disposed all things, (like the walls and beds in a garden), and kept themselves also in the purity of his religion.

[c] Ver. 3.] Now she seems to have so perfectly recovered herself out of the slumber wherein she had been, as to have regained her former sense of him, and of her interest in him; repeating those words which we met withal before, ch. ii. 16. Of the latter part of which ("he feedeth among the lilies") I think fit here farther to note, that to feed may relate either unto himself, or unto others; for there are examples of both. Of the former, Gen. xli. 2. Job, i. 14. Of the latter, Gen. xxix. 7. 9. xxxvii. 12. I take it here rather in this latter sense, and suppose it signifies his doing the office of a shepherd; and that he is said " to feed among the lilies," as in the Revelation, "to walk in the midst of the seven candlesticks," i. e. there to have his conversation, to take up his abode with them, &c. as he often says in the gospel of St John, (xiv. 23.), that he would with those who love him, and keep his commandments.

And such persons are here compared to lilies, which being a name given by Christ to himself, Greg. Nyssen and Theodoret hereby, not unfitly, understand such as are conformed to Christ their Head, and have his image wrought in their souls, in righteousness and true holiness. For, saith the former of them, ὅσα ἀληθῆ, &c. "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just," &c. (see Phil. iv. 8.) ταῦτα ἐστι τα κρίνα, " these are the lilies in which Christ delights."

[4] Ver. 4.] And now we must conceive, either that they went to the garden together, and there found him, or that he, hearing this hearty profession of unmoveable love to him, meets them; and, to revive her drooping spirits, falls again into a new commendation of the spouse, in the very same terms as before, and in some higher.

And first, he compares her to Tirzah, which was a beautiful situation in the country of Ephraim, and therefore made choice of after these times by Jeroboam, for the seat of his kingdom; and so continued till the building of Samaria, as we read, 1 Kings, xiv. 17. xv. 21. 23. and several other places; to which add Josh. xii. 24. The very original of the word signifies as much as urbs amabilis, or a city that pleaseth one; and therefore chosen by one of the ancient kings of Canaan, for the place of his residence.

And as she had commended him before, not only for his beauty, but majesty, so he doth here, in the last place, call her "terrible as an army standing in battalias, striking an awe, that is, into beholders. So I think it is to be expounded as referring still to the goodliness of her aspect, and not to her being invincible, inexpugnable, and striking terror inte her enemies, as some interpret the whole verse. Every part of which seems to me to be a new proof, that Solomon speaks not in this book of one single person, (whom some fancy the Shulamite, others Pharaoh's daughter, whom others take for one and the same), under the name of the spouse, but of a body or society of men; for none else can be fitly compared to cities, nay, to great armies drawn up under their banners. Which last part of this verse may be applied to the comely order which Christ appointed in his church, which, while it was preserved, made the church very venerable in the world. So Theodoret, ἐκπλήτθονται γὰρ, &c. "For they are astonished who behold thy order, there being nothing disorderly, nothing uncertain or undetermined, nothing confused and indistinct; but all τιταμένα καὶ κεκριμένα, orderly appointed, and judiciously determined.

Some refer this terribleness, as we translate it, to the gravity, or rather severity of her countenance, which forbade all wanton reproaches to so great a beauty. (e) Ver. 5.] In this and the following verses, he seems to descend to a particular description of the * several parts of her beauty; as he had done before, chap. iv. 1. 2. &c. And he doth it in the very same words, for the most part; to assure her, that he had still the same esteem of her, and kindness for her; and that, notwithstanding what had happened, it had not altered her so much as to abate any thing of his affection, or to make her appear otherwise in his eyes than she had done. This seems to me to be the true reason of this repetition; others are given by Theodoret and other authors. And first he begins with the commendation of her eyes, as he had done, iv. 1. (though in other words). For so the first clause of this verse may be translated, " turn thine eyes towards me;" the Hebrew phrase signifying not only to turn one's self from another, but sometimes to turn towards them, as 1 Chron. xii. 23. And then we are to conceive that he speaks to her, as one ashamed to look upon him, whom she had so much disobliged; and bid her take more confidence, for he was still in love with her.

