Bede

His hair lifted like palm trees, etc. The hair of the beloved's head is the throng of saints, who adhere to God with faithful service; and deservedly are they compared to raised palm trees, because they expect the sweetness of perpetual reward. Hence it is that the Psalmist says: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalm 92). Deservedly they are said to be black as a raven, because they acknowledge that they cannot have this sweetness from themselves, but hope to receive it from him who said: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15). Indeed, they realize they have nothing but darkness from themselves, as the Apostle reminds: "For ye were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord" (Ephesians 5). Nor is it surprising that we are compared to the blackness of ravens before the washing of regeneration, since the Master of truth said to the apostles themselves who were already following him: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children" (Matthew 7). But let us also see if the lawgiver found any raven-blackness amidst the raised palm trees in the hair of the spouse? For seeing the light of divine glory, he immediately recognized the darkness of human depravity, and rebuked it, saying: "Lord, Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who keeps steadfast love for thousands, who forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, and none is innocent before you by themselves" (Matthew 7). Therefore, the hair of the spouse, that is, the cohorts of the righteous, are raised like palm trees, black as a raven, because they tend toward the joys of victory indeed through the mercy of the Lord, but recognize themselves. This verse can also be understood in regard to those spirits who eternally adhere to their Creator in the heavenly homeland. The higher they contemplate the glory of the unchangeable and everlasting majesty, the more truly they perceive how weak and vile everything created is. Apponius interprets the hair of the bridegroom as the virtues of the angels, adding: "By 'the raised palm branches,' he indicated that the aforementioned ministries never waver in their strength and duty but always remain lofty; just as the leaves of the palms, always holding the force of greenness, are elevated high." Julian speaks of this thus: "The hair can also be signified by another comparison, where the form of the curls seems to imitate the brilliance of gold. His hair, like the raised palm branches, that they may appear surely curly and glowing." And a little later: "As if he were to say: To the divinity of the saints of his, both men and angels minister in attendance, and celebrate the honor of the king with continuous praise; and so they are conspicuous in the dignity of their ministry, that they excel like palm leaves, shine like gold. But yet they understand Him whom they serve so well that not only do they assume no airs of pride, but in great humility appear dusky and dark." Moreover, another translation, instead of "raised palm branches," used a single word, "his hair like a fir tree." We indeed know that in Greek, the fir tree is called “elates,” and it never changes with the infirmity of withering; hence it seems “elates” in this place is a Greek word, not Latin, meaning the name of the tree specifically. Pliny the Elder also seems to confirm this when writing about perfumes, he says: "Moreover, there is a tree pertaining to these perfumes, which some call 'elates,' which we call fir, others palm, and others spathe." From these words, it can be inferred that "elates" are trees having some similarity to the palm or fir, apt for making perfumes. Thus, our interpreter called "elates" palm branches, which means fir trees related to palms, so that we might understand not the common type of fir used for buildings and ships, but the special type suited for perfumes; which also aptly fits the symbols, for the hair of the bridegroom is compared to trees of perfumes, implying that the crowds of saints, who familiarly adhere to their Creator like hair to the head, are filled with the grace of virtues. When they diligently serve the divine majesty, they ornament the head like perfumed hair embellishes the bridegroom. Finally, Mary Magdalene poured nard on the Lord's head, making his hair similar to the raised palm branches, which means aromatic trees, in the mystery of her great devotion.

His eyes are like doves beside streams of water. What should typically be understood of the bridegroom's eyes John reveals when he recounts that he saw the Lamb having seven horns, immediately adding by way of explanation: These are the seven spirits sent forth into all the earth (Rev. IV). He calls them seven spirits, meaning the seven gifts of the one and same Spirit, which Isaiah lists in the most recognized order of divine operation, because the Holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit. The Spirit delights in residing in those minds which, like living waters, make themselves clear; which allow nothing dirty, nothing dark, nothing that should not be approved by all lovers of truth, or indeed by Truth itself, which searches hearts and reins, to exist within them. It is well said, not "beside stagnant waters," but "beside streams of waters"; for if you inquire where these waters flow, where they run, the source of life from which they spring is revealed, that is, our Lord, from whom the hearts of the elect derive whatever purity and brightness they have. He said, In him will become a fountain of water springing up into eternal life (John IV); for those who seem to have purity of either word or deed but do not aim at the heavenly kingdom through that same purity, whether they dissemble or are simply ignorant, they indeed are to be counted not among streams, but among stagnant waters. However, those who open themselves to impurities, giving place to evil spirits, are likened not to clean waters but to wallows of mud, in which swine delight. Swine, therefore, take pleasure in the swamps, while doves in the streams of water, because unclean hearts offer a fitting dwelling for unclean spirits. But blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt. V), and they are filled with the light of divine gifts. These gifts, indeed, because they are given freely to the faithful and solely by the cause of heavenly benevolence, it is aptly added:

