Chapter VIII · 5–14. (continued 3)

Under this apple-tree, &c. As they drew nearer home they beheld the endeared spot—the memorable shady tree under which the shepherd was born, and where their mutual love was first kindled. These sweet musings are at length terminated by the Shulamite, who joyfully recounts the pleasing reminiscences of that place. The frequent meetings of shepherds and shepherdesses under shady trees, (vide supra, chap. i. 7), often resulted in the formation of a sacred tie. The solemn vow of love was then engraven on the bark of the tree, as a witness of their union. Thus Theocritus, Idyl. xviii. 47, 48:—

γράμματα δ’ ἐν φλοιῷ γεγράψεται, ὡς παριών τις

ἀννείμῃ, Δωριστὶ, σέβου μ’· Ἑλένας φυτὸν εἰμί.

“——and on the bark,

In Doric, shall be engraven for all to mark,

‘To me pay honour—I am Helen’s tree.’ ”

Compare also Idyl. xxiii. 46; Propert. I. xviii. 22; Virg. Ecl. x. 53; and Pope, Past. iii. 66, 67.

Here thy mother, &c. Confinements in the open air are of frequent occurrence in the East (Gen. xv. 16). “There are in Asia,” says Dr. Chardin in his manuscript notes, “large districts in which no midwives are to be found, and even if some live there they are little known, for mothers assist their daughters, and often female relatives or neighbours fill the place of the former. In Kurman, I saw a woman who was delivered without any assistance in the open fields, three hours from a village, and to my great surprise, she arrived not much later in town where I was. The people there smiled at my astonishment, remarking that similar cases were very frequent in their country.” (See Rosenmüller, Orient. i. 188; Paxton, Illustrations of Scripture, i. 462; Kalisch on Exod. p. 18.) ‏עוֹרֵר‎, to excite, to move to love, vide supra, ii. 7; iii. 5; viii. 4. ‏חִבְּלָתְךָ‎ does not mean conceived thee (Aquila, Schultens, Hitzig, &c.), which the Shulamite could not know, nor plighted, or engaged thee, (Houbigant, Michaelis, Percy, Kleuker, Good, Williams, Boothroyd, Magnus, Meier, &c.), which is contrary to the Piel signification of this verb, but signifies laboured with thee, (Sept., Syriac, Chaldee, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Luther, Ewald, De Wette, Gesenius, Philippson, &c.); compare Ps. vii. 15, and Hupheld in loco. To put these words into the mouth of the bridegroom as addressing his bride, (Percy, Good, Williams, Boothroyd, Delitzsch, Hitzig, &c.), is contrary to the words in the text, which have masculine suffixes. The form ‏חִבְּלָתְךָ‎ is used instead of ‏חִבְּלַתְךָ‎, to correspond in sound with ‏יָלְדָתְךָ‎ in pause, vide supra, iii. 11. ‏יָלְרָתְךָ‎, i.q. ‏יָלְדָה אוֹתְךָ‎. The Vulgate, which seems here to savour of allegorism, translates ‏שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָּה יְלָדָתְךָ‎, ibi corrupta est mater tua, ibi violata est genitrix tua. “The tree,” the Roman Catholics explain of the cross; “the individual” excited to love under it, the Gentiles redeemed by Christ at the foot of the cross; and “the deflowered and corrupted mother” means, the synagogue of the Jews (the mother of the Church), which was corrupted by denying and crucifying the Saviour.

6. Oh, place me as a seal, &c. That is, “Let me be near and dear to thee.” The Shulamite, having shown her faithfulness during a period of extraordinary trials, could now look up to the witnessing tree with an inward satisfaction. It is therefore very natural that she should remind her beloved, in the presence of this witness, of his vows. In ancient times, when the art of writing was confined to a very few, and writing materials were not so easily procurable, rings or signets, with names engraven upon them, were generally used as manual signs. This contrivance for a signature soon became used as an ornament. People who could afford it had these seals or signets made of silver or gold, inlaid with precious stones. Being indispensable articles of use, and highly prized as decorations, they were carried in the bosom, suspended from the neck by a string (Gen. xxxviii. 15), or were worn on the right hand (Jer. xxii. 24; Sirach xlix. 11), and thus became a symbol of what is dear and indispensable. Jehovah himself uses this metaphor, Jer. xxii. 24:—

“Though Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

Were as a seal on my right hand,

Yet I would pluck thee thence.”