lovely place in the territories of Judah, and indeed

of the whole country. For which cause, as it had

been the seat of one of the kings of Canaan, so the royal palace of David, nay the house of God him

self, was afterward there built; and is called by

Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, " the perfection of

still to be the same ; that she need not trouble herself any farther, for she had prevailed in her suit to be restored to his favour. The looking of the eyes towards one, is as much as intreating and petitioning; which he tells her she might cease, by bidding her turn away her eyes from him.

mentioned by Pliny likewise, 1. v. c. 14. as the

most famous city in the East.

.

as if he had said, her eyes were so bright and dazzling, he could not bear the passion they excited.

Of the latter part of the verse, see an account upon chap. iv. 1.

[f] Ver. 6.] There is no difference between this verse and that in iv. 2. but only in one word, which alters not the sense. And as barecholim, sheep, was to be fetched from hence to supply the sense there, so another word, bakketzuboth, even shorn, is to be fetched from thence to supply it here.

[g] Ver. 7.] This is also exactly the same with the latter end of the third verse of the 4th chapter. The LXX. have also the first part; but they might as well have added all that there follows; which is here omitted.

Ishmael, and Esau), "yet I have chosen (saith God) my people Israel, whom I have espoused to my. self, by circumcision, and by the law, and by sacrifices," &c.

(i) Ver. 9.) This verse needs not much explication: wherein the spouse is opposed to all the fore-named beauties, who are constrained to confess her pre-eminence. The Hebrew word for one signifies also only; and an only child is as much as a beloved child; as appears by this, that μοναγενής, only-begotten, and ἀγαπη· τὸς, well-beloved, are words of the same import in the New Testament. And if such an only daughter be also barab, (choice we translate it, or), pure, as the word originally imports, free from all blemish, (that is, a perfect beauty), it makes her still more dearly beloved.

his epistle to the now bishop of Winchester, p. 126.); and that then he composed this song, before he let the reins of his lust so prodigiously loose, as afterwards we read he did, I Kings, xi. 1. &c. But it is not at all likely that he had so many as are there mentioned, while his mind was filled with such divine raptures as these ; and therefore I suppose he alludes to the custom of other princes in the east, who, besides their principal wives that were solemnly espoused and endowed, had also another sort who were neither, and yet were wivescalled by the Hebrews philagsbim, concubines. And such a difference the Romans anciently made between her whom they called matrona, who was only taken in marriage, and her whom they called materfamilias, who was taken also to order and govern the family, and whose children inherited. As may be seen in Aulus Gellius, lxviii. c. 8. wherein' he confutes Ælius Melissus, a conceited grammarian, who had started other ungrounded notions of these words.

And then threescore and fourscore are only a certain number for an uncertain, not the precise number of these wives and concubines. Theodoret thinks by these are mystically intended several ranks of Christians in the church; some more, some less perfect; but they discourse better, in my opinion, who rather accommodate those to the several sorts of heretical and schismatical churches; some of which gloried in the multitude of their followers, and in their wealth and splendour; but Christ hath only one Catholic church, more glorious than them all put together, as it follows here in the next verses. And that in effect, R. Solomon Jarchi, and some other Hebrew expositors, understand these words with application to themselves. Abraham and his posterity, say they, till the descendants from Israel, were threescore in number, (compared here to queens). The sons of Noah, and their descendants unto Abraham, were fourscore, (compared to concubines). The rest who came from Cham, Ishmael, and Esau, could not be comprehended under a certain number. And so the meaning is, Whatsoever kindness God had for the rest of Abraham's posterity, or of Noah's, (not to mention Cham,

ed in this place; for his love is only compared to the love of a mother toward such an only daughter, who hath ingrossed, as we speak, all the excellent qualities that are in any other person. Which forced the daughters to admire her, (so saw her signifies, they looked upon her with admiration), and the queens to bless her, and the concubines to proclaim her praises. Thus it is most likely the latter part of this verse should be interpreted, " the daughters saw her, and the queens blessed her, and the concubines, they praised her." For though the Jews now have otherwise distinguished the words by their accents, yet Maimonides, I observe, distinguishes them, as I have done, in his preface to Seder Zeraim.

