Song of Songs 6
Song 6:1
WHERE HAS YOUR LOVER GONE, MOST BEAUTIFUL OF WOMEN? WHICH
WAY DID YOUR LOVER TURN, THAT WE MAY LOOK FOR HIM WITH YOU?: At the
beginning of this song (Song 5:9) it is plain that the bride did not have the
sympathy but rather more the indifference (if not contempt) of the daughters of
Jerusalem (cp also Song 1:5,8). But now all that is altered. The bride's
description of her lover (Song 5:10-16) seems to have completely changed the
attitude of her companions. Now they offer to help her find him. "The flame in
her breast scattered sparks into theirs" (Henry). Her enthusiasm stirred others
to action (cp 2Co 9:2), so that where she would go, they would go with her (cp
Rth 1:16,17; Zec 8:21-23)!
Notice also that Shulamith seems not to be jealous at all of
any potential "rivals" for her lover's attentions, as might be expected if this
were merely a natural story. In the spiritual allegory, the "Bride" of Christ is
an infinitely expandable number -- there is always room for one, or a dozen, or
a hundred, more!
Historically, the daughters' questions reminds us of Joseph of
Arimathea and Nicodemus -- who had previously been associated with Jesus, but
only very marginally, and secretly: yet, in the dark night of his crucifixion
and burial, they finally found the courage (and faith) to seek and serve him
more openly (Mat 27:57-60; Mar 15:42-46; Luk 23:50; Joh 19:38,39) -- and thus to
associate themselves with the others who already constituted his "bride". And so
the Book of Acts recounts in brief the story of many, many others -- "daughters
of Jerusalem", so to speak -- who, hearing the testimony of the "bride" about
her "lover", came to believe themselves, and to seek the same One: "Those who
accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their
number that day" (Act 2:41). "But many who heard the message believed, and the
number of men grew to about five thousand" (Act 4:4). "Nevertheless, more and
more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number" (Act
5:14).
Then, on the other hand, we might compare the quite
hypocritical use, on another occasion, of practically the same words as Song
6:1: "{Herod] sent [the wise men] to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and make a careful
search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may
go and worship him' " (Mat 2:8).
Hall writes, "We see here... the blessedness and profit of
having the mind fully occupied with Christ himself. The Bride seems to have lost
all self-consciousness as she meditates on him. [Song 5:10-16] Self-indulgence
had been the cause of the sad experience she had just passed through [eg, Song
5:2-7, when she lost contact with him temporarily: GB]. Now her mind is entirely
taken up with him. Not even his promises and gifts are in her thoughts, for
Christ is more than all his gifts and promises. They are but as it were the
outer rays of his fulness, which in itself is not of Christ but the
Father."
MOST BEAUTIFUL OF WOMEN: See Song 5:9n, as well as Song
1:8n.
Song 6:2
MY LOVER HAS GONE DOWN TO THE HIS GARDEN, TO THE BEDS OF
SPICES, TO BROWSE IN THE GARDENS AND TO GATHER LILIES: The bride regains her
assurance; in speaking to others, she has in fact helped herself. Now she knows
where her lover is. In the story line, fragmentary though it may seem in places,
it is as though she remembers now the last words he had spoken to her: "I have
come into my garden" (Song 5:1). And she awakes fully from her dream state, and
knows -- logically, once again -- that she is his "garden" (Song 4:12; cp Isa
58:11), and that therefore he must not be far away...
MY LOVER HAS GONE DOWN TO THE HIS GARDEN: In literal
fact, Jerusalem is situated on several large hills, while the great gardens of
Solomon were a little distance away, in the valleys below (cp Song 6:11: "I went
down"). It may be that this was "the King's Garden", which was just beside the
Pool of Siloam (Neh 3:15).
So the girl realizes, once again, that her lover is not to be
found in the hustle and bustle of the city streets (Song 5:7), but rather in his
quiet, secluded garden, a bit away from that city -- the garden which represents
herself (and others like her), silently producing the sweet fragrance of a
loving devotion to him.
THE BEDS OF SPICES: The phrase is used elsewhere in the
Song of Songs only in Song 5:13, where it is a simile comparing the king's
cheeks to a flower-bed of balsam yielding perfumed spices. The word "balsam" or
"spice" by itself appears four other times in the Song as a figure for the girl,
and expressing his deep love for her (Song 4:10,14,16; 5:1). So it looks as
though his going to the beds of spices means that he is back with her
again.
TO BROWSE IN THE GARDENS: "To pasture" (RSV) or "to
feed" (AV) are -- like "to browse" -- accurate enough. But the NEB's "to delight
in" is a good interpretative insight. It is not so much nourishment that he
derives from his beloved, as it is pleasure! (Cp the figure in Rev 1:13,20: the
Son of man walking among the lampstands, which represent the
ecclesias.)
AND TO GATHER LILIES: The "lily" represents the bride,
or believers in general (see Song 2:2n). And so -- in another hint at the
collective nature of the "bride" -- there is this reference to her in terms of
"lilies to be gathered". "For where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mat 18:20). Elsewhere believers are
called "children of God" to be gathered into one place and one company (John
11:51,52). And they are also called by Christ his "chicks": "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings" (Mat 23:37). Again, they are called "good
fish", to be gathered out and separated from the "bad fish" at the judgment (Mat
13:48; cp Joh 21:6-11). And finally, believers are called "his elect", also to
be gathered at the last day: "And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet
call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the
heavens to the other" (Mat 24:31; cp 1Th 4:13,14).
"The plain of Sharon, the lower slopes of Lebanon, the shores
of Galilee, and even the bare craggy terraces of the hill country of Judaea are
illumined with gorgeous gleams of white, and scarlet, and golden lilies, whose
glory is the most peculiar of all the common aspects of the country. The bulbous
roots of many of them, containing a reserve of nourishment for unfavourable
times, and guarding as in a secure citadel the principle of life, specially
adapt these lilies for growing in the most unpromising looking places. And not
only are they enabled themselves to extract nourishment from the driest soil and
atmosphere, but they also create around them, by the shadow of their leaves and
blossoms, and by the moisture which they attract, conditions suitable for the
growth of other plants less richly endowed; take species under their protection
whose forms are tougher and whose constitution is hardier, but which have no
reserved stores like them for times and spots of scarcity. Nowhere is the
herbage so luxuriant as under the shadow of these beautiful and graceful
flowers. Such spots are therefore the favourite feeding-places of flocks and
herds. They seek them out as the traveller in the desert seeks out the oasis;
and they are as sure to find sweet and tender grass where the lilies are
growing, as the traveller is to find a well where the palm-grove flourishes"
(Macmillan, BI). Such lilies, like the grass and the flowers, perish -- it is
true -- but the lessons they teach, and the characters they represent, among the
followers of Christ, will endure forever and ever in God's Kingdom, providing
nourishment and comfort and joy to their Divine Gardener.
