1The mutual love of Christ and His church. 8The hope, 10and calling of the church. 14Christ's care of the church. 16The profession of the church, her faith and hope.
1 I1AM 2the rose of 3Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
1 Here the Bridegroom speaks again, as some perceive; but others are of the opinion that they are the words of the bride.
2The rose is the most noble one among the flowers, and the smell thereof comforts and cheers the brain. By the roses of Sharon, that is, the roses which grow at Sharon, are meant, exceeding fair roses, similar by the lilies of the valleys, that is, the lilies which grow in the valleys, are meant fair sweet smelling lilies. Solomon has not been so beautifully arrayed as one of these, Mat. 6:29. Forasmuch as here is spoken of the rose growing in the fields of Sharon and of the lilies in the valleys but not of such as grow in fenced or enclosed gardens, it seems that hereby is intimated that the church of Christ is subject to persecution as the flowers of the field are subject to be plucked off by everyone who passes by, or to be trodden down and bitten off by the beasts and brute beasts. This sense appears to be true from verse 2.
3Sharon is a fair, pleasant region, extending from Cæsarea unto Joppa, not far from the Mediterranean See. Thus is a certain city likewise called which is situated there. See further of Sharon 1 Chron. 5:16; Isa. 33:9; 35:2; 65:10; Acts 9:35.
24As the lily 5among thorns, so is my love among the 6daughters.
4 The meaning is: As far as the lily (being compared to the thorns) excels them in beauty and glory, thus excels My love all other daughters, being compared with them; that is, the true church, being compared with other meetings and assemblies, goes far beyond them all in excellence.
5 Wicked and ungodly men are in Scripture (and likewise, according to the opinion of many, at this place) called thorns, partly in respect of their barrenness in bringing forth good fruit, partly in respect of their pricking malice against the children of God. See Num. 33:55; Prov. 22:5; Ezek. 28:24.
6Daughters are called in Scripture the assemblies of people, sometimes of good, as the daughter of Zion, that is, the church of God, Isa. 37:22; sometimes of evil and wicked ones, as the daughter of Babel, Psalm 137:8; the daughter of Edom, Lam. 4:21.
37As the apple tree among 8the trees of the wood, so is my beloved 9among the sons. I sat down 10under his shadow with great delight, and 11his fruit was sweet to my taste.
7 This is now again the words of the bride. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in Scripture often compared to a tree, as Rev. 2:7; 22:2. He is here compared to an apple tree, which exceeds far above all wild trees; as such, says the bride, does Christ, my most Beloved, far exceeds all other men, who are by nature like unto wild trees. And as the apple tree with his broad and low branches gives a goodly shadow and shelter against the scorching heat of the sun and bears sweet and pleasant fruit for the cheering and refreshing of man, so do I also find shadow, shelter and refreshing under the wings of His grace and mercy, both against the wrath of God, and also in the scorching heat of persecution; so that I always desire and endeavor to hide and shelter under them.
8 That is, which grow in the wood or in the wild forest. Outside of Christ all people are wild, ragged trees, Rom. 11:17, 24, which in that respect bear, either no fruit at all, or else evil, or harsh, bitter fruit, or fruit of an unpleasant and unsavory taste. Unless they are grafted into Christ by faith, they cannot bring forth good fruits, Mat. 7:18; John 15:4.
9 Namely, of Adam, or of the people. Or, among the sons, that is, young men. All these Christ does far exceed, Psalm 45:2.
10 Namely, under the shadow of the apple tree, that is, under the defense and shelter of it. As the trees, by casting a shadow upon us, deliver us from the burning and scorching heat of the sun, so does Christ deliver us from the scorching heat of God’s wrath and from the persecution of the wicked world. See Psalm 121:5, 6, 7; Isa. 25:4. See also the annotation at Psalm 91 on verse 1.
11 This is yet another benefit, which the bride obtains from Christ, namely, that she is not only delivered from evil, but is also made partaker of His pleasant fruits, as of His death, resurrection, ascension, and other benefits. Others understand by his fruit the comforts and consolations of Christ, which are sweet to the hearts of true believers.
412He brought me 13to the banqueting house, and his 14banner over me was 15love.
12 Or, He bringeth.
13 Hebr. into the house of wine, that is, into the house of joy and gladness, which we receive by the power and working of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, 2 Cor. 1:5. Besides that wine quenches thirst, it makes also the heart merry, Psalm 104:15, and it causes to forget its sorrow. See Prov. 31:6, 7. To this house of joy are invited all God’s children, Prov. 1:20. See likewise Prov. 9:1, etc.
14 As soldiers are distinguished from each other by banners or colors, so the true members of the church of Jesus Christ are discerned and distinguished from hypocrites, by the Spirit of adoption and His fruits, Rom. 8:14; 1 John 3:24. The banner signifies also defense and protection against all spiritual enemies, the devil, death and damnation.
15 Understand here the love wherewith Christ loves and cherishes us, Eph. 5:2. Therefore some do read the last words of this text thus: his banner is love over me, or, towards me. See Rom. 5:5; 2 Thes. 2:16.
