Song of Solomon 6:10
Ver. 10. Who is she [that] looketh forth as the morning?.... These words may be connected with the preceding, by a supplement of the word "saying"; and so may express what the daughters said, when they blessed and praised the church, wondering at her beauty, it being like the rising morning; so Helena is said to show her beautiful face, awv antelloisa, as the morning, when it springs forth {n}: there was a city in the tribe of Reuben, called Zarethshahar, the beauty or splendour of the morning, Jos 13:19. Homer often describes the morning by her rosy fingers {o}, and as clothed with a saffron garment {p}, and as beautiful and divine {q}, and fair haired {r}; and as on a golden throne and beautiful {s}. And as these words describe the progressive gradations of light, so they may set forth the state and condition of the church in the several ages of the world; its first state in this clause, which may reach from the first dawn of light to Adam, Ge 3:15; increasing in the times of the patriarchs, Noah, Abraham, and Jacob, and in which and to whom were various displays of Gospel light and grace; to the time of the giving of the law by Moses, when the church might be said to be
fair as the moon; which, though it receives its light from the sun, yet splendour and brightness are ascribed to it, Job 31:26; and, by other writers {t}, is represented as fair and beautiful; and the beautiful form of persons is expressed by it {u}: and very fitly is the state of the church under the law signified by the moon, by which the ceremonial law seems intended, in Re 12:1; that lying much in the observation of new moons, by the which the several festivals under the law were regulated; and which law gave light in the night of Jewish darkness, into the person, offices, and grace of Christ; and though it was imperfect, variable, waxed old, and at length vanished away, yet the church under it was "fair"; there being a beauty and amiableness in the worship of that dispensation, Ps 27:4. The next clause, "clear as the sun", may describe the church under the Gospel dispensation; when the "sun of righteousness" arose, and made the famous Gospel day; when the shadows of the old law fled away, Christ, the substance, being come; when there were more light and knowledge, and a clear discerning of spiritual and evangelic things: and, in all those periods, the church was "terrible as [an army] with banners"; to her enemies, being in a militant state; See Gill on "So 6:4". The whole of this may be applied to particular believers; who, at first conversion, "look forth as the morning", their light being small, but increasing; and, as to their sanctification, are "fair as the moon", having their spots and imperfections, and deriving all their light, grace, and holiness, from Christ; and, as to their justification,
clear as the sun, being clothed with Christ, the sun of righteousness, Re 12:1; and so all fair and without spot;
[and] terrible as [an army] with banners, fighting the good fight of faith, under the banners of Christ, against all spiritual enemies.
{n} Theocrit. Idyll. 18. v. 26. {o} rododaktulov hwv, Iliad. 1. v. 477. & passim. {p} hwv krokopeplov, Iliad. 8, v. 1. & 19. v. 1. {q} Iliad. 18. v. 255. {r} Odyss. 5. v. 390. {s} Odyss. 15. v. 56, 250. {t} "Tanto formosis, formosior omnibus illa est", Ovid. Leander Heroni, v. 73. "Pulchrior tanto tua forma lucet", Senecae Hippolylus, Act. 2. chorus, v. 740. {u} Vid. Barthii Animadv. ad Claudian. de Nupt. Honor. v. 243.