Menu
close
Song of Songs
(Lexical Notes/Comments)
Introduction and Chapter 1
Introduction.
Scriptural basis. 2 Cor. 3:18: When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed, and we see His reality…. “Now with unveiled face, we behold as in a mirror the glory of Jesus. We are transformed into His image from glory to glory – this being accomplished by the Spirit of God.” Jo. 17:11: ‘Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in the world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united (to us) just as we are (united).” Jo. 17: 21-22. “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe that you sent me.” Jo. 15:9: “As the Father loves me, I love you.” Jo. 17:23: “You (Father) love them just like You love Me.” Jo. 17:26: “…the endless love in which You (Father) love Me will be in them. I Myself will be in them.” Ro. 5:5: “…we now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who lives in us.”
Eternal union with Jesus is the quest. (Madame Guyon).
I Cor. 6:17: “The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” – from the moment of being reborn The Song of Songs describes Jesus’ passion and jealous love for you and me; His longing to make us completely His; His desire to share His Life and Throne with us. He prepares His bride by convincing her of His love for her. Jesus has no anger, no exasperation, no disappointment toward us. He loves us into the fullness of our destiny. A King takes a nobody and makes her into a Bride. The Shulamite failed Him at times, like we do, but nothing can diminish the Bridegroom’s love for her or for us. Jesus is the refiner, His love the flame – making us into pure gold that reflects His glory, His character, and His passions. (TPT)
Nee. Solomon (means “the peaceful one”) represents Jesus in all His sinless and perfected life on earth, and His triumphant resurrection, ascension, and glorification. This greatest of all songs illustrates the union between Christ and His church. (Wesley).
An ancient rabbi wrote: “All the sacred writings are holy; but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.” When Jesus was expiring on the Cross, His last words in Aramaic were “Khala” which means “completed, finished, consecrated, or Bride.”
Jesus is not coming for a Kingdom; He’s coming for a Bride. The Shulamite is a goat-keeping nobody (in her eyes and in the eyes of others), roughed up by life’s experiences, angry and tired. Still her cry is for divine intimacy and Jesus responds to her heart cry. The King gives His attention to a “nobody” and loves her into her Divine Destiny. He gets her to the mountaintop, where she will rule and reign with Him forever. Jesus does not view you in terms of your history; He views you only in terms of your Destiny. Your history is nailed to the Cross. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly Realms because we are united with Jesus Christ.” Ep. 1:3. Simmons.
Richard Wurmbrand. “In Romania during the harshest of communist days of the mid 50s and 60s of the last century, Christians were sometimes sentenced to death for their faith. The executions took place at midnight. For this reason, Christians called their appointment with the firing squad “the midnight bride.”'
Bickle. Believers are fully betrothed to Jesus from the moment of their new birth. 2 Cor. 11:2 “For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I might present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Our marriage ceremony occurs in Rev. 19:7: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready.”
Individual Christians will become a “mature-love Bride” in the Tribulation and end times. God’s heart is ravished for all the redeemed, not just for those who are spiritually mature during their brief time on the earth. Jesus is not more ravished for one group in the Church than He is for another group.
The maturity of the Bride is based primarily upon Jesus’ work on the cross, His intercession, the revelation of His glory, and His ravished heart for us.
Overview of Allegorical Interpretation and Outline
Solomon is Jesus, the Divine Bridegroom, the King of Peace. The Shulamite is usually the individual believer, the bride. The Shulamite is redeemed, purified, and drawn into full union with Christ. The poem traces the spiritual journey of love between the Bride and the Bridegroom: 1) The Awakening of Love (1:1-2:7); 2) The Call to Rise Higher (2:8 – 3:5 – the Bridegroom calls the Bride to come away, grow deeper); 3) Deeper Union and Public Witness ( 3:6-5:1). The Bride finds Jesus as King and Bridegroom and communion becomes fruitful. 4) The Testing and Discipline of Love (5:2-6:3). The Shulamite’s love is tested through absence and misunderstanding. 5) The maturing and Reigning Love (6:4-8:4) is where Love grows steadfast, fruitful, and triumphant. 6) Finally, consummation and eternal fellowship: 8:5-14.
BTB means brides to be. Church fathers are normally Origin, Gregory of Nyssa, Bernard of Clairvaux
1:1. “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.”
Lexicon literal. “A song — the song of songs — which is Solomon’s.”
Other good renderings: 1) The most excellent song of all, Solomon’s.” AMPC. 2) “The most amazing song of all, by King Solomon.” TPT 3) “This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other.” NLT.
The use of the superlative means that this is the finest, greatest, best song of all. It’s like writing “King of kings,” “Lord of lords,” or “Holy of Holies.”
Lexicon. “Song” could be translated “poem.” The Song could also be considered a play, a drama. The song/poem is sounding forth the praise and triumph of Jesus’ love for His bride.
Hebrew “Shlomo” (Solomon) means “the peaceful one.”
1:2. “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth — for your love is better than wine.” Lexicon. Literally. “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth, for your loves are better than wine.”
Notes. “Let Him kiss me,” shows strong desire on the part of the one kissing and strong desire in the one being kissed. “Let him kiss me” is the Bride’s desire for divine union.
A second Hebrew meaning (a homonym) of “Let Him kiss (nashaq) me” is “Let Him equip me,” or “may He arm me for battle.” When Jesus kisses us with His word, we are not only brought into communion with Him and strengthened, we are armed and equipped for spiritual battle. When the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word to the human heart, that is a kiss.
Let Him Kiss Me. Let Him kiss me again and again. Let Him smother me with kisses. What does any mom, dad, or grandparent do involuntarily with a baby? He or she smothers the baby with kisses. God sees us the same way and acts the same way toward us. 'No other love is like unto the ecstasy of the moment when spirit cleaves to spirit in a kiss, more especially a kiss on the mouth, which is the well of the spirit and its medium. When mouth meets mouth, spirits unite one with the other and become one - one love. (Wurmbrand).
Let Him kiss me. Gen. 2:7: “And the Lord God formed man out of the dusts of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” The “Spirit-Kiss is what made Adam (clay) a living expression of the Father. Kiss is Divine communication/fellowship/union throu/h the Word and Spirit.
“Kisses of His mouth” are plural. “Mouth” is the normal word used for mouth, but it can also mean “speech or words.” He kisses us with His word. Kisses represent the multiple ways Jesus kisses and loves us. “Your loves” could be translated caresses or affections. *His kiss is 1) the Kiss of His Word; 2) the Kiss of His Mercy; 3) the Kiss of His Affection; 4) the Kiss of His Forgiveness; 5) the Kiss of His Enabling Power. Indeed, His kisses are the same as His loves, for how can a person kiss another without transferring the substance of the kiss: LOVE? In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Father ran to His son and kissed him again and again.
Wurmbrand. Ps. 2:12; Lu. 6:45. Christ lives with every believer as much as he lived in his mother's home, (though as a diamond yet unearthed), because we are made in his image. Jesus has two bodies: 1) the Jewish body that lived in Judea and now resides, glorified, in heaven, and 2) the Body of Christ on earth. When we kiss, serve another believer, we kiss Jesus. In Mt. 5:8. Jesus taught that anyone who feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, takes in strangers, clothes the naked, or visits the sick and the prisoners does this to him (Matthew 25:35-40).
