Verse 4
4. Thy neck, etc. Not that any tower was ever known to be built of ivory. The translation might be “thy neck, which is like a tower, is ivory;” that is, like a tower for symmetry and stateliness and as ivory for whiteness. Poets, from Anacreon until now, have used the complimentary phrase, “ivory neck.” Heshbon was twenty miles east of the mouth of the Jordan, and was in the possession, sometimes of the Jews and sometimes of the Moabites. Its pools, receiving their waters from living springs, were clear and sparkling, and the vegetation around, fed by them, was luxuriant, making the city and its environs “the pride of Moab.”
The gate of Bath-rabbim That is, the gate where many are passing. What gate of Heshbon this may have been is unknown.
The tower of Lebanon No “tower” of this description is known. The suggestion is agreeable; a “tower” or, the noble “Lebanon,” looking down the course of the Abana and Pharpar, “rivers of Damascus,” upon the plain which their waters render green and charming. So the nose is a graceful watchtower, commanding a view of a lovely face and a sweet and queenly form.
Be the first to react on this!
