1The Beloved: How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skilled artist. 2Your navel is like a round goblet; it lacks no mixed wine. Your belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies. 3Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle. 4Your neck is like an ivory tower, your eyes like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus. 5Your head is like Carmel, and the hair of your head is like purple; the king is held captive in its tresses. 6How beautiful and how pleasant you are, O love; so exquisite! 7Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts like its clusters. 8I said, I will go up into the palm tree, I will grasp its stalk. Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your nose like apples, 9and the roof of your mouth like excellent wine. Shulamite: The wine goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding gently over the lips into sleep. 10I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. 11Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. 12Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give my love to you. 13At our door all manner of excellent fragrances for love, new and old, I have treasured up for you, my beloved.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 thy feet--rather, "thy goings" (
Ps 17:5). Evident allusion to
Isa 52:7 : "How beautiful . . . are the feet of him . . . that publisheth peace" (Shulamite,
Song 6:13).
shoes--Sandals are richly jewelled in the East (
Luke 15:22;
Eph 6:15). She is evidently "on the mountains," whither she was wafted (
Song 6:12), above the daughters of Jerusalem, who therefore portray her feet first.
daughter--of God the Father, with whom Jesus Christ is one (
Matt 5:9), "children of (the) God" (of peace), equivalent to Shulamite (
Ps 45:10-
Ps 45:15;
2Cor 6:18), as well as bride of Jesus Christ.
prince's--therefore princely herself, freely giving the word of life to others, not sparing her "feet," as in
Song 5:3;
Exod 12:11. To act on the offensive is defensive to ourselves.
joints--rather, "the rounding"; the full graceful curve of the hips in the female figure; like the rounding of a necklace (as the Hebrew for "jewels" means). Compare with the English Version,
Eph 4:13-
Eph 4:16;
Col 2:19. Or, applying it to the girdle binding together the robes round the hips (
Eph 6:14).
cunning workman-- (
Ps 139:14-
Ps 139:16;
Eph 2:10,
Eph 2:22;
Eph 5:29-
Eph 5:30,
Eph 5:32).
2 navel--rather, "girdle-clasp," called from the part of the person underneath. The "shoes" (
Song 7:1) prove that dress is throughout presupposed on all parts where it is usually worn. She is "a bride adorned for her husband"; the "uncomely parts," being most adorned (
1Cor 12:23). The girdle-clasp was adorned with red rubies resembling the "round goblet" (crater or mixer) of spice-mixed wine (not "liquor,"
Song 8:2;
Isa 5:22). The wine of the "New Testament in His blood" (
Luke 22:20). The spiritual exhilaration by it was mistaken for that caused by new wine (
Acts 2:13-
Acts 2:17;
Eph 5:18).
belly--that is, the vesture on it. As in
Ps 45:13-
Ps 45:14, gold and needlework compose the bride's attire, so golden-colored "wheat" and white "lilies" here. The ripe grain, in token of harvest joy, used to be decorated with lilies; so the accumulated spiritual food (
John 6:35;
John 12:24), free from chaff, not fenced with thorns, but made attractive by lilies ("believers,"
Song 2:2;
Acts 2:46-
Acts 2:47;
Acts 5:13-
Acts 5:14, in common partaking of it). Associated with the exhilarating wine cup (
Zech 9:17), as here.
3 The daughters of Jerusalem describe her in the same terms as Jesus Christ in
Song 4:5. The testimonies of heaven and earth coincide.
twins--faith and love.
4 tower of ivory--In
Song 4:4, Jesus Christ saith, "a tower of David builded for an armory." Strength and conquest are the main thought in His description; here, beauty and polished whiteness; contrast
Song 1:5.
fishpools--seen by BURCKHARDT, clear (
Rev 22:1), deep, quiet, and full (
1Cor 2:10,
1Cor 2:15).
Heshbon--east of Jordan, residence of the Amorite king, Sihon (
Num 21:25, &c.), afterwards held by Gad.
Bath-rabbim--"daughter of a multitude"; a crowded thoroughfare. Her eyes (
Song 4:1) are called by Jesus Christ, "doves' eyes," waiting on Him. But here, looked on by the daughters or Jerusalem, they are compared to a placid lake. She is calm even amidst the crowd (
Pro 8:2;
John 16:33).
nose--or, face.
tower of Lebanon--a border-fortress, watching the hostile Damascus. Towards Jesus Christ her face was full of holy shame (see on
Song 4:1;
Song 4:3); towards spiritual foes, like a watchtower (
Hab 2:1;
Mark 13:37;
Acts 4:13), elevated, so that she looks not up from earth to heaven, but down from heaven to earth. If we retain "nose," discernment of spiritual fragrance is meant.
5 upon thee--the headdress "upon" her.