Do we see Jesus in other people? Justyn Martyr believed that God placed Seeds of the Word in all hearts, even unregenerated ones. Serving and loving the unregenerate activates that seed within them and helps them come alive to Christ.
Wesley. “Let him” is an acknowledgement that all Love originates with Him. It is all of grace and nothing of her self-effort, even to discover His love for her. It is an acknowledgment that He has the power, ability, willingness to communicate His love to her fully and completely. Kisses are the communication of His love, His favor, His grace, His comforts – all breathed into her by faith by the Spirit of God.
Bickle. The “kisses of His mouth” is His Word, because His Word is what proceeds out of His mouth. “Let Him” is a prayer for Jesus to “kiss” me with His Word, and a prayer for GRACE: 1) to understand fully the depth of the Father’s love; 2) to respond to that knowledge by loving, trusting, pursuing, running after, obeying Jesus with all our heart.
The wine referenced here is “the best that this world has to offer.” Jesus’ love is more delightful than the best this world has to offer. His “love” is eternal; the “wine” of this world is for a term. The wine of this world is intoxicating, for a moment. Jesus’ wine is intoxicating eternally. The lure of temptation is that it promises superior pleasure than the pleasure we receive from obeying God. Holiness is a call to experience eternally Perfect Pleasure. Ps. 16:11).
“Your loves/caresses are from the Hebrew “DOD” (singular) which signifies covenantal love. That the plural of DOD is used here indicates the “richness and abundance of His love.” Your love(s) are better than Wine” indicates that “Jesus’ love surpasses the best of earthly joys, delights, and pleasures.” It’s like the title: LOVE of (the best of) loves.”
What are His loves toward us? 1) His love expressed in creating us and planning our days; 2) His love in giving us natural gifts; 3) His love expressed in training and discipling us into eternal righteousness and holiness; 4) His prevenient love and grace to get us to the point of salvation and faith; 5) His saving love; 6) His sanctifying love; 7) His love to bring us into the power and peace of the Holy Spirit; 8) His spiritually gifting love; 9) His keeping love; 10) His resurrecting love; 11) His glorifying love. Cf. 4:10.
Hosea 2:19 Expanded. (my paraphrase after reading/thinking about many translations of the verse). “I will unite you to me in an eternal union. I will bind you to me forever, lovingly and tenderly removing all impurities and weaknesses, from you. I will empower you to be my eternal bride. I will be to you, and show you: Righteousness, Justice, Steadfast Love, Unfailing Love, Devoted Love. I will show you Lovingkindness, Loyalty, Faithfulness, Compassion, and Mercies. I will never let you go.”
Ep. 5: 26-27: “That He might sanctify and cleanse you by the washing of the Word, that He might present you to Himself a glorious Bride not having spot or wrinkle and that you will be holy, without blemish.”
1:3. “Because of the spreading fragrance of your perfume, your Name is ointment poured forth; no wonder the virgins love you.”
Lexicon Lit. “For the fragrance of your oils is pleasant; your name is poured out like oil. Therefore, the maidens love you.” “The fragrance of your ointments is sweet; your name is like oil poured out; therefore, the maidens love you.”
Notes. Perfumed oil represents righteousness and joy. Ps. 45:7: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Oil speaks of the CHARACTER of Jesus. Jesus’ virtues and graces are as fragrant and costly as perfume. “Your Name” is His essence, His revealed character (Perfect Love).
“The fragrance of your perfume” symbolizes the manifestation of divine grace or the Spirit’s presence. Your name (character) is oil poured out”: The imagery of oil poured out conveys overflowing blessing or influence.
No wonder the virgins love you. “Alamot” is the plural form of maiden, and it shows Jesus’ universal appeal. See Haggai 2:7: “… the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill (His) house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts.” Jesus is the desired one or coveted one. He is the Desire of all peoples of all times. If 20 billion people have lived on the earth, He is the inner desire of each.
Phil. 2: 8b-11: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
How does the phrase “your name is oil poured out” connect to the idea of the anointing and the Holy Spirit? In the O.T., prophets, priests, and kings were anointed (Ex. 30: 25-30; I Sam 16:13) for specific tasks and callings.
*God gives Jesus the Holy Spirit without measure. Jo. 3:34.
So, “your name is oil poured out” evokes an outpouring of Divine anointing— spiritual grace flowing to others from Jesus. Poured out suggests abundance and generosity of oil that overflows. The pouring out of oil symbolizes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Is. 61:1; Joel 2:28). “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Is. 61:1. “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. And also, on my menservants and on my maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28. Jo. 3:34:
“For He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure (to Jesus). Jesus applies Is. 61:1 to Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus is the anointed one (Mashiach in Hebrew and Christos in Greek). Lu. 4:16?
His name (shem) is His character. Thus, your revealed name – who you really are – is like oil poured out. To people, it’s fragrant, pleasing, healing, hope-giving, full of life which others can have. Jo. 17:6: I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world. They were yours: you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. “Jesus carries the power and sweetness of the Holy Spirit. If His name is proclaimed, the fragrance of His presence spreads. 2 Cor. 2:14-16: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life…”
Justyn Martyr believed that God has planted in every human heart, seeds of truth. Our love expressed to unbelievers, in words, concrete acts, perhaps a testimony perhaps not, waters that seed, breaks down and dissolves the outer protective coat so that life can come forth. It further fertilizes the seed to bring forth life in that person.
Just as Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit without measure (Jo. 3:34), we as His disciples also receive an anointing from the Holy One. 1 Jo. 2:20, 27. His anointing flows to those who love Him. His “poured-out name” is shared with His Bride, His anointing flows to His Bride. Summary of terms. “Oil” (shemen) is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, joy, and consecration. “Poured out” is overflow, generosity, manifestation. “His Name” (Shem) is His character, essence, reputation, divine identity, truthful identity. Note that His name is in the oil.
Your Name (Shem here) is poured out. This pouring out of Jesus’ Name brings healing and joy to people worldwide. For His name to be poured out means that His fame, love, and presence will spread and fill the whole earth. Hab. 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” For His Name to be poured out, He had to empty Himself voluntarily. Phi. 2:7 (NASB).
*” Your name” connotes: 1) unfailing love (Ps. 138:2); holiness (Ps. 138:2); supernatural nature and works (Mt. 7:22, Acts 4:30); praiseworthiness (Ps. 48:10); Glory (Ps. 115:1); victory of sin, hell, satan, and the grave (Ps. 20:5, 44:5); majesty (Ps. 8:1); righteousness (Ps. 89:16); enduring through eternity (Ps. 135: 13).
Simmons. His name speaks of His works, His deeds, His character, His leadership. He is true love. He is perfect in all His ways. The name of Jesus is oil in the Father’s hand and that oil is poured out on us: poured out at Calvary; poured out at Pentecost; poured out on you and me. Jesus cherishes weak and immature believers. The whole world must know that Jesus is a friend- even to the sinful one. Jesus is the perfect example of manhood, perfection, grace, and uprightness.
