Thou that dwellest = Oh thou that dwellest. Spoken by the shepherd. dwellest in the gardens. No longer in "the city" of Song of Solomon 5:7 , but now abidest permanently. Hebrew. yashab. the companions = my companions (who were the speakers of Song of Solomon 8:5 ). hearken = are listening. me, &c.: or "me [and our companions] to hear". read more
THE ABSENT BRIDEGROOM CALLS FOR THE BRIDE TO SPEAK"Thou that dwellest in the gardens.The companions hearken for thy voice:Cause me to hear it.Make haste, my beloved,And be thou like to a roe or to a young hartUpon the mountains of spices.""The Song of Solomon closes here with the bridegroom's request, for the bride to speak so that his friends may hear her voice. This reflects the constant desire of Christ the heavenly Bridegroom to hear the prayers of his people.[18] Inherent in this request... read more
13. Jesus Christ's address to her; now no longer visibly present. Once she "had not kept" her vineyard (Song of Solomon 1:6); now she "dwells" in it, not as its owner, but its superintendent under Jesus Christ, with vinedressers ("companions"), for example, Paul, c. (Acts 15:25 Acts 15:26), under her (Song of Solomon 8:11; Song of Solomon 8:12); these ought to obey her when she obeys Jesus Christ. Her voice in prayer and praise is to be heard continually by Jesus Christ, if her voice before men... read more
Memories. The Close5. The chorus enquire who this happy bride may be. And the bridegroom points her to the apple-tree where he had once found her asleep, and to the spot where she was born. These are lovers’ reminiscences, sweet to them, trivial to others.6, 7. Her passionate clinging to him, and her assertion of the irresistibleness, the indestructibleness, the unselfishness of genuine love.6. She would fain be as inseparable from him as the seal-cylinder, which men wore on a cord round the... read more
(13) Thou that dwellest.—In Song of Solomon 8:13 we have another brief reminiscence of the early days of courtship, when the lover envied every one near the maiden, the companions who could see and hear her, and sighed for tokens of affection which she lavished on them. read more
The First and Greatest Commandment Song of Solomon 8:3 I. See how every power of the mind is embraced by, and concerned in, this love: how the head and the heart, knowledge and feeling, the understanding and the will, are all swallowed up by it. And yet, the very text tells us which is of more value in the Lord's sight. Just as the Seraphim, that are on fire with love, hold a more exalted estate than the Cherubim, that are perfect in knowledge so here 'His left hand should be under my head,... read more
MYSTICAL INTERPRETATIONSTHUS far we have been considering the bare, literal sense of the text. It cannot be denied that, if only to lead up to the metaphorical significance of the words employed, those words must be approached through their primary physical meanings. This is essential even to the understanding of pure allegory such as that of "The Faerie Queene" and "The Pilgrim’s Progress"; we must understand the adventures of the Red Cross Knight and the course of Christian’s journey before... read more
CHAPTER 8 The last chapter of the Song is a review of the whole. There is unquestionably a recapitulation of the entire book. The bride’s desires are once more given to be loved and caressed by Him. For the last time we have the charge to the daughters of Jerusalem and once more the coming is announced. “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her Beloved?” She returns with Him. The Beloved is mentioned seven times in the book. There is the voice of the Beloved (Song of... read more
8:13 Thou that dwellest in the {i} gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear [it].(i) Christ dwells in his Church, whose voice the faithful hear. read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Song of Solomon 8:5-14
At home with family and friends (8:5-14)The final poem sees the lovers walking along the road on their way home (5a). As they approach the house, the girl is reminded that the place where they fell in love was the garden of the home where her lover was born (5b). She then praises the power of love that binds her to him. True love demands total possession of each by the other. It is indestructible and beyond value (6-7).The girl recalls the words of her older brothers when she was only in her... read more