Comp. also Hag. ii. 23; Sirach xvii. 22; Rosenmüller, Orient. vi. 252; i. 183; iv. 190; Winer, Bib. Dict.; Kitto, Cyclop. Bib. Lit. s.v.

For love is strong as death, &c. True love seizes with a tenacious grasp. Like death, it rules with resistless sway; like Hades, it is never moved to give up its object: neither power nor prayer can overcome it. ‏קָשָׁה‎, hard, firm, inexorable. ‏קִנְּאָה‎ is not jealousy (Sept., Vulg., Authorized Version, Percy, Kleuker, Good, Williams, &c.), but devout affection, ardent love (Ewald, Gesenius, De Wette, Noyes, Meier, Hitzig, Philippson &c.); it is here used as an intensitive term for love, as is evident from the parallelism and the connexion.

The flames of the Eternal. These words are exegetical of “flames of fire;” i.e. the flames of love, though having the same energy as those of fire, are not of the same origin; they emanate from the Eternal, the source of all love. Whether, with Ben Asher, we read ‏שַׁלְהָבָתְיָהּ‎, conjointly, like ‏מַאֲפָלְיָהּ‎, Jer. ii. 31; or with Ben Naphtali, ‏שַׁלְהֶבָת יָהּ‎, separately, which is followed by most editions, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the majority of modern critics, and which is required by the parallelism; this predicate does not state that the flames of love are “most vehement,” but affirms that they emanate from the Eternal. ‏יָה‎, an abbreviation of ‏יַהֲוֶה‎ (see Kalisch on Exod. iii. 14; xi. 2; Fürst, Lexicon, s.v.), like ‏אֵל‎, Isa. xiv. 13, is the genitive of cause or origin. Comp. ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔστι, 1 John iv. 7. ‏שַׁלְהֵב‎, flame, may either be a quadriliteral, formed from ‏שַׁהֵב‎, Arabic, to burn, with the insertion of the ‏ל‎ after the first radical, according to the analogy of ‏זַלְעַף‎, violent heat, (Ps. ii. 6), from the root ‏זָעַף‎, to be hot; or, which is more probable, is the Shaphel conjugation of ‏לָהַב‎, to burn. Fürst, Lexicon, s.v.; Gesen. § 55, 6; Ewald, § 122 a. The Sept. has φλόγες αὐτῆς, ‏שִׁלְהָבֹתֶיהָ‎. That the original reading of the text was ‏שַׁלְהֲבֹתֶיהָ שַׁלְהֲבֹת יָהּ‎ (Ewald, Döpke, Hitzig, &c.) is purely conjectural.

7. Floods cannot quench love. Being a flame of celestial origin no terrestrial influence, however great, can destroy or wash it away; it is not subjected to means resorted to for the extinction of ordinary fires. ‏מַיִם רַבִּים‎, prop. much water, i.e. a great quantity of it (Numb. xx. 11), floods. ‏שָׁטַף‎, to wash, or sweep away, Job xiv. 19; Isa. xxviii. 17.

If one should offer all, &c. Such divine love spontaneously flows from the heart, and cannot be purchased with money; though one offered all his riches for it, they would be utterly despised. This affirmation, whilst true in itself, is levelled against the king, who attempted to gain love by flatteries and praises (vide supra, i. 11; vi. 8), but was utterly rejected (vii. 11). ‏אִישׁ‎ any one, one, Gen. xiii. 16; Exod. xvi. 29; Gesen. § 122, Rem. 2. ‏בּוֹז‎, the infinitive absolute, is employed before the finite verb ‏יָבוּזוּ‎, to express intensity, Gen. xliii. 3; 1 Sam. xx. 6; Gesen. § 131, 3 a; Ewald, § 280 b. ‏יָבוּזוּ‎, the third person plural, is used for the passive, see supra, chap. viii. 1.