"The Beloved is to be found only in that garden enclosed, once
desolate and barren, but now reclaimed by him. Tended and watered, its owner
delights to walk therein among the flowers and fragrant spices and lilies, to
him so fair and pleasant. These are his brethren, whose fellowship is with the
Father and the Son. This is the feeding among the lilies, where purity and peace
is found" (Atwell).
A historical allusion of a very different nature is suggested
by Hall: that the "bed of spices" "in the gardens" was the Garden Tomb, where
the body of Jesus was lain, wrapped in burial spices by Joseph and Nicodemus.
This would lead to the idea that, through his death, he might gather together
all the "lilies" which were his brethren. Further, along these lines, the joyous
reunion indicated by "I am my lover's and my lover is mine" (Song 6:3) indicates
his first resurrection revelation of himself, in that same garden, to the
previously-distraught Mary Magdalene (who surely stands as a prototype of his
bride, and of all believers). (Notice, in this connection, that when Mary first
sees him, in the dark shadows of the early morning garden, she thinks he is the
"gardener" -- a little point which recalls the details of Song 6:2: the
resurrected Jesus is first seen in the role of a gardener, tending his flowers
and spices!)
Song 6:3
I AM MY LOVER'S AND MY LOVER IS MINE; HE BROWSES AMONG THE
LILIES: ...In fact, to continue from v 2, her lover is right there with
there, all in a moment, and blissfully she gives herself to him. (See the
comparable phrases in Song 2:16n.) It appears that all she needed to do to find
her lover, who had presumably "departed" -- was to realize that it was her own
(temporary) indifference and laziness that had caused him to leave. And once she
remembered, and told others, what he was to her -- that he was her "all in all"
-- then, in a moment, he was back with her again. Seemingly, he had never really
left her, but was waiting quietly, in the shadows, to see how much she cared for
him.
Perhaps the nearest approximation to this tableau, in the
Bible, is the story of Joseph -- who hid his identity for a time, and waited and
watched and listened, so as to test his brethren, all to ascertain their current
attitude toward the one whom they had callously sold into slavery.
I AM MY LOVER'S AND MY LOVER IS MINE: This expression
is similar to that found in Song 2:16: "My lover is mine and I am his." And yet
there is this noteworthy difference: in the first passage her initial thought of
her lover was of HER claim upon him, while his claim upon her was secondary. But
now she thinks first of HIS claim, and only afterwards mentions her own. Now she
sees that the true primacy is his!
And there is yet a still further development of character in
her similar words in Song 7:10, where she has at last lost sight of her claim
altogether, in the rapture of belonging, solely and exclusively, to him: "I
belong to my lover, and his desire is for me."
I AM MY LOVER'S: In this belonging she finds a wondrous
peace: "All that she had was found by the grace of God in her through Christ.
Her very name -- 'Shulamite' -- was such because of the peace only found in the
Prince of Peace. She alone could be peaceable because she was found in him who
is peace, who made peace between man and God. Again, she had regained that
'peace that passeth all understanding' [Phi 4:7]. She had found her Lord and in
that marriage feast, as she remembered these things, she knew that peace was
hers for eternity, unchanging as her very nature. At peace with the Prince of
Peace!" (Hall).
Song 6:4
Vv 4-9: The king once again is with his bride, and he praises
her -- in language quite similar to Song 4:1-5. His praise indicates too that he
has forgiven any earlier ingratitude or indifference on her part (see Song
5:2-5). "These are the words of Christ, who had been absent for some time, and
till now silent; but, like another Joseph, could not refrain any longer, but
makes himself known to his church, and bursts out in strong expressions of love
to her, and in high commendations of her; for, notwithstanding her behavior
toward him, she was his love still, and as 'beautiful' and as comely in his
sight as ever" (Gill).
It is not until the king reappears that the bride is seen in
her perfection -- for he, and no other, is the one who sees her that way, and
makes her that way (again, Eph 5:25-27)!
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY DARLING, AS TIRZAH: The name
itself means "pleasant" (BDB). Tirzah was a beautiful city, built on a mountain
range north of Nablus, or Shechem. It was in early times a prominent Canaanite
city (Jos 12:24), and later the first capital of Northern Kingdom, during the
reigns of Jeroboam and his successors, until Omri made Samaria his capital (1Ki
14:17; 15:21,33; 16:6,8,15,23,24; 2Ki 15:14). Its mention here implies that
secession of the Northern Kingdom had already occurred; this would suggest a
date later than time of Solomon -- eg, perhaps the time of Hezekiah (see the
final note on this verse, below).
The exact location of this city has not yet been established,
but many authorities identify it with Tell el Farah, about seven miles ne of
Shechem, on the main road toward Beth-shean. The site is one of great natural
beauty with its extensive gardens and groves, encouraged by its abundant water
supply (one of the best in all of Israel).
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL: This description has been used by
the lover (Song 1:15; 4:1), and by the girl's companions (Song 6:1).
MY DARLING: "Raah" is the feminine form of the word
translated "friend" in Song 5:16. What he is to her, she is to him. Cp also sw
in Song 1:9,15; 2:2,10,13; 4:1,7; 5:2.
LOVELY AS JERUSALEM: Jerusalem has been called "the
perfection of beauty" (Psa 48:2; 50:2; Lam 2:15; cp Psa 87:2,3; 122:1-3;
125:1,2); in this the city is just like the bride! And thus Jerusalem symbolizes
the bride of Christ in Gal 4:26 and Heb 12:23.
