Introduction

Introduction to Sefer Shir HaShirim (The Song of Songs)

Sefer Shir HaShirim (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים), “The Song of Songs,” attributed to King Shlomo (Solomon), is revered as the holiest of songs — a poetic dialogue of love that transcends human romance and unveils the covenantal bond between the Mashiach (Messiah) and His Kehillah (Assembly). In the Hebraic Messianic Nazarene tradition, this scroll is read not merely as allegory but as a prophetic remez (hint) of the greater Shlomo, Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace), whose love for His people fulfills Torah and Besorah. The LXX (Septuagint) rendering enriches this vision, emphasizing the spiritual fragrance, covenantal intimacy, and eschatological hope embedded in the text.

Key Themes

Covenantal Love: The kisses, ointments, and vineyards symbolize Torah and Besorah, the Word made flesh, nourishing the soul.

Messianic Fulfillment: The Beloved is seen as Mashiach Yeshua, the righteous Branch (Tzemach Tzaddik), who leaps over mountains of sin to redeem His bride.

Communion & Intimacy: The inner chamber, the bed, and the garden enclosed represent prayer, covenant union, and the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh.

Suffering & Beauty: The bride is darkened by exile and persecution yet radiant with inner splendor, reflecting the hidden glory of the faithful remnant.

Eschatological Hope: The dawn, the lilies, and the fig tree budding point to the moed (appointed time) of final redemption and the eternal chuppah (wedding canopy).

Messianic Nazarene Reading

For the Nazarene believer, Shir HaShirim is not only a love song but a prophetic liturgy:

The bride = the faithful Kehillah, purified by covenant.

The Beloved = Mashiach Yeshua, Redeemer and Bridegroom.

The dialogue = ongoing communion between heaven and earth, Torah and Spirit, promise and fulfillment.

Thus, the Song becomes a sacred drama of redemption, where divine love conquers exile, sin, and death, leading to eternal union in the Kingdom.

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 1

The Shulamite's Longing for Her Beloved; The King's Chambers; The Dark and Beautiful Bride; Communion in the Vineyards of En Gedi

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1Shir HaShirim (The Song of Songs) , which is Shlomo (Solomon) 's, (The Melek (King) of Yisrael , a remez (hint) of the Mashiach (Messiah) who is the greater Shlomo , the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) , whose ahavah (love) for His Kehillah (Assembly) is the theme of this most holy song, the song that is above all other songs, even as the Mashiach is above all other kings.) 2"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for your breasts are better than yayin (wine)." (Thus, the Kehillah (assembly) of the faithful lifteth her voice in longing for the direct and intimate communication of the Davar Elohim (Word of God). The kisses of the mouth are the words of Torah (instruction) and besorah (gospel) that proceed from the lips of the Mashiach, for He is the Davar made basar (flesh). The breasts, which in this reading are the twin testimonies of the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) , are better than wine, for they nourish the nefesh (soul) with the sincere milk of the Davar , bringing not the intoxication of the olam (world) but the sober joy of yeshuah (salvation) . 3"And the smell of your shemen (ointments) is better than all spices: your Shem (Name) is ointment poured forth; therefore, do the young maidens love you."(The fragrance of the Mashiach 's anointing, the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) which rested upon Him without measure, is sweeter than all the spices of earthly chochmah (wisdom) and religious observance. His Shem, which is above every name, is as shemen poured forth from a broken vessel; when it is proclaimed, the fragrance of geulah (redemption) fills the house. Therefore the alamot (young maidens) , the pure in lev (heart) who have not defiled themselves with the idols of the age, love Him with an undying love.) 4"They have drawn you: we will run after you, for the smell of your ointments: the king has brought me into his closet: let us rejoice and be glad in you; we will love your breasts more than wine: righteousness loves you." (The Kehillah declareth that the Mashiach is drawn by the Av (Father) and by the longing of His people. They will run after Him with swift emunah (faith), drawn by the sweet savor of His anointing. The Melek hath brought her into his inner chamber, the closet of intimate tefillah (prayer) and communion, where she may behold His kavod (glory). There they rejoice not in wine but in Him. The love of His breasts, the twin fountains of Torah and Besorah, surpasseth all earthly pleasures. And tzedek (righteousness) loveth Him, for He is the Tzaddik (Righteous One), and all who are made righteous by His dam (blood) love Him with a pure love.) 5"I am black, and beautiful, you daughters of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Shlomo." (So speaketh the Kehillah, acknowledging her outward appearance in this olam. She is blackened by the scorching sun of persecution, by the toil of galut (exile), and by the reproach of the Mashiach which she beareth. Yet she is beautiful within, for the kavod of the Melek 's daughter is from within. The tents of Kedar, dark and weather-beaten, are the dwellings of the goyim (nations) among whom she sojourneth. Yet she is also as the curtains of Shlomo , the rich tapestries of the Mikdash (Sanctuary) , for she is the dwelling place of Yahuah, adorned with tiferet (splendor) invisible to the olam). 6"Look not upon me, because I am dark, because the shemesh (sun) has looked unfavourably upon me: my mother's sons strove with me; they made me keeper in the vineyards; I have not kept my own vineyard." (The Kehillah entreateth the daughters of Yerushalayim not to despise her for her lowly estate. The sun of affliction hath beaten upon her, and her own brethren according to the flesh, the children of Yisrael who knew not the Mashiach, strove against her. They appointed her to keep their vineyards, the outward forms and traditions, while she neglected her own kerem (vineyard), the inward life of tefillah and dveykut (cleaving) to Elohim (God). This is the confession of the faithful who have been burdened by the commandments of men but have not always tended the garden of their own lev (hearts).) 7"Tell me, you whom my nefesh (soul) loves, where you tend your flock, where you cause them to rest at noon, lest I become as one that is veiled by the flocks of your companions." (The Kehillah seeketh the Ro'eh Tov (Good Shepherd), the Mashiach who gave His nefesh for the tzon (flock). She asketh where He pastureth His sheep, where He maketh them lie down in the menuchah (rest) of the noon of trial, when the full heat of the day is upon them. She feareth lest she become as one who veileth herself, wandering in shame and confusion among the flocks of the hirelings who are not true shepherds, seeking the living among the dead, the truth among the many voices of the olam.) 8"If you know not yourself, you fair one amongst women, go you forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed your kids by the shepherd's tents." (The Mashiach answereth her, calling her "fair one amongst women," for she is beautiful in His sight through His own tzedek . He counselleth her that if she knoweth not where He feedeth, she is to follow the footsteps of the flocks, the tzaddikim (righteous ones) who have gone before, the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful remnant. She is to feed her kids, the young and tender nefashot under her care, by the tents of the true ro'im (shepherds) who labour in fidelity and not for hire.) 9"I have likened you, my companion, to my horses in the chariots of Paroh (Pharaoh)." (The Mashiach speaketh again. He compareth His Kehillah to the horses that drew the chariots of Paroh at the Yam Suf (Red Sea). As those horses were plunged into the sea yet brought through miraculously, so the Kehillah is plunged into the waters of tevillah (immersion) and raised to new life. She is set apart for the Mashiach as a steed is set apart for the king, no longer serving the Sar (Prince) of Mitzrayim (Egypt) but harnessed to the chariot of Yeshuah, carrying the Mashiach forth as a Conqueror.) 10"How are your cheeks beautiful as those of a dove, your neck as chains!" (In the Septuagint (LXX) rendering, the Mashiach praiseth her cheeks, which are as the cheeks of a yonah (dove), simple and pure, without guile. The dove is the emblem of the Ruach HaKodesh who descended upon the Mashiach , and the faithful bear the same Ruach . Her neck is as chains, not chains of bondage but chains of tiferet , the ornaments of mitzvot and the necklace of chochmah which adorn her with beauty Yahuah hath given.) 11"We will make you figures of gold with studs of silver."(The Mashiach and the Av, together with the Ruach, shall fashion the Kehillah into tzelem (images) of zahav (gold), refined in the fire of affliction, and studded with kesef (silver), the metal of kapparah (atonement) and geulah. She shall be a glorious Kehillah, not having spot or wrinkle, adorned as a bride for her Husband.) 12"So long as the Melek (King) was at table, my nerd (spikenard) gave forth its smell." (While the Mashiach reclineth at the table of beriyt, at the se'udah (feast) of His ahavah, His Kehillah poureth forth the fragrance of tehillah (praise). The nerd is the costly ointment of devotion, as Miryam (Mary) anointed His feet with spikenard, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. So the Kehillah anointeth her Beloved with todah (thanksgiving), and the fragrance goeth up before Yahuah as a sweet savor.) 13"My kinsman is to me a bundle of mor (myrrh); he shall lie between my breasts." (The Kehillah calleth the Mashiach her dod (kinsman, beloved), for He is her near of kin, her Goel (Redeemer), who hath purchased her with His dam. He is a bundle of mor, the spice of mavet (death) and burial. This mor lieth between her breasts, ever near her lev (heart), for she carrieth the memory of His mavet with her at all times, preaching His death until He come. The mor between the breasts, the twin fountains of Torah and Besorah, signifieth that both Testaments point to His atoning sacrifice as their center.) 14"My kinsman is to me a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of Engaddi."(In the LXX, the word is cypros (henna/camphor), a fragrant cluster. The Mashiach is a cluster of sweetness growing in the oasis of Engaddi , the fountain of the kid, a place of living waters in the wilderness. He is the fountain of mayim Chayim (living water) in the midst of a dry and thirsty land, and the cluster of His chesed (lovingkindness) is pressed forth for His bride, yielding the wine of yeshuah (salvation). 15"Behold, you are fair, my companion; behold, you are fair; your eyes are doves." (The Mashiach answereth her praise with His own. Twice He saith she is fair, for her beauty is twofold: that which He hath bestowed by creation, and that which He hath restored by geulah. Her eyes are as yonim (doves), full of the simplicity and purity of emunah, looking to Him alone, as the eyes of a dove are fixed upon her mate.) 16"Behold, you are fair, my kinsman, yes, beautiful, overshadowing our bed." (The Kehillah respondeth with her confession of His beauty. He is not only fair but beautiful, tamim (perfect) in all His ways. He overshadoweth their bed, their place of intimate union and menuchah. This is a remez of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) that overshadowed the Aron HaBeriyt (Ark of the Covenant) , for the Mashiach is the Kapporet (Mercy Seat) where Elohim and His people meet. He covereth her with the shadow of His wings, and in their bed of beriyt there is shalom and protection.) 17"The beams of our house are cedars; our ceilings are of cypress." (The Kehillah concludeth with a vision of the Bayit (House) of Yahuah, the dwelling place of Elohim among His people. The beams are erez (cedar) from Levanon (Lebanon), wood that resisteth corruption, a remez of the Mashiach whose basar saw no corruption. The ceilings are berotim (cypress), also incorruptible and fragrant. This house is the Kehillah of the Mashiach, built upon the foundation of the shlichim (apostles) and Nevi’im (prophets) , with the Mashiach Himself as the chief cornerstone. It is the Mikdash Me'at (Lesser Sanctuary) of the present age and the Heichal (Temple) of the age to come, wherein the kavod of Yahuah shall shine forth as the sun, and the faithful shall dwell secure in ahavah for the yemei olam (days of eternity).

