This is a prayer of the people who recognize the benefits and gifts of God. For it asks that the beloved may come into the garden that he has so adorned with praises, that is, that he may bless it and receive the present gifts, as is prayed in the Psalms [Ps. 68, 29. Vulg.]: "Strengthen, God, what you have worked in us"; otherwise the hearts become secure and fall away.
Cap. 4, 17. My friend comes into his garden etc.
This garden, this worldly regiment, you, my God, have prepared; therefore, come, cultivate and maintain it with your word and spirit, so that it does not perish through lack of maintenance. Eat of its noblest fruits, that is, declare to us by your presence that all this pleases you etc.
Cap. 5, 1. I come into my garden etc.
The prayer is answered. For he indicates that he is present and approves of everything, and that everything pleases him. This is the testimony of conscience that the godly feel in their office and profession, that when they carry out their profession, they can certainly claim that God approves of their works and that they are pleasing to Him, even though they are sometimes somewhat negligent. For here the forgiveness of sins is not excluded.
I have broken off my myrrh along with my spices.
"The myrrh" is the killing of the flesh. "The spices," which are sweet-smelling, are the rest of the good works and fruits of faith; these, he says, he gathers and enjoys.
I have eaten my Seim together with my honey etc.
Notice the emphasis that he says all those things are his, as if to say: I like thy preaching, thy comforts, thy works; in thy life, work, speaking, teaching etc. thou pleasest me. But because in this weakness it is not possible that much should not be missed, either by negligence or otherwise, yet this obedience, however imperfect, is pleasing because of faith in Christ, as John says [1 John 3:20.], "God is greater than our heart." We have His good, which is infinite, against our finite evil.
Eat, my friends.
This is an appeal to the whole church that they should enjoy those benefits and gifts with gratitude. These are necessary consolations that are very difficult to believe for those who are in the secular regime or in the service of the church. But they strengthen the hearts of the godly, so that they do not leave their office broken by hardship and the ingratitude of men.
V. 2. I sleep, but my heart waketh.
Here begins a new lesson. For until now, he has described the time of the most beautiful peace that flourished under Solomon, and for which he gave thanks; now he looks out into future times, and sees that because of the sins of the people, both the secular regime and the priesthood must be afflicted with various ills.
For as change takes place in the weather, so after peace follows war, after sadness joy, after affliction comfort, after comfort again another affliction. Solomon treats these changes almost to the end of the book and describes the future temptations in a general description. This is how it will constantly be in this kingdom; we will be challenged again and again, we will be plagued with many misfortunes etc.
I am asleep, but my heart is awake.
I sleep, I enjoy deep peace now, I am safe; everything is calm, nevertheless my heart is awake. For I see the sins of the people, I see that God threatens misfortune through the Word. Therefore, I am anxious about the future calamity etc.
There is the voice of my friend knocking.
This is where the cross begins. The voice of the one who knocks is the voice of terror that wants to wake her [the bride] up so that she will not be safe and lose the present goods. For the cross is necessary and useful for us. "He that loveth his son chasteneth him," says Proverbs [Cap. 13, 24.f.
Open to me, dear friend etc., for my head etc.
This is an accusation against the bride: The peace you have enjoyed so far makes you sluggish. You lie in bed and leave me, who am drenched with night rain, at the door, that is, you neglect me, you administer both the secular regiment and the priesthood carelessly. The head and all the hair is wet, that is, the rulers in both kingdoms are neglected etc.
V. 3. I have taken off my skirt.
I lie there naked, I cannot get up. This indicates not only the guilt of neglecting the word, but also rebelliousness. She does not want to obey God in patience, who afflicts her for her sins; she does not want to leave peace.
but nevertheless continues in their sins. But in the Psalm it says [Ps. 85, 11.] that justice and peace kiss each other, because without justice peace cannot even be hoped for.
V. 4. But my friend puts his hand through the hole.
Here he wants to force her to get up, however reluctantly she may do so. Thus he put his hand through the hole, since he sent the Assyrian to afflict her with other misfortunes; thus he woke up this worldly regiment, which had fallen into indolence and had become unrestrained by the long peace. God does not lie; His threats are always followed by their fulfillment.
V. 5 Then I got up to help my friend.
To open the door means to surrender the heart in patience. She therefore says that she patiently endured the hand of God. But lest anyone think that this was easy, she says: "My hands dripped with myrrh, and myrrh ran over my fingers on the latch of the lock." She wants to indicate that it was difficult to overcome the flesh, that she agreed with GOtte, that she did not grumble, but allowed the punishment and suffered.
V. 6. But he was gone and gone away.
Here the temptation is intensified and increased, because it seems as if God abandons us in the midst of misfortune, and no consolation is offered to the weary soul.
There my soul went out (anima mea liquefacta est).
The verbum means: she went out, as if he wanted to say: I am seized by such great longing that I almost faint. I feel no help; only his word he has left me, to which I cling, that I almost become powerless etc.
