Song of Solomon 6:10

These words evidently express the admiration of the ladies of the court for the Shulammite. Most commentators who regard the book as a connected whole take Song of Solomon 6:10 to be the praises referred to in the previous verse. Song of Solomon 6:9 would then end with a colon, and sayingmust be understood. The R.V. however marks a paragraph. Oettli emphasises the tense, and they praisedher, and regards the words as those used by the court ladies when she was first met by the royal party. This is much the best hypothesis, for it gives a connecting point for the next verses as the words of the Shulammite. Delitzsch, on the other hand, makes this the beginning of a new act, and supposes that the Shulammite walks forth from some recess in the royal gardens and is greeted by the ladies with these words.

looketh forth as the morning Better, as the dawn, i.e. as the dawn looks forth over the eastern hills, cp. Shakespeare, Hamlet, Acts 1. sc. 1,

"But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,

Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill."

clear This is the word translated "choice one" in the previous verse, but it must mean clearhere.

terrible asan army with banners It is a marked peculiarity of the Song to repeat similes and epithets. They are introduced first for some special reason, then immediately they seem to crystallise into standing epithets. Cp. "feeding among the lilies." The words used here for sunand moonare not the ordinary ones shemeshand yârçach, but chammâh, lit. -heat," and lěbhânâh, lit. -whiteness," exclusively poetic names, found together again in Isaiah 24:23; Isaiah 30:26.