Notes
Song of Solomon 4:6: Until the day dawn, and the shadows flew away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. ‘Until the day dawn’ (עַדשָׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם, adh shey-yaphuakh hay-yom), שֶׁיּפוּחַ, composed of שֶ, for אַשֶר, that, and יָפוּח from פוּחַ, to blow or breathe; literally, till the day breathe. According to some, before the cool of the day; a cooling breeze usually blowing at that time in the East. So EWALD, GESENIUS, ROSENMÜLLER, and most of the moderns. Reference to the easterly gale which frequently accompanies the approach of the sun to the horizon. PARKHURST, PERCY, A. CLARK, PURSY observed that a wind blows fresh both at the rising and setting of the sun. GILL. According to the earlier interpreters, the reference to the morning gale or dawn of day. A local beauty: in those hot countries the dawn of day is attended with a fine refreshing breeze much more grateful than the return of light itself. VATABLUS. Reference to the morning still preferred by some moderns. The refreshing breeze of dawn in the East, or air of life, which distinguishes morning from the death-like stillness of night. M. STUART, FAUSSET. ‘Breathe:’ a figurative expression for the reviving of the day after its apparent death. GOOD. Till the day breathe forth, i.e., light; may also refer to the blowing of the wind at the break of day. AINSWORTH. PISCATOR has: Till the day respire or refresh himself, i.e., the sun, after the labours of the day: Ancient versions and Fathers connect with the preceding ‘until evening,’ when having fed, they (i.e., the roes) return home. JUNIUS and DURHAM refer it to the day in which the marriage was to be consummated. According to DELITSCH and ZÖCKLER, the words spoken by Shulamite, as well as in chap. Song of Solomon 2:17. According to the former, the Bride modestly wishes to leave the hall for a more solitary place in the precincts of the palace, till evening shall bring her again into the King’s presence. So BARTH (Bible Manual): the Bride unable to bear herself so highly commended, and desiring to prepare herself for the Bridegroom. Others, probably more correctly, ascribe the words to the Bridegroom. So EWALD: Till the day declines (i.e., soon) would I enjoy thy beauty. GILL views the words as spoken by him in reply to the request of the Bride in chap. Song of Solomon 2:17. According to the author of the Threefold Mystery, he intimates the coming change—his withdrawal for a season—with, however, a word of hope. Allegorically: Till the evening of the world, when I will take thee to myself. PISCATOR. FROMONDI: I will go during the night of this present life. DURHAM: Till the day when the Bride shall be taken into immediate communion with the Bridegroom. FRY: Till the day of Christ’s second appearing. FAUSSET: Till the everlasting day: typically, God’s taking up his abode in the Temple till the day break of Messiah’s first appearing. MERCER and others: Day of the Gospel Dispensation, when the shadows of the law should pass away. GILL: The day of grace, and then the day of glory to elect souls.
‘I will get me to the mountains of myrrh,’ &c. According to some, the reference to certain localities. ZÖCKLER: Localities about the royal palace: solitary shady spots, perhaps beds of balsam (Song of Solomon 4:13). UMBREIT: The region of Shulamite’s home. HITZIG: Zion, as the seat of the Court. WILLIAMS: The Lebanon: the allusion to the fragrant groves of spices to be found in that country. A. CLARKE: Probably the mountains of Bether. COBBIN: The object to obtain perfumes for the Fair One. Others regard the language as figurative and denoting the Bride herself. GROTIUS: The breasts of the Bride, with allusion to the fragrant substances upon them. PERCY: The Bride compared to an entire heap of perfumes. EWALD: Shulamite’s beauty so compared, as inviting from its sweet perfume. Allegorically: The temple on Mount Moriah. TARGUM, RASHI, ABEN EZRA. Mount Moriah, where the oil was made out of pure myrrh: Mount Zion as a figure of the Church. HENGSTENBERG. Where Isaac was offered. Old Commentator. Where frankincense was offered on the altar of incense; the Lord promising to dwell in the Temple now dedicated to Him (2 Chronicles 7:12-15). WEISS, FAUSSET. Reference to the Temple and its prayers and services, where Jesus often brought the devotion of holy prayer. DEL RIO. Heaven. PISCATOR. The heavenly Jerusalem. JUNIUS. As the place of special holiness. SANCTIUS. The abode of martyrs and confessors. HONORIUS. The abode of angels, spoken of in the East as having bodies of perfume. HARMER. The mediatorial kingdom of Christ, where He presents to the Father the incense of His finished atonement. HAWKER, and the author of Three-fold Mystery. Refers to the crucifixion and death of Jesus. GREGORY. Christ went willingly to death: the mountain of myrrh His death, the hill of frankincense His resurrection and ascension. THEODORET. Christ’s mountain full of rich gifts, but only available for us by the bitterness of His death. DEL RIO. Historical reference to Calvary, and the embalming of the Lord’s body with the myrrh and aloes till His resurrection. M. STUART. The Bride or Church of Christ, even now lovely and precious in His eyes as the mountain of myrrh. PATRICK. The Church, where the graces of His people flow, and where their prayers are as incense. DURHAM. Where Christ takes up His abode till His second coming. GILL. The Church assembled under the Gospel ministry, where the name of Jesus, like frankincense, fills the hearts of His people with the savour of His presence. HAWKER (Notes).On the sweetly smelling sacrificial fragrance of the mountain of myrrh (his Bride) he will delight himself from morning till evening. HAHN. Souls whose fleshly lusts are mortified by the myrrh of repentance. FROMONDI. Reference to a life of prayer and contemplation. TIRINUS. As spoken by the Bride. The Church will flee for safety from her persecutors to the place prepared for her in the wilderness (Revelation 12:14). COCCEIUS. Will wait for the day, retiring for prayer and meditation. HAWKER. To the mountain of sacrifice and the hill of praise. DAVIDSON. The soul in great distress fleeing to Christ for refuge in prayer and meditation. AINSWORTH.
