The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 104

simile ie very apt and beautiful. Thy teeth meaning may be a segment, that is, so I\B to are perfectly smooth, regular, and white; represent the roundness of the cheek. Pos- the upper set C'Orresponding exactly to the sibly the reference mo.y be to blushes on lower set, like twin-births in which there is the bride's check, or to ornaments which no break (of. oh. vi. 6). The moisture of appeared through the veil. We can scarcely the saliva dentium, heightening the glance expect to make out every particular in a.n of the teeth, is frequently mentioned in Eastern descri pUon. lo1'e-songs. The whiteness of wool is often Ver. 4.-Thy neok is like the tower of used as a comparison (see Isa.. i. 18; Dan. David, builded for an armoury, whereon vii. 9; Rev. i. 14; Book of Enoch xlvi. 1). there ha.ng a thousand buoklere, a.11 the Some think that ni:m:r should not be ren- Bhielda of the mighty men. There is a.n der!'d "newly shorn,'; bnt "periodically evident change here in the chnrnoter of the shorn" (see Ginsburg)-& poetical epithet for similitudes. The royal bridegroom does not '"'~~\ The newly shorn would be washed forget to praise the majesty of liis bride. The description now suits a. royal queen. first: ONG, "to be double," "to be pairs," in She is full of dignity a.ud grace in her bee.r- the hiph: is " to make double," " to make ing. The tower referred to was no doubt pairs," "to appear po.ired." Perhaps the that which w,1s sometimes ea.lied "The tower reference is to the sheep being washed in of the flock" (Micah iv. 4), that from which pairs, and going up side by side from the David surveyed the flock of bis people (cf. water. This would seem almost more exact Neh. iii. 16, 25)-the government building than the idea of twin-lambs, because the erected on Mount Zion which served a.s a. ditferenoe in size between the ewe and the oourt of justice. The word talpiyoth is an lomb would suggest irregularity. The word ll,raf >,,,-y&,,.,11011 : LXX. 6aA.1r(,.,6, as if e. pro- M~:?~. "deprived,"" bereaved" (J er. xviii. 21), per name. Hengstenberg would render it may point merely to the loneliness of the "built for hanging swords," supposing it single sheep going up by itself, suggesting composed of two words-tal, from a. root one tooth without its fellow. Ginsburg says, "to hang," a.nd piyoth, "swords." But the "a.II of which are pa.ired." Ea.eh keeps to word piyoth does not mean "swords," but its mate e.e they come up from the pool. the "double edges" of the swords. Kimchi This is e. decided improvement on the renders, " a.n erection of sharp-cornered Authorized Version. But the figure is clear stones." Gesenius takes it from two roots, with either rendering, and is very striking •• to perish " a.nd " to go," that is, ezitialibus and suggestive of the pleasant country life armis, which is very doubtful. Ewa.Id's to which the bride wa.s e.ceustomed. explanation seems the best, "built for close Ver. 3.-Thy lips are like a thread of troops, so that many hundreds or thousands 1Carlet, and thy mouth is oomely; thy find room therein," ta.king it from a. root, temples are like a pieoe of a pomegranate connected with the Arabic, meaning, "to behind thy veil Scarlet; that is, shining, wrap tog-ether." Delitzsch, however, observes glieteningredoolour. Thymouth(',r,;;i-;11;). Thy that both in Aramaic and Talmudic Hebrew mouth a.s speaking. So the LXX .. Jerome, words occur, like this, in the sense of " en- a.nd Venetian, " thy speech," eloquium, closure," i.e. joining together, one working conversation. But this is questioned, a.e it into the other, so that it may be taken as should then be W7- The word midhbar un- meaning, "in ranks together." This view is supported by Doderlein, Meier, Aquila, doubtedly means "the mouth," from davar, Jerome, Vulgate (propugnacula), a.nd Vene• "to speak," with the z:i preforma.tive, a.a the tia.n ( 01r&>,,Em). If this be accepted, it ma.y no.me of the instrument. It is the preterite mean "terra.ced," i.e. built in stories one for 7'!;, but perhaps a.a referring specially to a.hove another. This would convey the speecl,. Thy temple.,; Latin tempora, from appearance of the tall, straight ueck better the udjecti ve p-:,, "weak," meaning the thin than a.ny. Surrounded with ornaments, the piece of skull on ea.eh side of the eyes, like neck would so appear. There is a.nolher tl.te German schUife, from achwff, "slack." suggestion, supported by Ginsburg un<l The inside of the pomegranate is of a red taken from Rashi and Rttehbun, J ewieh colour mixed and tempered with the ruby writers, that the word is a. contraction for a. colour. Ginsburg, however, thinks that the noun meaning "instruction," a.nd means theeks are intended, and that the comparison "the model tower"-the tower built for a.n is with the outside of the pomegranate, in architect's model. It would be rendered, which the vermilion colour is mingled with '' built for the builder's model." The mean- brown, an<l resembles the round cheek; but ing " armoury " takes it a.s composed of two tLc,n why ee.y, "piece of a. pomegranate"? words, tael, "a. hill," a.nd piyoth, "swords." nS1e, from the root "to cut fruit" (see l Kings It was decorated with e. thousa.nd shields, iv.• 39), certainly must refer to the cut fruit which was a. customary adornment of towers a.ud the 11ppee.r11nce of the inside. The and castles (see Ezek. nvii. 11). All tll4 Oil. n·. 1-16.] THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 93