Of the wood of Lebanon - Of the cedar that grew on that mount. It is very likely that a nuptial bed, not a chariot, is intended by the original word אפיון appiryon . Montanus properly translates it sponsarum thalamum , a nuptial bed. It may, however, mean a palanquin. read more
The pillars - of silver - The bedposts were made of silver, or cased with wrought silver plates, like the king's chairs brought from Hanover, now, in one of the staterooms in Windsor Castle. The bottom thereof of gold - This may refer to cords made of gold thread, or to the mattress, which was made of cloth ornamented with gold. The covering - of purple - Most probably the canopy. The midst - paved with love - The counterpane, a superb piece of embroidery, wrought by some of the... read more
Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion - This is the exhortation of the companions of the bride to the females of the city to examine the superb appearance of the bridegroom, and especially the nuptial crown, which appears to have been made by Bathsheba, who it is supposed might have lived till the time of Solomon's marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh. It is conjectured that the prophet refers to a nuptial crown, Isaiah 61:10 . But a crown, both on the bride and bridegroom, was common among... read more
Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the powders of the merchant? This may be taken as spoken by a single voice, one of the ladies or inhabitants of Jerusalem, or it may be regarded as the exclamation of the whole population going out to see the splendid sight—a gorgeous procession coming towards the city. "Who is this coming?" ( עֹלָה , feminine); that is, "Who is this lady coming?" There could be no... read more
The espousals. I. THE APPROACH OF THE BRIDE . 1 . The question. "Who is this?" We have here one of those refrains which form a striking characteristic of the song. The question, "Who is this?" (the pronoun is feminine, "Who is she?") is three times repeated ( Song of Solomon 3:6 ; So Song of Solomon 6:10 ; Song of Solomon 8:5 ). It indicates always a fresh appearance of the bride. Here the words seem to be chanted by a chorus of young men, the friends of the... read more
Solomon in all his glory. (For explanation of details in these verses, see Exposition.) We have set before us here such glory as pomp and splendour, strength and power, great riches and sensual pleasure, could give. All that in which Solomon delighted, and for which his name became famous. Now, these things suggest— I. A GREAT TEMPTATION . They were so: 1 . To Solomon, for he yielded to it. All that these things could do for him he enjoyed to the full. The tradition of... read more
The King coming to his capital. In Asiatic lands wheeled carriages were rare, and are rare still. This is accounted for by the absence of roads. To construct and maintain roads through a hilly country like Palestine required more engineering skill than the people possessed; and further, there was a general belief that to make good roads would pave the way to military invasion. Hence all over Palestine the pathways from town to town were simply tracks marked out by the feet of men and... read more
The bridal entry. The pomp of Oriental poetry is nowhere more dazzling and imposing than in this passage, where is depicted the procession of the royal bride, who is escorted with magnificent accompaniments, and welcomed into the metropolis with universal and cordial joy. Expositors have seen in this gorgeous picture a description of the dignity and beauty of the Church, the bride of Christ. The incense rising in perfumed clouds heralds the approach of the bridal procession. The palanquin... read more
Behold, it is the litter of Solomon; three score mighty men are about it, of the mighty men of Israel . The litter, or palanquin, is easily recognized. The word is mittah, which is literally "bed," or "litter," but in the ninth verse we have another word, appiryon, which is a more stately word. "the royal car." It is the bringing home of the bride which is described. In the forty-fifth psalm the idea seems to be that the bridegroom betook himself to the house of the parents and fetched... read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Song of Solomon 3:8
They all hold swords - They are swordsmen. Every man has a sword, and is well instructed how to use it. read more