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

Vers.—5. I raised thee up under the Apple-tree: there thy mother brought thee forth, there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

The second part of this verse, in these words, I raised thee up, &c. are not without obscurity: We take the words to be a new argument of the Brides, whereby (a•ter this exclamation of the daughters of Jerusalem) she comes in to press her former suit upon the Bridegroom, and proceeds in it, as being loath to be interrupted or diverted from her direct application to him; wherefore, she seems to take no notice of what the daughters spoke, and makes no reply, but instantly goes on in her wrestling with him, as if nothing had been spoken by them. That they are words spoken to him, the A•••xes in the Original make it clear; for, although there be no such difference in our Language, whereby we may discern whether the word thee, be masculine or feminine, as spoken to man or woman, yet in the Hebrew there is a clear difference; And so, the word thee, I raised thee, being in the Original of the masculine gener, it's thee man, or thee my beloved, or husband; and therefore, they cannot be understood as his words to her, but as hers to him, seeing it may be clearly discerned in the Original that they belong to a man, and it's a different word from that which is ordinarily spoken of a woman; and there being no convincing example to the contrary, we must so understand the words here, and to understand them otherwise, would bring-in needless confusion in that Language. Next, that her scope is to press for nearness with him, both what went before, and what follows, do demonstrate: which also the opening of the words will confirm. In them there are two experiences asserted, which tend both to this scope: The first is her own experience, ⟨p. 435⟩I raised thee up under the Apple-tree. The second is, the experience of all other believers, there thy mother brought thee forth, there she brought forth (for thee in this repeated expression, is not in the Original) that bare thee.