Kale. His name was poured out in a manger, it was poured out in holy living, it was poured out in denying sin and self throughout his earthly life, it was poured out in his miraculous ministry, it was poured out in his wisdom teaching throughout his ministry, it was poured out in his perfect leadership, it was poured out at Calvary, it was poured out at Pentecost, and it continues to be poured out in love and loving actions by His believing followers today.
Bickle. Because of the fragrance of Jesus’ perfumes (His internal qualities), two things happen: 1) The name of Jesus will be poured out to the people of the earth (with honor and power). Phil. 2: 9-10. 2) The revelation of the love, wonder, and power of the name of Jesus (His name shall be known on the earth as the waters cover the sea), awakens love for Jesus in the lives of believers and non-believers. Jo. 17:26. Phil. 3:8. Lu. 7:47. The perfume of Jesus is imparted to the Bride. See Song 4:16 and 2 Cor. 2:15.
1:4: “Draw me after you (Shulamite). We will run after you (BTB). The King has brought me into His chambers (Shulamite). We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love as being better than wine (BTB). The Upright love you.” (Shulamite). NKJV and literal interpretation are the same.
Lexicon. Literal meaning of individual words. “Draw me.” Draw me spiritually, attract me spiritually, pull me toward you spiritually. This is something Jesus, the Bridegroom, does. We can respond to his drawing, pulling, and attracting power. Draw me is our soul’s longing for Jesus to draw us to Himself. The verb suggests that the initiative is with God; it is God’s love for us that awakens our love for Him, and God’s love for us that perfects our love for Him. Jo. 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise Him up on the last day (The Greek conforms to the Hebrew word. “Draw” is “to drag or pull by force.” God implants the overwhelming Desire to pursue, follow, obey, conform). “Draw me” has two components in the Hebrew: 1) Lift me up (from sin and the world) and 2) lead me out (of the flesh).
We will run after you. Expresses the idea of pursuit of Jesus. “We” is either the Shulamite and the maidens running after the Bridegroom, or the maidens following after the Shulamite as she follows Jesus. We will 1) run into His person; 2) run with Him in overflow ministry. True ministry is Jesus overflowing in us.
Nee. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, and we are drawn to Him because of His beauty. To “run after” means a continuous desire for Jesus” that the Holy Spirit puts within us. We could not find God in our strength. After we become believers, we need the same empowerment to seek Him.
Guyon. Are we ready to run past everyone else (not caring what they think of us) to get to Him? Do we seek Him, and not His gifts and graces? Ps. 105:4.
Simmons. She is asking to be drawn away into sacred intimacy with the King. Out of her comfort zone, out of her sin, out of her uncleanness, out of her impurity, out of herself. She is asking that He be exalted to the highest place in her heart. Jo. 6:44. We cannot really seek Him on our own, in our own strength.
Wesley. The ointments are the Graces, Gifts, and Encouragements of the Holy Spirit given to the Bride to be. The “virgins” are the brides to be who follow the Shulamite until they can follow the Bridegroom directly. See Ps. 45:14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 14:4.
Bickle. Draw me into intimacy. We will run after you in ministry. There is danger in “running after Him” in ministry and neglecting personal intimacy. “Draw me and maintain me in personal intimacy is our life goal. Pro. 29:18.
The Chamber is “the chamber within a chamber.” It’s the Holy of Holies. In Ch. 1, the Bride wants to enter and live in the Holy of Holies. In Ch. 8, she becomes the Holy of Holies. He shares His secrets in the Chambers.
The King is Jesus. Chambers is literally His Private Chamber or His Inner Chamber. This is intimate communion with Jesus in the Holy of Holies. This is our desire for intimate fellowship with Jesus; for secret communion with Him. We will be glad and rejoice in you. This is the joy of union with Jesus where we worship Him and delight in Him, not for what He can give us or do for us – for Him alone. The Hebrew of rejoicing means to “jump and spin in a circle.” Remember your love as being better than wine means to “recall and proclaim.” Love is plural. “Dod” is the singular, but this word is its plural. This could be covenanting love. I Jo. 4:19: “We love Him because He first loved us.”
“Rightly do they love you. Or ‘the upright love you,” Literally, “the upright or sincere” love you. So: 1) “” Righteousness adores you; 2) “Rightly do they love you”; 3) “The Upright love you” are all fine.
Bickle. In 4b, the Shulamite is encouraging the BTB: “We” will be glad, rejoice, remember, and praise His love for us. See 2:4. We are to rejoice in His love in three ways: 1) We believe in His love and refuse condemnation; 2) We remember His love and resist inferior, earthly, or even sinful pleasures. Third, we remember, praise, and trust Him for leading us in times of difficulty. Ro. 5:11. The above confession is a part of the Bride’s warfare throughout life. 2 Cor. 10: 4-5.
1:5-6: “I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem. Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. “Do not look upon me scornfully because I am dark, because the son has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me the keeper of their vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.”
Church fathers. Here is a plea not to judge based outward appearances. A sign of humility. She is sun-burned though labor or trials. The sun is divine exposure. Mother’s sons are brothers in Christ who oppose her. Were angry denotes contention or persecution. Jerome sees ministers as keepers of others’ vineyards yet seldom keep their own. For him, the “anger of my mother’s sons” is envy within the Church. The Bride confesses that in her zeal to serve, she has neglected her inner vineyard. Burned by the sun of trial and misunderstood by her brethren, she turns humbly back to the Bridegroom.
Lexicon notes. The bride confesses her sin and mortality yet knows herself adorned by grace which makes her beautiful. Origin. The “curtains of Solomon” is the new creation life, adorned with virtues. He stresses humility: the Bride admits her darkness but glories in divine beauty. Ambrose sees the bride’s humility: she knows her worth comes from the Bridegroom’s love, not from herself. Jerome links “Kedar” to Ishmael’s tents (the flesh) (Gal 4:22-23).
Bickle. The Shulamite sees (by His Grace) her selfishness, ingratitude, sinfulness while at the same time, Jesus allows her to see herself as God sees her: as beautiful “like the curtains of Solomon.” He is not mad at us when we stumble/fall, and we cannot allow such to brings us to condemnation; neither can we be presumptuous nor think that He delights in us if we are in intentional compromise. Spiritual immaturity is not rebellion. Weak love is not false love. Mt. 26:41.
The blood of Christ & the Robe of Righteousness. We are lovely because of the blood of Jesus Christ that has coated us with the righteousness of Jesus. The blood of Jesus doesn't just cover our sins; it imparts righteousness to us. We are righteous to the same degree that Jesus is righteous. We go by the blood into the realm of eternity. 2) The Creator God, Jesus, calls us lovely. The one who defines beauty, calls you beautiful. Our spirit has become the essence of beauty to God because of our union with Him. Jesus never exaggerates. He doesn't flatter. Jesus defines beauty by our righteous spirit – which He has given to us. 2.) The willing spirit says “Yes’ to God. The work of the Holy Spirit and our sincere intentions leave us lovely in His sight. A contrite and willing spirit moves the heart of God. (Ps 51:17) 3.) The kindness of God’s personality, The passions and pleasures that God feels toward us make us truly lovely in His eyes. 4) Because our destiny is to become the Bride of the Son of God, our destiny is glorious. He sees us in our destiny, not our past darkness. 5). Because of virtues that he alone sees in us. He sees the virtues within us even before they ever appear outwardly. The things about us that we don't even know yet, He sees them. Ez. 16:9-14 “I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So, you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Note: He gives us beauty and then calls us beautiful.
