In this section there is no mention of the maiden's sins or failures. Instead we see the necessary stages that a person goes through on a spiritual journey. The maiden has her shortcomings, and in this section we see what she should have gained, but has not gained.
Verse 8 says, "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." She rejoices at the voice of her beloved, and she loves the joy of his presence. Yet she has not followed the voice of her beloved, and there is no actual obedience.
Verse 9 says, "My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice." Both Darby's translation and the margin of the American Standard Version render "roe" as "gazelle," but the King James Version and the text of the American Standard Version render it as "roe." Three versions—the King James Version, the American Standard Version, and Darby's New Translation—use "a young hart."
The only place where the Lord is associated with a hart is in the heading to Psalm 22, where there is the expression "the hind of the dawn" (RSV) or "the hind of the morning" (ASV, margin). All Bible scholars agree that this refers to the morning of the first day of the week, when Christ resurrected. Morning is the beginning of another day, while resurrection is the beginning of a new day. It is the starting point of a person's spiritual life, and it is signified by a new day.
Both verses 8 and 9 speak of the vitality of resurrection. In the Bible, both the mountains and the hills refer to difficulties and barriers. "He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." This means that nothing is too high or too great to stop Him.
The Lord is the Lord of resurrection. Christ has resurrected; He has overcome all difficulties and barriers. Difficulties and barriers are things of yesterday. He is living in the next day. All difficulties are beneath His feet. The minute He leaps, all the barriers are behind Him.
In this section, the Lord manifests His resurrection power, and He is speaking to the maiden in a living way. She did not know of such things in her experience in the previous chapter. She ran before, but she did not know what it was like to leap upon the mountains and skip upon the hills. In order to teach her the lesson, the Lord calls her. Since she already has an intimate relationship with the Lord, it is easy for her to recognize His voice.