V. 7. I was found by the guardians who were going about the city.
By "the keepers" here I mean the teaching of the law, which does not comfort, but only terrifies more, and moves up the sins, as those people in the book of Job condemn, because they
1632 L. XXI, 33S-S37. Interpretation of the Song of Songs, Cap. 5, 7-12. W. V, 2163-2166. 1633
should comfort us. The guardians can also be taken for the teachers who teach us useless help in misfortune, on which we should rely. Thus, the service of the saints, indulgences and other such ungodly foolish things were with us. But the afflicted hearts cannot be uplifted in any other way than by the word of grace. All other consolation not only does not help, but (as the afflicted people complain here) only wounds more and increases anger.
V. 8. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem.
The bride, or the people, who are in the midst of temptation, whether it be the Babylonian captivity or another, have lost their God, and are abandoned in the hands of their adversaries, so that there is no God or help to be seen anywhere. Nevertheless, it does not despair because of this, but suffers the hand of God to visit it, and calls out to others, exhorting them to pray. "Daughters of Jerusalem," that is, all of you who belong to this service.
V. 9. What is your friend before other friends?
[Instead of ex dilecto in the Vulgate, translate: prae dilectis. They want to know what kind of lover she has, that she prefers him to all other friends, that she, being abandoned, will turn to no other for protection and help, as men are wont to do, whom not the Spirit of God but their reason drives and teaches.
Here she now begins a long poetic (imaginariam) description of what kind of lover she has. Only now she describes him, after she has lost him. We are all in the habit of doing this; we are weary of our present goods and pay no attention to them. But when they are out of sight, we seek them enviously, as the poet says.
V. 10. My friend is white and red.
This is a poetic description of God, not as He is in His majesty, but as He is in His worship and words; that is, a description of God clothed and adorned with the kingdom of
and priesthood in that people etc. The whiteness means joy, because on feast days they dressed in white. The hardship means love, as if he wanted to say: When the priesthood and the kingdom still existed intact, we had an abundance of the most beautiful gifts, through which God testified His love toward us. Therefore, everything was full of joy and gladness, now we mourn as miserable people, since the worldly regime is destroyed and those very beautiful gifts are lost etc.
This is how it is: Those who have the word of God have God who loves them, comforts them, delights them and does them good. But the people complain that they have lost all this.
Chosen among many baptizing.
He is a chosen hero and mighty one (gigas) who is ready to protect his own.
V. 11. His head is the finest gold.
The religion and teachings that Moses [5 Mos.
4, 6.] The wisdom of this people is like the purest gold, the worship of other gods is like dross etc.
His curls are frizzy (densi == dense).
At that time, when I was still holding on to God, I had an abundance of such people who organized the worship service and administered the preaching ministry, who were the closest to the head, that is, God. There was a great multitude of priests and Levites.
Black as a raven.
The priests were serious men, in whose expressions and gestures a sweet seriousness prevailed. Unless someone wanted to take the black hair for something contemptible because of the outward appearance; but this I do not believe. For black hair was very praised among them, as it is also said in Horace 1):
Spectandum nigris oculis, nigroque capillo [One must look at the black eyes and at the black hair].
V. 12. His eyes are like the eyes of doves by the rivers of water.
"The eyes" are the rulers and leaders of the people who do not worship God alone.
1) Horritii nrs poetien, v. 37. - In Walch's old edition wrong: Hornd. I,. I. Oarm. 06. W.
The dove is praised for its purity because it drinks nothing but the purest water, so that it can beware of the hawks whose image is reflected in the water. The dove is praised for its purity, because it drinks nothing but the purest water, so that it can beware of the hawks, whose image is reflected in the water. So the faithful teachers are careful to beware of false spirits, and carefully keep to the pure water, that is, to the Scriptures.
But he adds, "The eyes are washed with milk," that is, full of comfort; likewise, "And stand in fullness," that is, they show quite a cheerfulness. Hollow eyes indicate severity etc. But the eyes of this bridegroom are full, and dwell in fullness, that is, they have a numerous people; their word is faithfully heard, the churches and schools are full of disciples.
V. 13. His cheeks found like the growing spice gardens.
"The cheeks" are the outward change of the whole people, which follows from the word; which is very lively, and spreads the sweet odor of peace, humility, faith etc.
His lips are like roses dripping with flowing myrrh.
The lips are sweet and full of love, but they drip with myrrh, that is, the doctrine that kills; they teach, they punish; they stop, they rebuke etc.
V. 14. His hands are like golden rings.
In all the people, he says, are people rich in good works. Of the law
Works are contracted, wrinkled and scrawny hands. Here they do good works with the highest pleasure, without any complaint.
His body (venter) is like pure ivory.
This means the common people, who are, as it were, the belly of the body of the church. Although it is weak in itself, so that it needs the service of the other members, it is white as ivory and imperishable.
V. 15. His legs are like pillars of marble.
He opposes the legs, that is, the strong in the church, to the belly.
His figure is like Lebanon.
The whole nation is like Mount Lebanon, studded with the most beautiful trees, in which are many offices, many gifts etc.
V. 16. His throat is sweet.
His breath does not stink, but what he exhales is sweet, that is, these fruits of the church, which I have told here, please God and are pleasant to him.
And quite lovely.
Not that there are no wicked in this people, but because they have the Word, therefore he says that everything is lovely, especially since no treasure can be compared to the Word of God, in which He prescribes to us the right worship and promises forgiveness of sins, so that there is no sin left etc.
So she praises her bridegroom and laments that she is deprived of all those gifts she had when he was present.