“My” is the slave girl. She neglected her vineyard.  She didn’t neglect someone else’s vineyard. She had a responsibility to take care of her vineyard. “My” meaning her own vineyard.  Her job was to take care of her vineyard. Her vineyard that should have grapes growing in it.  The foxes were destroying her vineyard and she couldn’t catch them Song 2:15.

My “own“.  It is her vineyard she neglected in contrast to the vineyard she is taking care of.  The one she is working in is not her own.  She is in forced labor working in another vineyard for the profit of another.  She is a slave working for her Mother’s sons who are angry with her.

My own “vineyard” I have neglected.  It’s a vineyard that is being neglected.  Not her body, not her complexion.

My own vineyard “I” have neglected.  She takes personal responsibility for the neglect of her vineyard.  She was supposed to take care of it and she didn’t.  Someone else didn’t have the responsibility she did.

My own vineyard I “have” neglected.  This shows the certainty of her neglect.  Or some versions. My own vineyard I have not kept.

My own vineyard I have “neglected”. She neglected to catch the foxes so her vineyard got destroyed and ruined 2:15.  She didn’t keep it up as she was supposed to.  Foxes would dig near the roots of grape vineyards and destroy the blossoming grapes.  She had no fruit in her vineyard.  She neglected it. She had no proper protection from the foxes. In Neh. 4:3 Tobiah mocks Israel for rebuilding the wall, saying a “even a fox climbing up on it will break down their wall of stones.”  By Song 8:10, she is a spiritual mother and is likened to a “wall”, no foxes are destroying her blossoming relationship with God by then.  The book is about growing in spiritual maturity.

Literally

She had a job to catch the foxes, take care of her vineyard and have a fruitful harvest, but she neglected it.

The idea.

The vineyard is put for our relationship with God.  She neglected her relationship with God and therefore was dark.  And according to Dt. 28:30,39  she was experiencing the curse of God.  Which is consistent with her being a natural born enemy of God 1 Kings 9:20-21.

The longer you neglect your relationship with God the darker you get.  She was really dark. Dark like the tents of Kedar.  The darker you were then would show the length of time you were outside a covenant relationship with God beside the flocks of Solomon’s friends.  The darker you were the harder your heart.

All in principle.  This guy speaks.  No rules here!!:

“She complains, besides, of the ill treatment of relations but also of exposing her to these servile employment’s by which I think’ she is to be understood as meaning to depicture still more the misery of her former situation. You see me‘discoloured by the sun ; it arises from my having been employed in the labours of husbandry, not that I myself have reaped any fruits from my industry. I was cruelly reduced to be the slave of others ;‘ they alone have received the profits of ‘my toil and’ labour.”

Explanation

She was supposed to do something and didn’t.  In context she is explaining why she is sunburnt.  She is giving her testimony as to why she is black.  She neglected her vineyard and her angry brother’s forced her to work outside in the sun and she is now sunburnt.  Now if I had responsibilities in life and neglected them then I would be irresponsible.

Her irresponsibility lead to her being dark.  Had she taken care of her vineyard her brother’s would not have been angry with her.

The text is explaining why she is dark in descending order therefore getting to the root cause of her being dark.  She is also feeling like other’s including Solomon would stare at her and despise her for being outside the flock of Solomon’s friends.  The staring comes from her being immoral.  She is being treated like a prostitute.  She isn’t a prostitute but is being treated like one outside the flock of Solomon’s friends.  This is consistent with the slave labor force in 1 Kings 9:20-21. She is a natural born enemy of God.

Given all this information, I take it that it is her responsibility to take care of her literal vineyard.  This is what God wants her to do.  If you don’t do what God wants you to do then you are in sin.  She neglected to honor God by producing fruit in her vineyard. So she is in sin for not doing what God wanted her to do.  This is the root cause of her sunburn and being treated as an immoral person outside a covenant relationship with God and not in a covenant relationship with God like Solomon’s flock of friends were.