St Cyprian, from this and such like places of this book, (iv. 8. 12. v. 1.), proves there is but one only holy catholic church, making this observation, (epist. 73.edit. Oxon.), "We see one person every where mentioned, and no more, because the spouse also is one,"

&c.

(k) Ver. 20.) This some take to be the beginning of a new part of this song; and Theodoret in particular here begins his fourth book of commentaries upon it; but I look upon these words as the praises and commendations which the queens and concubines before mentioned bestow upon the spouse, with admiration and astonishment at her transcendent beauty.

They need no explication, being of known signification; only it is fit to note, that to make the eulogy more magnificent, the speech grows and increases. For though the morning be very beautiful and agreeable to every eye, yet the moon is still more bright, and the sun far brighter than that; but all the host of heaven (which I take to be meant in the last words) still more wonderful and amazing. For there being a gradation in this place, and all the other expressions relating to the heavens, it is reasonable to think that this doth so too; and that we are to understand by it the armies or host of heaven, (as the scripture calls the stars), rather than armies upon earth. However, I have put both into the paraphrase, but have not meddled with mystical applications; they that desire them, may look into the commentaries of three Fathers, where this verse is applied to the four degrees of Christians that are in the church. Others, with more reason, apply it to the progress which the church herself made in splendour and greatness; being at first like the morning when the day breaks, after a long night of ignorance; and then the light of Christian knowledge advanced, till the church appeared like the moon, (whose paleness may serve for an emblem of the terrors which persecution struck into their hearts), till in the issue it dispersed all mists, and, conquering all opposition, shone like the sun; and then was settled in Constantine's time, like a wellordered army, which beat down all idolatry.

They that would see more of these applications, may look into Commenius's book De Bono Unitatis; in the beginning whereof there are applications of these things, both unto the church in general, and unto particular churches.

[1] Ver. 11.] This seems to be the voice of the bridegroom, declaring what returns he expected to his love. The word agoz, which we translate nuts, (of which there were several kinds, some very rich, as the pistic), is found only here; and by some is translated shorn or cut, which I have not omitted in my paraphrase. And beibe bannachal, (fruits of the valley), the LXX. translate shoots by the brook, or river, where plants are apt to grow best; which is very agreeable to the original. The rest of the words are common; and the whole verse signifies that he went to look after the fruits of all sorts. The mystical applications may be found in all interpreters.

[m] Ver. 12.] The meaning of this verse seems to be, that the spouse, hearing such high commendations of herself, both from him, and from the persons mentioned, ver. 10. with great humility saith, that she was not conscious to herself of such perfections, (for so the first words sound in the Hebrew, I did not know it, or I did not think so), but is excited thereby to make the greatest speed to endeavour to preserve this character he had given her, and to go along with him into his garden, (which she had neglected before, v. 2.), there to give a good account of her proficiency. For which end she seems on a sudden to take leave of her friends, (who had been so charitable as to go along with her to seek him), that she might for some time enjoy his company alone; which is the ground of their calling upon her to return, in the next verse. This is the best account I can give of these two last

verses.

It is supposed, Ammi-nadib was some great captain, who pursued his victories, or advantages, very industriously, with very swift chariots.

[n] Ver. 13.] This verse is the voice of her companions or friends; some of which wish for her coming back, that they might enjoy her company again, and see how she was improved; and the rest asked what they expected to see in her? to which

:

the other reply in the last words, " as it were the company," &c.

