2 I am sleeping, but my heart waketh: The sound of my beloved knocking! `Open to me, my sister, my friend, My dove, my perfect one, For my head is filled `with' dew, My locks `with' drops of the night.'
My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice `is' sweet, and thy appearance comely.
One is my dove, my perfect one, One she `is' of her mother, The choice one she `is' of her that bare her, Daughters saw, and pronounce her happy, Queens and concubines, and they praise her.
Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one give all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down -- they tread upon it.
and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps. `And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping,
for I did hunger, and ye gave me to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye received me; naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me. `Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink? and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around? and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee? `And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did `it' to one of these my brethren -- the least -- to me ye did `it'. Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers; for I did hunger, and ye gave me not to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me not to drink; a stranger I was, and ye did not receive me; naked, and ye put not around me; infirm, and in prison, and ye did not look after me. `Then shall they answer, they also, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or infirm, or in prison, and we did not minister to thee? `Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did `it' not to one of these, the least, ye did `it' not to me.
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and he saith to Peter, `So! ye were not able one hour to watch with me! watch, and pray, that ye may not enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is forward, but the flesh weak.'
And it came to pass in those days, he went forth to the mountain to pray, and was passing the night in the prayer of God,
but Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep, and having waked, they saw his glory, and the two men standing with him.
and when his own sheep he may put forth, before them he goeth on, and the sheep follow him, because they have known his voice;
for the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died, and for all he died, that those living, no more to themselves may live, but to him who died for them, and was raised again.
wherefore he saith, `Arouse thyself, thou who art sleeping, and arise out of the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee.'
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis who did not defile their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
Thou `art' all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,
I have been `thus': in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes. `This `is' to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times;
Lift up, O gates, your heads, And be lifted up, O doors age-during, And come in doth the king of glory! Who `is' this -- `the king of glory?' Jehovah -- strong and mighty, Jehovah, the mighty in battle. Lift up, O gates, your heads, And be lifted up, O doors age-during, And come in doth the king of glory! Who `is' He -- this `king of glory?' Jehovah of hosts -- He `is' the king of glory! Selah.
I `am' Jehovah thy God, Who bringeth thee up out of the land of Egypt. Enlarge thy mouth, and I fill it.
`Aleph.' O the happiness of those perfect in the way, They are walking in the law of Jehovah,
The voice of my beloved! lo, this -- he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.
My beloved hath answered and said to me, `Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,
and Jacob serveth for Rachel seven years; and they are in his eyes as some days, because of his loving her.
Thou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.
And thy palate as the good wine --' Flowing to my beloved in uprightness, Strengthening the lips of the aged!
My back I have given to those smiting, And my cheeks to those plucking out, My face I hid not from shame and spitting.
He is despised, and left of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, And as one hiding the face from us, He is despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace `is' on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us.
And in his speaking with me, I have been in a trance on my face, on the earth; and he cometh against me, and causeth me to stand on my station,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Song of Songs 5
Commentary on Song of Songs 5 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 5
In this chapter we have,
Sgs 5:1
These words are Christ's answer to the church's prayer in the close of the foregoing chapter, Let my beloved come into his garden; here he has come, and lets her know it. See how ready God is to hear prayer, how ready Christ is to accept the invitations that his people give him, though we are backward to hear his calls and accept his invitations. He is free in condescending to us, while we are shy of ascending to him. Observe how the return answered the request, and outdid it.
Sgs 5:2-8
In this song of loves and joys we have here a very melancholy scene; the spouse here speaks, not to her beloved (as before, for he has withdrawn), but of him, and it is a sad story she tells of her own folly and ill conduct towards him, notwithstanding his kindness, and of the just rebukes she fell under for it. Perhaps it may refer to Solomon's own apostasy from God, and the sad effects of that apostasy after God had come into his garden, had taken possession of the temple he had built, and he had feasted with God upon the sacrifices (v. 1); however, it is applicable to the too common case both of the churches and particular believers, who by their carelessness and security provoke Christ to withdraw from them. Observe,
Sgs 5:9-16
Here is,