Clavis cantici, or, An exposition of the Song of Solomon

Vers. 13. Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee: what will ye see in the Shulamite? as it were the company of two armies.

The thirteenth verse continueth the same scope, and is a confirmation of the interpretation given of the former verse, and a new expression of his love, whereby as a kind husband, having forgotten bypast failings in his wife, he invites her to return to her former familiarity, with a motive signifying the love which he had to her, and that upon so good ground (in his gracious estimation) as that by her yielding to return, he puts no question, but what he had spoken of her stately terribleness, would be found to be a truth. The verse contains these three, 1. A most affectionate invitation. 2. A most loving motive proposed, persuading to embrace it, which is his end. 3. An objection removed, whereby the motive is confirmed and illustrate. In the exhortation or invitation, Consider, 1. the party invited, or called. 2. The duty called for. 3. It's repetition. The party called, is a Shulamite: This word comes either from Solomon, as the husbands name is named over the wife, Isa. 4. 1. and it's from the same root that signifies peace, from which Solomon had his name; and it is in the feminine gener, because it's applied to the Bride: Thus it holdeth forth, 1. the strict union betwixt him and her, that she with him partakes of the same name: See Jer. 23. 6. compared with Jer. 33. 16. where ye will find the like communication of his name to her. 2. It shows the privilege she was admitted unto, through her tie to him and union with him, by which she is made his, and is admitted to share with him in all that is his; for, it is not an empty stile she gets, while called by his name, it being to signify that she was his, and that whatever he had (whereof she was capable, and might be for her good) was hers. 3. It shows his affection that he so names her now, wishing her ⟨p. 371⟩