O my dove... in the clefts of the rock. — The rock pigeon (Columba livia), the origin of the domestic races, invariably selects the lofty cliffs and deep ravines (comp. Jeremiah 48:28; Ezekiel 7:16) for its roosting places, and avoids the neighbourhood of men. The modesty and shyness of his beloved are thus prettily indicated by the poet. For the expression “clefts of the rock,” see Note, Obadiah 1:3.
The stairs — i.e., steep places (comp. Ezekiel 38:20, margin), from root = to go up.