My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon, two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
Parallel Translations
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My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon, two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
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My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
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My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
Cross-references (10)
Passages linked to Song of Solomon 8:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Don’t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven’t kept my own vineyard.
- Acts 20:28 Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of the Lord and God which he purchased with his own blood.
- Psalms 72:17-19 His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed. Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
- Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
- Romans 14:7-9 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
- 2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn’t it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
- 1 Timothy 4:15-16 Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all. Pay attention to yourself and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
- 1 Timothy 5:17-18 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain.” And, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Son 8:12 My vineyard, which [is] mine, [is] before…
Son 8:12 My vineyard, which [is] mine, [is] before me: thou, O Solomon, [must have] a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
Ver. 12. My vineyard, which is mine, &c.] And therefore most dear unto me, for ownness makes love. Patriam quisque amat: non quia pulchram, sed quia suam. {a} Every man loves his own things best. The Church is Christ’s own by a manifold right, by donation, conquest, purchase - not with silver and gold, but with the dearest and warmest blood in all his heart. {1Pe 1:18} No wonder therefore though she be always before him; though he look carefully to her that cost him so dear, that he trust not others with her, as Solomon was forced to do; but whomsoever he employs about her - "for we are labourers together with God," saith the apostle; "ye are God’s husbandry" {1Co 3:9} - himself is ever one. Ipse adest et praeset, he is present and president. "Feed my sheep," said he to Peter, but do it for me, as the Syriac translator, respecting the sense, adds there. {Joh 21:15} "Take not unto thee the instruments of a foolish shepherd," {Zec 11:11} that is, forcipes et mulctram, as an ancient saith, like those that are more intent, attonsioni gregis quam attentioni, fisco quam Christo. Peter must not do any of this, much less must he "lord it over God’s inheritance," as his pretended successors do, with whose carcases therefore Christ shall shortly dung his vineyard, and water the roots of his vines with their blood. He must look to lip feeding, and, when himself is converted, "strengthen his brethren"; neither must he intervert or take to himself any part of the fruits, as Solomon’s farmers did. He may not seek his own things, but the things of Jesus Christ. "Paul may plant, and Apollos water," but, since it is "God that gives the increase," let God reap all the glory; they shall also "reap in due season, if they faint not," if they grow not "weary of well doing." {Gal 6:9} {See Trapp on "Son 8:11"}
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{a} Seneca.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain My vineyard; my church, which is oft compared to…
My vineyard; my church, which is oft compared to a vineyard, and is here opposed to Solomon’s vineyard. It is much doubted and disputed whether this verse be spoken by Christ or by the spouse; the first clause seems to agree best to the former, and the following clause to the latter. Possibly the difficulty may be reconciled by ascribing the first clause to Christ, and the latter to the spouse; such interlocutions being familiar in this book, and in other writings of this kind. Which is mine: this repetition is not idle, but very emphatical, to show that Christ had a more eminent and special title to his vineyard, the church, than Solomon had to his vineyard, because it was purchased not by his money, but by his blood, and because it was his, not only for the short time of this present life, as Solomon’s was, but to all eternity.
Is before me; is under my own eye and care, and is not wholly committed to the care and management of others, as Solomon’s was: I the Lord do keep it night and day, as we read, Isa 27:3. I am with it to the end of the world, Mat 28:20.
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Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand: these are the church’s return to Christ, who is here called Solomon, as he was Son 3:9,11, as elsewhere he is called David. Dost thou, O Christ, keep thine own vineyard, which Solomon did not? Then surely it is meet that thou shouldst receive, and thou shalt receive, as large a revenue from thy vineyard as he did from his.
