Bible Commentaries
John Dummelow's Commentary
Song of Solomon 6
A Dialogue. Her Loveliness
10-13. A dialogue between these ladies and her. They compare her to the dawn, stooping down to look on the earth from the sky. It is still common in Arabic poems to address the beloved as 'Moon,' or 'Full moon'!
11, 12. She tells of her visit to the nut-garden, where, ere she was aware of it, her soul, i.e. her desire, set her in the chariots of Ammi-nadib. The precise meaning of this expression cannot be determined. The general sense appears to be that she was sunk in reverie, carried away in a lover's dream, a flight of fancy. Aroused from this, she would shyly hasten away.
13. But the chorus beg her to return and perform for them the 'Dance of Mahanaim' (RV), a sword-dance, no doubt, such as the bride executes, sword in hand, on the evening of the marriage, amidst a half-circle of men and women, whilst a poem (wasf= 'description') of the character of Song of Solomon 7:1-6 is being sung. The title Shulamite is derived from the town-name Shulem (otherwise spelled 'Shunem'), from which Abishag, the fairest maiden of her day, came (1 Kings 1:4): obviously it is another way of calling her 'fairest among women' (Song of Solomon 1:8; Song of Solomon 5:9; Song of Solomon 6:1).
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