It may seem strange at first for a lover to think of his bride
as a great city, but this figure is not unique to the Song of Songs: the Book of
Revelation uses Babylon as a figure of a great harlot (Rev 18:2--19:3), and
Jerusalem as the Bride of Christ (Rev 19:7-9; 21:1,2,9,10). In each of these
instances, there is clear allusion to the multitudinous nature of the woman: she
represents many peoples either enthralled to sin, or devoted to
Christ.
MAJESTIC AS TROOPS WITH BANNERS: Cp also v 10.
"Majestic" is the Heb "yumma" (occurring elsewhere only in v 10 and Hab 1:7,
where it refers to the Babylonian army); it is translated "terrible" in AV and
RSV. The related noun "eymah", however, is quite common in the OT, and refers to
any number of things which are frightening or terrifying, but also to
revelations of Divine Majesty, which are awe-inspiring, or terrifying in a
different way (Gen 15:12; Exo 15:16; 23:27; Deu 32:25; Jos 2:9; Ezr 3:3; Job
9:34; 13:21; 20:25; 33:7; 39:20; 41:14; Psa 55:4; 88:15; Pro 20:2; Isa 33:18;
Jer 50:38).
Though modern Western minds find it difficult to appreciate
this illustration, it indicates the irresistible beauty of the bride. The army
with banners may be an allusion to the army of heaven in Rev 19:14-16 where the
"banner" read "King of kings and Lord of lords"; such an army will indeed be one
of the most beautiful of things -- for it will be the means by which God's will
is done in all the earth!
A "banner" is the means by which many peoples, as an army, are
rallied and gathered to one place. During a battle, the banner is at the
forefront and points the direction for troops to attack. And when it is lifted
and secured in one place, it marks a victory won (also see Song 5:10n).
As in Song 3:7,8, there is the rather strange juxtaposition of
military motifs alongside a marriage (just as in Rev 19; 21 also). The mighty
warrior-king wins a great victory and then comes to take his bride -- who also
seems to resemble an army, for in Christ they are "more than conquerors" (Rom
8:37)! Surely it is because, in the spiritual realm, they both -- lover and
beloved -- have overcome the great enemies of sin and death, and may now enjoy
the pleasures of the Marriage of the Lamb. "To him (and her) who overcomes"... I
will give all things -- says the Saviour: the tree of life, a new name, the
morning star, robes of white, a place in my God's temple and upon my throne, and
escape from the second death (Rev 2:7,11,17,28; 3:5,12,21).
It is also because the military-like role of Christ and the
saints will continue into the Millennium: theirs will be the task, directed by
God, to subdue the mortal peoples, by force as necessary (cp Psa 149:6-9) but
especially be instruction and example: "To him who overcomes and does my will to
the end, I will give authority over the nations -- 'He will rule them with an
iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' [Psa 2:9] -- just as I
have received authority from my Father" (Rev 2:26,27).
In more prosaic terms, such language reveals that the bride is
not merely beautiful in the conventional sense. She also possesses, and even
exemplifies, dignity and grace -- qualities that once were associated with
majesty (though modern revelations about "royals" have, sadly, practically
destroyed such associations). She, who had been a lowly country girl, working
hard in the vineyards, is now every inch a queen. There is a bearing about her,
a self-knowledge, a presence or charisma: she remembers where she has been, she
knows who she is, she has no fear, and she is totally comfortable within
herself. And this awareness serves as the perfect setting for her exquisite
beauty. So the writer tells us of her terrifying, or awe-inspiring,
beauty.
At the same time, and contrary to our human expectations,
there seems to be no pride in her, but rather the deepest child-like humility,
for she knows (more than any other can know) that what she is and what she
has... now... is not hers by her own achievement at all -- but is the gift of
her beloved lord and master and husband. And because of this, because hers is
not merely a natural, or even a self-made, "beauty"... there is in her a
palpable love for the One who loved her, and who made her as she is. And her
love for him, which reflects his for her, is the finishing touch in the perfect
picture. She is majestic indeed -- alongside whom there is no other
majesty!
The bringing together of Tirzah (the beautiful city of the
North) and Jerusalem (the beautiful city of the South) points to the joining
together of two kingdoms and two peoples that were previously separated. This
would scarcely fit the time of Solomon, when there were no two kingdoms -- but
it does suit the time of Hezekiah, when the separated Northern Kingdom was going
into decline, and then captivity. The crowning achievement of Hezekiah's reign
was the overthrow of the northern host of the Assyrian Sennacherib, and the
deliverance from slavery of a great number of Israelites (the secular history
mentions 200,000). Thus the great restoration prophecies of Isaiah had their
initial fulfillment in the return of the captives from Nineveh and Babylon, back
to the Land, but especially back to Jerusalem -- where a righteous king ruled
and a true priesthood presided in Solomon's temple. Much of the background story
of the Song of Songs is set against these times, and is a parabolic
encouragement to those of the north (symbolized by the young woman) to join
themselves to the God of Israel, and His worship at the Temple in Jerusalem
(symbolized by the shepherd-king). (See the other allusions listed in the
Introduction: Old Testament background: one possible view.)
Going beyond this, the joining of Tirzah and Jerusalem (like
the joining of bride and bridegroom, people and king, country and city, etc) may
all be means by which the inspired writer conveys prophetically the great work
of Christ: to join together in one all things which have been divided... Israel
and Judah, Gentile and Jew, female and male, slave and free! "There is neither
Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus" (Gal 3:28). And ultimately, this may also convey the greatest completion
of that work, when at the end of the Kingdom Age man and God have been
ultimately joined, and "God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28)!
Song 6:5
TURN YOUR EYES FROM ME; THEY OVERWHELM ME: "Rahav"
(from a root word for "strength" or "pride": see Job 9:13; 26:12; Psa 87:4;
89:10; Isa 30:7; 51:9) has been rendered "disturb" (as RSV), "confuse", "dazzle"
(as NEB), "unnerve", "overcome" (as AV), or even "excite" or "arouse" (BDB). The
other three uses of the same verb in the OT (Psa 138:3; Pro 6:3; Isa 3:5) seem
to suggest "embolden" as the best translation.
Her eyes have been noted as beautiful, and even seductive,
several times before (Song 1:15: 4:1,9).