Those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred; though the chief revenue belongeth and is justly given to thee, yet thy ministers who serve thee in thy vineyard shall have, and are allowed by thee to receive, some encouragement for their service. See 1Co 9:7.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain My vineyard - My church, which is here opposed…
My vineyard - My church, which is here opposed to Solomon's vineyard. Possibly we may ascribe the first clause to Christ, and the latter to the spouse: such interlocutions being familiar in this book. Mine - This repetition is very emphatical, to shew that Christ had a more eminent title to his vineyard, the church, than Solomon had to his vineyard, because it was purchased not by his money, but by his blood. Before me - Is under my own eye and care. Thou - These words are the church's return to Christ, who is here called Solomon, as he was chap. iii, 9, 11, as elsewhere he is called David. Dost thou, O Christ, keep thine own vineyard, which Solomon did not? Then surely it is meet that thou shouldst receive as large a revenue from thy vineyard, as he did from his. Two hundred - Though the chief revenue is justly given to thee, yet thy ministers, who serve thee in thy vineyard, are allowed by thee to receive some encouragement for their service.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Son 8:12. My vineyard, which is mine — My…
Son 8:12. My vineyard, which is mine — My soul, may every true member of the church say, my heart and life, my time and talents; or, my privileges and advantages, may the church in general say, which are committed to my trust, and for which I must be accountable; are before me — Under my continual care. Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand — Thou, O Christ, must have the honour and glory: thou must receive returns of gratitude, love, and duty for the blessings thou hast bestowed; thou must be served with the produce of the vineyard, and of every plant therein. And those that keep the fruit thereof, two hundred — Those ministers that take pains with thy people to make them fruitful, must have that reward and encouragement that is due to them, 1Co 9:7. They that give Christ his due, will also give ministers theirs; yet without encroaching on Christ’s. It may be observed here, that the Hebrew of this verse will admit of a different translation, thus; My vineyard, which before brought me a thousand pieces, is now thine, O Solomon, and there are two hundred pieces for those who look after the fruit thereof. They who adopt this translation suppose that the occasion of writing this book was taken from Solomon’s marriage of a beautiful person called Shulamith, (Son 6:13,) and generally supposed to be Pharaoh’s daughter: and that in her single state she possessed a vineyard, which upon her marriage became Solomon’s; because, though among the Jews it was usual for the husband to endow his spouse with a sum of money at their marriage, yet the bride also often brought a portion to her husband, as appears from Tob 10:10. Now, supposing it to be a fact, that Solomon’s marriage gave occasion to this book, and that what has now been stated is the literal meaning of this verse; in the application of it to Christ and his church, we must say, as Solomon’s spouse gave her vineyard, or her whole property, to him on her marriage, so the church, the spouse of Christ, upon her marriage to him, gives him, not only herself, but her all, and retains a propriety or exclusive right in nothing. She lays herself and her all at his feet. With her heavenly husband’s permission, however, she takes care to provide for those who are employed in cultivating and keeping the vineyard. For while Solomon has the vineyard, two hundred pieces, arising from the produce of it, are reserved for those who look after the fruit thereof. For the labourer, said Jesus, is worthy of his hire: and he that is taught in the word must communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Before me. I am satisfied with my spouse. ---…
Before me. I am satisfied with my spouse. --- The peaceable. Hebrew and Septuagint, "Solomon." (Haydock) --- Retain them, and also pay the keepers their wages. I envy not all the treasures of the world; nor would put them in competition with my vineyard, or spouse. The synagogue of Moses and Solomon degenerated, while the Church of Christ has continued faithful, and has always some good workmen. (St. Gregory; Ven. Bede, &c.) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me…
12. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me — That is, My own vineyard is in my thought; I can look at no other. The ample estate, with its income of thousands, after the keepers or tenants have been paid, has no attraction for her. Or, it may be that the two hundred shekels remain to them for their labour after the rent has been paid to the king. This verse bears plain marks of being a rehearsal of what she had once said to Solomon. Silver, as measured by the value of wheat, had at that time possibly fifty times its average worth in our day, so that she had indeed resisted a tempting offer.
12. We have seen the Shulamite sitting in the pavilion of the King, and in his palace. Now, she is sitting in the gardens; the friends of herself and of her Beloved welcoming her return, and anticipating the bridal feast, beguile the happy time with gentle conversation.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. My vineyard, which is mine] This is an…
12. My vineyard, which is mine] This is an emphatic expression for my vineyard, in contrast to Solomon’s, and also as being her own exclusive possession.
is before me] is still in my possession, neither given away nor sold (Oettli), and is sufficiently guarded by me.
