9 You have taken away my heart, my sister, my bride; you have taken away my heart, with one look you have taken it, with one chain of your neck!
I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; to take my myrrh with my spice; my wax with my honey; my wine with my milk. Take meat, O friends; take wine, yes, be overcome with love. I am sleeping, but my heart is awake; it is the sound of my loved one at the door, saying, Be open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my very beautiful one; my head is wet with dew, and my hair with the drops of the night.
A garden walled-in is my sister, my bride; a garden shut up, a spring of water stopped.
Now when I went past you, looking at you, I saw that your time was the time of love; and I put my skirts over you, covering your unclothed body: and I gave you my oath and made an agreement with you, says the Lord, and you became mine.
And one of the seven angels who had the seven vessels in which were the seven last punishments, came and said to me, Come here, and see the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he took me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and let me see the holy town Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Let us be glad with delight, and let us give glory to him: because the time is come for the Lamb to be married, and his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was given to be clothed in delicate linen, clean and shining: for the clean linen is the righteousness of the saints.
For he who makes holy and those who are made holy are all of one family; and for this reason it is no shame for him to give them the name of brothers, Saying, I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers, I will make a song of praise to you before the church. And again he says, I will put my faith in him. And again, See, I am here, and the children which God has given to me. And because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power of death, that is to say, the Evil One;
Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete.
The Lord your God is among you, as a strong saviour: he will be glad over you with joy, he will make his love new again, he will make a song of joy over you as in the time of a holy feast.
And I will take you as my bride for ever; truly, I will take you as my bride in righteousness and in right judging, in love and in mercies. I will take you as my bride in good faith, and you will have knowledge of the Lord.
For as a young man takes a virgin for his wife, so will your maker be married to you: and as a husband has joy in his bride, so will the Lord your God be glad over you.
For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of armies is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is he who takes up your cause; he will be named the God of all the earth.
Your head is like Carmel, and the hair of your head is like purple, in whose net the king is prisoner. How beautiful and how sweet you are, O love, for delight.
Go out, O daughters of Jerusalem, and see King Solomon, with the crown which his mother put on his head on the day when he was married, and on the day of the joy of his heart.
See, you are fair, my love, you are fair; you have the eyes of a dove.
As a loving hind and a gentle doe, let her breasts ever give you rapture; let your passion at all times be moved by her love. Why let yourself, my son, go out of the way with a strange woman, and take another woman in your arms?
Kings' daughters are among your noble women: on your right is the queen in gold of Ophir.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Song of Songs 4
Commentary on Song of Songs 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
In this chapter,
Sgs 4:1-7
Here is,
Sgs 4:8-14
These are still the words of Christ to his church, expressing his great esteem of her and affection to her, the opinion he had of her beauty and excellency, the desire he had of, and the delight he had in, her converse and society. And so ought men to love their wives as Christ loves the church, and takes pleasure in it as if it were spotless and had no fault, when yet it is compassed with infirmity. Now, observe here,
Sgs 4:15-16
These seem to be the words of the spouse, the church, in answer to the commendations which Christ, the bridegroom, had given of her as a pleasant fruitful garden. Is she a garden?