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 2

The Rose of the Plain and the Lily of the Valleys; The Beloved Leaps Over the Mountains; The Winter Is Past; The Little Foxes; Mutual Possession Among the Lilies

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1"I am a flower of the plain, a lily of the valleys." (The Mashiach (Messiah) speaketh thus of Himself, the Chavatzelet haSharon (Rose of Sharon) and Shoshanat haAmakim (Lily of the Valleys), a humble blossom of the field, not of the lofty garden. He is the Anav (Meek One), the Tzemach Tzaddik (Righteous Branch), who sprang up from the dry ground of Yisrael, despised and rejected of men, yet fragrant before Yahuah. He groweth in the low places, for He descendeth to the valley of mavet (death) to bring life to His Kehillah (Assembly). 2"As a lily amongst thorns, so is my companion amongst the daughters." (Thus, the Mashiach extolleth His Kehillah, His beloved companion. She standeth out as a pure Shoshanah among the thorns of the olam hazeh (this world), surrounded by the prickly cares, deceptions, and unfruitful works of choshech (darkness). Yet she is uncorrupted, kept by the power of Elohim (God) through emunah (faith), a blemishless bride in the midst of a perverse generation.) 3"As the apple amongst the trees of the wood, so is my kinsman amongst the sons. I desired his shadow, and sat down, and his fruit was sweet in my throat." (The Kehillah answereth with a praise of her Dod (Beloved Kinsman), the Mashiach. As a fruitful apple tree among the barren trees of the forest, He alone giveth sustenance and delight. She longeth for His tzel (shadow), the shelter of His tzedek (righteousness), and sitteth under it with menuchah (rest), for He is the Ro'eh (Shepherd) who maketh her lie down in green pastures. His fruit—His Torah (instruction), His chesed (lovingkindness), His dam (blood) —is sweet to her taste, for He is the Lechem haChayyim (Bread of Life), and His words are spirit and life.) 4"Bring me into the wine house; set love before me." (She cryeth out to be led into the Beit HaYayin (House of Wine), the place of the se'udah (feast), the brit chadashah (renewed covenant) sealed by the wine of His dam. There she desireth that ahavah (love) be set before her as a banner, the standard of the Mashiach 's conquest over mavet and Sheol. She longeth for the table of the Melek (King), where the yayin maketh glad the lev (heart) and the mysteries of geulah (redemption) are revealed.) 5"Strengthen me with perfumes, stay me with apples: for I am wounded with love." (The Kehillah, overcome by the intensity of the Mashiach 's love, is cholath ahavah (faint with love). She asketh to be upheld by the besamim (fragrant balms) of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and sustained by the tapuachim (apples) of His promises and consolations. Her love-wound is from the arrow of the Davar (Word), which pierceth the nefesh (soul) with a sweet pain, the chesed that constraineth her to live no more for herself but for Him who died and rose again.) 6"His left hand shall be under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me." (The Kehillah resteth in the security of the Mashiach 's embrace. His left hand, the hand of din (judgment) , hath already fallen upon Him for her sake, and now it supporteth her head in teshuvah (repentance) and humility. His right hand of chesed draweth her near in tender rachamim (mercy) , a foretaste of the eternal embrace when she shall dwell in the chuppah (canopy) of His glory.) 7"I have charged you, you daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that you do not rouse or wake my love, until he please." (The Kehillah adjureth the banot Yerushalayim by the tzeva'ot (hosts) of heaven and earth not to disturb the Mashiach 's rest or force His hand before the appointed zman (time). The ahavah of Elohim worketh according to His own ratzon (will) and etzah (counsel); the bride awaiteth the ketz (end) with patient expectation, for the Mashiach Himself, though He tarry, will not delay beyond the moed (appointed time). 8"The voice of my kinsman! behold, he comes leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills." Suddenly the Kehillah heareth the kol Dodi (voice of my Beloved)! She discerneth His approach, swift and unhindered. He leapeth over the mountains of chet (sin) and boundeth over the hills of transgression, for nothing can impede His coming to His bride. This is the besorah (good news) of His first advent, and a promise of His parousia (coming) at the acharit haYamim (end of days). 9"My kinsman is like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of Baethel: behold, he is behind our wall, looking through the windows, peeping through the lattices." (He is like a gazelle, graceful and swift; He standeth at the door and knocketh. Behind the wall of the basar (flesh), He peereth through the windows of Torah and the lattices of nevuah (prophecy), revealing glimpses of His kavod (glory) to those who earnestly seek Him. Baethel, the House of El, signifieth the Mikdash (Sanctuary), where the Mashiach is both the Kohen and the Qorban.) 10"My kinsman answers, and says to me, Rise up, come, my companion, my fair one, my dove." (The Mashiach calleth His Kehillah to arise from the slumber of the olam. She is His yonah (dove) , pure and immaculate through His tzedek. He biddeth her come away, to leave the old leaven and the passing shadows, and to enter into the aliyah (upper room) of His shalom (peace). 11"For, behold, the winter is past, the rain is gone, it has departed." (The season of din and severity, the long winter of the Torah 's curse, hath passed for the faithful. The storm of Elohim 's wrath is spent upon the Mashiach; now the setav (winter) of alienation is over, and the springtime of ratzon (favor) and selichah (forgiveness) hath dawned through the et (time) of His yeshuah (salvation) . 12"The flowers are seen in the land; the time of pruning has arrived; the voice of the turtle-dove has been heard in our land." (The blossoms of tzedek and tehillah (praise) appear in the Kehillah. The zman haZamir (time of the pruning song) is come, for the Mashiach purgeth His vine that it may bear more fruit. The voice of the tor (turtle-dove), emblem of the Ruach HaKodesh and the gentle call of teshuvah, is heard throughout the land of Yisrael and among the goyim (nations) who receive the besorah.) 13"The fig tree has put forth its young figs, the vines put forth the tender grape, they yield a smell: arise, come, my companion, my fair one, my dove; yes, come." (The te'enah (fig tree), which is Yisrael, beginneth to bud, a sign that the yom (day) of her visitation is near. The gefanim (vines), the assemblies of the faithful, yield the fragrance of ruach and emunah. The Mashiach urgeth again: arise, come away, for the harvest is ready, and the bride must be gathered to her Beloved.) 14"You are my dove, in the shelter of the rock, near the wall: show me your face, and cause me to hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is beautiful." (The Mashiach calleth His yonah out of the clefts of the tzur (rock) —the Mashiach Himself, the Rock of Yisrael who was cleft for her—and from the wall of separation broken down by His mavet. He desireth her face revealed in tefillah, her voice lifted in zemirot (songs), for both are sweet and lovely to Him who loved her and gave Himself for her.) 15"Take us the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines put forth tender grapes." (The Mashiach and His Kehillah together wage war against the cunning shualim (foxes), the chetot (sins), kesilim (foolish thoughts), and mastemot (accusations) of Satan that spoil the young fruit of emunah. These little foxes seem small, but they destroy the s'madar (tender grapes) of ahavah and ma'asim tovim (good works). Vigilance is needed, for the vineyards are in the critical season of firstfruits.) 16"My kinsman is mine, and I am his: he feeds his flock amongst the lilies." (This is the great confession of the beriyt: mutual possession. The Mashiach belongeth to the Kehillah, and she to Him, by eternal chesed and beriyt. As the Ro'eh Tov (Good Shepherd), He leadeth His tzon (flock) not in barren wastes but among the shoshanim (lilies), the pure and holy ones who are His garden, His delight. There, in the midst of purity and beauty, He giveth them pasture and menuchah.) 17"Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, turn, my kinsman, be you like to a roe or young hart on the mountains of the ravines." (The bride longeth for the Yom Yahuah (Day of the Lord), the eternal morning when the shadows of mavet and chet shall flee away forever. Until that yom, she pleadeth with her Dod to be ever near, swift as a gazelle to her aid, even in the harim (mountains) of Beter (separation/ravines) , the clefts of sorrow and trial. She knoweth that He, who once was parted from her through the mavet of the cross, shall return in like manner, leaping over the mountains of division, to receive her unto Himself.)