The repetition of the word return, four times over, expresseth their vehement affection to her, and their desire to have her company again, whom they call Sulamith, as much as to say Jerusalamith; for the name of that place formerly was Salem, which carries peace in its signification, or, as others will have it, perfection, for Shalam, in the second conjugation, signifies to finish, or perfect. And is a fit name here for the church, the New Jerusalem, built by Christ himself. This seems to me a great deal more probable than the conjecture of Menochus, (1. iii. de Repub. Hebr. c. xxi. n. 14.), who, because wives, when they were married, took the name of their husbands, thinks the spouse from Solomon had the name of Sulamith, which Aquila translates ειρηνεύεσαν, pacific, i. e. Solomonidem. The reader may follow which he likes best. Solomon seems to me not to have had respect to his own spouse in this song.

To see, or look upon her, signifies to enjoy her happy society, and the benefit of her excellent virtues and perfections. Whom, in the two last words, he seems to me to compare unto the choirs of the heavenly hosts. For the word meahola doth not signify any kind of company, but of such as dance or sing; as may be seen in Exod. xv. 20. xxxii. 19. Judg. xi. 34. Jer. xxxi. 4. Lam. v. 15. and many other places. Which shew that it signifies both chorea, a dance, and chorus, the company that dances; and so the LXX. here translate it χοροί, choirs. And Mabanaim (which we translate two armies) may as well be a proper name, as Ammi-nadib in the verse foregoing; and relates to the appearance of angels to Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 2. as a token of God's special presence with him, and most lively sets forth the far more glorious presence of God, now in the Christian church. Or if we interpret it armies or hosts, as we do, still it may signify the armies above in the heavens, either the stars or the angels, called "the armies in heaven," Rev. xix. 14. and "army of heaven," Dan. iv. 35.

CHAP. VII.

THE ARGUMENT. - Here begins, as I take it, a new part (which is the 7th) of this song, and reaches to verse the 11th. In which the spouse is represented returning again, as they desired in the end of the foregoing chapter; and appearing in greater lustre than before, the company of friends who attended her, praise her beautiful perfections, in such a description as was made of them, chap. iv. though varying from it in several things, (which is the sum of the first nine verses). Of which perfections she modestly acknowledging her Lord to be the author, and assuming nothing to herself, (ver. 10.), is excited thereby only to do the more good, and to labour to extend his empire

over more hearts, who were not yet subject to him, ver. 11. &c. where the 8th part of this song begins, and continues to the fifth verse of the next chapter.

COMPANIONS, OR DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALY M.

Ver. 1. HOW beautiful ure thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of tbe bands of a cunning workman.] And now that she appears again, like the daughter of the great King, in all royal apparel, (Psal. xlv. 13.), who can choose but admire the beauty of the meanest thing belonging to her! The very shoes of her feet are most lovely, and so are all the ornaments of her thighs, which were made by no common or careless artist, but by one that hath herein shewn the best of his skill. See Annot. [a]

Ver. 2. Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor; thy belly is like an beap of wheat, set about with lilies. Which other excellent artists have equalled in that part of thy vesture, which covers the middle of thy body; in the very centre of which is a fountain, within a curious work rising up like a heap of wheat, encompassed round about with lilies. See Annot. [b]

Ver. 3. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.] Above which, thy two breasts rise up so purely white, and exactly round, and every where of such just proportions, that two young kids which were formed together, and brought forth at the same time, are not more like one another, or more lovely than they. See Annot. [c]

Ver. 4. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fish-pools in Hesbbon, by the gate of Bath rabbim; thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon, which koketh to ward Damascus:] Thy neck also lifts up itself, with the same or greater beauty, wherein we before beheld it, (iv. 4), being no less smooth and purely white, than it is straight and well shaped. And the same famous pools at the great gate of Heshbon, also, are not more quiet and clear than thy eyes; which are as pure and free from all perturbation, as they are fair and large; between which thy well-proportioned nose rising up, adds as much beauty and majesty to thy face, as the tower of Lebanon (whose top shows itself above the trees) doth to that noble forest. See Annot. [d]