*The tents of Kedar and curtains of Solomon. The sons of Kedar were descendants of Ishmael who represents our old man. Their tents were made from the hair and hide of black goats. The curtains of Solomon (see 2 Chron. 3:8-14) were part of the Holy Place. They were made of fine linen which creates the impression of innate, glorious beauty. Note the stark contrast between our old man and new man. God sees me and you in Christ as the fine linen that makes up part of the Holy Place. Sinfulness and purity; selfishness and holiness set on display. See Rev. 19:8.
The paradox of our faith is that our hearts in the natural are dark (sinful, broken, hurt), but we are still lovely to God after being born again because all He sees is Christ in us.
Nee. The daughters of Jerusalem are the daughters of New Jerusalem – new creation Christians. “Daughters,” denotes born-again ones also. Perhaps they do not yet have the same passion for the Bridegroom that the Shulamite does. Without the Shulamite desperately seeking after Him, she could not know her inner uncleanness. That uncleanness must be exposed before it can be cleansed. “I have many unclean parts within, but I am beautiful because He has made me so.”
*Wesley: “She recognizes that she is glorious within because of the beauty and grace that her husband has put within her in justification and sanctification.
Guyon. The process of getting close to Him will necessarily reveal the uncleanness, self-centeredness, and waywardness of our own souls. He must expose it to cleanse it. You can see your faults and His beauty in you. You have no voluntary sin, although unknown sin, and you are beautiful to Him. The curtains of Solomon represent your humanity which conceals the Word within you. He has concealed Himself within you. You are beautiful because the cross makes you like your beloved.
Simmons. She has low self-esteem, and the labors of life have taken their toll on her. The deeper we go in Jesus, the more we confront our weak and shameful ways. To love Him will cost us everything. He will lead us into His heart, but also into a new revelation about our own condition. The word for “darkness” means scorched or darkened by the sun. This is her first crisis: the revelation of her own sinfulness. Yet at her darkest moment of realization of her darkness, she hears: “Yet you are so lovely.” Our loveliness to God is not in our performance, but in the image of Jesus within us and a willing spirit that longs for Him. He loves us even when we are marred by sin, full of wrong desires, and consumed by immature ways, because of Jesus in us. Father’s “anyway love” is here. “Yes, I know, but I love you anyway.” Your longings for me make you lovely. Phil. 1:6.
Within the Holy of Holies, only the finest linen curtains were used. The priests saw them. We are like this fine linen – He alone sees our beauty. You are God’s most magnificent masterpiece. Others may judge you based on your past, but God sees your inner beauty – the real you. You are worth everything to God.
Kale. What does the Shulamite see in the King's Chambers? She sees His glory, then she sees herself in contrast. She sees her own darkness. She realizes that she is not worthy to be here in his presence. She says, "I am dark like the tent curtains of Kedar, and he says, "no, you are lovely like the linen curtains of the Holy of holies" Romans 8:1 “So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. (The Passion Translation).
Wurmbrand. Darkness here represents the absence of light. We may be “dark” in some sense because we are not yet living in the High State that His grace gives us, but we are still lovely because God sees Jesus in us. Ps. 45:13.
Look at the apostle Peter. He, who had denied Christ with oaths and curses, stood in the Jerusalem marketplace and rebuked the people: 'You denied the Holy One and the Just' (Acts 3:14). He who had himself committed this very sin, in the most heinous manner, rebuked others for the same sin, though they were much less guilty. He could do this because he knew that he was not only black but beautiful - not only sinful, but also forgiven and beloved by God.
Spiritual pressures against the bride that causes her to think herself as ugly: 1) shame because of her failure; 2) rejected by older believers; 3) burnout; 4) spiritual dullness (she did not keep her own vineyard, meaning that she did not maintain her personal relationship to Jesus. The most important thing we can do in our ministry is to develop inner depth in Christ. Her heart was burdened by busyness, shame and sin.
Bickle. What is her "vineyard" that was neglected? She has forgotten her first calling to be the sacred vineyard for Jesus. She has left her first calling of intimacy with God to toil in ministry for her angry brothers. She has been hurt by the church; she is feeling abused for the sacrifices she made. The religious spirit condemns her, saying she’s not good enough. But Christ’s yoke is easy and light. Serving is meant to be an overflow from intimacy. We usually think of the yoke as a metaphor for working a field, but it
is also a metaphor for marriage. The yoke we are meant to have with Jesus is a divine union. And His yoke is easy; His burden is light.
1:7: “Tell me, O your whom I love. Where do you feed your flock? Where do you make your flock rest at noon? For why should I be as one who veils herself as I wander among the flocks of your companions? Lexicon lit. “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you feed (your flock), where you make it rest at noon; for why should I be as one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?
Tell me is an intimate plea, expressing longing for direction. Whom my soul loves. Dt. 6:5; Ps. 42:2. Christ is the good shepherd. Noon. Clarity or fullness of revelation. As one who veils herself could be as one who strays as a veiled woman. It could express the Bride’s fear of being mistaken or wandering apart from the Beloved’s flock. *The Hebrew “atah” means to wrap or to veil. The Aramaic and Latin Vulgate use the word for wander. (Why should I be as one who veils herself as I wander among the flocks of your companions?) *Feed could be shepherd. *Where do you cause your sheep to lie down?
She was serving Jesus at a distance. Women veiled themselves when they worked with strangers with whom they were unfamiliar.
Guyon. You beg Him to show you where He feeds His flock because you want to eat the food that He gives those who are under His care. When Jesus was on earth, His food was to do His Father’s will; now His food is to see us do the Father’s will. His Bride feeds on Him. Ps. 143:10. Ask the Word to bring you to the Father. The bosom of the Father is where He rests at noon and where you will be perfectly safe.
Nee. The Shulamite had seen the vanity of mere external service. The Christian needs nourishment from the secret place, the Holy of Holies. Because of her need for rest, she looks for a safe place to lie down. The rest she seeks is “rest of heart.” Noon is the high point of perfection for the day. Jesus’ passion began at noon.
Simmons. She only wants Him. Midday is a season of light and glory. She wants to be in the midday light, revelation, and glory of Jesus. “I am tired of religious works. I want rest in your shadow. Where do you rest your sheep?” Now she sees Jesus as her shepherd. Ps. 23:1: ““Why should I be like a veiled woman wandering in shame?” Her cry is for her Bridegroom to take away her shame. Shame is a veil that will keep us from seeing the Lord clearly. We must have an unveiled face before the Lord. Only the Lord (not His ministers) can remove shame.
Wesley. “Notwithstanding all these difficulties, reproaches, persecutions, and afflictions that I suffer because I love you and because I speak for you and of you – I run to you, my only refuge and joy. You feed your true flock. There are those who are truly yours. Help me find them.
