(The previous post covered the first half of the Song of Solomon. Solomon had taken the Shulamite woman back to his palace in order to convince her to marry him.)
Song of Solomon 5
(Remember, this was a song...)
1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
(The groom responded that he accepted the bride's offer. The couple had confirmed their vows. "O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly," was believed to represent Christ speaking to His Disciples. Next, after the bride and groom separated, the bride told the ladies of the court about a dream she had...)
2 I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.
(The groom was knocking on the bride's door. Possible comparison to Revelation 3:20 – "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.")
3 I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
(This meant he wanted to consummate their Marriage Covenant.)
4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, And my heart was moved for him.
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands droppeth with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone. My soul had failed me when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.
(In anticipation, she waited too long to open the door and he was gone. She was afraid she missed her opportunity to marry the shepherd, to consummate their vows.)
8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.
(She charged the daughters of Jerusalem that if they found him, to tell him that she wanted to consummate their Marriage. The ladies responded to this graphic dream and request...)
9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, That thou dost so adjure us?
(The women were shocked at her passion for the shepherd and tried to claim they had not encouraged the bride towards Solomon. These women wanted to know why her groom was so incredible. The bride answered...)
10 My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand.
(David was referred to as "ruddy" (1 Samuel 16:12). In 1 Samuel 18:7, the women said David had slain his ten thousands. Was this shepherd reminiscent of David?)
11 His head is as the most fine gold; His locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, As banks of sweet herbs: His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are as rings of gold set with beryl: His body is as ivory work overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet; Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
(The bride gave a very vivid and detailed description of the shepherd. How did the women respond?)
Song of Solomon 6
1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee?
(The women were so impressed with the description, they wanted to see him. Would the bride tell them where to find her groom?)
2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth his flock among the lilies,
(The bride ignored their request and restated that she and her groom were united. Next, Solomon approached the bride...)
4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners.
5 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.
(Solomon was overcome by her beauty.)
6 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.
7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number.
9 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.
(Solomon also called her "dove." There were queens, concubines, and virgins but his undefiled bride was only one. He saw this woman as more excellent than any of these other women. Solomon was offering her the role of "queen of queens." The bride would be Solomon's pre-eminent wife. Solomon, who had hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines, wanted the Shulamite more than any other woman...and Solomon had everything.)
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners?
(Solomon finished his proposal. The bride responded...)
11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Before I was aware, my soul set me Among the chariots of my princely people.
(Her answer was: "I was doing my work and not trying to meet you. I did not intend to become your queen. Everything happened so fast I did not have the opportunity to tell you sooner." Next, Solomon responded to her refusal...)
13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?
(Solomon wanted her to stay with him. Solomon called her a Shulammite. The Bible also recorded other women from Shunem, but they were referred to as Shunammites. Abishag was a Shunammite. At the beginning of Solomon's reign, he was upset when his mother (Bathsheba) agreed to let Abishag become Adonijah's wife (1 Kings 2:22). The woman who took care of Elisha was a Shunammite (2 Kings 4). The final verse was translated differently in almost every major translation. "As upon the dance of the Mahanaim" referred to two armies that worked or "danced" together. Solomon continued with his plea...)
Song of Solomon 7
1 How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! Thy rounded thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a skilful workman.
2 Thy body is like a round goblet, Wherein no mingled wine is wanting: Thy waist is like a heap of wheat Set about with lilies.
3 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of ivory; Thine eyes as the pools in Heshbon, By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looketh toward Damascus.
5 Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses thereof.
("Purple" was also translated as "deep violet-black." Solomon was becoming passionate and his plea became more graphic...)
6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7 This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to its clusters.
8 I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy breath like apples,
9 And thy mouth like the best wine, That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep.
(Solomon concluded by stating he had dreamed of her. Next, the Shulammite responded, possibly by interrupting Solomon...)
10 I am my beloved's; And his desire is toward me.
(She rejected Solomon's plea. She stated that she and the shepherd were united. She then requested to leave with her groom...)
11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages.
12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine hath budded, And its blossom is open, And the pomegranates are in flower: There will I give thee my love.
(She was focused on the fruit (profitable effects) of the environment they were in.)
13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance; And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
("Laid up" meant she had reserved all her love/effects for her groom. Next, the bride spoke directly to Solomon...)
Song of Solomon 8
(Again, this was a song. The focus of the dialogue changed often and quickly...)
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.
2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.
(She saw Solomon as a brother and would treat him as one. Then she spoke of her groom...)
3 His left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.
(The groom ought to be the one who was most intimate with her. Then, she spoke to the ladies...)
4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please.
(She warned them for the last time to give up their plan for her to marry Solomon. The bride left with the groom and returned home. The shepherd's friends saw the couple approaching...)
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail that brought thee forth.
(On the way back, the couple stopped by the tree where they first met, which was also her birthplace. They pledged their love...)
6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah.
7 Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be contemned.
(Death was the inability to repair. Love was giving without expecting anything in return from the person you gave to. Love was able to give enough to cover what couldn't be repaired. The couple had completed their vows and were ready to consummate the Marriage. Her brothers discussed her dowry...)
8 We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for?
(This verse has been said to be the Jewish Church speaking of the Gentile Church. However, the literal context showed the bride's brothers remembering their discussion while she was a girl about what they would do for her when she got married...)
9 If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar.
("A wall" referred to her being upright and pure. "A door" referred to her not being a virgin. "Boards of cedar" referred to a coffin. If she did not remain a virgin she would be killed. Her brothers wanted to know if she had remained a virgin during her time with Solomon. Next, the bride responded...)
10 I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.
(She stated she was worthy of the peace she found in the shepherd's eyes.)
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
(She stated that she deserved her reward because she had kept her own "vineyard"...unlike Solomon who let his "vineyard" out to many.)
13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken for thy voice: Cause me to hear it.
(The shepherd asked her to tell the whole story of her time with Solomon so that everyone knew about it. It would make sense that she had already told him everything on the journey back and he wanted others to hear it while he took pride in her. She responded...)
14 Make haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.
(This fifth and final book that made up the poetic section of the Old Testament told the story of the woman that got away. Solomon desired a Shulammite woman to be his "queen of queens." Instead, she rejected Solomon for the shepherd that she loved.)
(There was a lot of symmetry when we look at the five books of the poetic section of the Old Testament. It began with a book about a righteous man who suffered unjustly. The Book of Job showed that God was Just in the long term. This understanding was consistently referred to in the rest of the poetic section. David began as a lowly shepherd. He was a man after God's own Heart that went through many of the same trials and tribulations as Job as shown in the Book of Psalms. He concluded his reign by providing for his son and secured in the knowledge that the Christ would come from his lineage. Solomon began his reign in a powerful fashion as shown in the Book of Proverbs. However, he violated commands given by God, the most important of which was not to marry many women because they would turn his heart away from God. In this book, we saw Solomon was rejected by the woman he desired the most...for a lowly shepherd. At the end of his life, his response to the questions Job struggled with showed a faulty thought process in the Book of Ecclesiastes. The next Section of the Old Testament was made up of the five major prophets...)
Day 201
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