Now going back up the line. She sinned by neglecting to do what God wanted her to do.  Her brother’s got angry with her and made her take care of their vineyard.  The work in the vineyard outside in the sun.  Therefore she is guilty of disobeying God and ought to be judged so.  Being immoral and darkened by the sun she doesn’t want Solomon to stare at her.  Meaning she doesn’t want the king to judge her based on her sinful past that eventually caused her skin to darken from the sun.

Had she cultivated her relationship with God then she would have taken care of her vineyard.  But since she didn’t care for obeying God she neglected her responsibilities.  The taking care of our vineyards is put for the taking care of our responsibilities before God.  So the idea is that disobedience to God lead to her being dark and despised.

The idea is that of responsibility.  Taking care of our vineyard is our God given responsibility. To not take care of your vineyard is to neglect your relationship with God.  If you cultivated a growing relationship with God then you wouldn’t neglect your vineyard.  You would catch the foxes and the vineyard would bloom and your Mother’s sons wouldn’t be angry with you and you wouldn’t be dark and despised.

Dt. 28:30 “You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit”

Dt. 28:39  “You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.”

Due to the neglect of her vineyard or disobedience to God she desires Solomon to overlook her sunburn that carries a stigma that she is an enemy of God and not in a covenant relationship with the LORD.  She fears being enslaved by Solomon “Do not stare at me because I am black/sunburnt by the sun.”  Song 1:6  She overcomes this fear and he compliments her by comparing her to a fearless mare in battle.

‘Tis as impossible, in the nature of things, that a holy and Christian hope, should be kept alive, in its clearness and strength, in such circumstances, as it is to keep the light in the room, when the candle is put out; or to maintain the bright sunshine in the air, when the sun is gone down. Distant experiences, when darkened by present prevailing lust and corruption, will never keep alive a gracious confidence and assurance; but that sickens and decays upon it, as necessarily as a little child by repeated blows on the head with the hammer. Nor is it at all to be lamented that persons doubt of their state in such circumstances; but on the contrary, ’tis desirable and every way best that they should. ‘Tis agreeable to that wise and merciful constitution of things, which God hath established, that it should be so. For so hath God contrived and constituted things, in his dispensations towards his own people, that when their love decays, and the exercises of it fail, or become weak, fear should arise; for then they need it to restrain them from sin, and to excite ’em to care for the good of their souls, and so to stir them up to watchfulness and diligence in religion: but God hath so ordered that when love rises, and is in vigorous exercise, then fear should vanish, and be driven away; for then they need it not, having a higher and more excellent principle in exercise, to restrain ’em from sin, and stir ’em up to their duty. There are no other principles, which human nature is under the influence of, that will ever make men conscientious, but one of these two, fear or love: and therefore, if one of these should not prevail, as the other decayed, God’s people when fallen into dead and carnal frames, when love is asleep, would be lamentably exposed indeed. And therefore God has wisely ordained, that these two opposite principles of love and fear, should rise and fall, like the two opposite scales of a balance; when one rises, the other sinks. As light and darkness, necessarily and unavoidably succeed each other; if light prevails, so much does darkness cease, and no more; and if light decays, so much does darkness prevail; so it is in the heart of a child of God: if divine love decays and falls asleep, and lust prevails, the light and joy of hope goes out, and dark fear and doubting arises; and if on the contrary, divine love prevails, and comes into lively exercise, this brings in the brightness of hope, and drives away black lust, and fear with it.  Jonathan Edwards

Song 1:6  “Mine own vineyard I have neglected”

Simplified truth

1. I have not obeyed God, I have transgressed, I am full of iniquity, sin and am totally depraved. God has shown me my heart “and every intent of the thoughts of my heart was only evil continually.” Gen. 6:5
2. I have not guarded my heart, I have not had Him as my God and King, I have not kept right thoughts of God in my understanding,  I have misused His Name, I have not delighted in His Love more than anything else, I have not honored people in authority nor have I been honorable as I ought to, I have been angry when I ought to have shown love by forgiving and not being angry, I have lusted in my heart, I lie and don’t keep my promises nor do I tell the truth, I am not content and covet my neighbors goods.  Mine own vineyard I have neglected
3. I am dark and evil because I have not guarded my vineyard.
4. I am dark and sinful because I have neglected my vineyard and God would be just to punish me.
5. Mine own Husband God I have neglected.  I have cultivated a relationship with the God of this world, Satan.  I have believed his lies and neglected my vineyard.

