How fair is thy love, [my] sister, my spouse!
&c.] Of these titles, (See Gill on
Song of Solomon 4:8); (See Gill on
Song of Solomon 4:9); and of the love of the church to
Christ, (See Gill on
Song of Solomon 1:3); here said to be "fair", lovely and
delightful, grateful and acceptable; as it is to Christ, in the
several acts and effects of it, and therefore the word is plural,
"thy loves" F18; being exceeding beautiful in his
eye, and extremely well pleasing to him; therefore says, "how
fair!" as admiring it, it being hard to say how fair it was; and
this appears from the large manifestations of Christ's love to
those that love him; and from his causing all things to work
together for the good of such; and from his preparing and laying
up things, unseen and unheard of, for them; how much better
is thy love than wine!
which is saying the same thing of her love to him she says of his
to her, ( Song of
Solomon 1:2 Song of
Solomon 1:4 ) ; her love to Christ is more pleasant, more
cheering, and more acceptable to him, than the wine of legal
sacrifices, or than all burnt offerings; or than any duty
whatever, unless that is the principle from whence it flows, (
Mark 12:33
Mark 12:34 ) ;
and the smell of thine ointments than all
spices!
the same with Christ's ointments, commended ( Song of
Solomon 1:3 ) ; namely, the graces of the Spirit, which are
in Christ without measure, and from him communicated to his
people; and when exercised by them, are very delightful to him,
and preferred by him to "all spices": even to all those used in
the holy anointing oil, typical of them, ( Exodus 30:23
Exodus
30:24 ) .