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SONG OF SOLOMON 6
COMMENTARY NOTES |
This is a work in progress - please use "as is"
or as they say in business "Caveat Emptor"! |
Daughters of Jerusalem...
Song 6:1 "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where
has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?"
Shulammite...
2 "My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To pasture
his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.
3 "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among
the lilies." |
Song
of Solomon 6:1-3
TODAY IN THE WORD - Dr. Henry Brandt has written that mature love “enjoys
being together more than being with anyone else, although others are not
excluded from their lives. They discover that each can even have a good time
doing something together which neither would enjoy doing alone.” What Brandt
is really saying, in essence, is that someone who is in love enjoys showing
interest in what interests the one he or she loves.
Although the groom has departed as a
result of her delay, the bride is able to find him because she knows his
interests. He is “browsing among the lilies.” The question in verse 1 is
asked by the daughters of Jerusalem. They serve a function in this poem
similar to the chorus in a Greek drama. Their statements move the story
along and prompt revealing statements from the main characters.
Some Bible scholars interpret the bride’s statement symbolically. The image
of the garden was used earlier to refer to the bride herself. It is also
possible to take the bride’s words
literally. After finding his bride unwilling to receive him, Solo-mon has
gone down to his favorite garden. Knowing what he loves is the key to
finding him. Showing an interest in what interests him provides a kind of
common ground that will enable them to re-establish intimacy with one
another.
Three important facts lay the groundwork for this couple’s restored
relationship. First, she knows her husband well enough to know where to
look. Solo-mon, in turn, knew his bride well enough not to try to force
intimacy until she was ready. Second, both continue to be committed to the
relationship. Third, as soon as both are ready, they take time together to
restore their relationship.
This principle is true in the marriage relationship. One way to keep the
romance alive is often to know what interests the one you love.
Think of someone you love. How quickly can you come up with a “top ten” list
of the things that interest that person? If ten things seem like too many,
try making a list of the top three or four. You might also want to rank them
in order of importance. |
Solomon...
Song 6:4 "You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as
Jerusalem, As awesome as an army with banners.
5 "Turn your eyes away from me, For they have confused me; Your hair is like
a flock of goats That have descended from Gilead.
6 "Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their
washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.
7 "Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil. |
Song of
Solomon 6:4-7
TODAY IN THE WORD - An old cliché notes that beauty is in the eye of the
beholder. Although this may be true, not many people think of themselves as
attractive. Such feelings are often the result of unrealistic expectations.
Few of us, either men or women, compare with the air-brushed images we see
on television programs and magazine covers.
Strange as it may seem, even many
professional models are unhappy with their personal appearance. They
recognize that the image the public sees is not realistic. It is the result
of many hours of preparation, occasional tricks of photography, and
sometimes even cosmetic surgery.
In today’s reading the groom describes the bride as “beautiful.” He focuses
on the beauty of her face. He praises the beauty of her eyes, hair, and
smile. The fact that he compares the bride to an army in battle array may
seem strange. It is a fitting image when placed on the lips of a king. In
effect, it is the groom’s way of saying that his bride is irresistible.
He also compares the bride to the two great cities. Tirzah, the first to be
mentioned, served as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel for a
time. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah. The mention of these two cities
has led some scholars to conclude that this song must have been composed
after the kingdom divided in 931 b.c. and that the author uses Solomon as
the example of the loving groom.
The groom is so overwhelmed by the bride that he cannot look into her eyes.
This description of the bride is striking in view of her perception of
herself. She did not initially see herself as lovely (Song 1:6). In a sense,
the love of her husband has transformed her.
How does Christ view the church? One way to answer this question is to study
the descriptive terms Paul used in his letters to the church in the New
Testament. |
Solomon...
Song 6:8 "There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens
without number;
9 But my dove, my perfect one, is unique: She is her mother's only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and
called her blessed, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised
her, saying,
10 'Who is this that grows like the dawn, As beautiful as the full moon, As
pure as the sun, As awesome as an army with banners?' |
Song of
Solomon 6:8-10
TODAY IN THE WORD - During a trip to Algiers, the British statesman Lord
Frederick North asked his host if he might be permitted to see one of the
women of his harem. Instead of being offended by the request, the host took
one look at Lord North and told the keeper of the harem, “He is so ugly, let
him see them all!”In today’s
passage the groom compares his bride to the women of a harem. It was not
unusual in Solomon’s day for kings to have harems of many wives and
concubines. Political reasons motivated many multiple marriages.
Concubines, on the other hand, were granted a different status. They had
more rights than an ordinary slave, but far fewer than a wife. Their
function was primarily to bear children and care for the king’s palace (2
Sam. 15:16; 16:21).
According to Scripture, King David had multiple wives and several concubines
(2 Sam. 19:5). Solomon had a total of seven hundred wives of royal birth and
three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3). The numbers of wives and concubines
listed in our reading today are substantially lower. It may be that this was
written early in Solomon’s reign, before he had acquired his enormous harem.
When compared to all other women, the bride stands out. Solomon describes
her as “unique” (v. 9). The Hebrew text literally says that she is “one.”
Solomon also calls her “my perfect one.” The Hebrew term conveys something
pure and chosen. She is like a beautiful gem that is both rare and flawless.
Today we might paraphrase the comparison by saying that she is “one in a
million.”
One secret to nurturing a love relationship is to recognize the uniqueness
of the other person. This comes naturally during the beginning of a
relationship. In time these will seem commonplace. If the relationship is to
grow into a mature love, we will need to learn to look more deeply to
discover what makes that person “one in a million.”
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Solomon...
Song 6:11 "I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the blossoms
of the valley, To see whether the vine had budded Or the pomegranates had
bloomed.
12 "Before I was aware, my soul set me Over the chariots of my noble
people."
Daughters of Jerusalem...
13 "Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may
gaze at you!"
Solomon...
"Why should you gaze at the
Shulammite, As at the dance of the two companies? |
TODAY IN THE WORD - The old hymn “In the Garden” begins, “I come to
the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.” In it, hymnwriter
Charles Austin Miles describes an intimate encounter with Jesus. Miles
described his time spent in prayer this way: “And he walks with me, and he
talks with me, and he tells me I am his own; and the joy we share as we
tarry there, none other has ever known.”
Poets have often used the image of a
garden to convey a sense of beauty and even intimacy, and we have seen this
image throughout the Song of Solomon. Verse 11 describes a visit to a grove
of nut trees. This could refer to a literal visit to a real garden, or it
could be figurative language meant to speak of the blossoming of love. It is
unclear who is doing the speaking; the context does not clearly indicate
whether it is Solomon or his bride.
The translation is also extremely difficult (the kjv, niv, and nasb each
translate verse 12 differently). After the speaker’s visit to the garden,
the speaker arrives among the chariots. Although the Hebrew text is very
obscure, many Bible scholars believe that the bride is speaking. It may
indicate that she stumbled upon a royal procession during her visit to the
nut grove. Another possibility is that the groom placed the bride among the
chariots.
These verses paint a very romantic picture. It is one in which the bride is
swept off her feet and carried away by her lover. Not only is she by his
side once more, she has been elevated to her rightful status as queen.
You do not need to “sweep someone off their feet” in order to show them
love. You do not even need a chariot. One of the best ways to demonstrate
unexpected love to others is by performing random acts of kindness. Think of
something you can do for someone else without drawing attention to yourself.
It does not have to be elaborate to be meaningful. Simply giving a cold cup
of water to one who is thirsty is enough to warrant a reward from your
Father in heaven (Mark 9:41). |
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