III. As a farther evidence of the spring's being come
III. As a farther evidence of the spring's being come
And the more to allure her to arise and go with him[3605] he says, that "the voice of the turtle was heard in their land;" which is a kind of dove, that, as naturalists[3606] tell us, lies hid in the winter-time, and appears in the sprang; its voice is never heard in winter, unless on a fine clay.[3607] By which may be meant, either the church, which is compared to a turtle-dove (8:19). whose voice is heard in prayer to Christ; and who, in the preaching of the gospel, speaks of him, and in the public profession of his cause and interest, speaks for him; which voice, in verse 14. is very pleasant to him: or else, the voice of the Holy Ghost, according to the Targum, who once appeared in the form of a dove, and whose voice in the hearts of believers is very comfortable; for he speaks peace and pardon through Christ's blood, bears witness to our sonship, and is the pledge of our future inheritance: or the voice of God the Father, declaring his well-pleasedness in Christ, which was heard in Judea, both at his baptism and at his transfiguration upon the mount: or the voice of John the Baptist,[3608] who was the forerunner of Christ, and declared him to be at hand; and so R. Alshech interprets it, of Elijah, that was to come before the Messiah, and cites the passage in Malachi 4:5 and others[3609] understand it of the Messiah himself: or else, the voice of Christ himself, preaching the everlasting gospel;[3610] R. Simeon Ben Jochai[3611] understands it of the voice of the law in the days of the Messiah: but rather the gospel itself, that joyful sound of peace, pardon, righteousness, life and salvation by Christ, is meant; which was heard for a while only in Judea, which perhaps is the land here intended, called, by way of eminency and speciality, "our land;" though afterwards this voice was heard throughout the Gentile world: for Christ gave his disciples a commission to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; who accordingly did, and their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world: and a joyful season it was, and still is to the poor Gentiles, where this voice is heard; and blessed be God, it is heard in our land.