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Expanded Comments | Additional Comments |
| 1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
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I am come into – The Lord, speaking after his return. R4249:4*
My garden – That aggregation of individuals which contains both the sister class and the spouse class. R4249:4*
My sister – Foolish virgins, the Great Company. R4249:4*
My spouse – Wise virgins, eventually to be the Lamb's wife. R4249:4*
Gathered my myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
Have drunk my wine – Spirit of the Lord, truth, righteousness, sound mind. R3962:6
Under the influence of which men are heard for their much speaking. R4249:4*
With my milk – Symbol of food for spiritual babes. A24; D577
"The sincere milk of the Word." (1 Pet. 2:2) R4249:4*
Eat, O friends; drink – Reverently, devotedly, thoughtfully, prayerfully, tearfully perhaps; as we think of our Redeemer's love and sacrifice. R1505:1, R2436:6
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| 2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. |
I sleep – The great body of nominal Christendom would be asleep when the Lord would come. R4249:5*
My heart waketh – The Little Flock, the wise virgins, would be awake. R4249:5*
Voice of my beloved – Christ, at the second advent. R506:1*
That knocketh – "Behold I stand at the door and knock." (Rev. 3:20) R506:1, * R505:6*
Open to me – The door of the heart, and admit the Lord to govern every action, word and thought. R4249:5*
My dove – Symbol of peace and purity. E212
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| 3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? |
Have put off my coat – Failed to recognize the necessity of the robe of Christ's righteousness and esteemed it lightly. R4249:5*
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| 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. |
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| 5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. |
Sweet smelling myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. |
Had withdrawn himself – The foolish virgins realized that the thing for which they had been praying for 1800 years was to be consummated. R4249:5*
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| 7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. |
Went about the city – Babylon, Christendom. D527
Smote me – The zeal of the foolish virgins was aroused to the extent of suffering bitter persecution. R4249:5*
Of the walls – Symbol of civil powers that defend Babylon. D40
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| 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. |
Daughters of Jerusalem – Professed children of the Kingdom. R4232:5*
The foolish virgins finally succeed in interesting the Jews in the message of the gospel. R4249:5*
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| 9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? |
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| 10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. |
Chiefest among 10,000 – In the eyes of the Bride, the Church; to those whose eyes are opened. F74; R1063:2*
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| 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. |
The most fine gold – Symbol of the divine nature. T18
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| 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. |
Of waters – Symbol of truth. C65
Washed with milk – Symbol of foundation truths. (Heb. 5:12) A24; D577
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| 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. |
Sweet smelling myrrh – Symbol of wisdom. R4093:2*
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| 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. |
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| 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. |
As the cedars – Symbol of everlasting human life. T109
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| 16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. |
His mouth – Utterance. B305
Altogether lovely – Is Christ in the eyes of his Church, yet to the sinful, envious, hateful heart of the fallen man "There is no beauty in him." (Isa. 53:2) E161, E162; R1063:2*
This is my friend – The chiefest of all heavenly treasures is the personal love and friendship of Christ. R1820:3
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