This is a study of the meaning and use of the words “vineyards” and “vineyard” in Song of Song 1:6  The Song teaches you what to do with certain feelings in marriage and your relationship with Christ.  Solomon the lesser Christ.  In marriage the wife may feel like she is being despised or morally rejected.  A right understanding of the use of vineyards and vineyard in Song 1:6 will help the marriage move forward in closer intimacy and also for the Christ to learn how to cultivate a closer relationship with Christ when they have these feelings.

Song of Solomon 1:5-7

5 “I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6a “Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
6b For the sun has burned me.
6c My mother’s sons were angry with me;

6d They made me caretaker of the VINEYARDS,

6e But I have not taken care of my own VINEYARD.

7 “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who veils herself
Beside the flocks of your companions?”

The context

1. Courtship or Baby Christian phase of the Song
2. They have not met yet.  They meet in Song 1:9
3. She is single wanting to be married to the Solomon, the king to whom peace belongs.  Expressed in her words in Song 1:2-4 “take me into his chambers”.
4. The whole of Song 1:2-4 which is previous to v. 5 is all about moral character.  Solomon’s love, Solomon name.  The uprightness of the virgins or young women.  They rejoice and praise Solomon’s love.
5. In thinking of Solomon she see’s other righteous women rightly adoring him. Song 1:4  As if to say that Solomon could easily choose one of them to marry but not her because she is being looked upon because she is dark.
6. This section is her testimony as to why she is dark.
7. Solomon accepts these daughters of Jerusalem as friends and she in not being treated as one of them.  She is outside Solomon’s flock of friends. Song 1:7
8. She is being treated like an immoral prostitute and doesn’t want it to be so.  Song 1:7
9. People she is not related to and has no emotional attachment to, her “mothers sons”,  are angry with her and treating her severely.  Song 1:6
10. She is being forced to do something she can’t get out of.  In Jewish culture this meant she was in slavery. “made me take care of the vineyards”  Song 1:6
11. She is explaining in descending order why she is dark.

 

The questions are

1. Is the root of her dark skin her fault because of sinful laziness and neglect and therefore she is being despised and looked down upon because she is a sinner?
2. Is the root of her dark skin to blame on someone else like her mother’s sons?
3. Is the root cause of her being dark from the sun?
4. What did society think was beautiful and or attractive in a spouse?

How this question is answered plays a very important role in how you interpret the rest of the Song and especially how Song 1:9-11 is understood.  My view is that all three questions are right but the root cause is a moral inability to guard or take care of her vineyard so in sinfully neglecting her vineyard she is in forced labor for another outside in their vineyards under the sun.

She uses beautiful with a moral good Solomon’s curtains and a dark tent of evil people or a dwelling place of sin.  I am dark a dwelling place of sin, I am lovely like holy curtains in the temple.  Set apart for a purpose.  Holy.

Also the love of Solomon is greater if he overlooks her dark skin because of a root moral issue.  If the root issue behind her being dark is because of her brother’s then Solomon is only overlooking her dark appearance.  Still love either way, but if she deserves moral rejection and Solomon loves her anyway then the glory of Solomon’s love is much more glorious.

Interpretations of Song 1:6

Nearly all interpret 6d as a literal grape vineyard.  This is because the sun darkened her and clearly being outside working in a vineyard would tan you black.  Physical labor getting physically dark and blacker the longer you are working in the vineyard.  Where interpretations differ is the meaning of vineyard in 6e.

