CHAPTER V _The bridegroom calls on his spouse to admit him_, 1-3. _She hesitates; but arising finds him gone, seeks him, and_ _is treated unworthily by the city watch_, 4-7. _Inquires of the daughters of Jerusalem, who question her_ _concerning her beloved_, 8, 9. _This gives her occasion to e... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:2. _I SLEEP, BUT MY HEART WAKETH_] This is a _new part_; and some suppose that the _fifth_ day's solemnity begins here. _Though I_ _sleep, yet so_ impressed is _my heart_ with the excellences of my beloved, that my imagination presents him to me in the most pleasing _dreams_... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:3. _I HAVE PUT OFF MY COAT_] The bride must have been in a _dream_ or in much _disorder of mind_ to have made the frivolous excuses here mentioned. The words relate to the case of a person who had gone to take rest on his bed. As they wore nothing but sandals, they were oblig... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:4. _MY BELOVED PUT IN HIS HAND_] If it were a _real scene_, which is mentioned in this and the two following verses, it must refer, from the well-known use of the _metaphors_, to matrimonial endearments. Or, it may refer to his _attempts to open the door_, when she hesitated... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:5. _MY HANDS DROPPED_ WITH _MYRRH_] It was a custom among the Romans, as _Brissonius, Isidore_, and others relate, to conduct the bride to the house of the bridegroom with lighted torches; and those who brought her _anointed the door-posts with fragrant oils_, whence the name... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:7. _TOOK AWAY MY VEIL_] They tore it off rudely, to discover who she was. See on Song of Solomon 5:2. To tear the veil signifies, in Eastern phrase, to deflower or dishonour a woman.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:8. _I_ AM _SICK OF LOVE._] "I am exceedingly concerned for his absence; and am distressed on account of my thoughtless carriage towards him." The latter clause may be well translated, "What should ye tell him?" Why, "that I am sick of love." This ends the transactions of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 9. _WHAT_ IS _THY BELOVED MORE THAN_ ANOTHER _BELOVED_] This question gives the bride an opportunity to break out into a highly wrought description of the beauty and perfections of her spouse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 10. _MY BELOVED_ IS _WHITE AND RUDDY_] _Red_ and _white_, properly mixed, are essential to a _fine complexion_; and this is what is intimated: he has the _finest complexion among ten thousand_ _persons_; not one in that number is equal to _him_. Literally, "He bears the standard among ten thou... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 11. _HIS HEAD_ IS AS _THE MOST FINE GOLD_] He has the most beautiful head, fine and majestic. Gold is here used to express _excellence_. _HIS LOCKS_ ARE _BUSHY_] _Crisped_ or _curled_. This may refer to his mustachios. _BLACK AS A RAVEN._] His hair is black and glossy.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 12. _HIS EYES_ ARE _AS_ THE EYES _OF DOVES_] See on Song of Solomon 4:1. _WASHED WITH MILK_] The _white_ of the eye, _exceedingly white_. By the use of _stibium_, in the East, the eye is rendered very _beautiful_; and receives such a _lustre_ from the use of this article, that, to borrow the... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 13. _HIS CHEEKS_ ARE _AS A BED OF SPICES_] Possibly meaning a _bed in the garden_, where odoriferous herbs grew. But it has been supposed to refer to his _beard_, which in a _young well-made man_ is exceedingly beautiful. I have seen young Turks, who had taken much care of their beards, mustac... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 14. _HIS HANDS - GOLD RINGS SET WITH THE BERYL_] This really seems to refer to _gold rings_ set with precious stones on the fingers, and perhaps to circlets or bracelets about the wrists. Some suppose it to refer to the roundness and exquisite symmetry of the hand and fingers. תרשיש _tarshish_... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 15. _HIS LEGS_ ARE AS _PILLARS OF MARBLE_] Exquisitely turned and well-shaped; the _sockets of gold_ may refer to his _slippers_. On these a profusion of gold and ornaments are still lavished in Asiatic countries. _HIS COUNTENANCE_ IS _AS LEBANON_] As Lebanon exalts its head beyond all the ot... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Song of Solomon 5:16. _HIS MOUTH_ IS _MOST SWEET_] His eloquence is great, and his voice is charming. Every word he speaks is sweetness, mildness, and benevolence itself. Then, her powers of description failing, and metaphor exhausted she cries out, "The whole of him is loveliness. This is my... [ Continue Reading ]