The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 16

maiden feels the greatness of the honour, your eyes. Litera.lly the words nre, Do nol tha.t she is chosen of the king, and with ,ee me that I am ; i.e. do not regim:l me as simple modesty, in the presence of courtly being, because I am. There is no neceSBity IRdies around her, sets forth her cla.im. The to suppose Rny looks of tho ladies to have ~imilc is not uncommon in poetry, as in suggested the words. They are the words Theocritus 1mdVirgil. Comely; i.e. attractive, of modest self-dcprecintion mingled with ngreea.ble. Kedar (whether from the Arabio, joyful sense of acceptance. It is diflioult meaning "powerful," or from the Hebrew, to render the Hebrew exactly. The word '· blRck ") designRtes the tribes of the North- translated "swcnthy" (shecharchoreh) is Arnbia.n deseenda.nts of Ishmael (Gen. xxv. probably a diminutive from ahechorah, whioh 13; Isa. xxi. I 7), Kedareens, referred to by itself means '' blackish ; " so that the mean- Pliny, and rema.ining in Arabia until the time ing is, "tha.t my complexion is dark." 'fhe of the Moha.mmeda.ns. The Bedouin still reference to the sun explaill8 the word still CRils his tent his "ha.ir-honse;" it is covered further, as pointing, not to a difference of with goa.t's-hair cloth, mostly hie.ck or grey. race, but to mere temporary effects of an out- Whether the reference is to the oolour of door life : "The sun ha.s been pla.ying with the goat's ha.ir or to the tents being browned my complexion ; " or, as the LXX. renders or blackened by the hee.t of the sun. we can- it, Ilap</3A•t• µ• cl 17Alos, "The sun has been not doubt tha.t the allusion is to the com- gazing at me." So other Greek versions. plexion, and the rest of the simile would Some, however, include the idea of burning then be applicable to the lovely shape and or scorching, which is the literal meaning fee.tures of the maiden, the curtains of of the verb, though in Joh iii. 9 and xii. 10 Solomon being the curtains of a pavilion, or it is used in the sense of looking a.t or upon. pleasure-tent, spree.cl out like "a shining The sun is the eye of the heavens (see butterfly," i.e. the beautiful cloth or tapes- 2 Sam. xii. 11), a.nd with delicate feeling trv which formed the sides of the tent or the it is spoken of here as feminine, the bride tent-coverings, the clothing of the framework, playfully alluding, perhaps, to the lady seen or tent-hangings (see Isa. liv. 2; Exod. xxvi. in the heavens preceding the ladies of the 36; 2 Sam. vii.; I Chron. xvii. 1, etc.). court in gazing on her beauty. It is difficult Egyptian hangings were particularly prized. to explain with perfect satisfa.ction the next The custom prevailed among Ea.stem mon- clause of the verse. Doubtless "mother's archs of sojourning once in the year in some sons" is a poetica.l periphrasis for brothers lovely rural district, and at snob times their ---not "step-brothers," as some ha.ve so.id. tents would be very magnificent. The LXX. Perhaps the mother was a widow, a.s no has, ws liEf,~.ls ::l;o~oµ.w11, "as the skins of father is mentioned. The best expla.nation Solomon; " but tlris is a mistake. The word is that the bride is simply giving an e.ccount is derived from a root "to tremble," i.e. "to of herself, why she is so browned in the sun. glitter in the sun." Those who desire to find The brothers, for some reason, had been in- an allcgorical interpretation think there is an censed ago.inst her, possibly on account of evident allusion here to the sojourn of Israel her favour in the eyes of the king, but more in the wilderness, or the admission of the probably for private, family reasons. They Gentiles into the covena.nt; but there is no would not have her shutting herself up in reason for any such strain upon the meaning. the house to take ea.re of her complexion; The simile is merely poetical. The soul they would ha.ve her in the vineyards. In realizes its own acceptance before God, but the word " keeper " (noterah, instead of ascribes that acceptance to his grace. "The notzerah) we have an instance of the north em hride, the Lamb's wife," sees the beauty of dialect-a kind of Platt-Hebrew-harden- lbe Lord reflected in herself, and rejoices in ing the pronunciation. My own vineyard l.ier own attractions for his sake. There is have I not kept no doubt refers simply and no immodesty in tl10 consciousness of merit solely to her complexion, not to her vi1·ginity so fong as that merit is ascribed to him from or character. She means-I was compelled whom it comes. There is often more pride by my brothers to go into the vineyards in in the BBSumption of humility than in the the heat of the sun, and the consequence claim to be e.cknowledged. The same apostle was, as you sec, I have not been able to who declared himselfless than the least of all preserve the delicacy of my skin; I have saints alBo maintained that he was not a been careless of my personal beauty. 'rhe whit behind the very chiefest apostles. sun has done its work. 'fhe reference helps Ver. 6.-Look not upon me, becan.ae I us to recognize the historical background am swarthy, becaue the sun hath scorched of the poem, e.nd lea.dd naturally to the use mo,. Ky mother'■ 1ou were inoeued aga.inat of the pastoral la.nguage which runs through me ; they ma.de me keeper of the vineyards ; the whole. The king is a shepherd, o.nd but mine own vineyard have I not kept. his bride a shepherdess. Without straining 'fhe meaning seems to be-Do not let the the spiritual interpretation, we may yet dis- iwarlhiness of my complexion lower me in cover in thi11 beo.utiful ea.odour and 11i1U•  drt, I, 1-17.J TtIE SONG OF SOLOMON. IJ