Song of Songs (Written)

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Song of Songs 4:1-6
Myrrh and Frankincense

(Typed 6 January 2025) Some of the wording in this passage may seem odd based on our modern understanding of the world. But we have to remember that things have not always been as they are now. One of the verses speaks of the woman’s teeth in a metaphor that is easily understood.

There may need to be a bit of explanation, but it is apparent that Solomon is elated about the condition of her teeth. Even today we get excited about nice teeth. But in America, unless the teeth are just exceptional, we would instead be inclined to note the defects rather than the good points of someone’s teeth.

However, until recent history, it would have been just the opposite. To understand why, a bit of tooth care history is cited here from a response provided by Google –

Tooth brushing became common in the United States after World War II, when the military required soldiers to brush their teeth daily. Soldiers brought the practice home with them and spread it to their families.

Here are some other milestones in the history of tooth brushing:
1780: William Addis developed the first mass-produced toothbrush in England.
1938: The first nylon toothbrush was made.
1939: The first electric toothbrush was made.
1960: The first electric toothbrush widely used in the U.S. was invented.

Before this national movement to enhance dental hygiene, it was not a common practice to spend much time on one’s teeth. Stained and missing teeth were common, bad breath ruled the day, and people just lived with it.

Text Verse: “I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.” Psalm 109:30

Google gave a bit more information on oral hygiene for us to consider –

Before World War II, only 7% of American households brushed their teeth or had toothpaste. During World War I, the military considered dental disease a national crisis. The U.S. government issued hygiene kits to soldiers that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, or tooth powder.

Before the toothbrush, people used cloths or sponges dipped in mixtures of honey, salt, and herbal concoctions to clean their teeth. Tooth powders and toothpastes were used as long ago as 5000 B.C. in Egypt.

What was once a practice that was rather laborious and quite often neglected, as can be evidenced in parts of the world to this day, we now have the time, accessibility to quality brushes and pastes, and the modern desire to have healthy teeth.

That knowledge alone is enough to tell us that God isn’t worried about halitosis as we praise Him. He is also not concerned if we are missing teeth. If these things were a consideration, the praise from His people for millennia, along with the praise of many in the world today, would be offensive to Him.

God’s focus isn’t on such things. He desires our praises to be true and heartfelt. The references to healthy teeth in the woman are not to be taken to some unintended extreme as so often happens by people who take something from Scripture out of its intended context.

How Solomon saw the woman in a physical sense is how God looks at us in a spiritual sense. When we keep such boxes straight in our minds, we will avoid a lot of unsound thinking.

Such truths as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. All Twinned (verses 1 & 2)

Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!

The words are identical to verse 1:15. The pronouns are feminine, meaning that a male is speaking to a female: hinakh yaphah rayathi hinakh yaphah –

“Behold you! Beautiful, my querida.
Behold you! Beautiful!”

The beloved is overtaken by her exquisite beauty. The use of the interjection, behold, draws attention to what he is about to say. Making the proclamation twice is the Bible’s way of emphatically declaring a thing.

It is as if he has lost his breath over what his eyes are feasting on. In this stunned state, he next says…

^{1 (con’t)} You have dove’s eyes

These words are also the same as found in verse 1:15. They are more emphatic than the NKJV renders them: einayikh yonim – “Your eyes – doves.”

The comparison is not to dove’s eyes, but that she has eyes like doves – glistening, beautiful, shapely, and so forth.

The word yonah, dove, is from the same root as yayin, wine. This root signifies to effervesce. Thus, the dove is lively and animated. It carries with it a sense of warmth and love.

As she blinks, he thinks of its wing flitting. As she looks left or right, he thinks of the dove darting through the air. When he looks at the whites, he sees purity, and in the pupil, he sees gentleness and innocence. He is enraptured with her, especially captivated by her dovelike eyes. He continues with…

^{1 (con’t)} behind your veil.

These words are new, not found in verse 1:15: mibaad l’tsamathekh – “From behind to your veil.” The NKJV is not incorrect, but it lacks the fullness of the Hebrew. He is speaking of her eyes from a reference point, which is the veil. “From behind” is the position of her eyes, while “to your veil” is the point of reference.

It is as if there are two doves sitting in a protected alcove as one looks into it to see them. The word tsamah, veil, is introduced here. It will be seen twice more in this book, and once in Isaiah 47:2. Some translations say “locks,” as if it is referring to her hair. This doesn’t seem likely based on how the word is used in Isaiah

“Come down and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no more be called
Tender and delicate.
² Take the millstones and grind meal.
Remove your veil [tsamah],
Take off the skirt,
Uncover the thigh,
Pass through the rivers.
³ Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
Yes, your shame will be seen;
I will take vengeance,
And I will not arbitrate with a man.” Isaiah 47:1-3

Further, Strong’s notes it is derived from an unused root meaning to fasten on. Thus, a veil seems likely. This is probably not the revolting burka-styled veil forced on women in the Mideast. Rather it is more likely a sheer, small veil like one might see on a harem girl (think of I Dream of Jeannie). It is a veil of modesty which accentuates the eyes.

Next, he continues describing her beauty…

^{1 (con’t)} Your hair is like a flock of goats,

sarekh k’eder ha’izim – “Your hair according to flock the goats.” The sense here is that as he looks at her hair, it is the color of goats. But more, it is how goats appear to flow as they walk in clusters, some here, some there, rolling along.

Hair, sear, is used in Scripture to signify the existence of an awareness, particularly an awareness of sin. The ez, goat is used as an offering for sin, such as –

“And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats [s’iyir izim] as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering.’” Leviticus 9:3

“And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats [s’iyire izim] as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.” Leviticus 16:5

The words, sear, hair, and sa’iyr, kid, are etymologically connected. For example, sear is used in Genesis 25:25 when describing Esau as being born hairy, while sa’iyr is used in Genesis 27:11 to describe his hairy state.

Intricate connections to other parts of Scripture are being conveyed to us as the man describes his beloved. Of her hair being like goats, he next says…

^{1 (con’t)} Going down from Mount Gilead.

shegal’shu mehar gilad – “Which cascaded from Mount Gilead.” It is another new and rare word, galash. It will only be seen again in verse 6:5. The word gives the sense of rolling, heaping up, or piling up.

Of these words, the BDB Lexicon says, “of flocks of goats, in the simile of a woman’s hair; construction & sense rather awkward.” It appears they are worried about the verb, which is in the perfect aspect. However, when one understands how goats descend, it isn’t awkward at all.

Solomon is thinking of a shepherd leading his flocks down the side of a mountain, in this case Mount Gilead. They would be clumped together in various areas, appearing to be rolling down the hills. Solomon isn’t speaking of them as they are cascading, but as they have cascaded – a moment in time.

In his mind, he sees goats on the side of the mountain and compares them to her hair at that moment. It could even be that they stopped on the side of the mountain and reclined, thus “heaped up” as curled locks would appear. Either way, the picture is beautiful to consider.

As has been seen many times in Joshua and Judges, a har (mount) is a lot of something gathered. It is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Gilead means Perpetual Fountain. Next, the man turns to another of her striking features…

² Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep

shinayikh k’eder haq’tsuvoth – “Your teeth according to flock the shorn.” The shen, tooth, is derived from shanan, a verb signifying to sharpen or whet. But it is also used when referring to the inculcation of instruction, as in teaching diligently.

The teeth of humans and animals are noted in Scripture, but teeth are also used metaphorically in various ways, such as devouring, ferocity, destruction, strength, power, etc. The word is also translated as ivory in this book and elsewhere.

In this case, he is speaking of her literal teeth being fabulously straight and white because the sheep are shorn. The word translated as shorn is another rare word, qatsav. It is derived from a primitive root signifying to clip or chop. It is found only here and in 2 Kings 6:6, where Elisha cut off a stick and threw it into water to make an axe head float.

After sheep are shorn, they aren’t bulging with hair. Thus, they look straight and even. Also, the brambles, dirt, and so forth that make them look dull or splotchy have been removed. Instead, they are nice and white. It is as if she has been regularly brushing with Crest Advanced Whitening. Ooh Ahh.

One can see from these words that if the word tsamah used above is a veil, it is a sheer fabric. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to describe her teeth until she removed the veil. With a wispy, sheer fabric, however, he would see her teeth and describe them just as he does here. Of these teeth, metaphorically described by sheep, he says…

^{2 (con’t)} Which have come up from the washing,

shealu min ha’rakhtsah – “Which ascended from the washing.” Not only were the sheep shorn, but they were then washed to accentuate their whiteness. The word is rakhtsah, a feminine noun signifying a bathing place. Thus, it is “the washing.” The word is found only here and in verse 6:6. Of her pearly whites, there is more good news ahead…

^{2 (con’t)} Every one of which bears twins,

shekulam math’imoth – “Which they all twinned.” The verb taam means to make double or twin. The meaning is that each tooth in her mouth bears its corresponding tooth. Just like sheep coming up two by two from the washing pool, those teeth on the top row are not without their mate on the bottom row. Hooray, she has all her teeth!

The type of verb used here means “to cause twins,” in other words, “making twins.” But how can a tooth make a twin? Scholars trouble over this, but it is not at all difficult to discern. When the mouth is open, the verb doesn’t apply, but when she closes her mouth while still showing her teeth, the joining of the top and bottom rows “makes twins.”

As for this description, it would actually be rarer than one might think. We take brushing as a part of daily life, but as noted in the opening comments, it wasn’t something practiced by the masses until much later in history.

In fact, it can be inferred from the words of Job and Amos that having teeth that weren’t clean was considered a good thing –

“My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am repulsive to the children of my own body.
¹⁸ Even young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
¹⁹ All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
²⁰ My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.” Job 19:17-20

“‘Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
Yet you have not returned to Me,’
Says the Lord.” Amos 4:6

Job describes skin on his teeth, meaning that he had a film left from what he ate, but it was just enough to keep him from dying. Cleanness of teeth in Amos means a complete deprivation of food, resulting in teeth that have no skin at all on them.

This doesn’t mean that cleaning one’s teeth, as this young beauty has done, was looked down on. But the whiteness of teeth, though extremely appealing, wasn’t considered overly necessary in society. Rather, older societies had more of a British than American attitude toward dental hygiene.

Stained and even missing teeth were just a part of life that wasn’t looked down on, even if a mouth with all of its teeth that were radiant was something to be noted with approval. Next, Solomon speaks in a parallel thought concerning her gnifty gnashers…

^{2 (con’t)} And none is barren among them.

v’shakulah ein bahem – “And bereaved, none, in them.” He is particularly fond of this attribute of hers, so he has spoken the thought a second time as a way of highlighting its truly remarkable nature. This is especially rare because even if people took the time to clean their teeth, they could still get knocked out or cracked or fall out.

If it weren’t for modern dental techniques, most of us would be showing empty spots when we smile. For sure, I would . She, on the other hand, had none to mar her glistening smile.

The two clauses contain a play on words not noticeable in translations –

shekulam math’imoth / v’shakulah ein bahem

Which they all [shekulam] twinned,
And bereaved [v’shakulah], none, in them

The use of parallelism, along with the play on words, especially highlights this notable aspect of hers.

There is also a gender discord in the words “Which they all (masc.) twinned (fem.). Keil, the only person I read who even commented on it, says it is an “incorrect exchange” and thinks this “refers to the mothers, none of which has lost a twin of the pair she had borne.”

But that confuses the analogy. What seems likely is that the discord is following the earlier words of the verse –

Your teeth (fem. noun) according to flock (masc. noun).
Which they all (the flock) twinned (teeth).

As for the smitten Solomon, his next words continue with high praises for his beloved…

What is true beauty to the Lord?
Is it fancy clothes and well-cut hair?
Is this how you perceive the word?
Is this the focus of all your care?

The Lord looks at the heart, searching for faithfulness
The externals don’t matter to Him at all
He doesn’t care about a three-piece suit or a fancy dress
In judging others this way, you’re headed for a fall

The least in fashion may have faith galore
And the one who is poor may please God the most
Don’t get judgmental toward the guy at the door
And in your appearance, do not boast

Be strong in your faith in Christ
That is how your soul will be greatly priced

II. Pasturing in the Lilies (verses 3-6)

³ Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,

k’khut hashani siphthothayikh – “According to thread, the crimson – your lips.” He is noting the beauty of her lips, being like the crimson that is obtained from the crimson grub worm. It is the same set of words used in Joshua 2 –

“So the men said to her: ‘We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, ¹⁸ unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet [khut ha’shani] cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home.’” Joshua 2:17, 18

Solomon is equating her lips to such a thread of bright crimson. Next, he says a phrase unique to this verse…

^{3 (con’t)} And your mouth is lovely.

u-midbareikh naveh – “And your wilderness – beautiful.” The word midbar means wilderness or desert. Translating this as mouth would be the only time, out of 271 uses of the word, that it was translated this way. However, it is probably what Solomon is referring to, as if when she opens her crimson lips, her mouth looks like a beautiful wilderness.

Thus, the words are somewhat parallel but more complementary. But why would he use the term midbar this way? What seems likely is that he is making dual use of both words, lips and wilderness, forming a great play on two words translated as lips (saphah) and the word wilderness (davar).

The word lip, sapah, refers to a language. The word davar, word, refers to speech. These are both seen in their first use in Genesis, “Now the whole earth had one language [saphah] and one speech [davar]” (Genesis 11:1). Isaiah 36:5 also uses both words –

“I have said: Only, a word of the lips [davar shephtayim]! counsel and might are for battle: now, on whom hast thou trusted, that thou hast rebelled against me?” (YLT).

Likewise, the word midbar, wilderness, comes from davar, to speak, just noted in Genesis and Isaiah. That is identical to the noun davar, word. Without the later added vowel points, the word is the exact same spelling as a form of the noun “and from your word” found in Psalm 119 –

“Princes persecuted me gratis,
And from Your words [ומדבריך] startled my heart!” Psalm 119:161 (CG)

Therefore, he may be complimenting her lips and mouth while making a pun by complimenting her dialect and speech. It would certainly account for the very unusual use of the word wilderness –

According to thread, the crimson, your lips (saphah).
And your mouth (midbar) – beautiful.

According to thread, the crimson, your speech (saphah).
And from your words (midbar)– beautiful.

Therefore, Solomon could be making a pun that her lips, meaning her language, are like a beautiful crimson thread, and her manner of speaking is beautiful. Every word is carefully chosen, being pleasing to the ear and soothing to the mind.

This would make a marvelous play on words that seems to have eluded scholars all along. There is no doubt he is describing her physical beauty, but his words convey more than just that. He continues with more difficult words…

^{3 (con’t)} Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.

The translation is defective and misleading. The subject noun, translated elsewhere in the Bible as temple, is singular: k’phelakh ha’rimon raqathekh mibaad l’tsamathekh –

“According to slice the pomegranate,
Your countenance from behind to your veil.”

The word is raqah, meaning thinness. That is why it is translated as temple when Jael banged a tent peg through Sisera’s temple in the book of Judges. However, it doesn’t have to speak only of that.

Most translations incorrectly use the plural, temples. Some say cheek or cheeks. But that is another word lekhi, the cheek or jawbone. One translation says forehead. If he is seeing behind her sheer veil, he is seeing her forehead, temples, cheeks, etc.