How wonderful it is to note that the king is "overpowered", so
to speak, by the eyes of his beloved. He who has conquered the greatest of
enemies -- sin and death -- he who has the authority, and power, to rule the
nations with a rod of iron... can be "defeated" by someone's eyes! He who has,
for that matter, stared into the eyes of the greatest power on earth, and not
flinched... can be brought low by the eyes of a young girl! But this of course
implies no weakness, no, not at all -- instead it describes, poetically, the
overriding power of condescending grace. And so it is with the LORD God and His
Son: "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving
wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exo 34:6,7). "In a surge of anger I hid my face
from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on
you" (Isa 54:8). "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them
which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness" (Rom 11:22). It is also the
lesson of Jacob's wrestling with the angel of God: though flesh and blood was
not able to overcome the angel by its natural strength, yet by earnest prayer,
by crying, and by clinging to the One who was so strong, the spirit of man was
able to receive the divine blessing (Gen 32:26-28; cp Hos 12:4). "Christ is
pleased to borrow these expressions of a passionate lover only to express the
tenderness of a compassionate Redeemer, and the delight he takes in his redeemed
and in the workings of his own grace in them" (Henry).
TURN YOUR EYES FROM ME: There was an occasion when
Jesus Christ actually said much the same thing, and that to a woman who
desperately sought his help and comfort. A Canaanite or Syrophoenician woman --
a Gentile -- begged for his mercy on behalf of her daughter (Mat 15:22). And at
first, Jesus did not answer her a word (v 23)! Twice more, even, he seemed to
rebuff her advances, by remarking that he was sent only to Israel (v 24), and by
telling the Gentile woman directly: "It is not right to take the children's
bread and toss it to their dogs" (v 26). Could he have been plainer? He wanted
nothing to do with her! And yet... it wasn't true! His blunt "Turn your eyes
from me!" did not mean that at all -- it was to elicit from the desperate woman
the words that her Saviour so wanted to hear: "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (v 27). By her own
race and standing, and her own obedience, she was no more than an unclean "dog",
but by her faith she knew that even a "dog" would not be turned aside by the
kindness of the Master! The Master commended her faith, as greater than that of
any in Israel (v 28)! And we see that he never intended to turn her away, not
really, but only to lead her into greater expression of her faith in him, for so
his heart was touched by her need.
YOUR HAIR IS LIKE A FLOCK OF GOATS DESCENDING FROM
GILEAD: This is identical to Song 4:1 (see note there), except that "Mount"
is omitted this time, leaving "Gilead" to stand alone.
Song 6:6
YOUR TEETH ARE LIKE A FLOCK OF SHEEP COMING UP FROM THE
WASHING. EACH HAS ITS TWIN; NOT ONE OF THEM IS ALONE: Cp Song
4:2n.
Song 6:7
YOUR TEMPLES BEHIND YOUR VEIL ARE LIKE THE HALVES OF A
POMEGRANATE: See Song 4:3n.
Song 6:8
SIXTY QUEENS THERE MAY BE, AND EIGHTY CONCUBINES, AND
VIRGINS WITHOUT NUMBER: "She is more impressive than queens or royal
concubines or virgins without number. The reference to queens, concubines, and
virgins may well be a reference to the royal harem [of Solomon?]. She [the
bride] is without equal among women. Even the ladies of the royal harem
acknowledge her superiority" (EBC).
For the spiritual equivalent, cp Rev 14:3,4: "These (the
144,000) are those who did not defile themselves with women (clearly, here, the
"women" or prostitutes representing false religions and apostasy: cp Rev 17;
18), for they are virgins."
QUEENS: This is a term never used of the wives of
Judean or Israelite kings; it may, however, designate those Gentile wives of
Solomon who were of royal blood in their own right.
CONCUBINES: These were not mere bed-partners, but
actual "wives" of a lower status (cf Jdg 20:3-5), with certain protections and
privileges that set them apart from others outside these categories.
Were these the women of King Solomon's harem -- whose numbers
were greater by far, finally, than these (1Ki 11:1-3)? Of all kings mentioned in
the Bible, the number of Solomon's wives and concubines exceeded by a
considerable degree those of all the others; and his is the royal name which
this Song of Songs bears (Song 1:1; 3:9,11; 8:11,12). But if this is indeed the
real King Solomon, and if this inspired Song of Songs actually pictures one of
his many romantic conquests, then what is left -- at the heart of this wondrous
book -- is a story that, for all its pretense, is really a parody of the true, a
travesty of real monogamous love! This will simply not do.
However, as has been pointed out, and outlined, in the
Introduction, "Solomon" may be a classic prototype -- a prophetic designation
(the King of "Peace"!) for one or more of his descendants -- ie, Hezekiah (see
OT background), and of course, and primarily, the Lord Jesus Christ. If this
latter is more the way in which the Song of Songs ought to be read, then the
question remains, but in a different form: why allude, in any form, to Solomon's
notorious harem (a breeding ground of pride and ostentation and idolatry)? And
the answer may be: merely to emphasize the vast difference between a regular
monarch of the Middle East (even one who received extraordinary wisdom from
Yahweh)... and the special monarch (or monarchs) for whom the "one man-one
woman", "in-the-beginning" ideal was real and meaningful and spiritually
uplifting. And to emphasize as well the vast difference between even the most
attractive and accomplished of Solomon's many wives and concubines, and the
exemplar of beauty and grace and humility and love which is the one true bride
of the great king!
Such a contrast is suggested also by Moses' warning and
prophecy in Deu 17: "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and
have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, 'Let us set a king
over us like all the nations around us'... he must not take many wives, or his
heart will be led astray" (vv 14,17). Warning it was in that Solomon violated
this restriction so egregiously, and he was in fact led astray by his wives (1Ki
11:4). And prophecy in that the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and King of
Israel, kept Moses' requirements to perfection. The ironic conclusion to these
very words comes only in the Book of Revelation, when the Bride of the Lamb is
revealed, who -- though single in love and purpose -- herself constitutes a
great multitude of individual believers, which no man can number! So in the end
Messiah has many, many "wives" after all, infinitely more than even the splendid
Solomon -- but "wives" on the most lovely spiritual level of fellowship and
intimacy.