1. Interpretations of “vineyard” in Song 1:6e
   1. Her appearance.  (She neglected is her appearance or complexion. Iain Duguid)
   2. Her beloved  (she could not attend to her beloved)
   3. Her body (meaning she failed to keep her chastity) Douglas O’Donnell
   4. A people or a nation Ps. 79:9 or House of Israel Jer. 2:21 (Apponius pg 46 The Churches Bible)
   5. “Our souls are the neglected vineyard.” (Henry Law)
   6. Neglecting her “concerns” and taking care of the “concerns” of others.  Dr. Good
   7. “Vineyard”  “May suggest the woman’s sexuality, or sex appeal” Tremper Longman.  So she did not take care of her sex appeal.
   8. 6d “vineyards”Being burdened living up to everyone’s expectations (Brian Simmons)  (Here I believe “being burdened living up to everyones expectations” is one application of nearly endless applications of what is being taught in the passage.  The idea is of neglecting one thing you ought to do and being in forced labor doing another as a result or consequence of sinful neglect.)
   9. In slavery to sin  (John Fry)
   10. Falling in with corrupt worship and observance of the vain traditions and ordinances of men.  Vineyards= false churches John Gill  (I take him to understand it that she neglected her True religion (singular) and was severely treated living a meaningless life under false teachings (plural)
   11. “Vineyard”  Your inner spirit where God lives.  (Jeanne Guyon).  Yes, she did neglect her real vineyard, but she would have if she would of guarded her heart and done the duties God had for her.
   12. Literally, a real vineyard and the “Vineyard” is her duty and business incumbent on her.  The religious exercise she ought to have been employed in.  John Gill
   13. “What is entrusted to us by God to be faithful with”  (the idea or definition of a vineyard is the be put for vineyard.)  She neglected what God entrusted her with to be a faithful servant of God with.  She neglected her own vineyard.  She failed to be faithful with what God entrusted her with.  She neglected her vineyard.  Her sinful behavior is the root cause of her dark skin and rightful slavery of her brother’s.

May of the above meanings are applications of the principle.  Meaning the idea or principle is that “she didn’t do what God wanted her to do.”  God would want her to take care of her vineyard.  Would God want her to take care of her “own vineyard”?  Yes, God would want her to take care of her own vineyard, but she was in disobedience to God and in sin and wasn’t guarding her own vineyard.  Later she produces fruit from her own vineyard and gives the profit to Solomon and those who tended it. 8:12

Understanding the text

1.  The meaning of vineyard must be the same in both sentences.  Or
2. If there is an idea being conveyed by the whole sentence then words at not to be taken literally. The idea being conveyed must keep corresponding relations preserved.

 But it is a 
hazardous mode of interpretation to 
take an expression in the same verse 
in an ordinary and in an extraordinary 
sense, which ought never to be done 
unless required by absolute necessity, 
which is not the case here

Brown, Green, Longman and Roberts, The Song of Songs, page 134

Some take the meaning to be “Through the constant watch, which my brothers made me keeper of their vineyards, I could not take care of “my complexion” vineyard.”

They state that either the vineyard is “her appearance or her beloved” and they reject another view that “Dr. Good” who says  she was dark because she was “assisting in her brother’s concerns” and neglecting her concerns. This use of the word vineyard holds the same meaning in Song 1:6

Meaning that if the word “vineyard” shows up 2x in the same verse then it has to mean the same thing in both places or you are using “a hazardous mode of interpretation”.  Meaning that if you take vineyard to be a literal vineyard in “My mothers sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards” and the meaning is a literal vineyard then you have to take “My own vineyard I have neglected”  as a literal vineyard as well.  You cant take the first vineyard as literal and make the second vineyard to mean her body or anything else.