Slicing a pomegranate in half leaves a circle with a Y shape where there is red in the Y and on both sides of it. Thus, I say the singular word countenance because the forehead, temple, and cheeks are the thin areas, corresponding to the outside of the Y.

This would cover the areas of thinness on her face collectively being red, maybe from an application of rouge. This is what one would expect of a woman in a wedding procession. Solomon continues next with…

⁴ Your neck is like the tower of David,

The words are dependent on the next clauses to fully understand: k’migdal David tsavarekh – “According to Tower David your nape.” The word is tsvvar, the same word used in verse 1:10 to describe her neck. However, in this case, it is more specifically the back of the neck. The word comes from tsur, to bind, besiege, cramp, etc.

It speaks of the binding of the back of the neck which is just what the next clauses will reveal. Thus, in this case, it is referring to the nape. The back of the neck is where there is strength. He is comparing it to the Tower of David, a high fortified tower. Next…

^{4 (con’t)} Built for an armory,

Rather, the noun is plural: banui l’thalpiyoth – “Built to parapets.” The word talpiyoth is found only here. Strong’s Lexicon says it comes from tel, a hill or mound, and piyoth, mouths or openings. However, his concordance says it is from an unused root meaning to tower.

The first is probably right. Either way, the plural complicates things, so translators have to be inventive. Some say built with rows of stones, jeweled with shields, built for weapons, etc. The Greek punts and makes it a proper name. But such translations make the thalpiyoth something other than a part of the neck.

However, it is surely a thought complement to the preceding clause and describes the neck, not what hangs on it. The Douay-Rheims, bulwarks, and the Catholic Public Domain, ramparts, are probably closer in thought. I went with parapets because it is the upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof.

Thus, the word corresponds to the idea of height, like the tower of David. A parapet would have “mouths,” being crenelated so that soldiers could launch arrows or other projectiles and then go back behind the high edges of it for safety. The bones in her nape would give the sense of parapets…

^{4 (con’t)} On which hang a thousand bucklers,

eleph ha’magen talui alav – “Thousand the shield hang upon it.” The word magen refers to a shield. In this case, Solomon describes the necklace(s) that hang from her nape. It refers to a traditional coin-style necklace with a multitude of circle pendants, like round shields, that are so common in the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, etc.

One can see a tower with parapets ready for battle, the shields hanging there. When an enemy approaches, the shields are taken off display and held by the warriors. They are…

^{4 (con’t)} All shields of mighty men.

kol shilte ha’giborim – “All targets the mighties.” The word is shelet. It is translated elsewhere as shield. Because it is a different word, using a different word to translate it keeps from confusing the reader. A target is another word for a small round shield or buckler and is thus a fitting translation. The word is used in a fashion similar to what is being described in Ezekiel 27 –

“Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
And the men of Gammad were in your towers;
They hung their shields [shelet] on your walls all around;
They made your beauty perfect.” Ezekiel 27:11

Like the first two clauses, this one is given to complement the previous clause. With the explanation of what has been provided, that can now be seen –

*According to Tower David +your nape,
*Built +to parapets.

^Thousand the shield hang upon +it,
^All targets the mighties.

Solomon is having all kinds of fun using things he is familiar with to describe this beautiful woman. Understanding that, he next gets a bit risqué for some people’s sensibilities…

⁵ Your two breasts are like two fawns,

sh’ne shadayikh kishnei ophariym – “Two, your breasts, according to two fawns.” He is enamored with her breasts and finds a fitting descriptor to use as a metaphor. The opher is a fawn, coming from aphar, dust. Thus, it speaks of the dusty color of them. Of them, he next says…

^{5 (con’t)} Twins of a gazelle,

t’omei ts’viah– “Twins, gazelle.” This is the first use of ts’viyah, a female gazelle. It will only be seen again in verse 7:3. As seen previously, the tsviy, gazelle, comes from tsavah, to amass or swell, and thus “prominent.” That leads to the idea of beauty or splendor, which is a prominent trait. As such, the word is used to describe the gazelle because of its graceful beauty.

In this case, he equates this swelling splendor to her two breasts. This is what he is thinking of when gazing at her and he is not ashamed to let her know it. The symbolism is correct because he next says…

^{5 (con’t)} Which feed among the lilies.

Rather, a verb is used to describe the delightful sight: ha’roim bashoshanim – “the ‘feeding in the lilies.’” The gazelles are said to be feeding. If one watches a gazelle as it eats, its rump is elevated and rounded. They will also bounce around as they move from spot to spot. At times, they even do so when standing in one place munching down.

As such, he is complimenting her on their shape and youthful elasticity. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with such a thought because it is how God created women, and it is pretty much universal that such things capture the eyes and thoughts of men everywhere.

Equating the color of the lilies to her breast’s whiteness and fawns to her nipples, as some scholars do, seems to overstretch the symbolism. This is because she says essentially the same thing about him in verses 2:16 and 6:3. Also, in 5:13, she says his lips are lilies. Therefore, this doesn’t necessarily have to be white lilies.

Having provided her with marvelous descriptions of how he regards her beauty, the source of the next words is uncertain…

⁶ Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,

The words are identical to verse 2:17: ad sheyaphuakh ha’yom v’nasu ha’tselaliym –

“Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.”

There are no gender markers to indicate whether it is Solomon or the woman. However, because they are the same words as 2:17, which is certainly the woman, modern scholars think it is the woman speaking here as well.

However, the words of 2:16 were also the woman. If the pattern were to follow, then the man continues to speak here –

My beloved to me, and I to him –
The “pasturing in the lilies.”

¹⁷ Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.
Revolve!
Resemble to you, my beloved, to gazelle or to fawn, the stag,
Upon the mountains division.

///////

Two, your breasts, according to two fawns –
Twins, gazelle,
The “pasturing in the lilies.”

⁶ Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.
I walk, to me, unto mount the myrrh,
And unto hill the frankincense.

In 2:16, it is singular, ha’roeh (the pasturing), and is thus speaking of him, the one tending the flocks in the lilies. In 4:5, it is plural, ha’roim (the pasturing), and refers to her breasts in comparison to the two gazelles.

Either way, the meaning of the words is that until the day is ending, which is at evening time when the wind begins to puff, and the shadows begin to flit away into darkness…

*^{6 (fin)} I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

elekh li el har ha’mor v’el givath hal’vonah –

“I walk, to me, unto mount the myrrh,
And unto hill the frankincense.”

Without including all the details concerning these two fragrances as before, the prominent idea of myrrh speaks of bitterness and symbolizes love. More especially, however, love in intimate union, but not necessarily sexual in nature. Frankincense symbolizes purification but also speaks of works.

Because of the symbolism seen in previous chapters, I would suggest that this verse is the woman speaking.

The first five verses are like other such sets of verses which show how the Lord views His redeemed, speaking of them in the most beautiful metaphors. The final verse carries the same symbolism as the parallel verse in Chapter 2.

It is a commitment by the redeemed to continue until the time of night, when the day has puffed, arrives. It is the time when our work will cease, and the Lord will return for His beloved.

The myrrh, the bitterness associated with love, and the frankincense, the process of purification through works, are both derived from Jesus’ work on the cross. It is He who suffered for His people because of God’s love for them and it is His works that provide purification for them.

Saying, “I walk, to me, unto mount the myrrh and unto hill the frankincense” is a way of saying that God’s redeemed commit to walk among the redeemed (symbolized by the har, mount) who follow the bitter love of God in Christ, and in the shadow of the cross (symbolized by the givah, hill) which purifies His people through His work.

The words of the verses of this passage do not need to be overly spiritualized. They reflect the adoration of the Lord for His people, people of faith who have put their trust in Him. Closing out the verses, the word tells us that it is those of faith who are His people. It is not by our works but by trust in His – completed on the cross – that God accepts us.

Again as has been repeatedly stated, the reason for this “Song the songs” being read each year at the Passover is because it points to the cross of Christ. That is why the words keep repeating the same thoughts. The book is a wake-up call to pay attention to the rest of Scripture and find Jesus as the fulfillment of it all.

If we will view it from that perspective, there is no need to over-allegorize every detail. It is a book giving us details concerning the greatest love that ever could be. It is a book that details the love of God in Christ for the people of the world, exemplified by His love for Jesus, who would be the One to reconcile all the rest to Himself through the cross.

Closing Verse: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

Next Week: Song of Songs 4:7-11 I am completely smitten by you, can’t you see?… (Unhearted Me!) (10^th Song of Songs sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Song of Songs 4:1-6 (CG)

Behold you! Beautiful, my querida,
Behold you! Beautiful!
Your eyes – doves,
From behind to your veil.
Your hair according to flock the goats,
Which cascaded from Mount Gilead.
² Your teeth according to flock the shorn,
Which ascended from the washing.
Which they all twinned,
And bereaved, none, in them.
³ According to thread, the crimson – your lips,
And your wilderness – beautiful,
According to slice the pomegranate,
Your countenance from behind to your veil.
⁴ According to Tower David your nape,
Built to parapets.
Thousand the shield hang upon it,
All targets the mighties.
⁵ Two, your breasts, according to two fawns –
Twins, gazelle,
The “pasturing in the lilies.”

⁶ Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.
I walk, to me, unto mount the myrrh,
And unto hill the frankincense.

 

Song of Songs 4:1-6 (NKJV)

Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
² Your teeth according to flock the shorn,

Which ascended from the washing.

Which they all twinned,

And bereaved, none, in them.

³ Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
⁴ Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built for an armory,
On which hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
⁵ Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.

⁶ Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Song of Songs 3:6-11
Ascending From the Wilderness

(Typed 30 December 2024) The words of the passage today are exciting to read, even if they are difficult to understand. There is so much imagery in them that the mind is stimulated to form pictures as one progresses.

Reading one version of them will give you an idea of what the translator thinks is going on. Reading another version, and a completely different picture of what is presented will arise. Having said that, the more they are considered, the more confusing they can become.

Who is coming out of the wilderness in verse 6? What is the fear of the night in verse 8? Questions like these seem obvious until you read commentaries and discover there are vastly different scholarly views concerning them. You might ask, “How can that be? This is what it says.”

The NKJV, for example, doesn’t just translate the words, but they also add in extra-biblical identifiers intended to help the reader know what is going on. For example, all six verses in the passage are classified by the identifier, “The Shulamite.”

I have avoided using that term so far because her identification as a Shulamite doesn’t actually come until Chapter 6.

Another problem with saying “The Shulamite” is that the translators could be wrong. How do we know it’s not Solomon speaking? How do we know it isn’t a narrator talking about Solomon? How do we know it isn’t a narrator talking about the woman?

Text Verse: “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.” Psalm 45:3

A passage like the one today is complicated. I was still working on the first verse two hours after I began. Several times during the day, I had to go back and retype things because I realized what I had typed initially was wrong.

Each word has been meticulously chosen to slowly and methodically reveal what is going on. To miss a single point can lead to a completely different conclusion. And even when a line of thought is considered correct, there are times where I will still say something like “Either way,” indicating that I am not entirely certain.

One might be inclined to think, “C’mon, this thing was written 2500 years ago! Enough people have looked at it to know exactly what is being said.” If you think that way, your thinking is amiss.

Typology has been evident throughout the books of Moses and the historical writings we have looked as so far. Most commentators don’t discuss that in their analyses. But in “Song the songs,” they almost exclusively focus on typology and allegory.

Unfortunately, their ideas about what is being hinted at from an allegorical or pictorial perspective are so outlandish that I don’t even bother considering them.

That tells us how difficult the words really are. Books that are specifically intended to give us typology, such as Joshua, are ignored in that regard. So far, this book only gives general hints of such things. And yet, it is almost exclusively evaluated as if this was its only purpose.

In the end, I hope you will enjoy what is presented. The typology of Christ is a bit more pronounced than some of the other passages we have seen so far. It is still a love song with vivid descriptions of the character for us to revel in.

Such wonderful things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Dread in the Nights (verses 6-8)

⁶ Who is this coming out of the wilderness

mi zoth olah min ha’midbar – “Who this ascending from the wilderness?” The words “this” and “ascending” are feminine. As such, it is generally accepted that this is referring to the woman being brought forth in a bridal procession.

A minority opinion is that the next verse will explain what the “this” is while the “who” is speaking not of an individual, but as a feminine whole, such as “who is this procession.” The same words, mi zoth, are used again in verses 6:10 and 8:5 where they are certainly speaking of the woman.

Either way, being poetic, the words introduce what will only later be identified. They are intended to bring a sense of wondering and anticipation to the minds of those hearing the lines.

As for the wilderness, it is any place that is uncultivated, usually with sparse vegetation. Therefore, the contrast to the one coming out of the wilderness is highlighted. She is coming…

^{6 (con’t)} Like pillars of smoke,

k’thimaroth ashan – “According to columns smoke?” The one coming from the wilderness is coming “according to” not “with.” As such, this may not be speaking of people actually surrounding a bridal procession with incense. Rather, it is referring to how she appears as she ascends.

When Israel came out of the wilderness, they were preceded by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Numbers 14:14). Someone in the distance may see the sight and say, “That looks like a column of smoke.”

In fact, that is how many interpret this. They say it is speaking of Israel as they were brought out of the wilderness after forty years of wanderings. That seems forced because there was one column, it was of cloud, and the word here is not the same.

This word is timarah, a word believed to be derived from tamar or tomer, both of which refer to a palm. It is a column reaching upwards like a palm. This word is found only here and in Joel 2 –

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars [timarah] of smoke.” Joel 2:30

What seems most likely is that the man is saying this woman is ascending from the wilderness like columns of smoke. It is her physical appearance as she approaches that is poetically being described. One can think of her in Mideastern robes, ascending to him. As she does, the garments move like palm fronds swaying in the wind.

With this vivid picture in mind, he continues…

^{6 (con’t)} Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

The verb is passive: m’qutereth mor u-l’vonah – “Smoked – myrrh and frankincense.” It is as if the columns, her flowing garments, are being continuously smoked with myrrh and frankincense as she ascends, allowing the fragrances to waft upon the winds.

As was seen in Chapter 1, myrrh, mor, is an aromatic resin used in perfuming. It is derived from marar, bitter. The name gives the sense of “distilling in drops.” It was seen in Exodus 30 in the making of the special incense for burning in the tabernacle.

Myrrh comes from a shrub and can be obtained in one of two ways. The first is the purest form where it naturally exudes from the plant. This is the “myrrh of freedom,” or “free-flowing myrrh.” Inferior myrrh comes from the bark when incisions are made in it.

Myrrh is fragrant to smell, but bitter to the taste. The prominent idea that it symbolizes is love. More especially, love in an intimate union, but not necessarily sexual in nature.

Frankincense, levonah, comes from lavan, white. That is derived from lavan, to be or make white or to purify. It also signifies to make bricks because bricks whiten when they are dried. The name is perhaps given because of its white resin and resulting white smoke when it is burned.

Myrrh was used in making the holy anointing oil recorded in Exodus 30. Frankincense was used in making the incense, also recorded in Exodus 30. Both were presented to Jesus by the magi in Matthew 2:11. Along with these two, it next says…

^{6 (con’t)} With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?

