Song of Solomon 7:9

Son 7:9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth [down] sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

Ver. 9. And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine.] Her word and doctrine (for the palate is an instrument of speech), often before commended by Christ, and here again, like as she comes over it in him the second time. {Son 4:13; Son 4:16} {See Trapp on "Son 4:13"} {See Trapp on "Son 4:16"} This he resembleth to the best and most generous wine. Such the word of God’s grace is to those that have spiritual palates, that do not carry fel in aure, - their galls in their ears (as some creatures are said to do), that have their ears healed (as Demosthenes said of his Athenians), and their inward senses habitually exercised to discern good and evil. The doctrine of the Church seems to some bitter and grievous; it goeth down like the waters of Marah, or that water that caused the curse in case of jealousy. {Num 5:12-31} It becomes a savour of death unto them, as the viper is killed with palm branches, and vultures with oil of roses. {a} But this is merely their own fault; for "doth not my word do good to them that are good?" saith the Lord. {Mic 2:6} Excellently St Augustine, Adversarius est nobis, quamdiu sumus et ipsi nobis: quamdiu tu tibi inimicus es, inimicum habebis sermonem Dei, - God’s Word is an enemy to none but to such as are enemies to themselves, and sinners against their own souls. This holy word in the mouths of God’s ministers is like Moses’s rod, which, while held in his hand, flourished, and brought forth almonds; but, being cast to the ground, it became a serpent. The application is easy. {See Trapp on "Son 1:2"}

For my beloved.] These are Christ’s words; but he speaks as if the Church spake, to show her great affection, that had dedicated all her good things to him. Some read it thus, which "goeth straight to my well beloved"; q.d., It is such excellent wine as I would wish it, or send it even to the dearest and best friend I have, even to her that I love as myself, if not before myself. Or thus, "which springs and sparkles in the cup." See Pro 23:31.

Causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.] "Utterance" is called a "gift," {1Co 1:5; 1Co 1:7} and dumb Christians are blame worthy as well as dumb ministers. We should all strive to a holy ability and dexterity of savoury discourse. And for this end the word of Christ should dwell richly in us in all wisdom: our hearts should indite a good matter, that our tongues might be as the pen of a ready writer. Let there be a good treasure within our hearts, and the law of kindness will soon be in our lips; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Graceless men are gagged by the devil; they cannot so much as lisp out one syllable of good language; if they attempt it, they show themselves but bunglers, and say Sibboleth for Shibboleth; you may soon see they speak by rote, and not by experience. But those that have well drunk of this wine of the Word, made effectual by the Spirit, talk lustily, yea, their tongues never cease talking and preaching forth the praises of him who hath drawn them out of darkness into his marvellous light: they speak "as the Spirit gives them utterance." {Act 2:4; Act 2:11; Act 2:14} Those that were in a dead sleep of sin, are soon set to work to "awake and sing." {Isa 26:19} This should stir us up to study the Word of God, and therehence to learn language. The ll9th Psalm is by David set before it as a poem of commendation, mentioning it in every verse, testimonies, laws, statutes, &c. Like as when a book is set forth, verses of commendation are oft prefixed. Such another, but far shorter, is that in Psa 19:7-11. The Holy Ghost doth so much the more highly there extol it, because men are wont to have it in very light account, and to hold it a disparagement to be eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures.

{a} Pausanias, Aristot.

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.

Son 7:9. The roof of thy mouth — Thy speech, the palate being one of the principal instruments of speech; like the best wine — Grateful and refreshing; for my beloved — Who reapest the comfort and benefit of that pleasure which I take in thee. Causing the lips, &c., to speak — The most dull, and stupid, and sleepy persons to speak.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7:9 The man compares the woman’s love and her kisses to wine in that they are delightful and make one light-headed (see 1:2).

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

Verse 9. The roof of thy mouth like the best wine] The voice or conversation of the spouse is most probably what is meant.

Causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.] As good wine has a tendency to cause the most backward to speak fluently when taken in moderation; so a sight of thee, and hearing the charms of thy conversation, is sufficient to excite the most taciturn to speak, and even to become eloquent in thy praises.

