Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_639.TXT

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but the particular application of him to her own soul
by faith. He shall lie all night betwixt my breasts; it
or he; the bundle of myrrh, or Christ, which comes
to the same sense: by her breasts are meant her heart,
where Christ dwells by faith, which is the best room
the church has, and where she desires Christ might
lodge; so Alshech explains it of being in her heart:
and the time in which she would have him continue
here is all night; meaning the night of affliction,
temptation, &c. or rather the whole time of this life,
until tihe everlasting day breaks; and so it is a desire
ef Christ's presence with her, and of her having com-
munion with him, as long as she lived in the worhi;
and between her breasts, and in her bosom. she de-
sires he might be for an ornament to her, like sweet
flowers, and for her delight and pleasure, refreshment
and comfort; and that he might be always in her sight,
and never be forgotten by her.
Vet. 14. My beloved is ttnto me as a cluster of carn-
phire in the vineyards of En-gcdi.] En-gedi was a
place near Jericho, and famous for palm-trees, as that
was, hence called Hazzazou-tamar, 2 Chron. xx. 2.
Pliny ° sneaking ot'this place, which he calls Engadda,
' l      °
says, it is second to Jerusalem for fertility and gro,ves
of palm-trees; and Josephus P observes, that there
grew the best palm-trees and opobalsam; wherefore
Aben Ezra, and other Jewish writers, think that'dates,
the fruit of the palm-trees, which grow in clusters, are
here meant: and because the balsam-tree also ,grew iu
this place, asobserved before from Josephus, and grew iu
the manner of vines, as others {q} assert; and this being
said to, be in vineyards, some have thought that that
might be in,tendd; but what is valuable in it is a
gum or tear, that drops from it, and not fruit in clust. ers,
which it bears not : nor can it be supposed that what
we cail camphire should be meant, which grows not
in clusters, and was unknown to the ancients; nor the
cyperus, or cypirus, as Coocoins and others. The Sep-
tuagint version readers it cyprus: and there was a tree
of this name which grew in Ascalon in Judea, which,
according to Pliny{r}, bore a white flower of a sweet
smell; and which, in Italy, was culled ligttstrum, the
privet-tree, commended by the poets {s} for its peculiar
whiteness; and the cypress-tree is reckoned by Jo-
sephus: atnong the odoriferous trees which grew
about Jericho, near to which En-gedi was. The word
here used is to be found in the Misnah "; and the com-
mentators {w] on it say, it is the same which-, in Arabic,
is-called alheNa, the cypress-tree, and refer to this
place ;. of which Dr. Shaw {X} says," this beautiful and
"odoriferous plant, alhenna, if it is not annually cut,
"and kept low, grows ten or twelve feet high, putting
"out its little flowers in clusters, which yield a most
"grateful smell, like camphire." But, after all, per-
haps the Cyprus vine is. here meant, which, according
to Pliny r, was the best and largest of vines; and which,
though it grew in Cyprus, from whence it had its name,
yet some plants of it might be obtained by Solomon,
and planted in the vineyards of En-gedi; or there were
such there like them, and were called by the same
name: Jarchi, from an ancient exposition of theirs,
relates, that the vineyards of this place brought forth
fruit four or live times a year; A lshech says seven.
Now as Christ compares himself to a vine, John xv. 1.
the church may compare him to a cluster of the
grapes of the Cyprus vine, reckoned the best; there
being a cluster of all perfec'tions, divine and human,
in him; and of all the spiritual blessings of the ever-
lasting covenant, and of all the precious promises in it;
and of all the grace of the spirit, and the fulness of it,
which is in him. The Jews calls a man, eminent for
virtue, and a large share of knowledge, clusters {z}; and
they interpret eschol, a cluster, by \^wb lkhv vya\^, a man
that has all things 'in him {a}: such an one is Christ, in
the highest sense, having all perfections, excellentlos,
and virtues, in him. Some leave the word untranslated,
 copher {b}, and which has the signification ot' atonement
and propitiation; and so well agrees with Christ, who
is the propitiation for sin, and has made atonement for
it. Bishop Patrick observes, that the ancient Hebrew
doctors, by dividing the first word cschol, found out
the mystery of the Messiah; considering it as if thus
read, \^rpwk lk vya\^, my beloved is unto me the man that
propitiates or expiates all things; that- is, all sins and
transgressions: in the Talmud {c} it is explained, "he,

which Christ has done for his church and people; and
which makes him precious, and is matterofjoy and glad-
ness tothem, Rom. v. ll.and iii. 25.1Jobnil. 2.andiv. 10.
Vet. 15. Behold, thou art fair, my love, &c.] These
are the words of Christ, commending the beauty
and comeliness of the church, expressing his great
affection for her, and his high esteem of her; of her
fairness and beauty, see the note on ver. 5, 8. of the
title of Christ's love, as given her by him, see the
note on yet. 9- a behold- is profixed to this account
her, as a note of attention, to consider her complete
comeliness in Christ, and not pore on her own black-
hess; and as a note of admiration, that she who
was so black and uncomely in herself stlould be so
fair and beautiful in his eyes, through hisblood, righte-
ousnss, and grace; and as a note of asseveration,
assuring her of the truth of it, which she might be apt
to call in question; and, to prevent which, it is also
repeated, behold, thou art fair,; exceeding fair, really
so, both inwardly and outwardly; both with respect
to justification and sanctification. Thou hast doves'
eyes; or eyes like doves{d}; these are taken notice
because much beauty lies in the eyes, either in the
size or colour of them {e}; similes taken from doves are


{o} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 17.
{p} Antiqu. l. 9. c. 1. s. 2.
{q} Justin. e Trogo, l. 36. c. 3.  Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 25.  Vid.           Plin, ,Nat. Hist, 1, 12. c. 25,
Foliot in loc.
{r} Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 29.
{s} Virgil. Eclog. 2. v. 18.  Ovid. Metamorph. l. 13. Fab. 8.
{t} De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 8. s. 3.
{u} Sheviith, c. 7. s. 6.
{w} Maimon. & Bartenora in ibid.
{x} Travels, p. 113, 114. edit. 2.
{y} Nat. Hist. l. 14. c. 1.
{z} Misnah Sotah, c. 9. s. 9.
{a} T. Bab. Temurah, fol. 15. 2. Jarchi, & Ez Chaysim in Sotah ibid.
{b} \^rpk\^ copher, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Marckius.
{c} T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 88. 2.
{d} \^Mynwy Kynye\^ oculi tui veluti columbarum, Pagninus, Munster, so
Ben Melech.
{e} So Juno is called the large-eyed Juno, and Minerva the blue-eyed
goddess, and Chryseus the black-eyed maid, Homer. Iliad. 1. v. 99,
206, 551.