| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 I have come in to my garden, my sister-spouse, I have plucked my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, drink, Yea, drink abundantly, O beloved ones! |
I am come into – The Lord, speaking after his return. R4249:4*
My garden – That aggregation of individuals which contains both the sister class and the spouse class. R4249:4*
My sister – Foolish virgins, the Great Company. R4249:4*
My spouse – Wise virgins, eventually to be the Lamb's wife. R4249:4*
Gathered my myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
Have drunk my wine – Spirit of the Lord, truth, righteousness, sound mind. R3962:6
Under the influence of which men are heard for their much speaking. R4249:4*
With my milk – Symbol of food for spiritual babes. A24; D577
"The sincere milk of the Word." (1 Pet. 2:2) R4249:4*
Eat, O friends; drink – Reverently, devotedly, thoughtfully, prayerfully, tearfully perhaps; as we think of our Redeemer's love and sacrifice. R1505:1, R2436:6
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| 2 I am sleeping, but my heart waketh: The sound of my beloved knocking! 'Open to me, my sister, my friend, My dove, my perfect one, For my head is filled [with] dew, My locks [with] drops of the night.' |
I sleep – The great body of nominal Christendom would be asleep when the Lord would come. R4249:5*
My heart waketh – The Little Flock, the wise virgins, would be awake. R4249:5*
Voice of my beloved – Christ, at the second advent. R506:1*
That knocketh – "Behold I stand at the door and knock." (Rev. 3:20) R506:1, * R505:6*
Open to me – The door of the heart, and admit the Lord to govern every action, word and thought. R4249:5*
My dove – Symbol of peace and purity. E212
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| 3 I have put off my coat, how do I put it on I have washed my feet, how do I defile them |
Have put off my coat – Failed to recognize the necessity of the robe of Christ's righteousness and esteemed it lightly. R4249:5*
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| 4 My beloved sent his hand from the net-work, And my bowels were moved for him. |
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| 5 I rose to open to my beloved, And my hands dropped myrrh, Yea, my fingers flowing myrrh, On the handles of the lock. |
Sweet smelling myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 6 I opened to my beloved, But my beloved withdrew he passed on, My soul went forth when he spake, I sought him, and found him not. I called him, and he answered me not. |
Had withdrawn himself – The foolish virgins realized that the thing for which they had been praying for 1800 years was to be consummated. R4249:5*
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| 7 The watchmen who go round about the city, Found me, smote me, wounded me, Keepers of the walls lifted up my veil from off me. |
Went about the city – Babylon, Christendom. D527
Smote me – The zeal of the foolish virgins was aroused to the extent of suffering bitter persecution. R4249:5*
Of the walls – Symbol of civil powers that defend Babylon. D40
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| 8 I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved What do ye tell him that I [am] sick with love! |
Daughters of Jerusalem – Professed children of the Kingdom. R4232:5*
The foolish virgins finally succeed in interesting the Jews in the message of the gospel. R4249:5*
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| 9 What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, O fair among women What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, That thus thou hast adjured us |
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| 10 My beloved [is] clear and ruddy, Conspicuous above a myriad! |
Chiefest among 10,000 – In the eyes of the Bride, the Church; to those whose eyes are opened. F74; R1063:2*
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| 11 His head [is] pure gold fine gold, His locks flowing, dark as a raven, |
The most fine gold – Symbol of the divine nature. T18
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| 12 His eyes as doves by streams of water, Washing in milk, sitting in fulness. |
Of waters – Symbol of truth. C65
Washed with milk – Symbol of foundation truths. (Heb. 5:12) A24; D577
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| 13 His cheeks as a bed of the spice, towers of perfumes, His lips [are] lilies, dropping flowing myrrh, |
Sweet smelling myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 14 His hands rings of gold, set with beryl, His heart bright ivory, covered with sapphires, |
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| 15 His limbs pillars of marble, Founded on sockets of fine gold, His appearance as Lebanon, choice as the cedars. |
As the cedars – Symbol of everlasting human life. T109
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| 16 His mouth is sweetness and all of him desirable, This [is] my beloved, and this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem! |
His mouth – Utterance. B305
Altogether lovely – Is Christ in the eyes of his Church, yet to the sinful, envious, hateful heart of the fallen man "There is no beauty in him." (Isa. 53:2) E161, E162; R1063:2*
This is my friend – The chiefest of all heavenly treasures is the personal love and friendship of Christ. R1820:3
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