Page:The Song of Songs (1857).djvu/46



Lord of the world divided the Red Sea for them, they all opened their mouths and sang as one man, the song, as it is written, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel." (Exod. xv. 1.) The third song the children of Israel sang when the well of water was given to them, as it is written, "Then sang Israel." (Numb. xxi. 17.) The fourth song Moses the prophet sang, when his time came to depart from this world, in which he reproved the people of the house of Israel, as it is written: "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak." (Deut. xxxii. 1.) The fifth song Joshua the son of Nun sang, when he waged war in Gibeon, and the sun and moon stood still for him thirty-six hours, and when they left off singing their song, he himself opened his mouth and sang this song, as it is written: "Then sang Joshua before the Lord." (Josh. x. 12.) The sixth song Barak and Deborah sang in the day when the Lord delivered Sisera and his army into the hands of the children of Israel, as it is written: "Then sang Deborah, &c." (Judg. v. 11.) The seventh song Hannah sang when a son was given her by the Lord, as it is written: "And Hannah prayed prophetically, and said." (1 Sam. ii. 1, and the Targum in loco.) The eighth song David the King of Israel sang for all the wonders which the Lord did for him. He opened his mouth and sang a hymn, as it is written: "And David sang in prophecy before the Lord." (2 Sam. xxii. 1, and the Targum in loco.) The ninth song Solomon the King of Israel sang by the Holy Spirit before God, the Lord of the whole world. And the tenth song the children of the captivity shall sing when they shall be delivered from their captivity, as it is written and declared by Isaiah the prophet: "This song shall be unto you for joy, as in the night in which the feast of the passover is celebrated; and gladness of heart as when the people go to appear before the Lord three times in the year, with all kinds of music, and with the sound of the timbrel, to go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to worship before the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel." (Is. xxx. 29, and the Targum in loco.)

2. Let him kiss me, &c.—Solomon the prophet said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord who has given us the law through Moses the great scribe, written upon two tables of stone; and the six parts of the Mishna and the Talmud traditionally, and who spoke with us face to face, as a man that kissed his friend, because of his great love wherewith he loved us above the seventy nations."

3. Thy perfumes, &c.—At the report of thy wonders and mighty deeds which thou hast done for thy people the house of Israel, all the nations trembled who heard of thy famous strength, and thy great miracles; and in all the earth was heard thy holy name, which is more excellent than the anointing oil that was poured upon the heads of kings and priests; therefore the righteous love to walk after thy good way, because they shall inherit both this world and the world to come.

4. Draw me, &c.—When the people of the house of Israel went out of Egypt the shechinah of the Lord of the world went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, and the righteous of that, consisting of two [HE:yy] 20, and [HE:n/] 50, caused this explanation. This mode of interpretation is called [HE:gEymaT^eriyo'], Gematria, [GR:geômetri/a], each letter of the word being taken according to its numerical value and the text interpreted accordingly.]