Carmel--signifying a well-cultivated field (
Isa 35:2). In
Song 5:15 He is compared to majestic Lebanon; she here, to fruitful Carmel. Her headdress, or crown (
2Tim 4:8;
1Pet 5:4). Also the souls won by her (
1Thess 2:19-20), a token of her fruitfulness.
purple--royalty (
Rev 1:6). As applied to hair, it expresses the glossy splendor of black hair (literally, "pendulous hair") so much admired in the East (
Song 4:1). While the King compares her hair to the flowering hair of goats (the token of her subjection), the daughters of Jerusalem compare it to royal purple.
galleries--(so
Song 1:17, Margin;
Rev 21:3). But MAURER translates here, "flowing ringlets"; with these, as with "thongs" (so LEE, from the Arabic translates it) "the King is held" bound (
Song 6:5;
Pro 6:25). Her purple crowns of martyrdom especially captivated the King, appearing from His galleries (
Acts 7:55-
Acts 7:56). As Samson's strength was in his locks (
Judg 16:17). Here first the daughters see the King themselves.
6 Nearer advance of the daughters to the Church (
Acts 2:47;
Acts 5:13, end). Love to her is the first token of love to Him (
1John 5:1, end).
delights--fascinating charms to them and to the King (
Song 7:5;
Isa 62:4, Hephzi-bah). Hereafter, too (
Zeph 3:17;
Mal 3:12;
Rev 21:9).
7 palm tree-- (
Ps 92:12). The sure sign of water near (
Exod 15:27;
John 7:38).
clusters--not of dates, as MOODY STUART thinks. The parallelism (
Song 7:8), "clusters of the vine," shows it is here clusters of grapes. Vines were often trained (termed "wedded") on other trees.
8 The daughters are no longer content to admire, but resolve to lay hold of her fruits, high though these be. The palm stem is bare for a great height, and has its crown of fruit-laden boughs at the summit. It is the symbol of triumphant joy (
John 12:13); so hereafter (
Rev 7:9).
breasts-- (
Isa 66:11).
the vine--Jesus Christ (
Hos 14:7, end;
John 15:1).
nose--that is, breath; the Holy Ghost breathed into her nostrils by Him, whose "mouth is most sweet" (
Song 5:16).
apples--citrons, off the tree to which He is likened (
Song 2:3).
9 roof of thy mouth--thy voice (
Pro 15:23).
best wine--the new wine of the gospel kingdom (
Mark 14:25), poured out at Pentecost (
Acts 2:4,
Acts 2:13,
Acts 2:17).
for my beloved-- (
Song 4:10). Here first the daughters call Him theirs, and become one with the bride. The steps successively are (
Song 1:5) where they misjudge her (
Song 3:11);
Song 5:8, where the possibility of their finding Him, before she regained Him, is expressed;
Song 5:9 (
Song 6:1;
Song 7:6,
Song 7:9;
John 4:42).
causing . . . asleep to speak-- (
Isa 35:6;
Mark 5:19-
Mark 5:20;
Acts 2:47;
Eph 5:14). Jesus Christ's first miracle turned water into "good wine kept until now" (
John 2:10); just as the Gospel revives those asleep and dying under the law (
Pro 31:6;
Rom 7:9-
Rom 7:10,
Rom 7:24-
Rom 7:25;
Rom 8:1).
10 Words of the daughters of Jerusalem and the bride, now united into one (
Acts 4:32). They are mentioned again distinctly (
Song 8:4), as fresh converts were being added from among enquirers, and these needed to be charged not to grieve the Spirit.
his desire is toward me--strong assurance. He so desires us, as to give us sense of His desire toward us (
Ps 139:17-
Ps 139:18;
Luke 22:15;
Gal 2:20;
1John 4:16).
11 field--the country. "The tender grape (MAURER translates, flowers) and vines" occurred before (
Song 2:13). But here she prepares for Him all kinds of fruit old and new; also, she anticipates, in going forth to seek them, communion with Him in "loves." "Early" implies immediate earnestness. "The villages" imply distance from Jerusalem. At Stephen's death the disciples were scattered from it through Judea and Samaria, preaching the word (Acts 8:4-25). Jesus Christ was with them, confirming the word with miracles. They gathered the old fruits, of which Jesus Christ had sown the seed (
John 4:39-
John 4:42), as well as new fruits.
lodge--forsaking home for Jesus Christ's sake (
Matt 19:29).
12 (
Mark 1:35;
John 9:4;
Gal 6:10). Assurance fosters diligence, not indolence.
13 mandrakes--Hebrew, dudaim, from a root meaning "to love"; love apples, supposed to exhilarate the spirits and excite love. Only here and
Gen 30:14-
Gen 30:16. Atropa mandragora of LINNĆUS; its leaves like lettuce, but dark green, flowers purple, root forked, fruit of the size of an apple, ruddy and sweet-smelling, gathered in wheat harvest, that is, in May (Mariti, ii. 195).
gates--the entrance to the kiosk or summer house. Love "lays up" the best of everything for the person beloved (
1Cor 10:31;
Phil 3:8;
1Pet 4:11), thereby really, though unconsciously, laying up for itself (
1Tim 6:18-19).
