The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 173

of Urn botly, which it is iu infants, and nearly Solomon there were many noted specimens so in o.dulLs. Perho.ps Delitzsch is right in of architectural and artistic splenc!our, "A thinking that there may be an attempt to tower which looks in the direction of Da- describe the navel itself as like the whirling mascus is to be thought ofas standing on one hollow of water in a basin. In the lo.tter of the eastern spurs of Hermon or on the top part of the verse the shar,e of the body is of A.mana (eh. iv. 8), whence the Amanf\ undoubtedly intended. " To the present day (Barada) takes its rise, whether as a wateh- winnowed o.nd sifted corn is piled up in tower (2 Sam. viii. 6) or only as a look-out great heaps of symmetrical, half-spherical from which might be enjoyed the paradi- form, which are then frequently stuck over sa.ical prospect." with things that move in the wind, for the Ver. 5.-Thine head upon thee is like purpose of protecting them against birds. Carmel, and the hair of thine head like 'fhe appearance of such heaps of wheat,'' purple; the king is held oaptive in the says Wetstein, "which one may see in long tresses thereof. Carmel is called the " Nose parallel rows on the threshing-floors of a of the mountain range" (Arf-el-jebel). It is village, is very pleasing to e, peasant; and a promontory. The meaning, no doubt, is the comparison of the song every Arabian the exquisite fitness of the head ,pon the will regard as beautiful." According to the neck, which is one of the most lov\ r traits Moslem SUI1nas, the colour of wheat was that of personal beauty. Some, howev(\ ·, think of Adam. The white is a subdued white, that the reference is to colour-Ca.rm, \ being denoting both perfect spotlessness and the derived from thePersian,and meaning 'crim- purity of health. The smooth, round, fair son." This is rejected by Delitzsch, lS the body of the maiden is seen to advantage in Persian would be carm11e, not carmel. The the varied movements of the de.nee. transition is natural from the position and Ver.3.-Thytwo_breastsarolike two fawns shape of the head and neck to the J,air. that a.re twins of a roe. So in eh. iv. 5; but The purple shell-fish is found near Carmel there the addition occurs, "which feed among ( cf. Lucia.n's ,rop,P6p•os ,r"-&t<a.µ.o< and Ana- the lilies." This is omitted here, perhaps, creon's 1rop,Pvptii xa.i"T<U, and similar expres- imly because lilies a.re just before spoken sions in. Virgil's • Georgics,' i. 405, and of. The description is now in the lips of Tibullus, i. 4. 63). The locks of hair are a tbe ladies ; before it was uttered by the king glistening pnrple colour, i.e. their black is himself. purple as they catch the lights. Hengsten- Ver. 4.-Thy neck is like the tower of berg, however, thinks that the reference is ivory ; thine eyes a.re e.s the pools in Hesh- to the temples, and not to the hair itself; bon, by the gate of Be.th-rabbim ; thy nose but the use of the term in classico.l poets is is like the tower of Lebanon whioh looketh decisive. The lovely head shaking the locks toward Damascns. This is plainly a partial as the body moves gracefully in the dance repetition of the king's description. The fills tl.Je king with delight and admiration. ivory tower wo.s perhaps a tower well known, He is quite captivated, a.nd the ladies, having covered with ivory tablets, slender in struc- finished their description of the bride, look at ture, dazzlingly white in appearance, impos• the bridegroom, and behold him quite lost in ing and captivating. No doubt in the lips the fascination-•• held captive in the tresses." of the court ladies it is intended that this Delitzsch quotes a similar expression from echo of the royal bl"idegroom's praises shall Goethe, in ihe ",Vest Ostliche Divan,' "There be grateful to him. Heshbon is situated are more t_han fifty hooks in e11ch lock of some five aud a half hours east of the north- thy hair." The idea of tllking captive is ern points of the Dead See., on an exteUBive, frequent in Hebrew poetry (cf. Prov. vi. 25; undulating, fruitful, high table-land, with a Sirach ix. 3, 4). Thus ends the song of fa.r-reaohing prospect. "The comparison of the ladies in praise of the bride. We must the eyes to a pool means either their glisten- suppose tbat the king, who is probably ing like a water-mirror or their being lovely present, then takes up the word, and pours in appearance, for the Ambian knows no out his heart. greater pleasure than to look upon clear, Vers. 6-9.-(Song of tlui bridegroom re• gently rippling water:" cf. Ovid, • De Arte joiaing over the bride.) How fair and how Am.,' ii. 722- pleasant art thon, 0 love, for delights ! This thy statura is like to a palm trea, a:c_d " Adspicies ocnlos tremulo fulgore mioantes, thy breasts to olnsters of grapes. I said, I Ut sol a liquid.. smpe refulget aquB." will climb up into the palm tree, I will The nose formed e. straight lino down from take hold of the branches thereof: let thy the forehead, oonveyiug the impression of breasts be as olustera of the vine, and the symmetry, and at the same time a dignity smell of thy breath like apples; and thy and ma.jesty inspiring with a.we like the mouth like tho best wine, that gooth down tower of Lebanon. The referenoo is perhnps smoothly for my beloved, gliding through to a. particular tower, Cllld _in tho time of the lips of them that e.ro asleep. 'l' lto 1G4. THE SONG OF SOLOMON. [en. v11. 1-13,