516Stay me with 17flagons, 18comfort me with apples: for 19I am sick of love.
16 Here the church speaks to the friends of the Bridegroom, who are the true teachers, John 3:29, entreating them to strengthen her with the comforts of the Holy Gospel, before she languishes and fails for longing.
17 That is, with the wine which is in the flagons, as Hosea 3:1; Luke 22:20, that is, with the Holy Scripture, in which Christ has included His wine and milk, that is, all His promises and spiritual comforts. See Psalm 94:19; 119:92.
18 Or, strew apples under me, namely, that by the smell thereof I may be comforted and refreshed, for which end and purpose oranges and lemons especially are very useful and suitable. By these are understood the comfortable doctrines of Holy Scripture, concerning the grace and merits of Christ.
19 That is, I am faint and do languish through continual longing after the comforts and consolations of my Bridegroom, and the tokens of His grace and favor. See Psalm 42:1; 63:1; Cant. 3:1, 2; 5:6, 8. It is God Who heals all our diseases, Psalm 103:3.
6Hisa20left hand is 21under my head, and his right hand doth 22embrace me.
a Cant. 8:3.
20 The church desires and awaits the gracious and favorable help and assistance, which the Bridegroom would afford her in time of trouble, comforting her by the Holy Ghost and by His Word. See Cant. 8:3; Eph. 5:29.
21 Namely, to rest upon as a pillow. By reason of sin the whole head is sick and the heart is faint, Isa. 1:5, but by the consolations of the Holy Ghost our conscience is strengthened, and our sins (the causes of our sorrows) are pardoned. See Rom. 14:17; 1 John 2:12; 3:24.
22 This is an external token of love. See Gen. 29:13; 48:10.
723I charge you, O 24ye daughters of Jerusalem, 25by the roes, and by 26the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, 27till he please.
23 Some take these to be the words of the Bridegroom; others as the words of the bride. The meaning is: I exhort and charge you in the highest manner or degree.
24 That is, O ye my companions. See Cant. 3:5; 8:4.
25 Other, I adjure you by the roes, that is, as dear as the roes and the hinds are unto you, that you do not stir that love, that is, that you disturb not the peace of the Bridegroom, or of the bride, that is, the church, namely, by heresy, schism, or by giving offence.
26Hinds are the females of the harts.
27 That is, never disturb the peace thereof.
8 ¶ 28The voice of my beloved! behold, 29he cometh 30leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
28 Namely, the voice which I hear. The bride speaks as such. As if she wants to say: I hear there His instruction. See John 10:3, 4; 18:37; Acts 13:46, 47; Hebr. 3:7.
29 Namely, to my help and assistance, as Isa. 35:4; John 14:23; Rev. 22:20.
30 A similitude borrowed from swift roes and hinds, whereunto the Bridegroom is compared, verse 9, to show the willingness and readiness of Christ to help and to deliver His bride.
9My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth 31behind our wall, he 32looketh forth at the windows, 33shewing himself through 34the lattice.
31 Understand here the fiery wall of the church, that is, the preservation and protection which God affords unto His church by His holy angels. See 2 Kings 6:17; Psalm 34:7; Zech. 2:5. When it is said here, our wall, thereby is intimated that this wall is a bulwark, which is proper to the church, and belongs to her alone. Others understand these words he standeth behind our wall thus: that they signify a closer union and fellowship with Christ then when He was yet afar off, skipping and leaping upon the mountains and upon the hills, verse 8, but yet not so near as there was still a wall between both of them. So that here is shown the steps or degrees whereby Christ is manifesting His love unto His church, not equally, but according as He knows what is good for us.
32 This is a similitude borrowed from a watchman who keeps watch upon a tower. See 2 Kings 9:17; Ezek. 33:2. The Lord Christ is the true Watchman and Keeper of Israel, Who never sleeps or slumbers, Psalm 121:4. He sees and derides all the counsels and devices of the wicked against His church, Psalm 2:4.
33 Or, shining like a flower, that is, showing Himself as a flower, namely, pleasant and gracious. It is the very same what is said just now. The repetition serves to strengthen and confirm the thing mentioned before.
34 Oftentimes lattices and windows are joined together, as in Judges 5:28; Prov. 7:6, and elsewhere.
1035My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and 36come away.
35 By these words the bride intimates the cause of the speedy or swift arrival of her Bridegroom, namely, to call her by His Word and His Spirit out of her sad and miserable condition unto a better.
36 Hebr. come for thee. Likewise verse 13. See the annotation at Gen. 12 on verse 1. And come hither, namely, to minister unto Me.
11For, lo, 37the winter is past, 38the rain is over and 39gone;
37 That is, the time of the oppression of the church. Compare Zech. 14:8.
38 That is, the time of affliction in adversity is lightened or eased by Christ. See Isa. 4:6; 32:2; Mat. 7:27.
39 Or, it is gone away.
12The flowers 40appear on the earth; 41the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtleb is heard in our land;
40 Or, show themselves. This is a description of Spring. Being spiritually understood, it signifies the restoration of the church after the troubles are passed and gone. See Psalm 72:16; Isa. 27:6; Hosea 14:4, 5, 6.