Things that are washed in milk, etc. For rightly by the name of milk, the gifts of divine generosity and pietas are indicated, because surely mothers who nourish their young offspring provide them with the nutrition of milk out of gratuitous and natural cause of affection. Therefore, the doves with which the eyes of the bridegroom are compared are washed in milk, because we have been saved by grace through faith, and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Thus, these doves, that is, the gifts of the Spirit, are said to be washed in milk, since they never had any filth, as it is said by the Psalmist: The words of the Lord are pure words; silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times (Psalms 12:6), since it is clear that they never had anything of earthly pollution that should be purged by fire. Thus the Son, coeternal with the Father, and rightly believed to be born of the Father, and never not to have been born, is rightly, truly confessed and believed; and you have countless other such things in the Scriptures. Also, these doves dwell by the fullest streams, because whatever hearts overflow with the love of virtues, this spiritual grace most willingly inhabits, illuminating them with the higher regard of its presence, that those who diligently tend to heavenly things with the purity of sincere intention may be distinguished. If we wish to understand the preachers of His word to be in the eyes of the Lord, we will find them to be like doves over the streams of water: like doves indeed, because they are simple; over the streams of water, because they are enriched with spiritual grace. They are often described by the streams of water, because they attentively engage with the Holy Scriptures, which are often figured by the name of waters, by which, being taught, they may more easily recognize and avoid the snares of the devil. Indeed, doves over the streams of water commonly reside not only for drinking, or for washing, or for the pleasantness and cleanliness of the place; but no less with the intention, that in the clarity of the waters they might foresee the shadow of the coming hawk, and thus avoid impending danger from the enemy. The form of whose nature is in the open, because we have need of constant meditation on divine words, so that reading either the deeds of the saints or their sayings, we may diligently examine with a watchful mind by what kind of open assault the ancient enemy strives to fight and overthrow us, with what machines of fraud he tries to defeat and supplant us. And as soon as we perceive his future plots, our only refuge is to seek the crevices of our rock, that is, the protections of the Lord's faith, and we should strive to defend ourselves with the sign of His passion. But also let us swiftly with quick flight seek the cavern of the wall, that is, let us seek the frequent intercessions for us to the mercy of the pious Creator by the saints, or angels, or humans. This is considered necessary for all the faithful, especially those upon whom is placed the burden of caring for and teaching others. These are indeed the most firm and safest protections of the holy Church, for which the Lord above said, "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come, my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff." Well, it is said of these same doves, that is, the spiritual ministers of the word, "They are washed with milk, and sit beside full streams," to imply that they are first of all renewed by the washing of baptism: which is not absurdly expressed by the term milk, because among those sacraments are numbered by which the infancy of the holy Church is either accustomed to be born or to be nourished. If we believe there is any difference between rivulets of waters and full streams, it may be understood that in the rivulets of waters is the teaching of the Old Testament, whose followers have truly learned to say to God, "But the children of men shall trust in the protection of your wings" (Psalm 62), obviously lest they be seized by the snares of the aerial powers, like the claws of hawks. "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink from the river of your pleasures, for with you is the fountain of life" (Psalm 35, 10). In the full streams can be not inconveniently understood the perfection of evangelical doctrine, of which such is the fullness that no greater can be for those dwelling in this life. Distinguishing between the two, the evangelist said, "For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1); and since the knowledge of both Testaments is given to the teachers of the truth, rightly the eyes of the Lord are said to be like doves over the rivulets of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside full streams.

His cheeks are like beds of spices, etc. Just as the words on the lips of the Lord expressed what He spoke, so in His cheeks the modest piety and sternness of His countenance are simultaneously expressed. For if it could rightly be said of a mere man, the wisdom of a man shines in his face, how much more in the face of that man who is the power of God and the wisdom of God, would the highest virtue and wisdom shine forth to those who consider well? His cheeks, he said, are like beds of spices planted by perfumers. For as beds of spices decently and orderly arranged grant great pleasure both to those who see and smell them, so He, appearing in man the mediator of God and men, by the sweetness of either His virtues or His doctrine enlightened those present and attracted those who were absent by His fame. By perfumers, by whom these beds are planted, understand the prophets and apostles, who in complete harmony inserted not only His words but also His manners into the sacred pages; these foretold the future mysteries of His incarnation, those narrated the deeds done. I think it is to the appearance of His cheeks that it is to be referred, that He exulted in the spirit, rejoicing in the faith of the little ones, that He grieved over the hardness of the hearts of the unbelievers, that He rejoiced for the disciples when He was about to raise Lazarus so that they might believe, that He looked upon the weeping sisters or friends of Lazarus and wept and troubled Himself, that at the approach of His passion He began to be sorrowful and mournful, that He did not give any time to laughter or vain words, that He did not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor did He rebuke by the hearing of His ears, that like a lamb He was led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth (Isa. LIII, 7). But His lips, lilies distilling pure myrrh: lilies, because they promise the brightness of the heavenly kingdom; distilling pure myrrh, because they preach that this is to be reached by the contempt of present pleasures. From thence, He said, Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. IV). Again, His lips are like lilies, because He commands us to shine with the brightness of sanctity; distilling pure myrrh, because He commands us to endure bravely whatever adversity may occur for the preservation of this. He prefigured lilies in His lips when He taught His audience to be poor in spirit, meek, mourning, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. He promised to each of these the reward of eternal happiness; He added myrrh to the lilies when He immediately added: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. V). Again, His lips shone like lilies when in one and the same person He taught that He was truly God and truly man. For indeed, the golden color which was within was fittingly adapted to the truth of the divinity that was in Christ, especially because it is threefold, as if to represent the one undivided glory of the same holy Trinity. The outer whiteness properly designates the purity and sanctity of the assumed humanity. But the same lips distilled pure myrrh when in His divinity always impassible, He predicted that in the man whom He had assumed, He would suffer bonds, scourging, spitting, reproaches, and death. Therefore, His lips both imitate the appearance and scent of lilies, when He says: The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works (Rom. II, 6; Matt. XVI, 27; Rev. XXII, 12). They distill pure myrrh when He says: But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation (Luke XVII, 25).