Ver. 5. Thine bead upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple: the King is held in the galleries.] And now that we take a view of thy head, we seem to be come to the top of Mount Carmel, which is not more richly adorned by nature, than its excellent form is by art; which hath contrived the most royal ornaments for it, and made thee an object fit for the king's affection; who beholding thee from his palace, is fixed in contemplation of thy beauty. Sie Annot. [e]

Ver. 6. How fair and bow pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!] Which cannot be described, but only admired, and constrains all to say, O how happy art thou! and how happy are they who are acquainted with

thee! for what beauty is like to that, or what pleasure comparable to those which thou impartest to them that are in love with thy delights. See Annot. [f]

Ver. 7. This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.] Whose tall and upright stature adds much to all this beauty! and makes thee resemble the goodly palm-tree'; within whose boughs, those clusters hang, to which we may compare thy breasts between thy arms. See Annot. [g]

Ver.8. I said, I will go up to the palm-tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clustres of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples ;) Which seem to be stretched out to receive us into thy embraces, and invite me and all my company with a joint resolution to say, We will take hold of the boughs of this tree; we will get up into it, and taste of its fruit: and now shall be happy indeed, and enjoy those sweet delights which flow from thy breasts, and from the breath of thy mouth; far more refreshing and comfortable than the choicest fruit that this good land affords. See Annot. [h]

Ver. 9. And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.]: For the richest and most generous wine, which when we have tasted, we say, Let it be sent to the best of friends, is not more comfortable to the bodily spirits, though it be so powerful as to make old men brisk, nay, to enliven those that are at the point of death, than thy words are to raise and restore the souls of those who imbibe the sense of them into their minds. See Annot. [i]

SPOUSE.

Ver. 10. I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me) | If there be any thing in me that is pleasing to you, and deserves such praises, ascribe it all to him from whom I received it; for, as I have often said, I am his entirely, and he is pleased to be entirely mine, having espoused himself unto me with great desire, Psal. xlv. 11. See Annot. [k]

Ver. 11. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.] And O that he, (without whom I can do nothing), would accompany me in the charitable design I have, to go and visit other people, besides you, O ye daughters of Jeru salem! Let us go, my beloved, unto those poor despised people that live in the fields and country-villages; let us not only go to them, but dwell among them. See Annot. [1]

Ver. 12. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will 1 give thee my loves.) Let us diligently visit the vineyards, that have been newly planted there, and bestow our utmost care upon them; let us see if they give any hope of good fruit, in promoting which, I will give thee a proof of my extraordinary love. See Annot. [m]

Ver. 13. The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old,. which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.] And behold the happy success of such care and diligence ! the most excellent fruit is already ripe, and meets us with its refreshing smell; there is nothing so choice and so pleasant, but it grows every where, and is at the very gates; and that in great plenty and variety, both of this year's fruit, and of the last; which shall all be reserved for thy uses, and employed for thy honour, O my beloved, from whom it all comes; and for the good and profit of those that belong to thee. See Annot. [n]

ΑΝΝΟΤATIONS.

[a] Ver. t.] They who earnestly solicited the return of the spouse, in the conclusion of the former ⚫ chapter, seem now to have a view of her again, and praise her perfections in a new method; beginning at the feet, and so upward, (whereas before, chap. iv. her description was from the bead, and so downward), because they saw her in motion, when she went away, and now at her return to them. Whom they call the prince's daughter, alluding, I take it, to Psal. xlv. 13. 14. and conceiving her as that royal bride, whose cloathing is there represented as very glorious. And accordingly they admire her very shoes or sandals, (by whose shape the beauty of the feet was discerned), which were wont to be set with gems, as we learn from many authors. I shall name none but the book of Judith, (because what Greek or Roman writers say about their own shoes, is not material), where sandals are mentioned as a part of the bravery, wherein she set forth herself, to deceive Holofernes, x. 4. with these she is said, in her song, to have ravished his eyes, xvi. 9. See also Isa. iii. 18.

