8 I long to climb this palm-tree,
I long to clasp its branches.
May thy bosom be unto me
As the clusters of the vine,
And the odour of thy breath
As that of apples;
9 And thy speech as delicious wine,
Thus the Son of Sirach, xxiv. 13, 14:—
"I grew up as a cedar of Lebanon,
And as a cypress upon Mount Hermon;
I grew up as a palm-tree in En-gedi,
And as a rose-tree in Jericho."
Comp. also Homer, Odyss. vi. 162, and supra, chap. v. 15. [HE: 'eS/^ek.Ol], bunch, cluster, of grapes, dates, or flowers; the context must decide which. Here, from its close proximity to [HE: t.omor], palm-tree, dates are most probably intended. For the etymology of [HE: 'eS/^ek.Ol], see supra, chap. i. 14; and for its form, both here and in ver. 9, Ewald, § 212 d.
8. I long to climb, &c. After this flattering description Solomon tells the Shulamite how greatly he desires, and how happy he should be to enjoy, the affections of one so lovely and charming. We earnestly request those who maintain the allegorical interpretation of the Song seriously to reflect whether this verse, and indeed the whole of this address, can be put into the mouth of Christ as speaking to the Church. Would not our minds recoil with horror were we to hear a Christian using it publicly, or even privately, to illustrate the love of Christ for his Church?—[HE: 'omar], to speak, also to wish, to desire, Gen. xliv. 28; Exod. ii. 14; 1 Sam. xx. 4. [HE: 'omar^et.iy] does not express the past, but the present; comp. [HE: dom^etoh] in the preceding verse; Gesen. § 126, 3; Ewald, § 135 b. The second verb [HE: 'e`e:leh] is subordinate to the first, vide supra, chap. ii. 3. [HE: g.epen/] is added to [HE: 'eS/^ek.Ol], to distinguish it from the dates in ver. 7.
And the odour of thy breath, &c. That is, be as sweet and as quickening as that of apples. [HE: 'ap/] is used in preference to [HE: p.eh], because the nostril, or the breathing (which [HE: 'ap/] literally means) is regarded by the Hebrews as that which in distension betokens pleasure, anger, &c. The appropriateness of this expression will be more manifest when we remember that hitherto all that the Shulamite showed towards Solomon were resistance and independence. There is also a play of words here, [HE: 'ap/] being derived from [HE: 'onap/], to breathe, and [HE: t.ap.v.Ha], from [HE: nopaH], to breathe. Hodgson strangely renders [HE: v^erEyHa 'apEp/], "the fragrance of thy face," because several MSS. read [HE: 'pyk/] with a yod.
9. And thy speech, &c. That is, Let thy language to me be as the sweetness of delicious wine. Rosenmüller, Döpke, De Wette, Noyes, Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, &c., put these words into the mouth of the maiden. But it is incredible that this modest woman would approve of these expressions with regard to her own person, and that she would continue the words [HE: d.vObEb S\ip^etEy y^eS/Eyniym/]. [HE: HEk/^e], palate, metonymically for speech; vide supra, chap. v. 16. [HE: TvOb] is used as a substantive, and placed in the genitive after [HE: yayin/]; comp. Ps. xxi. 4; Prov. xxiv. 25; Ewald, § 287 b. The phrase [HE: hOlEk/^e l^emEyS/oriym/] describes the smooth or mellow wine, which is of a very superior quality, and highly prized, Prov. xxiii. 31. The expression [HE: l^edvOdiy] is added in order to describe still more forcibly the nature of the wine, and affords a more striking illustration of the pleasantness of the damsel's speech. Her voice is not merely compared to wine, valued because it is sweet to everybody; but to such wine as would be sweet to a friend, and on that account is more valuable and pleasant. Ammon, Ewald, Heiligstedt, Hitzig, &c. regard [HE: l^edvOdiy] as having erroneously crept in here