PART THIRD
The Marriage Feast
CHAPTER Song of Solomon 4:1-16, TO Song of Solomon 5:1
SCENE FIRST. Place: Bridal Apartment in Solomon’s Palace. Speakers: The King and Shulamite
THE KING
Expressing his Admiration of and Delight in his Bride
CHAP. Song of Solomon 4:1-7
Behold, thou art fair, my love;
Behold, thou art fair.
Thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That appear from Mount Gilead.
Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn;
Which come up from the washing;
Whereof every one beareth twins;
And none is barren among them.
Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet;
And thy speech is comely.
Thy temples are like a piece of pomegranate,
Within thy locks (or, ‘behind thy veil’).
Thy neck is like the tower of David,
Builded for an armoury;
Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
Thy two breasts are like two young roes
That are twins,
Which feed among the lilies.
Until the day break,
And the shadows flee away,
I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,
And to the hill of frankincense.
Thou art all fair, my love;
There is no spot in thee.
Shulamite not now merely a betrothed, but a married wife. Hence in this chapter, for the first time, called by Solomon, ‘My spouse.’ Her veil removed in the bridal apartment, Solomon surveys her beauty, and contemplates her person with intense delight. Spiritually, the Church, or individual believer, still regarded as on earth, but in an advanced stage of experience as compared with that of the preceding Chapter s. Historically, the New Testament Church, or the Church after Pentecost, indicated; the crucifixion and death of Jesus, followed by His resurrection and ascension, being regarded as the nuptials. In reference to individual believers, the present part of the Allegory may be viewed as descriptive of the time when they have made the public and solemn profession of their acceptance of and self-dedication to Jesus, by sitting down at His table, and receiving that seal of the Covenant and pledge of His love.
The text, Solomon’s previous commendation of the Bride now repeated with considerable enlargement and particularity. Formerly, only her dove-like eyes commended and admired. Now all her features, as well as the upper parts of her person—her hair, neck, and breasts. Observe—
1. A growth of grace in believers. The path of the just as the shining light. Believers changed from glory to glory. Beautiful in Christ’s eyes here; much more so hereafter. Heaven the place of just men made perfect.
2. Periods of special advancement in the history of the Church and of individual believers. A great advance in holiness and grace in the Church of the New Testament after the day of Pentecost, as compared with that of the Old Testament. A similar advance to be experienced in the Millenial Church as compared with the Church in its present state. The light of the moon made to be as the light of the sun; and the light of the sun as the light of seven days (Isaiah 30:26). A great increase of grace often visible in the case of a believer after a solemn and public dedication of himself to the Lord, and a sealing of the Covenant at the Lord’s Table. Believers frequently sensible of a considerable advance in grace, and of an elevation of their spiritual life to a higher level. Such elevations often preceded by painful trials, deep soul-exercises, and renewed conviction of sin. Much higher attainments in grace to be gained than are ordinarily arrived at. Such attainments to be earnestly desired and sought after. Provision made for them. ‘Open thy month wide, and I will fill it.’ ‘Be ye filled with the Spirit’ (Psalms 81:10; Ephesians 5:18).
3. The highest delight of Jesus in the spiritual beauty and perfection of His Church and people. ‘Forget thine own people and thy father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty’ (Psalms 45:10). ‘The Lord in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17). Christ’s joy fulfilled in the spiritual prosperity and perfection of His people. The description of the Bride’s beauty in the text a climax, indicative of the joy of the Bridegroom—his affection kindling as he contemplates the object of his love. Commences with: ‘Thou art fair;’ and ends with: ‘Thou art all fair; there is no spot in thee.’
4. The believer’s love, as expressed in the ‘eyes,’ her main attraction in the view of Christ. The Bride’s dove-like eyes the first feature described, and the only one previously mentioned. The eyes the expression of the soul, and especially of the tender emotions. Doves distinguished for their affection, especially to their mates. Hence, ‘doves’ ‘eyes’ particularly expressive of the affection of a loving Bride. The believer’s eyes such; as being meekly and lovingly directed to Christ as His Bridegroom.
