii. 11; Jer. l. 24. The verb‏שׂוּם‎,to put,to place, may be construed with two accusatives, one of the person, and the other of the thing; and‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎may be taken as thesecond accusative(comp. Ps. xxxix. 9; 1 Sam. viii. 1; Mich. i. 7), or‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎may be taken as adesignation of placeafter‏שׂוּם‎, a verb of motion; comp. Isa. xl. 26.‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎,a chariot, used for warlike purposes, or for state or pleasure, Gen. xlvi. 29; Exod. xv. 4; 2 Sam. xv. 1. The expression‏עַמִּי‎may either meanpopulares mei—(the Hebrews having no separate word for “countryman,” use this expression to denote one of their own people (Gesen. xxiii. 11; Lam. ii. 11), and‏נָדִיב‎may be an adjective for‏הַנַּדִיב‎, as the article is sometimes omitted through following a noun with suffix)—or‏עַמִּי‎may here be used, like‏עִישׁ‎, forcompanions,attendants,followers, (Eccl. iv. 16,) the‏י‎in‏עַמִּי‎not being a suffix, butparagogic, and a mark of the const. state (Deut. xxxiii. 16; Lam. i. 1), and‏נָדִיב‎, a noun in the genitive of the king or prince. As to how much stress there is to be laid on the Sept., which takes‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎asa proper name, and is followed by the Arabic, Æthiop., Vulg., and which also produced some variations in the orthography of these words, we need only refer to vii. 2, where the same version renders‏בַּת נָדִיב‎byθυγάτηρἈμιναδὰβ. The verse, therefore, may either be translated: “My soul has unwittingly made me the chariots of my noble countrymen,” or, “My soul has unwittingly placed at, or brought me to the chariots of my noble people, orto the chariots of the companions of the prince.” Now against the first rendering we urge, in the first place, that if the chariots be taken in the accusative, and hence in a figurative sense, we are unavoidably led into a bewildering maze of conjectural and fanciful opinions. The following may serve as a specimen. Rashi takes the chariots to be a sign ofignominy.‏נפשי שמתני להיות מרכבות להרכיב עלי נדיבות שאר אומות‎, “My soul has made me to be chariots for foreign princes to ride upon”; i.e.I have willingly brought upon me a foreign yoke.Ibn[176]Ezra takes the chariots as a figure forswiftness,‏לא ידעתי שהייתי הולכת במרוצה אליך כמו מרכבות עמי נדיב הגדול שיש בעמי‎, “I did not know that I was hurrying on to thee with the rapidity of the chariots of the great prince who is among my people;” which the Syriac,ܐܳܐ ܝܶܕܥܰܬ ܢܰܦܫܝ ܣܳܡܬܰܥܝ ܒܡܳܪܒܳܒܬܐ‎, though sharing somewhat in the errors of the Sept. and Vulg., seems to favour. Herder takes the chariots as a symbol ofmartial power, guard, and protection(Ps. xx. 8; 2 Kings ii. 11, 12). Hengstenberg affirms that the chariots signifychampion, guard, defence. And secondly, this translation interrupts the connexion of this verse with the preceding one. Now the second rendering avoids all this. Solomon has repeated in verse 10 the praise which the court ladies had pronounced on the Shulamite when they first saw her; the Shulamite (in ver. 11, 12), in reply, explains how she came to the carriages of the court ladies.1.Return, return, &c. Here we see how little all the persuasions, promises, and eulogies of the king and courtiers affected the sincere and deeply rooted affections of the Shulamite for her beloved shepherd. No sooner had she explained (as she incidentally informs us) how she came to be noticed and taken up by the king, than she actually started off. But the king entreated her to return, that he might look at her once more. The Shulamite, pausing a little, turns round and modestly asks:What will you behold in the Shulamite?That is, what can ye see in a humble rustic girl?‏הַשּׁוּלַמּית‎, as is evident from the article, is a gentile noun, according to the analogy of‏הַשּׁוּנַמִּית‎, (1 Kings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 12, 25.) Ewald, § 156c: and a female inhabitant of Shulem,i.q.Shunem. Shulem still exists as a village, now called Sôlam, about three miles and a half north of Zerîn, (Jezreel), and lies on the declivity, at the western end of the mountain of Duhy, the so-called Little Hermon. “There is little room for doubt that it is the ancient Shunem of the tribe of Issachar, where the Philistines encamped before Saul’s last battle, (Josh. xix. 18; 1 Sam. xxviii. 4.) From the same place, apparently, Abishag the Shunammite was brought to the aged David; and here it was probably that Elisha often lodged in the house of the Shunammite woman, and afterwards raised her son from the dead (1 Kings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 8–37; viii. 1–6). Eusebius and Jerome describe it in their day as a village lying five Roman miles from Mount Tabor, towards the southern quarter, and they write the name alreadySulem.” Robinson, Palestine, iii. 169, &c. The transition of‏ל‎into‏נ‎is of frequent occurrence; comp.‏לָחַץ‎and‏נָחַץ‎,to burn. (Gesen. Lexicon,‏ל‎a; Ewald, § 156, c.)‏שׁוּלַמִּית‎is not the feminine of the name‏שְׁלֹמֹה‎, which would be‏שְׁלֹמִית‎; comp. Lev. xxiv. 11; 1 Chron. iii. 19; Ewald, § 274, f.Like a dance to double choirs, replies the king,i.e.“to see thee is like gazing at the charming view of a festive choir expressing their merriment in a sacred dance. The Hebrews, in common with other nations (Strabo, 10), used sacred dancing, accompanied by vocal and instrumental music, as expressive of joy and rejoicing (Exod. xv. 20; 2 Sam. vi. 15; Ps. cxlix. 3).[177]A sight of such an assemblage of various beauties, all swelling their voices into one song of joy, and blending their several forms in one choral dance of joy, must have afforded a delightful picture. No wonder that such a scene is described by Homer (Iliad, xviii. 590,) as portrayed on the famous shield of Achilles, and that“On either side spectators numerous stood,Delighted.”To this charming scene, therefore, does the captivated monarch compare the view of the Shulamite.‏מְחוֹלָה‎, from‏חוּל‎,to turn round,a dance, the joyous dancing on a festive occasion.‏ַחְנֶה‎, prop.a camp, alsoa multitude,a band of people, Gen. l. 9.‏מַחֲנַיִם‎is the regular dual, and not the plural (Sept., Vulg., Gesenius, Döpke, &c.), and is here used because this dance consisted of a band arranged in a double line, something like our country dance. On the different kinds of Oriental dances, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19–22; Wilkinson, Manners, &c., ii. 328–340. Saalschütz,ArchäologiederHebräer, vol. i. 302. The words‏כִּמְחֹלַת הַמַּחֲנַיִם‎have elicited a variety of interpretations. Some take‏מַחֲנַיִם‎as aproper name, and say that reference is here made to some particular mode of worship practised in that place in consequence of Jacob’s sojourn there; but this is purely imaginary. Others again suppose that an allusion is made to Gen. xxxii. 2, 3, and hence render‏מַחֲנַיִם‎by‏מַחֲנֵי אֱלֹהִים‎or‏צְבָאוֹת‎; but this is unfounded, since we have not the slightest intimation in that passage that the angels were engaged in dancing.2.How beautiful are thy feet in sandals!The Shulamite, in obedience to the king’s request, returns, and as she advances, Solomon is arrested by her beautiful feet, with which he begins his last highly flattering delineation of her beauty, and his last attempt to win her affections.‏נְעָלִים‎, Chald.‏סַנְדְלִין‎,sandals, formed an important part of an Oriental costume (Ezek. xvi. 10; Judith xvi. 9). The ladies bestowed great pains upon, and evinced much taste in ornamenting this article of dress, which attracted the notice of the opposite sex.