His hands are like cylinders of gold, etc. After the lips, the Church praises the hands of her Redeemer, that is, His deeds after His words, because He showed by His actions that what He taught with words was to be believed. For instance, while teaching on the mountain, the crowds were amazed at His doctrine. But to follow this amazement with faith, He descended from the mountain and cleansed a leper with a mere touch of His hand. This is also why, marveling at His deeds, His fellow citizens said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?" (Matthew XIII). For wisdom pertains to the lips, and virtues to the hands. Rightly does he declare His hands to be like cylinders, to denote both their easy power and their unfathomable knowledge of action. It is well known that turning (lathe work) is quicker and more inexplicable than other arts. For example, one who works with an adze, chisel, axe, or hammer, operates more laboriously and with frequent use of a ruler and careful scrutiny to avoid errors. But he who works with a compass does not need an external rule; rather, he can maintain the direction of his work within the instrument itself. Therefore, the Lord's hands are like cylinders because He readily accomplishes what He wills, because He speaks and they are made. Finally, He said: "Pick up your mat and walk." And immediately, rising, he took up his mat and walked, who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years (John V, 8, 9). His hands are like cylinders because He holds within Himself the rule of all justice. Unlike our poverty, He does not need to learn from sacred writings lest His work deviate from the truth. Hence it is said of Him, "How does this man know letters, having never learned?" (John VII, 15). He knew because He was indeed older than the letters and the law, nay, the judge of the lawgiver Himself. His hands are like golden cylinders full of hyacinths. For in gold, which excels all metals, the excellence of divinity is signified as is evident from frequent exposition. Therefore, his hands are golden, because no faithful person is ignorant that the virtues which he exercised in man are accomplished divinely. These are rightly also said to be full of hyacinths, because they undoubtedly excite us to the hope and love of heavenly things. The hyacinth, indeed, is a gem of a sky-blue color. The Lord has hyacinths in his turned hands, so that he may adorn vessels of election, which he prepares for glory, with such gems, that is, he may gladden the hearts of his elect with the desire and expectation of celestial glory. If we take the pigments designated by this name in the hyacinths, it does not deviate from the appropriate significance of truth: for the hyacinth is a pigment of a purple color and a pleasant scent. Hence the poet, gathering precious things as an example of love, adds: The gifts are of laurel, and the sweetly red hyacinth. And the hands of the Lord were full of purple flowers, because dying for our life, he soaked them in the redness of his own blood at the nailing. But another translation teaches that gems rather than flowers are to be understood in this place by the name of hyacinths, which says: His hands are turned, golden, full of tharsis: for tharsis among the Hebrews is the name of a stone which among us is called chalcedony. His belly is ivory, etc. The belly holds the most fragile place in our limbs, because it lacks bones to protect it and it contains the vitals, all of whose wounds are dangerous. But ivory is the bone of the elephant, which is said to be an animal of great chastity and cold blood. Hence, its death is often sought by the dragon, as it desires to cool its burning entrails by drinking its blood. The sapphire is a stone, the color of which, the sacred history testifies, which says: And they saw the God of Israel under his feet, as it were the work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the sky when it is clear (Exodus XXIV, 10). Therefore, the belly of the beloved signifies the fragility of his humanity, by which he was conformable to us. The ivory indicates the beauty of chastity, by which in human flesh he remained undefiled by corruption of sin. The sapphires express the sublimity of heavenly virtues, with which he shone in the flesh. He says, his belly of ivory, adorned with sapphires. As if he openly says, the fragility of the mortal substance in him shall indeed be true, but this shall be utterly free from the lasciviousness of mortality and shall rather shine with the excellent glory of divine works. And beautifully did he say his belly was entirely of ivory, yet not wholly adorned with sapphires, but marked with sapphires, so that part appears ivory, part sapphires. For his belly was indeed of ivory, because the fragility which he assumed was free from all sin, just as no contagious heat can be found in the bone of a dead elephant. He was distinguished by sapphires, because amidst the passions of assumed humanity, he showed frequent signs of perpetual divinity: for it pertains to the frailty of humanity that the little child is born to us, to the power of divinity that he is born of the Virgin, and the same birth is proclaimed by angelic voices and celebrated with mysteries; to the power of divinity that he is shown by the indication of a star, to be adored by the Magi, to the frailty of humanity that he is fled from his homeland by the snares of a treacherous king; to the frailty of humanity that he could be led and tempted by the devil, to the power of divinity that, with him conquered and repulsed, he is honored by angelic ministries; to the frailty of humanity that he asks the Samaritan woman for water, to the power of divinity that he testifies that he can give the same the fountain of living water; to the frailty of humanity that he is wearied from the journey, to the power of divinity that he promises eternal rest to those who follow him; to the frailty of humanity that he sleeps in the boat, to the power of divinity that, when awakened, he commands the winds and the sea; to the frailty of humanity that he was crucified and died, to the power of divinity that at his death the elements trembled along with the earthly and even the heavenly beings; to the frailty of humanity that he was embalmed with spices and buried, to the power of divinity that he rose and ascended into heaven; it pertains to the frailty of humanity that Isaiah says: He has no form or comeliness, and we saw him despised (Isaiah LIII, 3). And shortly after: Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we did not respect him (ibid.); to the power of divinity that John says: We saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John I). Therefore, the sapphire was distinguished as the ivory belly of Christ, because his immaculate and undefiled incarnation shone with frequent miracles of divine majesty. It should be noted that Scripture says of the sapphire color, that it is such in appearance as the sky when it is clear. By the name of the clear sky, the sublimity of divine majesty is not incongruously represented, as attested by the Psalmist, who, describing the incarnation of our Redeemer, says: His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit to their ends (Psalm XVIII). This is what he himself said to the disciples about himself: And you believe that I came from God; I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father (John XVI, 28). But the bride herself saw the form of the sapphire in the ivory belly of her beloved when, with the voice of her first pastor, she said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. XVI, 16), because indeed, in the holy, innocent, undefiled Son of Man, separated from sins, she recognized the pure fullness of divinity.