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 3

The Night Search for the Beloved; The Watchmen of the City; The Ascent from the Wilderness; Solomon's Litter and the Crown of Espousals

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1"By night on my bed I sought him whom my nefesh (soul) loves: I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he listened not to me." (Thus, the Kehillah (Assembly) confesseth the dark season of hester panim (hiding of the face), when the Mashiach (Messiah) seemeth distant and silent. Upon her bed of ease and slumber, in the lailah (night) of spiritual dryness and the galut (exile) of the nefesh, she seeketh her Dod (Beloved). Yet ease yieldeth not His presence. She calleth out in tefillah (prayer), but the heavens are as brass. This is the portion of the faithful in the olam hazeh (this world): to long, to seek, and sometimes not to find, that her longing itself might be refined as zahav (gold) in the furnace of Elohim (God).) 2"I will rise now, and go about in the city, in the marketplaces, and in the streets, and I will seek him whom my nefesh loves: I sought him, but I found him not." (No longer content with the bed of sloth, the Kehillah ariseth with holy resolve. She goeth forth into the city, which is Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), the visible congregation of the faithful. She searcheth the marketplaces and the streets where men gather and the mitzvot (commandments) are taught. Yet even in the outward forms and busy throngs of religious observance, the Mashiach is not found by mere external seeking. The Shechinah (Presence) of Yahuah is not at the command of the seeker but at the gracious will of Him who giveth Himself to whom He pleaseth.) 3"The shomrim (watchmen) who go their rounds in the city found me. I said, Have you seen him whom my nefesh loves?" (The shomrim are the Nevi’im (prophets) and kohenim (priests) of old, and now the faithful ro'im (shepherds) who watch over the city of Elohim. The Kehillah asketh of them, for they should know the Mashiach, to whom all the prophets gave witness. Yet even the watchmen could only point the derech (way); they could not bestow the presence of the Beloved. As in the days of His basar (flesh) , the shomrim of Yisrael knew Him not, and so the bride must seek beyond the watchmen, pressing through to find Him whom her soul loveth.) 4"It was as a little while after I parted from them, that I found him whom my nefesh loves: I held him, and did not let him go, until I brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." (The yeshuah (salvation) of Yahuah cometh swiftly when the appointed zman (time) arriveth. Scarcely had she passed from the shomrim when she found her Dod. The Kehillah findeth the Mashiach not through the agency of men but through persevering tefillah and the direct drawing of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). She taketh hold of Him with the grip of emunah (faith) and would not let Him go, as Ya'akov (Jacob) wrestled with the Malach (Angel) and prevailed. She bringeth Him into her mother's house, even Tziyon (Zion), the mother of the faithful, and into the innermost chamber, the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies) of her lev (heart). This is the remez (hint) of the incarnation, when Yisrael held the Mashiach in her midst, and of every nefesh that receiveth Him into the deepest chamber of her being.) 5"I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that you rouse not nor awake my love, until he please." (Again, the solemn oath is pronounced, the third in the unfolding of this holy song. The Kehillah adjureth the banot Yerushalayim by the tzeva'ot (hosts) of heaven and earth, by the gazelles and hinds of the field, that they stir not up the ahavah (love) of the Mashiach before its appointed moed (season). The Mashiach came in the fullness of zman , born of a woman, born under the Torah , and He shall return at the ketz (end) , when the yom (day) of gladness is fully come. Let no man force the hand of Elohim or seek to hasten what He hath ordained in His own etzah (counsel). 6"Who is this that comes up from the wilderness as pillars of smoke, perfumed with mor (myrrh) and levonah (frankincense), with all powders of the perfumer?" (The daughters of Yerushalayim and the heavenly hosts behold the Kehillah arising from the midbar (wilderness) of this age, ascending like the smoke of the mizbeach (altar) from the qorbanot (offerings) of the faithful. She is perfumed with mor , the spice of the Mashiach 's mavet (death) and burial, and with levonah, the fragrance of tefillah and avodah (service) that ascendeth to shamayim (heaven) . All the powders of the rokem (perfumer) are the middot (virtues) and matanot (gifts) of the Ruach, the manifold graces that adorn her. Thus, the olam (world) asketh in wonder: who is this that riseth from the place of desolation, made beautiful by the spices of her Beloved?) 7"Behold Shlomo 's bed; sixty gibborim (mighty men) of the mighty ones of Yisrael are round about it." (The mittah (bed/litter) of Shlomo is a remez of the resting place of beriyt (covenant), where the Melek (King) dwelleth with His bride. Shlomo, whose name meaneth Shalom (Peace), foreshadoweth the Mashiach, the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace). Threescore gibborim, mighty warriors drawn from the flower of Yisrael, surround this resting place. The number sixty signifieth completeness in the warfare of the Kehillah, for six is the number of men multiplied by the ten of completeness; thus, the human redeemed and empowered for divine warfare encompasseth the presence of the King.) 8"They all hold a cherev (sword), being expert in war: every man has his cherev upon his thigh because of fear by night." (The gibborim of the Mashiach are armed and vigilant. They hold the cherev of the Davar Elohim (Word of God), which is sharper than any two-edged sword. They are expert in spiritual warfare, having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Each man hath his sword upon his thigh, signifying readiness at all times to wage war against the yetzer hara (evil inclination), the mastemim (accusers), and the principalities of choshech (darkness). The pachad baLailot (fear in the night) is the terror of din (judgment) and the assaults of Satan that come in the season of darkness, against which only the cherev of emunah and the Davar avail.) 9"King Shlomo made himself a appiryon (litter/palanquin) of woods of Levanon (Lebanon)." The appiryon is the royal travelling chamber, the Merkavah (chariot) of the beriyt in which the King carrieth His bride through the wilderness of this age. It is made of the woods of Levanon, the cedars of whiteness and incorruption. These cedars signify the Mashiach 's basar which saw no corruption in the grave, for He is the true cedar of Levanon , rooted in tzedek (righteousness) and lifted high upon the etz (tree) for all to behold. 10"He made the pillars of it kesef (silver), the bottom of it zahav (gold), the covering of it argaman (scarlet), in the midst of it a pavement of ahavah (love), for the daughters of Yerushalayim." (The appiryon of the Mashiach is His Kehillah and the beriyt of His dam (blood). The kesef pillars are the shlichim (apostles) and nevi'im , redeemed with the silver of kapparah (atonement) . The zahav bottom is the foundation of Elohim 's chesed (lovingkindness) and emunah that cannot be moved. The argaman covering is the royal dam of the Mashiach that protecteth from the storm of wrath, for scarlet is the color of blood and majesty. And the interior, paved with ahavah , is the very lev of the brit : the ahavah of Yahuah shed abroad in the hearts of the faithful by the Ruach HaKodesh , prepared for all the daughters of Yerushalayim who will enter into the bridal chamber.) 11"Go forth, you daughters of Tziyon (Zion) , and behold king Shlomo , with the atarah (crown) wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart." The banot Tziyon are summoned to come forth and gaze upon the Melek in His beauty. The atarah is the crown of yeshuah with which Yisrael , His mother after the flesh, crowned Him—but this crown was first of thorns, for the day of His espousals was the day of His mavet , when He purchased His bride with His own dam . Yet it was also the yom of the gladness of His lev , for by His suffering He brought many sons to kavod (glory) , and the joy that was set before Him sustained Him upon the etz . The faithful are bidden to go forth and behold this Melek , crowned with tiferet (splendor) , and to rejoice in His gladness, which is their geulah (redemption) . So shall they also receive the atarah of life that fadeth not away, when the Mashiach presenteth His Kehillah to Himself, a glorious bride without spot or wrinkle, in the yom of the great chuppah (wedding canopy) at the end of the age.