‏בַּת נָדִיב‎does not meana descendant of a titled family, but, according to a common Hebrew idiom, which applies‏בַּת בֵּן‎, and other terms of human kindred to relations of every kind, expresses thatshe herself was of a noble character. Comp. 1 Sam. i. 16; Gesen. § 106, 2 a; Ewald, § 287 f.The circuits of thy thighs like ornaments, &c. To describe the beautiful appearance of an object, the Orientals frequently compared it to some precious metal or gem; seesupra,v. 11; Prov. xxv. 12. The simple metal or gem, however, seems not to suffice here to express the exquisite symmetry of these parts of the body; they are, therefore, compared with some beautifully-wrought and highly-finished ornaments, formed of such materials. The rendering of‏פְּעָמִים‎bysteps(Sept., Vulg., Ewald, Döpke, Hengstenberg, &c.), and‏חַמוּקֵי‎bySchwingungen,movements(Hengstenberg), is contrary to the scope of the description, which obviously depicts theseveral membersof the body (beginning with the feet and gradually ascending to the head), and not their actions.‏חֲלָאִים‎is not thedual(Luther), but theplural; according to the analogy of‏צְבִי‎,‏צְבָאִים‎;‏פְּתִי‎,‏פְּתָאִים‎. The‏א‎in the plural is preferred to the‏י‎in consequence of the precedingAsound. Gesen. § 93, 66; Ewald, § 186 e.3.Thy navel is like a round goblet, &c. The reference and the import of the figure are obvious.‏מֶזֶג‎,i.q.‏מֶסֶךְ‎,mixture,mixed wine. The ancients were in the habit of mixing wine with spices, to make it more stimulating and exciting. Wine thus mixed was called‏יַיִן הַרֶקַח‎, viii.[178]2, thevinum aromatitesof the Greeks and Romans. (Comp. Ps. lxxv. 9; Prov. ix. 5; Isa. v. 22; Mishna, Maaser sheni, ii. 1; Baba Mez. v. 2; Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 15; Gesen. Thesaurus, p. 808; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.)‏שָׁרְרֵךְ‎is one of the few instances in which‏עע״‎are resolved before suffixes, owing to the broadness of the vowels when preceding‏ל‎, or‏ר‎. Comp.‏גַּל‎with suffix‏גַּלְלוֹ‎:‏צִלְלוֹ צַל‎:‏הַרֲרָם הַר‎, Ewald, § 265; Fürst, Lexicon, s.v.‏–גַל‎. The particle‏אַל‎expresses a subjective wish, Gesen. Lexicon,‏אַל‎, ii. 6, Ewald, § 320.Thy body is like a heap of wheat, &c. The point of analogy seems to subsist between the appearance of the body and that of a quantity of corn heaped up,‏עֲרַמָה‎, which Ibn Ezra well explains‏עבה מלמטה ודקה מלמעלה‎; so also Rashbam. Remembering that corpulency was deemed essential to an Eastern beauty, this comparison will appear obvious. Selden, who is followed by others, takes this passage as a prediction of the bride’s fertility: as:—“Wheat and barley were among the ancient Hebrews emblems of fertility; and it was usual for standers-by to scatter these grains upon the married couple, with a wish that they might increase and multiply.”Uxor Hebraica, lib. ii. cap. 15.“A custom,” adds Williams, “which might probably originate from this passage, orvice versâ.”But though it is true that it was a common practice among the Jews at marriages to distribute among the company dried seeds (Talm. Chethuboth, ii. 1), probably to indicate a wish that the newly-married couple might be fruitful, it does not follow that it was the practice at so early an age, or that it is the meaning here. Were this the sense here, we should expect that the Jewish commentators, who well knew and practised the manners and customs of their own people, would have recognised it. Whereas, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, &c., explain this figure as referring to the appearance.Hedged round with, &c. The threshing-floors in ancient times were in the open air; and when the wheat had been threshed out, fanned and heaped up, each heap was stuck round with thorns, in order to keep off the cattle. (Hos. ii. 5, 6.) To render the figure more beautiful, and the compliment more flattering, the enamoured king changes the hedge of thorns into a fence oflilies. Others, however, refer these words to a robe embroidered with lilies, covering her body; and others, again, to some ancient custom of surrounding or covering the newly-threshed heap of wheat with a sort of garland of flowers, indicating the joy of the husbandman at the return of the harvest.4,5.Thy bosom is like, &c. These verses, with a little variation arising from the fact that a different person is the speaker here, contain the same figures as iv. 4, 5. The comparison between the beautiful symmetry, erect bearing, and ivory colour of the neck, and between the elegant structure, lofty altitude, and white colour of a tower, appears more striking and apposite from the description given by Josephus of the towers of Jerusalem: “They were so very tall, they appeared much taller by the place on which they stood; for that very old wall, wherein they were, was built on a high hill, and was itself a kind of elevation that was still thirty cubits taller, over which were the towers situated, and thereby were made much higher to appearance. The largeness also of the stones was wonderful; for they were not made of common small stones, nor of such large ones only as men could carry, but they were of white marble, cut out of the rocks: each stone was twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in breadth, and five in depth. They were so exactly united[179]to one another, that each tower looked like one entire block of stone, so growing naturally, and afterwards cut by the hand of the artificer into the present shape and corners; so little, or not at all, did their joints or connexion appear.” (Jewish War, book v. chap. iv. 4.—Whiston’s translation.) The comparison of the neck with ivory is also used by Anacreon (Ode xxix. 28, 29), in his description of Bathyllus:—Τὸν Ἀδώνιδος παρελθὼνἐλεφάντινος τράχηλος.“But never can thy pencil traceHis ivory neck of Paphian grace.”Thine eyes, &c. That is, are as bright and serene as the celebrated translucent pools of this city. Heshbon, a town in the southern parts of the Hebrew territory, about twenty miles east of the point where the Jordan enters the Dead Sea, originally belonged to the Moabites (Numb. xxi. 25), and afterwards came into possession of the Amorite king Sihon (ibid.; Deut. ii. 24; Josh. iii. 10). It was conquered by Moses shortly before his death (Numb. xxi. 25), and was first assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Numb. xxxii. 37; Josh. xiii. 17), and afterwards to the tribe of Gad, and became a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 39; 1 Chron. vi. 81). It was retaken by the Moabites when the ten tribes were carried into exile (Isa. xv. 4; xvi. 9; Jer. xlviii. 2), but the Jews conquered it again afterwards (Joseph. Antiq. lib. xiii.) The ruins of Heshbon, the name by which the place is still known, have been visited and described by modern travellers. (Burckhardt, Travels, p. 365; Biblical Repos. for 1833, p. 650; Robinson, Palestine, ii. 278.) Heshbon was the pride of Moab, was famous for its fertility, verdure of plantation, and beautiful reservoirs. Hence the simile here. A similar comparison is used by Ovid, De Arte Ama. ii. 722:—“Adspicies oculos tremulo fulgare meiantes,Ut sol a liquida saepe refulget aqua.”‏בַּת רַבִּים‎is well explained by Rashbam,the populous,‏שרוב בני העיר יוצאין ונכנסין בה‎, “because, through it a multitude of the inhabitants of the town walk in and out;”‏שהרבים באים להסתכל שם‎, “because it is the chief place of concourse.”‏בַּת‎,daughter, like‏בֶּן‎,son, is idiomatically used in Hebrew to express quality. Compare‏בֶּן־שֶׁמֶן‎,a son of fatness, i.e. fat; Isa. v. 1, and supra, vii. 2. The Septuagint, which is followed by the Vulgate, not understanding this idiom, renders it literallyἐν πύλαις θυγατρὸς πολλῶν,by the gates of the daughter of many.Thy nose, &c. This tower must have contained a projection or an overhanging part, celebrated for its great symmetry and elegance. Hence the comparison between the beautifully projecting tower and the well-proportioned nose.6.Thy head upon thee, &c.