My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: you, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that tend its fruit two hundred.
All Commentaries on Song of Songs 8:12 Go To Song of Songs 8
Aquinas Study Bible
AD 2017
My vineyard is before me: The sentence style is changed here from the use of the third person to the first person. The speaker here is the Lord of this vineyard, who is actually Christ.
let out the vineyard to keepers: One must not suppose that by this "letting out to keepers" Christ would give up his protection of the Church. Therefore he says, My vineyard is before me, that is, I am personally taking care of my Church. Therefore the Church owes much greater thanks to Christ for his protection than to the Church's high-ranking clergy. (Nicholas of Lyra)
