Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
The line is a poetic praise of the loved woman's loveliness in which her look is said to have overpowered the speaker. The overpowering is tied to her eyes, which are asked to be turned away because their power has prevailed over him. Her hair is likened to a herd of goats observed coming down from Gilead.
The line stands within an Eastern love poem composed in glowing, highly figurative Eastern speech, whose pictures are to be understood according to the place and forms of expression of that age. That poem is a parable-like portrayal of Christ and His church, in which Solomon's experiences prefigure those of Christ and the church. In that portrayal is displayed Christ's marvelous love and the church's responsive love, a response that may prove wanting in loyalty and steadfastness.
The line is a poetic praise of the loved woman's loveliness in which her look is said to have overpowered the speaker. The overpowering is tied to her eyes, which are asked to be turned away because their power has prevailed over him. Her hair is likened to a herd of goats observed coming down from Gilead.
The line stands within an Eastern love poem composed in glowing, highly figurative Eastern speech, whose pictures are to be understood according to the place and forms of expression of that age. That poem is a parable-like portrayal of Christ and His church, in which Solomon's experiences prefigure those of Christ and the church. In that portrayal is displayed Christ's marvelous love and the church's responsive love, a response that may prove wanting in loyalty and steadfastness.