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 Judah and Israel, the Shechinah departing from Israel and abiding with Judah, and the people coming up to Jerusalem to the three great festivals. Ch. v. 2-vi. 3, describes the rebellion of Israel and Ahaz, God sending prophets to warn them to repent, the destruction of the Temple, the Babylonian captivity, Israel's liberation, the building of the second Temple, and the covenant of God with his repenting people. Ch. vi. 4-ix. describes the twofold condition of the people that returned from Babylon, some of whom were godly, while others took strange women, forgot the holy language, and were therefore called [HE:SHr] dawn, being neither real light nor real darkness, neither pious nor wicked. Ch. vi. 10-vii. 9, refers to the present dispersion, in which the Jews, though being many days without a king, without a priest, &c., say we still live in the fear of God, and are His. Ch. vii. 12-viii. 4, refers to the sufferings of the Messiah ben Joseph, the manifestation of the Messiah ben David, the obedience of Israel to God in those days, and to the Lord's rejoicing over them as a bridegroom over his bride. Ch. viii. 5, to the end, describes Israel restored, the third Temple built, and all the people walking according to the will of the Lord.

The principal persons in this Song are understood in the following manner: "the beloved" is the Lord; "the loved one," the Congregation of Israel; "the companions of the beloved," (Ch. i. 7,) are Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; "the daughters of Jerusalem," the Congregation of Israel; "the little sister," ''the two tribes and a half; "the speaker," the Lord; "the inhabitant of the gardens," is the sages''; "the companions," in the same verse, are the Israelites wishing to listen to the teaching of their sages.

The following is a specimen of R. Saadias's commentary, the Hebrew of which is given in the note.

1-3. The Song of Songs, &c.—Know, my brother, that you will find a great diversity of opinions as regards the interpretation of this Song of]