Song of Solomon - Grace Notes

SONG OF SOLOMON Page 51By C. F. Keil and F. Delitzscha Grace Notes studytamashy, to walk, then, to contemplate).Lebanon is the name of the Alpine range whichlies in the N.-W. of the Holy Land, and stretchesabove 20 (German) miles from the Leontes(Nahr el-Kasmîe) northwards to the Eleutheros(Nahr el-Kebîr). The other three names herefound refer to the Anti-Libanus separated fromthe Lebanon by the Coelo-Syrian valley, andstretching from the Banis northwards to theplain of Hamâth.Amana denotes that range of the Anti-Libanusfrom which the springs of the river Amanaissue, one of the two rivers which the Syriancaptain (2 Kings 5:12) named as better than allthe waters of Israel. These are the Amana andPharpar, i.e., the Baradâ and A’wadsh; to theunion of the Baradâ (called by the GreeksChrysorrhoas, i.e., “golden stream”) with theFeidshe, the environs of Damascus owe theirghuwdat, their paradisaical beauty.Hermon (from רַ‏ ם ‏,חָ‏ to cut of; cf. Arab. kharomand makhrim, the steep projection of amountain) is the most southern peak of theAnti-Libanus chain, the lofty mountains (about10,000 feet above the level of the sea) whichform the north-eastern border of Palestine, andfrom which the springs of the Jordan take theirrise.Another section of the Anti-Libanus range iscalled Senir, not Shenir. The name, in all thethree places where it occurs (Deut. 3:9; 1Chron. 5:23), is, in accordance with tradition, tobe written with Sin. The Onkelos Targum writesטורא דמסרי paraphrases, the Jerusalem ‏;סריוןputrid, (the mountain whose fruits become פירויviz., on account of their superabundance); theשהוא שובא הניר otherwise: Midrash explains(the mountain which resists being broken up bythe plough),—everywhere the writing of theword with the letter Sin is supposed. Accordingto Deut. 3:9, this was the Amorite name ofHermon. The expression then denotes that theAmorites called Hermon—i.e., the Anti-Libanusrange, for they gave the name of a part to thewhole range—by the name Senîr; Abulfeda usesArab. snîr as the name of the part to the north ofDamascus, with which the statement ofSchwarz (Das h. Land, p. 33) agrees, that theHermon (Anti-Libanus) to the north-west ofDamascus is called Senîr.panthers, to the present day inhabit the ‏,נְׁ‏ מַ‏ רִ‏ יםclefts and defiles of the Lebanon, and of theAnti-Libanus running parallel to it; whereaslions have now altogether disappeared from thecountries of the Mediterranean. In Solomon’stime they were to be met with in the lurkingplacesof the Jordan valley, and yet morefrequently in the remote districts of thenorthern Alpine chains. From the heights ofthese Alps Solomon says Shulamith shall alonewith him look down from where the lions andpanthers dwell. Near these beasts of prey, andyet inaccessible by them, shall she enjoy theprospect of the extensive pleasant land whichwas subject to the sceptre of him who held hersafe on these cliffs, and accompanied her overthese giddy heights. If “mountain of myrrh,” soalso “the top of Amana” is not withoutsubordinate reference. Amana, proceeding fromthe primary idea of firmness and verification,signifies fidelity and the faithful covenant as itis established between God and thecongregation, for He betrothes it to Himself(“in faithfulness”), Hos. 2:22 [20]; the באמונהcongregation of which the apostle (Eph. 5:27)says the same as is here said by Solomon ofShulamith. Here for the first time he calls herloq., for that, according to the usus ‏;כַ‏ לָ‏ תִ‏ י not ‏,כַ‏ לָ‏ הwould mean “my daughter-in-law.” Accordingly,it appears that the idea of “daughter-in-law” isthe primary, and that of “bride” the secondaryone. לָ‏ ה ‏,כַ‏ which is = לּולָ‏ ה ‏,כְׁ‏ as לָ‏ ה ‏,חַ‏ a cake, is =‏,כְׁ‏ לּולות (cf. that which is pierced through ‏,חֲ‏ לּולָ‏ הbeing espoused; Jer. 2:2), appears to mean (cf.what was said regarding חָ‏ תָ‏ ן under 3:11b) herwho is comprehended with the family intowhich, leaving her parents’ house, she enters;not her who is embraced = crowned with agarland (cf. Arab. qkll, to be garlanded; tēklîl,garlanding; iklil, Syr. klilo, a wreath), or her whois brought to completion (cf. the verb, Ezek.27:4, 11), i.e., has reached the goal of her