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 4

The Beloved's Praise of His Bride's Perfection; The Mountain of Myrrh; The Garden Enclosed and the Sealed Fountain; The Invitation to the Winds and the Bridegroom's Entry

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1"Behold, you are fair, my companion; behold, you are fair; your eyes are doves, besides your veil: your hair is as flocks of goats, which have appeared from Gilad (Gilead)." (The Mashiach (Messiah) breaketh forth in admiration of His Kehillah (Assembly), repeating the word "fair" to confirm and establish her beauty, which is His own tzedek (righteousness) imputed to her. Her eyes are as yonim (doves), innocent and single in purpose, gazing out from behind the veil of anavah (meekness) and hiddenness in the olam (world). The veil speaketh of separation: she is veiled to all but her Beloved, for her inner life is hid with the Mashiach in Elohim (God). Her hair, descending like a flock from the mountains of Gilad, signifieth the multitude of the faithful who follow the Mashiach down from the heights of testimony, streaming in orderly beauty, every hair numbered and placed by the Ro'eh (Shepherd)). 2"Your teeth are as flocks of shorn sheep, that have gone up from the washing; all of them bear twins, and there is not a barren one among them." (The teeth of the Kehillah are her teachers and ministers of the Davar Elohim (Word of God), who chew and break the bread of life for the nourishment of the flock. They are like shorn sheep, stripped of all boastfulness and pride, having gone up from the washing of tevillah (immersion) and the cleansing of teshuvah (repentance). Each beareth twins, bringing forth the twin truths of Torah (instruction) and chesed (lovingkindness) , din (judgment) and rachamim (mercy) , the letter and the spirit. Not one among them is barren; all who are truly washed in the mayim (water) of the Davar bear fruit that remained.) 3"Your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely: your cheeks are as the rind of a pomegranate, besides your veil." (The lips of the Kehillah are dyed with the shani (scarlet) of the Mashiach 's dam (blood), and her words are pleasant and full of grace, seasoned with salt. The rimmon (pomegranate), with its many seeds within one rind, speaketh of the unity and multitude of the faithful, their life hidden and fruitful behind the veil of outward humility. The rind is the outer appearance; the seeds are the hidden virtues and mitzvot (commandments) that abound within.) 4"Your neck is as the tower of David, that was built for an armoury; a thousand shields hang upon it, all darts of the mighty ones." (The neck, which joineth the head to the body, is the emunah (faith) of the Kehillah, by which the Mashiach, the Head, is united to His body. It is a tower built for an armoury, the Migdal David, where the weapons of spiritual warfare are stored. A thousand shields, the full number of divine protection, hang upon it—the promises of Yahuah, the shield of emunah , the breastplate of tzedek . All the darts of the gibborim (mighty ones) are there: the sharp arrows of tefillah (prayer) and the Davar that pierce the darkness. She is a stronghold, immovable, because the Mashiach hath made her so. 5"Your two breasts are as two twin fawns, that feed among the lilies."(The two breasts of the Kehillah are the twin testimonies: the Tanakh and the Beriyt Chadashah (New Covenant), both flowing with the sincere milk of the Davar. They are like twin fawns of a gazelle, tender yet swift, full of life and grace, feeding among the shoshanim (lilies) —the pure and holy ones in whom the Mashiach dwells. From these breasts the faithful draw the nourishment that causeth them to grow into the full stature of the Mashiach.) 6"Until the yom (day) dawn, and the shadows depart, I will betake me to the mountain of mor (myrrh), and to the hill of levonah (frankincense)." (The Mashiach speaketh of His departure and His continual intercession. Until the great Yom Yahuah (Day of the Lord) dawneth and the shadows of the present age flee away, He goeth to the mountain of mor — Gulgota (Golgotha) , the place of His mavet (death) —and to the hill of levonah —the heavenly Mikdash (Sanctuary) where He ever liveth to make intercession, His tefillah ascending as incense. The mor and levonah are forever joined: His sacrifice and His priesthood are eternal. He abideth in the place of mor and levonah , for the marks of His passion are ever before the throne, and His qorban (offering) is the perpetual fragrance of shamayim (heaven). 7"You are all fair, my companion; and there is no spot in you." This is the Mashiach 's final verdict upon His Kehillah. Through His kapparah (atonement) she is altogether beautiful; no blemish, no wrinkle, no spot of chet (sin) remaineth upon her. He hath cleansed her by the washing of water through the Davar, and He presenteth her to Himself a glorious Kehillah, holy and without blame. Her fairness is not her own but His tzedek that clotheth her as a bridal robe.) 8"Come from Levanon (Lebanon), my bride, come from Levanon: you shall come and pass from the top of Amana (Faith) , from the top of Senir and Chermon (Hermon) , from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards." (The Mashiach calleth His bride to leave the lofty places of the olam —the whiteness of Levanon, the height of Amana (faithfulness in the tongue of the nations, but also the pride of self-righteousness), Senir and Chermon, the peaks that border the land of promise. She must depart from the lions' dens, the strongholds of Satan who prowleth seeking whom he may devour, and from the mountains of leopards, the swift and fierce adversaries of the nefesh (soul). She is called to come away with her Beloved into the safety of His beriyt (covenant). 9"You have ravished our hearts, my sister, my spouce; you have ravished our hearts with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck." (The Mashiach speaketh here in the plurality of the Elohut (Godhead) —"our hearts." The Av (Father), the Ben (Son), and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) are all moved by the Kehillah 's love. One glance of emunah from her eye, one chain of mitzvot worn in ahavah (love), and the heart of the divine Bridegroom is overcome. This is the sod (mystery) of the delight that Yahuah taketh in His people, the segullah (treasured possession) that He hath purchased with His own dam.) 10"How beautiful are your breasts, my sister, my spouce! how much more beautiful are your breasts than yayin (wine), and the smell of your garments than all spices!" (Again He praiseth her breasts, the twin witnesses of Torah and Besorah (Gospel), declaring them better than the wine of this olam. Wine maketh glad the heart but passeth away; the milk of the Davar nourisheth unto eternal life. The fragrance of her garments—the tzedek of the Mashiach and the middot (virtues) of the Ruach —surpasseth all the spices of earthly chochmah (wisdom). Her very raiment is the righteousness of saints, white and clean, emitting the sweet savor of the Mashiach in every place.) 11"Your lips drop honeycomb, my spouce: honey and milk are under your tongue; and the smell of your garments is as the smell of Levanon." (The speech of the Kehillah is honey, for she speaketh the words of her Beloved. Honey and milk—the sweetness of chesed and the nourishment of Torah —are under her tongue, ever ready to be given to those who hunger. The scent of Levanon, the cedars of incorruption, clings to her garments because she dwelleth in the Mashiach, who is the true Levanon: white, pure, and fragrant with the life of Elohim.) 12"My sister, my spouce is a garden enclosed; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed." (The Kehillah is a gan na'ul (locked garden), set apart exclusively for the Mashiach. She is not open to the pollutions of the olam, the adulterous love of idols, or the defilements of the yetzer hara (evil inclination). The repetition "a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed" doubleth the certainty of her kedushah (holiness). The fountain is sealed with the chotam (seal) of the Ruach HaKodesh, the earnest of her inheritance, and no stranger may drink of her living waters. She is the Mashiach 's own possession, kept by the power of Elohim until the day of geulah (redemption). 13"Your shoots are a garden of rimmonim (pomegranates), with the fruit of choice berries; camphire with spikenard." (The shoots, or the tender plants that spring from the Kehillah , are the individual nefashot (souls) that grow in her. They form a paradise of pomegranates—full of the seeds of mitzvot —and choice fruits, each one a delight to the King. Camphire (henna) is the humility that abides in the valleys, and spikenard is the costly devotion that Miryam (Mary) poured upon the Mashiach, filling the house with fragrance. Thus, the garden is arrayed with lowliness and precious love.) 14"Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all woods of Levanon; mor (myrrh), aloes, with all chief spices." (The garden containeth every spice of tefillah, tzedakah (charity), tzom (fasting), and todah (thanksgiving). Saffron is the gold of emunah tried in fire; calamus is the upright stalk of halichah (walk); cinnamon is the sweet warmth of ahavah; the woods of Levanon are the cedars of tzedek that grow within her; mor is the fellowship of His sufferings, and aloes the bitter turned sweet by His chesed. All the chief spices are found in the Kehillah, for the fullness of the Mashiach dwelleth in her.) 15"A fountain of a garden, and a well of water springing and gurgling from Levanon." The Kehillah is not a stagnant cistern but a living fountain, fed by the inexhaustible spring of Levanon. This living water floweth from the Mashiach , the smitten Rock, and whosoever drinketh of it shall never thirst. The gurgling speaketh of the Ruach HaKodesh , who moveth and murmureth within her, a river of mayim chayyim (living water) springing up into eternal life. From her innermost being flow rivers, for she is joined to the source of all life. 16"Awake, O north wind; and come, O south; and blow through my garden, and let my spices flow out: let my kinsman come down to his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice berries." (The Kehillah crieth out for the Ruach to come from every direction—the north wind of adversity and the south wind of comfort—to blow upon her garden and release its fragrances. Both the bitter and the sweet are instruments in the hand of Yahuah to stir up the spices of chesed and emunah. She then inviteth her Dod (Beloved Kinsman), the Go’el (Redeemer) , to come into His garden and enjoy the fruits of His own planting. For the garden is His: "let my kinsman come down to his garden." She hath kept it for Him alone, and the fruits are the ma'asim tovim (good works) and praises of the faithful, which He delighteth to taste as the firstfruits of His yeshuah (salvation). This is the great invitation of the bride, and the Mashiach will surely come to His garden at the appointed zman (time), to sup with her and she with Him, in the yom (day) of the great banquet of ahavah.