Most translators take the first vineyard to be a real vineyard that you work and till and get food and grapes from.   And they take they second vineyard to be her body that she has neglected, thus her complexion was bad or sunburnt.  Although it is true that she didn’t take care of her complexion but not her own literal vineyard.   To do this is absolutely unnecessary and an abuse of the text.  Either vineyard means a literal vineyard in both cases or vineyard means her body in both cases.  It means vineyard in both cases.

My view on the use of the word vineyard.
She is explaining where the dark sunburnt  scorched skin came from.  Had she taken care of her real vineyard then she would not be in slavery working someone else’s.  The idea is “who is her husband?”

1.  She is dark..like the tents of Kedar  Why was she dark?
2.  Darkened by the sun.  Why did the sun darken you?
3. “My mothers son’s were angry with me and made me take care of their vineyards” outside in the sun.  Why were you in forced labor?
4. “My own vineyard I neglected”

The reason she is in forced labor being treated severely is that she couldn’t produce fruit in her vineyard because she neglected taking care of her own grape vineyard.  Now in Jewish law if a woman couldn’t do her responsibilities in the family then was would be enslaved by them.

Now either she is a lazy Jew or she is an enemy of God in slave labor.

Is she a lazy Jew?  I doubt it because during Solomon’s reign everyone was under their own fig tree and all of Israel was experiencing their promised peace and rest in a land flowing with milk and honey.

She is an enemy of God in slave labor.  Click here for more details.

The text clearly indicates that she is getting to the root of her sun scorched skin.  Since she is a natural born sinner she neglected what God entrusted to her to do, she didn’t guard her vineyard from foxes, therefore her brother’s she is not directly related to enslaved her to their vineyards. Then her skin got black from the sun.  Then she is despised and looked down upon because she was a sinner.  Moral rejection because of moral inability.  Not rejection because of her skin color, but rejection because sunburnt dark slaves were sinner and enemies of God in Solomon’s kingdom.

Also note that the phrase “Mothers son’s”  not brothers.  Intimates that there was no real relation between her and them.  No real love emotional involvement either.  They were angry with her and treated her severely.  But this was a righteous anger.  She deserved Gods wrath.  The Israelites had no love of complacency toward God’s enemies.

Double determination “My own”  “Mine own”

Also “My own vineyard i have neglected”  is a double determination.  “my very own vineyard”  or “my vineyard which is mine”  She is laboring for another is the emphasis.  The cause of her moral rejection is because she is neglectful!!  She is irresponsible.  She was given something of her own to take care of and productive with and she didn’t.  Similar to the lazy servant that hid his talent in the parable of the talents.  The idea of servants being entrusted with possessions.  In the parable the servant is “lazy” Matthew 25:16. And “worthless” v. 30.  In the Song she was entrusted with her vineyard and she neglected it.

The idea

The idea is that she is in slavery.  She is sunburnt.  She doesn’t want to be stared at due to her sunburn. If you have a vineyard then God wants you to do the best at your God given responsibilities wether they are physical responsibilities of spiritual.

I believe she was enslaved by Satan to do his will and was until she was born again and desired to marry Solomon.  There are two slaveries.  One to Satan and the other by her mother’s sons.

The main root idea is that of slavery and freedom.  Or who is she yoked to.  Who is her husband?  Her father?  No.   A husband? No.   Her angry mothers sons? Yes.    She is in slavery and wants out.  There is a contrast being made.  The point isn’t to figure how neglecting her own vineyard led to being enslaved to other’s but the fact that she has her own responsibilities.  She was in sin by not taking care of her own vineyard and is enslaved working for someone else profiting them and nor herself.  She is in bondage to another and not free.  Being in slavery to one and not to another.  Who is it you are united to and working for?  Is it someone who loves you or someone who righteously hates you.

Is this a righteous hatred or a sinful hatred?

Is your Husband God? then you will not neglect your own vineyard.  Is your husband Satan? then your bound to him.

