BRIGHTMAN. Giving a ready reception to every suitor. NOYES. According to others: A door to keep safe what may be preserved in the house. THE DORET. If it be too weak or mean. PATRICK. In a low condition; only a door instead of a wall. GILL Allegorically; RASHI: If she (Israel) be open to seducers. ABEN EZRA: Liable to turn aside to other lovers. DEL RIO: Open to the Lord alone, and to His grace. FROMONDI: The Church a door into eternal life. MERCER: A wall the stronger and more confirmed believers; a door, the weaker and those not yet confirmed in the faith. WEISS: Those undecided and doubting,-moving to and fro on the hinges of unbelief. AINSWORTH: If she go forward in the faith and practice of the Gospel, built up, according to Nehemiah (chap. iii.), with doors for the safeguard of the inhabitants. COCCEIUS, on the contrary: A door admitting uncertain opinions, by which the ungodly may creep into her communion. DURHAM: A door giving entrance to Christ by faith.

'We will enclose her with boards of cedar.'

natsur, from 3, to press, enclose, restrain. GESENIUS. EWALD adds: With the additional idea of making unhappy. Will block or stop up. DELITZSCH. With boards or planks put on the inside to prevent it from turning and opening. ZÖCKLER. A door open to every one must be fastened with boards nailed to it EWALD. Figuratively : We will keep her in strict confinement, so that access to her shall be diflicult. NOYES. Will keep her in. BRIGHTMAN. Will take means to restrain and prevent her (Hos. ii. 7). ABEN EZRA. SANCTIUS. Her false freedom to be in that case limited. HAHN. We will so watch over that she shall be approachable to no seducer, and no courtier approachable to her. Will safely enclose her, so as not to be a mere thoroughfare. M. STUART. FAUSSET. According to others: We will render her firmer. MERCER. Fence her about. AINSWORTH. Further strengthen and adorn her. DURHAM. Provide for her in a manner suitable to her rank and circumstances. WILLIAMS. She shall be the graceful entrance to my favour and friendship. GOOD. Allegorically; THEODORET: We will give her rulers and pastors of the Church not liable to be corrupted. CocCEIUS: We will endeavour to fix and confirm her in doctrine and discipline. MERCER: Impart fresh grace to strengthen and adorn her. TIRINUS: The weak to be carefully strengthened, and occasion of falling removed. BRIGHTMAN: We will, by means of the civil magistrate, fortify and defend her against all toes, and make her to flourish. GILL: Will adorn her with grace here and

glory hereafter. WEISS: Will plunge he into awful calamities (Isa. xxix. i. 4).

VERSE 11. Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon., from ya baal, a lord, or according to some, a place; and

to המה hamnon), a multitude, from) המון

make a noise; the lord or place of a multitude.' GESENIUS, from Judith viii. 3, thinks the place was in the Holy Land, and especially to be sought in Samaria. EWALD rather thinks it may be Hammon (Josh. xix. 28), in the tribe of Asher, in the most fruitful part of Palestine. ZOCKLER prefers the Belamon mentioned in Judith viii. 3, in the tribe of Issachar, a locality not very far from Shunem; and thinks it mentioned here by Shulamite as an instance, very near her home, of a royal property let out at a high rent, in order to illustrate by it her relation to the king, as well as to her brothers: A vineyard became Solomon's,' i.e., he has it now,-not, he had it once. He thinks the name may have been derived from the Tyro-Egyptian god Ammon, who may have been worshipped there. MICHAELIS, after IKENIUS, thinks it another name for Baalbec. GILL: Perhaps Baalgad (Josh. xi. 17), in the valley of Lebanon. WEISS understands Jerusalem, a 'place of tumult or confusion' at the time referred to. SANCTIUS understands the name as denoting a place of many people,' i.e., desired by such to have a possession in it-a rich and fertile district, the place where the vineyard which was Shulamite's dowry lay-the same as Engedi. ABEN EZRA and GROTIUS think it a place not far from Jerusalem. The VULGATE reads: The Peaceable had a vineyard in her that has peoples. The ARABIC, WICKLIFF, and the DOUAI Version: In Jerusalem. Different views as to the reason of the introduction of the vineyard here. According to SANCTIUS, Shulamite means that she did not love her Bridegroom for the dowry he gave. The vineyard simply adduced by way of example. DELITZSCH, ZOCKLER. Introduced for contrast with her own vineyard, namely, her beauty or person, for which she did not wish any pecuniary income. NOYES. Mentioned as an example of Solomon's riches, of which she may have heard; spoken only in the way of narrative, to be afterwards applied to herself. EWALD. A vineyard or estate of Solomon's, with which she compares one given to her by him for her residence. FRY. vineyard which Shulamite had possessed in Baathamon, but which now appertained to Solomon as the dowry she had brought him, and which she now wishes to be given to her younger sister. Goon. The adult sister, as a newly-married bride, declares her estate, and

The

the diligence with which she would cultivate it for the benefit of her Bridegroom, comparing it with Solomon's in the same neighbourhood. DEL RIO, MERCER, &c. Allegorically; WICKLIFF and MATTHEWS: The synagogue speaks of the Church. COCCEIUS: Solomon the type of Christ; Baalhamon the world, among which Christ has His Church. PISCATOR, &c. The vineyard, the Church or congregation of the righteous. THEODORET: Men who apply themselves to religion and to Christ According to MAIMONIDES and the RABBINS: The literal Solomon is here meant, and a comparison made between some literal vineyard and the Church of

God. DEL RIO: The vineyard the Jewish. Church, with which is compared the Gentile Church, composed both of Jews and Gentiles. GILL, DAVIDSON, &c.: Baalhamon the Gentile world. M. STUART: Jerusalem, or the land of Israel; spoken by the joint Church of Jew and Gentile, or by the little sister. HAHN: The heathen world a vineyard belonging to the king of Israel, in the land of unrest and dispeace. BRIGHTMAN: Christ compares Himself and His vineyard to Solomon and his: Solomon unable to look to his own vineyard, while Christ personally attends to His Church (Matt. xviii. 20; Rev ii. 1),