Rather: mikol avqath rokhel – “From all powder peddling.” It is not that the pillars were being smoked with all of the fragrances, including these two, but these two specifically were being used by her out of all of the fragrances that the peddler sold.

The word rakal, to peddle, is a verb. It signifies to travel for trading. In this case, it speaks of the dealings of a spice merchant.

⁷ Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,

hineh mitatho shelishlomoh – “Behold! His bed, that to Solomon.” As noted in the previous verse, a lesser opinion concerning the passage is that the words explain what the “Who this” were speaking of –

“Who this ascending from the wilderness?”
“Behold! His bed, that to Solomon.”

The word bed, mittah, ultimately comes from a root signifying to stretch out or bend away, including moral deflection. It is feminine, so this opinion is that the whole scene that surrounds his bed is being referred to with the singular words “who this.” If this is the case, then the bed is being used in parallel with the word palanquin, which will be noted in verse 9.

This is how the NKJV translates the entire passage, meaning that all six verses are referring to the coming of Solomon. In 2 Samuel 3:31, the word mittah is used to describe a funeral bier, a bed for the dead which was being carried. Thus, this interpretation is not impossible. The palanquin would be a traveling couch for reclining rather than merely a seat.

If the previous verse was speaking of the woman, then this verse supposedly switches from focusing on her to focusing on him.

However, I argue for a third possibility. The entire passage is referring to the woman who is being brought out of the wilderness. Solomon has sent his palanquin to carry her to Jerusalem.

Whichever is correct, the meaning of the name Solomon is most likely Recompense. Of this bed of Solomon, it next says…

^{7 (con’t)} With sixty valiant men around it,

shishim giborim saviv lah – “Sixty mighties around to it.” Whether the bed is the palanquin or not, and whether it is Solomon or the woman on it, the words here are simple enough. The bed itself is surrounded by sixty warriors. However, the word is an adjective, geber, signifying strong or mighty. Being plural, it is sixty mighties. They are…

^{7 (con’t)} Of the valiant of Israel.

migiborey Yisrael – “From mighties Israel.” These would be specially selected men who were chosen out of the army to act as a security guard, like the honor guard who serve before the president.

⁸ They all hold swords,

Rather: kulam akhuze kherev – “They all seized sword.” It is not that they are holding swords, something a coming clause will refute. The word akhaz signifies to seize, often with the added idea of holding in possession. The meaning is that they all seized swords, taking the life of a warrior as their profession. Their state is…

^{8 (con’t)} Being expert in war.

m’lum’de milkhamah – “Taught war.” Having seized the sword, meaning taking on the life of a warrior, they were then taught war. The use of participles is telling a story about them, explaining why they were selected to serve Solomon.

Because of their decision to be warriors, followed by their training and conditioning in becoming mighties, they were qualified to serve as attendants to the king. As such, they surrounded his bed…

^{8 (con’t)} Every man has his sword on his thigh

ish kharvo al y’rekho – “Man – his sword upon his thigh.” This tells us why the translations that say they are holding their swords are wrong. They are men who have seized the sword, trained in war, and who now stand as guards around the king as his protectors. Their swords are on their thighs, ready to be grasped if necessary. They are “just in case” men…

^{8 (con’t)} Because of fear in the night.

mipakhad baleloth – “From dread in the nights.” The word fear is not speaking of Solomon’s fear, as if he was terrified of going to sleep, so he surrounded himself with warriors. Instead, it is the object that could harm, here called fear. This is how it is used, for example, in Psalm 91 –

“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day.” Psalm 91:5

Because of the way things are being portrayed here, the scene seems to make the most sense as being the woman, not Solomon, who is the main subject. She was pictured as ascending from the wilderness.

From there, Solomon’s traveling bed was presented to her to carry her to him. The words of this verse are given as a description of the details of her protection as she traveled.

Any terror that may come against the caravan on its way to meet the king would be dealt with by the warriors assigned to protect her. The trip from Shunem, which is believed to be the modern city of Sulam, which is in the tribal allotment of Issachar, would take 25 to 50 hours depending on how fast a person walks.

Therefore, “dread in the nights” is a term that covers the night stops along the way. Anything that may arise as a threat was of no concern as she rested while surrounded by sixty mighties. As for the number sixty, it is the product of six and ten.

Six is a number stamped with the thought of human labor. It is the number of man, especially fallen man. Of the number ten, Bullinger says –

“Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.” EW Bullinger

Consider what you see and take it to heart
Contemplate what your eyes behold
Don’t be in a rush to make a jump start
Go slow and remember what you have been told

If you want joy and gladness of heart
You will take my advice
Don’t be in a hurry to make a jump start
Consider my words once and then consider them twice

When you see true happiness, note it as such
And be patient for it to come to you
Rushing ahead is not a sound crutch
Rather, being patient is the thing you should do

II. Go Out and See (verses 9-11)

⁹ Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a palanquin:

The NKJV jumbles up the clauses: apir’yon asah lo ha’melekh sh’lomoh meatse hal’vanon –

“Palanquin made, to him, the king – Solomon,
From woods the Lebanon.”

The word translated as palanquin is found only here in Scripture, apir’yon. The BDB Lexicon says there is “no plausible Shemitic etymology” for it. It’s not just that there is no Hebrew root for it, but there is no root found in any of the languages which descend from Noah’s son Shem.

Therefore, they refer to the Yule Glossary of Anglo-Indian Words where the Sanskrit paryanka, a litter-bed, is identified as the possible source. Indians descend from Japheth, not Shem. Having an Indian word still makes sense based on other words in the Song which have an eastern flavor, such as the nard of verse 1:12.

The Greek translation uses the word phoreion, coming from phero, to bear. Greeks also descend from Japheth. Due to the Japheth connection, paryanka of the Indian Sanskrit seems likely.

Due to this, it is, therefore, a palanquin large enough to lay down in. These were common in India and were often highly decorated. Someone traveling to obtain nard and other Indian items may have been questioned about the things he saw while there, and such a palanquin might have been mentioned.

That would explain the words, “Palanquin made, to him, Solomon.” He heard the idea, liked it, and so, he directed one to be made. It is speculation, but there is a similar thought presented in 2 Kings 16 –

“Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. ¹¹ Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus.” 2 Kings 16:10, 11

Of this Indian style palanquin, it is described as having been built, “From woods the Lebanon.” In other words, it wasn’t of one type of wood, but several, each having been imported from Lebanon. Notable woods from Lebanon include the cedar, cypress, and algum.

The name Lebanon comes from the same word, lavan, that frankincense is derived from. The land is identified with the white mountain, covered in snow. That then identifies the whole mountain range that crosses the area.

The narrator next turns to a more meticulous description. Not only was it made from woods of Lebanon but also…

¹⁰ He made its pillars of silver,

amudav asah kheseph – “His pillars, made silver.” Because the previous verse said Solomon made the palanquin “to him,” meaning for himself, it is as if he is fashioning his personal articles. Thus, rather than “its,” they are “his” pillars, supports, etc.

The amud, pillar, comes from amad, to stand. It is the same word used to describe the pillar that went before Israel in the wilderness, the pillars of the temple in Jerusalem, etc.

These would be pillars from the base to hold up a roof or canopy covering the bed. In the Bible, silver, keseph, consistently pictures redemption. Next…

^{10 (con’t)} Its support of gold,

r’phidato zahav – “His spreading, gold.” It is another word found only here in Scripture, rephidah. It is derived from raphad, to spread or relax, which was used in verse 2:5, “spread me in the apples.” It is widely translated as base, canopy, covering, bottom, support, seat, reclining place, floor, rail, back, pavement, top, etc.

Those options cover pretty much the entire structure. Due to the lack of agreement, a literal translation, spreading, may be the best option. This avoids misleading the reader and it allows the mind to make its own mental images as to what it might be.

However, if I was to guess, I would go with canopy or covering for several reasons:

• There was certainly a covering, based on the fact that there are supports. But more than that, to not have a covering would be undignified, like carrying a dead person on a bier.
• It is logical to identify what the supports hold up after identifying the supports.
• No covering is otherwise described which would be a seemingly impossible omission.
• As it is what covers the palanquin, it would:

1. Be an appropriate symbol for the king, meaning a covering of gold.
2. Radiate the heat of the sun, keeping things cool.
3. Provide a beautiful sight to behold.

• The interior is described next. One would assume the description of the outside would be finished before starting on the inside.

Next, it notes…

^{10 (con’t)} Its seat of purple,

mer’kavo argaman – “His seat, purple.” The word merkav comes from rakhav, to ride or mount. As such, this is its rider, meaning the place where the king would sit or lie. The word is used elsewhere to describe a saddle and also chariots.

The color, argaman, signifies purple formed from a mixture of blue and red. Its meaning is thus a combination of what those two colors mean, which is the law for blue, and war, blood, and/or judgment for red.

^{10 (con’t)} Its interior paved with love

tokho ratsuph ahavah – “His midst, tessellated – love.” Again, a word is found only here, ratsaph. Strong’s defines it as a denominative from retseph, a noun signified by a burning coal. If one were to “coal” an interior, it would thus be tessellated.

There would be repeated shapes, like a mosaic pattern, adorning the inside. This would be done with inlays, overlays, stampings, or some other way that was unique and beautiful.

Affixing the word love provides scholars with all kinds of guesswork as to what the exact intent is. Some place the word paved as being an advanced accusative, as in “paved with love.” Some say it should be taken as an adjective, “paved in a lovely manner,” or as a noun, “paved of love.”

Rather, being a noun, it is an independent thought given to describe the state of the tessellation. It is paved love. The tessellation was carefully and meticulously done with the care only a woman could provide, becoming a state of love that exists. Only with that understood as its inherent state, does it next say…

^{10 (con’t)} By the daughters of Jerusalem.

mib’noth y’rushalim – “From daughters Jerusalem.” The women of Jerusalem may love their king, something evident in various ways. But their tessellation is a provision of love expressed to him.

To understand, we can all know that God loves us because of His care for us. He sent Jesus who is as love from Him. The crucifixion of Jesus was accomplished with love from Him. However, if in our minds we look at the cross with the beaten, bloody, and dead body of the Lord on it, knowing what it signifies, we can rightly say that Jesus is crucified – love.

If somebody asked us what we were looking at, we could respond, “That is love. It is from God.” Likewise, every time Solomon got into his palanquin, he could express the same thought, “This is love. It comes from the daughters of Jerusalem.”

That thought becomes a perfect segue to the next words…

¹¹ Go forth, O daughters of Zion,

ts’enah ur’enah b’noth Tsiyon – “Go out and see! Daughters Zion.” Scholars seem in agreement that these are not the same women as the daughters of Jerusalem just mentioned. But that seems like a giant stretch. Rather, the words are being presented synonymously.

They were just noted as having tessellated love. Now, rather than repeating the same designation, they are redesignated for emphasis. The women of Jerusalem are the daughters of Zion.

The name Zion, even if not originally Hebrew, is believed to come from the same root as tsiyun, a signpost, meaning a monumental or guiding pillar, or tsiyah, dryness or drought.

Therefore, it is translated as either Very Dry or Signpost. The connection between the two words is not as disparate as it may seem. In an arid location, something standing would be conspicuous.

^{11 (con’t)} And see King Solomon with the crown

ba’melekh sh’lomoh – “In the king Solomon.” These words are connected to the words “and see” of the previous clause, “Go forth and see…in the king Solomon.” The word raah means to see. However, this is as often as not a way of expressing something more abstract, such as considering, deeming, understanding, etc.

God saw that each step of the creation was good. Eve saw that the tree of life was good for food. Yehovah came down to see Babel as to what was going on there.

If these women were just called to see Solomon, it would have said so, “Go see Solomon.” However, it says, “in the king Solomon.” They are being asked to consider what they see, evaluating him…

^{11 (con’t)} With which his mother crowned him

baatarah sheit’rah lo imo – “In the crown that crowned, to him, his mother.” This is not referring to the crown of his coronation, but a wedding crown, as will be noted in the next clause. Repeating the word “in” means that what they are to consider continues this first thought –

Go forth and consider –
in the king Solomon
in crown

A particular point in Solomon’s life is being highlighted. The crown refers to the one that his mother crowned him with…

^{11 (con’t)} On the day of his wedding,

b’yom khathunato – “In day his wedding.” It is a word found only here as well, khathunnah. It is derived from khathan to give away in marriage, and thus to contract affinity by marriage.

Solomon may have been crowned with many crowns. He may have gotten a crown for being the best wrestler at Zion High School. He may have gotten a crown for best archery skills at Ir David College. He may have gotten crowns from other kings for various reasons.

However, the daughters of Jerusalem are being pointed toward considering Solomon for a particular crown that highlights a particular event –

Go forth and consider –
in the king Solomon
in crown
in day his wedding

But even that isn’t the end of the “ins.” Solomon eventually had lots of weddings. 1 Kings 11 says that he had three hundred wives. Many of them were certainly arranged marriages. However, there is one wedding that stands out. We know this because it is recorded in “Song the songs.” It was…

*^{11 (fin)} The day of the gladness of his heart.

u-v’yom simkhath libo – “And in day cheerfulness his heart.” Solomon truly loved this woman. His heart was cheerful at the thought of marrying her. He may have married other women in order to make an alliance, but if the daughter presented to him was a dud, he probably wouldn’t be very cheerful about the union.

However, this is the woman that stole his heart. They are being asked to consider this –

Go forth and consider –
in the king Solomon
in crown
in day his wedding, and
in day cheerfulness his heart

This meticulously worded sentence is intended to take us back to verse 3:5 –

Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.

A man might marry many women, but a woman was set to marry just one man. The adjuration was made to the women. These words are a concrete example of why a woman should be patient and not stir up love.

Solomon had plenty of chances to get married, but he had one marriage that was set apart from all others. The daughters of Zion, who are the daughters of Jerusalem and who had tessellated love for Solomon, are being instructed on what love is.

What thing can we do to purify ourselves?
Is there something that will make God favor us?
Or should we put our deeds up on the shelves
And simply trust in the work of Jesus?

We are already stained with sin
So it appears there isn’t much we can do
In fact, it seems we are already done in
Isn’t there some way we can start anew?

It is certain that Jesus is the only way
That’s what the word says, claiming it’s true
If you want reconciliation on that Day
Call on Jesus! He will carry you through

III. Christ in the Contents

The ongoing narrative has placed the woman, the beloved, as a type or picture of the redeemed of the Lord. She is ascending from the wilderness, a place of God’s grace and of closeness to Him, but also a place of testing.

Out of all of the fragrances of the peddler, she is smoked with myrrh and frankincense. Myrrh speaks of bitterness. Frankincense refers to the process of purification but also of works. Both are derived from Jesus’ work on the cross. It is He who suffered for His people. It is His works that provide purification for them.

It next noted Solomon’s bed. As was seen, the root word indicates stretching out and is inclusive of the idea of moral deflection. Christ’s grave would signify such a place. It is the place where man’s sin was ultimately disposed of.

The sixty mighties form a unified picture of Christ’s work. They are from the mighties of Israel, an apt description of the mighty spiritual men of Israel, but these sixty, anticipating the Lord, together seized the sword. Christ is the ultimate warrior who seized the law and held onto it.

