Song of Solomon 4:9

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. SISTER ... SPOUSE - this title is here first used, as he is soon about to institute the Supper, the pledge of the nuptial union. By the term "sister," carnal ideas are excluded; the ardour of a spouse's love is combined with the purity of a sister's (). ONE OF THINE EYES - even one look is enough to secure His love (; Luke 23:40). Not merely the Church collectively, but each one member of it () is precious to His heart. CHAIN - necklace, answering to the ...

8-15 Observe the gracious call Christ gives to the church. It is, 1. A precept; so this is Christ's call to his church to come off from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but there are in them lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards. 2. As a promise; many shall be brought as members of the church, from every point. The church shall be delivered from her persecutors in due time, though now she dwells among lions, Psalms 57:4. Christ's heart is upon his church; his treasure is therein; and he delights in the affection she has for him; its working in the heart, and its works in the life. The odours wherewith the spouse is perfumed, are as the gifts and graces of the Spirit. Love and obedience to God are more pleasing to Christ than sacrifice or incense. Christ having put upon his spouse the white raiment of his own righteousness, and the righteousness of saints, and perfumed it...

Verse 9. _THOU HAST RAVISHED MY HEART_] לבבתני _libbabtini_, "Thou hast hearted me," i.e., taken away my heart; as we say, "He has barked the tree," i.e., he has stripped it of its bark; "He has fleeced the flock," i.e., deprived them of their wool. _WITH ONE OF THINE EYES_] באצד מעיניך _beachad meeynayich_. This has been thought a harsh expression, and various emendations have been sought. The _Masoretes_ have put _beachath_, "at once," in the margin; and this is confirmed by _twenty_ of _Kennicott's_ MSS. but _De Rossi_ does not notice it. It is scarcely necessary; the sense to me is clear and good without it. "Even one of thine eyes, or one glance of thine eyes, has been sufficient to deprive me of all power; it has completely overcome me;" for _glance_ may be understood, and such forms of speech are common in all languages, when speaking on such subjects. If even taken _literally_,...

The similes employed refer to the graces of adornment, speech, and gesture, as expressions of inward character and sentiment. Song of Solomon 4:9 WITH ONE OF THINE EYES - Rather, with one look of thine. Song of Solomon 4:11 HONEYCOMB - literally, Thy lips distill a dropping (of pure honey). Compare the marginal references....

EXPOSITION SONG OF SOLOMON 4:1 BEHOLD, THOU ART FAIR, MY LOVE; BEHOLD, THOU ART FAIR; THINE EYES ARE AS DOVES BEHIND THY VEIL; THINE HAIR IS AS A FLOCK OF GOATS, THAT LIE ALONG THE SIDE OF MOUNT GILEAD. We commence, at this verse, the loving converse of the bridegroom with the bride, which we must suppose is heard as they travel together in the bridal procession. The words of adoring affection are chiefly spoken by the bridegroom, as is natural in the circumstances, and the reference to the journey, and its consummation in Song of Solomon 4:8, make it certain that the intention is to carry us in thought to the palanquin and the breathings of first love in bridal joy. The poetry is exquisite and truly Eastern, while yet absolutel

THOU HAST RAVISHED MY HEART, MY SISTER, [MY] SPOUSE,.... Here another new title is given to the church, "my sister", with the repetition of the former, my "spouse": for one and the same person, with the Hebrews, might be sister and spouse; see 1 Corinthians 9:5. And this may be used in a love strain, and so not improper in a love poem, as this was g; see Song of Solomon 8:8; likewise the church may be called Christ's sister, because of his incarnation, in virtue of which he is not ashamed to call his people his brethren, and so his sisters, Hebrews 2:11; and on account of their adoption; in which respect, he that is Christ's Father is theirs; and which is evidenced in regeneration; when they, through gra

This is a chapter which is, perhaps, more adapted for private meditation than for rending in public. Nevertheless, as this is a communion season, and I trust that the most of us are partakers of the life of God, I could not resist reading it this evening. It is a love-song, the song of the loves of Jesus. As he sets forth the beauties and charms of his Church, may the like beauties and charms be found in every one of us through the grace which he imparts to us by his Spirit! May we, as parts of his mystical body, be fair and lovely in his esteem because he has bestowed upon us so much of his own loveliness! Let us walk so carefully with God that there may be nothing to put even a spot upon our garments, or to defile our grace-given comeliness. Song of Solomon 4:1. _Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;_ «Twice fair, first, through being wa

SISTER The word "sister" here is of infinitely delicate significance, intimating the very whiteness of purity in the midst of an ardour which is, like the shekinah, aglow but unspeakably holy. Sin has almost deprived us of the capacity even to stand with unshod feet before this burning bush....

CHAPTER 4 The King, the Bridegroom speaks of her, who is “perfect through His comeliness put upon thee” Ezekiel 16:14. He tells out all she is in His sight and loving estimation. He has called her from the lions' den, from the mountains of the leopards (Song of Solomon 4:8); she has passed through the fires of persecution and tribulation and now His heart expresses His delight in her. There are eight descriptions of her beauty. He tells her, “Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair.” And after the description of the beauty He beholds in her, whom He has brought out of the wilderness and out of the lions' den, He says, “Thou art all fair, MY love; and there is no spot in thee.” He assures her of His delight in her. It is all His own workmanship; she has not made herself fair w

THE RESISTLESS CHARM OF THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE. In the Oriental manner this enchantment is expressed in the sensuous terms of wine, honey, and delicious odours. SISTER is found in old Egyptian love-songs for the bride. RAVISH, steal away the heart, probably expresses the meaning of the rare Heb. form, which some translate _hearten, encourage._ The word _glance_ seems to be implied after eyes ONE CHAIN OF THY NECK: probably a mistake for something that we cannot now conjecture; it can now only be explained as a reference to her brilliant jewellery. LOVE, _i.e. caresses (cf._ Song of Solomon 1:2). Song of Solomon 4:10 may refer to sweet kisses or gentle speech ...