• And

Now, the feet not being here considered as naked, in all reason we ought not to expound the next words of the naked thighs, (the discovery of which had been immodest), but of the cloathing of them round about. For so that word we translate joints, is expounded by others, the circuit, or, as the LXX. their whole proportion or model; which was as fine as the ornaments that adorned them. So chelaim signifies, which R. Solomon here observes is an Arabic word, denoting not jewels, (as we translate it), but the fine attire and trimming, wherewith women deck themselves, to set off their beauty.

Which agrees with what follows, "The work of the hands of a cunning workman." Where workman also signifies, not any artificer, but a goldsmith), who (as Bochart hath observed) made wires, laces, wreaths, rings, and such like little ornaments of gold and silver as women used.

The Chaldee paraphrase applies all this to the people's going up three times a year to the public feasts; as R. Solomon, before named, expounds also that place, in Isa. lii. 7. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet," &c. Which, with more reason, others apply to their return into their own country, out of captivity; and the Christian writers apply to the apostles, going through the world to preach the gospel, whose stedfastness herein may be also here represented; though I see not why it may not as well

:

こ

be applied to Christians going chearfully to worship, God in their public assemblies.

[b] Ver. 2.] The garments, I doubt not, of these parts are still described in this verse. For what resemblance hath, the belly itself of any person, (which it had not been seemly neither to describe), unto "an heap of wheat set with lilies?" and they seem to me to have had in their eyes, that apparel of wrought gold, mentioned Psal. xlv. 13. and represent that part of it which covered the belly to be of raised or embossed work, resembling an heap of wheat; by which it is possible may be meant, many sheaves of wheat embroidered round about (as the king's daughter's raiment was, Psal. xlv. 14.) with flowers, espe. cially with lilies. And then, this was a figure wherein harvest was represented; which is no unlikely conjecture, for anciently nothing was more honourable than to follow tillage or pasturage. From whence it is, that we find in the latter end of Homer's 18th Iliad, that the device contrived by Vulcan, in Achildes' shield, were reapers, cutting down ripe corn, and the king himself standing in a turrow, and providing a dinner for them.

Now, in the very midst of this work, I conceive there was a fountain; which I take to be the meaning of the first words of the verse, " Thy navel is a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor;" that is, a great bowl, or basin, was wrought in the centre of the embroidery; full of water, which ran continually from above into it. Or, a conduit, running with several sorts of liquors, into a great bowl. Unto which the word hammazog, (importing a mixture), seems to incline the sense.

The word ugan, which properly signifies κραλής, as the LXX. translate it, a great bowl or bason, is used by the Chaldee paraphrast for a receptacle of water, in fountains, or in ditches. As in Judges, iv. II. where the valley or plain of Agannaja, of bowls, which was in Kedesh, is interpreted by Kimchi, the field in which were many pits or trenches, like two bowls full of water. This seems to be a plainer interpretation than that of Zanchez, who fancies this to have been some jewel, that hung down from her girdle upon the navel, which was of this form round like the moon. And the Chaldee paraphrast understood it to be of this figure, when he applies it "to the head of their school, who stood in the knowledge

of the law, like the circle of the moon; and seventy wise men round about him, like a heap of wheat." What is the mystical meaning of this hieroglyphic vesture, (as it may be called), is very hard to say. It may be applied to the two sacraments, which the church administers to her children, the font in baptism being represented by the former, and the sacrament of the Lord's supper by the other part of this figure.

(c) Ver. 3.] This verse hath been explained before, iv. 5. I only observe, that the Chaldee paraphrast applies these two breasts to the two Messiahs, whom they foolishly expect, the son of David, and the son of Ephraim; who shall be like Moses and Aaron,