His legs are marble columns, etc. By the term "legs of the Lord" are indicated the paths of His incarnation, by which He deigned to come to our salvation. These are well compared to marble columns, because they are both strong and straight. For what is stronger than marble? What is straighter than a column? Did the Psalmist not behold the strength of marble in His legs when he said: "And He, as a bridegroom coming out of His chamber; rejoiced as a strong man to run a race" (Ps. 89)? Did he not also see the straightness of the columns when he again said: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways" (Ps. 145:17)? Hence it is that when He was placed on the cross, His legs were not broken, although permitted by the governor, just as His garments could not be torn. For the seamless tunic remained intact, signifying the Church, which is His chosen garment, without spot or wrinkle, forever maintaining its unity. His legs remained unbroken, so that the mystery of His advent in the flesh, sacred and inviolable, might endure against every hammer of false doctrine. For Pilate, the judge, symbolizes the mallet. Yet the columns of marble stand firm and repel the blow, even if the impious mallet of heretical speech attempts to strike. Insane doctrine may say insane things about the Lord, but the truth of the gospel stands and prevails. Regarding these columns, it is aptly added, "which are founded on golden bases." For the golden bases are the counsels of divine providence, in which it was eternally decreed before the ages, that everything to be created temporally in the world would be; including the very incarnation of our Savior and our salvation in Him, as testified by the Apostle who says: "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love" (Eph. 1:4), and Apostle Peter says that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot; and foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but made manifest in these last times (1 Pet. 1:19-20). Thus, the marble columns, to which the Lord’s legs are compared, are founded upon His golden bases, since all the steps of our Savior, by which He willed to come from heaven to earth, to move upon the earth, to descend to the underworld, to rise from the tomb, and to return to heaven, are firm like marble, straight like the heavens, ordered to the rule of divine precept, as if founded upon golden bases. Concerning these bases, He Himself says: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak" (John 12:49); and if you wish to know why the bases are golden, listen to what follows: "And I know that His command is eternal life" (John 12:50).

His appearance is like Lebanon, etc. Why, he says, should I labor to describe each of his members individually? I will summarize it briefly. Just as Mount Lebanon, famous in Phoenicia, is notable for its height and grandeur, so our Lord rightfully surpasses all those born of the earth in a superior grace. As the same mountain is fertile with noble trees, thus he uplifts all the saints with his protection, lest they descend to the depths; and having them rooted in himself, he preserves them from being shaken by the winds of temptations. As the beauty, strength, height, and fragrance of cedars surpass all the splendor of forests, so my beloved is beautiful beyond the sons of men; grace is diffused on his lips, therefore God has blessed him forever (Psalm 44:3), and other such things as the following psalm, greatly transcending measure and companionship, describes about him. And it is to be noted that the same beloved is compared both to Lebanon, which produces notable trees, and to the cedar, which Lebanon itself produces among other trees, as if one and the same person both generates and carries trees, and is generated among trees and carried by himself. For our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the grace of his divinity generates, nurtures, and carries all the elect from the beginning of the world to its end to life, also made himself a man among men when he wanted, and filled that man with the grace of his Spirit, albeit far superior to others; indeed it is said of them: To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift (Eph. 4); but of him: For God does not give the Spirit by measure. For the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand (John 3). Therefore, the Lord was chosen like the appearance of the cedar, because the entire forest of the holy Church, in which he was born, surpassed in unique and singular dignity. His appearance is like Lebanon, which among remarkable trees also brings forth the cedar, because among his elect he created even himself, the kind of man he wished, as if a tree of life in the midst of paradise, like if a painter also depicts himself among others in his order with suitable colors, or any historian recounts many things of many people: for example, lawgiver Moses or evangelist John describing things worthy of memory about themselves as well. Thus indeed the mountain of whiteness (which the name Lebanon means), that is, our Redeemer among innumerable fruitful trees, which would praise the name of the Lord, also brought forth the cedar, a wood evidently more excellent than others, that is, himself, who not only would praise the name of the Lord, but also would come blessed in the name of the Lord.