AND VIRGINS WITHOUT NUMBER: The term "alma" refers to a
young woman who is sexually mature, that is, a young woman who is of
marriageable age or a newly married young woman (HAL, BDB) (eg, Gen 24:43; Exo
2:8; Psa 68:25; Prov 30:19; Song 1:3; Isa 7:14). This use of the plural
"alamoth" may refer to the young women of Solomon's harem, possibly virgins and
not yet concubines.
The root denotes the basic idea of "youthful, strong,
passionate" (HAL) or "sexually ripe, vigorous" (BDB). While the term "alma" may
be used in reference to a young woman who is a virgin, the term itself does not
explicitly denote "virgin." The Hebrew term which explicitly denotes "virgin" is
"bethulah", which refers to a mature young woman without any sexual experience
with men (eg, Gen 24:16; Exo 22:15,16; Lev 21:3; Deu 22:23,28; 32:25; Jdg 19:24;
2Sa 13:2,18; 1Ki 1:2; 2Ch 36:17; Est 2:2,3,17,19; Job 31:1; Psa 45:14; 78:63;
148:12; Isa 62:5; Jer 2:32; 51:22; Lam 1:4,18; 2:10,21; 5:11; Eze 9:6; Joe 1:8;
Zec 9:17 (HAL, BDB).
SIXTY... EIGHTY... WITHOUT NUMBER: "The sequence... is
an example of a graded numerical sequence and is not intended to be an exact
numeration" (NETn). Cp Amos 1:3,6,9, etc; Pro 30:18,21,29.
Song 6:9
BUT MY DOVE, MY PERFECT ONE: Cp Song 5:2n and Song
2:14.
IS UNIQUE, THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF HER MOTHER: Heb "echad"
(repeated twice here: "unique" and "only") means, literally, one; hence "the
only daughter" (as NASB also) or "only one" (KJV). But it may be used more
figuratively, to mean the one who is special or specially favored, ie the
"chosen one" (KD); this is supported by the parallel in the next phrase:
"favorite". (It is no special thing to be the "favorite" if one is in fact the
"only"!) Similarly, Gen 22:2 and Pro 4:3 use the masculine equivalent to refer
to the specially favored son, that is, the heir.
The "mother" of the bride leads us to Gal 4:25,26: "Jerusalem
that is above (like the New Jerusalem, pictured as coming down out of heaven in
Rev 21:2,10) is free, and she is our mother" (cp Psa 87:4-6). Also, Heb 12:22
("Mount Zion... the heavenly Jerusalem... the city of the living God") appears
to refer to these same passages.
THE FAVORITE OF THE ONE WHO BORE HER: "Favorite" is the
Heb "bar" which may sig "pure" (BDB). But the root signifies "to choose, select"
(BDB) (Neh 5:18; 1Ch 7:40; 9:22; 16:41). Hence, the "choice one" (KJV) or
"favorite" (JB). Her fine qualities have been recognized from the time of her
birth.
THE MAIDENS SAW HER AND CALLED HER BLESSED: But among
all these women and maidens (of Solomon or others), the Shulamite stands out by
virtue of her flawless beauty -- just as the king himself is distinguished among
ten thousand (Song 5:10). The term "blessed" is used elsewhere of people who are
held in high esteem by others either due to a commendable moral quality (Pro
31:28,31) or because of physical beauty (Gen 12:15; 2Sa 14:25).
THE QUEENS AND CONCUBINES PRAISED HER: The writer uses
these women for comparison, to show how highly not only the king but also many
other people regarded his beloved (cp Eze 16:14; Isa 49:23). It appears as
though the actual content of their praise of her appears in Song 6:10, in which
they compare her beauty to that of the dawn, moon, sun, and stars. If this is
so, then the queens and concubines (or probably more esp the maidens?) are to be
equated, in the story, with the "daughters of Jerusalem".
As kings bring gifts and come to bow down in humility before
the Lamb, who is the King of kings (Mat 2:11; Psa 72:10,15; Isa 60:3,10,11; Rev
21:24), so queens will bring their gifts (cp Psa 45:9,12) and bow down before
the unrivalled Bride of the Lamb! But, as Hall adds, and in keeping with the
true humility of this "bride": "One with her beloved, she shares the dignity of
his throne, and she shares the praises ascribed to his holy Name... But should
all heaven combine with all the kings and queens of the earth in sounding the
praises of the unworthy Bride of the Lamb, she will yet prostrate herself at her
great Redeemer's feet, and say, as Israel did of old, and will again in the
future, 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us is glory due, but unto thy Name is
glory due, for ever and ever' [Psa 115:1]."
Song 6:10
The friends (the "maidens" of v 9?) describe the bride,
echoing the king's description of v 4. It is fascinating to note that the
bride's companions, even though with sympathy they have finally come to speak of
her as "beautiful" (v 1), never rise to see and express her majesty and grandeur
until they view her through the eyes of her husband (v 4). But now, in HIS
presence, they perceive her as truly "majestic"... like the sun, the moon, and
the stars of heaven! -- she, whom they mocked in an earlier "life", not so long
ago, is now heavenly glory and divinity itself... and all because her king has
come!
WHO IS THIS: The form of this question is feminine, and
the answer must be: the girl. Cp Song 3:6n: there, she was brought to the king;
here, she is with the king. And in Song 8:5 (another similar introducing
question) she is "leaning on her lover". Cp, more generally, the question of Isa
63:1: "Who is this... coming from Edom?" -- where the question introduces a
theophany -- an appearance of the Divine! It is the same here: "Who is this?"
expresses wonder and awe, as in witnessing something of another world -- and
surely this is the bride in her glory: a constituent part of God's glorious "new
heavens and new earth"!
There is a progression to be discerned within this very song:
in vv 4-7, the bride is described in terms which are surely glorious, but the
glory is a terrestrial one: as Tirzah, and Jerusalem, and the goats and sheep
and pomegranates of her native land. But now, in v 10, she is described in the
most glorious terms -- a glory that is celestial: as the sun, moon, and stars.
"There are also heavenly [celestial: AV] bodies and there are earthly
[terrestrial: AV] bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind,
and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another..." -- and even the celestial
bodies, says Paul, have different degrees of glory amongst themselves -- "The
sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star
differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead"
(1Co 15:40-42).
