Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves' eyes.
Ver. 15. Behold thou art fair, my love.] Or, My fellow friend. as Son 1:9 And as she is his love, so he is her beloved, Son 1:16 and as he commends her, so she him no less. This should be all the strife between married couples, who should outstrip the other in mutual melting heartedness, and all loving respects either to other, in all passages, carriages, and behaviours whatsoever between them; accustoming themselves, as here, to speak kindly and cheerfully one to the other. This is that which will infinitely sweeten and beautify the married estate; it will make marriage a merry age, which else will prove a mar-age. And here let "husbands learn to love their wives, as Christ loved the Church," Eph 5:25 celebrating her beauty in a song, repeating her just praises, to show his heartiness therein, and inviting others with an Ecce, Behold, to the due contemplation thereof. "Behold, thou art all fair, my love! behold, thou art fair!" Non est ficta aut frigida haec laudatio, This is no feigned or frigid commendation, but such as proceeds from entire affection, and breathes, abundance of goodwill. Full well might the prophet tell the Church, "Surely, as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Isa 62:5 And again, "The Lord thy God will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love (and seek no further), he will joy over thee with singing." Zep 3:17 The Church had acknowledged Son 1:5 that she was "black," or at least blackish, and yet, by way of apology too, she had pleaded that she was "comely," and so not to be slighted. But Christ affirms her "fair," yea, "twice fair," yea, the "fairest among women" - sic suum cuique pluchrum, so doth he even "err in her love," as the wise man phraseth it Pro 5:9 - as himself is said to be the "fairest among men," Psa 45:2 where the Hebrew word likewise is of double form - Thou art fair, thou art fair above the sons of Adam, to note out double, that is, excellent beauty, such as draweth love and liking. a Now it is a maxim in the civil law, Uxor fulget radiis mariti, The wife shineth with her husband's beams, so doth the Church with Christ's graces, wherewith she is decked, as Rebecca did wish Isaac's jewels. Read Ezekiel 16:2,5, &c., and you will see that all the Church's beauty is borrowed. The maids that were brought to Ahasuerus, besides their own native beauty, they were first purified and perfumed before he chose one Est 2:3 But here it is otherwise altogether, for when the Church was "in her blood, in her blood, in her blood" - three several times it is so said, that we might the better observe it, and be affected with it - Christ "sanctified and cleansed her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish." Eph 5:26-27 But a bloody spouse she was to him, who "loved her, and washed her with his blood." Rev 1:5
Thou hast doves' eyes.] Sweet, amiable, single, and chaste. In the eyes beauty sits, and shines more than in any part of the body besides, γλαυκωπις βοωπις, &c., apud Homerum. The Turks tell their desperate devotees of beautiful women, with full eyes, in their fools' paradise; and thereby hearten them on to bold attempts. b The Hebrews say that in oculis, loculis, poculis, the heart of a man shows itself. The Church is here said not to have eagles', vultures', foxes', apes' eyes, but doves' eyes. Now,
“ Felle columba caret, rostro non caedit, et ungues
Possidet innocuos, puraque grana legit. ”
The dove hath her name in the Hebrew, c from a root that signifieth to oppress and make a prey of any, as poor people, strangers, fatherless, &c., Jer 50:16 because, belike, this creature is subject to the prey and spoil of hawks; when pursued, they save themselves by flight, not fight; - the prophet Jonah was so called, as some think, quod columbae instar aufugeret, because he fled as a dove, when God sent him to Nineveh, but not with the wings of a dove - sometimes sitting in their dove cotes they see their nests destroyed, their young ones taken away and killed before their eyes, never offering to rescue or revenge, which all other fowls seem in some sort to do. This is very appliable to the persecuted Church, as may be seen in the Lamentations and Martyrologies. In Greek, the dove hath her name from her exceeding love to her mate and young ones. d Kυουσι γαρ αλληλους, saith Aristotle, they kiss one another; the Church likewise kisseth Christ, and is interchangeably kissed of Christ, Psa 2:12 Son 1:2 being drawn together by a mutual dear affection, as the apostle's word e imports. Heb 11:13 As if at any time the dove and her mate fall out and fight; shortly after,
“ Qum mode pugnarunt, iungunt sua rostra columbae,
Quarum blanditias, verbaque murmur habet. ”
Differences may arise between Christ and his spouse (she may thank herself, for he grieves her not willingly Lam 3:35 - Ille dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox), and some household words she may have from him; but soon after he takes her "into the wilderness, and speaks to her heart," Hos 2:14 yea, he takes her unto his wine cellar, Son 2:4 then when one would think he should carry her into a dungeon rather. He kisses her, as doves do one another, with the "kisses of his mouth"; then when one would think he should, upon such high provocations, kick her, nay, kill her, then he shows her matchless mercy, such as no man would show his wife. Jeremiah 3:1 ; Jer 3:22 "For he is God, and not man," yea, such a "sin pardoning" God as never was heard of. Mic 7:18 If there be but a dove's eye in the heads of any of his, a columbine simplicity, if simple to do evil, bunglers at it, and have nothing to say in defence of it when it is done, Rom 16:19 the amends is made; and love with her long mantle "covers a multitude of sins." Pro 10:12
a οττι καλον φιλον. - Theog.
b Blunt's Voyages.
c יונה [Jonah] of ינה
d περιστερα παρα το περισσως εραν .
e ασπασαμενοι ab a simul et σπαω, traho.