| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 I am a narcissus of Sharon, A lily of the valleys. |
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| 2 As the lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters. |
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| 3 As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons: In his shadow have I rapture and sit down; And his fruit is sweet to my taste. |
And his fruit – Symbol of the fruits of the spirit. E206
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| 4 He hath brought me to the 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 ye me with raisin-cakes, Refresh me with apples; For I am sick of love. |
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| 6 His left hand is under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me. |
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| 7 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
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| 8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills. |
Upon the mountains – Kingdoms. A318
Upon the hills – The less autocratic governments. D551
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| 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Behold, he standeth behind our wall, He looketh in through the windows, Glancing through the lattice. |
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| 10 My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. |
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| 11 For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over, it is gone: |
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| 12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; |
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| 13 The fig-tree melloweth her winter figs, And the vines in bloom give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and 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 the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is 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 Take us the foxes, The little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in bloom. |
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; He feedeth his flock 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 Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved: be thou like a gazelle or a young hart, Upon the mountains of Bether. |
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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