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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Song of Solomon, Introduction].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3>Song of Solomon</FONT></P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="4%">
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22001.HTM">Chapter 1</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22002.HTM">Chapter 2</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22003.HTM">Chapter 3</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22004.HTM">Chapter 4</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22005.HTM">Chapter 5</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22006.HTM">Chapter 6</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22007.HTM">Chapter 7</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC22008.HTM">Chapter 8</A>
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</TD></TR>
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<BR>
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<HR>
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<A NAME="Page1052"> </A>
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<CENTER>
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<P><B>AN</B></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+2>EXPOSITION,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+1>W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=-1>OF THE</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S O N G O F S O L O M O N.</B></FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=150>
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</P></CENTER>
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<P>
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All <I>scripture,</I> we are sure, <I>is given by inspiration of God,
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and is profitable</I> for the support and advancement of the interests
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of his kingdom among men, and it is never the less so for there being
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found in it some things <I>dark and hard to be understood, which those
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that are unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruction.</I> In
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our belief both of the divine extraction and of the spiritual
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exposition of this book we are confirmed by the ancient, constant, and
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concurring testimony both of the church of the Jews, to whom were
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<I>committed the oracles of God,</I> and who never made any doubt of
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the authority of this book, and of the Christian church, which happily
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succeeds them in that trust and honour.
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I. It must be confessed, on the one hand, that if he who barely reads
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this book be asked, as the eunuch was <I>Understandest thou what thou
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readest?</I> he will have more reason than he had to say, <I>How can I,
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except some man shall guide me?</I> The books of scripture-history and
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prophecy are very much like one another, but this <I>Song of
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Solomon's</I> is very much unlike the songs of his father David; here
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is not the name of God in it; it is never quoted in the New Testament;
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we find not in it any expressions of natural religion or pious
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devotion, no, nor is it introduced by vision, or any of the marks of
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immediate revelation. It seems as hard as any part of scripture to be
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made a <I>savour of life unto life,</I> nay, and to those who come to
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the reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections, it is in
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danger of being made a <I>savour of death unto death;</I> it is a
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flower out of which they extract poison; and therefore the Jewish
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doctors advised their young people not to read it till they were thirty
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years old, lest by the abuse of that which is most pure and sacred
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(<I>horrendum dictu--horrible to say!</I>) the flames of lust should be
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kindled with fire from heaven, which is intended for the altar only.
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But,
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II. It must be confessed, on the other hand, that with the help of the
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many faithful guides we have for the understanding of this book it
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appears to be a very bright and powerful ray of heavenly light,
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admirable fitted to excite pious and devout affections in holy souls,
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to draw out their desires towards God, to increase their delight in
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him, and improve their acquaintance and communion with him. It is an
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allegory, the letter of which kills those who rest in that and look no
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further, but the spirit of which gives life,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+3:6,Joh+6:63">2 Cor. iii. 6; John vi. 63</A>.
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It is a parable, which makes divine things more difficult to those who
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do not love them, but more plain and pleasant to those who do,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+13:14,16">Matt. xiii. 14, 16</A>.
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Experienced Christians here find a counterpart of their experiences,
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and to them it is intelligible, while <I>those</I> neither understand
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it nor relish it who have no part nor lot in the matter. It is a son,
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an <I>Epithalamium,</I> or nuptial song, wherein, by the expressions of
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love between a bridegroom and his bride, are set forth and illustrated
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the mutual affections that pass between God and a distinguished remnant
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of mankind. It is a pastoral; the bride and bridegroom, for the more
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lively representation of humility and innocence, are brought in as a
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shepherd and his shepherdess. Now,
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1. This song might easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the Jewish
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church, for whose use it was first composed, and was so taken, as
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appears by the Chaldee-Paraphrase and the most ancient Jewish
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expositors. God betrothed the people of Israel to himself; he entered
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into covenant with them, and it was a marriage-covenant. He had given
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abundant proofs of his love to them, and required of them that they
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should love him with all their heart and soul. Idolatry was often
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spoken of as spiritual adultery, and doting upon idols, to prevent
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which this song was penned, representing the complacency which God took
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in Israel and which Israel ought to take in God, and encouraging them
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to continue faithful to him, though he might seem sometimes to withdraw
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and hide himself from them, and to wait for the further manifestation
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of himself in the promised Messiah.
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2. It may more easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the Christian
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church, because the condescensions and communications of divine love
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appear more rich and free under the gospel than they did under the law,
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and the communion between heaven and earth more familiar. God sometimes
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spoke of himself as the husband of the Jewish church
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+64:5,Ho+2:16,19">Isa. lxiv. 5, Hos. ii. 16, 19</A>),
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and rejoiced in it as his bride,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+62:4,5">Isa. lxii. 4, 5</A>.
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But more frequently is Christ represented as the bridegroom of his
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church
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+25:1,Ro+7:4,2Co+11:2,Eph+5:32">Matt. xxv. 1;
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Rom. vii. 4; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 32</A>),
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and the church as the bride, the Lamb's wife,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:7,21:2,9">Rev. xix. 7; xxi. 2, 9</A>.
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Pursuant to this metaphor Christ and the church in general, Christ and
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particular believers, are here discoursing with abundance of mutual
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esteem and endearment. The best key to this book is the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:1-17">45th Psalm</A>,
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which we find applied to Christ in the New Testament, and therefore
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this ought to be so too. It requires some pains to find out what may,
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probably, be the meaning of the Holy Spirit in the several parts of
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this book; as David's songs are many of them level to the capacity of
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the meanest, and there are shallows in them learned, and there are
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depths in it in which an elephant may swim. But, when the meaning is
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found out, it will be of admirable use to excite pious and devout
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affections in us; and the same truths which are plainly laid down in
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other scriptures when they are extracted out of this come to the soul
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with a more pleasing power. When we apply ourselves to the study of
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this book we must not only, with Moses and Joshua, <I>put off our shoe
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from off our foot,</I> and even forget that we have bodies, because
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<I>the place where we stand is holy ground,</I> but we must, with John,
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<I>come up hither,</I> must spread our wings, take a noble flight, and
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soar upwards, till by faith and holy love we <I>enter into the
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holiest,</I> for <I>this is no other than the house of God and this is
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the gate of heaven.</I></P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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