Remembering the typology from many previous sermons, the kherev, sword, is identical in spelling to Horeb, the mountain of the law and, thus, emblematic of the law – חרב. The only things that makes the two distinguishable are the later added vowel points.

It doesn’t say they all seized swords. Rather, they all seized sword. Christ was taught the war of law. He seized it and prevailed over it. With that, it then said, “Man – his sword upon his thigh.” The words are excitingly reflected in Psalm 45:1, our text verse.

The bed, the palanquin as it is later described, was guarded “From dread in the nights.” It is a note of the protection of the Lord because He is the Fulfiller of the law. The one who is watched by Him is secure. That is reflected in the first words of Psalm 91 –

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.’” Psalm 91:1, 2

This psalm was cited earlier to show that the “dread” was not a personal feeling but the object of dread. The number of warriors is also an anticipation of Christ.

Sixty is a product of six and ten. It speaks of His human labor under the law in the appearance of fallen man (6) who completed everything necessary for His redeemed, demonstrating that nothing is wanting and the whole cycle is complete (10).

The focus next changed, describing the palanquin. It is a carrier for a king, but which is used for conducting His betrothed. It was first described as being made from “woods the Lebanon,” meaning its trees.

Trees are given as an identification of something. The olive tree has its own symbolism. The cedar, cypress, and oak, each have particular symbolism. The trees of the Lebanon, not being further defined, are thus identified by Lebanon.

As seen, it has the same root as frankincense. Thus, these trees signify what Lebanon signifies, works leading to purification. As this is the king’s carrier, anticipating Christ, it would anticipate the works of Christ as the carrier of the one inside.

It is Christ’s works, not those of the redeemed, that allow them to be carried to Him. The pillars, standings, of silver anticipate the firm redemption of the Lord. They remain (stand) and endure because of His redemption.

That is then highlighted by the rephidah, the spreading. I argued it was a canopy. However, regardless of what it actually is, the gold speaks of Christ’s kingship and deity. That is the support which ensures that His works and redemption are capable of restoring us to God – because He is God.

The rider, the merkav, is that which carries or transports. Its only description was that it is argaman, a mixture of blue and red. It speaks of Christ’s embodiment of the law (blue) and His death in fulfillment of it (red) where judgment was rendered. It is that which carries the redeemed.

The last description was “His midst tessellated – love.” It is a description of the sum total of the mosaic of Christ’s existence, His inner being, which is love. This was said to be “from daughters Jerusalem.”

The form of the word, mib’noth, from daughters, is found sixteen times. In all the other fifteen times, it is not referring to “from” as in “this came from her” but “out of” as in “she is from (out of) the daughters of Israel.” Taken in this manner, it would say, “from the daughters of Foundation of Peace.”

Reading it in that manner exactingly describes Christ as the product of the line leading to His incarnation. God set forth the Foundation of Peace in the women in Christ’s genealogy, many of whom are noted in Scripture, such as both daughters of Lot, Tamar of Genesis 38, Rahab the Harlot, etc., leading finally to Mary.

The final verse was its own implied adjuration. The daughters of Zion, Signpost, were essentially being instructed to behold Solomon in the day of his wedding and to consider what they saw through the carefully constructed words.

Solomon, Recompense, is being given as a type of Christ, the Recompense of the Lord for the sins of man. He is the fair payment required for restoration to be realized.

The hints of Christ and the redeemed are being seen throughout the book. It explains why the book is read each Passover.

The roots of each selected word keep pointing to the Person and work of Christ, culminating in the cross. The Passover was given in anticipation of that event. And so, when the Jews read this book each Passover, it is a call for them to see the true “Song the songs.”

Jesus, His life and work, culminating in the cross, is the highest expression of God’s love. They should recognize this each Passover and consider what God has done. As a nation, that has not yet happened. But someday, it will take on a new life that will excite them all their days.

For those who know Jesus, we can read this book and understand that the greatest love song ever written is an event in history that centers on the coming of Jesus to restore us to God. What a marvelous song it is. Thank God for Jesus Christ who makes intimate and eternal union with God possible.

Closing Verse: “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

Next Week: Song of Songs 4:1-6 It is amazing, four sure, and it is intense… (Myrrh and Frankincense)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Song of Songs 3:6-11 (CG)

⁶ Who this ascending from the wilderness,
According to columns smoke?
Smoked – myrrh and frankincense,
From all powder peddling.

⁷ Behold! His bed, that to Solomon –
Sixty mighties around to it,
From mighties Israel.
⁸ They all seized sword –
Taught war.
Man – his sword upon his thigh.
From dread in the nights.

⁹ Palanquin made, to him, the king – Solomon,
From woods the Lebanon.
¹⁰ His pillars, made silver,
His spreading, gold,
His seat, purple,
His midst, tessellated – love
From daughters Jerusalem.

¹¹ Go out and see! Daughters Zion,
In the king Solomon,
In the crown that crowned, to him, his mother,
In day his wedding,
And in day cheerfulness his heart.

 

Song of Songs 3:6-11 (NKJV)

⁶ Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
⁷ Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
⁸ They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.

⁹ Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a palanquin:
¹⁰ He made its pillars of silver,
Its support of gold,
Its seat of purple,
Its interior paved with love
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
¹¹ Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart.

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Song of Songs 3:1-5
I Shall Seek Whom Loved, My Soul

(Typed 23 December 2024) Many years ago, I heard the story of a guy who went to China as a missionary. While there, he led a man to the Lord. This Chinese man found that Jesus is the Lord God and that He alone can save mankind.

An understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done logically leads to the conclusion that He is the only way to be reconciled to God. If there is a disconnect between us and God, and if God Himself united with humanity in Christ to make the reconciliation possible, then any other religious expression must, by default, be false.

Why would God in Christ put in all the effort to join with humanity, live out a tiring and trial-filled earthly existence, allow Himself to be nailed to the cross, just to say, “Don’t worry, all paths lead to heaven.” The thinking is convoluted and extremely short-sighted.

This should be obvious, but only when the process is thought through. Many people are saved and never think deeply about such details. They believe the gospel, they are saved, and the mechanics of theology beyond that are never considered by them.

From a salvation standpoint, there is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is exactly why God made the gospel simple. Anything more complicated would keep many from being saved. God knows that is just how limited humans are in thinking.

And yet, in its simplicity, it can also keep people from being saved. The thought that something as simple as belief is capable of saving actually hinders many from accepting it. However, their reason for it hindering them is because they want to be a part of the equation.

They think it is either incredible or foolish to suppose that God doesn’t need their help. They cannot believe that salvation excludes any participation on their behalf, with the exception of faith, meaning believing the simple gospel. This is a problem that Paul refers to in our text verse –

Text Verse: “..but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.” 1 Corinthians 1:24

Paul explains this stumbling block when referring to Israel in Romans 9-11. In those chapters, he discusses the difficulty Israel faced in accepting that the law they had been under for eons was actually not capable of making them righteous before God.

When Jesus came and demonstrated that this was the case, they could not accept it. In Romans 9, Paul says –

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; ³¹ but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. ³² Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. ³³ As it is written:
‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” Romans 9:30-33

The stumbling stone is the message of God in Christ, meaning faith in the simple gospel. The Chinese man that was saved asked the missionary who led him to the Lord, “Why did you wait so long to come and share this message? My father always knew there was a problem and that he needed God’s help to get it resolved. He died without ever hearing this.”

Being Chinese, all his life he would have been exposed to all kinds of religious teachings, especially from the Buddhist tradition. However, he was able to deduce that what they believed couldn’t be true.

Buddha was as a man and became the Buddha. He supposedly went from the imperfect to the perfect, attaining Nirvana. If thought through, anyone can figure out that this is not possible. Christianity teaches that God came in perfection and became as if imperfect when our sin was imputed to Him on the cross.

This is not only possible, but it also fully explains how we can be made perfect. Great truths such as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. I Shall Compass In the City (verses 1-5)

By night on my bed I sought the one I love;

Rather, it is plural: al mishkavi balaeiloth biqashti eth sheahavah naphshiy –

“Upon my bed in the nights
Sought whom loved, my soul.”

The plural, nights, is variously explained by scholars. Some see it as a repeating event, from night to night. Others see it as something like “in the night hours,” or some other poetic use of the word.

It seems likely she is using the word to indicate “night after night.” This is how the same expression is used elsewhere –

“Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night [balaeiloth, lit: in the nights] stand in the house of the Lord!
² Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.
³ The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!” Psalm 134

She is lying on her bed, seeking out the one she loves. Literally, “whom loved, my soul.” As such, it is accepted by many that this is referring to a repeated dream that fills her sleeping hours, and which she is now telling others about.

This may be the case, or it may be a waking dream as we all have, something that fills the hours and keeps us from sleeping. It is still a dream world, but it is one that is based on a reality that exists, not one that the mind merely formulates.

There she is lying on the bed and yearning for her beloved. In this state…

^{1 (con’t)} I sought him, but I did not find him.

biqashtiv v’lo m’tsativ – “Sought him, and no found him.” She is in her dreamish world, searching for him. No matter where she turns, he is not there. With that stated, the meaning of her next words depends on how the words of verse 1 fit into the timeline…

² “I will rise now,” I said,
“And go about the city;

The verbs are cohortative. It is almost as if she is commanding herself to act: aqumah na vaasov’vah bair – “I shall arise, pray, and I shall compass in the city.” The question concerning these words is whether they follow verse 1 in time, or if they explain the thought of verse 1.

If the former, she had a dream about looking for her love and couldn’t find him. When she woke up from it, she went out to find him for real. If the latter, she stated her unsuccessful search for him and now more fully describes the contents of what she just said.

One can see this second option in the inserted words “I said” of the NKJV. “I was lying on my bed having a dream. I couldn’t find my love. So, I said to myself, “I will get up and find him.” This seems probable. She began to tell of her thoughts on the bed, and then she explained what was lacking in her first words.

It would be something like this –

I went out on the sea to find my fortune.
It was a rough and difficult life.

I decided when I was young that I would be a sailor.
When I was old enough, I walked to the docks and offered my services.
Off I went to lands of diversity and beauty,
But each stop was also fraught with trials and troubles.
I never attained the wealth I dreamt of.

The first two lines are given as an opening thought that is more fully fleshed out by what is then presented. It is similar to the structure of many passages in the Bible. For example, Genesis 1 provides the essential details to set up the rest of the narrative.

Genesis 2 then backs up to the sixth day of creation and fills in the detail. Understanding this, she implored herself to get up and find her beloved. She couldn’t stand not being with him and so she rose to act, even though this has occurred on her bed, meaning in a dream. In rising, she went…

^{2 (con’t)} In the streets

bash’vaqim – “In the streets.” This is the fourth and last use of shuq, a street, in the Bible. All four uses are in the writings of Solomon. It is derived from the verb shuq, to overflow. One can think of a vat overflowing and running along like a stream. Hence, such a street is a place where there is the running to and fro of activity.

One can see this in Ecclesiastes 12 –

“When the doors are shut in the streets [shuq],
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.
⁵ Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets [shuq].” Ecclesiastes 12:4, 5

The streets are filled with the sounds of busy life (verse 4), and yet the aged cannot hear the boisterous sounds because of hearing loss. Eventually the person died and was mourned by the paid wailers hired for such occasions in biblical times. They would go up and down the streets wailing for the dead, calling attention to all concerning his passing.

The woman is willing to go out into the busy streets to find him…

^{2 (con’t)} and in the squares

u-barkhovoth – “and in the plazas.” The rechov is a broad open area within a city like our modern plaza. Quite often, they were in front of each city gate, but depending on the size of the city, there might be other places set aside for performances, proclamations, and so forth.

Wherever people are gathered, she will make a diligent search for him. She knows he is there and she is determined to find him.

The words in these clauses are set in parallel to the final words of the previous clause –

I shall compass in the city,
In the streets and in the plazas.

She has determined to go all around the city in order to find the one she loves. Whether he is idling in a café on a busy side street or listening to a musical in an open plaza, she has set her mind on finding him…

^{2 (con’t)} I will seek the one I love.”

Again, the verb is cohortative: avaqashah eth sheahavah napshiy – “I shall seek whom loved, my soul.” It is as if she is commanding herself to arise and go out to find him. His love is driving her to the point of impatience to see him. And so, up she goes at the internal command, heading out. However…

^{2 (con’t)} I sought him, but I did not find him.

biqashtiv v’lo m’tsativ – “Sought him, and no found him.” In her dream world, she has failed in her endeavor. She looked, but he elusively remained out of her reach, something quite common in such dream or dreamlike states.

The words here tend to confirm the thought that verse 2 is an explanatory description of verse 1 –

Upon my bed in the nights sought whom loved, my soul,
Sought him, and no found him.

I shall seek whom loved, my soul.
Sought him, and no found him.

She started with the basic thought, backed up, and then presented the fuller thought. Understanding that, she is not finished with the expanded explanation of events…

³ The watchmen who go about the city found me;

She uses verbs to explain those she encountered: m’tsauni ha’shom’rim hasv’vim bair – “Found me, the guardings, the ‘compassings in the city.’” As she is going throughout the city, those who guard it, regularly compassing it while looking for miscreants, found her. She has searched and come up with nothing. However, maybe they came across him…

^{3 (con’t)} I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”

The NKJV continues with its explanatory inserts. The words are briefer and give the sense that the events are happening as she speaks them: eth sheahavah naphshiy r’item – “Whom loved, my soul, seen?”

In her dream, she is wandering about the city, not finding her love. So desperate is she to find him, that her mind remembers that guards walk around the city as well. And so she whips them up in her thoughts. Upon meeting them, she eagerly asks if they have come across him.

Some scholars have noted that this must be in the past, in her hometown, because she doesn’t explain who her beloved is. Therefore, they must know her and know who he is. As such, they deduce that it is a small city where everyone knows everyone else.

Such an analysis fails to consider the type of literature. It is poetic and only briefly explanatory. The few words could involve them stopping, having an extended conversation where she describes him to them, their answer in the negative, her thanking them, followed by all of them saying goodbye.

And more, if this is a dream, the brevity is perfectly in line with dreams. Everything in such an encounter is implied in a meeting, but the dream itself presses on toward the goal without giving all the minute details. There is no need to assume the account is in her hometown and not in Jerusalem.

The narrative isn’t focusing on the where of it. Therefore, such details are left unstated. Everything that happens is short, to the point, and dramatic as she explains the unfolding dream.

Whether they stopped and talked and told her they had not seen him or they ignored her question and continued on, the point is that her beloved remained unfound by her. However, good news lies ahead…

⁴ Scarcely had I passed by them,

kim’at sheavarti mehem – “According to little, which passed from them.” Though the NKJV is a paraphrase, it expresses the intent well. She saw the guards walking around on their watch and she asked if they had seen her beloved. Whatever the response from them involved, it didn’t help her out. But then, just moments after passing them by it was…

^{4 (con’t)} When I found the one I love.

ad shematsathi eth sheahavah naphshiy – “Until which found whom loved, my soul.” The tension in her dream, which has built up since the first words of verse 1, is now relieved. Moments after the disappointment of not being told where her beloved was, he is there. She has found him! And…

^{4 (con’t)} I held him and would not let him go,

The aspect of the first verb is perfect while the second is imperfect:

akhaztiv v’lo arpenu – “Seized him, and no release him.” The word akhaz, seize, is generally used in a strong and even forceful manner. Along with the act is normally the idea of holding what is seized in possession.

