Song of Solomon 5:15

Son 5:15 His legs [are as] pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance [is] as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

Ver. 15. His legs are as pillars of marble.] A sign of Christ’s firmness in his kingdom, works, word, and government, saith a learned expositor, and of his strength to trample upon his enemies, as also of his united power to accomplish the course of his threefold office. Pillars both bear up the building and beautify it; neither can anything be more sure and solid than these, if set upon a firm foundation. The pillars here mentioned are said to be "set upon fine gold" - that is, upon a foundation both fine and firm, for gold hardly rusteth or cankereth; whence it was likely that Tithonus and his son Memnon, when they built the city of Susa, in Persia, they joined the stones together with gold, as Cassiodorus writeth: Christ’s power is founded upon his divine nature; and this is the rock upon which the Church is built, and whereby it is set in safety from all miseries and molestations, satanic or secular. The gates of hell shall not prevail against her. Christ and the father are one; therefore none shall take her out of his hands. God hath "laid help upon one that is mighty," {Psa 89:19} even upon Emmanuel, the mighty strong God, as he is called, {Isa 9:6} "declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead," {Rom 1:4} that your "faith and hope might be in God." {1Pe 1:21} Trust perfectly therefore to, or hope to the end, {a} "for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus": {1Pe 1:13} since he is "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him." {Heb 7:25}

His countenance is as Lebanon.] His aspect, his look, or general view - i.e., whatsoever of himself Christ is pleased to manifest and lay open unto us is pleasant and delightful, goodly and glorious, excellent and eximious, choice as the cedars, that are chosen before other trees; and why? {See Trapp on "Son 1:17"}

{a} Eις το παντελες. Prorsus, perpetuo, perfecte.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5:15 Lebanon was to the north of Israel and contained legendary cedar trees that were large, stately, and pleasantly fragrant.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 15. His legs are as pillars of marble] Exquisitely turned and well-shaped; the sockets of gold may refer to his slippers. On these a profusion of gold and ornaments are still lavished in Asiatic countries.

His countenance is as Lebanon] As Lebanon exalts its head beyond all the other mountains near Jerusalem, so my beloved is tall and majestic, and surpasses in stature and majesty all other men. He is also as straight and as firm as the cedars.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(15) Marble.—Heb. shesh. Here and in Est_1:6.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15. His legs] Heb. shôq is the part of the leg below the knee.

pillars of marble] i.e. white and firm like marble or alabaster. Here, seeing the lover is an Oriental, and therefore brown in complexion, alabaster would be the better comparison.

sockets] Perhaps rather, bases of fine gold.

his countenance] his aspect is like Lebanon, giving the same impression of majesty.

excellent] Heb. bâchûr = ‘chosen,’ LXX, ἐκλεκτός. The Targum translates it “a young man,” but in that case we should have had ‘a cedar,’ not ‘cedars.’ Goodly as the cedars would fairly give the sense.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

His countenance - Or, his appearance (his whole port and mien, but especially head and countenance) “is as the Lebanon.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

His legs; the instruments of local motion, and the supporters of the body.

As pillars of marble; white, and straight, and well shaped, and strong; which may note the firmness and stability of Christ’s kingdom in spite of all opposition.

Set upon sockets of fine gold; which add both beauty and strength to them. These may note his feet compared to gold, either for their great price and worth, or for their singular brightness, for which they are compared to fine brass, Rev 1:15; or, as others, for his golden shoes, wherewith they were covered or adorned, as the spouse is commended from her shoes, Son 7:1.

His countenance, Heb. his aspect or appearance; his form or person, as this Hebrew word is elsewhere used.

As Lebanon, in respect of its cedars, as the next words explain it, to wit, tall, and upright, and stately, and withal pleasant to the eye.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. His legs — Hebrew, The calves of his legs.

Sockets — Better, pedestals.

His countenance — Literally, His appearance; that is, his whole mien and bearing. The general impression of his stature is like that of “that goodly mountain, even Lebanon,” which, rising to ten thousand feet, always, in sun-shine or in storm, was the Jewish ideal of lofty majesty.

And as Lebanon wears its cedars, unconscious of the crown they give it, so the Beloved bears himself, nobly unaware of the perfect, comeliness of his features.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Marble - White, and strait, and well shaped and strong. Gold - His feet are compared to gold, for their singular brightness, for which they are compared to fine-brass, Rev. i, 15. Countenance - Hebrew. his aspect or appearance, his form or person. Lebanon - In respect of its cedars, tall, and upright, and stately.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

The woman continues to describe the man.

His legs are pillars of marble, set on bases of pure gold

Marble and gold are strong and beautiful. (See: Metaphor)

marble

a very strong stone that has many different colors and that people polish to make very smooth

his appearance is like Lebanon

"he looks like Lebanon." Lebanon was a very beautiful area with many mountains and cedar trees. (See: Simile)

translationWords

column

gold

like

Lebanon

cedar

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

His legs are as pillars of marble, founded upon sockets of fine gold.

pillars of marble Heb. שֵּׁשּׁ, pillars of marble, שַּׁיִשּׁ, and a similar word appears in Megillath Esther (1:6): “on silver rods and marble (שֵּׁשּׁ) columns,” and his appearance is as tall as the cedars of the Lebanon.

chosen as the cedars chosen among the sons as the cedar among the other trees.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.