Charles Ellicott Commentary Song Of Solomon 8:1

"Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! [When] I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me." — Song Of Solomon 8:1 (ASV)

O that thou wert as my brother. —The poet makes his beloved recall the feelings she had for him before the obstacles to their union were removed. She dared not then avow her affection for him as a lover, and wished that their relationship had been such as to allow of their meeting and embracing without reproach. A marginal note states: “They (i.e., her family and friends) should not despise (i.e., reproach) me.”