Albert Barnes Commentary Song of Solomon 6
Albert Barnes Commentary
Song of Solomon 6
Albert Barnes Commentary
Song of Solomon 6
"Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee? My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies." — Song of Solomon 6:1-2 (ASV)
The question posed by the chorus, and the answer it receives from the bride, show that the loss and seeking are not to be taken too seriously.
"Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners. Turn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil. There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; [Yea], the queens and the concubines, and they praised her." — Song of Solomon 6:4-9 (ASV)
The section might be entitled, “Renewed declaration of love after brief estrangement.”
Tirzah... Jerusalem. In Song of Solomon 6:4, these are named together as the two most beautiful cities in the land at that time (for Jerusalem, compare with Psalms 48:2). Tirzah, meaning “Grace” or “Beauty,” was an ancient Canaanite royal city (Joshua 12:24). It later became a royal residence for Baasha and his three successors in the kingdom of the ten tribes and may well have been famous for its beauty in Solomon’s time.
Terrible as an army with banners. This description means she is awe-inspiring. The warlike image, like others in the Song, serves to enhance the charm of its assured peace.
In Song of Solomon 6:5, even to the king, the bride's gentle eyes possess an awe-inspiring majesty. Such is the condescension of love. What follows in Song of Solomon 6:5–7 is the longest of the repetitions found in the Song, marking the continuation of the king’s affection as it was first solemnly proclaimed in Song of Solomon 4:1–6.
Some Christian commentators suggest these two descriptions apply to the Church at different periods—for example, to the early Church in the splendor of its first calling and to the Church under Constantine. Other Jewish commentators apply them to “the congregation of Israel” during the eras of the first and second temples, respectively.
In Song of Solomon 6:9, the king contrasts the bride with the other claimants for his royal favor (Song of Solomon 6:8). For the king, she not only outshines them all, but she has also received genuine blessing and praise from these other women.
This passage is invaluable as a divine witness to the principle of monogamy under the Old Testament, especially in the luxurious age of Solomon.
"Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners?" — Song of Solomon 6:10 (ASV)
The chorus addresses the bride here only as the Shulamite, asking her to perform a sacred dance from her country for their entertainment (see Song of Solomon 6:13). After the bride complies, they sing stanzas in her praise (Song of Solomon 7:1–5). She then receives fresh commendations from the king (Song of Solomon 7:6–10) and invites him to return with her to her mother’s house (Song of Solomon 7:8–11:4). Many Jewish allegorists interpret this entire section as referring to the time of the second temple and the present dispersion of Israel. They see it as a picture of Israel praying for final restoration, the coming of the Messiah, and the glory of the latter days, while God continues to grant His mercy. Christian interpreters have made similar applications, seeing it as the Church militant looking for the Second Advent, or as the ancient synagogue praying for the Incarnation.
As the morning - The glorious beauty of the bride bursts upon them like a second dawn as she comes out to meet them at the beginning of another day. Special poetic words are used for “sun” (burning heat) and “moon” (white one). The same terms are applied to the sun and moon in Isaiah 24:23 and Isaiah 30:26.
"I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, [And] the pomegranates were in flower. Before I was aware, my soul set me [Among] the chariots of my princely people." — Song of Solomon 6:11-12 (ASV)
The bride’s words may be paraphrased: “You speak of me as a glorious beauty, but I was recently just a simple maiden engaged in rural work. I went down one day into the walnut garden (the walnut tree was abundant on the shores of Lake Gennesaret and is still common in Northern Palestine) to inspect the young plants of the valley (that is, the wady, or watercourse, with its banks now green in the early spring after the rainy season) and to watch the budding and blossoming of the vine and pomegranate (compare the notes on Song of Solomon 2:11–13). Then, suddenly, before I was even aware, my soul—my love-bound heart—had made me like the chariot of a princely people.” This phrase refers to an exalted person who lives in the high places of the earth (compare 2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 13:14, where Elijah and Elisha, as the spiritual leaders of the nation, are called the chariot and horsemen of Israel). This last clause is another example of the writer of the Song's fondness for military comparisons.
Ammi-nadib—literally, “my people, a noble one.” The reference is either to Israel at large as a wealthy and dominant nation under Solomon, or to the bride’s people (the Shulamites) in particular. By her union with the king, she is now exalted to the chief place among them.
"Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?" — Song of Solomon 6:13 (ASV)
Return, return - As she is about to withdraw, the bride is called back by the chorus, who desire to contemplate for a little longer a grace and beauty that has won all hearts.
Shulamite - This is probably the same as “Shunamite,” i.e., a native of the town or district of Shunem, located in the territory of Issachar (Joshua 19:18), on the slopes of the Little Hermon, overlooking the plain of Jezreel. It is now called Salem.
See - This means to look or gaze at. It is the bride’s modest reply, in which she takes up their words and wonders at their request. The chorus then answers with another petition.
As it were the company of two armies - A better translation is “the dance of Mahanaim,” a well-known sacred dance named after the place where it originated (Genesis 32:2; Joshua 21:38). Some scholars, understanding “Mahanaim” as a term for “the Angels” or “Angelic Hosts,” translate this phrase as “a dance like that of angel choirs,” meaning one of special grace and beauty. However, the first of these interpretations is to be preferred.
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