14. Haste, O my beloved, &c. The Shulamite complies with the request. In the presence of all, she calls the shepherd her beloved, and tells him always to hasten to her with the speed of the swift-footed gazelle; vide supra ii. 9, 17. He has no more to cross “the mountains of separation” (see ii. 17), for they are united. These rugged mountains have now given place to the much-wished-for aromatic hills, iv. 6. FOOTNOTES [1] ‏אמר ר״ש בן עזאי מקובל אני מפי שבעים ושנים זקנים ביום שהושיבו את ר׳ אליעזרבן עוריה בישובה ששיר השירם וקהלת מטמאים את הירים. אמר ר׳ עקיבה חם ושׁלום לא נחלק אדִם מישראל עדֹ שיר השיריﬦ שלא תטמא את הידים שאין כל העולֹם כדאי כיום שכתן בו שיר השירים לישראל, שכל הכובים קרש ושיר השירים קדש קושים.‎ As the phrase ‏מטמא את הידים‎, polluting the hands, has recently been quoted by Dr. Davidson (The Text of the Old Testament, &c. p. 796), in direct contrariety to its meaning, we shall here give an explanation of it. Let it be observed, that in the Mishna, whence the above passage is quoted, the phrase is applied to all the Holy Scriptures (‏כל כתבי הקדש מטמאין את הידים‎). The reason of this is given in the Talmud, (Sabbath, 14 a,) where the question is asked, why Holy Writ is reckoned among the eighteen subjects which are decreed as polluting the hands? The answer there given is, because the Theruma-food and the Thorah, both being regarded as holy, used to be placed near each other. When it was afterwards discovered that the sacred books were thereby exposed to danger (damage by mice), the Rabbins decreed that they should henceforth be regarded as unclean, in order to prohibit them from coming in contact with those sacred eatables. Hence the decree ‏כל כתבי הקדש מטמאין את הידים‎, all Holy Scripture pollutes the hands, which exclusively applies to holy, i.e. inspired books. Wherever, therefore, it is said that a book is ‏מטמא את הידים‎, polluting the hands, it affirms that it is canonical; and when it is said ‏אין מטמא את הידים‎, it does not pollute the hands, it means that the book is not canonical. Thus we are told ‏שיר השירים מטמא את הידים שנאמר ברוח הקדש‎, “the Song of Songs pollutes the hands because it is inspired.” And of the non-canonical ‏ספר בן סיר׳ וכל הספרים שנכתבו מכאן ואליך אינן מטמאין את הידיﬦ‎, “The book of the Son of Sirach, and all the books written from that time and afterwards, do not pollute the hands.” [2] Baba Bathra, 14. [3] Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. iv. 26. [4] For a full elucidation of this verse, see Henderson, “Divine Inspiration,” pp. 219–224. [5] See Gesenius, Lexicon in voce. [6] Herodotus, i. 196. [7] Ælian, V. H. iv. 1. Strabo, xvi. 745. [8] Homer, Odyss. viii. 318, &c.; Pausanias, iii. 12, 2. [9] Tacitus, Germ. xviii. [10] Michaelis, the Laws of Moses, § 85; Rosenmüller, Orient. i. p. 132, &c.; Grant’s Nestorians, p. 214; Perkins, Eight Years in Persia, p. 236. [11] Est. ii. 3, 14, 15; iv. 4; Joseph. Ant. lib. xv. c. 7, 4. [12] Plutarch’s Lives. Themistocles.