Song of Songs 4:8-16

Garden of delight

8 [Man]Come down with me from Lebanon, my bride— if only you would come down with me from Lebanon. Descend from the peak of Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountain lairs of leopards.

9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride! You have captured my heart with one glance from your eyes, with one strand of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your loving, my sister, my bride! Your loving is so much better than wine, and your fragrance better than any perfume!

11 Sweetness drops from your lips, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 An enclosed garden is my sister, my bride; an enclosed pool, a sealed spring.

13 Your limbs are an orchard of pomegranates with all kinds of luscious fruit, henna, and spices:

14 nard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all scented woods, myrrh, and aloes, with the very choicest perfumes!

15 You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water, streams from Lebanon.

16 Stir, north wind, and come, south wind!Blow upon my garden; let its perfumes flow! [Woman]Let my love come to his garden; let him eat its luscious fruit!

Song of Songs 4:8-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 4

In this chapter is contained a large commendation of the church's beauty by Christ; first, more particularly, by an enumeration of several parts, as her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, temples, neck, and breasts, So 4:1-5; and more generally, So 4:7; And having observed where he himself was determined to go, he invites her to go with him; which he enforces, partly from the danger she was exposed unto where she was So 4:6,8; and partly from the comeliness of her person and graces in his esteem; with which he was ravished, and therefore was extremely desirous of her company, So 4:9-11; And then enters into some new descriptions of her; as a garden and orchard, as a spring and fountain, So 4:12-14; all which she makes to be owing to him, So 4:15; And the chapter is closed with an order from Christ to the winds to blow on his garden, and cause the spices of it to flow out; and with an invitation of the church to Christ, to come into his garden, and relax there, So 4:16.

Footnotes

• [a]. Sister here and below is a common term in ancient love poetry; it doesn't imply blood relation.