Song of Solomon 4:4

4:1-7 If each of these comparisons has a meaning applicable to the graces of the church, or of the faithful Christian, they are not clearly known; and great mistakes are made by fanciful guesses. The mountain of myrrh appears to mean the mountain Moriah, on which the temple was built, where the incense was burned, and the people worshipped the Lord. This was his residence till the shadows of the law given to Moses were dispersed by the breaking of the gospel day, and the rising of the Sun of righteousness. And though, in respect of his human nature, Christ is absent from his church on earth, and will continue to be so till the heavenly day break, yet he is spiritually present in his ordinances, and with his people. How fair and comely are believers, when justified in Christ's righteousness, and adorned with spiritual graces! when their thoughts, words, and deeds, though imperfect, are pure, manifesting a heart nourished by the gospel!

Song of Solomon 4:4-5 . Thy neck — This may represent the grace of faith, by which we are united to Christ, (as the body is to the head by the neck,) by which Christians receive their spiritual food, and consequently their strength and ability for action; is like the tower — Upright, firm, and strong; and moreover, adorned with chains of gold, or pearl, or the like ornaments; of David — Some tower built by David, when he repaired and enlarged his royal city, and used by him as an armory. Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers — Such as are reserved for the use of mighty men. A thousand is put indefinitely for a great number. Which feed among the lilies — In the fields where lilies grow.

(4) Tower of David. —This is not likely to be identified, when even the towers of Phasaelus and Hippicus, minutely described by Josephus, cannot be found. The structure at the north-west angle, known since the Crusades as the “Tower of David,” is Herodian. No clue would be given by the words in the text, “builded for an armoury,” even were it certain that this is their right rendering. The LXX. regard the Heb. thalpiôth as a proper name. Rabbinical authority is in favour of “as a model for architects,” but most modern commentators, though differing as to the etymology, agree in giving the sense of the English Version, which the context seems to require. (Comp. Ezekiel 27:11 : “They hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.”) The shields and targets made by Solomon for the house in the forest of Lebanon may have suggested this addition to an image which is repeated in Song of Solomon 7:7 , and, indeed, is too common to need remark. “Her snowy neck like a marble tower” (Spenser). “Her neck is like a stately tower” (Lodge).

Thy neck: this may seem to represent the grace of faith, by which we are united to Christ, as the body is to the head by the neck, and through which Christians receive their spiritual food, and consequently their strength and ability for action. Is like the tower of David; round, and smooth, and white, long, and straight, and upright, firm, and strong; and moreover, adorned with chains of gold or pearl, or the like ornaments; all which things, as they set forth the beauty of the neck, so they may signify the various excellencies and uses of faith. By this tower he understands either, 1. The strong hold of Zion, of which see 2 Samuel 5:7 . Or rather, 2. Some other tower built by David, when he repaired, and enlarged, and fortified his royal city, 1 Chronicles 11:8 , and used by him as an armoury. See Nehemiah 3:19,25-27 . A thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men; either, 1. Such as are fit and reserved for the use of mighty men. Or, 2. Such as had been used either by themselves, or by their enemies, from whom they took them by force, and were hung up there as trophies or monuments of victory; which is added, to show that the church is not only beautiful and glorious, but also strong and victorious over all her enemies, and to intimate the great power and exploits of faith, of which read Hebrews 11 , and which is compared to a shield, Ephesians 6:16 . A thousand is here put indefinitely for a great number.

4. neck—stately: in beautiful contrast to the blushing temples (So 4:3); not "stiff" (Isa 48:4; Ac 7:51), as that of unbroken nature; nor "stretched forth" wantonly (Isa 3:16); nor burdened with the legal yoke (La 1:14; Ac 15:10); but erect in gospel freedom (Isa 52:2). tower of David—probably on Zion. He was a man of war, preparatory to the reign of Solomon, the king of peace. So warfare in the case of Jesus Christ and His saints precedes the coming rest. Each soul won from Satan by Him is a trophy gracing the bride (Lu 11:22); (each hangs on Him, Isa 22:23, 24); also each victory of her faith. As shields adorn a temple's walls (Eze 27:11), so necklaces hang on the bride's neck (Jud 5:30; 1Ki 10:16).

