Song of Songs 4:12-16

12 My sister, my bride, [you are] a locked garden- a locked garden^[a] and a sealed spring.^[b]

13 Your branches are a paradise^[c] of pomegranates with choicest fruits,^[d] henna with nard-

14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices.

15 [You are] a garden spring, a well of flowing water^[e] streaming from Lebanon.

Woman

16 Awaken,^[f] north wind- come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.^[g]

Song of Songs 4:12-16 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] Other Hb mss read locked fountain
• [b] 1 Kg 21:8; Est 8:10; Jb 9:7
• [c] Or park, or orchard
• [d] Sg 7:13
• [e] Gn 26:19; Lv 14:5; Jr 2:13
• [f] Sg 2:7; 3:5; 8:4
• [g] Sg 7:13