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thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred] More literally, the thousand be to thee, O Solomon, and two hundred to those keeping (or watching) the fruit. The meaning seems to be, ‘O Solomon, you may keep the income of your vineyard, and the keepers may have their reward for their guardianship, but my vineyard is beyond your reach, and I have no need that my brothers or any others should guard it.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) Thou, O Solomon . . .—i.e., “Let Solomon…
(12) Thou, O Solomon . . .—i.e., “Let Solomon keep and enjoy his possessions (his harem of mercenary beauties), which cost so much to obtain and keep; I am happier in the secure love of my one true wife.” The mention of “two hundred to the keepers of the fruit” seems added to show the cost of a polygamous establishment on a great scale.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me: thou,…
Son_8:12
My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
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Christs love for His vineyard
You are aware that these Canticles are responsive songs,--that one sentence is uttered by Solomon, and the next by Solyma, his spouse. We believe that, in this Song of Songs, which is Solomons, we also hear Christ speaking to His Church, His bride, and the Church responding to His words of love in tones which His love has suggested to her. The fact that it is a responsive song sometimes renders it the more difficult to understand, because it is not easy, in every case, to discover whether it is Solomon or Solyma--Christ or His Church--that is speaking. The first sentence in our text is just of that character; it may be Christ who says, My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me; or it may be His Church which is saying, My vineyard, which is mine, is before me. With regard to the latter part of the verse, we have no difficulty, for we can see, upon the very face of it, that it is addressed by the spouse, the bride, to her Divine Bridegroom, to whom she says, Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand.
I. Let us look at the first sentence: My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me. We have no difficulty in understanding that this vineyard is Christs Church. The Master here, then, claims a special property in His Church. Twice does He mention that claim: My vineyard, which is Mine, as if He meant to assert His rights, and to maintain them against all comers; being ready to defend them in Heavens High Court of Chancery, or before all the hosts of His enemies who might seek to snatch His inheritance from Him. Whatever is not Mine, saith the Divine Lover, My Church is. She is so mine that, if I gave up Lebanon, if I should renounce Bashan, and give up all the rest of My possessions, I must retain Zion, My vineyard, My best-beloved. First, He claims the Church as His own by His Fathers gift. You know that the Church is the property of all the three Persons of the holy and blessed Trinity. She is the Fathers property by election; she is the Sons property by donation, passing from the hand of the Father to that of the Mediator; and, then, the Church is the Spirits by His indwelling and inhabitation; so that all three of the Divine Persons have a right to the Church for some special office which they exercise towards her. So Christ claims His Church as His Fathers gift, a love-token, a reward, a sign of the Fathers favour and regard towards Him. Next, Christs Church is His by purchase. More than this, the Church is Christs by one other He, which, perhaps, makes it dearer still to Him. She is His bride, His spouse. But we must pass on to notice that, in the first sentence of our text, we are not only told about Christs special right to His Church, but also about His special care and observation of her: My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me. The Church is before Christ in the sense that He so loves her that He never has her out of His presence. The vineyard is so dear to the Husbandman that He never leaves it. His Church may be willing to endure His absence for a while, but He loves her so much that He cannot bear to be away from her. He will always pour upon her the beams of His love, and ever fix upon her the affection of His whole heart. The expression, My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me, may also mean that Jesus is always caring for it, as well as always loving it. There is also, in this expression, not only the sense of love and care, but also of knowledge: My vineyard, which is Mine, is before Me. Christ knows every vine in the vineyard, and He knows all the fruit that is on each vine, and how much there was last year, and how much there will be in years to come.
II. Now, regard this first sentence of our text as the language of the Church itself. According to the eleventh verse, Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. So, dear brethren, every one of us whom the Lord has brought to Himself has a part of His vineyard to keep for Him. We leave the work of saving our souls in higher Hands than our own; but after our souls are saved, then we have a charge to keep, and that charge is, to publish the name and fame of Jesus to the utmost of our power, to seek to bring others under the sound of the Gospel, and to tell them what they must do to be saved.
III. I will now turn to the second part of our text, which is the language of the Church to Her Great Proprietor and Lord: Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand--must have a thousand. Whatever others have, our Lord must have Solomons portion; and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. So, then, in the first place, the fruit of the vineyard belongs to Christ; but, in the second place, both Christ and His Church agree to reward the keepers of the vineyard, and to let them have their two hundred. First, then, all the fruit of the vineyard belongs to Christ, and He must have it. Dwell on that word must, and let each one of you feel the blessed necessity. The ministry must still be powerful, the prayer-meetings must continue to be full of faith and fervour, the members must keep on striving together in love for the extension of Christs kingdom, His kingdom must come, and His will must be done on earth as it is heaven. We will not put in an if or a perhaps; it must be so and we will not be satisfied unless it Is. Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand. Now I will conclude with a few remarks upon the last words of the text: and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred, which means that the keepers of the vineyard are to receive a reward. Christs ministers are to receive the love, and regard, and esteem of His people for His sake. Our Master is a blessed Paymaster, for He pays us while we are doing His work, in the work itself; He pays us when the work is done, and then lie says that He has only begun to pay us; for, when the whole of our work here is over, we shall enter into His joy, and receive the fulness of our reward. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.