Adding to that, she uses the word raphah, to slacken. Thus, the words give the sense of, “I seized him, holding fast, and there is no way I am letting my tight grip go.”

She searched, finally found him, and now there she was ensuring that he would not get out of her hands…

^{4 (con’t)} Until I had brought him to the house of my mother,

ad shehavitiv el beith imi – “Until which brought him unto house my mother.” At this point, the intent could be anything. “Mom, I finally found the man of my dreams.” Or she may be using the thought of her mother’s house to speak of the whole family, “Hey everyone, I have found the man of my dreams.”

We are left to speculate what is on her mind. However, the unspecified nature of the act is immediately brought to clarity…

^{4 (con’t)} And into the chamber of her who conceived me.

v’el kheder horathi – “And unto chamber my conceiving.” The meaning is obvious, “This is where I was conceived. Let us repeat the event that took place on that day so new birth will take place.”

She is dreaming of the moment that will take place. In the previous chapter, he had come to her and asked her to come out so he could hear her voice.

She would not come out, but she did sing him a song of the vineyard. However, at evening time, she had told him to scamper home –

My dove in rifts the rock,
In cover the step,
Cause me to see your appearances,
Cause me to hear your voice.
For your voice – pleasant,
And your appearance – beautiful.

¹⁵ Grasp to us foxes,
Foxes little, binding vines,
And our vines cluster.

¹⁶ My beloved to me, and I to him –
The ‘pasturing in the lilies.’

¹⁷ Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.
Revolve!
Resemble to you, my beloved, to gazelle or to fawn, the stag,
Upon the mountains division.

When he was gone, she went to bed and dreamt the same dream she always had. Someday she would go out to find him, and bring him into the very place she was conceived. With that, she again charges the daughters of Jerusalem with the same words as verse 2:7…

⁵ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

hishbati etkhem b’noth y’rushalim bitsvaoth o b’ayloth hasadeh im tairu v’im t’or’ru eth haahavah ad shetekh’pats –

“Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.”

Because the words are letter-for-letter identical to verse 2:7, refer back to that sermon if you need to refresh your mind concerning what is being said. The main point of them, though, is that she adjures the daughters of Jerusalem to be like the gazelles or does of the field. They are to be timid and wary as they go about in search of love.

With these words complete, the second major break in the song is realized. Two more are yet ahead at 5:1 and 8:4.

I will seek the Lord until I find Him
I know He is there, but I’m not sure what to do
Everything I have checked out is forbidding and grim
But the truth is there. And God, through it, I will find You!

You have instilled in us the knowledge of good and evil
I certainly know that this is true
And so, I can run from every lie of the devil
Until the day I find the truth, and come running to You

If I never find it and my life passes away
There is one thing I still will never do
I will not accept what is false. I will never go that way
Because I know there is truth that would have led me to You

II. Seeking the Lord

The main point of these five verses is diligence in seeking. They also focus on not awakening love until the appropriate time. As they are words in “Song the songs,” meaning the greatest of all songs ever penned, there must be an underlying lesson in what is stated.

The woman is going back in time to the repeated thoughts on her bed about the one whom her soul loves. She is explaining the thoughts to those who would hear and, hopefully, emulate. That is seen in the charge that she has given them.

She didn’t just say, “I want a man, and I’m going out to find one.” Rather, she has one man in mind that she will search for until she finds him. When she finds him, she will grasp him and not let him go. That was seen in the aspect of the verbs in verse 4. The first was perfect while the second was imperfect.

She knew he was out there, she searched thoroughly, and when her goal was attained, she held him continuously. He was not getting out of her hands until her goal was realized. Then she spoke the exact same adjuration she had made before, to the letter, in fact –

Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.

As explained in the previous sermon, the idea of these words is to have one’s priorities right. We are not to fall in love with any god. The people of the world are to be on alert, wary of anything that could awaken inappropriate love in us.

Rather, we are to allow the love (agapē, noun, fem.) of God, embodied in the Person of Jesus Christ, to awaken ‘the love’ that is truly love, as John says, “for God is love [agapē, noun, fem.]” (1 John 4:8).

As we saw, it is the same words as found in the Greek translation of this verse, “if you should arise and awaken the love [ten agapen: the love].” God is love. God in Christ is the embodiment of God’s love. The adjuration of the woman is to not be led astray by other loves but allow the love of God in Christ to awaken God’s love.

But she has said this in these verses after noting her search –

Upon my bed in the nights sought whom loved, my soul,
Sought him, and no found him.

² “I shall arise, I pray, and I shall compass in the city,
In the streets and in the plazas,
I shall seek whom loved, my soul.
Sought him, and no found him.

If the symbolism as presented is correct, there is a point being made here that escapes many in the church based on a faulty evaluation of what the Bible is saying.

We have seen in the previous sermons that this woman is being used as a type of the redeemed of the Lord. She is conveying to her audience how she came to find the love that she possesses. Her desire is the beloved she now has and whom she has been interacting with throughout the book.

The book began with the attraction the two felt for one another, explaining why it was so. The first chapter ended with the two in the garden together. After that, the first verses of Chapter 2 presented how that union in the garden came about, finishing with the adjuration to not waken love until she inclines. That was the end of the first main section.

The next section, which formed the content of last week’s sermon, went back to explain why she so adjured them. It gave hints of the time of the coming of Christ and of the establishment of the church age. What God in Christ is doing during this age is the love that all should seek after.

Think of the Chinese man who heard the gospel and received it. Like his father, he knew what was false, but until he heard the truth, he didn’t have any idea how things between God and him could be reconciled.

These five verses take the woman back further to her (meaning the redeemed of the Lord) attitude even before she met Him. She sought Him night after night but didn’t find Him.

At this point, we can think of the father of the Chinese man. He knew there was a problem between himself and God, but he didn’t know how it could be resolved. He just knew that the religious ideas he had been exposed to were not correct.

He sought diligently but could not find what he was looking for. However, in this process, he didn’t try to awaken love, meaning go after false gods. Instead, he waited for what never came. This is what the woman in “Song the songs” has done.

She has looked for her beloved night after night, knowing He is there, and yet not finding Him. Eventually, however, she found Him and seized Him, refusing to slacken her grip until she had brought Him to her place of conception.

Though the story refers to a human union, the details anticipate the union between the Lord and believers in the new birth. They were conceived in the flesh. There is now a desire to be birthed in the Spirit. Peter explains this in his first epistle –

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” 1 Peter 1:22, 23

This is the reason why the second adjuration is placed here concerning awakening love until it inclines. The woman, seen as a type of the redeemed, finds her true love, holds fast to Him, and refuses to let Him go. The meaning is that the redeemed maintain their doctrine to the end.

To let go of proper doctrine is to not hold onto the true love. This doesn’t mean a loss of salvation for the saved, but a lack of salvation for those who could otherwise be redeemed.

As noted already, the main point of these verses is that of diligence in seeking. One cannot seek unless he is able to do so. The “Song the songs” has been structured so far in a manner that goes backwards to explain how this greatest song is realized.

One cannot be intimate with the Lord prior to meeting Him. One cannot meet Him unless there is a mutual attempt at it coming about. But that couldn’t occur unless He came and made the union possible.

But even if He came, without people wanting to participate in His coming, there wouldn’t be any reason for Him to come. This is the point of today’s verses –

“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’” John 4:35

This woman at the well would not have said that if she didn’t believe He was coming. And more, she expected to learn from Him when He came. She may not have been actively seeking Him at the time, but she was aware that His time would come.

As I just said, one cannot seek unless he is able to do so. The passage today tells us that people can, in fact, seek the Lord. Pretty much everyone on the planet is seeking “God” in some form or fashion. Most are just doing it wrong.

To say that Muslims are not seeking God would be a laughable statement. To say that people who convert to Islam are not seeking God would be even more laughable. They are, in fact, seeking Him. But they have not properly thought through the details or they have ignorantly rejected what has been presented (as Paul says Israel has done in Romans 9-11).

By taking verses out of context, including Paul’s words of Romans 3, various doctrines have arisen, like Calvinism, that claim that man has no capacity or will to seek after God. That is proven false in humanity every day of the year. They are seeking. Most are just wrong in their approach –

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:5,6

In fact, when Paul spoke to those in Athens, it was one of his main points of doctrine –

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26, 27

The word Paul uses there is zéteó. It signifies “to seek by inquiring; to investigate to reach a binding (terminal) resolution; to search, ‘getting to the bottom of a matter’” (HELPS Word Studies).

It is the same word that the Greek translation of the Old Testament uses three times in the first two verses of our sermon today. She sought out, looking for her beloved. In type, she is humanity who not only searches out God, but does so to get to the bottom of the matter and, thus, becoming the redeemed of the Lord.

This is why this book is labeled “Song the songs” or the greatest song ever written. It is a song about the mutual, not forced, love of God for His people and His people for the true God as He has revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Although the book is very difficult and even confusing, it is laid out in a way that shows us how the message can be easily understood. The love between God and His people will bring us back to a place that resembles the original garden of Eden in its beauty and perfection.

To understand how that will come about, the successive verses have so far been structured to keep taking us back in order to understand how to go forward. In other words, “Here is how we got to this stage, but to get to that stage, we had to go through this one. And to understand how we got there, we need to go back again and see what happened.”

At this point, the book is not presenting the same type of exacting typology of the earlier historical writings. Understanding the allegorical nature of the book requires understanding the overall presentation of redemption as found throughout the Bible.

In doing so, we can then understand the process of God’s redemption as portrayed in the loving relationship of these two people. Their desires, hopes, and aspirations for being with one another reveal the same characteristics in the mutual relationship that arises between the Lord and His redeemed.

Without understanding the cross of Jesus Christ, and how what it signifies is properly procured by His people, the book remains a mystery. But in grasping the back-and-forth nature of the relationship between these two, we can then grasp the same in our relationship with God and He with us.

Therefore, be sure to seek the Lord, search for Him diligently, and then hold fast to Him, even as He is holding fast to you. Be sound in your doctrine and be firm in what it presents, not waffling or being blown about by others who would seek to ruin your precious relationship with the glorious Lord who came to bring us back to Himself.

Closing Verse: “Let all those who seek [Greek LXX: zéteó] You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
‘The Lord be magnified!’” Psalm 40:16

Next Week: Song of Songs 3:6-11 Who is this that my soul will bless… (Ascending From the Wilderness) (8^th Song of Songs sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Song of Songs 3:1-5 (CG)

Upon my bed in the nights
Sought whom loved, my soul,
Sought him, and no found him.

² “I shall arise, I pray, and I shall compass in the city,
In the streets and in the plazas,
I shall seek whom loved, my soul.
Sought him, and no found him.

³ Found me, the guardings, the ‘compassings in the city’ –
Whom loved, my soul, seen?

⁴ According to little, which passed from them,
Until which found whom loved, my soul.
Seized him, and no release him,
Until which brought him unto house my mother,
And unto chamber my conceiving.

⁵ Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.

Song of Songs 3:1-5 (NKJV)

By night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
² “I will rise now,” I said,
“And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I did not find him.
³ The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”

⁴ Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him to the house of my mother,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.

⁵ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Song of Songs 2:8-17
Cause Me to Hear Your Voice

(Typed 16 December 2024) For the Christian, one thing that the Bible is clear about is doctrine matters. It is something that is seen in typology throughout the Old Testament. It is also on prominent display in the New Testament.

A particular passage might, on the surface, be thought of as a basis for proper Christian doctrine. For example, a passage in the gospels or in Acts. A teacher may make a convincing argument as to why something is expected of Christians because of what is said there. And yet, because he failed to consider the context, what he teaches is completely false.

The verses today include a few lines that hint at maintaining proper doctrine. A general reading of them might make one question how. But in understanding the broader context taught throughout Scripture and the meaning of the words, it becomes clear and understandable.

This is one of the marvelous facets of God’s word. The more you study it, and the more you consider what is presented, the more it begins to harmoniously come together in your mind.

Text Verse: “And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” Galatians 2:4, 5

Paul speaks of false brethren. False brethren bring with them false doctrine. The two go hand in hand. Peter, who had been with Jesus throughout His ministry, was duped by false brethren. He accepted a false teaching and Paul had to openly call him out for it.

The words of Paul are recorded in Galatians. Thus, they are given as a permanent reminder that even a person who has all of the knowledge you might expect to keep him from such things can still be led astray. Admittedly, Peter’s failing was less from not knowing than it was from simply being weak in his adherence to what he knew.

What can we do to avoid such pitfalls? First, read and know your Bible. Second, determine to not get lulled into falsity for any reason whatsoever. And third, pray to the Lord for wisdom in the word and stamina in pursuing right doctrine.

Such things are necessary lest we stumble in our walk with the Lord, as will be seen in our verses today. Learning and maintaining proper doctrine is a hugely important aspect of His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Blossoming From the Lattices (verses 8 & 9)

Verse 2:7 ended with the first noticeable break in the “Song the songs.” They were the words of the woman saying –

Adjured you – daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field,
If awaken and if awaken the love –
Until she inclined.

Thus, it completed the first song within the song. With those verses complete, the second song now begins. Without being dogmatic, it appears that the woman is going back in time to when she first was enticed by her beloved.

The rest of the chapter will then be an explanation of her doing exactly what she just adjured the daughters of Jerusalem to do…

⁸ The voice of my beloved!

qol dodi – “Voice! My beloved.” The words can be rendered either as the NKJV says, “I hear the voice of my beloved,” or as an interjection, “Hark! My beloved.” The decision in translation is like that of Genesis 4:10, where the same word, qol, voice, is used –

“The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen [qol]! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (NIV)

“‘What have you done?’ replied the LORD. ‘The voice [qol] of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.’” (BSB)

Based on the next clause, it seems she is calling out an interjection. Her beloved has been gone, and now he is returning.

The length of their separation is unknown. Some believe these individual songs cover the days of a marriage festival. Thus, this begins the second day.

Verse 11 notes the ending of the winter. Therefore, some think there was an extended separation. They were previously in a green garden, which meant summer or fall, and then they separated until the spring. But this is poetry, so that seems unnecessary.

Steinbeck wrote The Winter of Our Discontent. It wasn’t just a literal winter he was referring to. Other writers and poets have used similar literary devices. No matter the length of separation, in the return of her beloved, she calls out…

^{8 (con’t)} Behold, he comes

hineh zeh ba – “Behold! This coming!” One can see how the previous clause might logically be taken as an interjection. If taken in that manner, it forms parallelism, something which the two clauses after this certainly do –

Voice! My beloved.
Behold! This coming!

She is using the word qol, voice, to call attention to who he is in relation to her. She then calls for him to be beheld, highlighting his coming with verbal explanations. This would be a possible translation of Isaiah 40:3 –

Voice! [Listen!] Crying in the wilderness.
Prepare way Yehovah!
Straighten in the Aravah –
Highway to our God! (CG).