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 5

The Beloved Enters His Garden; The Night Knock and the Bride's Hesitation; The Loss and the Wounding; The Praise of the Beloved's Excellencies

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1"1a "Let my kinsman come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice berries." So, the Kehillah (Assembly) concluded her invitation in the previous chapter. And now the Mashiach (Messiah) answereth: 1b "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my mor (myrrh) with my spices; I have eaten my bread with my honey; I have drunk my yayin (wine) with my milk." He accepteth the invitation of His bride and entereth His garden, which is the Kehillah of the faithful. The mor He gathereth is the remembrance of His own mavet (death) which she carrieth in her lev (heart). The bread is the pure avodah (service) of her hands; the honey is the sweetness of her ahavah (love); the yayin is the fruit of the gefen (vine), joy in the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit); the milk is the sincerity of her emunah (faith). Then He turneth to the assembled guests and crieth aloud: 1c."Eat, O friends, and drink; yes, brethren, drink abundantly." This is the se'udah (feast) of the beriyt (covenant), the table of the Melek (King) spread for all the rei'im (companions) of the Bridegroom, a remez (hint) of the se'udat haMashiach (Messianic banquet) at the ketz (end) of days, when all the faithful shall feast in the presence of Yahuah (the Lord)." 2"I sleep, but my lev (heart) is awake: the voice of my kinsman knocks at the door, saying, Open, open to me, my companion, my sister, my dove, my perfect one: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” (Now the bride recounteth a new trial. She sleepeth the sleep of spiritual slumber and ease in the olam hazeh (this world), yet deep within her lev keepeth vigil. The Mashiach standeth at the door and knocketh, as He saith in the Hitgalut (Revelation) to Yochanan (John): "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." He calleth her by every name of endearment—companion, sister, dove, perfect one—to quicken her response. His head is drenched with the dew of shamayim (heaven), the tears of His intercession and the sweat of His labor for her; His locks are wet with the drops of the night, for He hath endured the darkness of Gulgota (Golgotha) and the cold of the grave for her sake. He seeketh entrance to the lev of every faithful one, that He might sup with her and she with Him.) 3"I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" (The Kehillah (Assembly/Congregation) confesseth her sloth and reluctance. She hath put off the garment of mitzvot (commandments) and the readiness of sacrificial avodah. She hath washed her feet in the cleansing of tefillah (prayer) and teshuvah (repentance), and she feareth to soil them again in the way of opening to her Beloved. This is the voice of the faithful who grow comfortable in their own purity and forget the cost of receiving the suffering Mashiach, who calleth them to share in His afflictions. The flesh shrinketh from the night dew, from the cold, from the disturbance of ease.) 4"My kinsman put forth his hand by the hole of the door, and my belly moved for him." (The Mashiach thrusteth His hand through the opening of the door, the latch-hole, revealing a glimpse of His presence. The hand is that which was pierced by the nails for her transgressions. When the Kehillah beholdeth the print of the nails in that holy hand, her inward parts are moved with rachamim (compassion) and holy longing. The sight of the crucified Mashiach stirreth her from her slumber. So it is that the remembrance of His passion awakeneth the nefesh (soul) to open unto Him.) 5"I rose up to open to my kinsman ; my hands dropped mor (myrrh) , my fingers choice mor , on the handles of the lock." (At last the Kehillah ariseth with determination. Her hands are covered with mor, the spice of His mavet and burial, for she carrieth the fragrance of His qorban (offering) upon her. As she toucheth the lock to open, the mor floweth from her fingers upon the handles. This is the remez that whosoever openeth to the Mashiach must bear the mor of His cross upon their works; the fragrance of His humiliation and death must cling to all who would receive Him in fullness. The lock is the barrier of the will; the mor upon the handles signifieth that the door is opened only by the power of His passion.) 6"I opened to my kinsman; my kinsman was gone: my nefesh (soul) failed at his speech: I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he answered me not." The Kehillah, having delayed in opening, findeth that her Beloved hath withdrawn. This is the bitter fruit of sloth and hesitation in the derech (way) of ahavah . When the Mashiach calleth and the lev delayeth to answer, the zman (time) of visitation may pass. Her nefesh fainted within her; she had heard His voice, she had seen His hand, yet she tarried, and now He is withdrawn. She seeketh Him with tears and fervor, but He answereth not, for He would teach her to value His presence and to rise swiftly at His call. This is the portion of the faithful in times of hester panim (hiding of the face), when Yahuah seemeth distant, and the heavens are silent.) 7"The shomrim (watchmen) that go their rounds in the city found me, they struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me." (In her desperate search for the Mashiach, the Kehillah falleth among false shomrim, leaders and teachers who know not the Ro'eh Tov (Good Shepherd) . Instead of aiding her, they strike and wound her. These are the hirelings and the ravaging wolves who feed not the flock but beat the servants. They strip away her veil, the covering of anavah (meekness) and tzeniut (modesty), exposing her to open shame and reproach. This is the suffering of the faithful at the hands of false ro'im (shepherds), and a remez of the persecution that the Mashiach foretold would come upon His Kehillah from those who sit in the seat of authority but know not the Davar Elohim (Word of God). 8"I have charged you, O daughters of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), by the powers and the virtues of the field: if you should find my kinsman, what are you to say to him? That I am wounded with ahavah (love)." (The Kehillah turneth to the daughters of Tziyon (Zion) , adjuring them by all that is holy and mighty in creation. If they find her Beloved, let them bear this message: she is cholath ahavah (love-sick” or “sick with love”), faint and sick with love for Him. This is the cry of every faithful nefesh in the time of separation: that the Mashiach might know her love abideth still, even in His absence, even though the wounds of the shomrim , even in the darkness of the night—she is wounded, but it is with the sweet wound of love that He Himself hath inflicted.) 9"What is your kinsman more than another kinsman, O you beautiful amongst women? what is your kinsman more than another kinsman, that you have so charged us?" (The daughters of Yerushalayim, the Yisrael of the flesh or those yet unlearned in the sod (mystery) of the Mashiach, inquire with wonder: why is her Beloved so distinguished? This question permitteth the Kehillah to declare the excellencies of the Mashiach in a great hymn of praise, to speak His perfections, and to invite others to seek Him with her. Let every bride learn to give answer for the hope that is in her! 10"My kinsman is radiant and glowing, chosen out from myriads." The Kehillah beginneth her shir (song) of praise. He is tzach (dazzling, glowing) with the purity of shamayim, the brightness of the kavod (glory) of Elohim (God), for He is the or (light) of the olam . He is adom (ruddy) with the dam (blood) of His sacrifice, for He is the Adam HaSheni (Second Adam) , formed not of the adamah (earth) alone but of the union of Elohut (Godhead) and basar (flesh) . The redness speaketh of His true humanity and His passion. He is dagul me'ravavah , distinguished and exalted above ten thousands, the Chief among the myriads of malachim (angels) and tzaddikim (righteous ones) , for there is none like Him in all creation.) 11"His head is as very fine gold, his locks are flowing, black as a raven." The head of the Mashiach is the Elohut, for the head of Mashiach is Elohim. The fine gold, the ketem paz, speaketh of the purity, majesty, and eternal nature of His divine being. His locks, the adornment of the head, are the humbling of His basar, black as a raven, for He had no form nor comeliness that men should desire Him outwardly. Yet the flowing locks also speak of His eternal youth and His dedication—for raven-black hair is the mark of the Nazir (Nazirite) who is wholly consecrated to Yahuah. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 12"His eyes are as doves, by the pools of waters, washed with milk, sitting by the pools." (The eyes of the Mashiach are as yonim (doves), gentle and pure, not fierce or threatening. They are by the pools of waters, the waters of the Torah and the Ruach HaKodesh, ever watching, ever discerning. Washed with milk, His eyes are clear in their perceptions; He seeth all things with perfect taharah (purity) . Sitting by the pools, His gaze is at rest, for He is not anxious nor distracted but beholdeth all things with the perfect shalom (peace) of Elohim . These are the eyes that wept over Yerushalayim , that turned upon Kefa (Peter) in the hour of his denial, and that flame like fire in the vision of Yochanan.) 13"His cheeks are as bowls of spices pouring forth perfumes: his lips are lilies, dropping choice mor (myrrh)."(The cheeks of the Mashiach reveal His tender rachamim and chesed (lovingkindness), fragrant as gardens of spice. They were struck by the officers of the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest), and the beard of His cheeks was plucked by scorners; yet even in His humiliation, He poured forth the fragrance of selichah (forgiveness): "Father, forgive them." His lips are shoshanim (lilies), pure and beautiful, for His lips speak the Davar Elohim. From His lips droppeth liquid mor, the besorah (gospel) of His mavet and techiyyah (resurrection), a savor of life unto life for all who believe. 14"His hands are as turned gold set with beryl: his belly is an ivory tablet on a sapphire stone." (The hands of the Mashiach are His works and His power. Gold set with tarshish (beryl/chrysolite) speaketh of divine majesty adorned with jewels of varied beauty—the manifold works of His yeshuah (salvation). These hands were stretched forth upon the etz (tree) to save His people; they are full of strength to uphold, to heal, to bless, and to judge. His belly, the seat of inward affections, is as an ivory tablet on sapphire: ivory is the purity of His human nature, carved and polished; the sapphire is the blue of shamayim, for His inner being is the meeting place of heaven and earth, the heavenly Heychal (Temple) in which the fullness of Elohut (godhead) dwelleth bodily.) 15"His legs are marble pillars set on golden sockets: his form is as Libanus (Lebanon), choice as the cedars." (The legs of the Mashiach are the sure foundation of His malkut (kingdom). Marble pillars are steadfast and unshakable, enduring through all ages; the golden sockets are the tzedek (righteousness) and emunah (faithfulness) of Yahuah upon which He standeth. His whole form, His appearance, is like Levanon: tall, majestic, and incorruptible as the cedars of that mountain. He is choice as the cedars, for He is the tree of life, the true column of the Mikdash (Sanctuary), reaching from earth to heaven) 16"His throat is most sweet, and altogether desirable. This is my kinsman, and this is my companion, O daughters of Yerushalayim."The throat, the organ of speech and song, is mamtakim (most sweet) —all sweetness. His words are the words of eternal life, and His voice is the voice of many waters. The summation is given: kulo machamadim —He is altogether desirable, wholly lovely, lacking nothing. Every attribute, every feature, every word, every work is perfect and desirable above all others. This, she declareth, is her Beloved, her Kinsman, her Companion—and yet she speaketh to the daughters of Yerushalayim, inviting them to know Him also. She is not jealous of her own possession but would have all share in this love, for His excellencies are infinite.) 17"Whither is your kinsman gone, O you beautiful amongst women? whither has your kinsman turned aside? tell us, and we will seek him with you." (The daughters of Yerushalayim, moved by the bride's description, are now stirred to seek the Beloved for themselves. They acknowledge her as the beautiful one among women, and they ask whither He is departed, that they too might become seekers. The description of the Mashiach in His glory hath awakened desire in those who heard it. This is the fruit of testimony: when the Kehillah speaketh of the excellencies of the Mashiach, those who are yet daughters of the earthly Yerushalayim are drawn to join the search. She hath answered their question, and now they are ready to go with her to seek the Dod (Beloved), the Go’el (Redeemer), the Mashiach of Yisrael and of all the goyim (nations) .