His throat is most sweet, etc. If in the lips of the Lord, where it is said above: "His lips are the purest lilies," we take the words of His mouth, then what should we understand by His most sweet throat except sometimes the taste of those same words? For many, when reading or hearing, can speak the words of the Lord, can easily scrutinize the mysteries of faith; but very few are found who truly feel in the palate of their heart how sweet they taste. Hence, in the exceptional praise of the saints, it is said: "They shall abundantly utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness" (Psalm 145:7). For it belongs to those who rejoice in the justice of God, who have habitually tasted by inner love the abundance of His sweetness, and also preach its memory to others; for those who have not yet learned to taste His sweetness must necessarily fear more than rejoice in the justice of His judgments. Finally, Peter, abundantly conveying to us the memory of the Lord's great sweetness, which he had well tasted, says: "Desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby in salvation; if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:2-3). Likewise, because the vital breath is conducted through the throat to the lips to form speech, just as in the lips of the Lord were the words that He spoke; so in the throat most fittingly can be understood the very internal and hidden disposition of His piety and kindness, by which it was made possible for Him to speak outwardly to us. Indeed, Paul says: "The grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God" (Titus 2:11-13). When He gave us the hope of the glorious appearing of the great God, His lips will then be as lilies; when He taught us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, to live soberly, righteously, and godly, it is the same lips of His dripping the first myrrh. But that eternal grace, which appeared to us in this promise or teaching, whenever it pleased Christ, is rightfully His most sweet throat to us, as we can have no sweetness apart from it. Finally, the beloved Himself showed what the sweetness of His throat can accomplish not only in the voice of speech but also in the very breath, when after the resurrection, appearing to His disciples, that is, the first members of His bride, He breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). And He is wholly desirable. The whole Christ is God and man, that is, word, soul, and flesh; and He is wholly desirable because not only from the unchangeable majesty of perpetual divinity but also from the glorified substance of assumed humanity must be understood what the apostle Peter says: "Into which things the angels desire to look" (1 Peter 1:12). I will say something further; he was completely desirable, even before the glorification of his humanity; he was completely desirable from the very moment of conception until the triumph of his passion: desirable to his mother when she said, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38); desirable to the blessed womb that bore him; desirable to the breasts that nursed him; desirable to the angels who sang a hymn at his birth; desirable to the shepherds who, seeing him, glorified and praised God; desirable to the magi who, coming from the east to seek him, worshipped him with gifts where they found him; desirable to the old Simeon who, awaiting his promised vision of his birth until his last days, took him in his arms, blessed God, and joyfully embraced death; desirable to the prophetess Anna who, upon seeing his birth, rendered fitting praises to the Lord in her confession; desirable to all who saw him at twelve years of age in the temple, astonishing the elders and teachers with heavenly wisdom; desirable to the disciples when they quickly followed him, leaving behind all they had, when he called them; desirable to those same disciples when they said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68); desirable to all the people and publicans who, hearing his word, justified God; desirable to Peter on the mountain when he said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4); desirable on the cross to the thief who prayed, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). And not only is he desirable to those who saw him in the flesh and loved him, but also to those of whom he said to the disciples, "Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see and did not see it; and to hear what you hear and did not hear it" (Matthew 13:17). And to us, who, being born into the world after his ascension to the heavens, share the common promise with the earlier saints, as he said: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3).

Where has your beloved gone, etc.? The beloved is said to depart and turn away, not because the Lord ever abandons those whom He has already acquired and continues to acquire others, but because by the power of His divine nature He can be present everywhere. Thus, He goes or turns away to associate with others whenever He wills, yet still preserving in grace those whom He has already gathered to Himself. As He says to Moses: "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders of the people and officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them" (Numbers 11:16). Not that He lessened the grace given to Moses, but because He made those whom Moses had, partakers of that grace. This is like the example of a flame, from which when you light a candle, you ignite it with light, and the flame from which you light it remains whole. It can also be rightly understood that the beloved departs and turns away from the bride for a time, when we, longing with love for Him, are inflamed to the point of shedding tears, fulfilling the duty of prayer with fixed and unwavering intent, transferring the entire mind from carnal desires to eternal things. Yet, He does not always grant what is desired. Therefore, we rightly ask those whom we believe to know and are worthy of such a quest, where the Lord has gone or turned away, desiring to be shown the presence of those who with greater virtues and signs of a pure mind reveal the divine grace within them, so that by their example and discourse, we may also ourselves be instructed and more and more progressively grow in the love of our beloved. And they rightly say, "And we will seek Him with you," because any soul that tries to seek Christ without the companionship of the holy Church will not be counted among the daughters of Jerusalem, but rightly among those of whom the mother of holy Samuel, holding the type of the Church, says to the despising priest of the synagogue: "Do not consider your maidservant as one of the daughters of Belial" (1 Samuel 1:16).

My beloved has gone down into his garden, etc. It is already known what the garden of the beloved is. For he himself said: A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse. Certainly, his garden is the Church; his garden is each chosen soul. And well has he said, My beloved has gone down into his garden, adding his, that is, the garden he himself made, he himself cultivated, he himself planted with the spices of virtues, he himself irrigated with the fountain of his grace so it would not wither; he himself enclosed it with the wall of his protection so it would not be defiled by outsiders. This is the garden of which he himself said: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air lodged in its branches (Luke XIII). The mustard seed, indeed, is the word of the Gospel, humble in appearance, fervent in power; which, being received by the Father, God and man himself sowed in his Church, and gave it such increase that, like a noble tree, it spread its branches of faith and virtues far and wide over the world, in which even angelic spirits rejoice for human salvation, and the citizens of heaven believe that they have gained increased rest when earthly beings are recalled to the heavenly realms. For it was not in vain that the same beloved, about to be captured in the garden, crucified in the garden, buried in the garden, rose victorious from the dead in the garden. He wanted to be believed by Mary, who first deserved to see the glory of his resurrection, as a gardener, for in his own garden, namely the Church, among the various plantings of divine gifts, he also took care to plant the virtue of patience in this life through the contempt of death, the desire for blessed immortality in the reception of the body after the dissolution of the body, with the hope of blessed peace to end this life. And indeed, he is said to have descended into his garden, but not to have entered it: for the place of the beloved is on high, since he dwells in high places, and regards the lowly (Ps. 112). The place of the garden is in the low, in the valley of tears; but he who descended unto it from above, disposed the ascent in his heart, by which he might reach the place of supreme happiness. Hence appropriately it is said above in regard to the same garden, that is, the Church: Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, like a column of smoke perfumed with myrrh? Thus a marvelous dispensation of divine mercy, that the Lord is said to descend into the Church, and the Church to ascend to the Lord. For divine grace descends to us from above, which, by assisting us, makes us ascend upwards. This was mystically signified in Exodus, when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, and Moses ascended: for the latter ascended to gain the progress of virtues; the former descended to impart gifts. Therefore, after having said: My beloved has descended into his garden, he also adds how the same garden is constituted, with what produce it is fruitful, when he immediately subjoins: To the beds of spices. For the bed of spices is the mind of the faithful, taught by the discipline of right faith, as if composed of equal sides on both sides, and frequently turned over by careful digging, and purged of useless weeds; for indeed with careful consideration it examines itself, and with diligent thought endeavors that nothing profane, nothing unclean, nothing contrary to salutary matters, may be found by the heavenly Farmer; and strives to render itself worthy, in which the beloved, the sower of righteousness, may propitiously plant the spices of virtues with his grace, and by his frequent assistance, may water them lest they wither. This most beautifully declares its heavenly desire, at the beginning of the forty-first psalm, in accordance with the Hebrew truth, saying: As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, God (Ps. 41). But descending into his garden or to the bed of spices, it is shown what the Lord does there, when it is added:

“I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine,” etc. I prepare a delightful pasture for my beloved in the beds of spices, that is, in the pure hearts of the faithful, and my beloved to me, who is fed among the holy desires of chaste minds, returns this in exchange for His grace by fulfilling the same desires of His faithful ones whom He has nurtured. He fulfills them by plucking them from this paradise of sacred pleasure and gathering them into the secret chambers of the heavenly mansions, where before His glory, with eternal immortality of flesh and spirit, they shine brightly with a dual aspect like lilies, that is, both golden and white, and as if spreading the sweet fragrance of their virtues throughout all the inhabitants of the eternal homeland. Thus far, the voice of the holy Church is heard, seeking and praising her Lord and desiring to see His face; but since He can never be absent from His lovers, but where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of them, indeed even if one of His own is enclosed among lions, detained in the depths of the sea, or surrounded by the belly of a whale, if separated from other mortals, there He is with him. Therefore, His voice follows, declaring to those who search for Him and converse about Him that He was always present with them and heard what they spoke about, rewarding their devotion to Him with worthy praise, saying:

You are beautiful, my friend, sweet and comely, etc. Jerusalem is called the vision of peace, by which name the habitation of the heavenly homeland, which the highest peace possesses, is very frequently signified. You are beautiful, friend of the bridegroom, sweet and comely like Jerusalem. The Church or any holy soul, indeed a portion of the Church, which by the purity of clean operation, the sweetness of divine praise, the pleasantness of mutual love, immediately becomes an imitator of the heavenly city, is sweet and comely like Jerusalem in the same way Isaiah speaks: Like the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make stand before me, says the Lord, so will your seed stand (Isaiah 66). It is also terrible as an army set in array, when through fixed intention of pure prayer it repels every incursion of the demonic army from itself, when through frequent proclamation of the heavenly word it breaks all the weapons of errant doctrine, when through continuous examples of good works it even challenges the depraved habits and life of false believers and leads them back to the path of truth. The Church is terrible as an army set in array, when each believer remains in the calling in which he was called, when leaders grant the form of saving doctrine and perfect operation to the subjects, when the continent purify themselves from every filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, when the married so enjoy this world that by diligent liberality of alms they do not neglect to compare for themselves the rewards of the future age. Indeed, the prophet teaches that the Church consists in this triple distinction of faithful persons, when he asserts that only three men, namely Noah, Daniel, and Job, will be delivered in the time of heavenly vengeance. And when each of these have kept their own position inviolate, they indeed show an army set in array and on this account make the bride of Christ insurmountable to all enemies: likewise any perfect soul, when it works with such virtues that it leaves no place for vices, undoubtedly persists terrible to enemies as an army set in array: for if, by way of example, it so strives for continence that it does not hold the virtue of humility, or if it thus exercises the works of alms so as not to refrain the tongue from the fault of superfluous speech, or so insists on frequent prayers that it neglects to bestow the affect of love to the neighbors, such a soul is indeed less terrible to enemies, because it has arranged the army of its virtues less perfectly, having disposed faith firmly in part but left it inert in another part. But because the one and same Church of Christ partly already rejoices with its King in heaven, and partly still fights for Him in the world, that which it says: "You are beautiful, my love, sweet and lovely as Jerusalem," can be understood about that part of it which, having completed its struggle and finished its course, has already received the crown of righteousness. But what follows, "Terrible as an army set in array," can suitably be taken to refer to those who, still held in the body, resist with strong faith the adversary lurking around them in the manner of a roaring lion. Likewise, the Church is beautiful, sweet, and lovely as Jerusalem, in those things which it works spiritually and worthily for God within itself. It is terrible as an army set in array, because it strives to spread its spiritual empire throughout the whole world, even against the powers of the world. And indeed the empire of the Romans once, or the Greeks, or other nations, was set in array like an army, because it certainly oppressed the world with great power: but it was not sweet and lovely as Jerusalem, because it did not know how to hope for or imitate the joys of the peace of life. But truly the Church is both beautiful and sweet and lovely as Jerusalem, because it is accustomed to live a heavenly life on earth; and terrible as an army set in array, because it strives to draw even the barbarous minds and morals of various nations to its own rite. Yet, because it does not yet deserve to see the face of its beloved as it most longs to, it subsequently hears:

Hair like a flock of goats, etc. These verses and the following ones placed above have been fully explained to the best of our understanding; but let us not hesitate to reiterate in explanation what the author of the sacred song did not hesitate to repeat in writing, so that we may either recall what was said before to memory or, with the help of divine grace, do something new usefully. But that whether these or countless other things in the Scriptures that have already been said are repeated, is a sign of firmness because it is the word of God, and it is truly fulfilled, as the patriarch Joseph testifies explaining the king's dream. Therefore, in the hair of the bride is intimated the manifold sublimity of thoughts; in the teeth, however, the firmest stability of her words is intimated, because they cooperate in speaking with the lips and tongue, and they arise insensibly from the brain, nor do they hurt when cut. For who is wise and would mourn, and not rather rejoice, when the superfluous lightness of thoughts is taken away from him? Hence, in a great mystery, the teeth of the lawgiver are read as unmoved when he was full of days, and a razor did not ascend upon the head of Samuel, because he was a perpetual Nazarite to the Lord, that is, holy. For it was signified that not one jot or one tittle would pass from the law until all is fulfilled (Matthew V); and that in the prophetic mind, no cut should be made of penitence onto fleeting thoughts. However, the same hair of the bride is well likened to a flock of goats: for the law commanded that any soul which sins through ignorance, when it realizes its guilt, should offer a spotless goat to God as a sacrifice. And our hair is compared to a flock of goats when the errors of our thoughts offer tears of compunction and prayers in penance to the Lord as an offering. Moreover, it cannot inconveniently be understood that a flock of goats is placed for that which is accustomed to seek sustenance in the high places of rocks or bushes: for the thoughts of the elect, always striving for heavenly things, rejoice to be fed in the heights, not in low pleasures; of these goats, it is well added, that they appeared from Gilead: for Gilead means a heap of witness. And this term rightly designates the mind of the righteous when it proves by sure indications of virtues that it has renounced earthly desires; since the mountain Gilead got its name because Jacob and Laban made a heap in it, in testimony of their friendship or pact that they would not harm one another, when the same Laban had sought his idols with Jacob and did not find them. Therefore, Laban signifies the world, Jacob the mind supplanting vices. And Laban seeks his idols with Jacob and does not find them when the lovers of this world, examining the hearts of the elect, do not find anything of theirs in them. Jacob also makes a heap in testimony that he does not touch the substance and boundaries of Laban, when, having gathered in himself a wealth of virtues, like living stones, the devoted mind says to God, Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians III). And Laban brings stones for the construction of the same heap, when the world itself by its temptations provides an occasion for virtue to the faithful. A covenant is made between Laban and Jacob that they should not harm one another, while the just one declares and says: The world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians VI). From this heap, therefore, appears the flock of goats, to which the spouse's hair is compared, when from a faithful mind a multitude of frequent high thoughts is generated; and from this same flock, for those sins we have committed ignorantly, we offer an unblemished goat to God, when we punish our recognized sins with humble contrition of heart. However, Galaad is the name not only of the mountain, but also of the city founded upon it. Hence, rightly it can bear the figure of the Lord, our Savior, and of the Church or of any holy soul that is placed upon it. Indeed, above where it is added, “Your hair is like a flock of goats coming down from Mount Gilead,” we understood it as said of that incomparably high mountain, who said of Himself: “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” But here, where the name of the mountain is not mentioned, and it is simply said, "which appeared from Gilead," nothing prevents us from understanding it as said of the city built upon it, that is, the Church or a just soul. For a holy soul is rightly called a heap of testimony, which is built high with the collection of various virtues, and the whole Church is rightly called by this name, to whose peoples the Apostle Peter said: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also as living stones are being built up” (1 Peter II). This is also fitting for the Lord, as we said above, to whom the assembly of all the elect is gathered, who give testimony with a pure conscience by pious profession and good deeds. “Your teeth are like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing.” We said that in the teeth of the spouse, the words of the holy Church can be understood: rightly, therefore, they are said to be like a flock of sheep, because nothing in them, but the brightness of virtues and innocence is seen, while in all things they seek the grace of their Creator, either by teaching, or by praying, or by giving praises to Him; rightly, those sheep are said to have ascended from the washing, because nothing impure, nothing unclean, nothing that is not purified by the fountain of knowledge, is brought forth from the mouth of the just, according to the exhortation of the Apostle saying: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians IV). On the contrary, whoever brings forth filthy, or contemptuous, or harmful, or even idle words from his foul heart, his teeth are not likened to sheep coming up from the washing, but rather to pigs emerging from a wallow. It is fittingly added:

Turn your eyes away from me, etc. As if it were openly said, "Indeed, I have given you dovelike eyes, by which you might know the secrets of the Scriptures, by which you might distinguish virtues from vices, by which you might know the paths of righteousness through which you would still come. But beware lest you seek to turn those same eyes to see me as well. For no man shall see my face and live (Exodus 33). For there will be a time when, released from fleshly bonds, you will come to me, and then what I promised will be fulfilled, because he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him (John 14). But now, while you are still established in the body and wandering away from perpetual goods, turn away the eyes of your mind from the contemplation of divine majesty and essence, because they have made me fly away, that is, those spiritual senses of yours, with which you have desired to know me perfectly, although they are very exalted, are not sufficient in this life to comprehend me perfectly, but can only reach to the extent that they might discern that the glory of the divine nature is of such sublimity that it cannot be seen, except by those who have been completely taken away from visible life and introduced into the invisible. Therefore, we are commanded at present to turn away the eyes of our inquiry from knowing the substance of God, because they have made him fly away from us, not that he, being sought, recedes further, who promises, saying, 'Seek, and ye shall find' (Luke 11); but that we may learn from him revealing, that the purer the heart with which he is sought, the more certainly it will be understood how incomprehensible he is. Which is similar to what the Psalmist says, 'Man approaches with a deep heart, and God will be exalted' (Psalm 63). As if it were said in other words, human frailty lifts up the eyes of the heart intent on seeing God, and they make him fly away, because by that same inquiry the senses, exercised and enlightened, recognize that the eminence of divinity is higher than they could previously think, and it is most truly said in another psalm, 'His greatness is without end' (Psalm 145). By this response, the Lord wished to satisfy the holy Church's desire, by which she was anxiously seeking him openly, and not in a riddle: longing to see him whom she loved, as the previous verses of this song declare abundantly. Therefore, he urges her not to seek in the way a reward which is reserved for her in the homeland, but to remember in the meantime that she must walk by faith, so that she may reach the vision: distinguishing these times very beautifully, as the evangelist John says: 'Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is' (1 John 3). But lest the Church might perhaps bear heavily that she could not yet enjoy the full contemplation of her Creator, he enumerates for her the manifold pledges of the spirit which he has bestowed upon her, so that she may more patiently bear the delay of that one supreme and singular good which she has not yet received, but is about to receive in the time of eternal recompense. For it follows:

All lambs of twin births, etc. For all the sheep with which the bride’s teeth are arranged are multiplied by twin births, because every speech of the elect is fruitful with the twin love, that is, the love by which God and neighbor are loved; every speech talks about the perpetual health of mind and body; every speech is accustomed to fortify its listeners through the arms of justice which must be held both on the right and the left; every speech desires to deal with the promise of life, which is both present and future; nor does anything proceed from the mouth of the righteous that is not advantageous to the fruit of eternal salvation. And fittingly, indeed, the sheep, by which the bride’s teeth are bestowed, are said to bear twin offspring, because without doubt through the things we say, we are able to benefit our neighbors and to instruct them in the way of virtue; through those things which we healthily think, we benefit ourselves. We ourselves make a living sacrifice to the internal judge on the altar of the heart, but to our neighbors, for edification, we disclose what we carry within ourselves only through words. Whence someone, pleasing the Creator with such a sacrifice, said, “In me are, God, God, your vows, which I will render in praises to you” (Psalm 53). But if in teeth, as previously mentioned, we understand preachers to be designated, and in hair, listeners, which most aptly corresponds, not only because the former minister speech and nourishment to the body, and the latter provide gentle adornments to the head, as beneficial instruments, but also because the former are placed first in the forefront, like predecessors, and the latter, like successors, cover the back part of the head, it is evident that it is fitting for those who are still unskilled and weaker to listen to and obey the teachings of the elders. But those very teachers, it is fitting not only to fulfill the divine commands but also to increase the flock of the supreme shepherd by preaching.

As the rind of a pomegranate, etc. It was said above that in the cheeks of the Church the insignia of her modesty is figured, in the pomegranate the ministry of the blood of the Lord is depicted. And the bride of Christ has cheeks like a pomegranate, because a faithful soul does not blush at the passion of its Redeemer, neither to confess in words nor to imitate in deeds; but with all shame and confusion, which lead to death, set aside, she delights to proclaim openly, saying: But far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians VI). And prudently, because he had compared the cheeks of the Church to the rind of a pomegranate, he therefore added, Without your hidden things, because evidently the rind of a pomegranate shows indeed only redness on the outside, but conceals inside many seeds with which it abounds. Thus indeed a soul devoted to God, and healthily modest, strives through all things to safeguard itself by the virtue of the life-giving cross, but under the same sign of the cross, it contains many kinds of virtues which do not appear outside, but truly refresh the mind within.

There are sixty queens, etc. Both queens and concubines indeed approach the king's bed, they bear children for the king, but not both adorn the king's head with a royal diadem. Therefore, both signify souls that adhere to the preaching of truth, and through the word of faith and the fountain of saving baptism, beget spiritual offspring for the eternal king, but there is some, indeed not little, difference of their minds: for queens are those minds that serve the doctrine with the view of the heavenly kingdom. However, concubines are those who announce Christ for the sake of carnal and temporal pleasures only, not sincerely. Of such the Apostle says: "Whether by pretense or by truth Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice" (Phil. I). The Lord Himself also distinguishing between them says: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. V). "But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Ibid.). Both, therefore, approach the king's bed, but not both reign with Him, because those who destroy their own teaching by their deeds deprive themselves of the comforts of the everlasting kingdom. Therefore, those are rightly considered by the number sixty, those by eighty: for the number ten, because of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) signifies the knowledge of divine law; the number six, in which God perfected the world, designates the perfection of good works. Truly, because five multiplied by twelve makes sixty, the number of sixty queens can also thus be interpreted, that those who regulate all the senses of their body, namely, sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, according to the rule of apostolic doctrine, are rightly designated by the number sixty. And these are the queens, because those who now follow the commandments of the apostles, whose number is twelve, through all the offices of their members, then together with the same apostles are joined to the joy of the perpetual king. Likewise, when eighty is taken in a negative sense, it not unjustly suggests the cares and entanglements of earthly and temporal matters, because naturally the course of this world is encompassed by four seasons, and the world itself is divided into four zones, namely, east, west, north, and south. Sixty, however, are the queens, because as many souls as follow the recognition, which they received by the perfection of the sacred law, engage in good actions; these also fight here in the kingdom of faith, and in the future will enter into heavenly marriages with the true king. And eighty concubines, because those who expend the knowledge of truth and the mystery of the word, which they seem to practice, in the pleasures of weak and passing things, indeed when their lamps are extinguished at the arrival of the bridegroom, are excluded by the gate of the heavenly kingdom due to the voluptuousness of temporality. And there is no number of young maidens. Understand by young maidens those souls who have recently been reborn in Christ, who are not yet sufficient for the duty of preaching; and therefore, as if not yet noble, not yet suitable for the royal bed, they assist in the service of the queen with faithful watch, because they joyfully obey the commands of the holy Church humbly. Of whom we read above: Your name is like poured-out oil, therefore the young maidens loved you; that is, the souls which are not yet left old through guilt, but are already renewed by grace. Of whom there is no number, because the total number of the citizens of the heavenly homeland surpasses the measure of our estimation. For it cannot be taken of our peaceful king, namely the true Solomon, that he does not know the number of his faithful: for He who counts the multitude of the stars and calls them all by names (Psalm 146), how much more would He know the number of His elect, whose names He wrote in heaven, the number He foreknew before the ages.