‏כַּרְמֶל‎stands here for‏כַּרְמִיל‎,purpura; so Ibn Gamach, Ibn Ezra, Fürst, &c. This shell-fish is of a spiral form, and “the exquisite juice which is so greatly sought after for the purpose of dyeing cloth is situate in the middle of the throat. This secretion consists of a tiny drop contained in a white vein, from which the precious liquid used for dyeing is distilled, being of the tint of a rose, somewhatinclined to black.” Pliny, Hist. Nat. ix. 60, 61; Arist. Hist. Anim. lib. v. c. 14. The simile here subsists betweenthe spiral formof this shell-fish andthe pyramidal shapein which the hair was anciently tied up on the top of the head. The Chinese and other Eastern women still wear their hair rolled up into a knot or bunch at the top of the head; and[180]even in this country ladies used to dress their hair in a somewhat similar manner. The rendering of the ancient versions of‏כַּרְמָל‎, byMount Carmel, which the majority of modern interpreters follow: they take the simile to be between the beautiful appearance of the bride’s head and the charming, luxuriant, and picturesque summit of this celebrated mountain; but this is against theparallelismand 2 Chron. ii. 16, 13; iii. 14.‏כַּרְמֶל‎=‏כַּרְמִיל‎is derived from‏כָּרַם‎,to be shiningly red, with‏–ִיל‎appended, according to the analogy of‏פְּתִיגִיל‎; vide Fürst, Lexiconin voce; or it may be that this shell-fish was so called because it was found on the shore near Carmel. At all events, there is no need to look for the etymology of this word out of the Shemitic family.And the tresses, &c. Fine hair is frequently compared by the Greeks and Romans with purple. Thus Anacreon, xxviii. 11, 13.γράφε δ’ ἐξ ὅλης παρειῆςὑπὸ πορφύραισι χαίσταιςἐλεφάντινον μέτωπον.Then paint, from her full cheeks,Beneath herpurple hair,Her ivory forehead.Compare also Virgil, Georg. i. 405; Tibul. i. 4, 63. The purple here referred to is that kind which Pliny describes as “nigrans adspectuidemquesuspectu refulgens.”‏אַרְגָּמָן‎,the costly colourextracted from the shell-fish, is from‏רָגַם‎, kind.‏רָקַם‎,to colour, with the prostetic‏א‎and termination‏–ָן‎;vide supra, chap. iii. 9.The king is captivated, &c. The ringlets, like the lashes of the eyelids, are frequently represented as the net of love. Prov. vi. 25; Sirach ix. 3, 4. Thus Jami, in his Joseph and Zuleikha, chap. i., as quoted by Dr. Good, says:—“When Love in graceful ringlets plants his toils,The fool he catches, and the wise man foils;But, thence released, the sage his snare discerns,And Reason’s lamp with wonted lustre burns.”‏מֶלֶךְ‎stands for‏הַמֶּלֶךְ‎; the article is not unfrequently omitted in poetry; comp. Ps. ii. 2; xxi. 2; Gesen. § 109; Ewald, § 277, b.‏רָהִיט‎,a ringlet, so called from its flowing down over the shoulders;vide supra, chap. i. 16. The construction of‏מֶלֶךְ‎with‏אַרְגָּמָן‎, i.e.royal purple(one of the Greek translators in the Hexapla, Vulgate, Syriac, Luther, Houbigant, &c.), is against the punctuation and the evenness of the metre, interferes with the interpretation of the remaining words, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of the passage. Besides, no people is known by such a name. It was owing to a feeling of being consistent that the editor of Calmet felt himself constrained to take‏אַרְגָּמָן‎as a proper name,Argamen, to correspond with the parallel‏כַּרְמֶל‎; and to explain this clause as alluding to a particular mode of plaiting the hair, like the weaving ofArech, a city in Babylonia, supposed to be famous for its weaving manufactories.How beautiful, &c. The captivated king, having described the beauty of the several parts of the body, now combines the separate members into one lovely form, and endows it with life and fascination, which none of the inanimate beauties to which he had compared her, however admirable, possessed.‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, abstract for concrete,loved one,vide supra, chap. v. 1.‏תַּעֲנוּג‎,charm,attraction, such as living beings possess. Aquila and theSyriac, separating the word‏בְּתַּעֲנֻגִים‎, render itθυγάτηρ τρυφῶν,‏בַּת עֲנֻגִים‎.7.This thy growth, &c. The beautiful growth of the palm-tree, like that of the cedar and cypress, supplied a forcible image to the ancients.[181]Thus the Son of Sirach, xxiv. 13, 14:—“I grew up as a cedar of Lebanon,And as a cypress upon Mount Hermon;I grew up as a palm-tree in En-gedi,And as a rose-tree in Jericho.”Comp. also Homer, Odyss. vi. 162, and supra, chap. v. 15.‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎,bunch,cluster, of grapes, dates, or flowers; the context must decide which. Here, from its close proximity to‏תָּמָר‎,palm-tree, dates are most probably intended. For the etymology of‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎, see supra, chap. i. 14; and for its form, both here and in ver. 9, Ewald, § 212 d.8.I long to climb, &c. After this flattering description Solomon tells the Shulamite how greatly he desires, and how happy he should be to enjoy, the affections of one so lovely and charming. We earnestly request those who maintain the allegorical interpretation of the Song seriously to reflect whether this verse, and indeed the whole of this address, can be put into the mouth of Christ as speaking to the Church. Would not our minds recoil with horror were we to hear a Christian using it publicly, or even privately, to illustrate the love of Christ for his Church?—‏אָמַר‎,to speak, alsoto wish,to desire, Gen. xliv. 28; Exod. ii. 14; 1 Sam. xx. 4.‏אָמַרְתִּי‎does not expressthe past, butthe present; comp.‏דָמְתָה‎in the preceding verse; Gesen. § 126, 3; Ewald, § 135 b. The second verb‏אֶעֱלֶה‎is subordinate to the first,vide supra, chap. ii. 3.‏גֶּפֶן‎is added to‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎, to distinguish it fromthe datesin ver. 7.And the odour of thy breath, &c. That is, be as sweet and as quickening as that of apples.‏אַף‎is used in preference to‏פֶּה‎, because the nostril, or the breathing (which‏אַף‎literally means) is regarded by the Hebrews as that which in distension betokens pleasure, anger, &c. The appropriateness of this expression will be more manifest when we remember that hitherto all that the Shulamite showed towards Solomon were resistance and independence. There is also a play of words here,‏אַף‎being derived from‏אָנַף‎,to breathe, and‏תַּפּוּחַ‎, from‏נָפַח‎,to breathe. Hodgson strangely renders‏וְרֵיחַ אַפֵף‎, “the fragrance ofthy face,” because several MSS. read‏אפיך‎with ayod.9.And thy speech, &c. That is, Let thy language to me be as the sweetness of delicious wine. Rosenmüller, Döpke, De Wette, Noyes, Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, &c., put these words into the mouth of the maiden. But it is incredible that this modest woman would approve of these expressions with regard to her own person, and that she would continue the words‏דּוֹבֵב שִׂפְתֵי יְשֵׁינִים‎.‏חֵךְ‎,palate, metonymically for speech;vide supra, chap. v. 16.‏טוֹב‎is used as asubstantive, and placed in the genitive after‏יַיִן‎; comp. Ps. xxi. 4; Prov. xxiv. 25; Ewald, § 287 b. The phrase‏הֹלֵךְ לְמֵישָׁרִים‎describes the smooth or mellow wine, which is of a very superior quality, and highly prized, Prov. xxiii. 31. The expression‏לְדוֹדִי‎is added in order to describe still more forcibly the nature of the wine, and affords a more striking illustration of the pleasantness of the damsel’s speech. Her voice is not merely compared to wine, valued because it is sweet to everybody; but to such wine as would be sweet to a friend, and on that account is more valuable and pleasant. Ammon, Ewald, Heiligstedt, Hitzig, &c. regard‏לְדוֹדִי‎as having erroneously crept in here[182]from ver. 11, whilst Velthusen, Meier, &c. point it‏לְדוֹדַי‎in the plural; but this is unsupported by MSS. Hodgson, taking‏לְדוֹדִי‎for‏לְדוֹדִים‎, translates itad amores,delightfully, corresponding to‏לְמֵישָׁרִיﬦ‎in the next clause. But this rendering, to say the least, is contrary to the general meaning of this word. The rendering of Williams, “which I sent to those whom I love for their integrity,” is preposterous.And causes slumbering lips, &c. The wine is of such an animating nature, that it even causes silent lips to speak. Thus Horace, Epist. lib. i. Ep. v. 19:—

