VIII.
(1) O THAT THOU WERT AS MY BROTHER. — The poet makes his beloved
recall the feelings she had for him before the obstacles to their
union were removed. She dared not then avow her affection for him as a
lover, and wished that their relationship had been such as to allow of
their meeting and em... [ Continue Reading ]
JUICE OF MY POMEGRANATE. — “The Orientals,” says Dr. Kitto,
“indulge largely in beverages made of fresh juice of various kinds
of fruits. Among these, sherbet made of pomegranate juice is
particularly esteemed; and from its agreeable and cooling acidity, the
present writer was himself accustomed to... [ Continue Reading ]
I CHARGE YOU. — See Note, Song of Solomon 2:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO IS THIS THAT COMETH. — This begins a new section, which contains
the most magnificent description of true love ever written by poet.
The dramatic theory encounters insuperable difficulties with this
strophe. Again we presume that the theatre and the spectators are
imaginary. It is another sweet... [ Continue Reading ]
SEAL. — See Jeremiah 22:24; Haggai 2:23, &c. A symbol of something
especially dear and precious.
JEALOUSY. — _Strong passion,_ from a word meaning _to be red with
flame;_ not in a bad sense, as the parallelism shows: —
“Strong as death is love,
Inexorable as Sheol is ardent passion.”
GRAVE. — Heb... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WOULD UTTERLY BE CONTEMNED. — Better, _he would be, &c_, and
literally, _to despise, they would despise him;_ infinitive absolute
before finite verb expressing intensity. (Comp. 1 Samuel 20:6; Amos
9:8, &c)
This fine passage, with its reference to the invincible might and
untempted constancy of... [ Continue Reading ]
WE HAVE A LITTLE SISTER. — Commentators are almost all at one in the
feeling that the poem properly ends with Song of Solomon 8:7. Those
who construct the poem on the plan of a drama can find no proper place
for what follows (unless as a meaningless epilogue), and the want of
cohesion with the main... [ Continue Reading ]
IF SHE BE A WALL. — The _wall_ and _door_ are emblems of chastity
and its opposite. The _palace of silver_ some commentators explain by
reference to the custom (among the Druses) of wearing an ornament like
a horn on the head. But this is unlikely. The metaphors of the _wall_
and _door_ are naturall... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM A WALL... — The heroine interrupts with a protestation of her
purity, and of her right to marry, being of age, and conscious of
being beloved.... [ Continue Reading ]
SOLOMON HAD A VINEYARD... — Here the poet repeats the sentiment of
Song of Solomon 6:8 — the contrast of his love for one chosen bride
with the state of feeling and morality fostered by polygamy. But while
in the former passage the contrast lay in number only, here it lies
also in the _value_ which... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU, O SOLOMON..._ — i.e.,_ “Let Solomon keep and enjoy his
possessions (his harem of mercenary beauties), which cost so much to
obtain and keep; I am happier in the secure love of my one true
wife.” The mention of “two hundred to the keepers of the fruit”
seems added to show the cost of a polygamo... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU THAT DWELLEST. — In Song of Solomon 8:13 we have another brief
reminiscence of the early days of courtship, when the lover envied
every one near the maiden, the companions who could see and hear her,
and sighed for tokens of affection which she lavished on them.... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE HASTE, MY BELOVED. — Song of Solomon 8:14 recalls the answer
made at last to the sighs. It repeats the metaphor of Song of Solomon
2:17, where we see that the Authorised Version, _make haste,_ is more
correct than the margin. Thus the poem ends with two short verses that
compress into them all... [ Continue Reading ]