Song of Solomon Six

by Dr. Henry M. Morris

(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)

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Song of Solomon 6:1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

seek him with thee. When those who love the Lord testify concerning His person and work, those who listen will often decide to receive Him, too.

Song of Solomon 6:2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

Song of Solomon 6:3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

my beloved is mine. The bride quickly found her husband, and testifies concerning their union in Song of Solomon 6:2, 3. Then Solomon again speaks about her own beauties, in Song of Solomon 6:4-7:9.

Song of Solomon 6:4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

Song of Solomon 6:5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

Song of Solomon 6:6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

Song of Solomon 6:7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

Song of Solomon 6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

threescore queens. This entourage of women did not belong to Solomon, for the Shulamite was evidently his first and true love. His seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3) came later. These women must have been either from David's extensive harem or, more likely, guests that had come for the recent wedding procession. In any case, Solomon regarded his bride as superior to all of them.

Song of Solomon 6:9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Song of Solomon 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

Song of Solomon 6:11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

Song of Solomon 6:12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

Song of Solomon 6:13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

Shulamite. Solomon's bride is called the Shulamite, evidently referring to her home country. However, there is no other mention of Shulam in the Bible or the known extra-Biblical literature. It may be that the name, which is very similar to “Solomon” in the Hebrew, was simply a term of possessive endearment given her by Solomon.

company of two armies. The phrase “the company of two armies” is said to mean, literally, “the dance of Mahanaim,” where Mahanaim was the name of the place where Jacob met the angels (Genesis 32:2). This dance seems to have been a very intimate dance enjoyed alone by a man and his wife, and Solomon was rebuking the daughters of Jerusalem for wanting to observe it.