Σὺ μὲν λέγεις τὰ Θήβης,Ὁ δ’ αὖ Φρυγῶν ἀϋτάς·Ἐγὼ δ’ ἐμὰς ἁλώσεις.Οὐχ ἵππος ὤλεσέν με,Οὐ πεζὸς, οὐχὶ νῆες·Στρατὸς δὲ καινὸς ἄλλος,Ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων με βάλων.

Σὺ μὲν λέγεις τὰ Θήβης,

Ὁ δ’ αὖ Φρυγῶν ἀϋτάς·

Ἐγὼ δ’ ἐμὰς ἁλώσεις.

Οὐχ ἵππος ὤλεσέν με,

Οὐ πεζὸς, οὐχὶ νῆες·

Στρατὸς δὲ καινὸς ἄλλος,

Ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων με βάλων.

“Sing thou of Thebes—let others tellHow Troy’s foundations rose and fell;My numbers shall alone repeatMy own rencounters and defeat.Me fleets and armies ne’er appal—’Tis to a different host I fall:A host within thine eyes, my fair,That lurk and ply their arrows there.”

“Sing thou of Thebes—let others tell

How Troy’s foundations rose and fell;

My numbers shall alone repeat

My own rencounters and defeat.

Me fleets and armies ne’er appal—

’Tis to a different host I fall:

A host within thine eyes, my fair,

That lurk and ply their arrows there.”

Comp. also Ode ii.‏רָהַב‎, in Kal,to tremble(Isa. lx. 5), and Hiphil,to cause to trembleorfear,to frighten,to awe. Similarly the Sept.ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Vulg.me avolarefecerunt, “they make me flee for fear;” and the Syriacܐܰܪܗܶܒ‎,they make me fear. The explanation of Ibn Ezra,‏חזקו ממני‎, which is followed by the Authorized Version, cannot be deduced from the root; nor does it suit the context. Equally untenable is the explanation‏הגיסו לבי‎, Rashi and Rashbam. For‏הֵם‎,mas, with‏עֵינַיִךְ‎,fem.see supra, iv. 9.

6,7.Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep, &c. For the interpretation of the second half of ver. 5 and vers. 6, 7, see iv. 1–3, where the same description is given, with the exception that there‏קְצוּבוֹת‎is used for sheep, and here‏רְחֵלִים‎, and that the first half of ver. 3 is here omitted in the Hebrew, which is here given by the Sept. We cannot refrain from quoting the beautiful explanation of these figures from the manuscript commentary of Immanuel:‏תלתלי שערך ושורותיו נופלים זה על זה לדמיון עדר העזים שהם נתלים זה על זה בהריםושניך הﬦ לבניﬦ ושויﬦ לדמיון עדר הרחליﬦ,שצמדם לבן והם עולים מן הרחצה שכלם מתאימות שב אל שניה שהם שוות, ושכולה אין בהם שאין שן משניה נגרע ונחסר או הם תואר הרחלים שהם שוות ואין בהם שכילה וכן שניה דומות אליהם.‏‎The Septuagint adds after‏וְשַׁכֻּלָּה אֵין בָּהֶם‎,and not one among them is bereaved, in ver. 6;ὡς σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον χείλη σου, καὶ λαλιά σου ὠραία,like a braid of scarlet are thy lips, and thy mouth is lovely, from chap iv. 3.

8,9.I have threescore queens, &c. The flattery and praise here exceed all that have been previously offered. Solomon protests that, though he is surrounded by a numerous retinue of women of all ranks, the Shulamite is the sole possessor of his heart: she who is the[174]best beloved of her mother, and whose consummate beauty has elicited the highest praises from the queens, concubines and maidens. The discrepancy between the number of Solomon’s wives and concubines here stated, and that described in 1 Kings xi. 3, maybe reconciled by taking‏שִׁשִׁים‎,‏שְׁמֹנִים‎and‏אֵין מִסְפָּר‎for indefinite and large numbers:many,very many,without number: so Kleuker, Rosenmüller, Magnus, &c. “We must supply‏לִי‎,to me, after‏הֵמָּה‎,there. For‏הֵמָּה‎,mas, instead of‏הֵנָּה‎,fem., see ii. 7. The pronoun‏הִיא‎,she, is the subject in all the three clauses, and‏אַחַת‎in the first and second clause, and‏בַּרָה‎in the third are predicates. We must supply‏לִי‎after‏אַחַת הִיא‎,she is my only one; just as‏אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּה‎. The word‏אֶחָד‎is used forthe only oneof its kind (Job xxiii. 13; Ezek. ii. 64; vii. 5),favourite; comp.‏גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ‎, 2 Sam. vii. 23.

10.Who is she that looks forth, &c. That Solomon quotes here the eulogy mentioned in the preceding verse, which the court ladies pronounced upon the superlative beauty of the Shulamite when they first beheld her, has long been recognised by the Rabbins, and is now admitted by most interpreters. This is, moreover, confirmed by Prov. xxxi. 28, where the same words,‏אִשֵּׁר‎and‏הַלֵּל‎, are used, and the following verse contains the eulogy which the husband utters. The rising morning, with its red light looking down from heaven over the mountains (Joel ii. 2); the beautiful and placid complexion of the moon, and the refulgent and resplendent appearance of the sun, have often afforded, both to the Oriental and to the Greek and Latin writers, exquisite similes for beauty and grandeur. Thus Sirach (l. 5, 6), describing the High Priest, says:—

“How splendid he was in his interview with the people.In his coming out from the house of the veil!As the morning star amid the clouds,As the moon when full in her days,As the sun when beaming upon the temple of the Most High.”