Bickle. She wants more of Him and she wants to be fed by Him. The Shepherd King affirms the beauty of her sincere love. At noon in the heat of the day (in the midst of life’s pressures), sheep will lie down if they are fed. Ep. 3:19; Ro. 8:1. Jesus wants shame and rejection to be off the hearts of His people. Is. 61:7 (Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.; Is. 40: 1-2 (“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak [a]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand. Double for all her sins.”; 62:4-5 (You shall no longer be termed Forsaken (Azubah), Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate (Shemamah); But you shall be called Hephzibah (My Delight is in You), and your land Beulah (Married to Yahweh);For the Lord delights in you, And your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.; 54: 5-8 (For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the Lord, your Redeemer).
Kale. How did she respond to all of this? "Tell me, you whom I love, where can I find you!" I don't care about ministry, about church, about what I am supposed to do; I want to be
with you, Jesus! Where can I find you, Jesus? Where do you graze your flock? Where do you rest your sheep at mid-day? Mid-day is the season of light and glory. I want to worship you without a veil.
Wurmbrand. She names Him, “You whom I love.” She wants to know exactly where He is, where He feeds His flocks, where He rests at noon, so that she can go to Him. She doesn’t want to bother Him about coming to Her and does not even think of that. And Jesus has given us the exact place of where we can find Him: Mt. 25: 36, 43; 25: 40, 45. “Whoever wishes to meet Jesus must meet him in places where brothers and sisters of Jesus are hungry, thirsty, naked, unwanted, sick or in prison. Whoever keeps himself distant from these places remains distant from Jesus.” “His bride must be willing, if called, to go to the place of deepest suffering. She will surely encounter her Beloved there.
Origin. The One whom my soul loves is the Word. Noon represents the light of full revelation. She doesn’t want to be veiled from the truth. “The soul desires to know where the Word of God feeds His flock, that she too might come to those green pastures of knowledge and be nourished with the bread of heaven.”
In the Church Fathers’ view, this verse marks a turning point in the Song: the soul, freshly awakened by love, realizes that zeal alone is not enough. She longs to know where the Shepherd leads—to find the place of rest, clarity, and love’s full light.
1:8: “If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the footsteps of my flock, and feed your little goats beside the shepherd’s tents. Lexicon literal: ““If you do not know, O fairest among women, go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.” Shepherd-King speaks: “If you do not know, O (most beautiful one or radiant one) or fairest among women (where to find me), follow in the footsteps (tracks) of the flock (who are led by Godly pastors), and feed your little (young) goats beside the shepherd’s tents.
Key words/phrases: O fairest one can be translated O beautiful one. Follow in the footsteps of or in the tracks of. Tents of the shepherds could be “dwellings of the shepherds. Fairest among women is the purified Bride, made pure by His blood. Origin. Christ answers the bride’s plea. “He bids her not invent a path for herself but walk in the footsteps of the flock, for the same Spirit who fed the Fathers feeds still.” Gregory of Nyssa. “The Word instructs her to follow the traces of the holy flock, that she may bring her own passions into subjection beside the tents of the shepherds.” Bernard. If you do not know is an invitation not a rebuke.
*********Nee. In the Holy of Holies, the Shulamite has learned: 1) that she is black in her old nature, but beautiful in Christ; 2) her early service, based on self-effort was vanity; 3) she needs spiritual food and rest from Him. The King responds to her diligent seeking. He calls her “most beautiful” because of how she has prioritized Him. She can get help by associating with those who truly, sincerely, fervently seek for and follow Jesus. He is leading her, and she is seeking, the living presence of Christ. The word for “feed” is the same as “to shepherd.” The Shulamite has some responsibility for young Christians. Meeting their needs will put her in a position of being able to receive help from Jesus. Shepherds are “under-shepherds’ – those who shepherd under the direction of Jesus. They love Jesus and care for His flock.
*Wesley. Christ's answer is “Go.” Observe and follow the paths which my sheep have trodden before you, such as Abraham. For the church in all ages is one and the same, and there is but one way in which all the saints from the beginning of the world walk, Christ being the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Feed - Take care for the feeding of all, and especially young and weak Christians. Beside - Under the conduct, and according to the instruction of my faithful shepherds, chiefly those who have gone before thee, the prophets and apostles, and in subordination to them, and to their writings, and to others whom I shall raise from time to time to feed my people.
Guyon. You cannot know the one you love except you come to know yourself as you really are. You must see your nothingness next to His everything. But to understand the former can only be known by experiencing the later. Go forth from yourself, from your abilities, your self-interest, your self-reliance. No satisfaction in your person. Absolute surrender. Col. 1: 17; 3:2. Distrust your abilities.
Simmons. He is patient with her. He calls His immature ones “radiant ones.” Even if we serve Him at a distant, we are still radiant to Him. We might be unlovely to his angry sons, but we are beautiful and radiant to Him. We may despise ourselves, but we are radiant to Him. Her cry for Him made her radiant in His eyes. He seeks the seeking heart. We are in process to become a “look-alike” partner for Jesus. He has intentionally limited His vision so to place my sins as far as the east is from the west. I am washed clean and perfected. We must dwell in the consciousness of His adoration of our beauty. We are lovely in His sight, and we must know it. We are loved though unworthy. That defeats doubt, fear, and self-accusation. I Cor. 4:5. “Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. Yet you still love me with an endless love.”
To find Him, the Shepherd-King tells the Shulamite to “follow in my footsteps where I lead my lovers.” You will not find me in the busy streets. Follow those who hear His voice. Jo. 10: 27-28. She must reconnect to the flock He leads, even though she has been harmed/hurt by shepherds. The enemy wants us in isolation. He wants to keep us isolated and wounded. We must be vulnerable. We find the Sheperd with His corporate bride. She is to bring Him her burdens and cares. Standing close to Godly leaders can help you find the Lord.
*******So far, the Shulamite has suffered: 1) a sense of shame over her “dark” ways and failures; 2) the rejection of angry brothers; 3) being overworked with religious duties and expectations; 4) distraction has caused her garden-heart to be full of weeds; 5) Jesus seems distant and her service is without intimacy. He never stops calling her beautiful. Wow!
Kale. How does He speak to her? (2nd time He speaks). You are the "most beautiful of women." Your beauty to Jesus has nothing to do with your maturity. He uses the same phrases to describe her at the end of the book that he uses at the beginning. "Follow the tracks of the sheep (the church)." Go back to the church you left, where you were hurt, where you got burnt out. Reconnect to the body of Christ; you will find Me there. The Shulamite has a change of focus, however, to go back looking for Jesus rather than for ministry.
Bickle. Background: The Shulamite had sought for Jesus. Where can I find you and be fed by you? Bickle sees the Bridegroom’s answer in 1: 8-11. Note that she had failed. She had not kept her heart fed and pure. Others condemned her for it. Yet how does He see her even in this “less than perfect or victorious condition?” She sees her as beautiful. Others do not see her as beautiful. Jesus sees her as beautiful. Her desire to know Him was enough for Jesus. “Where He feeds her” would be the place where He establishes intimacy with her and meets her need. Follow in the footsteps of the flock and be a part of a local fellowship. Be part of a local fellowship. 1:8c). Mt. 6:18 and He. 10:25. #2. Feed the little goats by being involved in the local church. Ep. 4:6. Don’t live in independence. Honor spiritual authority. He. 13:17. The Bridegroom’s answer touches three common temptations. First is the temptation to isolation or bitterness by feeling mistreated by the angry sons or shame related to our sin. Second is the temptation to selfishness that allows us to idly use all our free time on ourselves. Jesus wants us to take care of the little ones. Third is the temptation to live with an independent spirit that resists spiritual authority and walks in lawlessness and pride.