5. The beauty and excellence of the believer in Christ’s eyes made up of a variety of particulars. Seven here mentioned, as perhaps indicative of the believer’s perfection. Not necessary exactly to fix the spiritual reference of each, though desirable to find the corresponding grace in the believer’s character. The various particulars that constitute the spiritual beauty and excellence of the believer scattered up and down in the Scriptures. Sometimes brought together in a cluster, as in the text. So in Galatians 5:22; 2 Peter 1:5; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:12. These particulars all seen combined in their perfection in the person of Christ Himself. The believer’s duty and interest to see that none of these features in the spiritual character are wanting or defective in him. Symmetry, proportion, and completeness necessary to the perfection of the Christian character.
6. The comparisons in the description not all equally obvious, though equally suitable. Their aptness more obvious and natural to an Oriental than a European reader. That aptness seen more in the general impression than in the particular resemblance. Beautiful and striking things in the person of a beloved one compared in the East by an ardent admirer, or by a writer of poetry, to other beautiful and striking things, where only a general or distinct resemblance might exist. The Bride’s breasts thus compared to ‘two twin fawns’ feeding among ‘lilies’ or in a flowery need; the prominent idea being probably that of love and conjugal enjoyment (Proverbs 5:19). Her fair neck, with its jewelled and golden ornaments, suggestive, in the eyes of Solomon, of the lofty marble ‘tower’ erected by his father David, with the glittering ‘shields’ of warriors suspended on its walls as indicative of the nation’s strength; thus conveying the idea of moral firmness, dignity, and purity in the Bride. Her black tresses—a prominent feature in Oriental female beauty—suggestive, to those accustomed to the pastoral scenes of Judæa, of ‘a flock of goats,’ with their long, dark, glossy hair, seen at a distance browsing on the mountain side; suggesting to us, however, the true ornament, not only of the female but of the Christian character in general—that ‘of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price’ (1 Peter 3:3). The Bride’s ‘lips’ compared to a ‘thread of scarlet,’ as, while beautiful in themselves, suggesting a still greater charm,—the sweetness and comeliness of her ‘speech,’ as expressive of a pure, affectionate, and intelligent soul, and rendering her a meet companion for an enlightened husband; a prominent feature in a spiritual believer being that his ‘speech’ is ‘with grace, seasoned with salt;’ able to ‘minister grace to the hearers;’ and that ‘no corrupt communication’ is allowed to proceed out of his mouth, but ‘that which is good to the use of edifying’ (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29) The whole presence of the Bride suggests to the admiring husband a ‘mountain of myrrh’ and a ‘hill of frankincense,’ where all is fragrant, sweet, and delightful: what the pure-minded and loving wife is to her husband, and what the Church and the believer’s soul is, or ought to be, to Christ.
7. Christ’s great enjoyment in the grace and fellowship of His believing people. The Bridegroom, after surveying and admiring Shulamite’s unveiled charms, with the delightful consciousness that she is now all his own, resolves, for her comfort as well as his own, duly to enjoy her society and love. ‘Till the dawn and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,’ &c. The ‘mountain of myrrh’ to Jesus is not so much the ‘quiring Seraphim’ and the angels of light, as ‘his people, whom he has redeemed with his most precious blood,’ whether these be triumphant in heaven or still militant on earth. ‘This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it’ (Psalms 132:13-14). His place of enjoyment is among the ‘golden candlesticks,’ or Churches of the saints (Revelation 2:1).
8. Christ’s presence in and with His Church promised during the whole of her stay in this world. That period, one of night—of darkness, danger, and discomfort (Romans 13:12). His second coming to His Church, the dawning of a bright and never-ending day. Till then His presence promised both to believers individually and to their assemblies convened in His name. (John 14:23; Matthew 18:20). His promise to His servants and people in connection with the great commission: ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world’ (Matthew 28:20). The words of the text those of Jesus at the Supper Table in the upper room at Jerusalem: ‘I will not leave you comfort-less; I will come to you’ (John 14:18), Specimens of the fulfilment of the promise given immediately after His resurrection (John 20:16-28; Luke 24:15-32; Acts 1:4).
9. The Church, both in its individual members and in its assemblies and ordinances, made a ‘mountain of myrrh and hill of frank-incense’ by the person of Jesus Himself. No fragrance or sweetness apart from Himself. ‘Thy name is as ointment poured forth.’ All His garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia. Ordinances themselves insipid without Christ. Believers ‘stale and unprofitable,’ but as they have Christ dwelling in them by His Spirit. Christ the ‘bundle of myrrh’ that sweetens both the believer’s spirit and the Church’s ordinances. The care and concern of Churches and believers to be constantly, by the presence of Jesus and His Spirit, a mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense.
10. If the Church on earth is made by the presence of Jesus a ‘mountain of myrrh and a hill of frankincense, what shall heaven be?’