“How splendid he was in his interview with the people.

In his coming out from the house of the veil!

As the morning star amid the clouds,

As the moon when full in her days,

As the sun when beaming upon the temple of the Most High.”

Comp. also Rev. i. 16; Theocritus’ description of Helen, xviii. 26–28; Lane’s Arabian Nights, i. 29.‏חַמָּה‎and‏לְבָנָח‎are poetical epithets for thesunandmoon, Isa. xxiv. 23.

11, 12.I went down into the nut-garden, &c. As Solomon had referred, in uttering his encomium, to her first coming within sight of the court ladies, the Shulamite here instantly interrupts the king, in order to explain how that came to pass. “I did not go to meet the king, to exhibit myself and be admired by him or his royal retinue; I merely went into the garden with the intention of seeing whether there were any herbs to take home for use, and whether the fruit promised well; and this (‏נַפְשִׁי‎)intentionof mine brought me unawares near the monarch and his cortége.” Though‏אֱגוֹז‎,nut-tree, (so Sept., Vulg., Chald.,)nutoccurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, yet its meaning is established from the cognate languages, and its frequent usage in the Talmud and latter Hebrew writers,‏רָאָה ב‎,to look among(Gen. xxxiv.), with the intention ofchoosing[175]that which pleases, Gen. vi. 2.‏אִבֵּיהַנָּחַל‎,the greenorvegetables growing by the river side; so the Sept.γενήματι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου, and Rashbam,‏על שפת הנחל‎. The Sept. has here‏שָׁם אֶתֵּן אֶת דּוֹדַי לָךְ‎, from chap. vii. 14, which the Arabic,Æthiopic, and several modern commentators wrongly follow, as it has no MS. authority, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of this passage.

12.Unwittingly, &c. This verse has caused much perplexity to interpreters. The ancient versions, finding the sense obscure, have altered almost every word, and hence increased the difficulty. Thus the Sept. hasοὐκ ἔγνω ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔθετό με ἅρματα Ἀμιναδάβ, which Luther follows: “Meine Seele wusste es nicht, dass er mich zum Wagen Aminadib gezetzt hatte:” They take‏נֶפֶשׁ‎as the subject, alter‏לֹא יָדַעְתִּי‎, the first person com., into‏לֹא יָדְעָה‎, the third fem., to agree with‏נֶפֶשׁ‎, a fem. noun,‏שָׂמַתְנִי‎, the third fem., into‏שַׂמְנִי‎, the third masc. referring it to Solomon, and regard‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎as a proper name. The Vulg. hasNescivi, anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab; altering‏שָׂמַתְנִי‎, the Kal of‏שׂוּם‎,to put,to place, into the Hiphil of‏שָׂמֵם‎,to be astonished,‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎into‏מֵרִכְבוֹת‎, the plural of‏רֶכֶב‎, with the preposition‏מ‎, and taking‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎as a proper name. Passing over these textual alterations, and the emendations proposed by modern commentators, as unauthorized, we shall first examine the words as they are in the text, and then the most plausible interpretations deducible therefrom.‏לֹא יָדַעְתִּי‎are rightly taken by most, though differing in their opinion as to the rendering of the remainder of the verse, asadverbial, in the sense ofsuddenly,unwittingly, and as subordinate to‏נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי‎,my soul has unwittingly put me, orplaced me; comp. Job v. 9; Isa. xlvii. 11; Jer. l. 24. The verb‏שׂוּם‎,to put,to place, may be construed with two accusatives, one of the person, and the other of the thing; and‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎may be taken as thesecond accusative(comp. Ps. xxxix. 9; 1 Sam. viii. 1; Mich. i. 7), or‏מַרְכְּבוֹת‎may be taken as adesignation of placeafter‏שׂוּם‎, a verb of motion; comp. Isa. xl. 26.‏מֶרְכָּבָה‎,a chariot, used for warlike purposes, or for state or pleasure, Gen. xlvi. 29; Exod. xv. 4; 2 Sam. xv. 1. The expression‏עַמִּי‎may either meanpopulares mei—(the Hebrews having no separate word for “countryman,” use this expression to denote one of their own people (Gesen. xxiii. 11; Lam. ii. 11), and‏נָדִיב‎may be an adjective for‏הַנַּדִיב‎, as the article is sometimes omitted through following a noun with suffix)—or‏עַמִּי‎may here be used, like‏עִישׁ‎, forcompanions,attendants,followers, (Eccl. iv. 16,) the‏י‎in‏עַמִּי‎not being a suffix, butparagogic, and a mark of the const. state (Deut. xxxiii. 16; Lam. i. 1), and‏נָדִיב‎, a noun in the genitive of the king or prince. As to how much stress there is to be laid on the Sept., which takes‏עַמִּי נָדִיב‎asa proper name, and is followed by the Arabic, Æthiop., Vulg., and which also produced some variations in the orthography of these words, we need only refer to vii. 2, where the same version renders‏בַּת נָדִיב‎byθυγάτηρἈμιναδὰβ. The verse, therefore, may either be translated: “My soul has unwittingly made me the chariots of my noble countrymen,” or, “My soul has unwittingly placed at, or brought me to the chariots of my noble people, orto the chariots of the companions of the prince.” Now against the first rendering we urge, in the first place, that if the chariots be taken in the accusative, and hence in a figurative sense, we are unavoidably led into a bewildering maze of conjectural and fanciful opinions. The following may serve as a specimen. Rashi takes the chariots to be a sign ofignominy.‏נפשי שמתני להיות מרכבות להרכיב עלי נדיבות שאר אומות‎, “My soul has made me to be chariots for foreign princes to ride upon”; i.e.I have willingly brought upon me a foreign yoke.Ibn[176]Ezra takes the chariots as a figure forswiftness,‏לא ידעתי שהייתי הולכת במרוצה אליך כמו מרכבות עמי נדיב הגדול שיש בעמי‎, “I did not know that I was hurrying on to thee with the rapidity of the chariots of the great prince who is among my people;” which the Syriac,ܐܳܐ ܝܶܕܥܰܬ ܢܰܦܫܝ ܣܳܡܬܰܥܝ ܒܡܳܪܒܳܒܬܐ‎, though sharing somewhat in the errors of the Sept. and Vulg., seems to favour. Herder takes the chariots as a symbol ofmartial power, guard, and protection(Ps. xx. 8; 2 Kings ii. 11, 12). Hengstenberg affirms that the chariots signifychampion, guard, defence. And secondly, this translation interrupts the connexion of this verse with the preceding one. Now the second rendering avoids all this. Solomon has repeated in verse 10 the praise which the court ladies had pronounced on the Shulamite when they first saw her; the Shulamite (in ver. 11, 12), in reply, explains how she came to the carriages of the court ladies.

