Song of Songs 6:13
Others:
Return, return, O Shulammite,
return, return, that we may look upon you.
He:
Why should you look upon the Shulammite,
as upon a dance before two armies?
Tag: Separation Is Sorrowful and Beautiful at the Same Time.
If you have ever had a daughter married to the love of her life, you can relate to this passage in Song of Songs. In the context of the entire poem/love song, we are reaching the end of the story. The romance has led to a wedding. The wedding is now over and the bride is about to leave with her groom. But, dressed in her wedding gown and all the array of a wedding, the bride is REALLY something to look upon. She is beautiful. To those who are observing the wedding (the term “Others” in the editors notes on this passage) she is someone they want to continue to “look upon.” They want her to “return, return” so they can gaze one more time at her beauty. However, the Groom (the “He” in the above passage ... again, a note added by the editor) wants her to come with him and he questions their motives for wanting to continue “gaze” upon the bride. He uses a phrase that is not easily identified in the Hebrew text. He asks if they want to look upon her as one would look “upon a dance before two armies.” In other translations the phrase reads: “... as at the dance of the two companies?” (NASV); or, “... as on the dance of Mahanaim?” (NIV). It is not clear what the “groom” means. The “dance of Mahanaim” might simply be a traditional dance that was either seen at a wedding, or a formal dance before a battle, or even a dance that might be interpreted as a battle. The point the groom is making, is to say, “My bride is not a show for you all. She is now my wife.” Everyone loves the thrill of a wedding. However, there is a time that she (the Bride) ceases to be the centerpiece of everyone’s eyes and must become the wife of the one she married. She is now the centerpiece of his eyes. The beauty and splendor of the bride is now the focus attention of the groom. That is the transition of the wedding. This passage is often interpreted with the bride as the subject and focus of the verse. She is beautiful and those around her want to continue to behold that beauty. Her parents want to continue to see her as daughter and bride. Her friends want to continue to gaze on her as long lasting friend. But, the wedding is a departure from all that and her attention is now to the Groom and his to his new Bride. This is true in any marriage. The wedding day is great, but the next day the attention is only for each other. The past is left and the new present and future begins. We can see the relationship this would have to the believer (the Bride of Christ) and Christ (the Groom of the Church). We are to leave this world. The world keeps calling us to come back, come back and continue the party. But, just as the bride is to leave the father and mother to become one with the groom, so, too, are we to leave this world and become one with Christ. The show is over. It is time to commit to the relationship. We can’t hang on to one and then hope to have love in the other.
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