Exposition of the Song of Solomon, Chapter 1 · Verse 9-10
Vers. 9.
I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's Chariots.
Vers. 10.
Thy cheeks are comely with rows of Iewels, thy neck with chains of Gold.
The commendation followes, vers. 9, 10, in which the Bridegroom hath respect to two things, which afflicted her most in her condition. 1. That she was in hazard to be a prey to every sin, and to every enemy. 2. That she lay under many blots, and was made black by her own miscarriages; Therefore the Lord, that he might comfort her against those, is brought-in speaking thus: Thou art neither so weak, nor so black and unbeautiful as the world thinks thee, and as thou esteems of thy self, my testimony of thee is better to be believed, than either the worlds, or thy own; and I assert thee to be stately and strong, beautiful and comely.
First, Vers. 9. He sets out her statelinesse, strength and courage, by a similitude taken from horses, are (saith he) Horses stately and strong? For so in Iob is the horse described, Chap. 39. 19, 20, &c. and is not a Company of them much more stately, especially a company of Egyptian horses, which were the best in the World? 2 Chron. 1. 17. Isa. 31. 1. And if any in Egypt were beyond others, certainly Pharaoh the King had such in his own Chariots. Now (saith he) if these be lovely, strong and stately, then thou art so; For, I have compared thee to such: This expression, I have compared thee, bears out the confirmation of the assertion; for, it's not men that thinks thee so, but I who knows where true worth is, and who can be surety for my own assertion, I have said thou art as strong as these, I have likened thee to them, and made thee like them. This holds forth these things, 1. That there is an excellent courage and boldnesse, wherewith the believer is furnished beyond others, he is bold as a Lyon, Prov. 28. 1. both in duties and sufferings. 2. That there is in believers an undauntednesse of spirit, and an unconquerablenesse, that overcome they cannot be; better fight with all Pharaoh's Chariots, than with them, Zech. 12. Rev. 12. 3. The words hold out, that there is an infallible certainty in this truth; we have here Christ's verdict of it, he in his reckoning counts believers so, and he cannot be mistaken. 4. There is the cause, why the Bride is so strong and stately, he makes her so: And so these words, I have compared thee, may be taken efficiently, I have made thee comparable, or made thee to be like them; and there is an article in the Original, which may confirm this, and the words may be turned, like my company of horses, or of my horses; which shews that, as believers themselves …re Christ's, so also, whatever stock of spiritual strength and courage they have, it is his, and from him: And that they are Christ's, and made use of by him, shews the use of their strength, Micah 4. 13. and so Zech. 10. 3. they are called my goodly horse. 5. It implyes this, that it becomes not believers to droop, faint, or be discouraged under diff…culties, seing he hath past such a sentence, or given such a verdict of them; It's a reflecting on him, as if it were not so with them as he affirms, or as if he did bear false testimony concerning them. Now this courage, strength and boldnesse which is here attributed to believers, is to be understood of that which is competent to them peculiarly as believers; and their successe in all their spiritual conf…icts, is still to be looked upon with respect to the event, which is ever to be more than conquerours, in the issue at least, what ever appears for the present.
The second part of the commendation is, Vers. 10. Wherein her comelinesse and beautiful adorning, is set out: Though thou think thy self black (saith he) yet, Thy cheeks are comely with rows of Iewels, and thy neck with chains of Gold: What is meant by neck, or cheeks, or chains, or rows of Iewels, we think not necessary to be particularly inquired into; the allusion is to Women, who in these places, by such ornaments used to be adorned; and possibly there is here also an allusion to the horses of great ones, who are said to have chains of gold about their necks, Iudg. 8. 26.
The scope and sum of the verse may be taken up in these things, 1. That though the Bride have some infirmities, yet there is exceeding great comelinesse and lovelinesse to be seen in her, she is said to be comely, and that out of Christ's own mouth: Certainly grace puts much real beauty upon the person that hath it. 2. That she hath moe ornaments than one, there are here Iewels in the plural number, and chains of Gold also; one grace goes never alone, neither is imputed righteousnesse and sanctification ever separat; who ever hath one grace, hath all. 3. That this beauty which is to be seen on believers is universal, as to the subject; for, here one part of the body is adorned, as well as another, both neck and cheeks; the whole man is renewed, and the person is justified. 4. This comelinesse growes not of any stock within the believer, nor is it natural to him, but it's communicat or imparted beauty, such as is put on, a comelinesse proceeding from the beneficence of another, and is the work of a cunning workman. See Ezek. 16. 10, 11. where similitudes, like these in this Text, are made use of.