Song of Solomon 4:8

God the Word says to [the church], "You are all fair, my love, and there is no blemish in you," for guilt has been washed away. "Come here from Lebanon, my spouse, come here from Lebanon, from the beginning of faith you will pass through and pass on," because, renouncing the world, she passed through things temporal and passed on to Christ.

For Lebanon is interpreted as "whitening." What then is understood by Lebanon if not baptism, in which holy Church is washed with water and is whitened from the blackness of sins through the Holy Spirit whom she receives and through faith in Christ? Whence it …

Come from Lebanon, etc. Lebanon, if we follow the Hebrew etymology, is interpreted as whiteness; if the Greek, incense. Finally, above, where we read, To the hill of frankincense, some codices have, To the hill of Lebanon. However, both names evidently sound out the industry …

You will be crowned from the head of Amana, etc. Amana, Sanir, and Hermon are mountains of Cilicia or Judea, providing dens for lions and leopards and likewise other wild beasts; which clearly designate the proud hearts of the unbelievers, in which unclean spirits have …

What is understood by Amana, Sanir, and Hermon, namely the names of mountains, if not the powerful of this age? The wealthier they are, the more exalted and stronger they appear to be among the weak. But from these mountains holy Church is crowned, because …

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon,.... This is a new title given the church, my "spouse"; here first mentioned, because the day of espousals was over, Son 3:11; and having on the wedding garment, in which she was so fair and spotless, as before described, she looked somewhat like a bride, and the spouse of Christ; and is chiefly used by Christ, to prevail upon her to go with him, which relation, duty, and affection, obliged her to do.

Look - To the place to which I invite thee to go, which from those high mountains thou mayest easily behold. Of Leopards - From these or other mountains, which are inhabited by lions and leopards. This seems to be added as an argument to move the spouse to go with him, because the places where now she was, were not only barren, but also dangerous.

It is a precept; so we take it, like that ( ch. ii. 10, 13 ), Rise up, and come away. All that have by faith come to Christ must come with Christ, in holy obedience to him and compliance with him.

My spouse - The כלה callah which we translate spouse, seems to have a peculiar meaning. Mr. Harmer thinks the Jewish princess is intended by it; and this seems to receive confirmation from the bridegroom calling her sister, Son 4:9, that is, one of the same stock and country; and thus different from the Egyptian bride. Mr. Harmer’s opinion is very probable, that Two Queens are mentioned in this song: one Pharaoh’s daughter, the other a Jewess. See his outlines. But I contend for no system relative to this song.

The presence of Jesus Christ makes up for the absence of all besides (Lu 18:29, 30; Moses was permitted to see Canaan from Pisgah; Peter, James, and John had a foretaste of glory on the mount of transfiguration.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

The order and collocation of words in the Hebrew is grand and significant. With me from Lebanon, O bride, with me from Lebanon thou shalt come, shalt look around (or wander forth) from the height (literally “head”) of Amana, from the height of Shenir and Hermon, from dens of lions, from mountain-haunts of leopards. It is evidently a solemn invitation from the king in the sense of Psa 45:10-11. Four peaks in the same mountain-system are here named as a poetical periphrasis for northern Palestine, the region in which is situated the native home of the bride. (1) Amana (or Abana, 2Ki 5:12), that part of the Anti-libanus which overlooks Damascus. (2) Shenir or Senir, another peak of the same range (according to Deu 3:9, the Amorite name for Hermon, but spoken of here and in 1Ch 5:23 as distinct from it). (3) Hermon, the celebrated mountain which forms the culminating point of the Anti-libanus, on the northeastern border of the holy land. (4) Lebanon, properly the western range overlooking the Mediterranean, but here used as a common designation for the whole mountain system. Leopards are still not unfrequently seen there, but the lion has long since disappeared.