[Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe
That is, the wife of youth; let her always appear to thee as amiable and lovely as these creatures are; or let her be loved by thee as these are by princes and great men F23, who used to keep them tame, keep them clean, wash, comb them, and adorn them, and play with them; or rather, as these creatures are loving to their mates, let thy love be single, chaste, pure, and fervent, as theirs; see ( Song of Solomon 2:9 Song of Solomon 2:17 ) ( 8:14 ) . The pure church of Christ is very different from the apostate church of Rome; the one is compared to a loving and lovely creature, innocent and chaste; the other to a cruel and savage beast, ( Revelation 13:1 Revelation 13:2 Revelation 13:11 ) ; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;
even as it were to be inebriated therewith, and so as not to seek out elsewhere to strange women for satisfaction; see ( Song of Solomon 1:13 ) . The church's breasts are the ordinances of the Gospel, which are said to be like young roes, and afford great pleasure, satisfaction, and refreshment to true believers, ( Song of Solomon 4:5 ) ( 7:3 ) ; and be thou ravished always with her love;
greatly delighted with it, both in loving her and being loved by her; and let this always continue in old age as well as in youth; or now as well as formerly, and not for a short time, but for continuance: or, "err thou always in her love" {x}; if any error is committed by thee, let it be on the side of love, in loving her too much; better err in loving her than in loving a strange woman.