Wurmbrand. By the footsteps of the flock. Nothing is more beautiful to God that a believing, trusting heart. He is blind to its weaknesses. You can follow a truly committed disciple and find Jesus. Pro. 2:20. I Cor. 11:1. He. 6:12. Where to feed your little goats. Zech 10:3. Gen. 49:14. She who causes Jesus’s sadness calls her “O My love.” Praise must go hand in hand with rebuke.
1:9: “I have compared you, my love, to my filly among Pharoah’s chariot horses.”
Lexicon lit. “To my mare among Pharoah’s chariots, I have compared you, my beloved.” *Mare (horse) suggests beauty, strength, and grace. *Chariots or war chariots suggest royal or military splendor. Ex. 14: 6-7. *My love could be ‘my companion.’ Symbolic meanings per the church fathers:
Simmons. Her strong desire to follow Him is like the strength of the finest horse pulling a King’s Chariot. In ancient poetry, the horse was used as a symbol of beauty and inner strength. Her strong passion to know Him…. You are harnessed to my heart.
Guyon. Are you running toward Him with single devotion and at full speed? Let your race end in God alone.
Wesley. “The bride is beautiful and glorious, but also terrible to her enemies.” War horses have strength and courage to overcome all enemies. Does the devotion and willingness to exert all effort even unto death for Jesus move Him? Think of Secretariat or Man O War or War Horse. Would they not have pursued, exerted all strength, even unto death? Shall we do the same for our Lord?
Kale. She is pictured as a horse...harnessed to Pharoah’s chariot. The King's chariot ... brings the King to a place. You are the carrier of the King on the earth. When you walk into a room, so does Jesus. You are a carrier of His glory.
1:10. Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments; your neck lovely with chains of gold.” Lexicon lit. “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.” Words: Lovely is the same he. root in 1:5. Adornment befitting love. Cheeks – seat of beauty and modesty. Bernard. “The jewels are the graces strung by the Bridegroom Himself; they shine only when His hand arranges them.” Cheeks ornamented: Outward manifestation of inner holiness. Jewels and chains – spiritual gifts adorning the Bride. The verse portrays the Bride transformed by grace—not with worldly adornment, but with the virtue bestowed by her Beloved. Her cheeks (humility and compassion) and her neck (obedience and faith) display the harmony of inner and outer beauty. Origen: “The ornaments are the virtues; the hand that arranges them is the Word.” Bernard: “These jewels are not bought but given; they are the radiance of a soul that loves.” Wesley. The “checks are the chief seat of beauty.” He makes His children beautiful (chains) with the gifts and graces of God's Spirit.
Kale. Cheeks are a metaphor of our emotions. Our countenance, our face, our cheeks are the expression of our heart’s emotions. Jesus designed us to be emotional. Jesus touches our emotions by His Spirit. The ornaments are grace gifts. His grace adorns us to be beautiful in His sight. Her Neck is a metaphor for her will. Stubbornness is described as "stiff-necked". (Exodus 33:3) Bowing our neck is an act of surrender and submission. The way you submit & yield is beautiful to Me! (Ephesians 5:22-24). The gem on your necklace is your surrender, your "yes" to God.
Bickle. Bickle sees v. 9-10 as the Bridegroom’s affirmation of the Shulamite. First, Jesus calls her “my love.” Pharoah’s horses were the best trained in the world. He sees her strong desire to follow Him, and it moves Him. He sees her emotions as beautiful.
Wurmbrand. He says that “with ornaments” and “of gold” are not in the text. “Your checks are lovely. They are so lovely that he cannot compare them to anything, so he kisses them.
Simmons. He sees the Shulamites fervency toward Him and calls it beautiful. Checks are her countenance, and they reflect emotions. The earrings are grace gifts. Ps. 45:11. He gives her “ears to hear” and a “heart to respond in obedience” to Him. The neck speaks of the will. We can bow the neck (submission and reverence) or be stiff-necked. The neck turns the head and directs the body; our will chooses the path we walk on. See I Pe. 3:3-4.
1:11: “We will make you ornaments of gold with studs of silver.” Lexicon Lit. “We will make for you ornaments of gold, with studs (or inlays) of silver.” We are the Trinity. You are feminine singular, so the Bride. Ornaments is the same word as in v. 10. There, as here, it is literally ‘rows’ or ‘chains.’ It represents the harmonious arrangement of virtues made by Grace. Gold is symbolic for Glory, God’s nature of Holiness and incorruptibility. Silver is redemption or redeeming grace, purity, divine speech. Ps. 12:6. Origin: The Trinity is beautifying the soul through sanctification. Jerome. “The gold shines of divinity, the silver gleams of redemption; in both the Bride is glorified.” Bernard. “The Trinity promises what He can perform—to make her character eternally of gold – like the Father. Nee. Who is “we?” The Shepherd/King is speaking, and He expands the author to the Trinity. Nee says this is God’s promise to make her character GOLD through GRACE. Silver represents redemption. Guyon: Perfect love’s every motivation and purpose is to everything for God’s glory and pleasure. Simmons. The Trinity enhances her beauty. Gold points to Divine Character – like Jesus. It is Jesus’ responsibility to make you shine like Gold.
Kale. We will make for you... (We will finish what we’ve begun). The Father, Son & Holy Spirit) are committed to bring you to maturity! Silver speaks of redemption, the ransom price. The silver stud is the cross of Jesus which bring redemption. Gold represents holiness, purity, & glory, tokens of truth, divine wisdom, divine character. We (the Trinity) will adorn you with holiness, purity and glory that flows from
redemption. We will take on His divine nature. An ear pierced - I will give you ears that hear and obey my Word.
Bickle. The Bridegroom will beautify her life. The ornaments of gold speak of the God-like character that He is working in her. I Pe. 3:4-5. Jesus’ passes His beauty on to His people. Is. 61:3.
Wurmbrand. The Trinity will make the Bride beautiful. She cannot do it herself. But she must trust that He will do so.
1:12: While the King is at His table (with me), my spikenard sends forth its pleasing fragrance (to Him).” Lexicon lit. “While the King was at his table, my nard gave forth its fragrance.” Origin. The King is Jesus sitting on the throne of our heart, lives, will. The table is the inner place of fellowship. Jo. 12:3. Nard is the bride’s outpoured love with suffering – the perfume of brokenness. Nee. Solomon’s table was extravagant: I Kings 4:22-23; 10:5; 4:27. Each time we come to the Lord’s table, He gives us spiritual food to bring us into communion with Him. When we look at the Cross, we must see not only forgiveness of sins, but also GRACE to feed us, to bring us into eternal union with Jesus. Every GRACE must come from Him; nothing is of our own strength. Simmons. My spikenard sends forth its fragrance. Spikenard is perfume and is her worship fills the room. To believe in and receive all that God has provided for us at the cross is the path to adoration. Rev. 5:8. 2 Cor. 2:15. Lexicon. Church fathers. The Bridegroom and Trinity adorn the bride with adornments in v. 10-11, those virtues begin to emit fragrance to the Bridegroom later.