She is being morally rejected outside the flock of Solomon’s friends.  She is getting to the root of her being morally rejected.  Had she taken care of her own vineyard then she would be inside the flock of Solomon’s friends and being accepted and not looked down upon.  I take the vineyards to be literal vineyards but by way of application you ask yourself “What have I neglected that would cause God, the one I am courting, my husband or Christ to despise and reject me?”

I tend to think the main idea is that she neglected her True Husband God and therefore was severely treated and enslaved by “those whom she had no proper relation to” or other husbands and not her own Husband.

When you don’t guard one relationship you are binding yourself to another.  No fruit will be produced in the one you are supposed to be taking care of.

My view is that She is giving testimony, getting to the root of her dark sun tan. Why is she being morally rejected “beside the flocks of Solomon’s friends” in descending order therefore getting to the root of the issue.   Prostitutes were morally rejected.  She is not a prostitute but is being treated like one.  She is being treated like a sinner an immoral person.  At the root issue of it all, they (Solomon and the people in his kingdom culturally “stared” at her.  They judged her and were treating her like an immoral prostitute.  Who in Solomon’s kingdom were treated like immoral prostitutes?  and why?

The intention of the author is to communicate a truth a principle.  So we ask the question “What would be the cause as to why she is being despised like a prostitute and stared at?”  It is so, but she doesn’t want it to be that way so she says “Why should I be like a veiled woman, beside the flocks of your friends?” Song 1:7  here we see she is making reference to being beside Solomon’s friends.  This also intimates that she was an enemy and not a friend of the King.

1. She is outside a covenant relationship with God.  She is not sharing in the blessing of being INSIDE and not beside the flocks of Solomon’s friends.
2. It is so that she is being treated like a prostitute despised and rejected beside the flocks of Solomon’s friends.  It is so, but she doesn’t want it to be that way.

“My own vineyard I have neglected” is taken as a whole phrase  meaning “I haven’t taken care of my grape vineyard” (The foxes were destroying it according to Song 2:16) “I have failed to produce fruit”  God wants me to be productive in my relationship with Him but I wasn’t”

The idea of having a husband other than her own is also being conveyed here.  She was owned by her brothers.  They enslaved her and made her take care of their vineyards.  Union with her brother’s and not God.  She was outside a covenant relationship with God.

Christ is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh we are one with Him, it is not possible for Him to despise His own body.  He is the Bridegroom and we the bride.  Him the Head and us the body.

Why do I believe this is a rightful moral rejection and despising that ought not to be so:

1. Because she contrasts the dark with beautiful.  As dark us ugly and whiter is beautiful. Dark and despised as opposed to beautiful and accepted.  She says she is beautiful.  Despised only because of her vocation in the vineyards and dark skin.  If a physical despising then a physical beauty.  Yet being darkened by the sun was not considered attractive at the time.  Only whiter complexions where attractive.  If being despised and stared at because darker skin was less attractive then why would she say she was outwardly beautiful.  She confesses “Dark am I yet lovely”
2. Love to a godly man consists in a complacent love.  She delights in his love.  Song 1:2  She delighted in his love.  Solomon’s love was morally excellent.  Solomon loved God.  She delighted in his love to God and love to Israel.  His love was more delightful than wine.  The wicked have no delight in loving God.  They hate him.  The wicked take delight in sin.  Her delight was in Solomon’s Love.  This delight makes her also morally excellent and holy.  Holiness consists in love to God.  Therefore she is beautiful on the inside.
3. External beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The beholders in Solomon’s time thought that the whiter you were then the more desirable you were.  She was very dark.  Therefore not desirable at all for marriage.  Actually she would be the last one chosen if external beauty was the standard by which a king chose a wife.  What kind of king would choose a dark wife?  Only one who was looking at the inside and not the outside.   Now I doubt that Solomon would allow a society to dictate who he chooses as a wife.  If she is good on the inside but despised by other’s because of the outside then that would not matter to Solomon.  Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.  This seems to be every woman’s desire.  For her man to love her for who she is and not for what’s on the outside.
4. She was being looked upon as evil on the inside and unattractive on the outside.  Despised morally and physically but it ought not to be so because not only is she dark, but lovely.   She would still have to be dark on the outside when she said this, which means that the beauty she is talking about is an inward beauty.

