I will conduct myself in a similar manner towards thee." Now two
things may constitute this equality of conduct. _Either_ it is
conceived thus:--that the prophet is placed in parallelism with the
wife. The latter has lost all claims upon the prophet; she has violated
connubial [Pg 281] fidelity, and, hence, has no title to demand that he
should observe it. But that which she cannot demand from him, he does,
from the necessity of his nature. He promises to her that, during the
proceeding which has commenced against her, he would not enter into any
new connection; and by holding out to her the hope of her returning, at
some future period, to her old relation to him, he makes it more easy
for her to break off the sinful connections which have destroyed it.
Without a figure: The Lord, from His forbearance and mercy, waits for
the reformation of those who hitherto were His people; does not drive
them to despair by receiving another people in their place. _Or_, The
prophet is placed in parallelism with the other man. As the wife does
not enter into any relation with that man, so the prophet also abstains
from any nearer intercourse with her. The latter explanation (adopted
by _Simson_ and _Hitzig_) is to be preferred. The exclusiveness cannot
in the same sense be applicable to the prophet, representing the Lord,
as to the wife, representing the people. So early as in Deut. xxxii.
21, we read: "They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not
God, they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities; and I will
move them to jealousy with those which are not a people, I will provoke
them to anger with a foolish nation," After all that had, in the Song
of Solomon, been predicted regarding the reception of the Gentile
nations into the kingdom of God and Christ, and about the receiving
again into it of Israel, to be effected by their instrumentality
(compare my _Comment. on Song of Sol._, S. 239), the thought suggested
by the former view would be quite incomprehensible. Quite decisive,
however, is ver. 4, in which the thought, which is here in a symbolical
garb, is expressed in plain language. There, however, not only the
intercourse with the idols, but the connection with Jehovah also,
appears to be intermitted. The reason why the prophet does not enter
into a closer connection with the wife is, that her repentance is more
of a negative, than of a positive character. By want and isolation, her
hard heart is to be broken, true re