Bird's-eye view
This single verse serves as a crucial pivot in the Song. Having been found by her beloved and now secure in his love, the Shulammite's radiance has attracted the attention of the watching world, represented here by the daughters of Jerusalem. They call for her to return, to put herself on display so they can gaze at her. The response, which we should take as coming from her husband, Solomon, is both protective and instructive. He intercepts their call and reframes it, asking why they would want to gaze at his bride. He then answers his own question by comparing her to the "dance of the two companies," or the dance of Mahanaim. In this, he elevates her beyond a mere object of aesthetic appreciation and presents her as a glorious, triumphant, and even militant figure. This verse is about the public testimony of the bride, the Church, and how the world is to properly behold her glory, a glory that is not just beautiful, but awesome.
This is a movement from the private consummation and enjoyment of married love to the public witness of that love. A glorious marriage is never an entirely private affair; its light necessarily shines, and others are drawn to it. But the terms of that observation are set by the husband, the head of the covenant. He defines his bride's glory and ensures that she is seen not as a common spectacle, but as a heavenly reality.
Outline
- 1. The Public Summons (Song 6:13a)
- a. The Urgent Call to Return
- b. The Desire to Gaze
- 2. The Husband's Re-framing (Song 6:13b)
- a. The Protective Question
- b. The Glorious Comparison: The Dance of Mahanaim
Context In Song of Solomon
This verse follows a period of painful separation and searching (Song 5:2-8). The bride, after a moment of hesitation, sought her beloved through the city streets, even suffering at the hands of the watchmen. When questioned by the daughters of Jerusalem about her beloved, she launched into a magnificent description of him, a confession of his supreme worth (Song 5:10-16). Her confident declaration, "This is my beloved, and this is my friend," marks a turning point. She is no longer insecure. Her subsequent reunion with him in the garden (Song 6:2-10) solidifies this new maturity. Her beloved praises her, declaring her to be unique, awesome, "terrible as an army with banners." It is this newfound, secure, and awesome beauty that provokes the summons from the onlookers in our text. She is now a sight to behold, and everyone has noticed.
Key Issues
- The Identity of the Speakers
- The Meaning of "Shulammite"
- The Nature of "Beholding"
- The Interpretation of "The Dance of the Two Companies" (Mahanaim)
The Dance of Mahanaim
The interpretive crux of this verse is the phrase "the dance of the two companies," or in Hebrew, the dance of Mahanaim. To understand this, we must go back to Genesis. Mahanaim, meaning "two camps" or "two hosts," is the place where Jacob, returning to the promised land in fear of his brother Esau, was met by the angels of God (Gen. 32:1-2). He saw God's angelic army, a heavenly host, and named the place accordingly. This was a vision of the armies of Heaven.
Therefore, when Solomon compares his bride to the dance of Mahanaim, he is not talking about a simple folk dance. He is saying that to look upon his bride is to see a manifestation of heavenly glory. It is to witness a victory dance of the triumphant armies of God. This connects directly to his earlier praise of her as "terrible as an army with banners" (Song 6:4, 10). The beauty of the Church is not a soft, sentimental, flimsy thing. It is an awesome, ordered, and glorious power. The dance of the Church before the world is the triumphant celebration of her victorious King. When the world looks at the Church, they are supposed to see a glimpse of the coordinated, joyful, and militant reality of Heaven itself.
Verse by Verse Commentary
13a “Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may behold you!”
The speakers here are the daughters of Jerusalem, representing the outside world, or perhaps immature believers, who are captivated by the bride. The call is emphatic, repeated four times for urgency. They want her to return to the public stage. The name Shulammite is most likely the feminine form of Solomon, his rightful counterpart, his queen. It is a name that identifies her by her relationship to the king; she is Mrs. Solomon. Her glory is a derived glory. They want to behold her, to gaze upon her. The world is always fascinated by a radiant church. When the people of God are truly walking in love and obedience, it creates a spectacle that the world cannot ignore. They want to look, to stare, to figure out the source of this beauty.
13b “Why should you behold the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two companies?
The speaker shifts. This is Solomon, the husband, stepping in front of his wife. He hears the world's summons and he intercepts it. His question, "Why should you behold the Shulammite," is not a prohibition but a qualification. It is a protective husband's challenge: "On what terms do you intend to gaze at my bride?" He will not allow her to be treated as a common spectacle, a cheap entertainer. Her glory is not for gawking. He immediately provides the correct terms for viewing her: you are to behold her "as at the dance of the two companies." He is instructing the audience. If you want to see my bride, you must understand what you are looking at. You are not looking at a pretty girl; you are looking at a heavenly army. You are witnessing the victory celebration of the hosts of God. This is the Church's public witness: a joyful, ordered, disciplined, and triumphant display of the victory of her King, Jesus Christ. To look upon the worship and life of the true Church is to see the dance of Mahanaim.
Application
This verse is intensely practical for the Church today. The world is watching us. When a local church is healthy, when the marriage of Christ and His people is flourishing in a particular place, it creates a compelling beauty. People want to look. This text teaches us two things about that dynamic.
First, we should not be surprised when the world wants to "behold" us. A congregation that loves Christ, loves one another, sings with joy, and lives in faithful obedience is an attractive and strange sight in a dark world. We are meant to be a city on a hill, and our light is meant to be seen.
But second, and more importantly, we must be careful to let Christ our husband define the terms of that beholding. The Church's public witness must not be shaped by a desire to entertain the world or to win its applause. We are not to put on a show. Our public gathering, our worship, is a holy spectacle. It is a victory dance. It is the dance of the two camps, the church militant on earth and the church triumphant in heaven, celebrating our conquering King. Therefore, our worship should be ordered, joyful, glorious, and yes, terrible to the demonic powers. When the world looks in on our worship, they should not see a sloppy, sentimental performance. They should see something that makes them feel as though they have just stumbled upon the armies of the living God, and it should fill them with either terror or awe.