8. Our sister is still young, &c. The brothers are here introduced, on the arrival of the Shulamite, as repeating the promise which they had once given to their sister if she kept virtuous, and, when espoused, remained true to her vows. One of the brothers inquires of the others what they should do for the Shulamite when she reached womanhood, and is demanded in marriage. ‏אֲחוֹת לָנוּ‎, i.q. ‏אֲחוֹתֵינוּ‎, our sister, and is well rendered by the Sept. ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν, the Vulg. soror nostra, Luther, unsere Schwester. The adjective ‏קָטוֹן‎, like ‏גָדוֹל‎, prop. denoting size, is also used with reference to age. Gen. ix. 24; xxvii. 15; Judg. xv. 2. ‏שָׁדַיִם אֵין לָהּ‎, i.e. she has not yet reached puberty. ‏בְּיוֹﬦ‎, when, Gen. ii. 4. ‏דִבֵּר בְּ‎, to speak for, to demand in marriage, 1 Sam. xiii. 9; xxv. 39.

9. If she be like a wall, &c. To this inquiry the second brother replied, that if, having reached that age, she should firmly resist every allurement as a battlement resists the attack of an enemy, they would decorate her as an impregnable wall; i.e. highly reward her. The expression “wall” is figuratively used for impregnability, Jer. ii. 18; so Immanuel, ‏שעמדה הזקה כהומה‎. The silver turret here mentioned most probably refers to the silver horn, a highly prized ornament which women wear on their heads. “One of the most extraordinary parts of the attire of their females” (Druses of Lebanon), says Dr. Macmichael, “is a silver horn, sometimes studded with jewels, worn on the head in various positions, distinguishing different conditions. A married woman has it affixed to the right side of the head, a widow to the left, and a virgin is pointed out by its being placed on the very crown. Over this silver projection the long veil is thrown, with which they so completely conceal their faces as to rarely have more than one eye (vide supra, chap. iv. 9), visible.” Comp. also Bowring, Report on Syria, p. 8.

But if she be like a door, &c. That is, accessible (vide supra, chap. iv. 12), she shall be barricaded with cedar planks—be punished by being locked up. The word “door” is metaphorically used for open to seduction. The cedar wood is mentioned because it is exceedingly strong, and increases the idea of strict vigilance. Similarly Immanuel, ‏ואם דלת שכבר נפתח נצור עליה לרח ארז כלמ׳ נביאה במצור ונסגור בעדה שלﬡ תראה, וכלוה אדז שהוה הזק ותקיף‎.

10. I am a wall, &c. The Shulamite now triumphantly responds, that she had proved impregnable as a wall, and had now reached womanhood, and therefore the promised reward was due to her. ‏שָׁדַי כַּמִּגְדָלוֹת‎, i.q. ‏שָׁדַי נָכֹנוּ‎, Ezek. xvi. 7, is well explained by Rashbam, ‏הגיע זמני להינשא‎, my time for marriage has arrived, and is an answer to ‏שָׁדַיִם אֵין לָהּ‎, in the preceding verse.

Then I was in his eyes, &c. That is, in her brother’s eyes. He now, being convinced of his sister’s chastity, gave her the reward of virtue. The suffix in ‏בְּעֵינָיו‎, his eyes, does not refer to Solomon (Ewald, Hitzig, Philippson, &c.), whose name has not been mentioned, but to the brother (Ibn Ezra, &c.), who last spoke. ‏שָׁלוֹם‎, peace, has no reference to the name ‏שְׁלֹמֹה‎, but is used in the sense of ‏חַן‎, favour, and refers to chap. i. 6; comp. Gen. xxxiv. 7 with ver. 11.