THAT APPEARS: The verb "shaqaph" means "to look down
upon [something] from a height" and is derived from the related noun "ceiling,
roof, sky" (BDB, HAL). The AV, ASV, and RSV translate "looks forth", and the NEB
"looks out". The verb is used of looking down over a plain or valley from the
vantage point of a mountaintop (Num 21:20; 23:28; 1Sa 13:18); of God looking
down from heaven (Psa 14:2); or of a person looking down below out of an upper
window (Jdg 5:28; 2Sa 6:16; Pro 7:6).
LIKE THE DAWN: Heb "shahar". This is the millennial
"dawn": "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of
God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the
brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth" (2Sa 23:3,4). The
dawn is the first light of the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal 4:2). The dawn
prophesies of the coming day; for it is a light that grows progressively
brighter until the fullness of the noonday sun is visible. Likewise, "the path
of the righteous [even now] is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever
brighter till the full light of day" (Pro 4:18). The bride in her brightness --
being born "from the womb of the dawn" (Psa 110:3) -- is not looking back, like
Lot's wife (Gen 19:26; Luk 17:32), to a lost world about to be destroyed;
rather, she is looking forth, or looking forward, to the fullness of the new day
of God's approaching Kingdom!
FAIR AS THE MOON: The term "lebana" is not the ordinary
word for moon; this word literally means "the white one", and is always used in
reference to the moon. It is only used elsewhere in the OT in parallelism with
the term ("chammah") which is used to designate the sun (Isa 24:23; 30:26),
which likewise is not the ordinary term, but literally means "the hot one,"
emphasizing the heat of the sun (Job 30:28; Psa 19:6). Both of these terms, "the
white one" and "the hot one", are metonymies, in which an attribute (ie, color
and heat) are substituted for the subject itself. The white moon in contrast to
the dark night sky captures one's attention, just as the red-hot sun in the
afternoon sky is the center of attention during the day.
The moon is called the "faithful witness" in heaven (Psa
89:37), because of the predictability of its appearances and movements. Its very
presence, and its reflected light from the sun, is a witness or testimony to the
existence of the sun -- although at the moment the sun is not visible. Likewise,
the ecclesia, like the moon, should reflect the light of Christ, who is the
"sun", even when he is not visibly present on the earth: "And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord" (2Co
3:18).
BRIGHT: Heb "bar" = "pure". AV "clear"; RV "pure". Sw v
9: "favorite". Used of the "pure" in heart in Psa 24:4; 73:1. The Bride-City of
New Jerusalem is "clear as crystal" (Rev 21:11), and its great street "like
transparent glass" (Rev 21:21). In fact, "the city does not need the sun or the
moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its
lamp. The nations will walk by its light" (Rev 21:23,24).
AS THE SUN: This signifies glorious noon-day brightness
(Isa 30:25,26), indicative of the saints' immortality in the Kingdom: "The
righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Mat
13:43).
MAJESTIC: See v 4n.
AS THE STARS IN PROCESSION: Literally, "an army with
banners", reminding us of "Yahweh Sabbaoth" -- "the LORD of hosts, or armies".
The NIV, however, following the previous sequence, interprets this as the stars
-- the "host" or "army" of heaven -- in dazzling array! Both pictures are true,
and combined here are especially beautiful: the saints will be "stars" and an
"army" of stars: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some
to everlasting life... Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the
heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and
ever" (Dan 12:2,3; cp Phi 2:15 also). "I saw heaven standing open and there
before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With
justice he judges and makes war... The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean" (Rev
19:11,14).
The sun, moon, and stars -- created by God as "signs" in the
heavens (Gen 1:14-16) -- taken collectively, may also symbolize the whole of the
nation of Israel, and especially the sureness of God's covenant promises to
them: see Jer 31:35,36; 33:25,26; Gen 37:9,10; cp Luk 21:25,26. Thus God points
Abraham toward the heavens, and tells him: "Look up at the heavens and count the
stars -- if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your
offspring be" (Gen 15:5; cp Gen 22:17; Exo 32:13; Rom 4:18; Heb
11:12).
Some commentators see in the four figures here a progression
of glory, as God reveals Himself to His people by successively brighter means;
thus, the "dawn" is the patriarchal period, the "moon" the Mosaic period and the
time of the prophets, the "sun" the evangelical or church age, and -- finally --
the full glory of the majestic "stars in procession" represents the Kingdom, or
Millennial, Age.
"This vast host which will compose the Bride in the day of
glory, will be dazzling in every way, because the glory of the Lord will shine
on them and through them -- indeed more dazzling than the starry hosts ever have
been in that clear Eastern climate.
"The sight of Jesus with his glory uncovered, struck Paul
blind. We cannot conceive what a dazzling sight this host will be in this day,
God's glory shining through them. No wonder Jesus is dazzled, especially as this
multitude gaze on him with intense love and admiration" (Ask).
Song 6:11
Song 6:11,12: These verses could be the bride's response to
the words of praise extended to her by queens and concubines (v 10). The young
woman is almost "surprised" (when at last she finds him) that her "Beloved" (the
"simple" shepherd) has been transformed into the great "Solomon" (the King of
Peace). The shepherd has returned in his true character, as a great and mighty
King! These verses are an echo of Song 3:6-11.
I WENT DOWN TO THE GROVE: Now with her companions, she
recalls having followed her lover/husband down to his garden (Song
6:2).
THE GROVE OF NUT TREES: What kind of nut? The Heb
"egoz" occurs only this once; some have translated "walnuts"; others suggest
"almonds". Some say that in later Hebrew the word is a generic term for any and
all nuts. Almonds were prominent in the tabernacle (Exo 25:33), and were
symbolic of authority and resurrection (Num 17:8; Jer 1:12).
As to location, KD suggests that these orchards were at the
garden-pools along the Solomonic aqueducts between Jerusalem and Etam, about 7
miles sw of Jerusalem on the Bethlehem-Hebron road.
