BEFORE CHRIST

written about 1014.

⚫ 1 Kings 4.32.

b ch. 4. 10.

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses

9 I have compared thee, O my ch. 2. 2, 10, love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

2 Heb.thy loves. ter than wine.

3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

d

4Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solo

mon.

6 Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

8 If thou know not, O thou ¶

table, my spikenard sendeth forth 12 ¶ While the king sitteth at his the smell thereof.

13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

2

13. & 4. 1, 7. & 5.2.& 6.4. John 15. 14, 15.

h 2 Chron. 1. 16, 17.

1 Ezek. 16. 11, 12, 13.

14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vine- Or, s yards of En-gedi.

k

my

15 Behold, thou art fair, hast doves' eyes. love; behold, thou art fair; thou

loved, yea, pleasant: also our bed 16 Behold, thou art fair, my be

is green.

17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

CHAPTER II.

1 The mutual love of Christ and his church. 8 The hope, 10 and calling of the church. 14 Christ's care of the church. 16 The profession of the church, her faith and hope.

AM the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved

2 cypress. ch. 4. 13.

*ch. 4. 1. & 5. 12. 3 Or, my com panion.

'Or, galleries

7

The calling of the church.

BEFORE CHRIST about 1014.

? Heb. I de

lighted and sat down, &c. Rev. 22. 1, 2. 3 Heb. palate. 'Heb. house of wine.

5 Heb. straw

me with

apples.

ch. 8. 3.

6 Heb. I adjure

you.

• ch. 3. 5.

& 8. 4.

d ver. 17.

among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

3

The church's victory.

young hart upon the mountains 2 of Bether.

CHAPTER III.

6 The church glorieth in Christ.

2

BEFORE CHRIST about

sion.

1014.

7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 d My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth Heb.flourish at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

ing.

7

10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. 'Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let 8 me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15 Take us the foxes, the little Luke 13. 32. foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

BY.night on my bed I sought · Isai. 26. 9.

him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? 4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

5 I charge you, O ye daughters ch. 2. 7. of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

6 Who is this that cometh outch. 8. 5. of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

b ch. 2. 17.

3 Heb. breathe.

'Ephes. 5. 27.

Deut. 3. 9.

'Or, taken away my heart.

1 ch. 1. 2.

CHAPTER IV.

BEHOLD,

a

1 Christ setteth forth the graces of the church. 8 He sheweth his love to her. 16 The church prayeth to be made fit for his presence. EHOLD, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: athy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

e

4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded ffor an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. 5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

h

3

6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

8 ¶ Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! 'how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! 11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as Prov. 24.13, the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Hos. 14. 6, 7. Lebanon.

14.

ch. 5. 1.

n Gen. 27. 27.

5 Heb. barred.

m

n

12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 Thy plants are an orchard of

Christ's love to her.

AM come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: 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. 2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: ¶ 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, and my locks with the drops of the night.

a ch. 4. 16.

ch. 4. 11.

Luke 15. 7,

10.

John 3. 29.
& 15. 14.

3 Or, and be drunken with loves.

4 Rev. 3. 20.

• Or, (as some read) in me.

5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet Heb. passing, smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

e

or, running about.

e ch. 3. 1.

7 The watchmen that went about ch. 3. 3. the city found me, they smote me,

they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, 2 that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

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 charge us?

3

10 My beloved is white and rudHeb. a stand-dy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

ard-bearer.

'Or, curled.

ch. 1. 15. & 4. 1.

5 Heb. sitting in fulness, that is, fitly placed, and

set as a pre-
cious stone in

the foil of a
ring.

6 Or, towers of
perfumes.

7 Heb. His

palate.

ach. 1. 8.

ch. 2. 16.

& 7. 10.

11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black

as a raven.

12 h His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and 5 fitly set.

13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

167 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

с

her faith in Christ.

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 appear from Gilead.

e

6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

с

BEFORE CHRIST

about

1014.

ver. 10.

Or, they have puffed me up. a ch. 4. 1.

ch. 4. 2.

7 'As a piece of a pomegranate arech. 4. 3. thy temples within thy locks.

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 blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine ch. 7. 12. flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

12 3 Or ever I was aware, my soul 4 made me like the chariots of Am-4 mi-nadib.

13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

5

CHAPTER VII.

1 A further description of the church's graces. 10 The church professeth her faith and desire.

a

3

Heb. I knew Or, set me on

not.

the chariots

of my willing people.

5 Or, of Mahanaim. Gen. 32. 2.

a

HOW beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! Ps. 45. 13. the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.

6 Heb. mix

ture.

BEFORE CHRIST about 1014.

b ch. 4. 5.

ch. 4. 4.

2 Or, crimson.

3 Heb. bound.

Heb.
straightly.

5 Or, of the
ancient.

d ch. 2. 16. & 6. 3.

• Ps. 45. 11.

r ch. 6. 11.

6 Heb. open.

Gen. 30. 14.

3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.

с

4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.

2

5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

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 clusters of grapes.

8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;

9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down 'sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak. 10 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

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 if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

h

13 The mandrakes give a smell, Matt. 13. 52. and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

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, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. thy voice:

5

4

Heb. peace.

14 ¶ Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to Heb. Flee a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

1 ch. 2. 17.