Either way, in this clause, she is calling out an interjection, “Behold! This coming!” She is preparing the minds of her audience, making them anticipate more words…

^{8 (con’t)} Leaping upon the mountains,

m’daleg al heharim – “Springing upon the mountains.” The word dalag comes from a primitive root signifying to spring. It is as if he is excitedly bouncing upon the mountains as he approaches.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. With her first verbal descriptor called out, she calls out again in parallel words, highlighting his approach…

^{8 (con’t)} Skipping upon the hills.

m’qapets al hag’vaoth – “Leaping upon the hills.” She now uses the word qaphats. It is derived from a primitive root signifying to draw together. One can see him contracting his limbs (drawing them together) and then leaping up. It is the same imagery as the previous clause –

Springing upon the mountains.
Leaping upon the hills.

The mountains of the previous clause are now restated as givah, hills, in this clause. The word is etymologically connected to the New Testament Aramaic word Gabbatha, the Stone Pavement upon which Christ stood and was judged by Pilate. The name indicates it was a raised platform, like a hill.

The woman’s words are intended to equate her lover to an animal of the wilderness in the minds of her audience. This is what they should mentally see, but to ensure they get it, she next says…

⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

domeh dodi litsvi o l’opher ha’ayalim –

“Comparing my beloved
To gazelle or to fawn, the stags.”

She has already noted the gazelle and the stag in previous verses. Now, she brings in the opher, a fawn of the stags. The word is derived from aphar, dust, thus signifying the dusty color of the fawn.

The ts’viy, gazelle, comes from tsavah, to amass or swell, and thus prominent. That leads also to the idea of beauty or splendor which is a prominent trait. As such, the word is used to describe the gazelle because of its graceful beauty.

The ayyalah, doe, is the feminine form of ayal, a stag. That ultimately comes from a root signifying strength. Being the fawn of the stags, one can see a strong form but one which is dusty in appearance.

She has transitioned the use of these animals from their speed and agility (springing and leaping on the mountains and hills) to their beautiful form and appearance. Her imagery paints a marvelous picture of her beloved for her audience. With his approach complete and her description noted, she next says…

^{9 (con’t)} Behold, he stands behind our wall;

hineh zeh omed akhar katlenu – “Behold! This standing behind our wall.” She uses a word found only here in Scripture, kothel, a wall. It comes from an unused root meaning to compact, as in gathering in or enclosing.

It is the same word used today to describe ha’kothel, The Wall, which refers to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. She is saying that the beautiful animal (this) – a metaphor for her beloved – that leaped across the mountains and hills to come to her has come as close as the wall itself.

Who “our” is referring to is not stated. Some think she is looking back to when she lived with her family at their first meeting. Some think it is her with the court ladies. Etc.

The words do not say. The point is not when, where, etc. Attempting to determine this removes the words into a world of our own speculation, something not intended. Rather, we are to take the words as they come and see the excitement in the interactions between the two.

He has come, he is here, he is outside the wall, and…

^{9 (con’t)} He is looking through the windows,

More simply: mashgiakh min ha’khalonoth – “Looking from the windows.” The meaning of the word min, from, has to be determined based on the context. In this case, she described him as having approached to where she is. Thus, he is outside looking in through the windows.

The window is not like what we have today, meaning something paneled with glass. Rather, it is an opening in a wall. It would normally be framed in and then have a lattice or shutters that could be opened, partially closed to block wind or sun, or they could be fully closed and locked tightly when necessary.

Understanding this explains the next words which are parallel in thought…

^{9 (con’t)} Gazing through the lattice.

metsits min ha’kharakim – “Blossoming from the lattices.” She uses a rare and beautiful word to describe his peering, tsuts. It comes from a primitive root signifying to twinkle. Thus, it means to glance. But to get the sense of the word, by analogy, it means to blossom. This is seen in Numbers 17:8 when Aaron’s rod blossomed overnight –

“And was from morrow, and comes Moses unto Tent the Witness, and behold, bloomed rod Aaron – to house Levi – and outs bloom, and blossoms [tsuts] blossom, and ripens almonds.” (CG)

Even though she is describing him glancing through the lattices, she is poetically noting his eyes as they glance, being like opened blossoms. As for the kharakim, lattices, it is a plural word also found only here in Scripture.

It is derived from kharak, to braid. Thus, it signifies netting and, by analogy, lattices. She is spying his eyes as they blossom through these lattices. It is a beautiful image for the mind’s eye to behold.

The time was set for Christ’s coming
And He arrived just as the word foretold
Like beating an anvil or someone steadily drumming
The event was carefully controlled

God united with humanity to repair the breach
An infinite gap that laid between the two
But in Christ, reconciliation is reached
The God/Man did it, and nothing else will do

Now for His redeemed, there is work to be done
Until the day He calls us to Himself
We are to share the gospel of God’s only begotten Son
So let’s get at it! Don’t leave it on the shelf

II. My Beautiful (verses 10-17)

¹⁰ My beloved spoke, and said to me:

anah dodi v’amar li – “Answered, my beloved, and said to me.” To answer does not necessarily mean responding to something said. The Hebrew thought is inclusive of responding to a situation, need, etc. We see this in the New Testament also, such as –

“Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. ⁴⁷ And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
⁴⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? ⁴⁹ I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’” Mark 14:46-49

Jesus didn’t answer a question. Rather He answered to a situation. This is what is happening here. Her beloved has come to her from a distance, then to the wall, next to the window, and now stands opposite her. He answers to the situation…

^{10 (con’t)} “Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.

qumi lakh rayati yaphati ul’khi lakh –

“Arise, to you, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.”

He is asking her to join him and walk outside. This was his purpose in coming. He wanted to be with her and it is a beautiful day to go out and behold the creation together…

¹¹ For lo, the winter is past,

ki hineh has’thav avar – “For, behold, the winter passed over.” The word sethav, winter, is found only here in the Bible. It is derived from an unused root meaning to hide. Thus, it is the dark season, where the sky is veiled in clouds.

The usual word for winter, khoreph, signifies the end of the harvest season when the crops are gathered. This is followed by the time of dormancy in the land.

The idea is that the veiled skies of clouds and gray came and finally passed over. They have come to the other side of it. Whether actual or poetic, the idea is that a time of change from dull to lively has taken place. To complement that thought, he next says…

^{11 (con’t)} The rain is over and gone.

ha’geshem khalaph halakh lo – “The rain slid by – walked to it.” With the passing of the clouds, the rain slid by as well. One can mentally imagine the scene, watching as the clouds and rain disappear into the distance. As they go, it is as if the streams of rain in the distance are like legs, walking away. Next, something else takes their place…

¹² The flowers appear on the earth;

hanitsanim niru baarets – “The inflorescences seen in the land.” Here is another word found only this once in Scripture, nitstsan. It comes from nets, a flower. That comes from natsats, to glare or sparkle. The word inflorescence refers to the budding and unfolding of blossoms, particularly in how they are arranged on an axis.

As such, it is like the grouping of sparkles in the arrangement of the flowers. As other words are used to describe both flowers and blossoms, saying inflorescences gives uniqueness to this also unique Hebrew word. Along with this wonder, a parallel thought is stated…

^{12 (con’t)} The time of singing has come,

eth hazamiyr higiya – “Time the song touched.” Some versions incorrectly translate this as “pruning” instead of singing. Pruning, however, is accomplished in the dormant months, not after they have ended.

The word is zamir, which is etymologically connected to zamar, to prune, and also to make music. The connection is that when one plays a stringed instrument, his hands clip at it, like when a person clips with his pruners.

The idea expressed here is that of beauty, joy, and the life of spring, hence, singing. Whether this is of man, of bird, or both, the time is one of song. Next comes a third parallel thought…

^{12 (con’t)} And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.

v’qol ha’tor nishma b’artsenu – “And voice the turtledove heard in our land.” The tor, turtledove, isn’t what one would think of as a singing bird. Rather, it is a cooing bird. The idea is not that the bird’s voice is given as a parallel to singing. Instead, its voice signifies it is present. Thus, the parallel is to the time of year –

“Even the stork in the heavens
Knows her appointed times;
And the turtledove [tor], the swift, and the swallow
Observe the time of their coming.
But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.” Jeremiah 8:7

Knowing this, we can see the parallelism –

Flowers appearing
Voices singing
Arrival of the turtledove

It is the springtime, the time of renewal. It is the time of Christ’s death and resurrection. As such…

¹³ The fig tree puts forth her green figs,

hat’enah han’tah pageha – “The fig spiced her crudes.” The word khanat signifies to spice. Thus, it is used when referring to embalming. The meaning isn’t that of putting forth but of the sweetening, or spicing, of the fruit as it ripens for harvesting. This process then explains the word pagah, a crude, meaning an unripe fig.

The fig is already on the tree, but until it goes through the spicing process, it otherwise remains an inedible crude unless it is properly prepared to make chutneys, jams, and preserves. However, once it is spiced by the season, it becomes edible right off the tree.

In Scripture, the fig does not refer to Israel, the nation. That misinterpretation has been passed around for eons. Rather, the fig speaks of the spiritual connection between God and man.

When this was lost in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve attempted, by their own works, to restore that connection through the use of fig leaves covering the disconnect, the shame of sin.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, it was a parable concerning the place He was coming from and going to, the temple, which is the place where the spiritual connection with God was effected for the people.

In His words, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again” (Mark 11:14), He was indicating that the temple that served the law would never again be the source of connection to God. Instead, that connection would only come through Him.

The beloved continues his words…

^{13 (con’t)} And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.

More precisely: v’hagphaniym s’madar nat’nu reakh – “And the vines cluster – gave aroma.” The s’madar, cluster, is introduced. It will only be seen two more times, both in “Song the songs.” The grapevine puts out its arms with leaves and tendrils. As it continues, it puts out clusters that start with teeny weeny, eensy weensy flowers that pollinate.

These then turn into teeny weeny, eensy weensy grapes. It is these clusters that continue to grow into the large, super delicious, and ultra yummy grapes that adorn the vine, are clipped off, and used for the many things grapes ultimately become.

It is the time of the flowering of the grapes that is being referred to as their aroma wafts into the surrounding area. The flower clusters first emerge on the vine about mid-March, and they typically bloom in May.

In Scripture, the vine represents the basic expression of a thing. Jerusalem is equated to an outcast vine in Ezekiel 15. It was only good to be burned. The expression of Judah was supposed to reveal God, but it was worthless and revealed nothing of value.

Jesus, however, says He is the true vine in John 15. He is the true expression of God. His branches, His people, come forth from Him as an expression of Himself to bear fruit in that new state in which they exist.

As for the man, because the time of year is so beautiful and aromatic, he calls out to his beloved…

^{13 (con’t)} Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!

Rather, the written Hebrew reads: qumi lekhi rayathi yaphathi ul’khi lakh –

“Arise, walk, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.”

The text is read differently than it is written –

“Arise, to you, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.”

This was written this way because of a clause in verse 10 that would otherwise be identical to this clause.

10: “Arise, to you, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.”
13: “Arise, walk, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.”

The Jews must have thought some scribe along the way made an error, so they amended the words to read consistently with verse 10. However, it is a perfectly natural expression seen elsewhere. In 2 Samuel 13:15, Amnon told his half-sister whom he had just raped, qumi lekhi – “Arise, walk!” In that case, he was telling her to beat it.

In this verse, the change is completely expected. “You arise…” “Arise and walk.” It is a way of stressing the walk this time over the first instance.

We do the same thing all the time. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.” A bit later, “C’mon, walk with me! Let’s go for a walk!” The change with added repetition is its own stress. He is antsy about adorning the already beautiful creation with his even more beautiful beloved, enjoying her presence in the midst of the land…

¹⁴ “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

yonati b’khagve ha’sela – “My dove in rifts the rock.” In verse 1:15, he said her eyes were doves. Now, he says this of her in toto. To him, she is glistening, beautiful, shapely, and so forth. He wants to get her out where he can see her with the wonder of the world around her, accentuating her beauty.

The clause introduces a word into the Bible that will only be seen again in Jeremiah 49:16 and Obadiah 1:3, khagavim. It is from an unused root signifying to take refuge. Thus, he is comparing her to a dove which secrets itself away in the rifts of the rocks.

He is probably still standing on one side of the lattices while she is on the other side. As such, it is as if she is hidden away in such a rift, just out of his reach. She is…

^{14 (con’t)} In the secret places of the cliff,

All translations paraphrase the words: b’sether ha’madregah – “In cover the step.” The word sether comes from a verb indicating to hide by covering. Thus, this is a cover that could be paraphrased as a hiding place, a secret place, etc.

That is said to be on the madregah, a word introduced here and which will only be seen again in Ezekiel 38:20. It comes from an unused root signifying to step. Thus, it is a step. Only by implication does it refer to a steep or inaccessible place.

For all we know, he is thinking about seeing a dove resting in a step of an ascent of some sort, something not uncommon. It is what she would resemble standing there behind the lattices. And so he says…

^{14 (con’t)} Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

The words form an a/* b/+ c/+ d/* pattern, and the verbs are in a form that is causative and imperative: harini eth marayikh hashmi’ini eth qolekh ki qolekh arev umarekh naveh –

1. a) “Cause me to see your appearances,*
2. b) Cause me to hear your voice.+
3. c) For your voice+ – pleasant,
4. d) And your appearance* – beautiful.”

Rather than merely saying “let me,” it is more like Jean Luc Picard, as he instructs her to “Make it so.” In other words, “Come out so I can see you and hear you!” But then he moderates his words, explaining with enticing commendations why he so commands her to come out.

As for the plural, appearances, it is a way of saying, “Let me see you in all your beauty by viewing you from every angle.” He is looking at her through lattices, only catching glimpses of her as he talks. He wants more than this. That is explained by the final clause, noting that her appearance (the whole) is beautiful.

He also uses a word, arev, pleasant, found only here. It is derived from arav, to pledge or become surety. As such, there is an intermingling that takes place, making something agreeable, pleasant, or sweet. The sound of her voice is, to him, agreeable and thus pleasant.

The direction of the narrative changes as the words are in the plural. It is debated who says this, but it is likely her in an answer to the words, “Cause me to hear your voice.”

In other words, she starts singing to him a song of the vineyard workers, something she would have either heard or made up while tending to the family vineyard that made her so dark and attractive to him in the first place…

¹⁵ Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,

That this is a song sung by the woman seems correct. The words flow naturally and beautifully when sang: ekhezu lanu shualim shualim q’tanim m’khab’lim k’ramim –

“Grasp to us foxes,
Foxes little, binding vines.”

Foxes are known to be a giant problem with vinedressers. They dig holes in the vineyards, exposing roots. They gnaw at the roots, break the branches, and mangle the leaves. Cambridge notes that some foxes in Australia have been found with nothing in their stomachs but grapes. Thus, they “bind” the vines.

The word is khaval, which means to bind, specifically by a pledge. In taking a pledge, the one whose pledge is taken can be brought into a difficult ordeal or even destroyed. As such, the word is widely translated as destroy, ruin, or broken. It can even refer to a woman in labor.