Kale. What is the "King's Table"? It’s the King’s eternal banqueting table. He feeds her spirit (Eph 1:3). Every spiritual blessing has been given to us at this table by provision of the cross. This is her first glimpse of the cross. Her nard/perfume is her praise; nard represents extravagant worship. In Luke 7:37 Spikenard was poured out on Jesus’ feet. Her praise rises as a fragrance as she encounters the abundance of His table. She had asked in 1:7 ‘Where will you feed me?" "Here" He says, "at My table." His table is a place of rest.
Wesley. The king – the royal husband. Sits - with me. Spikenard represents the graces of his spirit conferred upon me, here compared to those sweet ointments, which the master of the feast caused to be poured out upon the heads of the guests in Luke 7:38. “Sends” denotes the exercise and manifestation of her graces, which is a sweet-smelling savor to her husband. Simmons. See Mk. 14: 1-11’ Jo. 12: 1-11.
1:13: “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, that lies between my breasts (over my heart).” Lexicon lit. “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me; he shall lodge between my breasts.”
Words: A bundle, pouch, or sachet. Bundle of myrrh. The mystery of Christ’s suffering and death — bitter yet fragrant.
Nee. “Beloved” may be read “Bridegroom-Lover. Myrrh signified His suffering love for her and points to the Cross. Guyon. At this point, He is a bundle of myrrh to her – not yet a Bridegroom to be lovingly embraced. She understands His sacrifice for her. Simmons. The sufferings of Christ are represented by myrrh. Myrrh is an expensive spice, giving off sweet-smelling perfume, used by the wealthy in burial. Ps. 45:8: All His garments at the cross smelled of myrrh. The Hebrew word for myrrh is a form of the Hebrew word meaning bitter. The ancient Hebrew teachers describe myrrh as “tears from a tree.” Myrrh speaks of the reality of embracing the cross and ending our fleshly ways. The cross was Jesus’ extravagantly expensive gift given to His Bride. Our value is seen in what Jesus suffered for us. Following Him will likewise bring us pain, suffering, rejection, misunderstanding, dying to our own strength, and sacrifice. “This tied-up bundle of myrrh is a clear picture of the cross. Myrrh, an embalming spice, was always associated with suffering. The suffering love of Jesus would be on the Shulamite’s heart for the rest of her life. We have the revelation of our beloved tied onto the cross like a bundle of myrrh.” Wesley. Myrrh is sweet smelling perfume born out of suffering love. Bickle. The Bride receives more understanding of the Bridegroom’s love for her. There is no greater proof of His love than His going to the cross, suffering for my sin and assuming all the evil consequences for my sin. Myrrh is a gum resin produces by plants in India and Arabia. It has a very bitter taste, but a sweet-smelling aroma. It is used for preparing a body for burial and for perfume. See Jo. 19: 39-40; Mt. 2:11. The three wise men brought myrrh to Jesus’ birth as a prophetic sign. Mk. 15:23. On the cross, he was offered myrrh. He was like a bundle of myrrh that lay continually on her heart, even through the night when she was asleep. Through the night speaks of her awareness that His love was constant (it rests on her heart), no matter the circumstances, trials, persecutions she faced. The most worshipful saints are always mindful of the cross, what the cross gives them both now and in eternity. Wurmbrand. Jesus is my beloved. There is nothing else that comes close to Him. He is a “bundle of myrrh to me.” Mt. 16: 14-16. There is no Hebrew word for the singular “face.” You can only say “faces” in Hebrew. When the Bible says: “Seek God’s face,” it does so only in English. Perhaps this would help us with our denominationalism – our brother has seen one of God’s faces and you another. The convictions do not exclude one another. Jesus is a “bundle of myrrh” and not a single stalk. Jesus allows the Bride to experience sufferings, and she welcomes them and wears them near her heart.
Kale. What is the "bundle of myrrh?” Myrrh is suffering love. "Myrrh is an expensive perfume used by the wealthy as a burial spice. Jacob sent myrrh to Egypt as one of the choice gifts of the Land. The wise kings who visited Jesus presented myrrh as a prophetic sign. Embalming spice was given to Jesus at His birth! Myrrh is a symbol of His death, the cross. It was mixed with wine and offered to Jesus on the cross. When Mary came to the tomb of Jesus, she brought with her myrrh." Myrrh is found in the formula for the Holy Anointing Oil. Queen Esther was bathed in Oil of Myrrh for six months before her presentation to the king. Bitter to the taste but sweet to the smell, myrrh in the spiritual sense speaks of dying to self to become a "sweet smelling savor" to the Lord. All His garments smelled like Myrrh... Psalm 45:7-8 Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia. Hebrews call it "tears from a tree"; it was resin from a tree that was pierced; "bleeding a tree" The bundle of myrrh is Christ on the cross. The price He paid so that she could be lovely, beautiful, and His Bride. Love suffers. You can't love without suffering. Verses from the Song of Songs were the most quoted scripture of the martyrs in their final dying words, "I am my beloved and He is mine." After meditating on the cross, she realizes how lovely He is. She realizes to love this King will cost her too. Nee. This is a picture of the Cross. Myrrh is an embalming spice associated with suffering. Jesus’ suffering was always suffering love. Jesus’ suffering love lies on her heart, in her awareness at all times. Henna has a homonym meaning “redeeming grace” or “atonement.” Jesus’ life is a bouquet of ‘atonement’ blossoms lying on her heart at all times.
1:14: “My beloved is to me as a cluster of henna blooms from the vineyards of En Gedi. Lexicon Lit. “My beloved is to me as a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.” Lexicon words: Henna is camphire which produces reddish blossoms. Christ is the fullness of virtue. Christ’s presence transforms the bride into an oasis even in the midst of this fallen and difficult world.
Origin said that the “vineyards of En-Gedi” signify the bride’s “garden” being watered by the Spirit, who then bears the fruit of holiness in the desert of this world.” Simmons. En Gedi means “fountain of the lamb.” The Hebrew word for ‘henna’ has a homonym that can mean “atonement or redeeming grace.” Wurmbrand says that “henna” means “Source of the goats.”
Observation. The “cluster of henna blooms from the “fountain of the Lamb” or “from the source of the goats (sacrificed) are the benefits gained at Calvary for us.
Origin. The cluster represents the manifold gifts of Christ — wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). “He is not one virtue but all virtues in a cluster.” Gregory of Nyssa saw the cluster as the gathered mysteries of Christ (Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection) united in one fragrant Person. The vineyards of En-Gedi represent the interior paradise cultivated by divine grace. Jerome thought En-Gedi’s oasis represents the bride among the nations blooming in the desert of this world. Simmons. The Hebrew word for “henna is “kopher.” It can also be translated “atonement (homonym).” Ancient Jewish teachers believed the phrase “a cluster of henna blossoms” was a reference to the Messiah. The Jews gave the name ‘cluster’ to a man who possessed all the excellent virtues. They made “Eshkol Kopher” (a cluster of henna) into “Ish Kol Kopher” (a man who atones for all”). Jesus spreads the perfume of atonement to all men. Kale. Bouquet of Henna.
