I delight to sit beneath its shade,
For delicious is its fruit to my taste.
4 He led me into that bower of delight,
And overshaded me with love.
5 Oh, strengthen me with grape-cakes,
tents for an airy and fragrant bower. Comp. Gen. xviii. 4, 8; 1 Sam. xxii. 6; Rosenm. Morgenl. i. 49; iii. 528. [HE: t.apv.Ha] is taken by the Chald. for [HE: 'ot^erv.no'], citron; by Rosenmüller and others, for quince. The expression occurs only six times in the Scriptures; four times in this book (besides the present instance, see also ii. 5; vii. 9; viii. 5); once in Prov. xxv. 11; and once in Joel i. 12. It is used in three passages out of the six for the tree itself, and in the other three for its fruit. But in all these places the common apple-tree or apple is quite in keeping with the context, and the etymology of the word, viz., [HE: nopaH], to breathe, to breathe sweetly; hence [HE: t.ap.v.Ha], from its fragrant breath, is an appropriate description of the common apple in Syria (Ovid. Met. viii. 675), and, indeed, in all other countries. It is evident from proper names (Josh. xii. 17; xvi. 8), that this tree was much cultivated in Palestine at a very early period. In the Talmud we frequently meet [HE: t.apv.Ha], used to denote the common apple. It is worthy of notice that the shepherd calls his beloved [HE: S/vOSonoh], fem., whilst she calls him [HE: t.ap.v.Ha], mas. The second verb [HE: v^eyoS/ab^et.iy] is subordinated to the [HE: Him.ad^et.iy], by means of the [HE: v] and the two words are well rendered by the Chald. [HE: r^egiynat l^emEytab], I delight to sit; comp. [HE: 'Eykokoh 'v.kol v^ero'iytiy], how shall I endure and witness, for how shall I endure to witness, Esth. viii. 6. This subordination also occurs without the [HE: v]; comp. infra, vii. 8; viii. 2; Job x. 16; xix. 3; Gesen. § 142. 3 a, b; Ewald, § 285.
4. He led me, &c. Having represented her beloved, in the preceding verse, as a tree, forming with its widely-spread branches and rich foliage a shady bower, in which she delighted to repose and enjoy its delicious fruit, the Shulamite here narrates, in the same metaphorical language, how he took her into that bower of delight, that arbour of love. The words [HE: b.Eyt hay.oyin/] mean bower of delight, wine being frequently used in this book for delight; and are but a designation of the manifestations of love denoted in the preceding verse by [HE: t.apv.Ha], delicious apple-tree. So also the word [HE: degel], from [HE: d.ogal], to cover, retaining here its primary meaning, cover, shade, corresponds to [HE: xEl], shade, in the last verse. The Sept., Sym., Syriac, Arab., which are followed by many moderns, read [HE: ha:biy'uniy], and [HE: dig^elv.], bring me, and cover me, imper., arising most likely from a wish to produce uniformity in this and the following verses.
5. Oh, strengthen me, &c. The rehearsal of their past union and enjoyment kindled the Shulamite's affections, and made her wish again for that delicious fruit, i. e. the tokens of his love. The cakes here mentioned were held in high estimation in the East; here, however, both the cakes and the apples are to be taken figuratively as expressions of love. This is obvious from the preceding verse, and from the words, "for I am sick with love," for no real cake or apple could cure a heart suffering from this complaint. [HE: 'a:S/iyS/oh] (from [HE: 'oS/oS/], to burn, to fire; hence [HE: 'ES/], fire, like [HE: 'Em/], mother, from [HE: 'omam/], to join, to unite), something made by fire, a sort of sweet cake prepared with fire, and is most probably the same which in Hos. iii. 1 is written more fully [HE: 'a:S/iyS/Ey `a:nabiym/], grape-cakes. The meaning, cake, is retained in the Sept. in all the passages (except Isa. xvi. 7, where the Sept. reads [HE: 'a:n^eS/Ey], instead of [HE: 'a:S/iyS/Ey], see the parallel place, Jer. xlviii. 31), where this word occurs. Thus [GR: la/ganon a)po\ têga/nou], a cake from the frying-pan, 2 Sam. vi. 19; and in
