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Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:9

I have compared thee - to a company of horses - This may be translated, more literally, "I have compared thee, to my mare, in the chariots or courses of Pharaoh;" and so the versions understood it. Mares, in preference to horses, were used both for riding and for chariots in the East. They are much swifter, endure more hardship. and will go longer without food, than either the stallion or the gelding. There is perhaps no brute creature in the world so beautiful as a fine well-bred horse or... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:10

Thy cheeks are comely - D'Arvieux has remarked that "the Arabian ladies wear a great many pearls about their necks and caps. They have golds chains about their necks which hang down upon their bosoms with strings of coloured gauze; the gauze itself bordered with zechins and other pieces of gold coin, which hang upon their foreheods and both cheeks. The ordinary women wear small silver coins, with which they cover their forehead-piece like fish scales, as this is one of the principal... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:11

Borders of gold - I have observed several of the handkerchiefs, shawls, and head attire of the Eastern women, curiously and expensively worked in the borders with gold and silver, and variously coloured silk, which has a splendid effect. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:12

While the king sitteth at his table - במסבו bimsibbo , in his circle, probably meaning the circle of his friends at the marriage festivals, or a round table. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:13

He shall lie all night betwixt my breasts - Mr. Harmer contends that it is the bundle of myrrh which the bride says shall lie all night betwixt her breasts, to which she compares the bridegroom, his name being as pleasing and refreshing to her mind, as the myrrh or stacte was to her senses, by its continual fragrance. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:14

A cluster of camphire - Mr. Hasselquist supposes this to mean a bunch of the Cyprus grape; but this is supposed to mean a shrub so called, not any production of the isle of Cypress; the best kinds of which were found at En-gedi. This place belonged to the tribe of Judah. Perhaps the poet alludes to the dark color of the hair, which by the Greeks was not unfrequently compared to the bunches of grapes; by no means an unfit similitude for thick black clustering curls. The following lines... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Song of Solomon 1:4-8

The Christian soul, its trials and triumphs. The maiden who speaks has been separated unwillingly from her beloved, after whom she incessantly mourns; she is kept in the king's chambers, the apartments of the women in his palace at Jerusalem. They ridicule her swarthy look, and she tells how her half-brothers had been unkind to her, and had made her work in the drudgery of the vineyards, beneath the scorching sun. Those about her wonder and scoff at her persistent affection. The story may... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Song of Solomon 1:5-8

Dialogue between the bride and the chorus. I. THE BRIDE 'S SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS . 1 . " I am black. " The country maiden loved by the great king feels her own imperfections; she artlessly describes her misgivings to the daughters of Jerusalem, who constitute the chorus; she has been accustomed to rustic occupations; she has been ill-treated; the sun has embrowned her cheeks till she is black as the tents of Kedar, the tents of goat's hair in which the wandering Arabs... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Song of Solomon 1:7-8

The shepherd's care. As the beloved maiden or bride seeks her shepherd lover who is yet the king, she makes use of language which gives an insight into pastoral duty and care, and which serves to suggest the relations borne by the flock to the good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. I. THE GOOD SHEPHERD FEEDS THE FLOCK . II. THE GOOD SHEPHERD PROVIDES NOONDAY REST FOR THE FLOCK . III. THE GOOD SHEPHERD PROTECTS THE FLOCK , ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Song of Solomon 1:7-9

Seeking and finding. The Christian pilgrim has to pass through a variety of fortunes in his passage to the celestial city. His fluctuations of joy and sorrow, hope and fear, resemble an April day. Sunshine alternates with storm. Now he is on the mountain top; now in the valley of humiliation. Now he looks into his Master's face, and sees a smile of heavenly love; now that gracious face is hid, like the sun during eclipse. I. WE HAVE A SENSE OF DESERTION . This is a... read more

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