^{15 (con’t)} For our vines have tender grapes.

ukramenu s’madar – “And our vines cluster.” It is at the beginning of the grape growing season when the vines are starting to put out their s’madar, cluster. The same word was introduced in verse 2:13. The foxes could reap havoc on the vines at this time, even before the grapes have a chance to develop.

She is probably singing this song as an excuse for why she is staying behind the wall. The shual, fox, comes from shoal, hollow hand, or handful, and the meaning extends to this.

The connection is that foxes dig out a hollow to live in. In the gospels, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). In Luke, it says –

“On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, ‘Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.’
³² And He said to them, ‘Go, tell that fox, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.”’ ³³ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” Luke 13:31-33

The significance of a fox is that of a hole digger, and thus, one who is there to trip others up. She wants nothing to trip up their relationship, so she sings the song of the vineyard to him hinting as to why she stays secluded. Next, to reassure him that she isn’t going anywhere else for a relationship, she says…

¹⁶ My beloved is mine, and I am his.

dodi li vaani lo – “My beloved to me, and I to him.” She reassures him of her love. She knows he loves her, and she isn’t worried about him walking away from this. She, too, feels that way. She then poetically describes him, saying…

^{16 (con’t)} He feeds his flock among the lilies.

The words are a paraphrase. Rather: ha’roeh bashoshanim – “The ‘pasturing in the lilies.’” Using a verb as a noun, which is quite common in both testaments, she describes him. He has already been identified with pasturing in Chapter 1.

At the beginning of this chapter, she said she was a lily of the vales. He, in turn, called her a lily between the thorns. As such, she may be speaking metaphorically of him being a shepherd among the beautiful women. This seems likely based on what it will say in Chapter 6 –

“There are sixty queens
And eighty concubines,
And virgins without number.
⁹ My dove, my perfect one,
Is the only one,
The only one of her mother,
The favorite of the one who bore her.
The daughters saw her
And called her blessed,
The queens and the concubines,
And they praised her.” Song of Songs 6:8, 9

Because she is one of his lilies, and reassuring him as such, she now follows through with her adjuration to the daughters of Jerusalem by practicing what she preached…

¹⁷ Until the day breaks

ad sheyaphuakh hayom – “Until that puffs the day.” The meaning is when the day begins to wane, and the evening breeze gives a puff upon the land. That is then set in parallel to the next words…

^{17 (con’t)} And the shadows flee away,

v’nasu hatslalim – “And flit the shadows.” It speaks of the setting, not the rising, of the sun. At the sun’s rising, the shadows begin to form. Here, they flit away into the oncoming darkness. She is telling him that until then, he is to…

^{17 (con’t)} Turn,

The word is imperative, as a command: sov – “Revolve!” The word savav can mean to circle, encompass, revolve, etc. The sense here is like that of when Joseph spoke with his brothers –

“And he turned himself away (savav) from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.” Genesis 42:24

She is telling him to revolve away from her until the time when evening sets in…

^{17 (con’t)} my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag

The NKJV fiddles with the structure and blows the meaning: dameh l’kha dodi litsviy o l’opher ha’ayalim –

“Resemble to you, my beloved
To gazelle or to fawn, the stags.”

In revolving away from her, she tells him to be just as she described him when he came in verse 2:9, “Comparing my beloved to gazelle or to fawn, the stags.” In that verse, she used the same word, damah, to excitedly compare him to one of these animals. Now, she tells him to resemble one of them.

In other words, “You were like this when you came, now be like this as you depart.” He must depart until the set time. As such, “Go like the gazelle or the fawn of the stags…”

*^17 (fin) Upon the mountains of Bether.

al harei bather – “Upon the mountains division.” The word is bether, a section, a part, or a piece, coming from bathar, to cut up or divide. Thus, it refers to division.

The meaning, though lost to almost all translations, is that she is calling the same mountains that he leaped over to come to her, thus uniting them, the mountains that will now again divide them.

Most translations do not understand the context, incorrectly translating bether into something it doesn’t mean. Or, like the NKJV, they punt, calling them the mountains of Bether. Though not incorrect, they could translate Bether as a proper name, Division, but saying Bether doesn’t explain anything.

She will continue alone, and he will head back over the mountains and hills that will separate them until the time when the love is awakened and she is so inclined.

We can now turn our focus to evaluating a few of the verses to learn the tenor of what is being presented concerning Christ and the redeemed.

Arise, to you, my querida, my beautiful (the redeemed of the Lord) –
And walk to you (to walk is the conduct of one’s life, as in Ephesians 2, etc.).
¹¹ For, behold, the winter passed over (the hidden time, before Christ’s coming),
The rain slid by – walked to it (the rainy season, the time of preparation for the harvest cycle, is over).
¹² The inflorescences seen in the land (life and abundance has come).
Time the song touched (a time of jubilation and joy),
And voice the turtledove heard in our land (the tor, dove and emblematic of Christ, is given as an offering for trespasses, as in Leviticus 5, etc.).
¹³ The fig spiced her crudes (the time of Christ’s cross, his interment, being “spiced” as in John 19:40, which then brings about the restored spiritual connection to God, represented by the fig),
And the vines cluster – gave aroma (the time when the basic expression of the True Vine is revealed and His branches begin their growth to maturity).
Arise, walk, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you (begin the conduct of the redeemed).

Then the Beloved described how His beloved appears to Him, asking to see her appearances and hear her voice. It is the call of Christ for His people to conduct their lives properly and proclaim the word.

Her song of the vineyard was an appeal to grasp the foxes that bind the vines. It is a note by the redeemed to keep anything that trips one up (foxes) out of the vineyard. In other words, it is a note of protecting against false doctrines within the vineyard, the opposite of what Israel did as noted by Jesus in Matthew 21:33-44.

Without stretching the typology too far, the notes concerning Christ are exceptional. The time of His coming, the time of year that He was crucified, the events surrounding it, such as in the giving of the Spirit at the time when the grape clusters begin to turn to fruit approximately fifty days after the first appearance of the buds (Pentecost), etc., fit perfectly with what is presented here.

This explains why “Song the songs” is read at the Passover each year. It explains the love of God for the people of the world that is found in Christ, the true Passover Lamb.

God has set the cycles, seasons, geography, etc., in Israel so that they match the life and events of Jesus and His ministry. God is telling the people of the world a story that revolves around His life and which is directed toward those who are His, the redeemed of mankind.

The time of night, when the day has puffed, refers to the time when our work will cease and the Lord will return for His beloved. Our closing verse will explain that.

The cross of Jesus Christ is the highest expression of God’s love for the people of the world. To appropriate what it signifies, God merely asks you to believe the gospel. He is looking for faith from His faithless creatures. Be a person of faith. Believe!

Closing Verse: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-10

Next Week: Song of Songs 3:1-5 Such a beautiful passage, not a part but the whole… (I Shall Seek Whom Loved, My Soul) (7^th Song of Solomon Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Song of Songs 2:8-17 (CG)

⁸ Voice! My beloved –
Behold! This coming!
Springing upon the mountains,
Leaping upon the hills.
⁹ Comparing my beloved
To gazelle or to fawn, the stags.
Behold! This standing behind our wall –
Looking from the windows,
Blossoming from the lattices.
¹⁰ Answered, my beloved, and said to me:
Arise, to you, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.
¹¹ For, behold, the winter passed over,
The rain slid by – walked to it.
¹² The inflorescences seen in the land.
Time the song touched,
And voice the turtledove heard in our land.
¹³ The fig spiced her crudes,
And the vines cluster – gave aroma.
Arise, walk, my querida, my beautiful –
And walk to you.

¹⁴ My dove in rifts the rock,
In cover the step,
Cause me to see your appearances,
Cause me to hear your voice.
For your voice – pleasant,
And your appearance – beautiful.”

¹⁵ Grasp to us foxes,
Foxes little, binding vines,
And our vines cluster.

¹⁶ My beloved to me, and I to him –
The “pasturing in the lilies.”

¹⁷ Until that puffs the day,
And flit the shadows.
Revolve!
Resemble to you, my beloved
To gazelle or to fawn, the stags,
Upon the mountains division.

 

Song of Songs 2:8-17 (NKJV)

⁸ The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.

¹⁰ My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
¹¹ For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
¹² The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!

¹⁴ “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

¹⁵ Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.

¹⁶ My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.

¹⁷ Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether.

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

Song of Songs 2:1-7
His Banner Upon Me – Love

(Typed 9 December 2024) In 2019, I got to go on quite an adventure with two friends, Sergio and Yosi. They were both living in Israel at the time and were planning to hike from Jericho to Jerusalem, filming the adventure as they went.

When I heard what they were planning, I asked if I could join them. Sergio didn’t believe I was serious, knowing I am not one to take time off, especially for traveling. When I convinced him I was serious, he figured out the timing of the walk, let me know, and got things in order.

I had to prepare as well. First, my passport needed to be updated. Then I had to complete and schedule work in advance so that it would be posted while I was gone, and I decided to do so without letting anyone know that I was going. I would be gone for three days. For those who asked, I said I was going to Boston. It was true, just not the whole truth as it was my port of departure from the US.

My son and his girlfriend (now wife) drove me to Miami to get a passport. They never asked why I needed a passport. When I arrived in Israel, we got things together and left early in the morning from Nazareth to get to our starting point for the walk.

Though we prepared for the walk, we were actually unprepared for it…

Text Verse: “The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade [tsel] at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.” Psalm 121:5, 6

That walk is one of the highlights of my life. There were so many things along the way that we could tie into our understanding of Scripture, both in the physical landscape as it is described in the Bible as well as in the metaphors that the Bible uses concerning various things we interacted with.

For example, because of an error in planning, we ran short of water. Dangerously short. Despite the difficulties we faced, this led to a much greater appreciation for what the Bible tells about water, such as Jesus’ words concerning “living water.”

Another metaphor that was applicable is derived from the word tsel, shadow or shade. As in the text verse, it is used to describe a protection, a defense, etc.

At one point in our walk, we were so utterly exhausted we needed to stop. Fortunately, one of us was smart enough to bring an Arab keffiyeh, the large cloth headdress that is worn by the various desert tribes with colors or patterns that reflect their tribal identity.

That fortunate soul was able to sit in the open sun and not be overheated while he rested. The other two, however, only had broad hats that covered their heads to some extent but not much else. The spot we had to stop was completely exposed to the sun, with the exception of one 6-8-inch outcropping in the side of a cliff.

And so, while I sat on a post in the open sun, almost unaffected by the heat, the other two stood under this tiny slice of shade, resting and being protected by its defense. But they were standing while I sat

We learned what the Bible meant about shade in a very real and personal way along that walk. But that moment is etched in my mind as the prime example of it ever since. The Lord is our Shade. And He is so much more to those who have placed themselves under His protective care.

Such great truths as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Sweet to My Palate (verses 1-3)

As Chapter 1 ended, the lovers were on a green field with trees above and around them. Whether that scene has ended or not isn’t stated. They may still be in that field, or this may be a new encounter between them. Either way, in verse 1:15, the beloved had said to her –

“Behold you! Beautiful, my querida,
Behold you! Beautiful!
Your eyes – doves.”

What appears to be a tacit denial of that, or at least a humble moderating of it, she next says…

I am the rose of Sharon,

ani khavatseleth ha’sharon – “I wildflower the Sharon.” This location, the Sharon, is probably the area known as Sharon, which is along the Mediterranean coast between Joppa and Mount Carmel. There is another area known as the Sharon in 1 Chronicles 5:16 where the Gadites dwelt. Thus, it is an area across the Jordan.

Rather than Sharon, however, some translations say “the field” or “the plain.” This is because Sharon comes from yashar, to be straight, level, even, etc. As such it may simply be she is saying, “I am just an ordinary flower in the open plain,” or “I am like a wildflower in the open plain.”

As for the flower itself, it is a word seen only here and in Isaiah 35:1, khavatstseleth, a word of uncertain origin. Some translations say rose, crocus, etc.

Some translations simply punt and say flower. However, other words in the Bible translate as a flower, so that isn’t preferred. As the identity isn’t known, saying “wildflower” provides a sort of catchall. That would be suitable to Isaiah 35:1 as well –

(Certainly) rejoices, wilderness and desert,
And shall twirl Aravah and blossom according to the wildflower. (CG)

As such, she may be saying she is merely a wildflower among many wildflowers. She may have loveliness, but it doesn’t stand above any other. She continues with…

^{1 (con’t)} And the lily of the valleys.

Rather: shoshanath ha’amaqim – “Lily the vales.” She uses no article before lily. She is simply a lily among the lilies that are found in the many vales of Israel. She may be beautiful, but not more than any of the others.

As for the flower, lilies are mentioned eight times in this book. They are also noted in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles when describing the flowery decorations in the temple and the shape of the Bronze Sea there as well. They are also noted in the headings of some of the Psalms. Last, they are mentioned once in Hosea.

In Song of Songs 5:13, she will equate his lips with lilies, thus identifying them as red. Some, therefore, identify this as the anemone coronaria, a type of flower with various colors, including red. Though it’s not a true lily, this is a possible description of it. With her statement made, her lover accepts but elevates the description…

² Like a lily among thorns,

k’shoshanah ben ha’khokhim – “According to lily between the thorns.” He is essentially saying, “Yes, you may be a lily, but you stand alone among thorns.” Her radiant beauty is thus highlighted and set in complete contrast to those around her. The metaphor is next explained…

^{2 (con’t)} So is my love among the daughters.

ken rayati ben ha’banoth – “Thus, my querida between the daughters.” All of the other women among whom she dwells are nothing but lowly, irksome, and painful compared to her. She is beautiful and filled with grace in comparison to them.

Her attempts at humble modesty have been overridden by his expressive words of compliment and exaltation. Next, she speaks in what Delitzsch says is a “contest of mutually eulogistic love”…

³ Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

k’tapuakh baatse ha’yaar – “According to apple in trees the forest.” She makes a similar type of metaphor just used of her and applies it to him. In a forest are many trees, but the apple will stand out when it is in blossom. All the other trees will go out of focus when one encounters a blooming apple tree.

Likewise, when it has fruit, it stands out from all the others. They are merely shades of green among the green. But the apple will be highlighted with its colorful fruit.

As for the tappuakh, apple, what type is unknown. It could actually be a quince, an orange, or some other tree. And even if not native to Israel, they go all the way back to at least the time of Joshua. In Joshua 12:17, it notes the king of Tappuakh. The location was named for the apple, and so he may have been the first to grow it domestically, or it was a place known for cultivating them.

The word comes from naphakh, to puff, breathe, blow, etc. Therefore, the tree is named for its fragrance. It is not only because of its flower and fruit, but its wonderful fragrance is another way that it stands out from the other trees. Like his words to her, this high compliment is next given as a comparison…

^{3 (con’t)} So is my beloved among the sons.

ken dodi ben ha’banim – “Thus, my beloved between the sons.” As she is like a lily among thorns, meaning daughters, he is like an apple tree among the other trees, meaning sons.

Without trying to insert too much into the symbolism, for example, Israel or the church, but rather keeping things simple concerning the “Song the songs,” an apt comparison would be the relationship between the Lord and His redeemed at any given time.