“Do not stare at me because I am dark”  Darkened by the sun.

1. The sun made her dark and therefore her outward appearance would not be attractive to a Holy king of Jerusalem who had every other righteous whiter maidens to choose from.  She was dark and out of the running.  No way could she ever think of having a close relationship with a king.  She was a dark slave.  She would not add to his glory.  A marriage to her would be to his shame.  His status would go down.  The view other’s had of him would go down.  Less honor and not more would prevail.
2. Let him marry one of the lowest people of all the slaves.  An enemy slave.  Let me marry her and I will prove my love to my enemies.  Solomon didn’t hate them.  He loved them and wanted the other sinful nations to repent.  So he proved his love to his enemies by giving his kingdom to an enemy slave in marriage.  And presenting her holy and blameless to himself.  He carried her the whole time up out of the wilderness, it was him there all along, he never left her, she only thought he was gone, it was all a dream when I thought he was gone.   Song “I was sleeping but my heart was awake”  “let him kiss me with the kisses of his lips
3. I googled slave Egypt Israel vineyards wilderness and thought of Song 8:5  “leaning on her beloved”  and thought that he was with her all along.

Richard Brooks

Neglect of maintaining personal communion and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  The cultivation of the soul, the care that needs to be taken regarding a close walk with God.

Gregory of Nyssa

We are to “guard” the good things God has given us.

Apponius

If he means to think that the woman was a teacher of Israel and she didn’t take care of her vineyard/ or flock through right teaching.  I don’t think that fits the husband wife illustration.

Watchmen Nee

“They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.”  The first mention of “vineyard” is plural in number, it is organized by man.  The second mention of “vineyard” is singular in number; it is ordained by God.  “They made me the keeper of the vineyards.” This was her former work. After she has received God’s enlightening and is dealt with by Him, she realizes the vanity of her former work-she has only done what man entrusted to her, but not wha God ordained for her.

The first reference is plural-vineyards, and it refers to works organized and arranged by the hand of man.  The second reference is in the singular-vineyard, and this points to that work which the Lord Himself has arranged and assigned.

She had been doing that which had been entrusted to her by man, but she had been negligent of the work which the Lord had prepared for her.

Spurgeon “vineyards”  or rather the phrase “made me take care of the vineyards”  is being under the dominion of the world, the flesh and the devil.  Working for self and not God.

The unkept vineyard; or, personal work neglected.

Harvey Cox and Stephanie Pausell

The woman is seeing herself beautiful even though she works outside and is dark.  She continues to see herself how her lover would, as externally beautiful.

Loose translations

Song of Songs Divine Romance

Song of Song 1:6  Please don’t stare in scorn because of my dark and sinful ways.  My angry bothers quarreled with me and appointed me guardian of the ministry vineyards, yet I have not tended my vineyard within.

Shir Hashirim, song of songs Art Scroll series.  Verse 1:6  “Jerusalem; though sullied as the tents of Kedar, I will be immaculate was the draperies of Shlomo* Do not view me with contempt despite my swarthiness, for it is but the sun which has glared upon me.  The alien children of my mother were incensed with me and made me a keeper of the vineyards of idols, but the vineyard of my own true God I did not keep.

*Solomon used here is defined as “King to whom peace belongs”

The Midrash explains that this is Israel’s prophets not wanting God to judge Israel through the sins of their leaders.  They say that God would not let all of Israel into the promise land because of Moses smiting the rock  and of Isaiah who was a man of unclean lips and therefore dark.  Go Here for a Jewish commentary on the Song

Song of Solomon 1:6New Living Translation (NLT)

Other vineyard verses

Is 27:6  Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

Compare

Song 1:6  “do not look upon me”  with

1 Samuel 16:12

“And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to.”