11. Solomon had a vineyard, &c. Having been obliged, when demanding her promised reward, to describe her virtue as an impregnable wall, the Shulamite now relates more circumstantially how she had resisted the attempt to gain her affections. Solomon had a large vineyard in Baal-hammon, which he offered to consign to her if she granted his request; but the Shulamite refused his offer, telling him he might keep his large estate to himself, for she was quite satisfied with her humble possession. Many are the conjectures hazarded as to the locality of Baal-hammon, which occurs nowhere else, and no place is known by this name. It is taken for Baal-Gad, or Heliopolis (Rosenmüller, Bib. Geog. ii. p. 253), for ‏חַמּוֹן‎, Hammon, a place in the tribe of Asher, Josh. xix. 28 (Ewald), and for Βελαμὼν or Βαλαμὼν, Belamon or Balamon, a place mentioned in the book of Judith, viii. 3, not far from the plain of Esdraelon, Judith iii. 9 (Meier, Hitzig). It is, however, more probable, according to Rashi, that Baal-hammon was in or near Jerusalem, and was called ‏בַּעַל הַמּוֹן‎, place of the multitude, because its beauties and charms attracted a multitude of people, thus presenting a greater temptation for the Shulamite. The Vulgate strangely renders ‏כֶּרֶם הָיָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּבַעַל הַמּוֹן‎, vinea fuit pacifico in ea, quae habet populos.

He let out the vineyard, &c. This is intended to show the value of the vineyard. It was so extensive that it was leased out to a number of tenants, and every one of them paid a thousand shekels annually, and yet had two hundred shekels left for himself. ‏נֹטְרִיﬦ‎, an indefinite number of keepers or farmers. ‏אִישׁ‎ each, vide supra, ver. 7. The suffix in ‏בְפִרְיוֹ‎, his fruit, refers to ‏כֶּרֶם‎, vineyard, which is masculine. ‏כֶּסֶף‎, silver, stands for ‏שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף‎, silver shekel: substantives denoting weight, measure, or time, are frequently omitted. Gen. xx. 16; xxxvii. 28; Acts xix. 9; Gesen. § 120, 4, Rem. 2; Ewald, § 287 i. The amount of a shekel is supposed to be about two shillings and sevenpence. The shekel of the sanctuary, however, like all the weights and measures of the Temple, was computed at double the ordinary. See Ezek. xlv. 12; 1 Kings x. 17; comp. with 2 Chron. ix. 16; Mishna, Shekalim, Maaser Sheni; Winer, Bib. Dict. s.v. A thousand shekels, therefore, would be about one hundred and thirty pounds. Remembering that each of these farmers had to pay this sum annually, and that money in those days had fifteen or twenty, nay, according to Michaelis (Mos. Rech. § 243), fifty times its present value, we shall be able to judge of the allurement which this ample estate offered.

12. I will keep my own vineyard, &c. And yet, notwithstanding all this, the Shulamite prefers to keep her little vineyard, and be with her beloved shepherd, rather than unfaithfully give him up for riches and honours. ‏כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי‎, my own vineyard, the vineyard which belongs to me; vide supra, chap. i. 6. ‏לְפָנָי‎ lit. is before me; it is mine, and I will keep it: this is obvious from the immediately following ‏לְךָ‎, thine, keep thou it. The words ‏הָאֶלֶף לְךָ וגו״‎ are to be taken as an exclamatory phrase, Ewald, § 329 a. ‏אֶלֶף‎ is here used collectively for all the thousands put together, which come in annually from the farmers; so ‏מָאתַיִם‎, the two hundreds. The Vulgate translates here again the proper ‏שְׁלֹמֹה‎, mille tui pacifici.

13. O thou that dwellest in the gardens, &c. The companions of the shepherd, who had manifested their joy at the successful arrival of the happy pair (vide supra, ver. 5), and rejoice that one of their humble occupation has brought such honour upon the whole class, visit the Shulamite, to hear from her own mouth her avowed attachment to her beloved. The shepherd, therefore, requests her to gratify this desire. She is no more ‏הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת בְּחַדְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ‎, sitting in the apartments of the king, vide supra, chap. i. 4, but has the honourable appellation of ‏הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּגָנִים‎, dwelling in the gardens. ‏חֲבֵרִיﬦ‎, companions, i.e. my companions, fellow-shepherds, i. 8.

14. Haste, O my beloved, &c. The Shulamite complies with the request. In the presence of all, she calls the shepherd her beloved, and tells him always to hasten to her with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle; vide supra ii. 9, 17. He has no more to cross “the mountains of separation” (see ii. 17), for they are united. These rugged mountains have now given place to the much-wished-for aromatic hills, iv. 6.

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