1The church professeth her faith in Christ. 4Christ sheweth the graces of the church, 10and His love toward her.
1WHITHER1 is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved 2turned aside? 3that we may seek him with thee.
1 These are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem, of whom mention is made Cant. 5:16.
2 Namely, from thee to others, or to another place.
3 Or, and we will seek him with thee. The daughters of Jerusalem, having heard how the bride had praised and commended her Bridegroom, are thereby moved to inquire earnestly after Him twice in a row (expressing thereby their great and fervent zeal), and they promise and engage that they with her will seek Him to the end that they also may be made partakers of His grace and blessings. Such is the power of the preaching of the Holy Gospel in the hearts of the elect. See Acts 2:37; 4:4; 11:20, 21.
24My beloved is gone down 5into his garden, to 6the beds of spices, 7to feed 8in the gardens, and 9to gather lilies.
4 The bride, who at first sought Christ her Bridegroom but could not find Him, knows now where He is, and she instructs others of it; so that we do here see fulfilled that which Christ promises, Mat. 7:7: Seek, and ye shall find. See Deut. 4:29.
5 The garden of Christ is His church, as Cant. 4:16; 5:1. There Christ is to be sought, and likewise to be found.
6 It seems that hereby is intimated the flocks or company of believers, in whose hearts, as in good ground, the good sweet smelling seed of the Word of God is sown, Mat. 13:8, 23. This is the Bridegroom’s garden of pleasure, where He is continually present with His grace and Spirit, and He takes His delight in the good works of believers, as men do in pleasant garden plots, which are set and sown with all manner of precious spices and flowers.
7 That is, to have fellowship and communion with His elect, eating and enjoying His pleasant fruits. See Cant. 4:16. As also to feed and nourish those who are His, and make them partakers of the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost.
8 That is, in the particular churches and gatherings of believers, as Cant. 5:1.
9 That is, to gather unto Himself His elect and chosen people, who are compared unto lilies among thorns, Cant. 2:2.
310I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: 11he feedeth among the lilies.
10 The bride rejoices here because of the love and peace which was renewed between her Bridegroom and herself, notwithstanding her former weaknesses and adversities. The bride likewise utters these same words concerning her Bridegroom Cant. 2:16; 7:10; but somewhat in another sense.
11 That is, not only in a wholesome pasture, but also in an abounding pleasant pasture, to the refreshing and to the everlasting comfort of His sheep.
4 ¶ 12Thouaart beautiful, O my love, as 13Tirzah, comely as 14Jerusalem, 15terrible 16as an army with banners.
12 The Bridegroom, having found His bride, commends her for the manifold gifts wherewith she is adorned. See Cant. 4:1.
a Psalm 45:11; Cant. 1:15; 4:1.
13 This was a city in the land of Canaan, situated not far from Samaria, wherein one of the kings, which Joshua subdued, kept his court, Joshua 12:24. Afterwards the kings of Israel kept their court at that place, until Samaria was built by Omri. See 1 Kings 14:17; 15:21, 33; 16:6, 8, 23. The Greek translators translate the word Tirzah and place in the text: good pleasure, or: favorable acceptance; from which may be gathered that it was a fair, pleasant city in which such places kings and princes were wont to dwell. This kind of beauty or comeliness is here ascribed to the bride, being made fair and acceptable in and by Christ, her Bridegroom, Eph. 1:6; 5:27.
14 The city of Jerusalem is famous for her beauty and glory. It was in times past the most famous city of the entire Orient, Plinius, lib. 5, cap. 14. It was the seat of pure religion, or, of the pure worship of God, and the dwelling place of the kings of Judah, Psalm 122. It is called the joy of the whole earth, Psalm 48:2.
15 That is, full of majesty and courage, terrible in the eyes of her enemies, as verse 10.
16 Hebr. as bannered, namely, armies or battalions; that is, as armies, standing under their banners in battle array, ready to give battle. Therefore the church of Christ is terrible in the eyes of her enemies, because she is environed and compassed about with many powerful angels, 2 Kings 6:17; 19:35. Likewise, because she is armed with spiritual armor or weapons. See Acts 5:11; 2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:13. See also verse 10.
517Turn away thine eyes 18from me, for 19they have overcome me: 20thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear 21from Gilead.
17 A phrase expressing the greatness of the love of Christ. Other, Turn thine eyes towards me. The Hebrew word signifies sometimes to turn one’s self toward another, as 1 Chron. 12:23, sometimes to turn away one’s self from another, as Ezek. 7:22.
18 Or, over against me, as Num. 2:2.
19 Other, they have lifted me up or exalted me.
20 See the annotations at Cant. 4 on verse 1.
21 Here only Gilead is mentioned, but in Cant. 4:1 is stated: mount Gilead. Both in the one place, and in the other, the entire region of Gilead is meant and understood.
622Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
22 See the annotations at Cant. 4 on verse 2.
7As a piece of a pomegranate are 23thy temples within thy locks.
23 See Cant. 4 on verse 3.
824There are 25threescore queens, and 26fourscore 27concubines, and 28virgins without number.
24 These words may also be taken as spoken conditionally, thus: Let there be threescore queens, that is, though there were sixty queens, etc. yet one is My dove, etc.
25Christ, the Bridegroom of His church, speaks this under the name of Solomon, who was a type and figure of Him. Some conclude from this that Solomon made this song in the first years of his reign, when he had not yet so many wives and concubines, as he had afterward, 1 Kings 11:3. Yet some perceive that here a certain number is put for an uncertain, as Job 5:19; Micah 5:5, and elsewhere. The spiritual meaning is: that the true church alone is to be accounted and esteemed to be the true church of Christ, as is further expressed in verse 9.
26 Consult the 25th annotation.
27 See Gen. 22 on verse 24 about the word concubines. It seems that by these queens and concubines are meant those churches, which pretend to be true churches, but have no inward spiritual fellowship and communion with the Bridegroom Christ, although by the grace and mercy of God they could be brought into it.
28 Understand here handmaids or ladies of honor who waited and attended upon the queens, as Esther 2:9; Psalm 45:14; and by these handmaids is meant the people who depend upon the great ones, and suffer themselves to be led by them, which is by far the greatest number in the world.
9My dove, my undefiled is but 29one; she is 30the only one of her mother, she is 31the choice one 32of her that bare her. 33The daughters saw 34her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and 35they 36praised her.
29 Or, But she alone is my dove. This is contrasted to the great number of queens, etc., verse 8. And here the bride of Christ, who is but one (as There is one body, and one Spirit … one hope … one Lord, one faith, Eph. 4:4, 5), counted and esteemed more than the great number of others, who are, in their own and in the opinion of others, queens and princesses. See what God says to Israel in Exod. 19:5; 2 Sam. 7:23.
30 All the particular churches on earth that are orthodox, being put all together, make up no more but one body, Eph. 4:16. The only church, being as the only and legitimate daughter of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the universal church, which is the mother of us all, Gal. 4:26.
31 Or, purified one, or, choice one, or, pure one, and also verse 10 and 1 Chron. 7:40. There are many illegitimate churches, but there is no more but one pure, legitimate, chosen church, of which see 1 Peter 1:2.
32 Hebr. of her bearer.
33 Namely, the daughters or virgins of whom is spoken in verse 8.
34 That is, fully know her state and condition.
35 That is, they shall count her blessed. The sense is: Although the churches, which are so highly esteemed in this world by others and by themselves, seeming to be the true church, yet they shall be convinced at last (unless they do repent) at the day of judgment when they shall see the sheep stand at the right hand of the Supreme Judge, that there is but one true church, and that they are blessed who belong to it, Mal. 3:18.
36 Or, shall praise her, namely, this bride. See Deut. 4:6; 26:19; Acts 5:13.
10 ¶ 37Who is she that 38looketh forth 39as the morning, fair as 40the moon, 41clear 42as the sun, and 43terrible as an army with banners?
37 That is, what manner of person is this? This is asked by those who are mentioned at the end of the previous verse. They admire the beauty and glory of the church of God, as if they had said: Is this that church which we have despised? Behold, how glorious and excellent it is now!
38 Or, peepeth out, appeareth.
39 As the clear and bright morning appears after the dark night, so does the bride rise up and come forth after the darkness of affliction, ignorance and error, namely, when the morning star of the knowledge of Christ arises in her heart. See Isa. 60:2; 2 Peter 1:19.
40 The moon has in Hebrew her name from whiteness, and from her clear and shining brightness. Here the fair and clear brightness of the moon signifies the beautiful and glorious state of the church of God. See the like phrases, Isa. 30:26; 60:20; Ezek. 16:14; 32:7, 8; Joel 3:15.
41 Or, pure or clean.
42Christ is the Sun of righteousness, Mal. 4:2. The woman, namely, His bride, is clothed with the sun, Rev. 12:1. For, she has put on Christ by faith, Gal. 3:27, by Whose righteousness she is cleansed from her sins, and so is become glorious and shining bright.
43 Namely, unto her enemies, with whom she has to fight under the banner of her Bridegroom, being armed not with carnal weapons, but such as are mighty through God to cast down strongholds, 2 Cor. 10:4. See likewise Exod. 15:14, 15, 16; Deut. 2:25; 33:29; Psalm 48:4, 5. See also above the annotations on verse 4.
