The discourse between the church and the daughters of Jerusalem is continued in this chapter: they inquire whither her beloved was gone, in order to seek him with her, Song 6:1; she tells them where he was gone, and for what purpose he went thither, and what he was doing there; and claims and…

Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? &c.] The title is the same used by them, and by Christ before them, ; and here repeated, to assure her that they were serious in asking this question, and that it was in great respect to her they put it; and which, to the same sense, in other…

My beloved is gone down into his garden Which may be said by Solomon, in allusion to what he himself was wont to do, as Josephus 16: relates; who used to go very early in a morning in great pomp to Etham, about two miles from Jerusalem, a pleasant place, abounding with gardens and flows of water:…

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine Expressive of interest in Christ, and union to him, and of her faith therein; which still continued, notwithstanding her unbecoming behavior toward Christ, and her many infirmities, (Song 5:2, Song 5:3) .

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah These are the words of Christ, who had been absent for some time, and till now silent; but, like another Joseph, could not refrain any longer, but makes himself known to his church, and bursts out in strong expressions of love to her, and in high…

Turn away thine eyes from me Her eyes of faith and love; not through dislike of them, but as ravished with them; his passions were so struck by them, and his heart pierced with them, that he could stand it out no longer against her; see (Song 4:9, Song 4:10) .

Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof everyone beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them]. (See Gill on Song 4:2).

As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. ] The same descriptions are given in ; (See Gill on Song 4:3); and these are repeated, to show the reality of the church’s beauty, and for the sake of confirmation; and that it still continued the same, notwithstanding her failings and…

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. ] In this verse and the church is commended as she stood related to others; and is compared with them, and preferred to them.

My dove, my undefiled, is but one Of these titles, see . Christ’s church is called one, in distinction from the many before mentioned; and either designs her small number, in comparison of the nations of the world, and of false churches, like one to sixty or eighty, and even to an innumerable…

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning? &c.] These words may be connected with the preceding, by a supplement of the word “saying”; and so may express what the daughters said, when they blessed and praised the church, wondering at her beauty, it being like the rising morning; so Helena is…

I went down into the garden of nuts This is very properly taken notice of in this song of love; it being usual for newly married persons to get nuts, and throw them among children, to make pastime; to signify, among other things, that they now renounced childish things [[19]].

Or ever one was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. ] These are either the words of the church or of Christ, saying, “I know not” [[23]] as the first clause may be rendered: if the words of the church, the sense may be, that though she knew not where her beloved was gone, when he…

Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return By whom the church is meant, so called from her being the spouse of Christ, the true Solomon; it being common for the wife to have the same name with her husband; thus, with the Romans, if the man’s name was Caius, the woman’s name was Caia: is the name…