The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 192

hmu-t. and a~ R bmoelet on thine arm." The )11,tion to the world. As the Now •rest11me11t 1;nme,simile is not infrequent in the prophets, would not have been completo without the The desire of Shulamith was to escape all meEsA.g-e of the beloved disoiple, so this Ohl possibility of those declensions of which she Testament must have its song of love. Nor had spoken before, "Let me never be out is it ouly the ideal and the heavenly love of 1h~- 1hough~; let me never go back from which is celebrated, but human affection my fulness of joy in thy love." 'I'be true itself is placed very high, beco.use it is asso- believer understands well such language, ciated with that which is Divine. It is a Ifr knows tbnt the maintenance of devout more precious thiug than mere weo.lth or affection is not a matter of mere desire and worldly honour, and he that trifles with il will. The Lord himself must help us with deserves the utmost scoru and contempt ol bis blessed gifts, the influence of his gracious his fellows. It is well to remark how con- Spirit to overcome the feebleness and fickle- sistently the poetio framework is maiatained. ness of a fallen heart. We want to be close There is no attempt to leave the lines of to the heo.rt of the Saviolll'; we want to be human relations even at this point, where constantly in hie eye, and so diligently em- evidently the sentiment rises above them. ployed in bis service, so closely associated The love which is npo.;trophized is not 1·e- with the work of bis mighty arm, that we moved from earth in order to be seen npnrt shall be ever receiving from him the signs from all earthly imperfections and impurities, and evidences of his o.pproval and affection. We are invited ratber to look through the The purity and perfection of true love are the human to the Divine which embraces it nn,1 theme of every sincere believer. The price- glorifies it. That is the method of the Di vine less value of such love is described in the revelation throughout. "The Word was made Book of Proverbs (vi. 30), in Numb. xxii. 18, :flesh, and dwelt among us." Wedo not need and 1 Cor, xiii. 3. It is an unquenchable :flame to to.Ire Solomon's Song as an allegory. It -nothing can resist it. We cannot but re- is a song of human love, but e.s such it is 11, call the rapturous language of one who him- symbol of that which is Divine. self was au example of the highest devoted- Ver. 8.-We have a little sister, and she ness to the Saviour, who rejoiced over death hath no breasts: what shall we do for our- and the grave in the consciousness of victory sister in the day when she shall be spoken through him from whose love nothing can for 1 The term "little" refers, of course, to separate us (Rom. viii. 38; 1 Cor. xv. 54). her tender age, as in 2 Kings v. 2, the Certainly the hist.ory of the sufferings and "little maid;" and in Gen. xliv. 20, "a child trials of the true Church form a most striking of his old age, a little one," referring to commentary upon these words. Floods of Benjamin. " She hath no breasts" is persecution bave swept o'l"er it, bat they have equivalent to saying she is not yet mature, not quenched love. Tbe flame has burst of marriageable age (see Ezek. xvi. 7). The forth again and again when it seemed to be question which the bride asks of King extinguished, and it bas become a very" fie.me Solomon refers to the promise which he is of the Lord." The bnsh he.a been burning, - supposed to have me.de, and which he is but has not been consumed. By jealousy virtually pledging himself to fulfil by this is io!ended love in its intensity not bearing visit to the country home of his queen. a rivnl. Tbe ":flame of the Lord" may be "What shall be done for the advantage of compared with "the voice of the Lord," which my little sister? Let us consult together" is de,cribed in Hebrew poetry e.s connected (cf. Gen. xxvii. 37; I Sam. x. 2; Ise... v. 4). with the fury of the st.orm. The :flame, "The day when she shall be spoken for" is therefore, would be lightning and the voice the day when she shall attract the e.ttentiou thunder. The whole of this passage, which of e. suitor. It must necessarily be difficult forms a kind of key-note of the poem, is more to fiud satisfactory interpretations for every like a distinct strain introduced io give detail in such e. poem of human love e.s this, cliwax to the succession of songs than the It might be snfficient to see in this reference natural expression of the bride's feelings. to the younger sister the general idea of It Las been always regarde,1 as one of the love's expansion. Those who a1·e themsel vcs sublimest apostrophes to love to be found the objects of it, being full of exquisite anywhere. The enemies of God and of happiness, desire to call others into the same humanity are represented e.s falling before joy. This is true both of the individual and it, death and the grave. Its vehemence and of the Church. Whats}1all be done for others 1 force of manifestation are brought vividly That is the question which is awakened in hefore us by the comparison of the flash of every heart where true love is e.t work. lightning. It is remarkable that this exal- There is no need to explain the language tation of fove should be included in the Old further. But the allegorists have been very TtBlament, thus proviug that tl;ie Mosaic Law, ingenious in ttttempting to find meanings witl1 ito forn:.al prescriptions, by no means for every allusion of the poem. Who is the fulfils th8 whole purpose of God in his reve- little sister? What is her ,·irginity? What 011. vm. 1-14.] 'l'IIE SONG OF SOLOMON, 18.3