4 . for an armoury ] lěthalpiyyôth . This rendering of a very difficult word follows the Talmud, which takes it to be a compound of tal , a form of the const. of tel , and piyyôth = ‘edges,’ i.e. swords. That gives ‘a mound in which swords were stored,’ ‘an armoury.’ But to compare a beautiful neck to a mound is impossible, and to call swords simply edges in a common name like this, would be very strange. Ewald renders ‘built for war hosts,’ connecting talpiyyôth with a similar Arabic word having that meaning. Delitzsch on the other hand translates, ‘built in or according to terraces.’ Perhaps the best rendering is Rothstein’s, built for trophies . He takes the root to be lâphâh , which in late Heb. in Aphel means to set in rows. Talpiyyôth would then be ‘repetitions of the act of setting in rows,’ and then ‘the things so set.’ The bride’s neck would, in that case, be compared to a tower adorned with trophies. Margoliouth in the Expositor , Jan. 1900, p. 45, takes the word to be a proper name. He points out that the LXX take it for the name of a place, and that the Arabic geographer Yakut says, Talfiatha is one of the villages of the ghutah or plain of Damascus. He would therefore translate, ‘the tower of David built towards Talpioth,’ and compares Song of Solomon 7:4 , “the tower of Lebanon which looks towards Damascus.” But can built to mean built so as to face?

whereon there hang a thousand bucklers ] Heb. the thousand bucklers , denoting that those referred to were known as belonging to the tower of David. For shields hung as adornments, cp. Ezekiel 27:11 , where of the gallant ship which is Tyre, it is said, “they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about, they have perfected thy beauty.” Cp. Davidson, in loc ., and 1Ma 4:57 . shields of mighty men] The Heb. here is shiltç hag-gibbôrîm . Shelet is generally translated shield , but Dr Barnes in the Expository Times , Oct. 1898, p. 48, deals very exhaustively with the word, and comes to the conclusion that it means armour, or equipment. In that case the translation would be, ‘all the equipments of the heroes.’ But shields hung round a tower might be used as a comparison for a beautiful neck adorned with jewels; suits of armour would not be so appropriate.

Verse 4. - Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all the shields of the mighty men. There is an evident change here in the character of the similitudes. The royal bridegroom does not forget to praise the majesty of his bride. The description now suits a royal queen. She is full of dignity and grace in her bearing. The tower referred to was no doubt that which was sometimes called "The tower of the flock" ( Micah 4:4 ), that from which David surveyed the flock of his people (cf. Nehemiah 3:16, 25 ) - the government building erected on Mount Zion which served as a court of justice. The word talpiyoth is an ἅπαξ λεγόμενον : LXX. θαλπίωθ , as if a proper name. Hengstenberg would render it "built for hanging swords," supposing it composed of two words - tal , from a root "to hang," and piyoth , "swords." But the word piyoth does not mean "swords," but the "double edges" of the swords. Kimchi renders. "an erection of sharp-cornered stones." Gesenius takes it from two roots, "to perish" and "to go," that is, exitialibus armis , which is very doubtful.

Ewald's explanation seems the best, "built for close troops, so that many hundreds or thousands find room therein," taking it from a root, connected with the Arabic, meaning, "to wrap together." Delitzsch, however, observes that both in Aramaic and Talmudic Hebrew words occur, like this, in the sense of "enclosure," i.e. joining together, one working into the other, so that it may be taken as meaning, "in ranks together." This view is supported by Doderlein, Meier, Aquila, Jerome, Vulgate ( propugnacula ), and Venetian ( ἐπάλξεις ). If this be accepted, it may mean "terraced," i.e. built in stories one above another. This would convey the appearance of the tall, straight neck better than any. Surrounded with ornaments, the neck would so appear. There is another suggestion, supported by Ginsburg and taken from Rashi and Rashbun, Jewish writers, that the word is a contraction for a noun meaning "instruction," and means "the model tower" - the tower built for an architect's model. It would be rendered, "built for the builder's model." The meaning "armoury" takes it as composed of two words, tael ," a hill," and piyoth ," swords." It was decorated with a thousand shields, which was a customary adornment of towers and castles (see Ezekiel 27:11 ). All the shields of heroes. We can scarcely doubt the reference in such words to the time of Solomon, and therefore to his authorship, as the allusion to heroes, or mighty men of valour, would be customary soon after the time of David.