41 Or, the singing time, or, the time of chirping, that is, Spring or the time of May, when the birds do sing, that is, the believers begin to cheer up and sing for joy. Other, the pruning time.
b turtle-dove
1342The fig tree putteth forth her 43green figs, and 44the vines with the 45tender grape 46give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and 47come away.
42 That is, people, who were before as withered trees, do now begin to bud in a spiritual manner through My grace; the congregations, which formerly lay waste and desolate, begin now to bring forth fair and goodly fruits by the powerful working of My Word and Spirit, and they cast forth a sweet and pleasant savor, 2 Cor. 2:15. See the parable of the fig tree, Mat. 24:32; Luke 13:6.
43 Or, unripe figs. The Hebrew word which is used here is only found in this place.
44 By the vines are meant here the particular churches, as Isa. 5:1; Hosea 9:10.
45 Or, young, small, green, unripe grapes. The Hebrew word is used only here and in verse 15 and Cant. 7:12.
46 Namely, an excellent fragrance, as Cant. 7:13.
47 As verse 10.
14¶O 48my dove, 49that art in the clefts of the rock, 50in the secret placesc of the stairs, 51let me see thy countenance, let me hear 52thy voice; ford sweet 53is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
48 The church of Christ is called as such by reason of her chastity and simplicity. See Cant. 1:15; Mat. 10:16.
49 Hiding there for fear of the enemies. See Jer. 48:28. Other, that abideth in the clefts or rents of the rock, being ashamed because of the deformity of your sins.
50 Who hidest thyself in unhabited places, in dens and caves, by reason of persecution, as 1 Kings 18:4; Psalm 55:6, 7; 68:13; Rev. 12:6. Some render it as: the secret stairs, applying it to the Lord Christ, Who is the Stair and Ladder to heaven, Gen. 28:12; John 1:51.
c or, of a steep place
51 That is, come unto Me, walk uprightly before Me, as Gen. 17:1; Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:27; namely, after thou shalt be washed and cleansed by My Spirit and blood.
52 That is, your prayers and songs of praise. See Psalm 5:3; 28:2; 42:4; 50:15, and elsewhere.
d Cant. 5:13, 16.
53 That is, it is pleasant unto Me, namely, when it springs from a true and lively faith.
1554Take us 55the foxes,e the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have 56tender grapes.
54 These are the words of the Bridegroom unto His companions, that is, the words of Christ unto the teachers or pastors of the church and to the christian authorities. And to take signifies here that the teachers must withstand and confute the subtle and wicked doctrine of the foxes, and that the authorities ought to show it.
55 The foxes spoil or destroy the vineyards by eating off the grapes from the vines. In this manner the false teachers, heretics and deceitful rulers spoil and ruin the true religion and the church of God. They are compared unto foxes, here and Ezek. 13:4; Luke 13:32; partly in regard of their deceitfulness, 2 Cor. 11:13; and partly in regard of their mischievousness, whereas their word consumes like a cancer, 2 Tim. 2:17. See similar descriptions and warnings, Jer. 12:10; Eph. 4:14; Titus 1:10, 11; Heb. 13:9; 2 Peter 2:1, 12.
e Ezek. 13:4; Luke 13:32.
56 Or, small, young.
16 ¶ 57My beloved is mine, and I am his: 58he feedeth among the lilies.
57 These are the words of the bride, as Cant. 6:2; 7:10. The sense is: He is my Shepherd, and I am the flock of His sheep, therefore I cannot want. See Psalm 23:1; 1 John 4:13.
58 The meaning is: He does not only feed His flock in a wholesome, but also in a delightsome pasture, yea, so pleasant and delightful as if it were full of lilies; understanding hereby the pasture of the Word of God, which is sweet, like honey and the honeycombs; and in the company of the godly, who are like lilies among the thorns.
17Untilf59the day 60break, and 61the shadows flee away, 62turn, my beloved, and 63be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of 64Bether.
f Cant. 4:6.
59 That is, the time of knowledge, of holiness, of comfort, of peace and of spiritual joy. See Rom. 13:12, 13; 1 Thes. 5:5; 2 Peter 1:19.
60 Hebr. blows on. Thus the Hebrews speak, because the day commonly rises with some cool breeze.
61 That is, all that is yet imperfect.
62 Namely, unto me. These are the words of the bride unto her Bridegroom, beseeching and entreating Him, that He would assist her in her trouble and afflictions.
63 Namely, in swiftness, to help and assist me. See verse 8.
64 Or, of Bithron, or, of separation. These are the mountains of Gilead, which are divided by the Jordan from Judea. These mountains were full of wild animals, and very commodious for hunting. See the annotation at 2 Sam. 2 on verse 29.