1.Return, return, &c. Here we see how little all the persuasions, promises, and eulogies of the king and courtiers affected the sincere and deeply rooted affections of the Shulamite for her beloved shepherd. No sooner had she explained (as she incidentally informs us) how she came to be noticed and taken up by the king, than she actually started off. But the king entreated her to return, that he might look at her once more. The Shulamite, pausing a little, turns round and modestly asks:

What will you behold in the Shulamite?That is, what can ye see in a humble rustic girl?‏הַשּׁוּלַמּית‎, as is evident from the article, is a gentile noun, according to the analogy of‏הַשּׁוּנַמִּית‎, (1 Kings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 12, 25.) Ewald, § 156c: and a female inhabitant of Shulem,i.q.Shunem. Shulem still exists as a village, now called Sôlam, about three miles and a half north of Zerîn, (Jezreel), and lies on the declivity, at the western end of the mountain of Duhy, the so-called Little Hermon. “There is little room for doubt that it is the ancient Shunem of the tribe of Issachar, where the Philistines encamped before Saul’s last battle, (Josh. xix. 18; 1 Sam. xxviii. 4.) From the same place, apparently, Abishag the Shunammite was brought to the aged David; and here it was probably that Elisha often lodged in the house of the Shunammite woman, and afterwards raised her son from the dead (1 Kings i. 3; 2 Kings iv. 8–37; viii. 1–6). Eusebius and Jerome describe it in their day as a village lying five Roman miles from Mount Tabor, towards the southern quarter, and they write the name alreadySulem.” Robinson, Palestine, iii. 169, &c. The transition of‏ל‎into‏נ‎is of frequent occurrence; comp.‏לָחַץ‎and‏נָחַץ‎,to burn. (Gesen. Lexicon,‏ל‎a; Ewald, § 156, c.)‏שׁוּלַמִּית‎is not the feminine of the name‏שְׁלֹמֹה‎, which would be‏שְׁלֹמִית‎; comp. Lev. xxiv. 11; 1 Chron. iii. 19; Ewald, § 274, f.

Like a dance to double choirs, replies the king,i.e.“to see thee is like gazing at the charming view of a festive choir expressing their merriment in a sacred dance. The Hebrews, in common with other nations (Strabo, 10), used sacred dancing, accompanied by vocal and instrumental music, as expressive of joy and rejoicing (Exod. xv. 20; 2 Sam. vi. 15; Ps. cxlix. 3).[177]A sight of such an assemblage of various beauties, all swelling their voices into one song of joy, and blending their several forms in one choral dance of joy, must have afforded a delightful picture. No wonder that such a scene is described by Homer (Iliad, xviii. 590,) as portrayed on the famous shield of Achilles, and that

“On either side spectators numerous stood,Delighted.”

“On either side spectators numerous stood,

Delighted.”

To this charming scene, therefore, does the captivated monarch compare the view of the Shulamite.‏מְחוֹלָה‎, from‏חוּל‎,to turn round,a dance, the joyous dancing on a festive occasion.‏ַחְנֶה‎, prop.a camp, alsoa multitude,a band of people, Gen. l. 9.‏מַחֲנַיִם‎is the regular dual, and not the plural (Sept., Vulg., Gesenius, Döpke, &c.), and is here used because this dance consisted of a band arranged in a double line, something like our country dance. On the different kinds of Oriental dances, see Rosenmüller, Orient. ii. 19–22; Wilkinson, Manners, &c., ii. 328–340. Saalschütz,ArchäologiederHebräer, vol. i. 302. The words‏כִּמְחֹלַת הַמַּחֲנַיִם‎have elicited a variety of interpretations. Some take‏מַחֲנַיִם‎as aproper name, and say that reference is here made to some particular mode of worship practised in that place in consequence of Jacob’s sojourn there; but this is purely imaginary. Others again suppose that an allusion is made to Gen. xxxii. 2, 3, and hence render‏מַחֲנַיִם‎by‏מַחֲנֵי אֱלֹהִים‎or‏צְבָאוֹת‎; but this is unfounded, since we have not the slightest intimation in that passage that the angels were engaged in dancing.

2.How beautiful are thy feet in sandals!The Shulamite, in obedience to the king’s request, returns, and as she advances, Solomon is arrested by her beautiful feet, with which he begins his last highly flattering delineation of her beauty, and his last attempt to win her affections.‏נְעָלִים‎, Chald.‏סַנְדְלִין‎,sandals, formed an important part of an Oriental costume (Ezek. xvi. 10; Judith xvi. 9). The ladies bestowed great pains upon, and evinced much taste in ornamenting this article of dress, which attracted the notice of the opposite sex.‏בַּת נָדִיב‎does not meana descendant of a titled family, but, according to a common Hebrew idiom, which applies‏בַּת בֵּן‎, and other terms of human kindred to relations of every kind, expresses thatshe herself was of a noble character. Comp. 1 Sam. i. 16; Gesen. § 106, 2 a; Ewald, § 287 f.

The circuits of thy thighs like ornaments, &c. To describe the beautiful appearance of an object, the Orientals frequently compared it to some precious metal or gem; seesupra,v. 11; Prov. xxv. 12. The simple metal or gem, however, seems not to suffice here to express the exquisite symmetry of these parts of the body; they are, therefore, compared with some beautifully-wrought and highly-finished ornaments, formed of such materials. The rendering of‏פְּעָמִים‎bysteps(Sept., Vulg., Ewald, Döpke, Hengstenberg, &c.), and‏חַמוּקֵי‎bySchwingungen,movements(Hengstenberg), is contrary to the scope of the description, which obviously depicts theseveral membersof the body (beginning with the feet and gradually ascending to the head), and not their actions.‏חֲלָאִים‎is not thedual(Luther), but theplural; according to the analogy of‏צְבִי‎,‏צְבָאִים‎;‏פְּתִי‎,‏פְּתָאִים‎. The‏א‎in the plural is preferred to the‏י‎in consequence of the precedingAsound. Gesen. § 93, 66; Ewald, § 186 e.

3.Thy navel is like a round goblet, &c. The reference and the import of the figure are obvious.‏מֶזֶג‎,i.q.‏מֶסֶךְ‎,mixture,mixed wine. The ancients were in the habit of mixing wine with spices, to make it more stimulating and exciting. Wine thus mixed was called‏יַיִן הַרֶקַח‎, viii.[178]2, thevinum aromatitesof the Greeks and Romans. (Comp. Ps. lxxv. 9; Prov. ix. 5; Isa. v. 22; Mishna, Maaser sheni, ii. 1; Baba Mez. v. 2; Pliny, Hist. Nat. xiv. 15; Gesen. Thesaurus, p. 808; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v.)‏שָׁרְרֵךְ‎is one of the few instances in which‏עע״‎are resolved before suffixes, owing to the broadness of the vowels when preceding‏ל‎, or‏ר‎. Comp.‏גַּל‎with suffix‏גַּלְלוֹ‎:‏צִלְלוֹ צַל‎:‏הַרֲרָם הַר‎, Ewald, § 265; Fürst, Lexicon, s.v.‏–גַל‎. The particle‏אַל‎expresses a subjective wish, Gesen. Lexicon,‏אַל‎, ii. 6, Ewald, § 320.

Thy body is like a heap of wheat, &c. The point of analogy seems to subsist between the appearance of the body and that of a quantity of corn heaped up,‏עֲרַמָה‎, which Ibn Ezra well explains‏עבה מלמטה ודקה מלמעלה‎; so also Rashbam. Remembering that corpulency was deemed essential to an Eastern beauty, this comparison will appear obvious. Selden, who is followed by others, takes this passage as a prediction of the bride’s fertility: as:—“Wheat and barley were among the ancient Hebrews emblems of fertility; and it was usual for standers-by to scatter these grains upon the married couple, with a wish that they might increase and multiply.”Uxor Hebraica, lib. ii. cap. 15.“A custom,” adds Williams, “which might probably originate from this passage, orvice versâ.”