I quote from the old Baptist John Gill's comment on nuts -- a
portion which I believe has some spiritual merit in and of itself, but also
gives a glimpse into the seriousness with which earlier Bible students
approached God's revelation. Whether we go to the same lengths verbally or not,
theirs is an earnestness and a diligence which we do well to consider. Gill
wrote: "And by 'nuts', which grew in the garden, the church, true believers, may
be designed; who, like them, have a mean outward appearance, but are valuable
within, having the true grace of God in them; and because of their divers
coverings, their outward... garments, the robe of Christ's righteousness, and
the internal sanctification of the Spirit, which answer to the husk and shell,
and the thin inward skin over the nut; and because of their hardiness in
enduring afflictions and troubles, the shell may represent; and because of their
best and most excellent parts being hidden, even grace, the hidden man of the
heart, signified by the kernel, and which will not fully appear until the shell
or tabernacle of the body is broken down; and because of their safety from harm
and pollution, amidst the storms of afflictions, persecutions, and temptations,
and pollutions of the world, the principle of grace, like the kernel, remains
unhurt and undefiled; and because of the multitude of believers, united and
cleaving together, which is delightful to behold, like clusters of nuts in a nut
garden." Only ONE sentence, but it is a good one -- is it not?
TO LOOK AT THE NEW GROWTH IN THE VALLEY, TO SEE IF THE
VINES HAD BUDDED OR THE POMEGRANATES WERE IN BLOOM: Perhaps, figuratively,
to make sure that his love for her was still "in bloom"! It looks as though Song
7:12 is an expansion of this statement and idea.
On a different plane, inspecting the "gardens" and "vineyards"
and "groves" is what Paul and Barnabas did, when they made their return visits
to the ecclesias which they previously had founded: "Some time later Paul said
to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we
preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing' " (Acts
15:36).
The Kingdom-Age equivalent of this may be in mind in Song
7:11,12.
VINES: See Song 2:13n.
POMEGRANATES: See Song 4:3n.
Song 6:12
These phrases have been repointed and retranslated and
reinterpreted in many ways [see final note below]; the sentence structure is
fragmentary; and, judging by the commentaries, the meaning is still uncertain.
One old commentator went so far as to take the first phrase of v 12: "Before I
realized it", or more literally, "I did not know it"... as a wry comment by a
later copyist on the remainder of the verse. As if to say, "I can't possibly
understand this!" With considerable diffidence, then, the following is
offered.
The bride may be speaking here of the way in which, at an
earlier time, she had been unexpectedly and suddenly elevated to queenly
dignity. Unexpectedly, she had been swept off her feet... to find herself riding
in one of the King/General's war-chariots. She who had been seeking her lover,
the simple shepherd, suddenly and surprisingly found herself in the company of a
great king and leader of the army -- who IS her shepherd-lover! He had had, in
effect, a dual identity! (And the fragmentary nature of this verse, as read in
the Hebrew -- with all its difficulties of translation and interpretation -- may
be intended to convey her shock and surprise.)
Perhaps this whole Song is intended to emphasize this point,
among others: that the Good Shepherd with whom we fell in love, who loved us and
laid down his life for us, will be found -- at the last -- to be as well the
great King and Ruler of the World. The loving "husband" will also be the
victorious "general" and all-powerful monarch: 'Here, my Beloved, is the wedding
present I bring to you: all the nations of the earth! Our
inheritance!"
Notice also the conjoining of these two disparate figures in
the last book of the Bible: the bride/marriage/love/sacrifice figure and the
general/war/battle/victory figure (Rev 19-21). Our Lord is both the "lamb" slain
from the foundation of the world -- and the great "lion of the tribe of Judah"!
Surely this is intended to echo the surprise of the young woman in the Song of
Songs!
BEFORE I REALIZED IT, MY DESIRE SET ME AMONG THE ROYAL
CHARIOTS OF MY PEOPLE: Or "among the chariots of Amminadab". The marginal
alternative means "my willing (nadab) people (ammi)", with reference to Psa
110:3: "Your troops will be willing on your day of battle." The mention of
"chariots" also evokes a military motif, and a kingdom setting; cp Psa 68:17:
"The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord
has come from Sinai into his sanctuary."
"The difficulty of this verse has generated a plethora of
different translations: 'Or ever I was aware, my soul made me [like] the
chariots of Ammi-nadib' (KJV)... 'Before I knew...my desire hurled me on the
chariots of my people, as their prince' (JB)... 'I did not know myself, she made
me feel more than a prince reigning over the myriads of his people' (NEB),
'Before I knew it, my heart had made me the blessed one of my kinswomen' (NAB);
'Before I was aware, my soul set me [over] the chariots of my noble people'
(NASB); 'Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my
people' (NIV); '...among the chariots of Amminadab' (NIV mg); '...among the
chariots of the people of the prince' (NIV mg); and 'Before I realized it, I was
stricken with a terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people'
(NLT)" (NETn). The NET itself translates, "I was beside myself with joy! There
please give me your 'myrrh', O daughter of my princely people." And the RSV
translates, "Before I was aware, my fancy set me in a chariot beside my
prince."
Song 6:13
Song 6:13 -- 7:9: These verses describe the wedding festival
itself, with the "guests": the friends of the Bride (her companions, the
virgins, the "daughters of Jerusalem") and the friends of the Groom (the angels?
the mighty warriors?).
COME BACK, COME BACK, O SHULAMMITE; COME BACK, COME BACK,
THAT WE MAY GAZE ON YOU!: Overcome with embarrassment at being the center of
attention of the king's court, the young woman flees back to her home.
(Symbolically: just as the Shulammite was fearful of meeting the glorious king
face to face, so will the saints feel unworthy to meet their Lord.) But with the
king's encouragement, she returns to her beloved, and the marriage feast
proceeds.
The call "Come back!" may also have been, prophetically, the
earlier call of God, so often repeated, to His people Israel: " 'Return,
faithless Israel,' declares the LORD, 'I will frown on you no longer, for I am
merciful,' declares the LORD, 'I will not be angry forever... Return, faithless
people,' declares the LORD, 'for I am your husband. I will choose you -- one
from a town and two from a clan -- and bring you to Zion" (Jer 3:12-14).
"Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take
words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: 'Forgive all our sins and
receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips... 'I will heal
their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them'
" (Hos 14:1-4).
