Song of Solomon 2:5

5 Beset ye me with flowers, compass ye me with apples; for I am sick for love. (Put ye flowers about me, yea, surround ye me with apple blossoms; for I am weak, or I faint, because of love.)

Song of Solomon 2:5 Meaning and Commentary

Song of Solomon 2:5

Stay me with flagons
Of wine, which is a supporter of the animal spirits ^F23. The church was now in a house of wine, where was plenty of it; even of the love of Christ, compared to wine, and preferred unto it, ( Song of Solomon 1:2 Song of Solomon 1:4 ) ; the church though she had had large discoveries of it, desired more; and such that have once tasted of this love are eagerly desirous of it, and cannot be satisfied until they have their fill of it in heaven: the flagons, being vessels in which wine is put, and from thence poured out, may signify the word and ordinances, in which the love of Christ is displayed and manifested; the church desires she might be stayed and supported hereby, while she was attending on Christ in them; comfort me with apples;
with exceeding great and precious promises; which, when fitly spoken and applied, are "like apples of gold in pictures of silver", ( Proverbs 25:11 ) ; and are very comforting: or rather, with fresh and greater manifestations of his love still; for the apple is an emblem of love, as before observed; for one to send or throw an apple to another indicated love ^F24. It may be rendered, "strew me with apples" ^F25; in great quantities, about me, before me, and under me, and all around me, that I may lie down among them, and be sweetly refreshed and strengthened: the words, both in this and the former clause, are in the plural number; and so may be an address to the other two divine Persons, along with Christ, to grant further manifestations of love unto her, giving the following reason for it: for I [am] sick of love;
not as loathing it, but as wanting, and eagerly desirous of more of it; being, as the Septuagint version is, "wounded" ^F26 with it; love's dart stuck in her, and she was inflamed therewith: and "languished" ^F1; as the Vulgate Latin version is; with earnest desires after it; nor could she be easy without it, as is the case of lovers.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 "Vino fulcire venas cadentes", Senecae Ep. 95.
F24 "Malo me Galatea petit", Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 3. v. 64. Vid. Theocrit. Idyll. 3. v. 10. & Idyll. 6. v. 6, 7. & Suidam in voce (mhlon) .
F25 (ynwdpr) "sternite ante me", so some in Vatablus; "substernite mihi", Tigurine version, Piscator.
F26 (tetrwmhnh) , Sept.
F1 "Langueo amore", V. L. so Michaelis; "aegrotus" is used in this sense, in Terent. Heautont. l. 1.

Song of Solomon 2:5 In-Context

3 As an apple tree among the trees of woods, so (is) my darling among (the) sons. I sat under the shadow of him, whom I desired; and his fruit was sweet to my throat. (Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, is my darling among the sons of men. I sat under his shadow, yea, he whom I desired; and his fruit was sweet to my taste.)

4 The king led me into the wine cellar; he ordained charity in me (he ordained his love upon me).

5 Beset ye me with flowers, compass ye me with apples; for I am sick for love. (Put ye flowers about me, yea, surround ye me with apple blossoms; for I am weak, or I faint, because of love.)

6 His left hand is under mine head; and his right hand shall embrace me.

7 Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you greatly, by caprets, and harts of fields, that ye raise not, neither make to awake the dearworthy spousess, till she will. (Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I strongly command you, by the gazelles, and the harts of the fields, that ye raise not up, nor awaken the dearworthy spousess, until she desireth it.)