| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 As a lily among the thorns, |
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| 2 So [is] my friend among the daughters! |
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| 3 As a citron among trees of the forest, So [is] my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit [is] sweet to my palate. |
And his fruit – Symbol of the fruits of the spirit. E206
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| 4 He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me [is] love, |
Banqueting house – "He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat" at his second advent. (Luke 12:37) D612
More truth is now due than at any time in the history of the Church. R5501:4
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| 5 Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I [am] sick with love. |
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| 6 His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me. |
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| 7 I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please! |
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| 8 The voice of my beloved! lo, this he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills. |
Upon the mountains – Kingdoms. A318
Upon the hills – The less autocratic governments. D551
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| 9 My beloved [is] like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice. |
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| 10 My beloved hath answered and said to me, 'Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away, |
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| 11 For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away it hath gone. |
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| 12 The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land, |
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| 13 The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away. |
The fig tree – Symbol of the Jewish nation. D604
Putteth forth ... figs – Not only do we recognize that the restoration of the Jews is at hand, but also that the Kingdom of God is nigh. R127:5*
The tender grape – Mature fruits of character. A mark of ripe fruit is tenderness. E206; R1317:5*
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| 14 My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice [is] sweet, and thy appearance comely. |
O my dove – A dove-like character. R3759:5*
Pure, harmless, gentle, defenseless, helpless, timid: its only safety being in flight. R3759:2*
Clefts of the rock – The Rock of Ages. R3759:5*
Secret places – Immanuel is the secret of the stairs. R3759:5*
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| 15 Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards. |
Take us – Help us to catch. R5886:2
The foxes – Very cunning, not capable of ferocity and viciousness, but is nevertheless cause of much harm. An appearance of docility makes it more dangerous, less likely to arouse suspicion of its evil intentions. R5886:2
Little foxes – King Solomon seems to be picturing the depravities of our fallen nature which are not so extreme, but very harmful. R5886:2
Little sins which are really more dangerous than grosser sins because we are less likely to be on guard against them. R5886:3
Careless, thoughtless, impatient words; little grumblings; a sarcastic word or laugh or look or shrug. R5886:6
Spoil the vines – Small sins, as little foxes, tear the branches and gnaw at the roots of the spiritual vine, endangering its very life. R5886:3
Tender – As grapes during the formative period are exceeding tender, so the Spirit's fruitage in immature Christians may be easily ruined. How careful should we be to guard words and conduct in the presence of the younger and less mature. R5886:5
Grapes – Represent the fruits of the holy Spirit. R5886:3
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| 16 My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his, Who is delighting among the lilies, |
Feedeth among the lilies – Lilies are fit emblems of those who dwell in God and abide in Christ Jesus. R843:2*
Enjoying present fellowship. R303:2*
The Bridegroom himself feels the loneliness of the night. R303:4*
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| 17 Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation! |
Until the day – The Millennial day. R303:2*
Shadows flee away – The Bride anticipates the morning of fuller joy, even while enjoying present fellowship. R303:2*
Be thou like a roe – Christ Jesus. She pleads with him not to tarry. R303:2*
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