SHULAMMITE: This verse with its two occurrences is the
only place where this term is found in the OT. (a) Some see in it a proper name
-- "Shulammith"; but the use of the definite article before the second
occurrence in this verse points toward a designation, and not a name. (b) Others
see a reference to her place of origin and link it with Shunem, the home of
Abishag, the young consort and last wife, as it were, of David (1Ki 1:1-4; cf
Jos 19:18). In fact, some make Abishag out to be the main character of the Song
of Songs on this basis (see Introduction: Other possible historical
backgrounds). But there seems no reason for this, except a slight and inexact
verbal connection. (c) Others see in it a feminine form of the title of
"Solomon"; as his title suggests "the One who gives Peace", so her title may
suggest "the one who received Peace", or "the Peace-crowned"; she has emerged
from trial and conflict and war, and reached now a state of peace. On a
spiritual level, she is the counterpart of the ideal "Solomon", without which he
himself is incomplete (see Song of songs, NT theme). Since there have been
advanced good reasons why "Solomon" is an idealized name in this Song of Songs,
then it follows that "Shulammite" or "Shulammith" would be likewise idealized,
as a title.
The primary work of the Lord Jesus Christ is to bring peace --
peace which is not merely the absence of war and conflict (although that is
extremely important all by itself), but especially "peace with God",
reconciliation and reunion and a joining together in the family of God, for all
who in faith look to and trust in their Saviour: "How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good
tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!' " (Isa
52:7). "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the
world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (Joh
14:27). "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John
16:33). "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we now stand" (Rom 5:1,2). "His purpose was to
create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one
body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to
death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and
peace to those who were near [Gentiles and Jews: "two companies"!] For through
him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" (Eph 2:15-18).
"Solomon" and "the Shulammite" -- the male and female aspects
of "Peace with God" -- will be joined together in "Jerusalem" (signifying "the
vision of Peace"); no other site for such a union would be appropriate. The true
meaning and purpose of the Holy City, expressed down through seemingly endless
ages of time, has never yet been realized. The city of peace has seen war after
war after war, and has been torn asunder by such conflicts; yes, even as it is
to this very day. But in this glorious day, when the Marriage of the Lamb is
finally consummated, the city itself will find the peace it has been seeking for
thousands of years! "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May those who love you be
secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.'
For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you' "
(Psa 122:6-8). Man and woman, God and man, Jew and Gentile, Saviour and saved,
all at peace together in the City of Peace!
In like manner, the Age to Come will see both the Saviour (the
"righteous Branch", the Shepherd-King like David!) AND his city ("New
Jerusalem", symbolizing the "Bride" of Christ) called by the same name: "The
LORD Our Righteousness" (Jer 23:6; 33:16) -- "Yahweh Tzidkenu". There will be
Peace because there has been achieved Righteousness (Rom 3:21-24). Both the
Redeemer and the Redeemed will have the same name, and it will be a joint name:
"Solomon/Shulammith" and "He who becomes Righteous Ones". Even as Melchizedek
combined the two offices, of king and priest, in one person; and even as he was
"king of Peace (Salem)" because he was a "king of righteousness" (Melchi-zedek)
and the Priest of the Most High God (Gen 14; Psa 110; 76:2; Heb 7)... so in
Jesus, Christ, the antitypical Melchizedek (the perfect king and perfect
priest), all the redeemed will find peace AND righteousness.
WHY WOULD YOU GAZE ON THE SHULAMMITE AS ON THE DANCE OF
MAHANAIM?: It appears this question is asked by the king. Quite possibly
"the dance of Mahanaim" indicates an old Syrian wedding custom: "Up to the end
of the last [19th] century the country villages in Syria preserved an attractive
custom which must have survived through long centuries. As darkness falls, the
two groups of guests ('Mahanaim') [signifying "two companies" or "two armies":
GB] -- the friends of the bridegroom (the angels?) and the friends of the bride
(the virgins, her companions?) -- assemble round a great campfire; and in the
light of it the bride performs a fire-dance, displaying all her beauty and grace
and charm to the onlookers who vie with each other in extolling her loveliness"
(HAW).
This dance was performed at night, with the flashing lights of
a campfire, and illuminated further by the lamps of the virgins, the bride's
companions (cp Mat 25:1-13). With such lights, and with the moon and stars
overhead, in a clear and cloudless eastern sky, the further comparison of the
bride herself to the heavenly bodies (v 10) seems most fitting. All that is
majesty and dignity and grace are met in the beautiful Bride of the
Lamb.
Likewise, so will those approved at the judgment seat of
Christ be vindicated in the presence of the angels and the host of the redeemed.
The final "dance" will be the dance of exceeding joy, at the Marriage Supper of
the Lamb, who is the Lord of the Dance!
DANCE: Dance (Heb "kimcholat") was a divinely-approved
form of rejoicing (Exo 15:20; 1Sa 18:6; Psa 30:11), although seemingly not
practiced at all any more by believers. The Hebrew noun equivalent ("mecholah")
denotes "to dance in a ring or circle" (cp Exo 15:20; 32:19; Jdg 11:34; 21:21;
1Sa 21:11; 29:5) (HAL). Perhaps the wedding guests all danced in a ring around
the Shulammite, while her husband sang praises to her, extolling her beauty. (Or
perhaps -- being "two companies" -- they danced in two rings, the one inside the
other, and the Shulammite herself dancing inside both, one ring moving clockwise
while the other moved counterclockwise. This sort of dance is sometimes seen
even today in Middle Eastern settings.)
MAHANAIM: The name used by Jacob in Gen 32:1,2 -- when
he was encouraged by an encounter with the angels. Mahanaim was a place located
on the boundary of the tribe of Gad, not far from the river Jordan. Joshua
appointed it as a residence for some of the Merarite Levites (Jos 21:34-38; 1Ch
6:77-80). After the death of Saul, Mahanaim became the seat of the brief reign
of his son Ishbosheth (2Sa 2:8,12,29). David fled here from the revolt of
Absalom (2Sa 17:24,27; 19:32; 1Ki 2:8). However, there seems to be no evidence
for any particular dance associated with the place -- so the use of the same
name here may be no more than a coincidence. Nevertheless, the association of
this "Mahanaim" of Gen 32 with the heavenly host, and thus with God's care and
protection for the faithful, and with Jacob's return to the Promised Land, after
a long absence, to be blessed by God in the presence of his brother... all these
aspects are so very suitable to the context of this dance, and this
song!