But though it is true that it was a common practice among the Jews at marriages to distribute among the company dried seeds (Talm. Chethuboth, ii. 1), probably to indicate a wish that the newly-married couple might be fruitful, it does not follow that it was the practice at so early an age, or that it is the meaning here. Were this the sense here, we should expect that the Jewish commentators, who well knew and practised the manners and customs of their own people, would have recognised it. Whereas, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, &c., explain this figure as referring to the appearance.

Hedged round with, &c. The threshing-floors in ancient times were in the open air; and when the wheat had been threshed out, fanned and heaped up, each heap was stuck round with thorns, in order to keep off the cattle. (Hos. ii. 5, 6.) To render the figure more beautiful, and the compliment more flattering, the enamoured king changes the hedge of thorns into a fence oflilies. Others, however, refer these words to a robe embroidered with lilies, covering her body; and others, again, to some ancient custom of surrounding or covering the newly-threshed heap of wheat with a sort of garland of flowers, indicating the joy of the husbandman at the return of the harvest.

4,5.Thy bosom is like, &c. These verses, with a little variation arising from the fact that a different person is the speaker here, contain the same figures as iv. 4, 5. The comparison between the beautiful symmetry, erect bearing, and ivory colour of the neck, and between the elegant structure, lofty altitude, and white colour of a tower, appears more striking and apposite from the description given by Josephus of the towers of Jerusalem: “They were so very tall, they appeared much taller by the place on which they stood; for that very old wall, wherein they were, was built on a high hill, and was itself a kind of elevation that was still thirty cubits taller, over which were the towers situated, and thereby were made much higher to appearance. The largeness also of the stones was wonderful; for they were not made of common small stones, nor of such large ones only as men could carry, but they were of white marble, cut out of the rocks: each stone was twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in breadth, and five in depth. They were so exactly united[179]to one another, that each tower looked like one entire block of stone, so growing naturally, and afterwards cut by the hand of the artificer into the present shape and corners; so little, or not at all, did their joints or connexion appear.” (Jewish War, book v. chap. iv. 4.—Whiston’s translation.) The comparison of the neck with ivory is also used by Anacreon (Ode xxix. 28, 29), in his description of Bathyllus:—

Τὸν Ἀδώνιδος παρελθὼνἐλεφάντινος τράχηλος.“But never can thy pencil traceHis ivory neck of Paphian grace.”

Τὸν Ἀδώνιδος παρελθὼνἐλεφάντινος τράχηλος.

Τὸν Ἀδώνιδος παρελθὼν

ἐλεφάντινος τράχηλος.

“But never can thy pencil traceHis ivory neck of Paphian grace.”

“But never can thy pencil trace

His ivory neck of Paphian grace.”

Thine eyes, &c. That is, are as bright and serene as the celebrated translucent pools of this city. Heshbon, a town in the southern parts of the Hebrew territory, about twenty miles east of the point where the Jordan enters the Dead Sea, originally belonged to the Moabites (Numb. xxi. 25), and afterwards came into possession of the Amorite king Sihon (ibid.; Deut. ii. 24; Josh. iii. 10). It was conquered by Moses shortly before his death (Numb. xxi. 25), and was first assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Numb. xxxii. 37; Josh. xiii. 17), and afterwards to the tribe of Gad, and became a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 39; 1 Chron. vi. 81). It was retaken by the Moabites when the ten tribes were carried into exile (Isa. xv. 4; xvi. 9; Jer. xlviii. 2), but the Jews conquered it again afterwards (Joseph. Antiq. lib. xiii.) The ruins of Heshbon, the name by which the place is still known, have been visited and described by modern travellers. (Burckhardt, Travels, p. 365; Biblical Repos. for 1833, p. 650; Robinson, Palestine, ii. 278.) Heshbon was the pride of Moab, was famous for its fertility, verdure of plantation, and beautiful reservoirs. Hence the simile here. A similar comparison is used by Ovid, De Arte Ama. ii. 722:—

“Adspicies oculos tremulo fulgare meiantes,Ut sol a liquida saepe refulget aqua.”

“Adspicies oculos tremulo fulgare meiantes,

Ut sol a liquida saepe refulget aqua.”

‏בַּת רַבִּים‎is well explained by Rashbam,the populous,‏שרוב בני העיר יוצאין ונכנסין בה‎, “because, through it a multitude of the inhabitants of the town walk in and out;”‏שהרבים באים להסתכל שם‎, “because it is the chief place of concourse.”‏בַּת‎,daughter, like‏בֶּן‎,son, is idiomatically used in Hebrew to express quality. Compare‏בֶּן־שֶׁמֶן‎,a son of fatness, i.e. fat; Isa. v. 1, and supra, vii. 2. The Septuagint, which is followed by the Vulgate, not understanding this idiom, renders it literallyἐν πύλαις θυγατρὸς πολλῶν,by the gates of the daughter of many.

Thy nose, &c. This tower must have contained a projection or an overhanging part, celebrated for its great symmetry and elegance. Hence the comparison between the beautifully projecting tower and the well-proportioned nose.

6.Thy head upon thee, &c.‏כַּרְמֶל‎stands here for‏כַּרְמִיל‎,purpura; so Ibn Gamach, Ibn Ezra, Fürst, &c. This shell-fish is of a spiral form, and “the exquisite juice which is so greatly sought after for the purpose of dyeing cloth is situate in the middle of the throat. This secretion consists of a tiny drop contained in a white vein, from which the precious liquid used for dyeing is distilled, being of the tint of a rose, somewhatinclined to black.” Pliny, Hist. Nat. ix. 60, 61; Arist. Hist. Anim. lib. v. c. 14. The simile here subsists betweenthe spiral formof this shell-fish andthe pyramidal shapein which the hair was anciently tied up on the top of the head. The Chinese and other Eastern women still wear their hair rolled up into a knot or bunch at the top of the head; and[180]even in this country ladies used to dress their hair in a somewhat similar manner. The rendering of the ancient versions of‏כַּרְמָל‎, byMount Carmel, which the majority of modern interpreters follow: they take the simile to be between the beautiful appearance of the bride’s head and the charming, luxuriant, and picturesque summit of this celebrated mountain; but this is against theparallelismand 2 Chron. ii. 16, 13; iii. 14.‏כַּרְמֶל‎=‏כַּרְמִיל‎is derived from‏כָּרַם‎,to be shiningly red, with‏–ִיל‎appended, according to the analogy of‏פְּתִיגִיל‎; vide Fürst, Lexiconin voce; or it may be that this shell-fish was so called because it was found on the shore near Carmel. At all events, there is no need to look for the etymology of this word out of the Shemitic family.

And the tresses, &c. Fine hair is frequently compared by the Greeks and Romans with purple. Thus Anacreon, xxviii. 11, 13.

γράφε δ’ ἐξ ὅλης παρειῆςὑπὸ πορφύραισι χαίσταιςἐλεφάντινον μέτωπον.Then paint, from her full cheeks,Beneath herpurple hair,Her ivory forehead.

γράφε δ’ ἐξ ὅλης παρειῆςὑπὸ πορφύραισι χαίσταιςἐλεφάντινον μέτωπον.

γράφε δ’ ἐξ ὅλης παρειῆς

ὑπὸ πορφύραισι χαίσταις

ἐλεφάντινον μέτωπον.

