| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, lo, thou [art] fair, Thine eyes [are] doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead, |
Thou art fair – Possessing the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, faith and love, we are lovely in the eyes of our Beloved. R5862:6
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| 2 Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them. |
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| 3 As a thread of scarlet [are] thy lips, And thy speech [is] comely, As the work of the pomegranate [is] thy temple behind thy veil, |
Of scarlet – Symbol of the redemption from the Adamic curse through the blood of the ransom of Christ. T34, T109
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| 4 As the tower of David [is] thy neck, built for an armoury, The chief of the shields are hung on it, All shields of the mighty. |
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| 5 Thy two breasts [are] as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies. |
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| 6 Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense. |
Until the day break – The Millennial day. The Bridegroom, feeling the loneliness of the night, longs, like the Bride, for the day. R303:2*
I – Christ Jesus. R303:2*
Get me to the mountain – To enjoy the freshest odors and to catch the earliest gleams of dawn. R303:4*
Of myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
To the hill – On that hill let us meet him in faith and watch with him in hope. R303:4*
Of frankincense – Symbol of praise. R3703:4
Showing the relationship between the Bridegroom and the Bride. R84:5*
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| 7 Thou [art] all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse, |
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| 8 Come from Lebanon, come thou in. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of leopards. |
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| 9 Thou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck. |
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| 10 How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices. |
Than wine – Symbol of doctrine. R3962:4
Of thine ointments – Symbol of the holy Spirit. T37
The holy anointing oil, the holy Spirit. R4232:2*
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| 11 Thy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk [are] under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments [Is] as the fragrance of Lebanon. |
And milk – Food for spiritual babes. A24; D577
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| 12 A garden shut up [is] my sister-spouse, A spring shut up a fountain sealed. |
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| 13 Thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits, |
Of pomegranates – Symbol of the rich fruitage of Christ's redemptive work. T30
With pleasant fruits – Symbol of the fruits of the spirit. E206
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| 14 Cypresses with nard nard and saffron, Cane and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices. |
Calamus – Symbol of knowledge which we receive from God's Word. R4093:1*
And cinnamon – Symbol of our understanding of the knowledge which we receive from God's Word. R4093:1*
Trees of frankincense – Representing praise, heart adoration. R3703:4
Myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 15 A fount of gardens, a well of living waters, And flowings from Lebanon! |
A fountain – Symbol of the Word of God. B266; R565:1
Of living waters – Symbol of truth. C65
North wind – An unseen force. A wind of sorrow, trouble, disagreeableness. R4249:4*, R5815:2*
Come, thou south – A wind of pleasantness, joy, peace, etc. R4249:4*, R5815:2*
Blow upon – Actuate. Let the joys and sorrows try the Church to demonstrate which is true and which is false. R4249:4*
My garden – The great mass of nominal Christianity, including the true Church. R4249:4*
Spices thereof may flow – That the graces of the spirit may become manifest. R4249:4*
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| 16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, Cause my garden to breathe forth, its spices let flow, Let my beloved come to his garden, And eat its pleasant fruits! |
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