5. It should be our concern, when we go to the Lord's house, not only that we meet him there, but that his presence go up with us.' I bring him to my mother's home: He gives me there his bleeding heart, Our loves their mutual token share.' WATTS. Lastly, I would conclude these hints by a quotation from the TARGUM on this passage, which is express to our purpose, and too remarkable to be omitted: When the King MESSIAH shall 'be revealed unto the congregation of Israel, 'the children of Israel shall say unto him "Be "thou with us for a brother, and let us go up to "Jerusalem, and let us suck with thee the senses "of the law, as a sucking child sucketh the "breasts of its mother," &c.-And on verse 2. the same paraphrase adds, I will lead thee, O King Messiah, and bring thee to the house of my sanctuary; and thou shalt teach me to 'fear the Lord, and to walk in his paths, and there 'will we keep the feast of Leviathan, and drink old wine,' &c. Though some expressions here allude to the dreams of the rabbins, as to the carnal enjoyments of Messiah's kingdom, they are sufficient to shew that their fathers had been accustomed as before remarked, to refer this book to the Messiah, without scruple or hesitation. SECTION XIII. Chap. VIII. Ver. 5—7. Virgins. Who is this that came up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Bridegroom. Spouse. Under the citron tree I courted thee; There thy mother plighted thee unto me, [Even] there she that bear thee plighted thee unto me. Place me as a signet upon thine heart, As a signet upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Bridegroom. Many waters cannot quench love; If a man would give all the substance of his It would utterly be contemned. THIS Section begins with a question from the virgins, alluding, I conceive, to the spouse's coming up from Egypt, which lay beyond the wilderness; here Solomon probably met her, and they might enter Jerusalem together in the royal palanquin, (see ch. iii. 6.) when she would naturally lean toward, or upon, her beloved' I conceive also, 1 The word (npornn) leaning occurs only in this place, and is very differently translated. Many of the rabbins rendered it associating, joining, cleaving, from the use of a kindred word in Arabic: so the editor of Calmet, in sociability with her beloved.' 2. Others rejoicing with her beloved,' to which incline the Vulgate and the Targum. 3. The LXX-read (morpioen) strengthening' (i. e. supporting) herself on her beloved. 4. Our version and many others read leaning on her beloved, which appears to be the sense of the word in Ethiopic. [See Gill in loc.] I con with Mr. HARMER and others, that the answer of the bridegroom' refers to the scene in ch. ii. 3. 'I sat under his shadow (comparing the beloved to a citron tree) with great delight, and his 'fruit was sweet unto my taste.' Here we may suppose her mother to have been present, and some ceremony to have taken place, which is here alluded to. The following lines appear to me to contain the reply of the spouse, desiring a constant me. morial on his arm2, and in his heart; but for the sake of keeping up the conversation, I have referred the seventh verse to the bridegroom. The comparison of the fire of jealousy to the flame of God is commonly referred to lightning; but I conceive alludes more directly to the sacrificial flame3, which was inextinguishable, while the divine presence continued in the temple. fess I consider this (as many other verbs of three radicals) as a compound verb from to lean, bend, and p to stagger; i. e. to lean for support, like one who staggers. 1 Under the citron tree. All the Greek fathers, and many of the Latin, attribute these words to the bride. groom, to whom they seem most naturally to belong; but the Jews having pointed thee masculine, persist in attributing them to the spouse, The verbs in this verse have been much controverted; the sense I have given appears to me natural and just; but for the sense of the several roots I must refer to the lexicons; particularly Parkhurst in an. Nearly one hundred and twenty MSS. and some editions prefix a vau emphatic to the last line of the 5th verse- Even there,' &c. 2 Here I conceive the masculine point affixed by the Masoreths to the pronoun thine is right. 3 The fiery flame of JAH.' More than 200 MSS. and many editions, read this in two separate words [nnanbw] as I have rendered them; and as the sacrificial fire never On this section we may note, 1. That in the present state the church is coming up out of the wilderness. It is common with the inspired and other writers to represent the present life as a wilderness or desért, i. e. a state of distress and trial, and our passage through life as a journey through, or a coming up out of this wilderness; in allusion to the passage of the Israelites through the wilderness to the promised land. But here it is said she came up leaning on her beloved'-which very properly represents the affiance and dependance we should place on the divine providence and grace all through our mortal pilgrimage. 2. The Lord excites, as well as rewards, the affections of his people: indeed he answers and rewards no affections but those which he excites: Under the citron tree I courted thee.' Look gently down, Almighty grace; WATTS. was to go out, (see Levit. vi. 12.) so the Jews have a tradition, which appears well founded, that no rains ever could extinguish it. Some of the ideas in the Song of Ibraham, repeatedly quoted above, are remarkably similar to those in Solomon.. I die I go down to the grave; 3. The church considered as the mother of believers (for Jerusalem which is above is the 'mother of us all') has solemnly pledged her children unto Christ, and dedicated them to his service. This idea is particularly applicable to the peculiar ordinances of the gospel, baptism and the Lord's supper, in both which we are solemnly dedicated to his service: but should not be confined to them; for in every circumstance or situation, and by every possible tie, we are the Lord's and in no respect our own. 4. The love between Christ and his people is victorious and irresistible as death; and jealousy on the part of the believer is severe and cruel as the grave. Its darts or arrows (alluding to the fiery arrows' of the antients) are darts of fire which have a most vehement and inextinguishable flame. The love of Christ infixed in the heart, enkindles and burns there till it consumes the lusts, and purifies the passions of the human heart. MAXIMUS TYRIUS says of a mortal love, Wild beasts are not terrible to it, nor fire, nor precipices, nor the sword, nor the halter,' &c. But Paul speaks much more sublimely of divine love: Who shall separate us ⚫ from the love of Christ'? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him ⚫ that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither Rom. viii. 35–39. |