Then paint, from her full cheeks,Beneath herpurple hair,Her ivory forehead.

Then paint, from her full cheeks,

Beneath herpurple hair,

Her ivory forehead.

Compare also Virgil, Georg. i. 405; Tibul. i. 4, 63. The purple here referred to is that kind which Pliny describes as “nigrans adspectuidemquesuspectu refulgens.”‏אַרְגָּמָן‎,the costly colourextracted from the shell-fish, is from‏רָגַם‎, kind.‏רָקַם‎,to colour, with the prostetic‏א‎and termination‏–ָן‎;vide supra, chap. iii. 9.

The king is captivated, &c. The ringlets, like the lashes of the eyelids, are frequently represented as the net of love. Prov. vi. 25; Sirach ix. 3, 4. Thus Jami, in his Joseph and Zuleikha, chap. i., as quoted by Dr. Good, says:—

“When Love in graceful ringlets plants his toils,The fool he catches, and the wise man foils;But, thence released, the sage his snare discerns,And Reason’s lamp with wonted lustre burns.”

“When Love in graceful ringlets plants his toils,

The fool he catches, and the wise man foils;

But, thence released, the sage his snare discerns,

And Reason’s lamp with wonted lustre burns.”

‏מֶלֶךְ‎stands for‏הַמֶּלֶךְ‎; the article is not unfrequently omitted in poetry; comp. Ps. ii. 2; xxi. 2; Gesen. § 109; Ewald, § 277, b.‏רָהִיט‎,a ringlet, so called from its flowing down over the shoulders;vide supra, chap. i. 16. The construction of‏מֶלֶךְ‎with‏אַרְגָּמָן‎, i.e.royal purple(one of the Greek translators in the Hexapla, Vulgate, Syriac, Luther, Houbigant, &c.), is against the punctuation and the evenness of the metre, interferes with the interpretation of the remaining words, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of the passage. Besides, no people is known by such a name. It was owing to a feeling of being consistent that the editor of Calmet felt himself constrained to take‏אַרְגָּמָן‎as a proper name,Argamen, to correspond with the parallel‏כַּרְמֶל‎; and to explain this clause as alluding to a particular mode of plaiting the hair, like the weaving ofArech, a city in Babylonia, supposed to be famous for its weaving manufactories.

How beautiful, &c. The captivated king, having described the beauty of the several parts of the body, now combines the separate members into one lovely form, and endows it with life and fascination, which none of the inanimate beauties to which he had compared her, however admirable, possessed.‏אַהֲבָה‎,love, abstract for concrete,loved one,vide supra, chap. v. 1.‏תַּעֲנוּג‎,charm,attraction, such as living beings possess. Aquila and theSyriac, separating the word‏בְּתַּעֲנֻגִים‎, render itθυγάτηρ τρυφῶν,‏בַּת עֲנֻגִים‎.

7.This thy growth, &c. The beautiful growth of the palm-tree, like that of the cedar and cypress, supplied a forcible image to the ancients.[181]Thus the Son of Sirach, xxiv. 13, 14:—

“I grew up as a cedar of Lebanon,And as a cypress upon Mount Hermon;I grew up as a palm-tree in En-gedi,And as a rose-tree in Jericho.”

“I grew up as a cedar of Lebanon,

And as a cypress upon Mount Hermon;

I grew up as a palm-tree in En-gedi,

And as a rose-tree in Jericho.”

Comp. also Homer, Odyss. vi. 162, and supra, chap. v. 15.‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎,bunch,cluster, of grapes, dates, or flowers; the context must decide which. Here, from its close proximity to‏תָּמָר‎,palm-tree, dates are most probably intended. For the etymology of‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎, see supra, chap. i. 14; and for its form, both here and in ver. 9, Ewald, § 212 d.

8.I long to climb, &c. After this flattering description Solomon tells the Shulamite how greatly he desires, and how happy he should be to enjoy, the affections of one so lovely and charming. We earnestly request those who maintain the allegorical interpretation of the Song seriously to reflect whether this verse, and indeed the whole of this address, can be put into the mouth of Christ as speaking to the Church. Would not our minds recoil with horror were we to hear a Christian using it publicly, or even privately, to illustrate the love of Christ for his Church?—‏אָמַר‎,to speak, alsoto wish,to desire, Gen. xliv. 28; Exod. ii. 14; 1 Sam. xx. 4.‏אָמַרְתִּי‎does not expressthe past, butthe present; comp.‏דָמְתָה‎in the preceding verse; Gesen. § 126, 3; Ewald, § 135 b. The second verb‏אֶעֱלֶה‎is subordinate to the first,vide supra, chap. ii. 3.‏גֶּפֶן‎is added to‏אֶשְׁכֹּל‎, to distinguish it fromthe datesin ver. 7.

And the odour of thy breath, &c. That is, be as sweet and as quickening as that of apples.‏אַף‎is used in preference to‏פֶּה‎, because the nostril, or the breathing (which‏אַף‎literally means) is regarded by the Hebrews as that which in distension betokens pleasure, anger, &c. The appropriateness of this expression will be more manifest when we remember that hitherto all that the Shulamite showed towards Solomon were resistance and independence. There is also a play of words here,‏אַף‎being derived from‏אָנַף‎,to breathe, and‏תַּפּוּחַ‎, from‏נָפַח‎,to breathe. Hodgson strangely renders‏וְרֵיחַ אַפֵף‎, “the fragrance ofthy face,” because several MSS. read‏אפיך‎with ayod.

9.And thy speech, &c. That is, Let thy language to me be as the sweetness of delicious wine. Rosenmüller, Döpke, De Wette, Noyes, Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, &c., put these words into the mouth of the maiden. But it is incredible that this modest woman would approve of these expressions with regard to her own person, and that she would continue the words‏דּוֹבֵב שִׂפְתֵי יְשֵׁינִים‎.‏חֵךְ‎,palate, metonymically for speech;vide supra, chap. v. 16.‏טוֹב‎is used as asubstantive, and placed in the genitive after‏יַיִן‎; comp. Ps. xxi. 4; Prov. xxiv. 25; Ewald, § 287 b. The phrase‏הֹלֵךְ לְמֵישָׁרִים‎describes the smooth or mellow wine, which is of a very superior quality, and highly prized, Prov. xxiii. 31. The expression‏לְדוֹדִי‎is added in order to describe still more forcibly the nature of the wine, and affords a more striking illustration of the pleasantness of the damsel’s speech. Her voice is not merely compared to wine, valued because it is sweet to everybody; but to such wine as would be sweet to a friend, and on that account is more valuable and pleasant. Ammon, Ewald, Heiligstedt, Hitzig, &c. regard‏לְדוֹדִי‎as having erroneously crept in here[182]from ver. 11, whilst Velthusen, Meier, &c. point it‏לְדוֹדַי‎in the plural; but this is unsupported by MSS. Hodgson, taking‏לְדוֹדִי‎for‏לְדוֹדִים‎, translates itad amores,delightfully, corresponding to‏לְמֵישָׁרִיﬦ‎in the next clause. But this rendering, to say the least, is contrary to the general meaning of this word. The rendering of Williams, “which I sent to those whom I love for their integrity,” is preposterous.

And causes slumbering lips, &c. The wine is of such an animating nature, that it even causes silent lips to speak. Thus Horace, Epist. lib. i. Ep. v. 19:—

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