Page:The Song of Songs (1857).djvu/206

 As one that findeth favour. 11 Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hammon; He let out the vineyard to tenants; Each of whom yielded for the fruit of it A thousand shekels of silver. 12 I will keep my own vineyard:

is, in her brother's eyes. He now, being convinced of his sister's chastity, gave her the reward of virtue. The suffix in [HE: b.^e`Eynoyv], his eyes, does not refer to Solomon (Ewald, Hitzig, Philippson, &c.), whose name has not been mentioned, but to the brother (Ibn Ezra, &c.), who last spoke. [HE: S/olvOm/], peace, has no reference to the name [HE: S/^elOmhO], but is used in the sense of [HE: Han/], favour, and refers to chap. i. 6; comp. Gen. xxxiv. 7 with ver. 11. 11. Solomon had a vineyard, &c. Having been obliged, when demanding her promised reward, to describe her virtue as an impregnable wall, the Shulamite now relates more circumstantially how she had resisted the attempt to gain her affections. Solomon had a large vineyard in Baal-hammon, which he offered to consign to her if she granted his request; but the Shulamite refused his offer, telling him he might keep his large estate to himself, for she was quite satisfied with her humble possession. Many are the conjectures hazarded as to the locality of Baal-hammon, which occurs nowhere else, and no place is known by this name. It is taken for Baal-Gad, or Heliopolis (Rosenmüller, Bib. Geog. ii. p. 253), for [HE: Ham.vOn/], Hammon, a place in the tribe of Asher, Josh. xix. 28 (Ewald), and for [GR: Belamô\n] or [GR: Balamô\n], Belamon or Balamon, a place mentioned in the book of Judith, viii. 3, not far from the plain of Esdraelon, Judith iii. 9 (Meier, Hitzig). It is, however, more probable, according to Rashi, that Baal-hammon was in or near Jerusalem, and was called [HE: b.a`al ham.vOn/], place of the multitude, because its beauties and charms attracted a multitude of people, thus presenting a greater temptation for the Shulamite. The Vulgate strangely renders [HE: k.erem/ hoyoh liS/^elmOhO] [HE: b.^eba`al ham.vOn/], vinea fuit pacifico in ea, quae habet populos. He let out the vineyard, &c. This is intended to show the value of the vineyard. It was so extensive that it was leased out to a number of tenants, and every one of them paid a thousand shekels annually, and yet had two hundred shekels left for himself. [HE: nOT^eriym/=], an indefinite number of keepers or farmers. [HE: 'iyS/] each, vide supra, ver. 7. The suffix in [HE: b^epir^eyvO], his fruit, refers to [HE: k.erem/], vineyard, which is masculine. [HE: k.esep/], silver, stands for [HE: S/eqel k.esep/], silver shekel: substantives denoting weight, measure, or time, are frequently omitted. Gen. xx. 16; xxxvii. 28; Acts xix. 9; Gesen. § 120, 4, Rem. 2; Ewald, § 287 i. The amount of a shekel is supposed to be about two shillings and seven-*pence. The shekel of the sanctuary, however, like all the weights and measures of the Temple, was computed at double the ordinary. See Ezek. xlv. 12; 1 Kings x. 17; comp. with 2 Chron. ix. 16; Mishna, Shekalim, Maaser Sheni; Wiener, Bib. Dict. s. v. A thousand shekels, therefore, would be about one hundred and thirty pounds. Remembering that each of these farmers had to pay this sum annually, and that money in those days had fifteen or twenty, nay, according to Michaelis (Mos. Rech. § 243), fifty times its present value, we shall be able to judge of the allurement which this ample estate offered. 12. I will keep my own vineyard, &c. And yet, notwithstanding all this, the Shulamite prefers to keep her little vineyard, and be with her beloved shepherd, rather than unfaithfully give him up for riches and honours. [HE: k.ar^emiy S/el.iy], my own vineyard, the vineyard which belongs to me; vide supra, chap. i. 6. [HE: l^eponoy] lit. is before me; it is