| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 I 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, 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 slept, but my heart was awake. The voice of my beloved! he knocketh: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, mine undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the 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 tunic, how should I put it on? I have washed my feet, how should I pollute 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 put in his hand by the hole of the door; And my bowels yearned for him. |
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| 5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon 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 had withdrawn himself; he was gone: My soul went forth when he spoke. I sought him, but I found him not; I called him, but he gave me no answer. |
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 that went about the city found me; They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my veil from 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 charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, ...What will ye tell him? --That I am sick of 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 more than another beloved, Thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, That thou dost so charge us? |
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| 10 My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand. |
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 as the finest gold; His locks are flowing, black as the raven;
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The most fine gold – Symbol of the divine nature. T18
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| 12 His eyes are like doves by the water-brooks, Washed with milk, fitly set; |
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 are as a bed of spices, raised beds of sweet plants; His lips lilies, dropping liquid myrrh. |
Sweet smelling myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 14 His hands gold rings, set with the chrysolite; His belly is bright ivory, overlaid with sapphires; |
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| 15 His legs, pillars of marble, set upon bases of fine gold: His bearing as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; |
As the cedars – Symbol of everlasting human life. T109
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| 16 His mouth is most sweet: Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, yea, this is 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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