En Gedi means "fountain of the lamb"; (it is the oasis in the midst of the desert). In Gen 8, the ark of Noah was coated inside & out with "kaphar" which was pitched to keep Noah safe in the ark. You are covered inside and out with the atonement of Jesus! He is a bouquet of atoning grace! John 19:30 You are so beautiful that you are WORTH the suffering of the cross! She now sees Him through the lens of the cross. He gazes upon her and finds her beautiful. Bickle. We must boldly proclaim the truth about the beauty and goodness of Jesus. Written by a missionary at the martyrdom of a Christian in China. Afraid? Of what? To experience a Holy Spirit-enabled, glad release? To pass from strain to perfect peace? The strife and stress of life to cease? Afraid - of that? Afraid? Of what? Afraid to see the Savior’s face? To hear His welcome and loving embrace? To trace the glory beam from His wounds of grace? Afraid - of that? Afraid? Of what? A flash - a crash - a pierced heart? From this dark world to light, eternal light - Oh, Heaven's art! A wound of His, my counterpart? Afraid-of that?
1:15: “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.” Lexicon lit. “Behold you are, indeed, you are” to emphasis the truth of what He is saying. Beautiful/fair is moral, spiritual purity and beauty. Her beauty is the restoration of the divine image in her. Something think the double affirmation could also be that she is beautiful inwardly in character and also beautiful in works flowing from her new life within. He calls her beautiful; she is beautiful due to His beauty which He has put within her. My love is my companion, my friend, my beloved. Dove’s eyes are the bride’s spiritual vision Enlighted by the Holy Spirit – eyes filled with Divine insight. Bernard saw twofold beauty as purity of heart and works of righteousness flowing from her purity of heart. Gregory likens the dove’s singleness of eye to Jesus’ teaching: “If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light.” Simmoms. The He. word for ‘beautiful’ (yapah) is used 5 times to describe the Shulamite and three more times, she is called “hayyapah” or “most beautiful among women.” Hebrew linguists link “yapah” to “Yapha” which means “to radiate, to burst forth, to emerge from darkness to project radiance.” It is also related to ‘yaphat’ which means ‘to create a sense of awe and wonder’ or ‘to be something special.’
Wurmbrand. Jesus convinces us that we are beautiful. The One who defines beauty calls you beautiful. If I am beautiful, He will never reject me. The Holiness which He gives us is always beautiful. If we are tempted, if we temporarily fall, if all men forsake us, we are still beautiful because of the Blood of Christ. If all forsake us, He will love us unto the end. We should not dwell on our blackness when He dwells on our beauty.
Kale. 1. Doves mate for life. Their eyes look straight ahead; they focus on
one thing at a time (no peripheral vision). Fix your eyes on Him, be single-minded. Matt. 6:22. Holy Spirit is described as a dove at Jesus’ baptism. (Matt 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, John 1:32, Mt. 6:22). A dove is loyal: A dove will mate once in its life. If its mate dies, it never mates again. When Jesus looks into your eyes, He sees the Holy Spirit’s eyes in you. You see spiritual truth (revelation) with the eyes of a dove - Holy Spirit eyes. You are as beautiful as the Spirit of God to Him. Jesus says: 1) She is beautiful; 2) He loves her. Jesus’ beauty is the beauty that He gives His people. Is. 61:3; Ps. 90:17. We grow spiritually and have confidence in God because we accept by faith that He loves us and that we are beautiful in His grace.
A dove will not sit on the green branch, will not drink fresh water, will not seek shade and will avoid the company of other birds until it finds its companion. So also, is the bride of Christ, so long as she is separated from her Bridegroom.
Wesley: “Her Eyes” are mild, harmless, faithful, chaste.
Simmons. He chose you before the foundation of the world to be eternally married to Him; He has thought about you for a long time. He knew you and loved you before you were born. The key to spiritual growth is receiving the revelation of His love for us. Ep. 3:18. He is not the harsh, driving master she previously imagined Him to be. Jesus will one day present to Himself a “radiant” church. Ep. 5:27. The secret of being radiant is knowing His love.
Guyon. Jesus sees beauty in you (though imperfect) and now He wants you to see it. He says “I will perfect you and draw you out of your weaknesses and all blemishes.
Observation. Jesus calls His bride beautiful – twice. To be beautiful is to radiate forth, to burst forth, to project beauty with the idea of uniqueness. Jesus is calling forth qualities in the Bride that are not yet evident to the world perhaps.
1:16: “Behold, you are handsome, my beloved. Yes, pleasant. Also, our bed is green.” Lexicon lit. “Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved; yea, pleasant; also, our bed is green (verdant).” Lexical words: Beautiful and fair is the same word here as is used in v. 15. Pleasant is beauty that gives rests and peace. Bed could be translated “couch,” a place of union, intimacy, and rest. Green is zoe life, resurrection life, living stones life, or the Garden restored. Origin. “As He first saw beauty in her through grace, so she now sees beauty in Him through contemplation.” Gregory. The “mutual beauty” reflects the union of likeness — her soul now bears the image of the Beloved. Bernard. “Love’s rest is not idleness but fruitfulness.
Simmons. The Hebrew word for “beloved’ here (and in most places) is taken from a root word meaning ‘to boil.’ He causes her heart to boil over with love. Mt. 3:17; Ep. 1:6. Bed could be ‘resting place, canopied bed, or luxuriant couch.”
Observation. The Bride no longer looks at herself but on her Beloved’s loveliness.
1:17: “The beams of our house of cedar, and our rafter’s fir.” Lexicon words. “Our house” is a shared dwelling.
Lexicon. The “house” symbolizes a place of union — between the bride and the Bridegroom. The cedar and cypress evoke the Temple of God, whose wood was famously hewn from Lebanon’s cedars (1 Kings 5:6–10).
The House is where the Bride and Bridegroom dwell together. This could also be the collective Church where Christ, the Bridegroom, rests.
Thus, the verse concludes Chapter 1 by portraying the mutual dwelling of the Bride and Bridegroom, a foretaste of mystical union — stable, fragrant, and everlasting.
Nee. Cedars are tall, stately, and strong. Could stand for Jesus. Most of the Temple’s woodwork was cedar and fir (cypress). Cypress was commonly found growing in graveyards. They were associated with death and thus portray the Cross.
Kale. Cedar is a hard wood which represents strength and safety. She sees the
"security" of "our house" and rests safely with Him. The cedar tree is an emblem of life.
The cypress tree (or fir) is a symbol of death (or sometimes called the "death
tree" because it was commonly used in casket making.). The cedar and the cypress were two major building materials in Solomon's Temple. They speak of the life and death of Jesus being our security and covering. Our rafters are firs. "Rafters" literally means "galleries" or "balconies" - porches extending out from the house. Resting in heavenly places, we see the balconies of eternity. The "house" is the church. She is now ready to enter back into fellowship with others.
Bickle. Bickle sees 16B and 17 as a unit. “Also, our bed is green. The beams of our houses are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” Cedar and fir were the strongest, most permanent, and most beautiful woods to build with in Solomon’s day. We will live forever in “His house”—a place filled with beauty and strength. Jo. 14:2; Rev. 21:2.