Song of Solomon 4:8

“Come with me from Lebanon, [my] spouse, with me from Lebanon, etc.] This is a new title given the church, my “spouse”; here first mentioned, because the day of espousals was over, (<220311>Song of Solomon 3:11); and having on the wedding garment, in which she was so fair and spotless, as before described, she looked somewhat like a bride, and the spouse of Christ; and is chiefly used by Christ, to prevail upon her to go with him, which relation, duty, and affection, obliged her to do. The invitation is to come with him from Lebanon, which is repeated, to show earnestness and vehemency; not Lebanon, literally taken, a mountain to the north of the land of Canaan, famous for odoriferous trees,…”

“The order and collocation of words in the Hebrew is grand and significant. With me from Lebanon, O bride, with me from Lebanon thou shalt come, shalt look around (or wander forth) from the height (literally “head”) of Amana, from the height of Shenir and Hermon, from dens of lions, from mountain-haunts of leopards. It is evidently a solemn invitation from the king in the sense of Psalms 45:10-11. Four peaks in the same mountain-system are here named as a poetical periphrasis for northern Palestine, the region in which is situated the native home of the bride. (1) Amana (or Abana, 2 Kings 5:12), that part of the Anti-libanus which overlooks Damascus. (2) Shenir or Senir, another peak of the…”

“Come - Unto the mountains of myrrh. Look - To the place to which I invite thee to go, which from those high mountains thou mayest easily behold. Of Leopards - From these or other mountains, which are inhabited by lions and leopards. This seems to be added as an argument to move the spouse to go with him, because the places where now she was, were not only barren, but also dangerous. Song of Solomon (Canticles) 4:9”

“4:8 Mount Amana, Senir, and Hermon are the three northernmost peaks in Israel and the highest point on the border with Lebanon. They represent the height of the couple’s ecstasy, from which they must at times descend.”

“with me: Sol 2:13, Sol 7:11; Psa 45:10; Pro 9:6; Joh 12:26; Col 3:1, Col 3:2 from Lebanon: Deu 3:25 Shenir: Deu 3:9; Jos 12:1 from the lions': Psa 76:1, Psa 76:4 Song of Solomon (Canticles) 4:9”

“8 With me from Lebanon, my bride, With me from Lebanon shalt thou come; Shalt look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From dens of lions, From mountains of leopards. Zckl. interprets אתּי in the sense of אלי, and תּשׁוּרי in the sense of journeying to this definite place: "he announces to her in overflowing fulness of expression that from this time forth, instead of the lonely mountainous regions, and the dangerous caves and dens, she shall inhabit with him the royal palace." Thus also Kingsbury. But the interpretation, however plausible, cannot be supported. For (1) such an idea ought to be expressed either by תב אלי or by תשׁבי ואתּי תב, instead of אתּי תּב; (2)…”