The Song of Solomon

⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑

- Chapter 6 -

Bride: My beloved has descended to his garden, to the courtyard of aromatic plants, in order to pasture in the gardens and gather the lilies.(a)

(b)

I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me. He pastures among the lilies.(c)

More beautiful than all are you!

Groom to Bride: My love, you are beautiful: sweet and graceful, like Jerusalem; terrible, like an army in battle array.(d)

Avert your eyes from me, for they have caused me to fly away. Your hair is like a flock of goats, which have appeared out of Gilead.(e)

Your teeth are like a flock of sheep, which have ascended from the washing, each one with its identical twin, and not one among them is barren.(f)

Like the skin of a pomegranate, so are your cheeks, except for your hiddenness.(g)

There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.(h)

One is my dove, my perfect one. One is her mother; elect is she who bore her. The daughters saw her, and they proclaimed her most blessed. The queens and concubines saw her, and they praised her.(i)

(j)

Chorus to Groom: Who is she, who advances like the rising dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as elect as the sun, as terrible as an army in battle array?(k)

(l)

Bride: I descended to the garden of nuts, in order to see the fruits of the steep valleys, and to examine whether the vineyard had flourished and the pomegranates had produced buds.(m)

I did not understand. My soul was stirred up within me because of the chariots of Amminadab.(n)

Chorus to Bride: Return, return, O Sulamitess. Return, return, so that we may consider you.(o)

Footnotes

(a)6:1 Aromatic plants were used as incense in worship, as perfumes, and as medicinal ointments. The groom has left her to descend to his garden. Formerly, she wondered why he left; now she understands why. +The ‘areolam’ that the groom descends to represents the Church on earth, therefore, the translation prefers the larger ‘courtyard’ to the smaller ‘garden bed.’(Conte)

(b)6:1 My beloved is gone down into his garden:Christ, pleased with the good works of his holy and devout servants labouring in his garden, is always present with them: but the words is gone down, are to be understood, that after trying his Church by permitting persecution, he comes to her assistance and she rejoices at his coming.(Challoner)

(c)6:2 The groom and bride have been getting to know one another better, and now they have reached a point where they are dedicated to one another. Again the bride describes the groom as pasturing among lilies. The lily is a delicate flower, so a pasture with lilies in it must be a mild and verdant pasture, not a harsh land. +The faithful seek Christ, they find him, and then they adhere to him in love and faithfulness.(Conte)

(d)6:3 He again uses imagery from war and battles to describe his bride; these are the metaphors that he understands. The word ‘amica’ is feminine, so this is the groom describing the bride. +Christ was previously described as like a doe and yet also like a stag: meek and humble, yet bold and powerful. The Church similarly is described as both sweet and graceful, yet having the power and forcefulness of an army ready for a spiritual battle.(Conte)

(e)6:4 This verse must be the groom speaking, because he now explains why earlier he fled. He again compares the tresses of her hair to a flock of goats on a mountain side. +Christ is hidden from our eyes, yet He is ever present to His Church.(Conte)

(f)6:5 The groom again contemplates the exterior beauty of the bride, which is symbolic of her inner beauty. +Christ admires the beauty of the Church; she is never barren.(Conte)

(g)6:6 The groom realizes that the exterior beauty of the bride both reveals and hides her inner beauty. Her inner beauty is so great that it can never be completely expressed by her outer beauty. +Likewise, the Church has hidden beauty and holiness and grace that can never be completely expressed in words, nor realized by a mere mortal human mind.(Conte)

(h)6:7 There are many queens and concubines and maidens (waiting to become queens or concubines), but none can compare to the bride. The queens signify wives, the concubines symbolize those who have relations outside of marriage, the maidens symbolize those who remain chaste outside of marriage, including those who take vows. +There are many religions and philosophies in the world; there are many points of view that would reign supreme or would undermine whatever view does reign. And many more ideas are waiting in the wings, hoping to gain influence over society. But the Truth is one.(Conte)

(i)6:8 The groom extols not only his bride, but also her mother, who bore and raised her, and those maidens who recognized her as a model for them to imitate. Even the queens and concubines of Solomon praised her. +Christ extols the beauty of His Bride, the Church. He also extols the mother of the Church, who brought the Church into being, i.e. the Israelites. For the Christian faith came from the Jewish faith. Those not mature in faith still admire the Church; even those outside the Church eventually realize that the Catholic faith is the most blessed faith. Even the leaders of other religions and leaders of secular society will eventually praise the Catholic Church.(Conte)

(j)6:8 One is my dove, etc:That is, my church is one, and she only is perfect and blessed.(Challoner)

(k)6:9 The maidens seek further knowledge of the bride, whom they admire and seek to imitate and follow, from the groom. +Those not yet mature in the Faith seek further knowledge of the Church. They realize that the Church is advancing in holiness like the rising sun. Even in a time of darkness in the world, the Church is like the radiant moon, giving light throughout the night.(Conte)

(l)6:9 Who is she, etc:Here is a beautiful metaphor describing the church from the beginning. As, the morning rising, signifying the church before the written law; fair as the moon, showing her under the light of the gospel: and terrible as an army, the power of Christ’s church against its enemies.(Challoner)

(m)6:10 Earlier, the bride said that her beloved had descended to his garden of aromatic plants. But now she descends to a different garden, one that is difficult to access (in a steep valley) to see what has grown. +The Church seeks out the fruits of her labors, even in the seemingly inaccessible steep valleys of sinful souls, as well as in the vineyards of faithful souls.(Conte)

(n)6:11 The bride does not understand the state of the vineyard that she is examining. This cannot be the groom who does not understand because the groom represents Christ, who is God. The quadrigas is a particular type of chariot, one with four horses, used in battle. The word ‘Nescivi’ literally means ‘I did not know’ (perfect tense), but here it is used to mean ‘I did not understand.’ She is troubled because of a lack of understanding, not a lack of knowledge. + Amminadab means ‘the people of the prince.’ The word represents the powers of secular society and the chariots of Amminadab represent the force used by secular law enforcement and secular military force. Amminadab was also the name of Aaron’s father-in-law, who, though he was related to Aaron, did not join in the Jewish faith, i.e. he remained apart from true religion. The Church is troubled by the secular society, which exerts force through military and law enforcement, yet which is not governed by faith.(Conte)

(o)6:12 The chorus of maidens wishes to meditate upon the beauty of the bride. They ask her to return from examining the nearly inaccessible garden. They still seek further knowledge of the bride and groom, because they will eventually mature and become married themselves. +Those not yet mature in the faith are becoming mature in the faith by seeking and contemplating the Bride of Christ. They want the Church to turn away from secular society, which causes the Church to be disturbed.(Conte)