Song of Songs 8

The bride is finally ready for the coming of her lover
Text
Explanation
.1 ¶ O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.    Brother See on 4:9. She may be thinking back to the time before their courtship.
  Find thee without She may regret that she had not answered the door more quickly when her lover came after being outside and then departed. 5:3-6. Compare re0320 (I stand at the door and knock).
  Despised The Laodiceans had been despised for not being cold or hot. re0314-18.
 2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.   House ... instruct See on 3:4.
 3 His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.   Hand ... under my head Perhaps describing the end-time experience of Jacob's trouble Jer. 30:3, 5-7, 10, 11. Gen. 32:22. Just before the close of human probation the righteous will have this time of trial.
.4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.    Charge ... stir not up Here is the fourth and final charge to the daughters of Jerusalem.  As in the first two (2:7 and 3:5) love is to wait. So we expect the daughters (church members) to be looking forward to fulfillment of love for Christ at the end of another prophetic time period. This appears in the time line as the final time of trial for God's people (See on v3).  Not appealing, as before, based on "the gazelles or the does" likely reflects the fact that the Bible does not give a time for the period to end.  See on 2:7.
.5 ¶ Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.   Up from the wilderness Apparently the bride's father sees the couple arriving. On "wilderness" compare re1213. It is their final time of trial.
  Leaning On the Lord is4301.
.6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
  6 ... for love is strong as death, passion cruel as the grave; it blazes up like a blazing fire fiercer than any flame. (REB). 
  Seal upon heart ... arm The end-time righteous are seen as the 144,000 sealed ones r07b. They are spiritual Israel. See is2620, da1201.
  Heart Christ's heart was represented by the brestplate. ex2829.
  Armex0606, ps07713.
  Love is strong as death This choice they/we will make re1211, re1315.
 7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.   Floods From the enemy is5919.
  Give ... for love It can't be purchased ro0838. If our love for God weren't voluntary, it wouldn't be love.
 8 ¶ We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?   Little sister ... no breasts The brothers were angry with her 1:6. Now they question her readiness for marriage and want to help.
 9 If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

Passages linked to often have more than one verse.

  If she be a wall ... door This represents the climax of the preadvent judgment which happens in the time leading up to the coming of Christ. The righteous (sealed ones) will be as walls keeping their loyalty in spite of attacks. The door apparently allowed compromise. Brothers here will be the heavenly beings who are shown the cases and can understand the justice of God.
.10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.    Wall See is2601 and je1520. She is mature and ready for marriage. We see Christ and His bride, the finally faithful ones ep0525.
  Towers See is6205
  Was in his eyes He is the judge and advocate.
.11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.   Vineyard Isaiah apparently drew from this "song." Notice is0501.
  Baal-hamon A place in Palestine. Literally, "possessor (or master) of a multitude (or turbulence)."  Although the choice of "multitude" for "Hamon" is a little uncertain, verses in Joel 3 apply at this point in the story of the church. jl0312-16. Also consider the scene recorded in Revelation 14 after the announcement of God's wrath given by the third angel and after "One like the Son of Man" put in His sickle and reaped the harvest: Read re1417-19.
  Keepers ... for the fruit Compare the unfaithful "keepers of the vineyards" in 1:6b.
.12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.   My vineyard ... before me In contrast to her statement in 1:6 where she had not kept it.
  Thousand The payment due as mentioned in the previous verse. All through the history of God's people the vineyard had not been kept. The covenanted payment had not been made (Isa. 5:1-7). The glory had not been returned to the beloved. Individuals had been faithful but never the body of believers as a whole. Here at last is the church made glorious for which the beloved gave Himself and prepared by cleansing and refining to present to Himself "holy and without blemish"! (Eph. 5:25-27; Mal. 3:1-3).
  Amos explains am0909, mt2140.
  Keep the fruit Of character development in individual church members. re2211, 12, mt2519-21.
 13 ¶ Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.   Companions Compare 1:7.
  Voice Here, as the climax of the story, the bride is urged to be heard.  Is this not the "song of songs, which is Solomon's"? Or the triumphal conclusion of the song? (1:1)  Is it not what the companions are listening to hear? "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel...." Continue in zp0314-17. Also re1403.
.14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.   Make haste "And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely....  He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"  Rev. 22:17, 20 (NKJV). Compare 2:17; 4:6.
The story ends leaving us without resolution. This is the way John, writing under inspiration, left the readers of the book of Revelation as shown above. Also the story of the prodigal son leaves us without knowing the final decision of the older brother lu1511. Jesus left his hearers to determine the outcome for their own lives. So it is with the song "which is Solomon's."
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The end of the Song of Solomon