Albert Barnes Commentary Song Of Solomon 6:4-9

"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.