Albert Barnes Commentary Song of Solomon 4
Albert Barnes Commentary
Song of Solomon 4
Albert Barnes Commentary
Song of Solomon 4
"Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead." — Song of Solomon 4:1 (ASV)
You have doves’ eyes ... - Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. So also in Song of Solomon 4:3, Song of Solomon 6:7, and Isaiah 47:2, “veil” is better than “locks.”
That appear from ... - Or, “that recline upon Mount Gilead.” The point of comparison seems to be the multitudinousness of the flocks seen browsing on the verdant slopes of the rich pasturelands (Numbers 32:1; Micah 7:14).
"Thy teeth are like a flock [of ewes] that are [newly] shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them." — Song of Solomon 4:2 (ASV)
Regarding this phrase, it can also be rendered as “all of them are equal pairs, and none is bereft among them,” meaning that none has lost her mate. The points of comparison in this simile are, of course, brilliant whiteness, regularity, and completeness of number.
"Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil." — Song of Solomon 4:3 (ASV)
Your speech is lovely—perhaps meaning “your mouth,” that is, the organ of speech.
"Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All the shields of the mighty men." — Song of Solomon 4:4 (ASV)
The “tower of David” may be the one mentioned in Nehemiah 3:25-27 and Micah 4:8. For the custom of hanging shields and other weapons in and on buildings suited for the purpose, see Ezekiel 27:10-11.
"Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee." — Song of Solomon 4:7 (ASV)
Section 4:7–5:1: Meeting the bride in the evening of the same day, the king once again expresses his love and admiration in the sweetest and most tender terms and imagery. He now calls her “bride” (spouse, Song of Solomon 4:8) for the first time, to mark this as the hour of their marriage, and “sister-bride” (spouse, Song of Solomon 4:9–10, 12; 5:1), to express the similarity in thought and disposition that from now on unites them. At the same time, he invites her to leave her birthplace and its mountain surroundings for his sake, and to live from now on for him alone.
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