8 The voice of my beloved! lo, this—he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills. 9 My beloved 'is' like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this—he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice. 10 My beloved hath answered and said to me, 'Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away, 11 For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away—it hath gone. 12 The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land, 13 The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Commentary on Song of Solomon 2:8-13
(Read Song of Solomon 2:8-13)
The church pleases herself with thoughts of further communion with Christ. None besides can speak to the heart. She sees him come. This may be applied to the prospect the Old Testament saints had of Christ's coming in the flesh. He comes as pleased with his own undertaking. He comes speedily. Even when Christ seems to forsake, it is but for a moment; he will soon return with everlasting loving-kindness. The saints of old saw him, appearing through the sacrifices and ceremonial institutions. We see him through a glass darkly, as he manifests himself through the lattices. Christ invites the new convert to arise from sloth and despondency, and to leave sin and worldly vanities, for union and communion with him. The winter may mean years passed in ignorance and sin, unfruitful and miserable, or storms and tempests that accompanied his conviction of guilt and danger. Even the unripe fruits of holiness are pleasant unto Him whose grace has produced them. All these encouraging tokens and evidences of Divine favour, are motives to the soul to follow Christ more fully. Arise then, and come away from the world and the flesh, come into fellowship with Christ. This blessed change is owing wholly to the approaches and influences of the Sun of righteousness.