The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 189

EXPOSITION. pride of life." She woulcl blend her whole CHAPTER VIII. existence with that of her Lord. I ,conld Vers. 1-3.-0h that thou wert as my lcise thee; yea, and none would de.qpise me. hrothar, that sucked the breasts of my Nothing can more exquisitely and delicately mother! When I should find thee without, express the fnlness of affection. It is not I would kiss thee ; and none would despise merely a return for that which is given ; it me. I would lead thee, and bring thee into is free and spontaneous. 80 should our my mother's house, who would instruct me; spiritual feelings be. They should be the I would ea.use thee to drink of spioed wine, natural outpouring of the soul towards the of the juice of my pomegranate. His left Saviour; not a worked-up, artificial, spac;- hand should be under my head, and his right modic impulse, not a cold, dead formalism, hand should embrace me. The meaning not an unsympathetic service of conscience; seems to be this-Let our relation to one but "doing the will of God from the heart." another be the highest and the purest and "Love is the fulfilling of the Law;" "Faith the most permanent possible. The sisterly worketh by love." The second verse is relation is not me1·ely one of affection, but differently rendered by some. J crome, one of blood. The bond between husband Venetian, and Luther take it as referring and wife may be broken by the caprice and to the bride's dependence on her husband's weakness of human feeling, but nothing superior wisdom-" Thou woulrlest instruct ean destroy the bond of blood. "A friend me;" which, of course, is a very suitable loveth at all times, and a brother is born for sentiment as addressed to the wise King adversity" (Prov. xvii. 17); "There is e. Solomon. The Targum expounds it thus: friend that sticketh closer than e. brother" "I would conduct thee, 0 King l\Iessiah, (Prov. xviii. 24). The brotherly bond re- and bring thee into the house of my sanc- presents the strength of the blood-relation- tuary; and thou wonldest teach me to fear ship: When to that is e.dded personal affec- God and to walk in his ways." Hitzig lllld tion, then the tie is perfect. Shulamith our Revisers take the verb as in the third means that she would have their love £reed person feminine, and applied to the mother. from all the uncertainties of human :fickle- "She would teach me as a mother teaches ness; As symbolically interpreted, there- e. young bride, from her own early experi- fore, we take this whole passage to signify ence." The old view that the hride is the that the Church, when it :is desiring the personification of wisdom seems quite re- closest fellowship with the Saviour, would futed by this speech of Shulamith's. She be lifted a.hove all the temptations of earthly desires and wnits for instruction. Solomon life, which so often lower the standard of is wisdom. She is the soul of mnn, or the Christian feeling and service. The words Church of God, delighting to sit at his feet are specially impressive in the lips of the and learn of him. Whichever rendering bride of Solomon. It is a testimony to the we choose, whether the mother or Solomou inspiration of the whole book that the volup- be regarded e.s teacher, the meaning is the tuous monarch, whose life fell so far below same. It is, as Deli tzsch has observed, 11 the ideal of e. godly king, should yet, in- deep revelation of Shulamith's heart. "She directly thongh still powerfully, condemn knew how much she yet came short of being nnd rebuke his own departm·e from God, to the king all that a wife should be. But scttiug clearly before us the surpassing in Jerusalem the bustle of court lifo and the excellence of pure love and the sanctity of bunlen of his r~gal duties did not permit married life. In the king's address to his him to devote himself to her; in her mother's bride he called her ."sister" e.nd "sister- house, if ho were once there, he would in- bride;" she now virtually returns his own struct her, and she would requite him with sentiment and calls him "brother." She her spiced wine and with the juice of the shows that sho has rison in her love far pomegranates." The "spicell wine," vim1m nbove the mere fleshly desires-" the lust cond-itura, nromatic wine, probably grape of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the wine "mhed wiih fragrant und pung1Jut  180 THE SONG OF SOLOMON., :en. vnr. 1--14.