O my dove
An epithet sometimes used by lovers F17, and is a new title
Christ gives to his church, to express his affection for her and
interest in her; and to draw her out of her retirement, to go
along with him. The dove is a creature innocent and harmless,
beautiful, cleanly, and chaste; sociable and fruitful, weak and
timorous, of a mournful voice, and swift in flying; all which is
suitable to the church and people of God: they are harmless and
inoffensive in their lives and conversations; they are beautiful
through the righteousness of Christ on them, and the grace of the
Spirit in them; they are clean through the word Christ has
spoken, and having their hearts purified by faith; they are as
chaste virgins espoused to Christ, and their love to him is
single and unfeigned; they cleave to him, are fruitful in grace
and good works; and the church being espoused to Christ brings
forth many souls unto him in regeneration; saints carry on a
social worship and delight in each other's company; they are weak
and timorous, being persecuted and oppressed by the men of the
world; and mourn for their own sins and others, and often for the
loss of Christ's presence; and are swift in flying to him for
safety and protection. Under this character the church is said to
be in the clefts of the rock,
the usual place where the dove makes its nest, ( Jeremiah
48:28 ) ; or retires to it for safety F18.
Adrichomius says {s}, there was a stone tower near Jerusalem, to
the south of the mount of Olives, called "petra columbarum", "the
rock of the doves", where often five thousand were kept at once,
to which there may be an allusion here; or else it may have
respect to the place where doves are forced to fly when pursued
by the hawk, even into a hollow rock, as described by Homer
F20; and may be expressive of the state
of the church under persecution, when obliged to flee into holes
and corners, and caves of the earth; when the Lord is a hiding
place to her, in his love, and grace, and power; and particularly
Christ is the Rock of his people, so called for height, strength,
and duration, and they are the inhabitants of this Rock; and who
was typified by the rock in the wilderness, and particularly by
that into the clefts of which Moses was put, when the glory of
the Lord passed before him: moreover, the clefts of this rock may
design the wounds of Christ, which are opened for the salvation
of men; and where saints dwell by faith, and are secure from
every enemy F21. The Ethiopic version is, "in the
shadow of the rock", to which Christ is compared, ( Isaiah 32:2 ) ; and so
the Septuagint version, "in the covering of the rock", which is
no other than the shade of it. Likewise the church is said to be
in the secret [places] of the stairs;
Christ is the stairs or steps by which saints ascend up to God,
have access to and communion with him; and the secret places may
have respect to the justifying righteousness of Christ, and
atonement by him, hidden to other men, but revealed to them; and
whither in distress they betake themselves, and are sheltered
from sin, law, hell, and death, and dwell in safety. Though as
such places are dark and dusty, and whither the dove, or any
other creature, may in danger betake itself, so upon the whole
both this and the preceding clause may design the dark,
uncomfortable, and solitary condition the church was in through
fear of enemies; in which situation Christ addresses her, saying,
let me see thy countenance,
or "face"; and encourages her to appear more publicly in, his
house and courts for worship, and present herself before him, and
look him full in the face, and with open face behold his glory,
and not be shamefaced and fearful; not to be afraid of any thing,
but come out of her lurking holes, and be seen abroad by himself
and others, since the stormy weather was over, and everything was
pleasant and agreeable; let me hear thy voice;
in prayer to him and praise of him, commending the glories and:
excellencies of his person, and giving thanks to him for the
blessings of his grace; for sweet [is] thy
voice;
pleasant, harmonious, melodious, having a mixture of notes in it,
as the word signifies; and so exceeds the voice of a natural
dove, which is not very harmonious: Herodotus F23 makes
mention of a dove that spoke with a human voice; and such a voice
Christ's dove speaks with, and it is sweet; that is, pleasant and
delightful to him, who loves to hear his people relate the
gracious experiences of his goodness, and speak well of his
truths and ordinances; prayer is sweet music to him, and praise
pleases him better than all burnt offerings; and thy
countenance [is] comely;
fair and beautiful, and therefore need not cover her face, or
hang down her head, as if ashamed to be seen, since she was in
the eye of Christ a perfection of beauty.