Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Song of Solomon 5:12
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
His eyes [are] as [the eyes] of doves, etc.] the church’s eyes are said to be, (<220115>Song of Solomon 1:15 <220401>Song of Solomon 4:1); which are her ministers, endowed with dove like gifts in measure, as Christ is without measure, in fulness; but these are Christ’s eyes, which may signify his omniscience, who has seven eyes, (<380309>Zechariah 3:9 <380410>Zechariah 4:10); especially as that has respect unto and is concerned with his people in a way of grace and mercy, and so must look very beautiful in their view: his eyes are like “doves’ eyes”; not fierce and furious, but loving and lovely; looking upon his people, under all their trials and afflictions, with sympathy and concern, to deliver them out of them: and like the eyes of doves by rivers of waters: Sanctius thinks the allusion is to the humours in which the eye is enclosed, and, as it were, swims in; hence the eyes are called “natantia lumina”, by Virgilf346; but it denotes eyes like those of doves, quick and lively, as clean as milk white doves, as if they had been “washed in milk”; clear and perspicuous, sharp sighted, and behold all persons and things, in all places, and at once; and as doves look only to their mates, so Christ’s eyes of love are only on his church; he looks to none but her with his eye of special and peculiar love. Moreover, his eyes are like the eyes of doves “by the rivers of waters”; which denotes the fixedness and constancy of them: doves, by the river side, keep their eyes fixed on the purling streams, and in drinking, as Plinyf347 observes, do not erect their necks, and lift up their heads, but, keeping their eyes upon the water, drink a large draught, in the manner the beasts do; and they delight in clean water, of which they drink, and with which they washf348: Christ, being greatly delighted with his people, has fixed his eyes on them, and he never withdraws them from them; for these waters may point at the object of Christ’s love, even Gospel churches, consisting of such as are justified and sanctified by his grace, compared to “clean water”; among whom the doctrines of the Gospel are powerfully preached, the ordinances purely administered, the waters of the sanctuary flow, by which souls are delighted and refreshed; and to these Christ looks, (<236602>Isaiah 66:2); and his eyes being like doves’ eyes, washed with milk, may denote the purity of them, being purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and the meekness and mildness of them, not red and wrathful, but full of mercy, pity, and compassion, as if they had been washed with milk. And they are said to be, fitly set; or “sitting in fulness”f349; such as exactly fill up their holes; are set neither too, high nor too low; neither sunk in too much, nor stand out too far; but are like precious stones, in an enclosure of gold or silver, to which the allusion is; as diamonds set in a ring; or as the precious stones in the high priest’s breast plate, which exactly filled the cavities made for them, and hence are called “stones of fulness”, (<022507>Exodus 25:7 <022817>Exodus 28:17,20); or, “set by fulness”f350; that is, by full channels of water, where doves delight to be; and may denote the fulness of grace, and the flows of it, by which Christ sits and dwells, and leads his people to, (<660717>Revelation 7:17); or, “setting upon fulness”f351; on the world, and the fulness of it, which is his, and he gives as much of it to his people as he think fit; and on the vast numbers of persons and things in…
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