Matthew Henry Commentary Song Of Solomon 1:9-17

"I have compared thee, O my love, To a steed in Pharaoh`s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with plaits [of hair], Thy neck with strings of jewels. We will make thee plaits of gold With studs of silver. While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance. My beloved is unto me [as] a bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me [as] a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi. Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: Also our couch is green. The beams of our house are cedars, [And] our rafters are firs." — Song Of Solomon 1:9-17 (ASV)

The Bridegroom gives high praise to His spouse. In the sight of Christ, believers are the excellent of the earth, equipped to be instruments for promoting His glory. The spiritual gifts and graces that Christ bestows on every true believer are described by the ornaments in use at that time (Song of Solomon 1:10, 11). The graces of the saints are many, but they are dependent on each other. He who is the Author, will be the Finisher of the good work.

The grace received from Christ's fullness springs forth into lively exercises of faith, affection, and gratitude. Yet Christ, not His gifts, is most precious to them. The word translated "camphire" signifies "atonement or propitiation." Christ is dear to all believers because He is the propitiation for their sins. No pretender must have His place in the soul.

They resolved to lodge Him in their hearts all night—that is, throughout the persistence of life's troubles. Christ takes delight in the good work that His grace has worked in the souls of believers. This should prompt all who are made holy to be very thankful for that grace that has made fair those who by nature were deformed. The spouse (the believer) has a humble, modest eye, revealing simplicity and godly sincerity—eyes enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit, that blessed Dove.

The church expresses her value for Christ: "You are the great Original, but I am only a faint and imperfect copy." Many are fair to look at, yet their temper renders them unpleasant; but Christ is fair, yet pleasant. The believer (Song of Solomon 1:16) speaks with praise of those holy ordinances in which true believers have fellowship with Christ. Whether the believer is in the courts of the Lord or in retirement, whether following his daily labors or confined to the bed of sickness, or even in a dungeon, a sense of the Divine presence will turn the place into a paradise.

Thus the soul, daily having fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, enjoys a lively hope of an incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance above.