Song of Solomon 5:4

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

²I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: "Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one." My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night. ³I have taken off my robe-must I put it back on? I have washed my feet-must I soil them again? ⁴My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him.⁵I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. ⁶I opened for my beloved, but he had turned and gone. My heart sank at his departure. I sought him, but did not find him. I called, but he did not answer. ⁷I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city. They beat me and bruised me; they took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls. ⁸O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

put: Song of Solomon 1:4, Psalms 110:3, Acts 16:14, 2 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 8:2, 2 Corinthians 8:16, Philippians 2:13

my bowels: Genesis 43:30, 1 Kings 3:26, Isaiah 26:8, Isaiah 26:9, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 3:17

for him: or - as some read in me

Reciprocal: Song of Solomon 5:6 - my soul Jeremiah 31:20 - my bowels 2 Corinthians 7:15 - inward affection is

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth."

Genesis 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.

Genesis 5:3
When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.

Genesis 5:7
And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:10
And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:13
And after he had become the father of Mahalaleel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:19
And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:22
And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:30
And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

My beloved put in his hand by the hole [of the door],.... To remove the bolt or bar which kept him from entering in. By the "door" is meant the door of her heart, which was in a great measure shut against Christ, through the prevalence of corruption; and the "hole" in it shows that it was not entirely shut up, there was a little love broke out from her to him; a little light broke in from him upon her; but her heart was much narrowed and straitened, her grace low in exercise, yet there were some faith, some love, c. wherefore Christ takes the advantage of the little hole or crevice there was, and "put in his hand" which is to be understood of powerful and efficacious grace, and the exertion of it on her; which is as necessary to awake a drowsy saint, and reclaim a backsliding professor, and to quicken to the exercise of grace, and performance of duty, as to the conversion of a sinner, Acts 11:22; and this is a proof of the greatness of Christ's love to his church; that notwithstanding her rude carriage to him, he does not utterly forsake her, but left something behind that wrought upon her; as well as of his mighty power, in that what calls, knocks, raps, good words, and melting language, could not do, his hand did at once;

and my bowels were moved for him; the passions of her soul; her grief and sorrow for sin, in using him in so ill a manner; her shame for being guilty of such ingratitude; her fear lest he should utterly depart from her; her love, which had been chill and cold, now began to kindle and appear in flames; her heart, and the desires of it, were in motion towards him; and a hearty concern appeared that he should be used so unfriendly by her; that his company and communion with him should be slighted, who had so greatly loved her, and endured so much for her; other effects follow.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Put in his hand - Through (literally “from”) the hole (of the lock), in order to raise the pins by which the bolt was fastened. The Oriental lock is a hollow piece of wood attached to the doorpost, into which a sliding-bolt is made to run. As soon as the bolt has been driven home a number of pins drop into holes prepared in it for their reception. To raise these pins, and so enable the bolt to be withdrawn, is to unfasten the lock. This is commonly done by means of the key (literally “opener”), but may often be accomplished by the fingers if dipped in paste or some other adhesive substance. For such a purpose the beloved inserts his fingers here anointed with the costly unguent, which will presently distil on those of the bride when she rises to open to him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Song of Solomon 5:4. My beloved put in his hand — If it were a real scene, which is mentioned in this and the two following verses, it must refer, from the well-known use of the metaphors, to matrimonial endearments. Or, it may refer to his attempts to open the door, when she hesitated to arise, on the grounds mentioned Song of Solomon 5:3. But this also bears every evidence of a dream.