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

(9) Causing the lips.—The text in this verse has evidently undergone some change. The LXX., in stead of siphtheî yesheynîm, lips of sleepers, read sephathaîm veshinnayîm, χέιλεσί μου καὶ ὸδοῦσι. The Marg., instead of yesheynîm, sleepers, reads yeshanîm, the ancient, which Luther adopts, translating “of the previous year.” Ledôdî, for my beloved, is evidently either an accidental insertion of the copyist, the eye having caught dôdî in the next verse, or more probably is wrongly vowelled. The verse is untranslatable as it stands; but by reading ledôdaî, “to my caresses” (comp. Son_1:2; Son_4:10; Son_7:12), we get a sense entirely harmonious with the context, and this is a change less violent than to reject ledôdî altogether. It is the old figure, comparing kisses to wine (comp. Son_1:2; Son_2:4; Son_5:1). “The roof of the mouth” (comp. Son_5:16), or palate, is put by metonymy for the mouth generally. Dôbeb is either from the root dôb, cognate with zôb = flow gently, and means suffusing, in which case we translate “Thy mouth pours out an exquisite wine, which runs sweetly down in answer to my caresses, and suffuses (LXX. ἱκανούμενος, accommodating itself to) our lips as we fall asleep”—or, according to the Rabbinical interpretation, followed by the Authorised Version (which connects dôbeb with dabab, a Talmudic word = speaking), there may be in it the idea of a dream making the lips move as in speech. In this case the lines of Shelley suggest the meaning:—

“Like lips murmuring in their sleep

Of the sweet kisses which had lulled them there.”

Epipsychidion.

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

9. and the roof of thy mouth] Better, as R.V., and thy mouth. Chçkh is the palate, but it is used for the mouth. Cp. ch. Son_5:16; Hos_8:1. The reference here as in Son_5:16 is to the sweet words of love which she whispers, they intoxicate like wine.

for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly] This should be, as in R.V., that goeth down smoothly for my beloved. Instead of smoothly, R.V. marg. gives ‘aright.’ Cp. for the phrase Pro_23:31, R.V. and margin. Budde would read lìchikkî, ‘for my palate,’ instead or lìdhôdhî, ‘for my beloved,’ but there is no support for such a change in any version or MS. The translation of the A.V. is according to the accents, but most recent commentators, who take the dramatic or semi-dramatic view of the whole, assign these words to the bride, supposing that she interrupts the king and turns off the simile to her beloved.

causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak] Better, as R.V., gliding through the lips of those that are asleep. The A.V. may, following Jerome and Kimchi, have connected the word dôbhçbh with dibbâh, a calumny or evil rumour, or they may have read dôbhçr or medhabbçr. But dôbhçbh has no connexion with dibbâh, but is rather related to zâbh, and means ‘to go softly,’ hence the translation ‘going softly’ or ‘gliding’ over the lips of sleepers, or of those about to sleep. The whole clause would then mean that this wine was such that men drank it till they were rendered slumberous by it. But this is not very satisfactory, and the suggestion that, following the LXX, Aq., Syr., Vulg., we should read ‘gliding over my lips and teeth,’ or ‘over his lips and teeth,’ might perhaps be adopted.

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.

Lips. Septuagint, "sufficient for my lips and teeth." (Haydock) --- The wine in that country was very thick, when kept a long time. It here denotes charity, or the gospel truths, Luke v. 37., and Acts ii. 13. Hebrew, "causing the lips of them who sleep to speak," (Calmet) as the apostles did, in transports of zeal. (Theodoret) --- Yet the reading of the Septuagint, Aquila, &c., seems preferable. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The roof of thy mouth; either,

1. Thy speech, the palate being one of the principal instruments of speech; or rather,

2. Thy taste, whereof the palate or roof of the mouth is the most proper and principal instrument, Job 34:3. But then this is not to be understood actively of her taste, but passively of the taste or relish which her Beloved had of her; as in the foregoing clause, the smell of her nose was not meant subjectively or actively of that sense of smelling which was seated in her nose, but objectively or passively of the breath of her nostrils, which was sweet to the smell of her Beloved.

Like the best wine, grateful and refreshing. For my beloved; either,

1. For thee my beloved, who reapest the comfort and benefit of that pleasure which I take in time; or,

2. For me thy Beloved, or, according to thy usual expression,

for my Beloved; which words Christ takes as it were out of her mouth, and repeats them emphatically; which agrees very well to the style and usage of these dramatical and amaropious writings. And this clause further intimates the church’s loyalty or faithfulness to Christ, that she reserves herself and all her loves for Christ alone.

That goeth down sweetly; whereas bad wine either goeth down slowly and tediously, or is not permitted to go down at all; Heb. that walketh directly; or, that moveth itself aright; which is given as the character of good wine, Pro 23:31.

Causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak; causing the most dull, and stupid, and sleepy-headed persons to speak, and that fluently and eloquently, which is a common effect of good wine.

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

9. The roof of thy mouth — Hebrew, thy palate; that is, thy speech.

For my beloved — That is, Such wine as I would offer to a dear friend. Causing the lips, etc. — It so quickens the blood that even silent lips grow talkative under its influence.