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 6

The Beloved in His Garden of Spice; The Mutual Possession Confirmed; The Terrible Beauty of the Bride; The Garden of Nuts; The Chariots of Aminadab; The Return of the Shunamite

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1"My kinsman is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to feed his flock in the gardens, and to gather Shoshanim (lilies)." The Kehillah (Assembly) answereth the question of the daughters of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) from the end of the previous chapter, declaring whither her Beloved, the Mashiach (Messiah), hath withdrawn. He hath not abandoned His garden but hath gone down into its depths, to the beds of spice—the ordered and fragrant places of tefillah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity) in the hearts of the faithful. He feedeth His tzon (flock), not in the barren wilderness but in the gardens of His Kehillah among the goyim (nations), and He gathered Shoshanim , the pure and upright ones whose levavot (hearts) are undefiled. This is a remez (hint) of the Mashiach 's present work by His Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, tending and harvesting souls for the Olam Haba (World to Come). 2"I am my kinsman 's, and my kinsman is mine, who feeds amongst the Shoshanim." (The Kehillah repeateth the great confession of mutual possession. She belongeth utterly to her Dod (Beloved), purchased by His dam (blood), and He belongeth to her in the intimacy of the beriyt chadashah (renewed covenant) . He feedeth among the Shoshanim: He is a Ro'eh (Shepherd) who doth not stand aloof from His flock but dwelleth among them, delighting in the lilies of purity and ahavah (love) that He Himself hath planted. Where the lilies are, there is the Shepherd; where purity is, there is the Mashiach.) 3"You are fair, my companion, as Pleasure, beautiful as Yerushalayim, terrible as armies set in array." The Mashiach speaketh again over His bride. In this reading, she is fair as Tirtzah (Pleasure/Delight), a city of royal favor, a remez of the Kehillah as the dwelling of Elohim (God) 's delight. She is beautiful as Yerushalayim, the city of the great King, the place where the Shechinah (Presence) dwelleth. But she is also terrible —awe-inspiring, majestic, and fearsome—as armies set in battle array. The Kehillah is the tzava (host) of Yahuah (the Lord), the army of the living Elohim, drawn up under the banner of the Mashiach, terrible to the powers of choshech (darkness) and to all that exalteth itself against the knowledge of Elohim. 4"Turn away your eyes from before me, for they have ravished me: your hair is as flocks of goats which have appeared from Gilad (Gilead)." (The Mashiach is overcome by the gaze of emunah (faith) from the Kehillah . Her eyes, full of ahavah and yirah (fear) , conquer His lev (heart) . As Ya'akov (Jacob) prevailed with the Malach (Angel) , so the bride, by her steadfast gaze of faith, prevaileth with her Beloved. This is the sod (mystery) of intercessory tefillah : the faithful, by their importunity and single-eyed devotion, move the heart of the divine Bridegroom. Again He praiseth her hair, descending like goats from Gilad —the multitude of the faithful, streaming down from the mountain of testimony and witness, orderly and beautiful, every strand part of her adornment.) 5"Your teeth are as flocks of shorn sheep, that have gone up from the washing, all of them bearing twins, and there is none barren amongst them: your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely." The teeth, the teachers and ministers of the Davar Elohim (Word of God), are clean and fruitful, washed from all pride and self-seeking. Each beareth twins—the balance of Torah (instruction) and chesed (lovingkindness), din (judgment) and rachamim (mercy) —and none is barren, for all who are truly immersed in the mayim (water) of the Davar bring forth fruit to eternal life. Her lips are scarlet with the dam of the Mashiach, and her speech is comely with the besorah (gospel) of shalom (peace). 6"Your cheek is like the rind of a rimmon (pomegranate), being seen without your veil." (Here the veil is lifted, and the beauty of the Kehillah is beheld openly. The cheek, like the rind of a pomegranate, glows with the hidden life within—the many seeds of mitzvot (commandments) and ma'asim tovim (good works), the unity and fruitfulness of the Kehillah. In her glorified state, the veil is removed, and she is seen as she is: radiant with the kavod (glory) and the tzedek (righteousness) of the Mashiach.) 7"There are sixty melakot (queens), and eighty pilagshim (concubines), and alamot (maidens) without number." (In the olam (world), many claim the title of Kehillah, and countless are the religious assemblies and confessions. Yet among them all, only one is the true bride. The queens and concubines represent those with some measure of honor but not the full union of beriyt; the maidens without number are the multitudes of seekers who have not yet come to maturity. The Mashiach seeth beyond outward numbers and recognizeth only the one He hath chosen.) 8"My dove, my perfect one is one; she is the only one of her mothers; she is the choice of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and the queens will pronounce her blessed, yes, and the concubines, and they will praise her." The Mashiach singeth of His Kehillah 's uniqueness. She is achat (one), not many, for there is one body, one Ruach, one Mikveh (hope), one emunah, one tevillah (immersion), one Elohim and Av (Father) of all. She is the only one of her mother, the heavenly Yerushalayim which is above, the mother of all the faithful. She is the b'chirah (chosen), the elect of her who bore her. Even those who are not of the bride—the daughters, the queens, the concubines—shall see her kavod in the yom (day) of revelation and shall pronounce her blessed, for the glory of Yahuah shall be upon her, and all nations shall praise her as the city of the great King. 9"Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as armies set in array?" (The daughters of Yerushalayim and the heavenly watchers behold the Kehillah in her triumph and ask again the question of wonder. She looketh forth like the shachar (dawn) , for she is the herald of the eternal Yom Yahuah (Day of the Lord) . She is fair as the yareach (moon), for she reflecteth the or (light) of the Mashiach even in the night of this present age. She is choice as the shemesh (sun), for the Mashiach, the Shemesh Tzedakah (Sun of Righteousness), hath arisen upon her with healing in His wings, and she shineth with His brilliance. And she is terrible as armies arrayed for battle, for she is the victorious host of Yahuah Tzeva'ot (the Lord of Hosts), marching under the captaincy of the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace). 10"I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the gefen (vine) flowered, if the rimmonim (pomegranates) blossomed." (The Mashiach speaketh of His inspection of the humble places. He went down to the garden of egozim (nuts), a remez of the hidden wisdom of the Kehillah. The nut hath a hard shell (the letter of the Torah and the trials of the olam) and a sweet kernel within (the sod, the mysteries of the Mashiach). He looketh upon the green shoots of the valley, the lowly and contrite in spirit, and seeth whether the gefen —the Mashiach Himself as the true Vine—hath budded in their lives, and whether the rimmonim of mitzvot and fruitfulness are in bloom.) 11"There I will give you my breasts: my nefesh (soul) knew it not: it made me as the chariots of Aminadab." (The Kehillah respondeth with a sudden transport of surrender and exaltation. She will give her Beloved her breasts—the twin nourishments of Torah and Besorah, the milk of chochmah (wisdom) and yirah (fear). But she addeth, "my nefesh knew it not," for the height of her devotion and the swiftness of her translation are beyond her own understanding; she is caught up into the Mashiach by a power not her own. She is made as the merkavot (chariots) of Aminadab —"my noble people" or "my willing people" —swift and ready, drawn by the Ruach, carrying the Shechinah into battle and triumph. This is the chariot of the beriyt, in which the Kehillah rideth with her King, more than conqueror through Him that loved her.) 12"Return, return, O Shunamit (Shunamite) ; return, return, and we will look at you. What will you see in the Shunamit ? She comes as bands of armies." (The daughters of Yerushalayim and the whole company of heaven cry out for the Shunamit to return. This name is a remez: Shunamit cometh from Shunem, a village in Yissachar (Issachar) , but it also echoeth Shalem (Wholeness) and Shalom (Peace) . She is the bride from the place of peace, the Kehillah of the Mashiach who is our Shalom. The fourfold "return" is the cry of the ages for the full manifestation of the bride: come again from the wilderness, from the hidden places, from the exile, from the ascent. They ask what they shall see in her, and the answer is given: she cometh not as a solitary maiden but as bands of armies, the machanot (camps) of Yahuah, the ordered hosts of the tzaddikim (righteous ones), the bride adorned and arrayed for the great chuppah (wedding canopy) and the final triumph. Thus, the chapter closeth with the vision of the Shunamit returning in kavod, terrible and beautiful, the perfected Kehillah of the Mashiach in the yom of her full redemption.)