God looks at His redeemed with delight and as people noticeable above all others. Likewise, His people understand Him in a similar fashion. Moses’ words of Exodus 15 are a clear match to the thought presented here –

“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11

Even if there are so-called “gods” among the nations, the Lord stands out above them all because He is the one true God, the one loved by His people. As for the words of the woman, she continues with…

^{3 (con’t)} I sat down in his shade with great delight,

The words are simpler: b’tsilo khimadti v’yashavti – “In his shade delighted and dwelt.” The metaphor of him being an apple tree continues here. Of all the trees, she has chosen him to sit under.

The word yashav means to sit, but that is more often than not a metaphor for dwelling. As such, she is saying that she delightedly accepts his protection and places herself under it as her covering. As noted in the introduction, this is quite often how the tsel, or shade, is portrayed in Scripture, such as –

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow [tsel] of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

&

“For wisdom is a defense [tsel] as money is a defense [tsel],
But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12

These and other references give a sense of what she is saying. He is her beloved, and she is utterly delighted to reside with him as he provides protection and safety for her. She next says…

^{3 (con’t)} And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

uphiryo matoq l’khiki – “And his fruit sweet to my palate.” The fruit from the apple tree delights her palate, and thus, she has come to dwell under it in his protection. As for fruit, besides the literal meaning of that which is produced by fruit-bearing plants, it has numerous metaphorical meanings.

It speaks of offspring, such as the fruit of the womb. It refers to a reward, such as the fruit of the righteous. It speaks of works, good or bad, such as the fruit of one’s labors. It also refers to the words of a person, as in the fruit of one’s mouth.

Each of these gives the sense of that which is produced by someone or something, but it identifies the nature of the source. The nature of a parent (for example, a human) can be deduced by looking at a human child. The nature of a workman can be determined by the quality of the work he puts forth.

One does not need to see the source to know what it is. One can look at an apple and say, “That came from an apple tree.” In this case, she knows both the tree and its fruit, but she intimately knows the nature of the tree because of its fruit.

To look upon the cross of Christ
And consider what God has done
What a cost for which my soul was priced
The life of my Savior, God’s own Son

To redeem me back from the devil’s power
To set me on high where angels trod
His final cry, that terrible hour
The life of my Savior, the Son of God

 What is the value you see in us?
How can it be that this You have done?
That You would send for us the Lord Jesus
To die on the cross, Your precious Son?

II. His Right Hand Embraces Me (verses 4-7)

⁴ He brought me to the banqueting house,

heviani el beith ha’yayin – “Brought me unto house the wine.” There are various suggestions as to what “house the wine” is referring to. Some think it is a place known for its wine. Others, as seen in this translation, say it is a banqueting house.

However, she has been speaking in metaphor, and so it seems that continues here. Wine in Scripture represents our reasoning and that which can change our minds. A perfect example of this is found in Jesus’ words of Matthew 9 –

“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:17

Jesus was speaking of the law and grace. The new wine is the new dispensation of grace to come. The old wine was the dispensation of the law. If one introduced the new concept into the old, it would not work because the two are incompatible.

Only if the new wine is put into the new wineskin (the new dispensation) is the mind able to be changed. Therefore, her metaphor likely means that he has brought her to a place where her reasoning will be matched with his. She will be overcome, as if intoxicated, with the intentions for him that he has for her.

The daughters of Lot used wine to effect their intentions upon their father. They essentially brought him into “house the wine.” In Deuteronomy, Moses refers to Israel with the wine metaphor –

“Their wine is the poison of serpents,
And the cruel venom of cobras.” Deuteronomy 32:33

The reasoning of the people was poisonous venom, leading to their destruction. Their “house the wine” was a storage of wickedness and corruption. In the case of her lover’s reasoning, symbolized by the storage of wine from which he draws, the result towards her is…

^4 (con’t) And his banner over me was love.

v’diglo alay ahavah – “And his banner upon me – love.” The word degel is used fourteen times in Scripture. The first thirteen are in Numbers when referring to the standards of the tribes of Israel. It is derived from dagal, a verb signifying being conspicuous. That word is used four times, three of which are in this book.

She is saying that what is conspicuous upon her, his banner, is love. It is on full display for all to see. Thinking of the wineskin metaphor makes this more understandable. Those who reason from the law are bannered in old wineskins. Those who reason from grace are bannered in new wineskins. His banner upon her, based on his reasoning, is love.

Next, she speaks about this state…

⁵ Sustain me with cakes of raisins,

The verbs are plural. She is not speaking to her lover but to those who hear, calling out for them to come and help her: samkhuni baashiyshoth – “Prop me (pl. you all) in the pressed-cakes.” It is as if she is swooning and will go down for the count if she isn’t propped up. With her strength gone, she needs sustenance because she is completely overcome by his love.

As for the ashiyshah, or raisin cakes, the word is derived from ashiysh, a foundation. Thus, it is something pressed down. Raisin cakes is a good guess, but it could be dates or some other treat that is pressed. It is not a flagon, as older translations state, based on an unsupportable rabbinic interpretation.

Like a diabetic who needs to get the sugar level up, she is fading fast. And so she calls out in an almost antithetical parallel thought for another possible remedy…

^{5 (con’t)} Refresh me with apples,

rapduni batapukhim – “Spread me (pl. you all) in the apples.” The word raphad means to spread. In this case, it is used figuratively. Just as a bed is spread for one who is tired to provide relief, “Spread me in the apples” is a petition to be relieved by giving her apples.

One can see the antithesis in a direct translation. Both clauses give the sense of providing refreshment or comfort, but one is a propping up, the other is a spreading out –

Prop me in the pressed-cakes
Spread me in the apples.

The interesting imagery is lost in a normal translation. With her stimulating words of petition stated, she next explains why she needs this…

^{5 (con’t)} For I am lovesick.

Although the translation gets the sense across, her words are more descriptive, using a verbal participle: ki kholath ahavah ani – “For rubbing love – I.” The meaning is that she is being rubbed out or worn down through her love. Without the food, there will be nothing left, as if someone took an eraser and rubbed her away.

She next explains the reason for her state of near swoon…

⁶ His left hand is under my head,

s’molo takhath l’roshi – “His left under ‘to my head.’” One can almost sense the position. He is holding her, and she, in the process of swooning, has her head back as he supports it with his left hand. She’s probably gasping in the process. Along with this tender gesture from him, she says…

^{6 (con’t)} And his right hand embraces me.

vimiyno t’khab’qeni – “And his right embraces me.” The picture becomes even more vivid. It is as if she is standing there, fainting from the overwhelming state of being with him, and she starts falling backward.

So, he rushes his left hand up behind her to support her head while pulling her in closer with his right arm embracing her from behind. It is a scene exactingly repeated numerous times on Hollywood’s memorable celluloid presentations.

She is without strength, completely supported by his, and desperately in need of pressed-cakes and apples. The poor dear!

Some scholars and translations turn these words into a desire rather than an actual event –

“I wish that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand were embracing me!” (ISV)

This seems contrary to the entire tone of what is being presented. And more, there is only one verb in this verse, and it is imperfect –

His left under ‘to my head,’
And his right embraces me.

She is stating things as they are, presenting facts, not as a desire. They are words of experiential knowledge, and so with this knowledge of the wonderment of his love, she calls for other women to pay heed…

⁷ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

hishbati etkhem b’noth y’rushalim – “Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem.” This is the first of four times in the book that she will call out in this manner. There is no reason to assume, as some scholars do, that these words are spoken by anyone other than the woman.

She has experienced love and wants to express her feelings about it to the other young women of Jerusalem. So she presents her words as an adjuration. It is advice to pay heed. She wants them to avoid such a sad fate.

Understanding this, she adjures them…

^{7 (con’t)} By the gazelles or by the does of the field,

bitsvaoth o b’ayloth ha’sadeh – “In gazelles or in does the field.” The tsviy, gazelle, comes from tsavah, to amass or swell, and thus prominent. That leads also to the idea of beauty or splendor which is a prominent trait. As such, the word is used to describe the gazelle because of its graceful beauty.

The ayyalah, doe, is the feminine form of ayal, a stag. That, in turn, ultimately comes from a root signifying strength.

These are what she adjures them by. However, the difficulty of these words is not to be underestimated. In Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 it says that those of Israel were to swear, shava, by the name of the Lord, implying not swearing in any other way –

“You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.” Deuteronomy 6:13

Keil, without any biblical support, says –

“It is permitted to the Israelites to swear, נשׁבּע, only by God (Genesis 21:23); but to adjure, השׁבּיע, by that which is not God, is also admissible, although this example before us is perhaps the only direct one in Scripture.”

The lack of biblical support is probably why the Greek translation of this verse says –

“I have charged you, ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that ye do not rouse or wake my love, until he please.”

It appears the Greek translation takes the root meanings of the animal’s names from the Hebrew, prominence and strength, and uses them as if she is applying them to the Lord. This seems to be the case, even though they have the two reversed from the Hebrew.

This is probably not the intent here because the words “of the field” still call out for something earthly. But it seems they were trying to avoid getting stuck in a theological quagmire.

What seems likely is that rather than adjuring the ladies by the gazelles and the does, as if they are the subjects, she adjures them without using any article – “in gazelles and does the field.” They are not the subject of the adjuration but an explanation of it. In essence, “You daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you to be like gazelles or does in the field.”

Therefore, the meaning would be, “Ladies, I adjure you to be timid and wary like gazelles or does in the field in this matter.” If it was an adjuration with the animals as the subject, one would think she would say, “in the gazelles and in the does of the field.” However, this cannot be.

1) The articles are omitted, and 2) rather than and, it says or. The two clauses are not for one adjuration but are a repetitive explanation to highlight the matter.

With that, she tells them what they should be timid about…

^{7 (con’t)} Do not stir up nor awaken love

The words are repetitive, both verbs are imperative, and the first is causative: im tairu v’im t’or’ru eth ha’ahavah – “If wakens, and if awakens the love.” Saying “stir up” gets the causative point across, but the sense of the repetition found in the Hebrew is lost. She is imploring them to be shy and timid about rushing things.

Instead, they are to be wary that they might otherwise blow something that could be memorable or miss something that could be far better than they settled for. Instead, they are not to awaken love…

*^{7 (fin)} Until it pleases.

The words bear personification: ad shetekhpats – “Until she inclines.” It is as if love is a person that can be manipulated in a way that could be disastrous. Instead of rousing her from her sleep, imploring her to get up and get active, they should let her sleep blissfully until she decides to arouse herself and get about the business she is truly meant to accomplish.

These verses complete the first major break in the song. Three more breaks are yet ahead at 3:5, 5:1, and 8:4. In today’s verses, there lies a unique connection between the Lord and His redeemed –

I wildflower the Sharon.
Lily the vales.

The redeemed, understanding their position in the presence of the Lord, naturally feel insignificant. “I am nothing special, just another person among the billions on the planet, and yet I am here with the King.” Despite this, the Lord calls out…

According to lily between the thorns,
Thus, my querida between the daughters.

Among all of the people on the planet, your beauty is surpassing. While they are as painful thorns, you are more beautiful than all of those around you. Hence, I have focused my attention on you.

One must remember that such a statement by the Lord is not based on physical beauty but on the beauty of a soul demonstrating faith in Him and in the word that tells of Him.

According to apple in trees the forest,
Thus, my beloved between the sons,
In his shade delighted and sat,
And his fruit sweet to my palate [l’khiki].

The One who breathed [naphakh, the basis of tappuakh, apple] life into man (Genesis 2:7) is the true God. He is my Beloved among all of the “gods” of the nations.

I will rest in His shadow and dwell there all my days. His fruit, meaning the work of the Lord as displayed in the Person of Jesus Christ, which has been detailed in His word, is what I delight in –

“How sweet are Your words to my taste [l’khiki – to my palate],
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

Brought me unto house the wine,
And his banner upon me – love.

The Lord has brought me into His house of wine, His place of reasoning –

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’
Says the Lord,
‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.’” Isaiah 1:18

In this state of mutual agreement, the banner of the Lord, His love, as evidenced in the cross of Jesus Christ and all it signifies, is made manifest.

Prop me in the pressed-cakes,
Spread me in the apples,
For rubbing love – I.

The ashiyish, the foundation, is the root of the ashiyshah, the pressed-cakes. It is a poetic way of saying that we are sustained, propped up, by Christ, the Foundation of our faith (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Likewise, the breath [naphakh, the basis of tappuakh, apple], anticipating the Spirit of God, our Comforter, Helper, etc., is the confirmation that Jesus is God, that He has given us rebirth, the breath of God once again.

In the Greek translation, the word in Genesis 2:7 for when God breathed the breath of life into man is ἐνεφύσησεν/enephusesen, the same word in the same form used only once in the New Testament –

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²² And when He had said this, He breathed [ἐνεφύσησεν: enephusesen] on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:21-23

This is what makes us love-sick, rubbed with love. It is the hope-filled, eager, and constant anticipation of being with Christ Jesus –

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14

His left under ‘to my head,’
And his right embraces me.

The symbolism is to be taken as the total welcoming care and protection of the Lord for His redeemed.

Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.

The idea here is to have one’s priorities right. We are not to fall in love with any god. The people of the world are to be on alert, wary of anything that could awaken inappropriate love in us.

Rather, we are to allow the love (agapē, noun, fem.) of God, embodied in the Person of Jesus Christ, to awaken ‘the love’ that is truly love, as John says, “for God is love [agapē, noun, fem.]” (1 John 4:8).

They are the same words as found in the Greek translation of this verse, “if you should arise and awaken the love [ten agapen: the love].” God is love. God in Christ is the embodiment of God’s love. We are being given insights into the very heart of God as He poured out His heart in the “Song the songs.”

It is all centered on what He has done through Jesus Christ. This is the reason this poem is read each year at the Passover. The time and event of the crucifixion of Christ is the pinnacle of what God has done in the stream of human existence.

The “Song the songs” tells us to look to the cross of Jesus to find our true source of love and fellowship with God once again. Nothing could be clearer than this truth as it is revealed in the pages of His Superior Word.

Closing Verse: “When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
⁷ Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow [tsel] of Your wings I will rejoice.
⁸ My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:6-8

Next Week: Song of Songs 2:8-17 In it, I will surely rejoice… (Cause Me to Hear Your Voice) (6^th Song of Songs sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Song of Songs 2:1-7 (CG)

I wildflower the Sharon.
Lily the vales.

² According to lily between the thorns,
Thus, my querida between the daughters.

³ According to apple in trees the forest,
Thus, my beloved between the sons,
In his shade delighted and sat,
And his fruit sweet to my palate.

⁴ Brought me unto house the wine,
And his banner upon me – love.
⁵ Prop me in the pressed cakes,
Spread me in the apples,
For rubbing love – I.
⁶ His left under ‘to my head,’
And his right embraces me.

⁷ Adjured you, daughters Jerusalem,
In gazelles or in does the field –
If wakens and if awakens the love,
Until she inclines.

 

Song of Songs 2:1-7 (NKJV)

I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys.

² Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.

³ Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴ He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
⁵ Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.

⁶ His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
⁷ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.