Verses 9 to 11 say, "I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver."
The words "my love" may be translated "my beloved friend." The word "horses" means "good horses" in the original language. All the horses at Solomon's time came from Egypt (1 Kings 10:28-29). Verses 9 and 10 describe the beauty the maiden possesses in her natural constitution. Verse 11 describes God's work and the beauty that comes from God.
These three verses speak of six things: (1) horses, (2) cheeks, (3) rows of jewels, (4) the neck, (5) borders of gold, and (6) studs of silver. Let us consider these items one by one:
The Bible characterizes horses by one thing: their swiftness. Psalm 147:10 mentions "the strength of horses." The "horses in Pharaoh's chariots" signifies the best among all the horses. Spiritually speaking, it denotes swiftness. A horse is a symbol of natural swiftness. It is swift because it is strong. The swiftness in this verse can be compared to the running in 1:4. The maiden is swift, but her swiftness is only a swiftness that is from the world.
The beauty of a person is determined by the cheeks. This means that the cheeks signify the most beautiful part.
The cheeks are made beautiful by rows of jewels. The "rows of jewels" are the braidings of the hair. Hair refers to natural strength. This shows that the maiden's beauty is derived from her natural strength, which implies her goodness in the natural realm.
The adornment on the neck signifies the maiden's natural gentleness. The neck was stiff, but now there is adornment. This shows her natural gentleness. A neck that is without a necklace signifies a stubborn neck.
Verse 9 compares her to a company of horses, while verse 10 points out the reason she was compared to the horses. She is swift because of her natural strength and gentleness. Although the revelation of the chambers has resulted in a spiritual pursuit on her part, her natural swiftness, that is, her natural strength and gentleness, is still at work. Perhaps the reason for the lack of advance in many people is their natural swiftness! Verses 9 and 10 reveal that although she is beautiful, her beauty is natural. Only the beauty that comes from God is true beauty. The Lord promises to make two things for her. "We will make." This is the King's promise. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the Triune God here.