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 7

The Dance of the Daughter of the Prince; The Palm Tree and Its Clusters; The Bride's Mission into the Field; The Mandrakes and the Choice Fruits Laid Up

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1"Your steps are beautiful in shoes, O daughter of the prince: the joints of your thighs are like chains, the work of the craftsman." The Kehillah (Assembly) is acclaimed as the daughter of the Sar (Prince), the Mashiach (Messiah) Himself, who is the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) and the Sar Sarim (Prince of Princes). Her steps shod with sandals are the beautiful feet of those who proclaim the besorah (gospel) of shalom (peace), as it is written: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings." The joints of her thighs, the place where strength and motion meet, are likened to chala'im (ornaments/chains) wrought by a master Yotzer (Craftsman), even Yahuah (the Lord) Himself. The thighs are the pillars of generation, signifying the spiritual progeny of the Kehillah, the sons and daughters she bringeth forth in emunah (faith), fashioned not by human skill but by the hand of Elohim (God). 2"Your navel is as a turned bowl, not lacking liquor; your belly is as a heap of wheat set about with Shoshanim (lilies)." (The navel, the center and source of nourishment in the womb, is as a round mizrak (bowl) that never lacketh mezeg (mixed wine). This is the beriyt (covenant) in the dam (blood) of the Mashiach, the cup of yeshuah (salvation) ever flowing, mixed with the mayim (water) of the Davar (Word) , supplying life to all the members. Her belly, the womb from which new nefashot (souls) are born, is a heap of wheat—the Lechem HaChayyim (Bread of Life) multiplied in the body, the Mashiach Himself who is the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died. This heap is fenced about with Shoshanim , guarded by purity and kedushah (holiness) , for the fruit of the Kehillah is preserved undefiled.) 3"Your two breasts are as two twin fawns." The breasts of the Kehillah are the twin testimonies: the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant), or the Torah and the Besorah. They are as twin fawns of a gazelle—tender, quick, and full of grace, giving the sincere milk of the Davar to all who are newborn in the Kehillah. Twins speak of perfect harmony, for the two witnesses agree as one, both pointing to the Mashiach and His qorban (offering). 4"Your neck is as an ivory tower; your eyes are as pools in Cheshbon (Heshbon), by the gates of the daughter of many: your nose is as the tower of Libanus (Lebanon), looking towards Dammesek (Damascus)." The neck, the strong connection between head and body, is an ivory tower— emunah that is precious, enduring, and unyielding. Ivory is formed through suffering, for the elephant yieldeth its tusk at the cost of life, a remez (hint) of the Mashiach whose death purchased the Kehillah 's steadfastness. The eyes, pools in Cheshbon, the ancient city of Sichon (Sihon), are the Kehillah 's vision, deep and reflective as still waters. They are by the gates of Bat-Rabbim (daughter of many), looking out upon the multitudes of the goyim (nations) with rachamim (compassion). The nose, the organ of spiritual discernment, is the tower of Levanon facing Dammesek —the watchtower that discerneth the approach of friend or foe, ever vigilant against the adversary. 5"Your head upon you is as Carmel, and the curls of your hair like scarlet; the king is bound in the galleries." (The head of the Kehillah is the Mashiach Himself, for He is the Head of the body. He is as Carmel, the fruitful mountain blessed with the dew of shamayim (heaven), the place where Eliyahu (Elijah) called down the fire of Yahuah. The curls of her hair—the multitudes of the faithful, separate and dedicated as Nazirim (Nazirites) —are like argaman (scarlet/purple), the color of royalty and of the dam of the Mashiach. The King is bound in the rehatim (galleries/tresses): the Melek (King) is so captivated by the beauty of His bride that He is willingly held by the tresses of her devotion, bound to her by cords of ahavah (love) that can never be broken.) 6"How beautiful are you, and how sweet are you, my ahavah (love)!" The Mashiach bursteth forth in wonder at His Kehillah. She is not only beautiful in His sight, arrayed in His tzedek (righteousness), but sweet in all her inward graces, the fruits of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) that make her a delight to her Beloved. 7"This is your greatness in your delights: you were made like a palm tree, and your breasts to cluster." (The tamar (palm tree) is straight and tall, rising from the desert sands, flourishing where nothing else can grow. The Kehillah, in the wilderness of this olam (world), standeth upright and fruitful. The palm beareth its fruit at the top, hidden from the eyes of those below; so, the fruit of the Kehillah is heavenly, not earthly. Her breasts are like the clusters of dates—sweet, nourishing, and abundant. The palm tree is also the emblem of the Tzaddik (Righteous One) who flourisheth, for the Mashiach is the true Palm, and His Kehillah is made like Him.) 8"I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its high boughs: and now shall your breasts be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of your nose as tapuachim (apples)." (The Mashiach speaketh of His incarnation and passion: He would ascend the palm tree of Yisrael, taking hold of the branches, the faithful remnant. He shall cause her breasts to be as clusters of the gefen (vine), the fruit of the true Vine, the Mashiach Himself being formed in her. The fragrance of her nose, her spiritual discernment, shall be as the sweet savor of apples, the fruit of chochmah (wisdom) and yirat Elohim (fear of God). 9"And your throat as good yayin (wine), going well with my kinsman, suiting my lips and teeth." (The throat of the Kehillah , the organ of speech and zemirot (songs) , is like the best wine. This yayin goeth down pleasantly for her Dod (Beloved Kinsman) , suiting His lips and teeth. The wine of her tehillah (praise) and todah (thanksgiving) is that which the Mashiach drinketh anew in the Malchut (Kingdom) through the worship of His people. It is smooth upon the palate, not sharp or sour, for it proceedeth from a pure lev (heart) and is offered in ahavah). 10"I am my kinsman 's, and his desire is towards me." The Kehillah maketh the ultimate confession of belonging and belovedness. She is wholly His, bought with a price, and His teshukah (desire) is set upon her—a profound mystery, that the Creator of the heavens and the earth should fix His love upon a creature. This is the ahavah of the Av (Father) and the Ben (Son) for the Kehillah, the eternal purpose that was purposed in Mashiach Yeshua before the foundation of the olam. 11"Come, my kinsman, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages." Secure in His love, the Kehillah now calleth her Beloved to go forth with her into the field of harvest. The sadeh (field) is the olam, white for the reaping. She desireth to lodge in the kefarim (villages), the humble and out-of-the-way places where the besorah hath not yet been proclaimed. The Mashiach goeth with His Kehillah, even to the end of the age, and where two or three are gathered in His Shem (Name), there He lodgeth with them. 12"Let us go early into the keramim (vineyards); let us see if the vine has flowered, if the blossoms have appeared, if the rimmonim (pomegranates) have blossomed; there will I give you my breasts." (She proposeth an early-morning inspection of the vineyards—the assemblies of the faithful throughout the olam. Together, she and her Beloved walk as husbandmen, examining the fruit: whether the gefen, the Mashiach Himself, hath flowered in new converts; whether the blossoms of emunah have opened; whether the rimmonim of mitzvot and fruitfulness are in bloom. And there, in the fruitful vineyard, she will give Him her breasts—the very nourishment of her Torah and Besorah, all that she hath of the Davar. It is in the work of the Malchut (Kingdom) that the deepest intimacy with the King is found. 13"The duda'im (mandrakes) have given a smell, and at our doors are all kinds of choice fruits, new and old. O my kinsman, I have kept them for you." (The duda’im, the love-apples that Reuven (Reuben) found in the field, are the emblem of fruitful union and long-awaited desire. Their fragrance filleth the air, signaling that the time of harvest and fulfillment is near. At the doors are stored up all manner of choice fruits: chadashim (new things) and yeshanim (old things), the new wine of the Beriyt Chadashah and the aged wine of the patriarchs and prophets, the fresh revelations of the Ruach and the ancient paths of the Torah . She hath kept them all for her Dod, her Go’el (Redeemer) , for all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in the Mashiach , and she hath gathered them only to offer them back to Him in tehillah , awaiting the great Yom (Day) when He shall come and sup with her, and she with Him, in the eternal se'udah (feast) of ahavah)

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 8

The Longing for Unveiled Intimacy; The Seal Upon the Heart; Love Strong as Death; The Little Sister; The Vineyard of Solomon; The Mountains of Spices

