The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 17

plioity of the bride the reflection of the 1onl's knowledge referred to being general know- virtues in its joyful reo.lizo.tion of Divine ledge or wisdom. The delicate irony i~ fo.vonr; hut the true method of interpreta- well expressed, as in the reference to the tion requires no minute, deto.iled adjustment kids-" feed thy kids," like a child as thou of the lo.ngue.ge to spiritue.l fe.cts, but ro.ther iirt. But there may be no intentional aeel{s the meaning in the tote.I impression of irony in the words; rather a playful and the poem. sympathetic response to the beautiful sim- Ver. 7.-Tell me, 0 thou whom my 1oul plicity of the bride-If thou art waiting to loveth, where thou feedest thy fiock, where be brought to thy beloved, if thou art seeking thou makeet it to rest at noon : for why thy shepherd, thou most lovely woman, then should I be as one the.t is veiled beside the go quietly on thy way, like a shepherdess fiook of thy companions t These words carry tending the kids beside the shepherds' on the e.ssocie.tions suggested by the previous tents; follow the peaceful footsteps of the verse. 'fhe bride is longing for the bride- flock, and in due time the beloved one will groom; but she ce.nnot think of him yet in appear. This is better than to sllppose the e.ny other light than as a companion of her ladies presuming to indulge in irony when simple country life-he is a shepherd, and they must know that Sholamith is the king's she a shepherdess, " Take me into closer favourite. Besides, the first scene of the fellowship with thyself; let me not remain poem, which is a kind of introduction, thus still only one amongst the many." Perhaps ends appropriately with an invitation to there is intended to be an allusion to the peaceful waiting for love. We a.re prepared common metaphor-the king as the shepherd for the entrance of the beloved one. The and the people as his flock; but the upper- spiritual meaning is simple and clear-Those most thought of the bride is separation that would be lifted op into the highest en- unto her husband. The soul which longs joyments of religion mnst not be impatient for the enjoyment of fellowship with God and doubt that the Lord will reveal himself, desires to be carried awav out of all distrac- but go quietly and patiently on with the tions, out of all restraints, lifted above work of life, "in the footsteps of the flock," reserve and above doubt into the closest and in fellowship with humble souls, and in the most loving union. The idea of the veil paths of peace, in the green pastnres and may be either the veil of mourning or the beside the still waters, ready to do anything Tail of modesty and reserve. Probably the assigned them, and the time of rejoicing and latter is the true reference. The LXX. has, rapture will come. ..:.s 1rep1/3a>..>..oµh11, There is some difference Ver. 9.-(Entrance of the bridegmom.) I of opinion among critics. Ewald thinks it have compe.red thee, 0 my love, to a steed refers to strangeness-" like one unknown," in Pharaoh's chariots. There can be no and therefore veiled; Gcsenins says, "one reasone.ble doubt that these words a.re put fainting;" others connect the word with into the month of the king. The " steed " the root "to roam," "to wander" (see· Isa. is in the feminine (;i,,10); some would point xxii.17), which is confinned bySymmachos, the word with the plural vowels, that is, the Vulgate, the Syriac, the Chaldee, Jerome, "to my horses," or a "body of horses." Venetian, and Luther. The simplest ex- There is no necessity for the.t. The refer- plo.nation is that the bride compares herself, ence to e. particular very lovely me.re is more in her absence from her lord, among the a.pt e.nd pointed. In 1 Kings x. 26 we read le.dies of the court, to a veiled woman travel- in the LXX. Version of .,.,,.,,.tfpes xv..fo.ties ling beside the flocks of the shepherds, 971;\E1al f7r7ro1, which Solomon had for his seeking her friend, but not yet brought to chariots-fourteen hundred war-cha.riots and him. twelve thousand horsemen. The Pharuoh- Ver. S.-(Ohorus of ladies.) If thou know chariots were those which the king had not, 0 thou fairest among women, go thy imported from Egypt (1 Kings x. 28, 29; way forth by the footsteps of the fiook, and 2 Chron. ix. 28). It may be that the refer- feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. ence is to the splendid decoration of tho That another voice is here introduced there tre.ppings. Delitzsch very rightly sees in can be no doubt ; and e.s it is not like the such a figure a confirml\tion of the view that voice of the bridegroom himself, which is Solomon himself was the author. The horses heard in the next vers~, we must suppose from Egypt were fe.med at tho.t time as those it to be the chorus of attendant ladies. of Arabia became afterwards. The names Delitzsoh suggests very plausibly the.t they both of horses and che.riots in the Egyptian are pleo.se.ntly chiding the simplicity of the lrmguage were borrowed from the Semitic, country me.idea, e.nd telling her that, if she e.s they were probably first imported into oe.nnot understand her position, she had Egypt by the Hyksos, or shepherd-kings. be-tter return to her country life, In that Other exe.mples of the so.me comparison a.re case," if thou know not" would mean-U found in poetry, as in Horace, Ane.creon, thou co.net not rise up to thy privilege; the and Theooritus. In the last (' Idyl.,' xviii. 8 'I'HE SONG OF SOLOMON. [OH, I. 1-17,