Into these few verses is thrown a faithful display of the character of Solomon, confirmed by his other Scriptural portraitures. We have seen the splendour of his pavilion and his train, the gorgeousness of his palace, the throngs of beautiful women that, like stars, adorn his court. We see the proud owner of all this, arrayed in all his glory and with arts of address, compress temptation to its intensest form by declaring his passionate attachment and preference for this Shulamite. But her bearing is firm, independent, and something more. She has placed her affection on one whose love is to her a vital need.

“The mind has a thousand eyes,

And the heart but one,

And the light of a whole life dies

When love is done.”

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

The sweetness of speech.

The figurative language here employed by the royal lover to eulogize the voice and the utterances of the bride is to our colder and more measured habits of thought Oriental extravagance. Yet it is in harmony with the highly coloured character of the book as a whole. And human speech does often awaken within the heart emotions not easily expressed in cool and justifiable panegyric. The human voice is of all music the sweetest, and speech is sweeter even than song, uttering as it does, not the studied and artificial sentiment of the musical composer, but the spontaneous and natural emotions of the speaker"s heart.

I CHRISTIAN SPEECH IS SWEET AS TESTIFYING TO THE CHARACTER OF THE SPEAKER.

1. Sincerity is the first condition of all acceptable speech; it is above all things desirable that there should be no discordance between the utterance and the heart. The flatterer at court and in general society speaks only to please; and in the case of those who know his aim and his motives, he fails of the very object he has in view. The Church is bound to speak "words of truth and soberness," as remembering the sacredness of the gift of utterance, and the responsibility attaching to its exercise. To a just mind sincere words are welcome, even though they be less honeyed than the words of the time server and men pleaser.

2. Love prompts to words which are a delight to hear. Whilst the tones of hatred are harsh, and the utterances of coldness are repugnant, kindness, sympathy, affection, give a sweetness to every utterance. Welcome as the words which come from the heart of the beloved, telling of the depth of unchangeable affection, are those Christian declarations in which the Church gives expression to her love for her Saviour and her pity for the world.

II CHRISTIAN SPEECH IS SWEET WHEN IT TESTIFIES TO THE LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD. There is no exercise more congenial to Christ"s people, more acceptable to Christ himself, than this. The powers of speech cannot be more holily and honourably employed than in uttering forth the high praises of God, in lauding and magnifying the redeeming love of Christ. The hymn which is lisped by the little child, the anthem which rings through the cathedral aisles, the quiet word of witness in which the friend commends the Saviour to him who is dear to his heart, these are but some of the forms in which language may show forth the greatness, the goodness, the wisdom, of the Eternal. What theme so worthy of the tongue, "the glory of the frame," as this? The voice of praise and thanksgiving is dear to the heart alike of God and man.

III CHRISTIAN SPEECH IS SWEET WHEN UTTERING TESTIMONY TO THE GOSPEL OF GOD"S LOVE. Men"s hearts have to be reached and to be affected by the tidings of Divine mercy and compassion. It is most condescending and gracious on God"s part that he deigns to employ human agency in the service of his own Divine beneficence. If men avail themselves of all the resources of human rhetoric in order to obtain earthly ends power, wealth, and fame how much more ready should they be to use all the faculties they possess, all the arts and means they can acquire, to bring before their fellow men the tidings of heavenly and immortal love! Well may every preacher and. every teacher of Divine truth put up the prayer "Jesus, confirm my heart"s desire, To work, to think, to speak for thee: Still let me guard the holy fire, And still stir up thy gift in me! T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thy mouth - Thy speech, the palate being one of the principal instruments of speech. Wine - Grateful and refreshing for thee my beloved, who reapest the comfort and benefit of that pleasure which I take in thee. Causing - The most dull, and stupid, and sleepy persons to speak.

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

General Information:

The man continues describing what he would like to do with the woman.

May your palate be like the best wine

The palate is a metonym for the lips. Wine tastes good. The man wants to kiss the woman's lips. (See: Metonymy and Simile)

flowing smoothly for my beloved

"that flows smoothly for the one I love." The man enjoys the smooth kisses of the woman.

gliding over the lips of those who sleep

"that flows over our lips as we sleep"

translationWords

wine

beloved

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

I said: Let me climb up the palm tree I boast of you among the heavenly hosts, that I should be exalted and hallowed through you in the lower realms, for you will hallow My name among the nations.

let me seize its boughs and I will seize and cleave to you. סַנְסִנִים are boughs.

and let your breasts be now And now, cause my words to be realized, that you will not be seduced after the nations, and may the good and wise among you be steadfast in their faith, to retort to those who seduce them, so that the small ones among you will learn from them.

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.