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1"I would that you, O my kinsman, were he that sucked the breasts of my mother; when I found you without, I would kiss you; yes, they should not despise me." (The Kehillah (Assembly), dwelling still in the olam hazeh (this world), poureth forth her deepest longing. She desireth that the Mashiach (Messiah) were as a brother born of the same mother, Tziyon (Zion), sharing fully in her basar (flesh) and blood—as indeed He did, taking upon Himself the seed of Avraham (Abraham) and being made like unto His brethren in all things. If He were openly present in the streets, she would lavish her ahavah (love) upon Him without shame, and none would despise her for her devotion. Now she must love by emunah (faith), veiled; in the Olam Haba (World to Come) she shall love by sight, openly, and all the world shall honor her.) 2"I would take you, I would bring you into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me; I would make you to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my rimmonim (pomegranates)."She longeth to lead the Mashiach into the house of Yisrael, her mother after the flesh, into the innermost chamber of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) , the place where the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) conceived her as a holy nation. There she would give Him spiced wine to drink—the yayin (wine) of her tefillah (prayers) mingled with todah (thanksgiving) and the sweet spices of chesed (lovingkindness) —and the juice of her rimmonim, the pressed fruit of mitzvot (commandments) and ma'asim tovim (good works). All that she hath is for her Dod (Beloved). 3"His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me." This is the third sounding of this refrain, a seal upon the perfection of rest. The left hand of din (judgment) hath already fallen upon the Mashiach for her sake, and now it beareth up her head in anavah (meekness) . The right hand of chesed encircles her in tender rachamim (mercy) . She resteth in the finished work of her Beloved, secure in His twofold grip of justice satisfied and grace outpoured. 4"I have charged you, you daughters of Yerushalayim, by the virtues of the field, that you stir not up, nor awake my ahavah (love), until he please." For the fourth and final time the solemn adjuration is given, sealing this charge with the number of the earth, the four corners of the olam (world). The Kehillah warneth all who would force the consummation of the beriyt (covenant) before the moed (appointed time) of Yahuah (the Lord) . The Mashiach came first in the fullness of zman (time); He shall return at the ketz (end) which the Av (Father) hath set. Let no man hasten by false prophecy or carnal zeal what Elohim (God) alone bringeth to pass in His perfect etzah (counsel) . 5"Who is this that comes up all white, leaning on her kinsman? I raised you up under an apple tree; there your mother brought you forth; there she that bore you brought you forth." (The daughters of Yerushalayim and the heavenly hosts behold a new wonder: the Kehillah arising from the midbar (wilderness) of this age, now not blackened by the sun but all white , clothed in the tzedek (righteousness) of the Mashiach , leaning not upon her own strength but wholly upon the arm of her Beloved. She hath learned the secret of dependence and hath been cleansed of every stain. The Mashiach answereth, recalling the tapuach (apple tree) where He awakened her—the etz (tree) of Gulgota (Golgotha) , the place of mavet (death) become the place of life. There, beneath the cross, her mother Tziyon travailed and brought forth the Kehillah in blood and water, the dam of atonement and the mayim of tevillah (immersion) 6"Set me as a seal upon your lev (heart), as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as mavet (death); jealousy is cruel as Sheol (the grave), her shafts are shafts of fire, even the flames thereof." (The Kehillah pleadeth to be set as a chotam (seal) upon the Mashiach 's heart and arm—His inward affections and His outward power. The seal is the Ruach HaKodesh, the earnest of her inheritance, impressing the image of the Mashiach upon His people. His ahavah is stronger than mavet, for by His techiyyah (resurrection) He conquered the grave. His kin'ah (jealousy) for His bride is as unyielding as Sheol; He will not give His glory to another nor share His beloved with idols. The shafts of this divine jealousy are shafts of esh (fire) , the shalhevetyah (flame of Yah) that purifieth and consumeth all that is not of Him. This is the holy fire of the beriyt, unquenchable, eternal, and utterly consuming. 7"Much water will not be able to quench love, and rivers shall not drown it; if a man would give all his substance for love, men would utterly despise it." (The mayim rabbim (many waters) of tribulation, persecution, and even the Mabul (Flood) of din cannot extinguish the ahavah of the Mashiach for His bride. Rivers of sorrow, years of galut (exile), waters of mavet itself—none can quench this flame. And this love is beyond all price: if a man were to offer the entire hon (wealth) of his house, all his works and merits and treasures, in exchange for this love, it would be utterly scorned. Yeshuah (Salvation) is by chen (grace) alone, the free gift of Elohim, not by silver or gold or human striving. The love of the Mashiach is not for sale, and the love of the Kehillah is not for hire. 8"Our sister is little, and has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister, in the day wherein she shall be spoken for?" (The speakers are the Kehillah and her Dod together, looking with compassion upon a younger sister not yet mature. This little one is the company of the goyim (nations) yet to be gathered, or the Kehillah in its infancy before the Mashiach 's coming in the basar. She hath no shadayim (breasts) —no developed understanding of Torah and Besorah to nourish others, no fully formed witness. How shall she be prepared for the yom (day) when the Mashiach speaketh for her, when the proposal of beriyt is extended? 9"If she is a chomah (wall), let us build upon her silver bulwarks; and if she is a delet (door), let us carve for her cedar panels." (The Kehillah and her Beloved answer together. If the little sister be a chomah —steadfast, standing firm in emunah against the enemies—they shall adorn her with bulwarks of kesef (silver), the gleaming protection of kapparah (atonement), surrounding her faithfulness with beauty and strength. If she be a delet —open, receptive, welcoming the Mashiach —they shall enclose her with panels of erez (cedar), the fragrant wood of Levanon (Lebanon) , signifying the incorruption and sweet savor of the Mashiach 's own nature. Whether she stand in battle or open in welcome, she shall be secured, adorned, and made ready for her espousals.) 10"I am a chomah, and my breasts are as towers; I was in their eyes as one that found shalom (peace) ." The bride, now mature, declareth with confidence: she is a wall, built up in emunah and tzedek , no longer a little sister. Her breasts are as towers—strong and elevated, the twin testimonies of Torah and Besorah able to nourish multitudes. And in the eyes of all who behold her, she is as one who hath found shalom. The Mashiach Himself is our Shalom, and in Him she hath found perfect peace with Elohim, the menuchah (rest) that remaineth for the people of Yahuah. 11"Shlomo (Solomon) had a vineyard in Baal-Hamon; he let his vineyard to keepers; everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver." This is a parable within the Shir (Song). Shlomo, a figure of the Mashiach in His earthly glory, had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon —"lord of a multitude." This representeth Yisrael under the Torah, a vineyard let out to notrim (keepers), the kohenim (priests), nevi'im (prophets) , and rulers. Each was to bring the fruit thereof, a thousand pieces of kesef, signifying complete and costly avodah (service). Yet the vineyard yielded wild grapes. The thousand pieces speak of the perfection of mitzvot required, which none of the keepers could fully render. 12"My vineyard, even mine, is before me; Shlomo shall have a thousand, and they that keep its fruit two hundred." The bride, the true Kehillah of the Mashiach, speaketh now. She hath a kerem (vineyard) that is her very own, given her by her Beloved: the Kehillah of the faithful under the beriyt chadashah (renewed covenant) . She tendeth it in direct communion with her Dod, not entrusting it to hirelings. As for the earthly Shlomo and his keepers, let them have their due—but her vineyard she yieldeth wholly to her Beloved. The two hundred pieces for the keepers may signify the twofold ahavah —love of Elohim and love of rei'a (neighbor) —which is the fruit of the Torah inscribed upon her lev. Her vineyard is kept not for wages but for ahavah, and all its fruit is offered freely. 13"You that dwell in the gardens, the chaverim (companions) listen to your voice: make me hear it." The Mashiach speaketh to His Kehillah who dwelleth in the enclosed gardens of the faithful. The chaverim —the achim (brethren), the fellow-heirs of the beriyt —are attentive to her voice. They wait to hear her tefillah, her zemirot (songs), her testimony. But the Mashiach Himself desireth above all to hear her voice: "Make me hear it." Her words are sweet to Him, her tehillah (praise) is His delight, and He longeth for the sound of her kol (voice) raised in ahavah. The bride is not silent; her voice is the instrument of worship, and the Bridegroom inclineth His ear. 14"Away, my kinsman, and be like a doe or a fawn on the mountains of spices." (The Shir closeth with this final, breathless cry of the Kehillah (Assembly). She biddeth her Goel (Redeemer) to hasten away—to flee from the restraint of shamayim (heaven) itself—and to come leaping over the mountains of besamim (spices). These mountains are the accumulated tefillot, the fragrant ma'asim tovim, the sweet savor of the Kehillah 's devotion through all the ages, which rise as a mountain range before Yahuah. He is to come as swiftly as a gazelle, bounding over every hindrance, drawn by the fragrance of His bride made ready. This is the cry of the Ruach and the Kehillah together: "Bo, Adon Yeshua!" —"Come, Lord Yeshua!" The mountains of spices are the culmination of history, the full measure of the sufferings of the Mashiach in His body, the completion of the Kehillah 's preparation. And so, the Shir HaShirim endeth as it began—with the voice of the bride calling for her Beloved, a call that shall be answered when the zman(A set tim, season, or appointed moment) is full, and He returneth to receive her unto Himself, that where He is, there she may be also, in the eternal se'udah (feast) of ahavah. Sof Davar — The End of the Matter.)

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Shir HaShirim

Introduction

Introduction to Sefer Shir HaShirim (The Song of Songs)

Key Themes

Messianic Nazarene Reading

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 1

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 2

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 3

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 4

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 5

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 6

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 7

Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon)—Chapter 8