Song of Solomon 3:2

“I will rise now, etc.] Perceiving she had taken a wrong method, and therefore unsuccessful, she fixes on another; and, in the strength of divine grace, determines to pursue it, and “now”, at once, immediately, without any delay, “rise” from her bed of sloth and ease, and forego her carnal pleasures, in pursuit of her beloved; which showed the sincerity of her love to him; and go about the city; not the city of Jerusalem, though there may be an allusion to it; but the spiritual city, of which saints are fellow citizens, where they dwell, and where the word is preached, and the ordinances are administered: and “going about” it, as she proposed, showed her diligence and industry in seeking him:…”

“The city - The city of God, the church in which Christ resides. Broadways - Not finding him in private prayer, and meditation, I sought him in the places of public assemblies and ordinances. Found not - He saw fit still to delay the discoveries of his grace. Song of Solomon (Canticles) 3:3”

“3:2 The poem is partly about a lover’s being willing and able to overcome all obstacles in order to be with the beloved. • Since the women of Jerusalem are mentioned frequently (3:5), the city is probably Jerusalem. Searching in all its streets and squares was an ambitious effort. • The king of Israel would probably not be outside in the city at night, and if he had his sixty-man entourage with him (3:7-8), she would find him easily. Rather, the woman appears to be looking for a common man in common places.”

“will rise: Sol 5:5; Isa 64:7; Joh 1:6; Mat 26:40, Mat 26:41; Rom 13:11; Co1 15:34; Eph 5:14 the streets: Pro 1:20, Pro 1:21, Pro 8:2, Pro 8:3, Pro 8:34; Luk 14:21-23 I sought: Psa 22:1, Psa 22:2, Psa 42:7-9, Psa 43:2-5, Psa 77:7-10 Song of Solomon (Canticles) 3:3”

“2 So I will arise, then, and go about the city, The markets, and the streets; I will seek him whom my soul loveth! - I sought him, and found him not. How could this night-search, with all the strength of love, be consistent with the modesty of a maiden? It is thus a dream which she relates. And if the beloved of her soul were a shepherd, would she seek him in the city, and not rather without, in the field or in some village? No; the beloved of her soul is Solomon; and in the dream, Jerusalem, his city is transported close to the mountains of her native home. The resolution expressed by "I will arise, then," is not introduced by "then I said," or any similar phrase: the scene consists of a…”