1144I went down into the garden of 45nuts to see the 46fruits 47of the valley, and to see whether the 48vine flourished, and 49the pomegranates 50budded.
44 These are the words of the Bridegroom, showing how He visits the garden, His church.
45 The Hebrew word egoz is only found at this place. Most translators take it for nuts, and perceive that here must be understood not the common nuts, but nutmegs, such kind of pleasant and precious fruits which grew in great abundance in the Bridegroom’s garden. See Cant. 4:12, 13, 14. Other, cleansed or pruned garden.
46 Other, new or first fruits, namely, which ripen in the spring. The sense is: that, after the winter of adversity, the pleasant spring of grace appears in the garden of the church.
47 Or, in the low ground, where the church of Christ is watered and moistened with the Word and Spirit of God to bear fruit in great abundance.
48 Understand here by the vine and the pomegranates, the people called by God, and planted in the garden of the church, who, budding and blossoming in true and sincere knowledge, do afterward bring forth fruits of good works, to the glory of God, and to the edification of their neighbor. See Cant. 2:13, 14.
49 Consult the 48th annotation.
50 Or, blossomed, or, sprouted out.
1251Or ever I was aware, my soul 52made me like the chariots 53of Ammi-nadib.b
51 This still appears to be the words of the Bridegroom. When He says: Or ever I was aware, that is to say, suddenly, unsuspected, unawares, in regard of My great longing for the garden. Where I, seeing and perceiving such fair and pleasant fruits, have helped My people forward as with chariots; defending them likewise against their enemies. This may be also understood by the word chariots, because they used chariots heretofore in war. See Joshua 11:4; 1 Sam. 13:5, and more elsewhere. Some understand here the holy angels.
52 That is, I set Myself. This phrase is very common in Holy Scripture. See examples thereof in Psalm 6:3; Eccl. 7:28; Cant. 1:7; Isa. 1:14; 61:10, and elsewhere besides. The meaning is: I was moved by My fervent compassion, and not by thy merits. Other, my soul, that is, My desire. See Psalm 27 on verse 12.
53 Or, of my noble or princely people. The Hebrew word nadib, which is used here, signifies voluntary, or good-willing, or free, or noble, or princely. Some render it: upon the chariots of Amminadib, making of two words one. But we do not find in Scripture who was this Amminadib. Therefore it is better to render it: my willing people, namely, the believers in Christ, who are said to be willing in the day of power or host, Psalm 110:3; receiving the Word preached with all affection, Acts 2:41; 17:11.
b Psalm 110:3.
1354Return, return, 55O Shulamite; return, return, that 56we may 57look upon thee. 58What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were 59the company 60of two armies.
54 This signifies the earnest longing and desire of the conversion of those who wandered out of the way, and went astray, and it is therefore repeated four times, because we are by nature slow of heart and of ears, Luke 24:25; Heb. 5:11. Some apply this to the calling back and return of the Jews unto Christ. See Rom. 11:25. Others perceive that these are the words of the bride’s companions.
55 Solomon has his name from peace, 1 Chron. 22:9. Jerusalem is also called Salem, Psalm 76:2, that is, peace, Heb. 7:2. Such the church or the people, who are called to return, is called Shulamite, which is as much to say, as peaceable, or peaceful, or living in peace in respect of the peace which they have with God through Jesus Christ, Rom. 5:1. It is then as much as if the Bridegroom here has said: Come hither, My loving bride, who after My Name Solomon, Prince of Peace or Peaceable One is called Shulamite, that is, peaceable, return, come unto Me, I will receive thee into grace and favor, although thou didst provoke Me to anger.
56 These words seem to be spoken by the friends of Shulamite, wishing to see that the previous gifts and graces might be seen again, and discerned in her; for, the angels themselves desire to see those things which are communicated to the church by the Gospel, 1 Peter 1:12. See also Psalm 27:4; Isa. 52:8.
57 Or, behold thee, namely, with joy and gladness.
58 Some perceive that these are the words of the bride. Others take them to be the words of the Bridegroom. Other, What do ye I pray see in the Shulamite?, or in the Shulamitess.
59 Or, as a dance, that is, as a company of those who make up a dance, which make merry together. The Israelites, yea, even the godly themselves were wont sometimes to rejoice with dances, and to praise God in them for victories obtained, or for other causes, Exod. 15:20; Jer. 31:4, 13; Luke 15:25. In this place is signified by the company, the joy and gladness of believers, when they shall come unto Christ.
60 By these two armies it is signified the multitude of those who would be converted unto Christ. Yet others understand by the two armies the church of Christ consisting of Jews and Gentiles. Others retain here in the text the Hebrew word Mahanaim, which signifies two armies or two camps. See Gen. 32:1, 2.