The Song of Solomon

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

Nocturnal longing

Bride: On my bed, throughout the night, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, and did not find him.(a)

(b)

I will rise up, and I will circle through the city. Through the side streets and thoroughfares, I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, and did not find him.(c)

The watchers who guard the city found me: “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”(d)

When I had passed by them a little, I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not release him, until I would bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who bore me.(e)

Groom to Chorus: I bind you by oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the does and the stags of the open field, not to disturb or awaken the beloved, until she wills.(f)

The wedding procession

Chorus to Groom: Who is she, who ascends through the desert, like a staff of smoke from the aromatics of myrrh, and frankincense, and every powder of the perfumer?(g)

Chorus to Bride: Lo, sixty strong ones, out of all the strongest in Israel, stand watch at the bed of Solomon,(h)

all holding swords and well-trained in warfare, each one’s weapon upon his thigh, because of fears in the night.(i)

Bride to Chorus: King Solomon made himself a portable throne from the wood of Lebanon.(j)

He made its columns of silver, the reclining place of gold, the ascent of purple; the middle he covered well, out of charity for the daughters of Jerusalem.(k)

O daughters of Zion, go forth and see king Solomon with the diadem with which his mother crowned him, on the day of his espousal, on the day of the rejoicing of his heart.(l)

Footnotes

(a)3:1 She uses the masculine ‘quem’ and ‘illum’, so this is her speaking to him. +The Church seeks knowledge of Christ, but Christ is greater than the ability of the Church to understand Him, so He always remains partly unknown to the Church. Christ is ineffable, even to Mary and to the Church.(Conte)

(b)3:1 In my bed by night, etc:The Gentiles as in the dark, and seeking in heathen delusion what they could not find, the true God, until Christ revealed his doctrine to them by his watchmen, (ver. 3,) that is, by the apostles, and teachers by whom they were converted to the true faith; and holding that faith firmly, the spouse (the Catholic Church) declares, ver. 4, That she will not let him go, till she bring him into her mother’s house, etc., that is, till at last, the Jews also shall find him.(Challoner)

(c)3:2 She uses the masculine ‘quem’ and ‘illum’. She continues from the previous verse. +The Church does not always succeed, in the short term, in finding the whole truth about Christ; she must seek and not find for a time, just as the Apostles fished all night and caught nothing, until Christ arrived.(Conte)

(d)3:3 She continues from the previous verse. The word ‘vigiles’ is rendered ‘watchers’ rather than ‘watchmen’ because, in one level of meaning, the watchers are the holy Angels. + The Church seeks help from the holy Angels, for they also know and follow the Christ. Even the holy Angels do not completely comprehend the mysteries of Christ.(Conte)

(e)3:4 She uses the masculine ‘quem’, ‘eum’, and ‘illum.’ She continues from the previous verse. Therefore, this is the Bride speaking again. +The Church, in seeking further insights about Christ, is allowed to seek for a time before finding; once the Church finds a truth about Christ, it holds that truth and does not let it go. The Virgin Mary, mother of the Church, assists us in holding on to Christ and to the truths of His teaching.(Conte)

(f)3:5 Now he is speaking again to her peers, the daughters of Jerusalem, and he refers to her as ‘ipsa’ in the feminine, therefore, this is the groom speaking. +Christ speaks to those who are daughters of the Church, asking them not to trouble the Church. The Church sometimes appears to be at rest or asleep. The Church rests in Christ. The Church also sleeps in the sense of sometimes being unresponsive.(Conte)

(g)3:6 This cannot be the bride speaking, because she would speak about herself in the first person. And it cannot be the groom, because he is more knowledgeable about his bride than the chorus. So it must be the chorus, inquiring so as to understand the bride even better. +Now the daughters of Jerusalem answer the groom. He says don’t wake her, and they reply, asking for more information about her. This represents those who are new to the Faith, or immature in the Faith, or who have not yet joined the Church, asking for help in their understanding of the Church and of Mary.(Conte)

(h)3:7 After asking about the bride to be, the chorus notes that Solomon is disquieted on his bed, despite being surrounded by many soldiers, because he is anxious for her to arrive. Who is she who can disquiet a king? +Christ (represented by Solomon, the groom) is anxious for the arrival of the Church, on her pilgrim journey to Heaven. The Chorus, in seeking knowledge of the Church and of Mary are led to inquire about God the Father.(Conte)

(i)3:8 There are four watches to the night, so the 60 soldiers guarding Solomon served 15 soldiers for each watch of the night. The daughters of Jerusalem note that all the worldly power of Solomon does not prevent one from fears in the night. This is a continuation of the previous question ‘who is she’? In other words, who is she who can disquiet the king on his bed? So this must be the chorus speaking. +The Church is anxious for the eventual Return of the Christ, who returns in the fourth watch of the night. No amount of money or weapons can protect the Church from her time of suffering prior to Christ’s Return.(Conte)

(j)3:9 The Chorus asks the bride about the groom, noting he is disquiet on his bed. The bride replies to the Chorus, speaking about the dignity of Solomon on his throne. She understands him better than the chorus, so they are the one’s inquiring and she is the one answering. The phrasing ‘portable throne’ is from the original Douai Bible. +God instructed the Israelites to make a portable tabernacle for the arc of the testimony, like a portable throne for the glory of God. The Church answers the chorus (of those seeking Christ), telling them about the throne of Christ, who is God.(Conte)

(k)3:10 The middle was not just ‘stravit,’ covered; it was ‘constravit,’ well-covered. The prefix ‘con’ intensifies the meaning of the word. It was well-covered, so that the daughters of Jerusalem would not see all of the king’s figure and desire him. The bride notes the chastity and charity of the king. +The glory of God is not entirely accessible to the Church, for God is ineffable. Therefore, even to the whole Church, even to the Magisterium, even to the Blessed in Heaven, God is beyond complete human comprehension. God is always to some extent unknown and alone and unreachable, except to Himself. The Church teaches about the chastity and charity of the Christ.(Conte)

(l)3:11 Now the bride tells the daughters to go to the king to see him in person. She talks about his mother and his wedding day. This is the manner of speech of a woman: talking about his mother and the rejoicing of his heart at his espousal. +The Church says to those who wish to be espoused to Christ as the Church is espoused to Him, to consider the kingship of God, Christ’s Father, and the joy brought to those who unite themselves to the Church and to God.(Conte)

Nocturnal longing

By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.

I will get up now, and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.

The watchmen who go about the city found me; “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.

I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up nor awaken love, until it so desires.

The wedding procession

Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the merchant?

Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage! Sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel.

They all handle the sword, and are expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh, because of fear in the night.

King Solomon made himself a carriage of the wood of Lebanon.

He made its pillars of silver, its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, the middle of it being paved with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.

Go out, you daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother has crowned him, in the day of his weddings, in the day of the gladness of his heart.